Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for inviting me to read Accomplished! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Accomplished is a retelling/remix on the classic story of Pride and Prejudice. If you know the basics of P&P then you'll be fine, even if you didn't read the story or don't know anything about it - you're still good. Darcy is a huge name/reputation in this book and Georgie is found to be a bit of a disappointment to her family especially her brother Fitz Darcy. While trying to reclaim her dignity, her friend's and family's trust and pride, she tries to make things right by setting up Fitz with the Lizzie Bennett, re-build her reputation as a Darcy, and ignore the lies and terribleness of Wickham Foster.

I adore the retelling/remix of P&P and thought Amanda Quain did a beautiful job with using most of the main cast of characters while adding her own new characters and twists to the classic story. This is definitely set more towards a teenage audience (14-17) and those who love and adore the classic P&P will appreciate the references and new twists on a beloved story.

4 stars

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Georgianna Darcy is arguably one of the most under appreciated characters in Pride and Prejudice (I mean, she had to deal with an angsty Darcy pining over Elizabeth for who knows how long). I have always loved the glimpses of Big Brother Darcy, and I feel like this relationship with his sister really explains his prideful image. Let me just tell you that Accomplished did not disappoint on this front. To quote Georgie, she has, "A fairly excellent big brother."
This book was an absolute delight to read! Accomplished is by far one of the best Pride and Prejudice retellings I’ve come across, not only was the story original and engaging but Georgie was a character I found to be very relatable. There were so many wonderful points in this book, my favorite being the exploration of Georgie and Fitz’s relationship. I'll just say that you will love this book whether you're a fan of Jane Austen or not. And this is the most clever and engaging (but also slightly emotionally devastating) contemporary YA novel I've read in years.

This was my first book to read by this author but I hope to read more soon! The characters and the story stay with you long after you finish it. Good, fast read. Highly recommend!!

From page one I was rooting for Georgie Darcy’s even without knowing all of the details of The Incident. I LOVED Accomplished because it was such a quick yet engrossing story. It has great nods to the Pride & Prejudice story we all know and love while still being it’s own independent story. Both stories feature a headstrong independent girl trying to forge her own path in life. I truly hope that there are more books to come with these lovable characters!


I was given an early copy of this book for my unbiased review.

Accomplished: A Georgie Darcy Novel
by Amanda Quain
Rating: 4/5

As someone who loves Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice, I was super excited to read a contemporary retelling but from Georgiana Darcy's perspective. Due to the YA setting, I expected there to be teenage angst but the character development was a nice touch too.

Georgie was a typical teenager with a lot of privilege who trusted in the wrong person, Wickham, and is now trying to navigate her junior year of high school. Her struggles are real but got a little annoying and unsympathetic after she kept bringing up her woes. The immaturity and naiveté was relatable though and the author relates her obsession with her crush in a very realistic way. (I'm so glad I don't do that anymore ;)) The story is a bit heavier with the situations Georgie ends up in - I thought her schoolmates were super mean and elitist bullies. There is a sweet love interest for her though which the original story did not have so that was nice. I loved Lizzie's character and the advice she had for Georgie. Fitz's character development was also a nice aspect of the story - his relationship with Georgie had its own progression that was very touching.

P.S. I also loved Charlie's character so much! ;)

Highly recommend if you enjoy a modern, YA take on Pride and Prejudice from Georgiana Darcy's perspective.

Content: 23 "f" bombs and some other swearing but not overwhelmingly so. No sex scenes.

My thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

4.25/5 Stars

I want to start off by saying that this book has EVERYTHING I love. My all time favorite movie is Pride and Prejudice. I was a HUGE band geek in high school, so naturally I was in my school’s marching band, and romance is the best book genre. So when I read that this book is a Marching Band romance that is inspired by Pride and Prejudice I just KNEW it was going to be good, and I was right.

What I liked:
So this book is mainly about Georgiana Darcy, but it also includes the loveable characters like Lizzie, Jane, Darcy, etc. At first I was nervous that I was going to only see the characters in one way (the way they are shown in the movie) but the way that Amanda Quain wrote these characters is so perfect that they are different but there are similarities, so it was easy to differentiate the two works. Which is usually my problem when I read an inspired story or a retelling, but not in this book.
The second thing I love is the small little references from Pride and Prejudice that are scattered throughout the book. It was like a little game to see if I could find all the hidden things.
While I was reading I thought this book was going to be about self-love, self-worth, independence, growth, which it is about. But as I continued reading, it was so much more, the most surprising topic was family, and love, and relationship between siblings. Which I found very refreshing.
Lastly, this part kinda creeped me out… but Georgiana Darcy and I were so similar, I honestly thought she was me if I was created into a book character. We had the same hobbies, we love band, she was a geek who loves writing, the only difference was that she was rich… like really rich. Her character was so relatable that I think everyone has at least one thing in common.

What I did not like:
The only thing that I had an issue was with the amount of times she would cry about how hard her life was. I understand that what she went through was hard and was difficult for anyone but I felt like it was brought up every 5 pages. It got to the point that I thought her issues were not that big of a deal. Also, I had to keep reminding myself that she is young and she makes decisions by emotion… not logic.

Overall, this think if you love all things Pride and Prejudice and/or Marching Band, this is a must read.

P.S. Wickham this sucks in all versions of Pride and Prejudice

In this sweet update to Pride and Prejudice, we see the world through the eyes of Georgiana Darcy. As a student at Pemberley Academy, Georgiana has a lot to live up to and she feels that she is failing miserably. Her older brother, Fitz, was a perfect student and Georgiana is not. When she finds herself drawn in by the charm of Wickham, her world spirals out of control. After narrowly avoided expulsion, Georgiana decides to try to rebuild her reputation and attain her goal of becoming the perfect Darcy. This was such a delightful take on the Pride and Prejudice story from a fresh perspective.

From the very first sentence, I was hooked on this book. It was easy to immediately tell that this story was going to be a funny and wild trip with characters you can’t help but love.

Thus started the next three hours of my life, where I couldn’t find it within myself to put this book down until I reached the very last page.

This story is extremely character-driven as we focus on Georgie learning how to better herself for all the wrong reasons. It’s not necessarily a happy story–not when everyone around Georgie is against her and likes her abuser more than they like her–but there are some lighter moments here and there so the entire book doesn’t feel too depressing.

One of my favorite things about this book is the character development and how different the characters are in the start of this book versus the end, but I also really enjoyed the support system Georgie has in between. Despite the “man versus the world” plot, there are a few characters who are there for Georgie no matter what, and their support is very heartwarming to read in Georgie’s lowest moments.

While the description of this book seems to focus a lot on the matchmaking elements and maybe a possible romance for Georgie herself, this book is a lot more about Georgie learning to make friends and interact with those around her, and I appreciate this book’s story a lot.

2.5 rounded up.

This has the set up for all of my favorite things: Austen retellings, contemp YA romance, second chances-- but there was something missing for me.

First, with the good. The dialogue was so well done. It had a bit of an edge to it, and I found that really fun. I also appreciated the conversation about privilege, wealth, and race. I was happy to see that wasn't ignored.

But as far as enjoyment, I think when I enter into a Jane Austen retelling, I want to feel her essence encapsulated somewhere throughout the story-and I think that can be done no matter the time period. This, for me, lacked that Austen charm and levity. This was HEAVY, and frustrating, and isolating, and it took about halfway through to get some Austen-style hijinks and then we jumped right back into the fire.

This is a book heavy on character development, but for me, it could have been just that without making it a new perspective retelling. Beyond the encapsulating the character traits of the Pride and Prejudice, there isn't much in the way of the spirit of the story.

Thank you to St Martins Press, Wednesday Books, the author, and Netgalley for an advanced ereader copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic! I lecture on Pride and Prejudice annually, and this retelling would be the perfect companion to any Pride and Prejudice unit. The characters are lovable, relatable, and appropriately true to the novel's predecessor. Quain honors Jane Austen by maintaining the same wit and societal criticism that made her so groundbreaking in her day. This was a simply refreshing, contemporary read. As an educator, I am thrilled that this will be available for student enrichment!

ARC kindly provided by St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review

After a complicated year, Georgie is back in Pemberley for a new school year. The problem is that the entire school hates her, she is unable to have a normal conversation with her brother without ending in a fight, and the source of all her problems keeps going after her.

Even though everybody seems to hate her, there is this guy!!!!!!!!! He's so precious!!!! Avery used to be Georgie's band friend, and even after all that happened last year, he stayed by her side. Now let me tell you: their friendship? Chef’s kiss. All of their interactions, conversations, moments, existence, everything was simply adorable. I legit felt like they were about to kill me with that level of cuteness.

It's been sooo long since a book held my attention and interest like this, I kept reading through the whole night, and I have no regrets.

The book also had several moments where I wanted to sit and hug Georgie, to protect her at all costs and destroy everyone that was hurting her.

Since the story is a retelling from Pride and Prejudice, we saw Fitz and Lizzie quite a bit. Initially, I thought they would steal the spotlight, but the book is all about Georgie, and I loved that. Anyways, I still loved all moments they appeared.

CW: abusive relationship, drug dealing, blackmail

Well-written Contemporary YA with an original plot and names inspired by 'Pride and Prejudice'. Our narrator, Georgie Darcy, is clever and calculating, and her voice flows smoothly. She is easy to root for as she tries to get her life at boarding school back on track after her ex ruined things for her the year before.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. All of the opinions given are my own and have been given nothing for my review.
#Accomplished
#Series

I was so excited to read this ARC of Accmplished, this publisher always has the best books! I really liked the story, and found I felt connected with the characters even though they are much younger than me. The author did a great job of making things realistic as well, especially the awkward teen interactions and the “sneakiness” of hiding things from a parental figure. Very well done!

Because I felt like I missed something, I kept checking to see if Accomplished by Amanda Quain is a sequel. It isn't, however, a lot of the story is dependant on things that happened in the past. Georgie Darcy was only allowed back to her prep school because of her family's legacy. After Wickham, a sort-of boyfriend was dealing out of her dorm room, her life fell apart - especially because her brother, Fitzwilliam Darcy, began to micromanage her life. Now that she's back at Pemberly Academy for her junior year, she needs to reboot and live up to the impressive Darcy family legacy. With her rich girl life and family legacy, you don't always feel so bad for Georgie, but everyone needs friends and to feel they are loved.

The plot is all over the place and some choices aren't exactly logical, but it is fun to be lost in a life of privilege for a while.

I cannot count the number of Pride and Prejudice re-tellings that I've read over the years. What I can count are the number of adaptations that actually stand out. This book is now on that list.

Sequels or retellings from Georgiana Darcy's pov aren't new to the Austen fandom. Modernized versions aren't either. This one begins at Pemberley- an elite boarding school, where Georgiana Darcy has just returned to start a new semester after the prior year was cut short due to being swept up in a drug scandal involving the sexy bad-boy Wickham Foster.

Wickham has been expelled from Pemberley, but he shows up to try to seduce Georgie again and bring her into his newest scheme by manipulating her into thinking he's the only one who cares about her. Georgie, in her Camp Sanditon shirt (fun little nods to Austenverse are peppered throughout the narrative) makes a bet with Wickham. He'll leave her alone if she is able to convince the entire school and her perfectly aloof brother/legal guardian that she is truly a Darcy, an "accomplished young woman."

Well, of course Georgie Darcy is going to be an accomplished young woman. That's in the script, right? Amanda Quain managed something at this point in the narrative that I didn't think could still be done with a P&P re-tell. She created actual suspense. Honestly, I don't know that I've ever felt that since the first time I've read P&P. I'd forgotten that it's not really a comfort book unless you know the ending, and I wasn't entirely sure that Quain was going to remain faithful to the spirit of Austen endings, particularly when Georgie started in with Sage Hall fanfic featuring a rich girl/poor boy romance. .

Yes, Downtown Abbey meets Pride and Prejudice. But in Downtown Abbey, the happy endings aren't a guarantee. In fact, the HEA looks increasing unlikely as Georgie's various attempts at becoming accomplished blow up in her face, as she continues to naively fall for intrigue, and as she hurts others because she's unconscious of her privilege. The title is quite apt because in striving to become an accomplished young woman, she connects with someone who teaches her where her prejudices lie and that pride is worthless unless it is tied to actual accomplishment. And then, Georgie is an Austen heroine, and we all know Austen heroines get the guy when they become the best versions of themselves.

Read this. It's fun and suspenseful and it is very satisfying to see Lydia Bennet at a frat party..

In a fresh retelling of Pride and Prejudice, Lizzie Bennett and Mr. Darcy are minor characters while his little sister Georgie Darcy steals the spotlight. I have to confess that I have never read Pride and Prejudice in full, but I love the movies and the storyline. However I think I missed the detail about Mr. Darcy having a sister in the original version. This book makes me want to go back and read the original book because I am smitten with all of the characters!

Georgie Darcy is far from perfect, but she has had the perfect life. Her mistakes are catching up with her and she finds herself having to search within for her true values and friendships and prove that she is not just coasting on her family's fortune.

Her brother is over-protective, stubborn, sour, and deep down, a very loving person. It was so fascinating to explore a new version of Fitz Darcy--as a big brother! The author even sprinkles in the romance between him and Elizabeth Bennet, from Georgie's point of view. Lizzie's sisters Jane and Lydia also make an appearance, in addition to Charles Bingley.

This is a great read for both fans of Pride and Prejudice and those like me who are wannabe fans! I highly recommend this novel!

This book is a lively, funny, largely believable take on Georgiana Darcy, a minor character in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The updated setting-- a modern-day boarding school in New York-- works well enough as an alternative to Hertfordshire, and the stakes are lowered appropriately, as Georgie's entanglement with Wickham is a drug scandal rather than an elopement. Georgie's naivety and determination both work well: she doesn't fully understand how her wealth sets her apart despite the school scandal, but she is committed to regaining any social and educational ground that she has lost due to her relationship with Wickham. Meanwhile, her big brother Darcy has transferred colleges to be nearby and struggles with how to be a good brother and a potential boyfriend to his study group partner Lizzie Bennet.

One of my favorite things about this text is the clever inclusion of Georgie's love for a Downton Abbey-like TV show and the fanfic she writes about her OTP, which functions as a reminder of Accomplished's own roots as an adaptation. I also appreciate how the novel considers the pressures faced by young people in competitive environments and the larger implications of being "accomplished." Given how little we see of Georgiana in the original novel, the discussion of her accomplishments is a great jumping off point for imagining the character, and the modern-day parallels work well.

Georgie is a sweet, funny, largely lovable if sometimes frustrating narrator. Her struggles to connect with classmates and the rest of the trombone section are awkward without being completely over-the-top cringeworthy. And if the ending is perhaps a little too happy, well, that's true of the source material as well.

Georgianna Darcy is arguably one of the most under appreciated characters in Pride and Prejudice (I mean, she had to deal with an angsty Darcy pining over Elizabeth for who knows how long). I have always loved the glimpses of Big Brother Darcy, and I feel like this relationship with his sister really explains his prideful image. Let me just tell you that Accomplished did not disappoint on this front. To quote Georgie, she has, "A fairly excellent big brother."

Let's just start with the modern setting. I have not laughed this hard over a book in basically forever. Reading about Wickham 'sliding into DMs,' Fitz Darcy loving to send Google Calendar invites, and Georgie ranting about the patriarchy that prevented her dress from having pockets was something I didn't know I wanted until now. The way she modernized each character was remarkably on point, and it was fun to see what they would look like today. On top of this, Amanda's writing style is a beautiful blend of deeply introspective commentary and snarky, sarcastic wit, and I loved it.

Another aspect of this book that I deeply appreciated was how Amanda's fangirl status came out. Little things like Dad!Fitz and Georgie referencing AO3 and Tumblr, all the way up to Camp Sanditon and the Sage Hall tv show, which was notably similar to Downton Abbey. She did a great job pulling in the original story and fangirling alongside her readers, while creating something entirely her own.

There were really only two things that I didn't love about this book. The first was the frequent use of expletives, along with the underaged use of drugs and alcohol. While it was an accurate portrayal of most American high schools, I just wish that that it hadn't been made out to be quite so normal, especially since this book is being marketed to teens. The second thing that I questioned was Fitz's and Georgie's relationship. While the tension between them fits this plot, it didn't seem that consistent with their relationship in Pride and Prejudice. Obviously this was a retelling, and not everything has to be spot on, but it did seem a bit odd since Darcy was originally such a doting brother.

Overall I thought this was one of the best Pride and Prejudice spin offs that I've read!

Things I liked
More accessible language than the original.
The Darcy siblings seem to still have sibling affection.
Wickham is still a sleeze, a drug dealing one at that.
Things I don't like
Fitzwilliam is way too out of touch for his age
Georgiana has gone from young and naive to young and just plain dumb.
There is no way Mr. Darcy would leave his beloved sister somewhere that is obviously gonna cause her greater distress

Overall, an easy read and I think it'd be more tolerable if it didn't have that connection to Pride and Prejudice