Member Reviews
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…
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.
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!.
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.
A fun YA retelling of Pride and Prejudice which made me wonder - at what age should one read the actual novel? Perhaps it's best appreciated by older readers and thus this fan fiction is a good intro- but I do hope those that read this admittedly well written and clever novel will eventually read Austen. I liked the characters and the setting and,. to Quain's credit. she's got the rhythm of Austen. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Entertaining read.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!
Listen, 5 stars. No notes.
This is the perfect contemporary YA retelling (or reimagining?) of Pride and Prejudice from Georgie’s POV.
I actually cannot think of a single thing that could have been better - I am not usually a fan of YA realism (I prefer speculative fiction or thrillers), but I was really invested in this.
The narrative is also just well done. The pacing is perfect, the emotions feel real, and the characters’ actions and motivations make sense for teenagers. I was screaming “DON’T” the entire time, but I am an adult woman… so…
I am looking forward to more of Amanda Quain’s work!
This was a cute young adult story that tried to do too many things at once. I appreciated what the author was attempting to do, but it was too much.
Accomplished is a YA novel about a poor, little rich girl. Her dad has died, mother abandoned her and her only sibling is a brother who thinks he needs to be her father. Honestly I was annoyed at her attitude about life but I could empathize were her lack of confidence and wanting to have a friend. Doesn’t every teenage girl want that? The best part of this book is Avery. He is an awesome human. And some good life lessons are learned along the way.
3.5, rounded up. It was REALLY difficult to be sympathetic to Georgie for most of the book--the class issues are addressed but not totally dealt with, and she's stubborn and naive--but her anxiety and insecurities feel realistic and authentic to her teenage self. I also adored the side characters; Fitz and Lizzie's subplot is done well, and I wanted even more of Avery.
As an Austen retelling, this does a decent job of highlighting Georgiana, who didn't get much time in the original novel.
As an Austen fan, I was intrigued by the synopsis of Accomplished. Poor Georgiana Darcy is such a minor character in the original P&P -- I am THRILLED she gets a book of her own.
Quain's takes on "Fitz," Bingley, Lizzie, and even Wickham are fresh and modern. Setting the familiar story at a fictional boarding school called Pemberley is clever, and the additions of a popular (yet, completely made-up) BBC drama series, fan-fiction writing, and marching band mishaps are so much fun.
I only wish we were able to go deeper with Georgie. Her character is young-beyond-her-years and so naive, that the timeline of the book was unable to show much of her growth. I hope we get a sequel, after she's had some nurturing from Lizzie and Jane Bennet.