There are far too many Jane Austen-inspired stories, including gender-swapped ones, to finish one that isn't fantastic.

I am a massive fan of Pride and Prejudice, and I always love a good retelling of the story. Unfortunately, I did not feel that this measured up to a "good retelling." The writing was okay, but I did not like this version of beloved characters.

The Bachelors is a free contemporary retelling of Pride and Prejudices that I enjoyed even if fans of Jane Austen’s work could dislike it. The only retelling I read of this classical novel is Pride and Prejudices and Zombies that didn’t leave me a lasting memory lol.

Here we have on one side the Austen family: Claude, the father, who recently left his post at the head of the Austen Book Shops to his sons; Anne, the mother, who only lives for money and standing; both tolerate each other but there’s not much love left between them; Darcy, the eldest brother, a good-looking guy a little too self-confident but who is down-to-earth; Bingham, the second, a nice guy calm and discreet who’s always been the peace-maker in his family; and Wickham, the youngest, arriviste up for anything to save the familial bookshops. By the way his latest idea is for one of the three brothers to get his hooks into one of the wealthy Bennett sisters during the annual Bennett’s charity ball.

Because on the other side we have the Bennett family, only consisting of three sisters: Eliza, the eldest, who took the head of The thriving Bennett Group after their father’s death; Jane, the second, who’s very discreet and prefers seeing to Charities; and Lydia, the youngest, a jet-setter whose biggest pleasure is to annoy her oldest sister.

And that’s why after a meeting orchestrated by Wick during the ball, Lydia decides to marry him in Las Vegas. The remaining sisters and brothers go after them. So we follow the hellish couple while they discover each other intellectually and mainly physically and decide their future, and in parallel we see a distinct coming together between Bing and Jane (or I should say a love at first sight, with pink glasses and cherubs playing harp) (no it’s not true but that could have been as they’re so cutie bear) (by the way there’s this sentence about them that melted my heart “Connected in their sleepy embrace, their bodies learned the feel of each other not by making love, but by letting love make them.”), while Eliza and Darcy, as for them, just tolerate the other, in spite of a slight warming during their stay at Eliza’s best friend’s, an Hollywood actress named Pemberley and married to a gay actor named Collins. Yes yes, them too lol.

I liked the sweet side of Bing/Jane couple, I sighed at Darcy and Eliza’s instant and lasting prejudices toward the other, and I disliked Wick/Lydia couple, each more sneaky and manipulative than the other (although Lydia turns out to be the worst finally, something Wick hadn’t expected). All in all it’s a pleasant and diverting novel, through its winks to the classical novel of course but also through the story and some biting repartees (like when the father tells his wife “Whatever you say, love of my life, mother of my children, catalyst for my hair loss.”), even if squeezing three couples in less than 250 pages forces to skim a bit.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get into this one. I've heard WONDERFUL things about this author and will absolutely try again with another book. I think the tone and nature of this book just wasn't for me.

From the reviews here I think people will either really like this book or really not. Unfortunately, I'm among the really not. I loved the idea of turning P&P on its head but none of the characters were sympathetic or interesting to me.

I really enjoyed this book, a modern twist on Pride and Prejudice.
As with the original, Jane is the shy, more likeable sister; Eliza is strong and independant and the youngest Lydia is naughty!
I liked how there were chapters from each different main characters point of view.

What an absolutely wonderful re-telling of Jane Austen’s classic!
I loved everything about this book, from start to finish. The role reversals made the start feel fresh, but harked back to all the things I loved most about Pride and Prejudice, while the modern setting made some of the conflicts that much juicer.
E.S. Carter has proven she’s a gifted story-telling with this engaging and unique twist on a perpetual favorite, and I can only hope that there is more to come from her in this style. Sense and Sensibility? Emma? Or something completely fresh and new.? Whatever Ms. Carter writes next, I am IN for.
~ FIVE STARS ~

So I'm always a sucker for a "Pride and Prejudice" retelling and this one looked so promising, centering all the action around the eligible bachelors as opposed to the Bennet sisters. There were some hilarious elements: I liked the portrayal of Lydia and Wick as equal sparring partners, particularly, and Lydia's performance at the charity gala was particularly hilarious. I also loved how the action was swapped around a bit so <spoiler>Lydia's elopement</spoiler> was the catalyst for the families getting to know each other. There are some fun nods to the original too, as well as the BBC adaption: YES wet shirt scene!

But as a devoted P&P fan, some of the changes were a bit too jarring. It felt like the author was going for a gender-swap of the original in places, giving many of Darcy's lines to Lizzie and vice versa, which was an interesting choice but then made the blending of the two slightly off-putting. All of the romance just felt a bit fast-paced too, with all three sisters very obviously becoming attached to the brothers in a very short-time span. Still, a fun frivolous read!

2 disappointed stars

This book started out so promising: a light and fun romp and quite a fresh take on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with the tables turned. It is the Bennet sisters who roll in cold, hard cash, while brothers Darcy, Bing and Wick have financial difficulties and embarrassing parents.

The characterisation was a bit muddled from the beginning to my liking: the author tried to turn Darcy into a male Elizabeth Bennet while also retaining some of his "usual" character traits and vice versa. The result was a bit messy.
I though this Elizabeth-turned-into-Darcy was presented to both Darcy and the reader as a total cow, and it was difficult to believe that Darcy-turned-into-Elizabeth was attracted to her right from the start (or even later).
Still I was willing to give their unconvincing attraction a benefit of the doubt and quite enjoyed it all into 40% of the story.

From there on things took a nosedive. The narrative just fell apart and turned into an overindulgence in vulgarity. Some secondary characters were thrown it at random and it all seemed just a thin excuse so that Elizabeth and her best buddie (with Lydia and Collins in tow) could cuss each other and everyone else around them to their hearts' content with the most obscene language imaginable. (Apparently they all had a difficult childhood, poor rich kids and stuff, so they are entitled to do so.)
Of course (?) Darcy-Elizabeth didn't bat an eyelid and found all the filth and muck his ladylove threw at her utterly irresistible and hilarious. *SIGH*

I finished this on a very disapponting note, for I wanted to like it, but the second half of the book was spoiled for me.

I really enjoyed this story. I’m a huge Jane Austen fan and this was a great modern adaptation that was full of variances from the original. If you are an Austen purist, this isn’t for you. If you can appreciate someone else’s take, give it a read!

I DO love a retelling of a classic.

The Bachelors is a modernized, gender swapped Pride and Prejudice. Well, maybe it's more "inspired" rather than a full re-telling, but...the gist of the story is there.

The Austens run a family owned bookstore, but modern technology is killing their business. Darcy, Bing and Wick struggle to agree on how to save their business. Meanwhile, the Bennet sisters, known for the wealth, and their beauty come into the picture and here's where the fun starts.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this fun retelling of a classic.

I enjoyed The Bachelors so much I was sad to turn the last page...I know this is a standalone but please Mrs. Carter give me more of these characters.

I particularly liked the writing,the flow and I find refreshing to read something in the GB English once in a while.

I won't ruin the book for you all retelling it,I just want to tell you the Austen brothers meet their female counterpart and the story that comes out is witty and sparkling and you can't miss it.