I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Georgiana Darcy has always been an underrated character in my opinion, given how little time she’s given to shine in her own right in the original. Subsequent reimaginings and sequels have done a good job giving her a bit more grit, but Accomplished allows her to take center stage, transplanting the action to a modern elite prep school.
Amanda Quain depicts a modern Georgie as a flawed teenage girl, dealing with the aftermath of what she calls The Incident with Wickham. The darkness of P&P!Georgiana’s narrative is alluded to in the original, so it spins off from that, with Georgie reeling from being taken in (and steal being in the orbit of) Wickham and his drug dealing and control, and chafing at the large presence of her overprotective brother, Fitz and the judgment of her classmates. I really liked that she was allowed to be a bit messy and grapple with what she had gone through. She also imparts a lot of insight into what it’s like to be a “legacy” student in one of these prestigious schools, and how you have your family name to live up to (much like in the Regency era), so switching schools wasn’t an option, even if it meant she would save face.
I really liked how her relationship with Fitz evolved over the course of the book. There’s a lot of tension between them at the start, but over the course of the book, Georgie comes to appreciate that Fitz wants what’s best for her and helps her put things into perspective.
While the book does veer more toward the serious side (much more so than the marketing lets on), there are some cute elements too. It’s fun to see Georgie’s perspective of Darcy and Lizzie together and how she meddles to get them together. And while the book is largely about Georgie‘s journey toward healing on her own terms, she does also develop a romance with one of her classmates, Avery, who is the sweet antithesis of manipulative Wickham.
I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Austen retellings and reimaginings.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for ARC, in exchange for an honest review*

Splendid.

Unlike many others, I never read Pride and Prejudice; it was on my list, but I never got around to reading the book. I am aware of some of the information, but not too much. However, I had always loved retellings, and after reading the summary of the book, I became curious about book. Not being familiar with Pride and Prejudice didn’t stop me from falling in love with the story. Accomplished made me want to go and read Pride and Prejudice and learn more about her brother Fitz and what had happened between him and Lizzie. I loved watching the character’s development, especially Georgie. Despite everything that happened to her, she didn’t give up, I know that she wanted to at the beginning, but she didn’t. Of all the characters from the book, Georgie was one of my favorites, and I found myself rooting for her; I wanted everything to turn out for her in the end. I was curious about the title, Accomplished from the moment I came across the book, and when I started to read the book, the title fit perfectly.

I loved the friendship that formed between her and Avery. It seemed as if he was the only one that didn’t judge her entirely on what had happened with Wickham. Instead, he listened to her and even helped her play matchmaker for her brother. Georgie needed a friend like Avery. I believe that having Avery in her life that year helped her more than Avery might have realized. The two had their moments throughout the book, but they were always there for each other in the end. Although I am curious about what happened to them once the book ended, I couldn’t help but be curious. I loved the jokes and how the two of them teased one another without taking it personally. It was impossible not to love them.

There is also Fitz, and I could go pages listing everything I loved about him. There is a reason that I want to read Pride and Prejudice and find out more information about him. I loved the relationship that he had with Georgie. I did feel that he was a bit overprotective and hard on Georgie, but I knew he did that because he loved her. I had a feeling that he was afraid to lose her. There are not many siblings out there that are close like Fitz and Georgie were. I loved reading about their relationship. I’m hoping that the two of them would stay that close for long after the book was over. I loved so many things about Accomplished making it hard for me to put the book down. All the characters came to life for me and had me transported right into the story. I wanted to see how it would end, but at the same time, I didn’t want it to end.

Accomplished did have a slow beginning, but it didn’t take me long to get engaged in the story. A fantastic debut novel by Amanda Quain, and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next. I’m excited that I got a chance to read an early copy of the book. Even if you haven’t read Pride and Prejudice it’s a story you will fall in love with, a book that will stay with you long after turning the last page.

This was cute in its way, but I'm not the target audience. Wickham's bullying of Georgie was too disturbing for me. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This was a cute modern Pride and Prejudice-adjacent retelling centered on Georgiana Darcy. Georgie attends Pemberley Academy, but has gotten herself into some trouble with, you guessed it, Wickham. She needs to find a way to redeem herself in the eyes of her brother and rebuild her reputation at school. I enjoyed this modern take from Georgie's perspective. It was fun to see the characters from a different angle and Quain did a great job of keeping them pretty true to their character profiles for the most part. A great summer read!

Unfortunately had to DNF this one. I would LOVE to say that its just because it feels to juvenile for me as a 23 year old, but there is still PLENTY of YA fiction that interests me so it's clearly not just the genre. I sincerely hope this novel is able to be enjoyed by a 13 year old somewhere and this opens the world of Jane Austen up to them. Just wasn't the book for me.

A modern telling of Pride and Prejudice with the new added twist of being told through Georgiana Darcy’s perspective? Whats not to love?

A fair amount for me if I’m being honest. I wanted to love this book so much more than I did. I will say that had I gone into this with the fresh eyes of an actual “Young Adult” who had not yet read Jane Austen’s work; I would probably have quite a different take on this. I also think if I was a younger adult than I am, the traits of Georgie might not be ticks in the negative column.

Georgie is 16 going on 12 in this story; she comes off as whiny and immature in ways that I could forgive in a pre-teen and can’t tolerate in a “pre-adult”. The near constant “whoa is me” perspective and her way of making Fitz the bad guy feels false in a way I can’t move passed. Straying so far from the original work is bold but this book felt like a little bit of a letdown for me.

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of this book! I'm a huge Pride and Prejudice fan, and I really liked this one!

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: YA Fiction
Pub Date: July 26, 2022

Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books, and I am always down to read a reimagining based on the characters I love. What I was most excited about with Accomplished, though, is that it focuses on an underdeveloped and underutilized character from the original - Georgiana Darcy. I thought Amanda Quinn captured Georgiana perfectly in this one, and I'm so glad her character is getting the attention she deserves! :)

This story is fun and interesting, and truly, it kept me engaged from start to finish. I loved Amanda's portrayal of Georgiana, Darcy, and all of Pemberley. It was everything I hoped it would be and more! The story had enough of the original and enough of the new to make it truly unique.

I think any fan of YA fiction should pick up Accomplished!

I’m a huge fan of Jane Austen fanfiction/retellings so when I heard Georgiana Darcy was getting her own YA novel I immediately had to read it! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity…⁣
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Unfortunately, I didn’t really enjoy my experience with ACCOMPLISHED. Georgie is very precious, but her story is downright bleak. She’s been ostracized at her fancy high school over a debacle with a certain Wickham and is on the outs with her brother Fitz. In order to get Wickham to leave her alone, she makes a bet that she can regain her reputation and prove herself a fitting member of the Darcy line.⁣
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Georgie has about five minutes of happiness across this novel including a sweet romance with a fellow band member, but that’s about it. She spends most of the novel doubting herself, making mistakes, and recovering from her toxic relationship. While I think this is a legit and reasonable storyline for Georgie considering the original novel, it’s just not that fun to read about nor do I feel like it breaks new ground!.
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There’s an additional storyline about Georgie matchmaking for Fitz and Lizzie and I couldn’t help but feel like a book about that would be much more my speed. I think this novel will be enjoyable for a lot of people, but it was just not for me.

Accomplished is a very cute and Lightning read that touches upon darker subjects like death and feeling like you are disappointing the ones you love, I actually loved when they talked about Darcy’s and Georgie’s relationships because it had so many levels and I whine it resembles a lot of relationships I know and the need Georgie had to please her brother and make him proud of her is something all of us have experienced at least once. I also thought their father was a very interesting character because while in their memories he sounds like a good dad he is also a snob and there are a lot of comments about this, for me the most interesting thing in the book was the relationship between the characters. It was a fun read that gave a complexity to adorable characters.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you.

I a sucker for P&P references, spin offs, and retellings.

In Accomplished, Georgiana—George—is at Pemberly High while Fritz, Charlie, Jane, and Lizzy are at a nearby college. Instead of ballrooms, we peek into Frat parties. Instead of almost eloping with Wickham, George becomes his girlfriend and is harmed in a different way.

This was a satisfying read of an alternative P&P. George's angst came through with flying colors. Both Fitz and Charlie are true to the original characters but through different circumstances. I had so much fun seeing how George would handle the pressure.

This tale deviates from the original, but in a great way. It's also not necessary to ne familiar with Austen's book to enjoy Accomplished. I think teens and adults will love it! There are sexual references, but nothing on the page. I hope you enjoy it too!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of Accomplished by Amanda Quain.

I love a Pride and Prejudice retelling and this one is done well. Told from the perspective of George Darcy this novel follows George in the aftermath of her problems with Wickham as she has to go back to her boarding school and live through the speculation, gossip, and hatred of students who liked Wickham more than her.

Not only does this book tackle big issues such as feeling inadequate, grief, and regular high school problems but it also tackles the idea of wealth not solving all your problems and in fact causing even more sometimes. It is handled well and I appreciate the fact that neither Fitz or George really overcame their grief by the end of this story as grief is a journey and would take more than three months to really make progress on.

This book has the feeling of The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet if only the characters were a bit younger. It was fun to have Fitz and Lizzie be the background characters and have the story focus on Georgie instead. The Pride and Prejudice of this story was a little lost in this telling but it still had the same overall feel. The Lydia storyline was very much reduced but in a way that made sense for modern day compared to the original story.

This was a fun book that I read in one sitting. 4.5 stars.

Listen, I'm going to read pretty much any Pride and Prejudice retelling that I can get my little mitts on and this was such an excellent one! I loved the modernization of all the aspects of Pride and Prejudice (Wickham as a small-time drug dealer?! Perfection!) Georgie was such a lovable character that it was easy to look over some of her flaws until the were thrust into the spotlight by circumstances. You just want to root for her!

Finally, the idea of moving past the ideals of rugged individualism into the need for community is such an important thing for young people to learn! I was really glad to encounter that in this novel..

CW: under-aged drinking, drug dealing, forced kissing, grief, panic attacks

Pride and Prejudice retelling? Yes!

A Darcy sibling? Yes, please!

This was an adorable second chance story for Georgie, the black sheep of the Darcy family, and her journey rebuilding herself from the ground up.

Since entering high school Georgie has always had a shadow to hide in. Fitz, her golden boy brother, her freshman year. Wickham, an old neighbor from when they were younger, her sophomore year. Until he causes her world to come crashing down by using her and allowing her to take the fall for it all.

Barely escaping getting kicked out, she is back for her junior year unsure of what the year will bring until Wickham re-enters the picture and is determined to use her yet again. Teaming up with the only friend she has left, Avery, she is determined to prove to everyone (the school band, her fanfic writing community, Fitz, classmates, teachers and herself) that she is a true Darcy and prove her worth!

Will this be easy? No. Will there be up, downs, and doubt? Yes. Definitely go along on this sweet, second chance YA retelling. You won’t be able to help falling for these characters!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for a review.

‘Accomplished’ is a deft, tangential, reimagining of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ told from Georgiana’s perspective. Though most of the names are obviously familiar, the modern-day story through this lens is a refreshing take on a beloved classic.

When Georgiana Darcy returns to Pemberley Academy after a devastating sophomore year, she is determined to distance herself from her old flame, Wickham Darcy, and prove that she can be the type of student and younger sister her older brother, Fitz, can be proud of. What happens when Wickham tries to weasel his way back into her life? When she realizes that the feelings she has for her friend, Avery, might be more than platonic? Well, things are about to become even more complicated.

In my opinion, works that are inspired by ‘Pride and Prejudice’ have a very fine needle to thread. Because the source material is so prolific, I often find myself dissatisfied with works that center Elizabeth and Darcy (or their equivalents) as the protagonists. Which is why I found this book to be so delightful.

Author Amanda Quain gives readers gives us a fully sketched Georgiana, and adds a beautiful layer to the sibling dynamic between Georgiana and her brother. The addition of Avery as best friend/potential love interest was also a fantastic inclusion. Quain also is aware of the fact that her protagonist is obscenely rich, and doesn’t shy away from conversations about privilege.

It’s a work that understands its source material but stands on its own insofar as narrative and plot are concerned. Fans of P&P and those unfamiliar with the story will both find things to love about ‘Accomplished.’

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for generously providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in return for an honest review.

A book loosely based off of Pride and Prejudice? Say less! I was super excited to get my hands on this as I am a huge fan of the original Austen read. I found this to be an entertaining YA romance, headed by Georgie, a naive 16 year old student who is forced with having to repair her image and reputation after being taken advantage of the infamous Wickham.

Overall I enjoyed reading this book, I definitely don't think you need to know the original story to enjoy it, but fans of the original will definitely love it!

I’m a sucker for Pride and Prejudice variants and boarding school stories, so needless to say, I was thrilled at the opportunity to read this book.

We don’t know much about canon Georgiana Darcy, other than she is a kindhearted lady who was almost—but not quite—taken advantage of by the devious Wickham. Accomplished reimagines her as a boarding school junior trying to pick up the pieces of her social life after she is seen by her peers as the reason behind Wickham’s expulsion for dealing drugs the previous spring.

Georgie’s goals are admirable, and she’s a nice enough kid, but there were some small details that threw me off. For example, she tries to make amends to her bandmates by treating them to a catered Mexican buffet… right before they’re scheduled to get on a bus to go to the big game. I love seeing fallible characters, but that incident just highlighted how out of touch she is with reality. Why on earth would she not wait to surprise everyone with a buffet when they got home?

Her brother Darcy has relocated from his elite university to SUNY Meryton, located close to Pemberley. He shows up periodically to glower disapprovingly, and his own romance with Lizzie Bennet is a secondary plot in this book.

I would recommend Accomplished. I think this book is going to primarily appeal to its target demographic, and that’s exactly what’s expected of a YA book. It’s cute and sweet and perfect for a summer read.




I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin’s/NetGalley

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the eARC copy in exchange for this review. This in no way changed my opinion**

As a general rule, if the book was released by Wednesday Books imprint, I tend to really like it. I find that as a whole, this publishing house tends to find very unique and interesting YA titles. The Grace Year is one of my favorite books of all time. Everything Erin Hahn writes is magical. If This Gets Out is amazing! Unfortunately, like all rules, there are exceptions. For every The Grace Year, there is a You've Reached Sam and this is one of them.

I got about 25% of the way through this. I can't explain to you why, but I went in thinking it was a YA Mystery. That was intriguing to me as a Pride & Prejudice retelling. It's not. It's standard YA Romance where the character names from Pride & Prejudice were taken. The plot has more in common with Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl as both main characters write fan fiction as a main plot point. This was just...not what I was expecting, which is why I DNF'd.

The story is essentially about Georgie trying to turn her life around and get acknowledgment from her brother, to find love along the way, and to get out from under the thumb of her abusive ex. However, the story is not Pride & Prejudice. It's not even a modern day P&P. It's literally just the names were taken and put over an otherwise standard YA Romance book. I'm sure there are people who will enjoy this, but it bothers me that so often now, books are being marketed by comparing them to other well-loved book and movie franchises when it's not really the case. Exploring the story from Georgiana's POV could have been interesting and I just found it bland. For that reason, it's unlikely I'll come back to this or try to finish. I just did not care enough about the main character to care what happens to her. I think you're better off reading another one of this imprint's titles.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

WOW! This was a novel that truly sucked me in from the beginning and left me satisfied, but still wanting more, at the end. Amanda did such a great job with character development, plot, and creating a story that you felt you could be apart of! I loved it!

So I’m in love with Accomplished featuring marching band romance, snarky banter, and apparently Charles Bingley as a frat boy, which is not something I knew I needed but apparently I did. It perfectly captured everything I imagined Georgie Darcy to be – PLUS I absolutely loved seeing Darcy as a tired older brother. Amazing work here!

(3.5 rounded up) Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

I am (obviously) going to read every YA Jane Austen retelling I find. So I was very excited for a retelling focused on the youngest Darcy. I did initially find it hard to get invested in Georgie’s story, but after the first several chapters it seemed like the author found her groove. Once we were settled into the story and Georgie’s “plan” was moving along though, I was hooked. The greatest strength of this book was Georgie and Avery’s friendship. I couldn’t put the book down by the time I got to Homecoming, just wanting to see how it played out. With that said the ending of the book fell a little flat for me, but overall it was still a fun and adorable read. Might even be worth reading just for the scenes of Bingley as a frat boy.