Member Reviews

This book was such a breath of fresh air. It took a classic we all know and love and used it to tell a compelling modern-day story about identity, love, and family. Elisa is just trying to make her dreams come true and protect her family from people who want to deport them out of the US. Enter political powerhouse who, along with his friends comes a little too close to Elisa's comfort zone...and he's a republican to boot.

What I loved most about this story was the ability to relate to all of the characters. That Darcy is a tough nut to crack but once you do even he becomes relatable and his struggles with issues that aren't so black and white are relatable. A heartfelt. Elisa takes a huge leap of faith to tell him about her undocumented parents and her DACA status sister, but in the end, this story does what every good retelling of P&P does...it makes us believe and love and reminds us that prejudice and judgment lies the way of the unhappy.

Elisa's sisters Noa and Letitia fill the quintessential Jane and Kitty roles well while Collin and Carla give us the full picture of a modern day Collins and Charlotte. What's so lovely about the Benitez family dynamic is that it feels honest and it's never more complicated or neatly wrapped up than any other family.

Putting these characters in the Trump era was hard to read about but it was relevant and it didn't shy away from what a difficult conversation it is to have when people disagree with you politically. Elisa and Darcy both reminded me of what it is like when we stop standing on a line and yelling "Shame" without looking at our own principles outside the party.

Overall, Garrett did a fantastic job telling this story and her new takes on classic characters have me scrambling for more.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy!

I was drawn to this book because I love Pride and Prejudice. The cover is interesting and represents the story well. I think the overall plot, characters and changes were good. However, I was searching for more of the tortured inner monologue from Elisa and Darcy. I feel that their internal struggle is crucial to the point of the original story and without it this retelling didn’t grab me in the same way. I enjoyed the read and look forward to more from this author.

Was this review helpful?

A modern retelling of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. I thought it was done well. Add in the hot button of the 2016 election and immigration. I thought Ms. Garrett did a good job of not being preach or judgmental.

Was this review helpful?

This Pride and Prejudice retelling offers a new twist on the genre, as it is set in California and deals extensively with American politics around immigration issues. Garrett preserves Austen's lightness and focus on parties, clothes, communications between sisters and girlfriends while addressing weightier issues. I missed Mrs. Bennet's hilarious scheming and Mr. Bennet's arch comments, though, and I found the emphasis on the election of president Trump heavy handed. As with Pride and Prejudice, this is really two books in one: a romance and a political message book. Austen blends the two seamlessly; in this retelling the effort of combining the two is more evident. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I love retellings of Jane Austen's books, and Pride and Prejudice is my favorite. Corrie Garrett introduces protagonist Elisa Benitez in Pride and Prejudice and Passports. This take on the classic grapples with contemporary issues of immigration, DACA, and the 2016 Presidential election. It's a fascinating backdrop to consider the themes of P&P against. It's a highly politicized rendering, but I enjoyed it. I'd definitely look forward to reading more work from Garrett.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Corrie Garrett, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Was this review helpful?

Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book, so I was eager to read this modern retelling of the tale. While Jane Austen’s classic dealt with issues of class and marriage in the 19th century, Corrie Garrett takes on the volatile issues of immigration and politics. Somehow, the problems faced by the main characters in both books don’t seem to occur 200 years apart. Set during the summer of 2016, Garrett’s story introduces Elisa Benitez, a college student who helps her parents clean mountain cabins during her school vacations. While she was born in the United States, she is considerably worried that her illegal immigrant parents and Dreamer elder sister will be deported. Enter Bingley and Darcy, two elegible bachelors who are staying at one of the mountain cabins for the summer. When her sister falls for Bingley, a guest who is a California state representative, Elisa thinks nothing good can come of it Even worse is Bingley’s friend Darcy. He runs a PAC that donates money to candidates whose immigration views are in direct contrast to Elisa and her family. Of course Darcy finds himself falling for Elisa and as much as he tries to fight the attraction, he can’t help but find her spirit, intellect, and beauty enticing.
Corrie Garrett does an excellent job of taking an age old story and creating a new setting for a love/hate relationship. It’s easy to see how the issue of immigration and prejudice can lead to conflict. The only thing I didn’t love was the point-of-view shifts. I liked that we weren’t usually privy to Darcy’s feelings in Austen’s work. It added to the mystery of the character and made him all the more endearing when he changed in order to win Elizabeth Bennett’s heart.

Overall , though, this was an enjoyable, topical read.

Was this review helpful?

The first thing I need to say is this was a great retelling of Pride and Prejudice. I was really into the characters and they seemed like Darcy and Elizabeth in a modern setting.

The second thing I need to say is I really feel like the author hated Trump and republicans. In the post notes she said she tried to show both sides but... Darcy became the hero when he went from being Republican to less Republican. I don't feel like she was big on Hillary either but I wish she would have changed the names. She could have kept the same story line with just different names.

This is a book that will go on my Pride and Prejudice shelf. It was really great. As far as the things I didn't enjoy they did get me writing and started constructive conversation.

Was this review helpful?

I have always loved adaptations of Pride and Prejudice, but I've also always had issues with parts of the story.

This retelling was simply wonderful.

Giving us insight into Darcy? Check. More Gigi? Check. Endearing and inherently likeable characters? Check. Darcy playing Pokemon Go? Check.

I didn't take many notes while reading because I loved it so much. I liked that it really delved into the politics of modern issues - especially immigration - in a sensitive and realistic way.

In the original, I'd always dismissed Mrs Bennet as a marriage-minded mama, obsessed with finding rich husbands for her children to boost her social standing. But through Mrs Benitez's matchmaking, I realised that all both characters wanted was for their children to be safe and secure in society.

I always liked Darcy as a character but never really felt any strong connection with him and never really understood his thoughts. This book made him a lot less obnoxious and a lot more likeable - he has his issues, but he's self-reflective! ("He realized with humiliation that his shock only confirmed her claim that he was arrogant and out of touch.”) I also admit as a political science nerd, I totally got it when Elisa said, "He had a kind of Captain America civic leadership vibe right now, that… was kind of attractive."

I also found Elisa a lot more likeable and less prejudiced than Elizabeth. Maybe it's because I share a lot of her prejudice? Her reasoning and her actions seemed understandable, even when they weren't likeable.

The romance(s) were slowly-developed, enjoyable and all based on a similarity of character.

I just simply loved it. Not only am I going to go out and read everything else by this author, I'm going to tell everyone I know to do the same.

Was this review helpful?

If you know anything about pride and prejudice you already got the gist of the story but now we have another modern retellings and if your anything like me your not going to want to miss it!

This time it includes the Benitez family with a mixture of undocumented immigrant family members that let their visa expire and living in the US illegally. This book takes place during the Hilary/Trump elections for presidency so you get the idea. Clearly this got the Elisa Benitez concerned for her older sister and parents, meanwhile Darcy is on the opposing side being that he's a state representative. Yeesh.

Anyways, when I found out that there was another P&P retelling you know I was gonna be all over that. Because I've read so many retelling I've come across plenty of hit and misses and this book but I adored. You can't understand how happy I was so come across a Latino version being Puerto Rican myself. The characters where Mexican but I still am happy about coming across a Latino characters in a retelling of my favorite book. I loved how unique and quirky the characters were and how they compared to the original book with a modern twist that the author really did an amazing job. If you loved Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen or Pride by Ibi Zoboi (Another great modern and diverse twist) then you'll love this book. Just well done!

Was this review helpful?

This variation of pride and prejudice was different from what I have read so far I like that they changed it so that when your reading this you can actually feel how scared illegal immigrants feel when they can’t just call the police for fear of deportation, I love the banter between Darcy and Elisa

Was this review helpful?

The story is a modernPride & Prejudice story, set primarily in California before the recent US Presidential (Trump vs Hillary) election. Though it was different, you can tell there were scenes and statements from the original story. I thought they were cleverly blended into this contemporary version. The book tackled slightly about the US immigration issues as well as the views of different indviduals about the main political parties. So if you have strong opinions about certain issue/point of views, please keep in mind this is fiction and I don't think the author means to indoctrinate anyone to a different political view (though I would keep an open mind and hear some of the points presented :).

There were very few grammatical errors that are hardly noticeable. The characters are up to par with their original counterparts (though names had changed like Jane is Noa, Leticia was lydia and Carla is Charlotte). Wickham is still despicable and I hoped there was a sad ending for him. No Mary or Kitty. ( One question came to mind -I am just curious how they could own properties if they were illegal immigrants??? wouldn't that put them on radar?)

On a last note, the author had a message that was imparted and I loved this part. (I am just changing one word - " "there is no longer Jew or Gentile , slave or free, male or female...WE are all one in Christ Jesus"

A great book to read.

I also want to disclose that I was fortunate to be given the chance to have an ARC to review this book.

Was this review helpful?

i absolutely love Jane Austen retellings and this was no exception, was a really cute tale with subtle hints to the original. Really enjoyable quick read

Was this review helpful?

I thought that this adaption's premise was really strong with the issue of immigration in the center. I wish it'd been a little more generic because I would have liked it more without the specific Trump references. (Only because I want a bit more of a break from that insanity.) Overall it was a very successful adaptation of P & P, one which I will recommend to readers who are looking for another Pride and Prejudice story.

Was this review helpful?

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an review. Honestly, I loved this book. This was truly a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice centered around the 2016 election. Elisa, of Mexican heritage, meets Darcy, who runs a Republican PAC. Unlike some other Pride and Prejudice retellings where you have the same exact plot, this story mixed it up a bit with current events, which made it refreshing.

Was this review helpful?

I haven't read Pride and Prejudice so I can't say what elements of this story are close to the original, but I still ended up really enjoying it! It was a really good mix of romance and discussion of serious topics.

That being said, I can't say I was that invested in the relationship. In all honesty, I don't believe people with such different viewpoints in life can just get along their whole lives, and not even that, but get married as soon as they did. I know Darcy changed in some aspects, but how much can someone actually alter their views?

Was this review helpful?

I love a good Pride and Prejudice retelling and this novel hit the spot. Garrett's weaving of modern day issues through the beloved classic tale worked perfectly. The slight variation on the classic tale kept me in anticipation of what twists the author might make. All in all, a very well done retelling.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to Corrie Garrett for the ARC!

I had a great time reading this book. I didn't know the author before, but now I can say I'm a fan. It's a beautiful story, that I would totally recommend to all my friends.

Was this review helpful?

This is a light, super sweet read. I think if you’re a pride and prejudice fan, you’ll enjoy this story. The plot is familiar and nostalgic, there’s the ever present banter and miscommunication.

While the story’s plot feels familiar, the introduction of modern pop culture made it feel relevant and fresh (Pokémon go!). There was some much needed weight to the story’s plot with the addition of immigration and DACA.

I recommend for Austen fans who can’t gwt enough of the original.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you first to Corrie Garrett and Netgalley for the pre-pub access.

I am a huge Pride & Prejudice retelling/alternate universe/continuation fan, so I had to read this book. In this variation, the Bennet family is the Benitez family, a mixed immigrant/DACA family living in California, and Darcy is a political powerhouse Republican.

It was fun and educational. Definitely will check out more from Corrie Garrett.

Was this review helpful?

This is a smart adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel (and one of my very favorites). The plot was obviously built upon the framework of Pride and Prejudice, but the author adapted it in a way that makes sense for her story, making this book feel new and familiar at the same time. My only complaint is that it seems weird that Giana Darcy calls her brother, William Darcy, by their last name.

Was this review helpful?