I loved this LGBTQIA twist on the classic novel. I loved that Oliver had family and friends that were supportive and helpful and that this had a happy ending.

'm a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice and I haven't found a retelling yet that captures the essence of the original text while also having some feeling of originality. I appreciated that Novoa was able to capture the original personalities of each of the characters while addressing social issues that were relevant to Oliver as a character.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

This book was a delight. One book in the “Remixed classics” series, this story takes Pride and Prejudice and makes Elizabeth Bennett, the traditional heroine, into a transgender man, Oliver. Sadly, not many people know who Oliver truly is and still refer to him as a woman, who he most certainly isn’t.

Thankfully, a few great people in Oliver’s life know who he really is, but when he meets Mr. Darcy as both Elizabeth one day and Oliver the next, Oliver worries that Mr. Darcy will only know who he is required to be, not who he truly is. The back-and-forth between Oliver and Mr. Darcy is a lot of fun and Oliver is just as wonderful is Elizabeth in the original book.

After hearing about this series, I’ll be reading more of them. A lot of fun and important for young adult readers!

What a delightful retelling! I have to admit, there are some elements of the original that are lost here, and die-hard Pride and Prejudice fans might be upset about that, but that wasn’t the story being told here. Oliver is a compelling protagonist that you can’t help but root for, and Darcy is delightful in this iteration. I do wish that Oliver’s dismissal of Charlotte’s situation had been pushed back against a bit more—at times, he seemed not to sympathize with how the system in Regency England was so unbelievably bad for women. That aside, this book was lovely, and I’m super glad I was finally able to read it.

A perfect retelling of Pride and Prejudice that leaves room for new twists and ultimately, an original spin that fans of P+P will highly enjoy. It follows a similar narrative as the original text but focuses on a trans main character who loves a double life hiding his true identity from his family. While the romance felt a bit subpar, the family drama plus Oliver's journey of celebrating his trans identity kept me engaged and the ending felt satisfying that leaves readers with a positive message.

This book was an incredible remix of the classic pride and prejudice. I could not put it down, the characters were lush and fully realized. The setting was established beautifully and the romance harkened back to the classic novel while still remaining its own thing. I adored this book and will be recommending it for LGBTQIA+ students, classes, etc.

A really cool retelling with compelling characters and a fun, albeit heartwrenching, romance at the center. I really enjoyed reading this and it’s made me want to check out the author’s other work for sure!

The classics remix series has been a joy to see being published. I especially enjoyed this remix of Pride and Prejudice as written by Gabe Cole Novoa. The transgender and queer experience feels real and emotional through these characters who are just trying to be their honest selves in a world that may not always be accepting of who they are. I am glad that books like this exist, both for teens who are finding their way in the world and for adults who are finally accepting a queer identity that may have been impossible for them in the past.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I adore Pride and Prejudice so much and this remixed tale did a wonderful job of reimagining this amazing novel. I loved the concept of changing up the story to have Elizabeth actually be Oliver, a trans man. I thought this was very well done and I loved Oliver and his strength. This was a very enjoyable book that captured all of the great elements of the original classic.

Oh, this is so good.

Definitely one of those YA books that adults can happily read — aside from a heightened interiority and (slightly repetitive) inner monologue focused on body image and identity, nothing really struck me as too YA, which makes sense because it’s adapting an adult book. It much more closely follows the beats of an adult historical romance but without the sex scenes. (At times Oliver does seem young and naive, but in really similar ways to the original story). But teens will definitely love it too!

The romance is 😙👌🏼. I love what Novoa chose as the central misunderstanding/tension between Darcy and Oliver.

It’s a hard balance to have Oliver consistently angry at being treated like a woman without having him seem to look down on women in moments (especially because in some ways the original Lizzie Bennett is very “not like other girls”), but Novoa overall does a great job. There’s one especially great scene where he says “I am not a young woman, but even if I were I’d never want to be treated as inferior,” which I think is such a great way of putting it. (I’ve seen that people have called this book misogynistic, and I think that’s just wrong, and also probably transphobic).

I cried so much at the end! It’s a bit fantastical, but the author makes a good explanation of the context in the historical note, plus it’s a romance! It needs a HEA! I loved it, overall.

I got this originally as an ARC from Netgalley, and of course didn’t read it nearly in time for the pub date. But I appreciate it nonetheless!

I am a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice, so I am always on the hunt for a retelling that does the original story justice and has a flair of its own. In this case, Most Ardently delivers and does a good job of keeping true to the original storyline while creating its own story. I loved how this was given as a source of hope and history to trans people because, as the author says in the author's note, trans people have always existed. We just aren't able to say in what way they did historically.

Oliver is able to create the life he wants, and I love that in doing so, he finds support and love from his entire family. I have always loved a well-written Darcy, but the acceptance Oliver's family showed him made me love this story so much.

When reading this story, be sure to check content and trigger warnings, and beware that Oliver is deadnamed consistently throughout the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Three words to describe Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa:

De.
Light.
Ful.

I absolutely loved this trans retelling of Pride & Prejudice! While I’ve never read the original, I have seen the perfect 2005 movie, and feel as though Novoa does a fantastic job of maintaining the spirit of Jane Austen’s original story.

If you love a good slow-burn with plenty of yearning and fantastic LGBTQ+ representation, then don’t hesitate to pick up this remixed classic!

Thank you MacMillan Children’s Publishing and Feiwel & Friends for the review copy!

I have no words for the love I feel for this "Remix" series. Thoguht the classics are just that for a reason, these remixes I believe could have a becutiful place in classes taught alongside the classics to talk about the evolution of themes as they apply to the modern world.

Both true to the original Pride And Prejudice and also refreshingly different.

As someone who grew up with my claws tightly gripped onto the Kira Knightly Pride And Prejudice I was super excited to read this queer reimagining. The author managed to hit all of our favorite beats of the original story while giving us a trans main character and a happy ending that we all deserved.

I struggled a bit with how bleak the beginning of this novel was, the regular dead naming and the level of uncomfortable our main character was made my skin crawl at times but the ending is so, so worth it.

I recommend the audiobook highly! The narrator does an amazing job of bringing this story to life. I also want to thank netgally for providing me with the Arc!

Such a refreshing take on an Austen classic! Novoa doesn't justice to Austen's beloved characters, while also breathing new life into them. Their motivations may be shifted than in the original, despite the intentions shifting.
It was a tender romance about how there isn't really such thing as a right time to be yourself, but there is such a thing as a right way to be yourself.

I would say that content warnings should be heeded when reading. While I personally did not feel triggered, the content could cause uncomfortable feelings to arise.
CW: misgendering, deadnaming, dysphoria, homophobia, transphobia

A worthy addition to the wider Jane Austen universe, Mostly Ardently is a delightful Pride and Prejudice retelling. Oliver Bennett, our gender-swapped protagonist is charming and intelligent, carrying the story forward in unexpected directions. His experience as a young trans man offers a rare queer insight into England’s 17th-century high society. I thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience and will pick up whatever next Gabe Cole Novoa writes!

Spoilers ahead! The plot, while following the first half of Pride and Prejudice, takes an easy way out in resolving several storylines within the novel. Without knowing the source material, I imagine it would be hard to understand the motivations of certain characters, including Darcy and Wickham. Because of that, some characters, like the younger Bennett siblings, come across as red herrings rather than full characters.

one of a couple of queer Pride and Prejudice remixes I happened to end up reading around the same time, and I absolutely loved it.

I have been absolutely loving these remixed classics and Most Ardently is a standout. This books asks the question of what would it have been like for Darcy to meet his match in Oliver Bennet, a trans boy who is known to the wider world as "Elizabeth". Oliver wants nothing more than the freedom to be himself and he and Darcy seem to bring out the best in one another. Pride and Prejudice is well known for sequels and retellings from alternate perspectives and this retelling is delightful addition that centers queerness within the beloved classic.

When I first saw this book on NetGalley, I instantly requested it because I thought it sounded interesting, but once I started reading it I had trouble staying focused on the book. I hope to come back and give it a better review once I have been able to finish it, but for now I'll take it two stars. Update to rating hopefully coming soon,