Most Ardently gives a fresh take on Pride and Prejudice filled with Queer Joy and hope. I cried several times and swooned over the slow moments that allowed for romance to build up. It definitely honored the slow-burn in the original story. I was pleasant with the changes Gabe executed. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to have access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Retellings are always hit or miss for me, and this novel is the perfect example of a hit. While most retellings either don’t add to the original story or stray far from the original plot, this story perfectly elevates the original novel with the queer characters. Making Darcy gay just makes so much sense and Oliver is a wonderful protagonist that transforms the narrative. Perhaps it’s because I passively enjoy Pride and Prejudice but I found this to be equally as enjoyable to the original novel. I am more of a Bronte girl myself, so don’t come at me if you’re an Austen Purist. If you are like almost every queer person I know and love Pride and Prejudice, this is your next must read.

I have not read the original Pride and Prejudice and I am so glad I got to read this remix instead.

The representation of queerness during the regency era and how dangerous and secretive queer lives had to be was written so well.

Oliver was so easily loveable and getting the personal look into his transness and how he was forced to navigate a world and life that requires him to pretend to be someone he isn’t was so profound. We got a deeper perspective of just how difficult it was to navigate society that set expectations on people and queer identities that were life threatening should they come out into the light.

Oliver and Darcy’s slow burn romance was so sweet and endearing. Getting to see trans joy represented in such a time period was amazing. I loved that we got to see a family structure that embraced, welcomed, and loved Oliver for his identity.

This was overall a very easy and quick read to get into. As the chapters and story were ongoing and getting to know Oliver better, I found myself at the end so soon. And to have a happy ending with a time period like this for trans and queer people, absolutely wonderful. So beautifully done and I’d give this a 4.5 star rating! (Rounding up to five for the purposes of this review)

Oliver (known to the world as Elizabeth Bennet) is feeling stifled by his role as a daughter. He's expected to marry and have babies, but no one gets that he's really a son. After Bingley and Darcy move into Netherfield, Oliver takes a chance to be himself and makes friend with Darcy along the way.

If you're expecting a Pride and Prejudice retelling with a transmasc lead, this book actually disappoints. There are plot points skimmed, glanced over, and frankly confusing (mostly I found it in Wickham but my book club found other things). England and London's landscape is a mess and there are other issues that could have benefited from better editing to catch these things.

BUT if you're looking for a book exploring the trans experience, a story of a trans character and their difficulties and their joys, and a potentially fluff read, this book is it. This one is light read on a topic currently discussed and it handles Oliver's feelings well. Overall, not a must have, but the work does what it sets out to do which is cover Oliver's journey to himself.

I did not finish this. Didn’t feel like Pride and Prejudice with how quickly the man character got to know Darcy. More personal taste than a reflection of the story.

Never reviews whoops, umm yeah I don’t remember it that much but I liked it, the plot was super fun, loved the representation, misgendering I remember </3

I felt like this was so disrespectful of the original Pride & Prejudice. I wonder if the author even read the Jane Austen novel. I'm honestly disgusted. I don't have much else to say besides that.

3.5 Stars

What I appreciate about this remix is that there’s a clear amount of reverence being paid to the original in the way this story is told—from the structure, to story beats, and even some quotes. But what’s great is that, at the same time, even though the familiar shape of the story is still there, it still finds new places to take the narrative and the characters.

There are entirely new scenes, and settings, and plot wrinkles that we’ve never seen before. For example, without giving anything away, the villain of “Pride & Prejudice” is still the villain in this story, but they’re villainous in completely different ways.

I do think there were some missed opportunities in this remix. First and foremost, I wish we got to see Oliver and Darcy spending more time together. In the original story, the societal convention of women not being able to spend time alone with men prevents Lizzie from getting to spend time with Darcy outside of public events, which is why comes off so aloof. But as two young men, Oliver and Darcy have more freedom to be together. And yet we don’t see that.

The other main thing is that even though I like how the story ended, I didn’t make me feel satisfied, and that’s because I think a lot of those twists, resolutions, and relationship developments felt somewhat underdeveloped. My copy is just under 300 pages and I think that lack of space did a disservice to how those final scenes played out. It’s not that it was bad, it just needed more space to breathe.

Overall, I still enjoyed this. It was a refreshing and cathartic take on a classic story that I love. Listening to the audiobook made it such a pleasurable reading experience as well!

Thank you to the publishers for a free review copy!

I am a slut for Pride and Prejudice, so it’s no surprise that I loved this.

This is part of the YA REMIXED classics series where a team of authors writes more inclusive retellings of classic stories, and in this one Elizabeth Bennet is actually a trans boy named Oliver and it was so cute????


I think this worked so well and stayed closed enough to the original story that I don’t see how anyone could hate this one

TW for repeated deadnaming and forced outing

I didn't love this book as much as I wanted to. However, I would highly recommend to people who enjoy period pieces!

This series is excellent and definitely for classic readers, kids who live english class. P&P the remix brings in a trans character and creates a lovely alternate love story

eARC received from NetGalley

3/5 Stars

Pros: This was very easy and quick to read. One thing I think it improves on the original is its pacing. In my opinion, the original drags on which lends itself to the tone of THAT book, but this isn't that book and I feel like the pacing, writing, and tone are suited to the book that was written.

Cons: I don't think it quite captured the charm or personality of the original. There was a part of me that didn't feel like I was reading a Pride and Prejudice retelling instead of just a queer historical fiction novel. Compared to the original, both Darcy and Oliver felt a little blander.

Overall, I liked reading it, but it was forgettable.

This was delightful!! I read it in a day. I think it's a very refreshing take on Pride & Prejudice, and I'd love to read more like it.

rep: Queer Trans Man MC, queer LI, sapphic side characters

spice: none

tw: outing and threats of outing

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!