MOST ARDENTLY is the lovely and swoony Pride and Prejudice remix that I've been hoping for. While sticking pretty close to the original in terms of plot, this book introduces us to Elisa Benitez, a relatively poor young woman who is just starting community college, and Darcy Fitzgerald, a wealthy young woman who is taking a couple classes at said community college. Although they notice each other right from the start, a disagreement over human nature in the context of a literature discussion has Elisa feeling at odds.

When at their next encounter, she overhears Darcy disparaging her younger sisters, Elisa has her mind made up- she would never date Darcy, even if she were the last person on Earth. However, as they continue to collide in part because of Elisa's sister, Julieta, and Darcy's close friend, Bobby, who happen to be falling in love, they start to peel back the layers of their initial impressions to look a little deeper.

I am a fan of the original novel, and so, I absolutely adored this new take set in the modern day. There is a lot of character racial/ethnic diversity plus a heroine who is bi (Elisa) and falling in love with a woman. Add that to one of Elisa's sisters being trans and this book is full of great representation.

In terms of the plot, I loved it, but it does follow the original very closely. This includes the character of Wickham (here, 'Wick'), who preys upon young girls. Thus, I would add warnings for sexual predation/grooming, statutory rape, and domestic violence/abuse.

Elisa and Darcy were just as ornery and love-hate as in the original, and I loved their banter. I was definitely cheering for these two. While they didn't seem well-suited at the start, they really end up seeming perfectly suited by the end. I will add that this is a clean romance with no more than kisses described, and I would have loved to see even more of those along the way.

Charming, adorable, and deliciously Pride-and-Prejudicey, MOST ARDENTLY is a retooled classic for the modern era. Highly recommend for anyone who thinks a LGBTQIA+ retake sounds interesting- you won't regret picking this up this delightful read.

Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.