This was not what I wanted it to be from the beginning and I gave up a quarter of the way through. I love a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, but this one didn't do it for me. Georgina Darcy is the MC in this new series. Georgie has suffered from being part of a scandal at her boarding school the previous spring. Which didn't seem like a huge deal to me the reader. At least not to the extent the author has the others react to it. And though no one at school likes her she's forced to return. As another reviewer on goodreads points out this seems unlikely for someone from great wealth. I would imagine in real life she would have been transferred to another school after the Incident.

Within that short amount of me reading nothing really happened and I could not connect with Georgie. This might be great for the intended YA reader, but I think even they will get tired of Georgie's whining. When I saw this was going to be a series I decided it wasn't for me. I appreciate the ARC from Netgalley.

Accomplished
A Georgie Darcy Novel
by Amanda Quain

A look at a familiar story from a new point of view. In this modern retelling we follow the events of pride and prejudice but from Georgiana’s point of view. Georgiana is still reeling from her fallout with Wickham and she is attempting to become the perfect Darcy, but can you ever move past your mistakes.

The students of Pemberley academy have turned against her. Half because they think she was a drug dealer like Wickham and half because they think she got their dealer kicked out of school. As she tries to move on from her failures of the year before Wickham comes back and challenges her to succeed in making changes or she has to go back to him and help with his new money making scheme.

She does have one ally, a fellow band student named Avery who might be more than just a friend. Can she make the grades, win back her classmates and help her brother find love with a new girl named Lizzie?

Positives of this book. Interesting new angle on a well loved story. A discussion about responsibility and how money influences the world you navigate. A look at the idea that in order to move past bad decisions you must first tackle why you felt like that was the right choice. Charles Bingley has the happy party animal whose is down to scheme with his friends younger sister and take Fitz to cooking classes.

Negatives: Georgiana is not in a good place in her life and is struggling to overcome hardships so being in her head for several hundred pages is taxing. She is quite depressed and is spiraling, always looking for the most negative explanations. So while I was enjoying the story it got to be tedious. Because Georgiana is so on the outskirts of the story all of the major things that happen in pride and prejudice are only barley hinted at.

Overall it was fun viewing the story from a more distanced point of view and I enjoyed spending time with a character who does not get very much attention.

3.5 / 5 Stars

I could pretend I can recall all the plot points of Pride and Prejudice to be able to compare it to this, but y'all, that would be a lie. That said, this is a retelling I am evaluating as if the story is new because it is to me! Centered on Georgie Darcy at a prep school, this story focuses on exploring relationships and rebuilding trust. This one endeared me because Georgie's trust rebuilding is specifically with the marching band. The arts forever had my heart, and this was so much more relatable than something in the "popular girl" lane. Georgie is also trying to figure out relationships - who she can actually trust in friendship and love. Again, I couldn't remember the source material, and I was so drawn into the story of Georgie and the men in her life not knowing what would happen. To me, this was a reimagining that very much was captivating on its own. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this August 2022 release!

Accomplished is a solid debut novel for Amanda Quain, but it wasn't a story I loved. The last couple of chapters were my favorite part of the book, but it took a bit too long to get there. There were parts I skimmed, as I just wanted to get to the good stuff.
Georgie was a one of those characters you could really like, but also get completely frustrated with, same with her brother Fitz. But the ones I was most frustrated with were her classmates- the hate towards her just didn't make sense. I appreciated how she wanted to get back in their "good graces" but if it was me, I would have just gone on with my life and given them all a big F you. I get that that would have been a little hard, considering she was away at boarding school and surrounded by these people constantly, but they didn't deserve her friendship or grace.
Avery was a sweetheart and I'm glad she had him in her corner.
I just wished things had moved at a quicker pace, it would have made the story more engaging, as things definitely dragged here and there.

4ish stars

This was a fun YA retelling of Pride and Prejudice from the point of view of Georgiana Darcy, the book’s rich, troubled, and fanfic-obsessed protagonist. I love Darcy’s arc in the original story, but he’s a bit unbearable in this interpretation; I realize he’s dealing with his own trauma, but he’s also very good at taking his issues out on his teenage sister. Wickham is, unsurprisingly, the worst; he’s a creep who targets teen girls, and his actions actually feel worse in this modern context. What I really hate, though, is that Georgie, Darcy, and a lot of others seem to spend a lot of time blaming the victims (mainly Georgie) for falling for Wickham rather than blaming him for being a predatory weirdo. Not cool. I did mostly enjoy this story, even through some of its heavier moments, but the issues between Georgie and Wickham should’ve, in my opinion, been portrayed a bit differently.

A creative take on one of the most interesting and looked over characters in Jane Austen’s universe, Accomplished is a fun novel Janeites won’t want to miss.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is so adorable and the cutest Pride & Prejudice retelling I’ve read yet. Unsurprisingly, Wickham is evil and annoying and I hate how manipulative he is of Georgie. After what Georgie refers to as The Incident that gets Wickham kicked out of school, almost gets Georgie expelled, makes her peers hate her, and strains her relationship with her brother, Fitz, Georgie is forced to take control of her life and get herself back on track.

She rekindles her friendship with Avery, a fellow member of the marching band and the one person Georgie can count on to really care for her. Their friendship blossoms as Georgie strives to be the best Darcy she can be to live up to the family name and Fitz’s lofty expectations. Georgie and Avery try to play matchmaker with Fitz and a girl he’s met at college, Lizzie Bennet, to take some of the pressure off of Georgie and ultimately to make Fitz happier. Their matchmaking antics are hilarious and sweet.

Georgie is really hard on herself and insecure, thinking that everyone hates her and that she’s a bother. She keeps trying to prove herself, especially to Wickham who constantly tries to remind her that the most interesting parts of her are the parts he created. This book is full of teenage drama and angst with that familiarity of Pride & Prejudice. I especially love that Georgie is a Tumblr girl obsessed with writing fanfic of her favorite show. It added a bit of nostalgia for those of us who grew up in the Tumblr world. A fun read for sure!

This was a fun, modern spin-off of P&P. I loved the characters and storyline. I enjoy most retellings/spin-offs of classics, and this was another I could add to the list!

4 1/2 stars

Throughout her childhood, Georgie had had a crush on the boy next-door, Wickham Foster. When he began attending the same school as her after her brother, Fitz, went to the West Coast for college, Georgie gravitated toward him because the Darcy’s weren’t known for their socializing. Wickham, however, was not who Darcy thought he was and her world imploded. Now, George is back for the following semester after the incident, facing the backlash from fellow students who call her a narc and from her bandmates who resent her for their loss of their best trumpet player. And thus begins Accomplished by Amanda Quain.

Accomplished is a fun little novel with a poor little rich girl who is socially navigating a high school world without her big brother, Fitz. Although, as written, Fitz probably wasn’t that good at high school socializing either. Georgie’s first thought, which she realizes is a completely Darcy thought, is to throw money at the situation and hope that it begins to become better. She soon learns that people seldom appreciate that.

Despite initial skepticism, Georgie finds that one of her friends from the previous year, another trombonist, Avery, is still friendly toward her. Throughout the novel, their friendship grows until it becomes more. With Avery’s help, she begins to understand herself and find herself. But it’s only when another implosion seems imminent that Georgie begins to really find out who she is, what she wants, and what is truly important.

I enjoyed Accomplished. I thought Amanda Quain did a great job of portraying Georgie as the poor little rich girl when circumstances might have made her unlikeable. But Georgie’s naivete and social obliviousness work in her favor and show her vulnerability.

The romance between Georgie and Avery was very sweet. Avery is not slick, not a bad boy, nor out just for himself. He’s kind, cute, and caring. And, frankly, it’s always nice to see a nice guy romance in a world of bully romances.

A fun, escapist novel with just the right amount of angst that left me wishing someone I knew would offer up Mexican catering at the drop of a hat . . . or baton.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Going in, I didn't realize this book was a modern-day retelling, but I liked it so much! Georgiana Darcy was a great character to follow, and the P&P references were so fun to pick out. I actually really liked that this wasn't a straight up P&P retelling. It made it feel fresh and fun.

I was a little surprised to find that I was actually enjoying this story a fair amount. The portrayal of the relationship between brother and sister Fitz and Georgie is sincere and touching. It was interesting to see the minimally explored, magnificently privileged character of Georgiana Darcy portrayed as a sort of loner, relatively unhappy and struggling to connect with peers. From Austen's original work I always imagined her to just glow with joy and divine favor. The mirroring of elements from the original story, such as "Fitz" being responsible for Wickham crossing his sister's path was quite good. One of my few complaints, and it's a minimal one, is that Georgie's misdeed being "illicit reselling of prescription medication to classmates" to be a little... artificial? Easy? I would've liked to see it be something a little more unexpected, as that offense fell a little flat, in my mind.

I thought I would love this book, I wanted to love this book….but I didn’t. The first third, possibly half of the book was slow and Georgie was a whiny self entitled brat who only obsessed about herself. Fritz was also super uptight. But, I did like the updates of everyone else. The back half of the book picks up and was more enjoyable. Also felt like Georgie & Avery got their happy ending way to speedily.

**Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. **

Full transparency, I have never read Pride & Prejudice. But after reading this book, I want to.

This novel is a modern day reimagining of Pride and Prejudice from the viewpoint of Mr. Darcy's sister Georgiana. In this iteration, Georgiana is a high school student who has had some, ahem, troubles. She fell for a boy who ended up getting her in a lot of trouble and caused a lot of mistrust between her and her brother (and only remaining family) Fitz. Georgiana is frustrating at times but also I found myself rooting for her nonetheless. Georgiana is a teenager who desperately wants to make her brother proud and live up to the Darcy name.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a slow start for me, but soon enough I was rushing through it to see what happened. I can't wait to see if this is a series!

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a cute YA contemporary retelling of Pride & Prejudice. Georgiana Darcy is a Junior at an elite prep school in upstate New York. She suffered an "Incident" with Wickham Foster at the end of her sophomore year that would have cost anyone else besides a Darcy expulsion. But, with her brother living back in New York near her and suffocating her with rules and oversight, Georgie needs to figure out a way to forget Wickham, win back her prep school and make her brother relax and realize she can take care of herself.

Enter fellow band geek Avery. He's recently been elevated to the marching band's drum major and is still in good with the band. He agrees to help Georgie with her reputation problem, even agreeing to help her in her efforts to push her brother Fitz and Lizzie Bennett together so he will finally find some happiness. It doesn't matter that Avery's muscles seemed to have finally filled out over the summer and he seems to accept her for who she is, right? I mean, it's the same ole' Avery. Right?

This is a cute book and although Georgie was a bit neurotic I liked her. Her screw ups were pretty tame, were way overblown and could have been explained in less than a minute, but I understand the author needed to cause conflict to move the story forward. I liked Avery and his chemistry with Georgie was really cute. Having been a band geek myself, I loved the band geek references. Lizzie Bennett and goofball Charles Bingley add humor and lightness to the story. This is a light, fluffy friends to lovers retelling that you can read in one sitting. I recommend you pick up this gem right away.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books. All opinions are my own.

i will eat up anything related to Pride and Prejuidice. I loved this one! I loved Georgina and i was excited to read this! I loved a modern twist on a story and i think this will be a great read for anyone who loves a good retelling

This is a different take on the classic Pride and Prejudice where the main character is Georgie, Mr. Darcy’s little sister. It takes place in the present at a prestigious boarding school where Darcy attends and is over shadowed by her brother’s accomplishments. During her sophomore year she gets caught in a scandal and was saved from expulsion by her last name. Now it’s junior year and Darcy just wants to make everything right.

This was a quick read. I loved that Georgie was the focus in this retelling (both Mr. Darcy and Lizzie Bennett did make appearances), and I’m a sucker for books that take place at boarding schools. It was fun seeing Georgie grow as a character and overcome the aftermath of the scandal from the previous school year. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

So, this book went from a 3 star read, to 3.5, then by the end I was definitely invested, so I bumped it up to a 4.

A modern-day take featuring the characters from Pride & Prejudice, with Georgiana Darcy as the lead. This one started a bit slow for me, and was overwhelmingly frustrating for a bit (as Wickham can be), but as Georgie found her way, I quite liked the story.

The side characters were super fun, especially Charles and Lizzie. I adore their college-selves. They were both quite amusing. Avery was a fun addition into the story as a drum major crush for Georgie, and he was very sweet.

Read this one if you miss the classic characters, but want some marching band, private school, teenage-drama thrown in as well.

Title: Accomplished
Author: Amanda Quain
Genre: YA
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Georgiana Darcy should have been expelled after The Incident with Wickham Foster last year – at least if you ask any of her Pemberley Academy classmates. She may have escaped expulsion because of her family name, but she didn’t escape the disappointment of her big brother Fitz, the scorn of the entire school, or, it turns out, Wickham’s influence.

But she’s back for her junior year, and she needs to prove to everyone—Fitz, Wickham, her former friends, and maybe even herself—that she’s more than just an embarrassment to the family name. How hard can it be to become the Perfect Darcy? All she has to do is:

– Rebuild her reputation with the marching band (even if it kills her)
– Forget about Wickham and his lies (no matter how tempting they still are), and
– Distract Fitz Darcy—helicopter-sibling extraordinaire—by getting him to fall in love with his classmate, Lizzie Bennet (this one might be difficult…)

Sure, it’s a complicated plan, but so is being a Darcy. With the help of her fellow bandmate, Avery, matchmaking ideas lifted straight from her favorite fanfics, and a whole lot of pancakes, Georgie is going to see every one of her plans through. But when the weight of being the Perfect Darcy comes crashing down, Georgie will have to find her own way before she loses everything permanently—including the one guy who sees her for who she really is.

I completely enjoyed this story! Sure, Georgie’s lingering obsession with Wickham was more than a little annoying, but I loved seeing how she grew and changed as she learned to stand on her own two feet. In the end this was a fun read—and I think Austen would have enjoyed it, too.

Amanda Quain lives in Pennsylvania. Accomplished is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Accomplished is a fun modern-day spin-off of Pride and Prejudice. Georgianna Darcy is the main character, and our other beloved P&P characters make appearances as their modern, college-aged selves. The story focuses on redemption, self-worth, and sibling relationships.

Set at a prestigious boarding school in New York, Georgie is trying to redeem herself after an unfortunate incident the previous year almost got her expelled. She wants to prove to her peers, her school, and especially her brother that she can be the perfect Darcy. As she starts to get in over her head with her plan, friendships begin to reemerge and she learns how to ask for help and to count on other people.

I enjoyed the story, and thought the characters were all very well-written. The only complaint I have is that Georgie's self-deprecation gets to be a little much after a while. Most of what happened wasn't even really her fault, and little things tend to really set her off down a wormhole. But other than that I loved the story, her redemption arc, and seeing the other characters we love from Pride and Prejudice on the fringes of Georgie's story. I thought it was a fresh, fun modern take that was not a retelling of P&P, but still had the same character names and relationship dynamics. This book may appeal more to high school/college age readers, but as an adult I really enjoyed it as well. If you are a Jane Austen fan and you like (or don't mind) reading books with high-schoolers as the main characters, I would definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are entirely my own and given freely.

This YA novel is essentially Pride & Prejudice fan fiction, wherein the story of Mr. Darcy's younger sister Georgiana is both expanded upon and modernized. A huge fan of retellings, I read this in two sittings on connecting flights. While I enjoyed it, I wasn't totally on board with the way the author changed Jane Austen's characters' (Darcy and Georgiana's) natures in the interest of moving the plot into modern America. That said, I'll recommend it to my Austenite friends and to fans of contemporary YA romances.