So, I was gifted this wondrous read by NetGalley in return for my review, which I am so ready to give! Cuz this book was just ssssoooooooo different than o could have guessed. I thought, “oh yeah, another P&P retelling…ok.” But no. Not that at all. It’s snarky and funny and super achy sad in parts and there’s fanfic and, well, marching band! I just loved it! 💜💜💜📚

Accomplished is one of the most delightful and lively contemporary YA I've read in a long time! I adored Georgie and Avery, they felt so real and complex. Synopsis makes this sound like a Pride & Prejudice retelling, but it's not. The names are an homage, but the plot is its own original thing, and I enjoyed it so much more for that! I will be first in line to see what Amanda Quain writes next!

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This charming, sparklingly witty Pride and Prejudice retelling finally gives Georgiana Darcy her time to shine. Georgie Darcy is desperately trying to move past The Incident from last year involving a certain Wickham Foster, and she wants to redeem herself in the eyes of her perennially disappointed brother, Fitz. Georgie wants two things out of her junior year: for her brother to be proud of her and for Wickham to finally leave her alone. Embarking on her master plan and dragging her old friend Avery along for the ride, Georgie finds the solutions to her problems in rather unexpected places.

I binge-read this novel in one sitting, just because it was the most addictive kind of fun. I loved that this Pride and Prejudice retelling put Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, whose story has been done to death, to the side a little, and focused on Georgiana, who had a fascinating storyline in her own right. It is wonderful to watch Georgie grow as a character over the course of the novel, and to watch this girl who has been pushed aside by almost everyone stand up for herself and decide what she's worth. Georgie and Fitz are both just kids forced to grow up very fast, and they are simply trying their best, which is something that is really explored in the novel and adds a depth to it that really elevates the storyline. I absolutely love the way Charles Bingley and Lizzie Bennet are portrayed, and even though they only make brief appearances, they steal the scenes that they are in. Are spin-off novels in the cards? I can only hope.

I highly recommend this novel to fans of young adult rom-coms filled with all your favorite tropes, but with a twist!

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a free e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about Accomplished! On the one hand it is delightful. Georgie is such a spirited, funny protagonist. She has realistic flaws which make her both endearing and painful to follow, in a good way. I loved her connection to Sage Hall and her identity as a semi fandom celebrity. I loved how she used her fic to understand what was happening in her real life. I loved her relationship (and struggles) with her brother! Their relationship in general hits you right in the heart. I love how the events of Pride and Prejudice are happening in the background of this story too! And frat boy Charles Bingley! Truly there is so much here to love.

However, there were some significant craft issues that surprised me. The entire inciting incident regarding the deal between Wickham and Georgie was laughable. It felt like a first draft solution to get the plot going rather than something that should have made it to publication. Similarly, Georgie's relationship with Avery, while sweet, didn't fit with the rest of the narrative. If I were editing this book, I would have shifted their conflict away from Georgie is a rich girl, and shifted it towards Georgie herself. So much of this book is spent questioning what it means to be your own person, and how to have meaningful relationships with people without defining yourself based on those relationship. Instead of backing up these themes and commentating on them, by the end of the book, Avery's biggest gripe is that Georgie is very rich. Which, you know, fair, but that was soooo much less central to the story than the other things.

Reviewing a book based on craft stuff can be difficult, because, like, who cares? But when a book raises questions about wealth and reputation and relationships and what it means to be your own person, I expect answers! Even if the answer is there are no answers.

All in all, though Accomplished is flawed, it is a fresh, engaging read, and a worthy addition to the Pride and Prejudice retellings of today.