Member Reviews
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review
I loved this book to put it simply. I have been a fan of Pride and Prejudice and its many retellings since I first saw the 95 Mini series at 12 and Quain showed not just her love but also understanding of the story and its characters through her book.
Georgie makes a great lead character because she is imperfect and can make mistakes but she is trying to live up to so much and be the best she can be but also trying to figure out what that even means. Georgiana in the original novel is almost completely defined by her brother and past with Wickham and this explores how being only known for those around you and not yourself can affect someone.
Avery was a cute new character and I like how he cared about Georgie but still called her out when it was needed. Darcy and Lizzie while not really in the book still give off the enemies-to-lovers vibe I adore with them and Wickham is still the worse. Hated him, but I always do and that's a plus I promise.
It's a novel that's easy to just sit down and get drawn into and was a fun YA contemporary and honestly, if someone didn't know the original story it's still a good read and can still be enjoyed without being an Austen superfan...which I might be.
Also, I totally watch Sage Hall I know it
4/5 stars! thank you to netgalley and st. martin's press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. all thoughts and opinions are my own.
now, to get into it. this book was SO much fun. like seriously, so much fun. i love retellings, so hearing this was a pride & prejudice retelling made me quite excited. and i'm glad to confirm it lived up to my expectations! accomplished follows georgie, our wild and beloved protagonist who is returning to school after nearly getting kicked out of it (she really is wild, but in the most fun way). she sets out on a journey to rebuild her reputation, along with some other plans. as she begins this process, we see her friendship grow with her peers (both family members and friends, and more). i really enjoyed the dazzling chemistry within each relationship, as well as the nods to jane austen, and the realism of the characters portrayed. sometimes YA can fall into traps concerning too perfect or too imperfect characters, but the characters within this book evaded that in the best way. really looking forward to checking out what else amanda quain has written. if you are considering picking up this book, you definitely should!
this sounded so good, but it fell just a bit flat. it was fun, and totaly helped get me out of a reading slump. however, the characters were super 1-dimensional and the main character annoyed me a bit.
--> 3,5 stars
On principle I tend to grab every P&P retelling/universe story I can find. This was one of the most unique and original of the bunch. Why it stands out from the other P&P stories is because its not. Taking place in a contemporary setting with some of the basics of P&P taking place in the background, this stories is about a girl named Georgie who is the sister of Darcy, but isn't at all the Georgie from the original story. While there was very little known about the original Georgie (300 year old spoilers ahead), we know Georgie norrowly avoided a scandal with Wickham thanks to Darcy intervening, we know she is very accomplished, and is a happy pleasant young woman who everyone speaks positively about. In this story we get grumpy rebellious loner Georgie, disliked by all her classmates and desperately trying to live up to the Darcy name.
This story stands on its own, it did not need the crutch of being set in the Pride and Prejudice universe to grab readers who are fans of the original. This Georgie who is trying to rebuild her life about a mistake last year is a person I wanted to root for, but she is not the Georgie from the original.
This book was a unique way of doing a Pride and Prejudice retelling and it was really fun to see the story play out from another side. Georgie was really a main character you could root for.
I had to DNF @45% of reading. I kept. Coming back to this book in the hopes that I would enjoy it and it just didn’t do it for me. The story seemed to be all over the place for me and didn’t seem to go anywhere.
The Jane Austin comparison is the reason I wanted to read this book and I didn’t get that at all. The characters were just so boring, I didn’t see any development or story that made sense.
I really wanted to love this book.
Do you love Pride and Prejudice?
Do you love YA?
If that’s a “Yes and Yes” from you this may be your book! It had all the main characters with of course a focus on Georgiana and Fitz!
The setting is a private boarding school where Georgiana struggles to find her place in the shadows her brother left behind. She clings to the attention of Wickham and he leads her down a path of destruction with all of his schemes. When it all explodes Georgiana is put on house arrest and is almost kicked out of school. This follows her journey of trying to redeem herself to fit the perfect Darcy image.
It was a fun ride. I could see this turning into a series!
Thank you Amanda Quain and NetGalley for this ARC!
The summary immediately drew me in! I was so excited to read this book: Pride and Prejudice, modern AU setting, Georgiana Darcy POV? Hits all my buttons.
This book fulfilled its promise. Once I picked it up I couldn’t stop reading
Sophomore year at Pemberley Academy has pretty much ended in disaster for Georgiana Darcy—near expulsion for her, actual expulsion for her boyfriend Wickham, the ire of her classmates, and an entire summer spent with her older brother Fitzwilliam Darcy with no phone, no internet, no contact with the outside world.
Returning to school gets her some freedom but she’s dreading it nonetheless, thanks to the mayhem at the end of the previous term.
This book is in Georgie’s POV and is engaging and immediate. I liked learning about her brother through her eyes.
There are many themes in this book-family, friendship, privilege, self awareness, and taking control of your own circumstances.
Georgie not in a great place at the start of the book—she’s alienated her brother, her friends, and is on precarious ground with the school administering. Not to mention the fraught relationship with her ex-boyfriend Wickham, who she comes to realise has used and manipulated her and thinks he easily still can.
She faces some tough choices on how to move forward. . She’s a strongly written character with a unique voice. She progresses from feeling sorry for herself and caught by her circumstances to having numerous moments of insight and attempts to reclaim agency of her life and decisions.
Her lifetime of privilege comes under scrutiny, by her and those around her, abs she begins to realise how of both enables her and isolates her.
The familiar characters of Fitz, Bingley, Jane, and Lizzie work seamlessly in this modern AU. It’s fascinating to see Fitz through Georgie’s eyes and the developing romance between Lizzie and Fitz. Charlie Bingley is a refreshing, engaging character and Wickham is so dislikable it’s almost hard to see what Georgie saw in him, other than being dazzled by his attention.
Georgie’s friend Avery is a well written and I really found myself looking forward to seeing him on the page.
This book takes the framework of Pride and Prejudice and weaves it into a modern story of family, friendship, grief, loss, class, and privilege, with a main character who undergoes a definite character arc. There’s a hint of romance and definitely a lot of self awareness that comes through.
Thoroughly enjoyable. Couldn’t put it down.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I read the summary and immediately knew I wanted to read this book: Pride and Prejudice, modern AU setting, Georgiana Darcy POV? Yes, I’m all in!
This book delivered on that promise. I was hooked from the first chapter and basically spent my entire day reading this.
Georgiana Darcy has had a tumultuous sophomore year at Pemberley Academy: school scandal, the expulsion of her erstwhile boyfriend Wickham, and a summer of virtual house arrest for her under the watchful eye of her older brother Fitzwilliam Darcy. She’s longing and dreading her return to school.
I really enjoyed Georgie’s POV-her family history, her relationship with Fitz, her journey in this book, her self-realisations, her inner drive.
This book is about family and friendship, privilege, finding yourself, and finding your people.
Georgie is in a difficult place, one she’s come to as a result of her own choices but alongside some significant betrayals and manipulations. How she chooses to get past that is the crux of the story. She’s a strong character. I love her voice. I love how she has so many moments of insight and realisation in this book. How her privilege has hampered her in many ways but still gives her a safety net others don’t have.
The side characters and the background of Bingley/Jane and Lizzie/Fitz really added to the story. Charlie Bingley is a delightful character and we really see a different side of Fitz, which is refreshing. Lizzie too. Wickham is utterly detestable. Georgiana’s friend Avery is a gem.
Family dynamics, friendship, redemption, character growth, romance—this has it all.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC for 'Accomplished' by Amanda Quain.
Apparently this year was the year for me to read 'Pride and Prejudice' retellings... this will be the 5th one that I have read.
I did appreciate that it's not what I was expecting - most retellings are from Elizabeth's point of view. This version unfortunately wasn't at the top of my list.
I think my favourite part was when Georgie finally stood up to Wickham... but, a lot of the story didn't flow as well as I was expecting. There are a few parts of this I would potentially use as excerpts, to show side by side with P&P to highlight seeing all sides of a story, but it's not something I think I'd use for in class choice read.. Overall 3/5.
This novel is so incredibly charming, and Georgie is such an easy character to root for. I didn't anticipate being surprised by this Pride and Prejudice reboot, but it snuck its way into my heart. I think this novel explores how difficult it can be to make your family and loved ones proud with charm and triumph that gives the reader hope.
This is a delightful modern YA story of Georgie Darcy who is making her way through a fancy prep school all while navigating her teen years as the black sheep in the family.
This book was not a retelling of Pride and Prejudice but had plenty of references to P and P to amuse the reader. The writing is funny! I was laughing out loud at the witty banter and I felt like I was in the brain of Georgie. Georgie goes through some painful bullying and emotional manipulation that was so realistic I found myself glossing over it only because it felt so viscerally real.
I don’t usually read YA but this book was a pleasure to read and I’ll seek out more from the author! Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martins Press-Wednesday Book for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I am always wary when a book is a retelling of a classic - but Accomplished successfully transports P&P into the modern era in a way that is impossible to put down!
I would have been hooked at Jane Austen retelling/remix, boarding school novel, or a MC dealing with, "Oh, if it isn't the consequences of my own actions", but add in MARCHING BAND and you know I'm hooked. I can't wait to read all of Amanda Quain's books for ages to come. Her writing voice is delightful and has you rooting for allll her characters in the best, most fun ways!
This was such a fun Pride and Prejudice retelling! Some retellings lose my interest because they feel like it’s too close to the original text, but this one was able to tell its own story while still being connected to the original. Love to read what else this author has in store
I have to admit - I love a cheesy, laugh out loud YA rom com every now and then, and Accomplished did not disappoint! It takes you on a journey of self-discovery, self-growth, self-love, and independence. While not a traditional Pride and Prejudice retelling, I loved all of the references sprinkled throughout, as well as all of my favorite (and least favorite *ahem Wickham*) characters from the source material. We all have a little bit of Georgie in us. She’s funny, insightful, real, and sometimes a little hot-headed, making her a main character you can’t help but love and root for. Overall, Accomplished was a quick, fun read. I hope to see more from Amanda Quain with these characters soon!
This is a Pride and Prejudice inspired book that focuses more on Georgiana, Darcy's little sister. I'm a sucker for almost anything Jane Austen inspired or retelling.
This is set in a more modern time, but our faves are still their amazing selves - even if younger here. While I will agree with most other Reviewers that Georgie is a bit immature and selfish, I do think she begins to learn a little toward the end. Not enough possibly, which is my biggest con of this book. Other than that, it was a fun, quick read. I finished within 3 hours because I didn't want to put it down.
I received this Young adult novel as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this Young adult novel as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a cute retelling of pride and prejudice that any young Austen lover would enjoy. I enjoyed how the focus was on George. I would recommend this to any fans of Austen.
This was an enjoyable retelling of Pride & Prejudice. I thought it was interesting to see the story about Georgie, rather than focusing on Darcy & Liz like the normal retellings. She was kind of a mess though so I found myself cringing at the things she was doing. It was a bit hard to read at times, like a trainwreck. I think my students would enjoy.
Accomplished is an excellent take on Pride and Prejudice. Set in modern days and told from Georgiana's point of view, the new perspective is fresh and delightful. I loved Georgie's attempts at matchmaking and the indepth look at how Georgie would have dealt the Whickham's betrayal. A must for Pride and Prejudice fans.