Eden Appiah-Kubi's debut takes Pride and Prejudice and uses it as a jumping off point for her lively college students' found family. What really made me fall in love with it were the characters. EJ is trying to find her way in love and career as she finishes her senior year. Jamie is a trans woman settling into her identity and balancing what her head and heart want. And Will is a true Darcy figure in this grumpy meets sunshine story, swoonworthy moments and all.

If you are familiar with classic literature, you have probably already guessed that The Bennet Women is inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Appiah-Kubi shakes up Austen's classic by taking the original Bennet sisters and reimagining them as a diverse group of friends in a private college dorm called the Bennet House. With that said, you don't have to be an Austen scholar to enjoy this book. I haven't read P&P in a long while, so I probably missed some of the more nuanced allusions, but I still enjoyed seeing how Appiah-Kubi drew on the original characters and plot to frame her story.

While there's plenty to love, I have to admit my favorite part of this novel is the college campus setting. As a former RA, I always smiled when EJ's character had to deal with dorm/resident issues, and I would have loved to see even more of that.

Overall, The Bennet Women was a quick, enjoyable read that I'd recommend to anyone looking for new adult romance novels, diverse representation, enemies-to-lovers tropes, and an escape from real adulthood/flashbacks to your college years.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters a lot and their interaction was really interesting to see how it evolved in certain situations. Great read overall

Thank you to Turn the Page Tours, Montlake and Netgalley for an eARC and a finished copy in exchange for an honest review and promotion. All opinions are my own.

Oh my god, I loved this so much!! I definitely forgot I was reading a Pride & Prejudice retelling at times, but then elements from the original would appear and I would love this story even more! Cannot recommend enough.

The Bennet Women follows EJ, a Black woman navigating college life as a RA and Engineering major. She is the RA for Bennet House, the only all-women's dorm at Longbourne University. With her are her two best friends, Jamie who has recently come out as transgender and studies French and theatre, and Tessa, a Filipina studying astronomy with major guy problems.

When Jamie runs into Lee Gregory, the two hit it off immediately. Unfortunately, for EJ, this means dealing with Lee's best friend, Will, who is very grumpy and insults EJ behind her back immediately after meeting her. EJ is civil with Will for Jamie and Lee's sake, but the more she learns about Will, the more she thinks maybe she judged him too harshly at first.

This was such a good retelling. I loved the Bennet family reimagined as a cohort of college women! I also loved the diversity of experiences we had in Bennet House. I think I missed whoever were supposed to be Mary and Catherine/Kitty, but it didn't take away from the story for me. Seeing EJ, Jamie and Tessa constantly be there for each other was so heartwarming. I loved their friendship so much and I'm so glad they supported each other through the whole book!

I also really enjoyed Will and EJ's relationship. These two definitely get off on the wrong foot, but I loved how they worked their way back to each other. I'm really glad Will did not send that first letter he wrote too. I was laughing so hard when he read it to his sister and Zara. The tension between these two was so fun and I loved every second of their relationship and how it developed.

EJ was such an easy character to care for. She cares so much for everyone around her. She's also so strong, but is somewhat struggling with what she wants. That I can definitely relate to. I loved seeing a college age character at the end of their degree questioning what they should do next. That's very much where I was when I finished mine and had grad school not worked out, I would've been in the same position as EJ.

I loved seeing EJ dive into her family relationships to untangle her motivations behind what she's done. She comes to terms with things in her past in order to figure out what she wants for her future and that was such a powerful message. EJ is also given some advice to take the summer off before her next steps and I think this is something that should be said to more women of color. EJ does so much throughout this book, constantly pushing herself to the edge of exhaustion and she deserves to rest and be happy.

Overall, this was fantastic, and such an easy book to love.

Midsize Black cishet female MC, white trans heterosexual female MC, Chinese cishet male MC, Black biracial cishet male side character, Afro-Latina cishet female side character, Chinese lesbian cis female side character, Filipina cishet female side character.

CWs: Cursing, racism, fatphobia, sexism, sexual content, toxic relationship. Moderate: mentions of drug use and drug trafficking, transphobia/transmisia, stalking, addiction, body shaming, grief, past mentions of disordered eating and excessive exercising, emotional abuse, suicide attempt, alcohol consumption. Minor: cancer, car accident, death of parent, death of grandparent, infidelity, self harm, abandonment.

RATING: 3.5⭐/5
There are NO spoilers in this review.

⭐ FULL REVIEW: This book is, above all, inclusivity at its finest. We got a rich, diverse cast of women, in STEM no less & we also have trans visibility in this Pride & Prejudice retelling, and I can definitely say that I did enjoy it. I liked that there were short chapters (which made for quick reading, especially for me, who has a really short attention span), and I really did like that the plot seemed to flow smoothly from one point to another. I believe that the characters are really well-written, and they’re not one-dimensional nor are they Mary Sues.

As a WOC, as well as an engineer, this book seemed to tick all the boxes, I actually found myself giddy & even laughing at loud at times and I’m really glad that there’s a platform for this book. The romance itself seemed like an added bonus to the entirety of it, since I was more concerned with the individual characters themselves, as well as their growth, which definitely didn’t disappoint.

I believe it was a mix of light-hearted banter, but there were also serious moments interspersed in the book that not only makes the reader self-reflect, but also really feel for these characters. I feel like so much has happened, but also not enough? If that somehow makes sense. I did think that the pacing was a bit off at times, but the characterization is really superior, and more than made up for it!

📖 WOULD RECOMMEND TO: Women, especially those in STEM or in STEM careers to give it a shot!

I thoroughly enjoyed this modern & inclusive retelling of Pride and Prejudice! It felt familiar yet fresh, with characters that were loosely modeled after the OG Elizabeth & Darcy, while still having their own unique character traits. I loved the setting, the characters, and the emphasis on girl power and friendship. Excellent pacing and dialogue. This is a fun book that tackles tricky topics with a serious yet light hand. A very impressive debut novel from Eden Appiah-Kubi!

The Bennet House is a women's dorm at Longbourn University. There are 3 friends who live there; EJ, Tessa, and Jamie. EJ is a black woman studying engineering. Jamie is a transgender women studying French and theater. Tessa is Filipino and is studying astronomy. The main focus of this book is not their fields but it's more about women empowerment, friendship and sisterhood, love, and more.

What surprised me the most was that the book didn't match the description or summary. I got the impression that the book would focus more on the friendship in the trio with a bit of romance. Instead, the enemies aspect was gone pretty fast and they honestly weren't in the house or bonding as friends that often. I felt like I was really excited to see that setting of a women's dorm where they focused on empowerment but all I got was more of "let me help you with wardrobe malfunctions" rather than empowerment and sisterhood. I was also really excited for the enemies-to-lovers between EJ and Will but I didn't feel the chemistry and they became friends quickly. Sure there were misunderstandings but nothing that dragged out the enemies part.

I'll be honest, I felt like Tessa was added into the story so they could slap on the racial diversity tag onto the book. Okay, maybe it was mentioned that Tessa was Filipino and they gave her very Filipino qualities like the "marites" (gossiper) which I thought was hilarious. But what did she bring to the story?! The fact that she's in an off and on relationship with a guy who is barely mentioned? I have no idea what happened with him and I can't even remember his name. Maybe she was there to get the story moving occasionally but is that enough to put her in the synopsis??? I feel like EJ and Jamie definitely got more important roles in the book and so I was extremely disappointed in the way Tessa was presented throughout the story.

The book is definitely more character based than plot based. When I say character, I mean more EJ based. Tessa and Jamie were really just thrown in there to push the romance of EJ and Will. To be honest, I'm not even sure what the plot is. I did enjoy reading it but it wasn't what I wanted or expected. That being said, I have no idea what I enjoyed reading about. I think it may have been minor details strung together that kept me from DNFing.

I wanted to love this book so so much. I tried so hard to get into it and find all the good parts but I can't. Also, I just want to add on that where in the world is the Pride and Prejudice?! Can we please please stop calling every single enemies-to-lovers romance book a Pride and Prejudice retelling??? Maybe if you are more familiar with P&P you'll get the hints more? I personally didn't see any of the connection until I read a few more reviews on Goodreads

I don't know if I would recommend this. I truly believe that you guys deserve to read what I consider the best. If you are looking for black (I'm gonna add in here red haired rep cause for some reason that is what I remember) rep, trans rep, engineering, character but no plot, and maybe a college setting, then go ahead. I think you'll like it.

The Bennet Women is a fresh and diverse retelling of a story that is over 200 years old. The multiple perspectives are easy to follow, and each character has a distinct voice. I love all of the representation in the book as it’s realistic and fully dimensional, influencing how the characters think and interact with others. I’m also obsessed with Longbourn University and its cozy atmosphere and rich academics. The romance is a slow burn with just the right amount of tension.

This was one of my anticipated reads, so when I saw a book tour for this beauty I just had to jump on board! Women in STEM? Uh.. yeah. Jane Austin retelling? Yes! Not just any Jane Austin retelling, but a Pride and Prejudice retelling? Yes, please! This book was beyond amazing. It was so well told, so diverse, it touched on so many tough topics but they were handled so classy. This is the coming to age novel I wish I would have had when I was was leaving high school and going into college. I could not not put it down. I finished it in one sitting. Absolutely loved it.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending a gifted copy of this novel in exchange for my honest thoughts. I knew I had to check this one out when I found out it was a modern retelling of one of my favorite books, Pride and Prejudice!

The novel reflects a contemporary version of Austen’s classic in the way it tackles topics such as race and gender inequalities. Instead of the protagonists being faced with the prospect of marriage and following the time period’s societal norms, they struggle to establish identity and chase their respective academic dreams in a college town setting.

I love all of the callbacks to P&P such as the characters of Will and Lee being Darcy and Bingley’s counterparts. I also appreciated the similarities in the characters’ personalities; just as Elizabeth Bennet is intelligent and headstrong, EJ is a driven student who stands up for herself when faced with prejudice and is quick to help her friends in times of need. The solidarity between the three female protagonists was admirable and is something that many will find relatable.

I enjoyed how the romance was modernized in this novel; whereas Elizabeth and Darcy’s interactions were restricted by societal conventions, this retelling allowed our beloved couple to have better communication and be more open about their feelings without fear of the same kind of backlash. Perhaps in a way, it lowers the stakes a bit for EJ and Will to have more freedom in expressing their feelings, but I like how this novel tackled other conflicts within the contemporary setting.

I do wish we got a little bit more of Tessa’s character, as I was really looking forward to reading about a Filipino character in this novel! But overall I enjoyed this retelling and will be checking out more of this author’s works in the future.

Eden Appiah-Kubi crafts an inclusive, modern retelling of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice in which the Bennets are New England college students sharing a college dorm. The interracial romance between E.J. & Will is well-developed and heartmelting-ly romantic. The supporting characters, which includes a trans woman, are memorable and add depth to the narrative.

Loved how many moving pieces there were at any given time. The story structure matches the zippy feel of campus life. I am very much into inclusive, diverse retellings.
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4126465001?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

The Bennet Women by Eden Appiah-Kubi is a refreshing, modern take on Pride and Prejudice. Filled with lovable, diverse characters, this novel will pull on your heartstrings. It’s a story about friendship, finding love, and self-discovery. These characters will completely capture your heart and leave you with a twinge of nostalgia. If you love retellings and like a fresh spin on them, I highly recommend this one for you!

Huge thank you to Montlake Romance for gifting me with a copy of this delightful novel!

A refreshingly modern, diverse and inclusive retelling of Pride and Prejudice set at a women’s dorm at a prestigious private college. Eden Appiah-Kubi draws you in quickly with her earnest and clever voice, and the pages clip right along as you get to know The Bennet Women.

The main character, EJ, is a driven and ambitious engineering student and the RA of Bennet House. EJ is the protective, loving, and outspoken “big sister” and I enjoyed her interplay with the other characters immensely. Even though EJ’s characterization is inspired by Elizabeth Bennet, Appiah-Kubi deftly spins the narrative to showcase EJ’s irresistibly modern strengths and traits and creates an unforgettable Black heroine who won’t sacrifice her solid principles or her bright future for anyone. I loved EJ.

Jamie is a recently-out trans woman who is on her own voyage to independence and self-discovery. Her dynamic with Lee was so healthy and loving. With Jamie’s amazing fashion sense, I couldn’t help but picture an American Florence Welch! She and EJ have a wonderfully supportive friendship and I really enjoyed how vulnerable and frank they were with one another.

Tessa is a Filipina astronomy major who tends to have guy trouble—including the manipulative and selfish ex she just can’t seem to shake. Tessa is a firecracker and she offered a lot of levity and fun to the narrative. I especially enjoyed how her personality sparked off Jamie’s.

And then we have Will, our love interest, an arrogant actor suffering from the aftermath of a bad public breakup. There are the moments of cringe-worthy miscommunication and awkward flirtation with EJ that lead to the many Darcyesque faux pas we’d expect from a P&P retelling. Their romance is just as frustrating and heart-warming as the original, and I loved how Appiah-Kubi made Will a POV character so that we might see EJ through his eyes.

This is a fun, fast-paced, and nostalgic read. It made me miss college and remember how much I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice. You’ll love this book if you appreciate intersectional feminism, independent heroines, and healthy romances formed on mutual respect. It’s the perfect read for back-to-school! I can’t wait to see what Eden Appiah-Kubi writes next.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Montlake for the opportunity to review an Advance Copy