As a die-hard Austen fan, I am always open to reading any creative retelling of her all-time favorite classics! In the end, the drama came, and I still despise Wickham. I'm also really happy that everyone made up towards the end too. Whether you're a fan of Jane Austen or not, you will love this book.

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC!*

I have read a great many Jane Austen retellings, but never one from Georgiana Darcy’s perspective. Upon hearing about this book, I was immediately intrigued. Georgiana is a thoroughly unexplored side character, and this was a modern retelling on top of that. All in all, I was definitely not disappointed!

Key to any great retelling is whether the author stays true to the original character and their personalities/motivations. I thought that this was very well done. I enjoyed the fact that Georgie was actually less ‘accomplished’ than Mr. Darcy lets on to his friends (at least in the original Pride and Prejudice). She struggles with school and got into very public trouble with Wickham. She wants so badly to live up to the image of the perfect Darcy that she has in her mind. I loved seeing her efforts to improve herself, with the help of her friend Avery. It was a sweet version of P&P, where Georgie just wants her brother to be happy.

I liked how this book dealt with scandal. Rather than a proposed elopement, there was a drug ring scandal. Rather than Pemberley being a great estate owned by the Darcys, it was a private school that the Darcys donate heavily toward. It almost makes it more salacious that Georgie gets to continue going there after what went down with Wickham the year before.

I loved seeing the brother-sister relationship in this book. It is quite different than what is portrayed in the original P&P, but I feel like it is much more honest. Seeing how Fitz’s disappointment affects Georgie was heartbreaking.

The additional characters in the story, namely Avery and all of Georgie’s bandmates, were well done and felt like they belonged there. It didn’t bother me that they strayed from the original plot because Georgiana’s plot was so underdeveloped in the first place. There was a lot of room for interpretation, and I felt it was done very well.

Overall, I thought this was a creative and well-written Pride and Prejudice retelling. It was different than other retellings in that it was from a perspective that I have never seen done before. I would whole-heartedly recommend this to any Pride and Prejudice fan!

My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I gave Accomplished 4 Stars!

I’m a Pride and Prejudice fan and a prior member of marching band, so I was excited to come across this retelling on NetGalley.

Georgie is not in a good place. During her sophomore year at Pemberley, she fell into a toxic relationship with her long time crush, Wickham Foster, only to discover by the end of the year that he’d been dealing drugs out of her dorm room. To say brother Fitz was enraged and disappointed is an understatement. She’s lost all her friends since she ignored them and her studies while basking in the glow of Wickham’s attention. Junior year is a fresh start, and she’s determined to set things right.

After the death of their father and abandonment by their mother, Fitz and Georgie are learning how to be a family without them. As her legal guardian, Fitz assumes more of a paternal role, but Georgie misses her brother/best friend even as she continues to disappoint him. She believes Fitz is unhappy because of her, so she schemes with his best friend (and frat boy) Charles Bingley to get Fitz to fall in love with Lizzie Bennet. I loved how this retelling takes characters and places from the novel and reworks them into a modern day setting. In every scene with Fitz and Lizzie I pictured younger versions of actors Matthew Macfadyen and Keira Knightly from the 2005 movie. I couldn’t help it, and their banter was perfect.

Even with the best intentions, Georgie is met with one closed door after another while trying to set things right – her list of friends remains a short one, the honor roll is a distant dream, and the trombone section has all but frozen her out. Band was her happy place and her community, but now she doesn’t fit in there or anywhere it seems.

This is a fun modernization of Pride and Prejudice, and watching Fitz and Georgie redefine their sibling relationship was a high point for me. Georgie may stumble and make mistakes, but she realizes the importance of family and friends by the end. No one should have to go it alone.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

As a Jane Austen fan and especially a Pride and Prejudice fan, I was super excited for this! While it wasn’t exactly what I expected, I’m so glad I got to read this and I definitely recommend giving it a try.

How the author ties in the original story and presents it in a modern day setting is really fresh and fun. Georgie is a lovable character that’s easy to root for! I loved seeing the characters from Austen’s work appear in the novel.

Georgie’s character is relatable in a lot of ways, and I loved her connection to the fake show within the story and how she connected it to her life. I liked the marching band addition and the private school setting. It contained the story in a fun way.

The beginning felt a little slow, but as it moves forward I found myself really loving the characters and their journey. I think I would have liked to see Fitz and Lizzie developed a little more, especially as they end up playing a bit of a big role for Georgie.

Overall, I suggest giving this a read!

This book had an interesting premise, and dealt with complicated familial relationships and Georgiana's growth as a character. I also really enjoyed the twist and essentially retelling of a classic, as it was an enjoyable and easy read!

Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite classic stories thus, it is no secret how I wanted to learn more about what Darcy's sister Georgiana was up to.

Georgiana has suffered a catastrophic popularity loss when a deal with Wickham went sour. The person to end the deal? Darcy. Now, Georgie is on a mission to change how her peers view her and wash herself of Wickham. Step one: get her best friend Avery back on her side. Step two: make every movement she can to show that she is not her brother's minion. Step three: be a matchmaker to Darcy and Lizzy Bennett. Will Georgie be able to accomplish all of this and stay standing at the end of the day? Or was she better off falling back into Wickham's scheming ploy?

I enjoyed reading Amanda Quain's debuted novel: Accomplished. The cast of characters that make up the story were fun to look back on as Quain touched on different parts of the Austen classic. While some of Georgiana's measures were far fetched, I enjoyed her spunk and passion to be the best that she could possibly be.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Amanda Quain, and the publisher for the eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
"Accomplished" is a modern retelling of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" that follows Georgiana Darcy.
Georgiana and her whole school know she probably should've been expelled last school year after an incident with Wickham. She was able to avoid expulsion because of her last name, which has made her very unpopular with her classmates and her brother Fitz.
Darcy is determined to make her junior year a better one and prove to her brother that she can handle school and not get in trouble. How hard can it be to become the Darcy like her brother? The one that everyone loves and respects?
I was excited to read this story as I love a modern retelling of any Austen book. This book did not disappoint! It started a little slow but definitely picked up and got very exciting as it got further into the book. I loved Darcy and it was impossible to not root for her success! This was a great YA read and one I will recommend.

I'm a sucker for anything Pride & Prejudice so I immediately hit request on Netgalley when I saw a YA book from the perspective of Georgiana Darcy. And then I hit request when it was available as an audiobook - even better! Unfortunately, I now have two versions of a book that I just wasn't crazy about.

Honestly, my favorite thing in this book was the relationship between Fitz (Mr. Darcy) and Elizabeth. It was minor subplot, but it was the same sweet relationship - hard, stoic guy starts melting for independent girl that challenges him. I'm glad that was in there.

However, I just didn't like Georgie. The entire book was kind of a pity party for Georgie. No one liked her because she got Wickham kicked out of school for drug dealing. She was a rich girl that apparently tried too hard and people didn't like that. I don't know.... if I was in the band and some rich girl decided to get tacos for everyone just because, I wouldn't hate her for it. I'd just be happy someone decided to spend their copious amounts of money on feeding me delicious tacos.

Also, I didn't like how this book took the Darcy-Georgiana relationship into the toxic zone. In the original, Darcy is more than happy to provide for his sister and there was never any hint of animosity between the two of them. In this book, Georgie thinks Fitz hates her for having to clean up her mess and Fitz becomes the overly protective brother who doesn't let Georgie try to have her own life. Part of what made Mr. Darcy so attractive was the unconditional love he had for his sister and how she made him seem carefree and happy when she was around. In this book, Fitz was anything but carefree and happy and it took away the charm of their sibling relationship.

It held my attention enough, but I just didn't care for it.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

This was to put it quite simply, dreadful. I have never read a Pride & Prejudice inspired retelling and felt so annoyed and mad at it.

This is over 200 pages of low self-esteem while also stating every five seconds that people hate you and simultaneously be extremely judgmental towards others...
This is such a weirdly depressing book, little to nothing seems realistic, everything is blown out of proportions and it's like reading a self-pity and self-loathing journal that never ends.

I hated this, there is no other way to put it.
1/5 stars
Bookarina

I recieved an eArc of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I feel the need to preface this review with I am not a Pride and Prejudice fangirl (not that there's anything wrong with that), my main exposure to the source material is The Lizzie Bennett Diaries which I loved every second of, but I cannot speak to accuracy or faithfulness of adaptation with this book.

That said I loved this book. I found Georgie Darcy to be an emotionally clumsy but very earnest protagonist and found her "unlikable" behavior and anxieties very relatable. Her characterization is very similar to Lindsey Bergman of the American Girl franchise, that's not an insult and I am curious if this was an actual influence for her character.

The emotional core of this book is Georgie feeling alienated from her friends and family partly due to an asocial upbringing but also the emotinoally abusive relationship she just left. The book sucessfully captures how to feels to be a teenager and feel like a) everyone hates you and b) you're a disapointment to the people you love. Which is frankly quite impressive, especially for an author who clearly close in age to myself (the references the high schoolers make are very mid 2010s).

I do sort of wonder why this is a Pride and Prejudice adaptation, the plot of the book is very tangetial to the story of the original and honestly stands on its own. I don't know maybe people who've actually read the source material were clamouring for content about Georgie recovering from dating Wickham but it left me a bit confused.

A small pedantic thing but it bugged me: a posh Northeastern American boarding school would have neither uniforms nor a color guard. Color guard is surprisingly regional and everyone at prep school already dresses the same so they don't have uniforms.

I thought this was a nice original retelling of pride and prejudice told from a different perspective. Told through Georgie who is Fitz Darcy's sister, we only see from the outside some of the romance between Lizzie and Darcy. The focus is Georgie and Fitz complicated sibling relationship. As the only two left in their branch of the family tree, they are overly dependent on each other. Mix in high school hormones, a boarding school, and band and you get a YA novel with plenty of angst. The sibling relationship was my favorite part because you do experiences ups and downs. The Darcy's needed a come to Jesus moment, the supporting characters were colorful enough to make it happen. This is really cute and for anyone who loves pride and prejudice in a different kind of light.

I love Pride and Prejudice retellings so of course I had to pick this up. And it did not disappoint in the slightest! I had so much fun reading this and I would recommend it to all lovers of Pride and Prejudice. Georgie was such a fun, likable character, and the romance was super sweet and cute.

In this spin off of Pride and Prejudice, Georgiana Darcy is left alone at Pemberley Academy. Her brother, Fitz, has gone on to college and her only friend created a disaster last year and will not be returning. Her junior year looks like it is going to be quite lonely but Avery Simmons befriends Georgie. Georgie has a plan to get Fitz off her back (who has been overprotective and domineering since The Incident) and reclaim her life. With the help of Avery, Georgie sets to putting it in place and ends up learning how to be a friend.
Opinion
I never was one to read Jane Austin. For some odd reason though, I devour retellings in modern times. This book was straight up fantastic. I can usually read about 2 chapters before I need to do something else (if only for a minute or two) but found myself reading 5 or 6 chapters at a time. (They weren't short chapters either.) The flow of the story had me captivated as to what was going to happen next.
This is Amanda Quain's first published book. Judging by the subtitle (A Georgie Darcy novel), I am hoping there are more to come in this series. I would love to read more into the exploits of Georgie at Pemberley.
Many thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Good for the teenage set of readers who might need an introduction to the classics. Based on a retelling of a Jane Austen novel, Georgie has had an unconventional life. Basically reared by the household staff, she’s trying to navigate the rocky world of boarding school. She is also obsessed with a series called Sage,Hall.
The book details all the normal angsts of a teenager with a few added extras.

Amanda Quain gives life to Georgiana Darcy in a modern spin on Pride and Prejudice that focuses on Georgiana and her time at Pemberley Academy. It's a fast read that fleshes out a character who had few scenes in Austen's novel, allowing readers a better understanding of her relationship with Fitz (Darcy) and the extent of Wickham's wickedness. Georgie also plays an anonymous matchmaker between Lizzie and Fitzwilliam Darcy, strategically giving P&P fans page time between the two.

Pride and Prejudice painted Georgie as highly susceptible to Wickham's influence, and Quain, in keeping with the source material, leads with this. Georgie is starting the new school year after Wickham has been expelled. She is still somewhat fragile and trying to heal from Wickham's manipulation. There is a fair amount of self-loathing in the first half of the book. Additionally, some moments made me cringe on her behalf. It was difficult to watch her blunders and have her shunned by the students at Pemberley, but she keeps earnestly trying.

As a fan of Pride and Prejudice, I knew the final outcome, but I wanted to read Georgie's journey in Quain's hands. For the most part, Quain does a wonderful job with this retelling. Georgie begins as a familiar character and successfully transitions into someone with more depth and not as vulnerable as the original book made her. I generally liked Georgie's voice and her personality. She might not believe she's deserving of being a Darcy, but she is one through and through. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

Thanks to Wednesday Books for the free book.
I’m going to start with the narration. I loved it. The narrator captured the characters - their tones, voices, and likeness so well. But that’s about the only thing I enjoyed. I’m learning that I am just not a retelling fan, and I need to pay closer attention. I also wasn’t a fan of any of these characters. I didn’t understand why Wickham was every great. I also didn’t understand why Georgiana didn’t go to school elsewhere and start over. This book, while acknowledging privilege, also was so whiny. It’s not for me. I hope other readers love it.

Accomplished is a modern day retelling of Pride and Prejudice from Georgiana Darcy's point of view. It picks up in the aftermath of her older brother and guardian discovering George Wickham selling drugs out of her dorm room and deals with Georgiana learning to cope on her own and accept help from others.The story is written in the first person, and there is lots of teenage angst, but overall it is a really good story. I'm always interested to see how author's handle the Wickham situation in modern retellings, and I think Amanda Quain chose well. Overall, if you don't mind a bit of teenage angst, I highly recommend this book.

*I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley

Accomplished by Amanda Quain is a cute, young adult romance that is also a Pride and Prejudice retelling. And I adored these characters and their story and enjoyed the P&P references throughout the book.

Georgiana Darcy is a student at the prestigious boarding high school, Pemberly. She lives in her brother’s shadow after he graduated a couple of years ago. Georgiana is now in her junior year, and she’s lucky she was able to come back after her disastrous sophomore year. It was only her last name Darcy that kept her from being expelled. If only she could live up to her brother’s perfect legacy and prove to him that she can manage herself without his help.

Her trouble last year started with her brother's friend Wickham, and she knows her brother hasn’t forgiven her. So she decides to save her reputation at school and with her older brother Fitz by 1. Rebuild her reputation with the high school band. 2. Forget all about her first crush, Wickham, and all his lies. 3. Distract Fitz by helping him to fall in love with his college study partner, Lizzie Bennet. She enlists the only friend she has left at Pemberly, Avery, to help her with her list.

I enjoyed this book very much. I liked that this P&P retelling is from Georgia’s point of view. I also felt like I knew these characters already, even in their modern personas, as they had similar characteristics to the characters from P&P. The romance was a very slow burn, but I enjoyed their friendship very much as they worked together to get Fitz and Lizzie together.

I liked the relationship between Fitz and Georgie, even the troubles between them. Fitz tries so hard to be the guardian of Georgie, but he has trouble communicating how much he cares for her. I also enjoyed Fitz as a younger cooler character than the Darcy of P&P. Especially his relationship with Charles Bingley, a fun-loving frat boy!

The only negative is Georgie was down on herself quite a bit for most of the book, and there was a lot of angst. But, I grew to enjoy her and when she finally came out of her funk, she was delightful.

I recommend Accomplished to anyone who enjoys Young Adult Romances. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I love a good book in a boarding school setting! And an Austen reimagining! Marching band romance!!! My poor little marching brand heart Pride and Prejudice gets the contemporary boarding school treatment in Accomplished...

Georgiana Darcy is not leading the charmed life. Her father died a few years ago, her mother peaced out not long after, her brother Fitzwilliam was her best friend before he turned into her guardian, and she barely has any friends. After living in her brother's shadow for so long, when she's finally forced to make a name for herself at Pemberley Academy, she manages to fall in with a drug dealer - her next door neighbor and childhood crush Wickham - that just wants her for her single dorm room. She should have been expelled, but the Darcy name saved her academic career, but couldn't help her social life. Now that most of the school hates for her getting their favorite drug dealer expelled, not helped by the fact that she isolated herself the last year while under Wickham's thumb. Now she's feeling suffocated by Fitz's concern and disappointment, with no one on her side. So she concocts a multipoint plan to redeem herself - prove to her brother that she can handle herself. Step one: challenge herself academically with all AP courses. Step two: Work hard at marching band to show her value to the brass section. Step three: Steer clear of Wickham. Step four: Distract Fitz by secretly matchmaking him with Lizzie Bennett. She might be failing her classes, having a hard time Wickham from meddling in her life, and Fitz is still disappointed by her, but she starts making the smallest of inroads at marching band with the only friend she has left by her side - luckily she can still count on Avery, who's now the drum major, and the one person who sees her for she really is and accepts it without question.

This book is so much more than it seemed in the first few chapters. I thought we were going to see our main character Georgie Darcy as the stereotypical rich girl that got herself in trouble and expected it to just go away because of her money and her name. I was so far off, she really cares about her brother, has felt grief, pain, abandonment, and betrayal.

After the death of her father, her mother abandoning the family, having her slightly obsessive older brother Fitz taking control of her life and the person she thought she loved using her in more than one way, and being accused as either a partner in a drug scheme at worst or the person who got someone kicked out at best she's had so much to process it's no wonder she's a little high strung.

There are so many layers to the characters in this book, from Georgie to Fitz to Avery everyone is so much more than you think they are in the beginning and that makes this a rich, intriguing, thoughtful tale of life, love, mistakes and redemption.

It was almost a book within a book with the parallels between our story and the story going on in her favorite show Sage Hall, I found it fascinating that our Georgie Darcie is a writer of fan fiction, I really wish her actual blogs had been part of the book, that would have been so much fun to read.

At times this is fun and light hearted but there are also moments of sadness, loss, and an overwhelming theme of family between Georgie and FItz. Georgie spent most of the book trying to find people to like her when she really had all she needed if she'd just open her eyes and see it, between her brother and Avery she has a really great support system and people that truly care about her.

Now the things that kept this from being a five star for me, her constantly putting herself down (she made a mistake but everyone makes mistakes), talking about how everyone hates her (it's high school, ok a crazy exclusive private boarding school but still high school people will forget as soon as someone else does something), how they'll never forgive her (they will, it's just going to take time), how she tried so hard to make people like her again.... or in general (she does eventually learn that, it just takes her some time but it was nice to read) rather than just letting people get to know her.

Overall this is a great contemporary young adult retelling of Pride and Prejudice that was so much fun for me to read and honestly made me want to go read the original again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.