This was delightful. Sweet and funny, a really fun retelling of a favorite book. While I think this version lacks the wit and quickness of Austen's writing, I don't actually expect many to live up to her. It's a modernly-structured YA take - as it should be, it's written for that audience - on a classic story that I think accomplishes what it sets out to very well. I devoured this book cover to cover the day I started it when I had actually intended to spread it out over a week.

This book made me cry in a Barnes and Noble cafe. Fully in public.

Well, I have a small confession to make. Pride & Prejudice isn't my favorite Jane Austen novel, however, I have read it 8-10 times, so I still felt a very strong urge to check this out when I saw it on Netgalley. Secondly, I absolutely adore the remixed classics from Feiwel and Friends. I think this is my fourth one that I have read and it is in contention to be my favorite.

In this remix LGBTQ+ remix of Pride & Prejudice we follow a transmasc Elizabeth who goes by Oliver. As he isn't out to his family yet, he is expected to wear dresses, dance with suitors and be an all-around perfect young lady. Also because he isn't out yet, he is deadnamed a lot. He meets Darcy at a dance and is immediately snubbed by the other man. The story generally follows the original until Oliver meets Darcy and the two strike up a friendship.
As they become closer, Oliver starts to realize that he has feelings for Darcy and... well you can imagine.

There were some really smart changes to the original plot and characters in this. I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't want to ruin the surprise for other readers, but if you have ever went, "I want Pride & Prejudice, but make it gay" this one is for you. It has some really beautiful and tender moments. Mr. Bennet is amazing in this. There are also some really hilarious moments in this too. If I hadn't been afraid of waking up my entire household I would have been cackling like a maniac at certain points.

Also, I can appreciate the research that the author did into the queer culture at the time. Yes, there was a queer culture. So these aspects come into play in this remix that obviously wouldn't have a place in the original. Some characters and plot lines were cut, but honestly, I'm not mad about it. I think Novoa was really smart with the changes and the edits made to make this so compulsively readable and charming.

Overall, I would recommend this for fans of Pride & Prejudice, historical queer romances, stories of manner, and of course people being true to themselves. It's a really quick read and is actually shorter than the original. Like I said, some things were cut, some things were added, but everything came together to create a story that is engaging and adorable. I have another novel by Novoa on my shelf, I just haven't gotten around to it, but this makes me feel like I should push it up the waitlist. Also, I hope that Feiwel and Friends continue the remix series for a long time. These remixes are always so much fun and generally enjoyable. Oh yeah, and Marlowe Lune's cover? *chef's kiss*

"In the Remixed Classics series, authors from marginalized backgrounds reinterpret classic works through their own cultural lens to subvert the overwhelming cishet, white, and male canon. This bittersweet Pride and Prejudice remix follows a trans boy yearning for the freedom to live openly, centering queerness in a well-known story of longing and subverting society's patriarchal and cisheteronormative expectations.

London, 1812. Oliver Bennet feels trapped. Not just by the endless corsets, petticoats and skirts he's forced to wear on a daily basis, but also by society's expectations. The world - and the vast majority of his family and friends - think Oliver is a girl named Elizabeth. He is therefore expected to mingle at balls wearing a pretty dress, entertain suitors regardless of his interest in them, and ultimately become someone's wife.

But Oliver can't bear the thought of such a fate. He finds solace in the few times he can sneak out of his family's home and explore the city rightfully dressed as a young gentleman. It's during one such excursion when Oliver becomes acquainted with Darcy, a sulky young man who had been rude to "Elizabeth" at a recent social function. But in the comfort of being out of the public eye, Oliver comes to find that Darcy is actually a sweet, intelligent boy with a warm heart. And not to mention incredibly attractive.

As Oliver is able to spend more time as his true self, often with Darcy, part of him dares begin to hope that his dream of love and life as a man could be possible. But suitors are growing bolder - and even threatening - and his mother is growing more desperate to see him settled into an engagement. Oliver will have to choose: Settle for safety, security, and a life of pretending to be something he's not, or risk it all for a slim chance at freedom, love, and a life that can be truly, honestly his own."

I love this remix series but I adore Marlowe Lune's artwork even more. Every book that they have done the cover art for has a precious place on my bookshelves.

Obviously I love Jane Austen, so this was a no-brainer for me to read. And I'm so glad I did!
This was incredibly sweet, moving, and fresh. Retellings are such a delicate business, and can be so hit or miss, but this is a hit! And I'm not honestly sure I'd call it a "retelling", more of a reimagining. Some significant changes were made with regards to characters ages and the locations/geography. It's also much shorter than the original, so big edits to side stories and characters were made.
All that being said, the heart of the story is Oliver and his character development and his journey of coming out and being accepted. We are in his head for the whole book, and it really just shines a light on how incredibly important it is to be recognized for who you are and to be able to live your life as you see yourself. The way Oliver feels about his clothes, his name, and how he is perceived are so so so important. You feel his joy when he can dress as a man and his despair at ever being called a lady or "Elizabeth." I loved the way his relationship with Darcy developed, and it was just an interesting contrast with "Elizabeth" and Darcy.
Mr Collins and Wickham managed to be even worse in this version. But Mr Bennett was the real MVP. I absolutely loved how he embraced Oliver and supported him. Mrs Bennett at the very end had me both cackling and emotional.
I definitely would recommend this book, even if you're not a huge fan of classics.

4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced look at the book to review. All opinions are my own.

I ADORED THIS BOOK

First, lets start with the cover, illustrated by the incredible Marlowe Lune. Gorgeous, spectacular, amazing

The book itself is so lovely. Everything about the characters, romance, setting, all of it I loved. I have never managed to read all of Pride & Prejudice and now I see no reason to try as I loved this version so much. And as a queer history nerd I loved all the references to real historical queer culture and language.

I will say, is it unrealistic that all of his friends and family are supportive in this historical context? Yes, but honestly I needed some unrealistic trans joy. I really loved how this book handled historical transphobia without making this book angsty and giving all the characters happy endings

I am so excited to get my hands on a copy to add to my shelves

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This review does NOT contain spoilers!

What a stunning twist on a novel we know and cherish so deeply. Pride & Prejudice has long been beloved as one of the greatest romances of all time, so I deeply admire Gabe Cole Novoa for diving in head first to tackle this remix.
I will say this over and over again about every trans and queer story: these stories save lives. I am so thankful and overjoyed to get to read them. I hope novels like this fall into the hands of trans kids and give them hope and remind them they're not alone.

About the novel-- as someone who has re-watched and re-read Pride & Prejudice an absurd amount of times, this retelling absolutely holds its own! There is a wonderful balance of staying true to the original text and adding in new twists that recenter the plot to Oliver's story. There are a few moments where the language felt a bit more modern, but it was easily forgiven. At the very heart of it, this is the same story we love and I think fans will be more than satisfied.

This book was everything I ever wanted from a queer Pride and Prejudice retelling. Oliver’s story made me cry and laugh and kick my feet with giddy excitement.

Particularly, the depictions and descriptions surrounding the dysphoria was really impactful and enlightening to me as a cis woman. It gave me a deeper insight into those types of feelings and struggles. The romance was also so lovely.

The only reason this wasn’t 5 stars is because, like the original, some of the long descriptions regarding societal practices, particularly around courting, got a little repetitive in parts. Luckily, this story had enough fresh aspects that it didn’t really drag it down overall.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Most Ardently is such a refreshing take on a classic story. Pride & Prejudice is one of my favorite classics so I was very happy to see that it was going to be part of the Remixed Classics series. I loved this so much! It's everything that I could have hoped for from a queer retelling of Pride & Prejudice. In this version, Elizabeth Bennet is a trans boy named Oliver. Throughout the book, we get to see him struggle to live as himself and the dysphoria he experiences from pretending to be Elizabeth. It is heart wrenching seeing him struggle, but the joy I felt when he finally gets to live as himself and the support that he gets from his loved ones is everything. I loved seeing Darcy and Oliver fall for each other. It made my heart so happy whenever I would read a scene with the two of them. I also liked how inherent queerness was to the story. Seeing queer people existing within a historical setting like this is a reminder of the reality that queer people have always existed throughout history. I liked all the changes that were made, but it also had a lot of the famous scenes from the original. I feel like whether you're a fan of Pride & Prejudice or not, you should definitely read this book!

Overall, this was a great queer retelling of Pride and Prejudice that celebrated trans joy. I loved that the main character was trans, and his character development was nuanced and rich. The characters were fun to get to know over the course of the book. My only wish was that it was a bit longer and the plot be a bit less rushed.

The latest installment of remixed classics is Most Ardently: A Pride and Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa. It’s an interesting read with the main characters being within the same age group and generation, which adds a different dynamic to them.

I have rarely meet a Pride and Prejudice retelling that I didn't adore on principal. This one was no exception. It was warm and funny and genuine in a way that was reminiscent of Jane Austen's original writing. Novoa understands the humor of Austen and uses that same dry perspective wonderfully. In the same way, Novoa presents Georgian queer identities with a sense of nuance and accuracy while offering the kindest options for characters therein. I had an absolute blast reading this in one setting.

Unfortunately, this just did not work for me. The dialogue felt stilted and awkward, the plot was incredibly unrealistic and anachronistic, and too much time was spent describing the most mundane of aspects of Regency life (as if the author was trying to prove they did their research). In the end, I think this was too much of a case of trying to pound a square peg into a round hole, with the structure of austin's plot intact but the heart and pathos completely lost.

I never got into any of the characters - Oliver (unlike Lizzie Bennet) had no realism or grounding in life. He spent too much time doing reckless or odd things that made it really hard to like him. His love interest in Darcy was boring and confused (very unlike the confident and well centered Austin character), and most of the other characters had similar issues. But more troubling was that this was so anachronistic - I've read many LGBTQ+ stories set in Regency England (e.G. K J Charles) who make it work. But the whole premise of Oliver getting to know Darcy by just 'hanging' with him and being invited to private clubs felt very unrealistic and too deus ex machina.

It isn't a terrible novel and the writing is not too bad. But there was just so much that didn't feel right that it was a disenfranchising read for me. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

I was provided with a digital ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is going to be such an important book for so many readers. While historically some of it doesn't seem very realistic, who cares? We deserve this. We deserve trans joy and acceptance, especially in the current climate. It can be hard for a Pride & Prejudice retelling to stand out in a sea of adaptations, but this story does an excellent job of not only preserving the romance and the essential characteristics of the original characters, but expanding them into a new story with new scenes alongside old recontextualized ones.

While Oliver experiences a lof of crushing dysphoria and misgendering throughout the book that may be hard to stomach for some readers, the euphoria of being himself and finding happiness despite everything balances it all out nicely and makes for an overall heart-warming, cozy romantic story.

As soon as I saw this remix of Pride and Prejudice I wanted to read it. I was very curious on what the author would do with the story and fit all the classic Pride and Prejudice storylines together. Novoa, the author, maintained the most important aspects of the original storyline while carving out a new story for "Oliver aka Lizzie". However, I couldn't give the story more than 3 stars because it would have been a fuller story to have more of Darcy's input on his feelings towards Oliver and their relationship in the long term. He mentioned his fear about his position in society only once, then never again, but proceed to support Oliver in his declaration. Overall it's an enjoyable story.

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends for the digital ARC!

I've loved F&F's series of remixed classics so far, and MOST ARDENTLY might be my favorite yet. Its discussions of trans identity in a historical setting are so poignant, and I felt so represented in a literary canon that too often is exclusionary. The chemistry between Oliver and Darcy is on par with the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries with all the charm and tension of the 2005 version, but made more meaningful because of the inherent tension that comes with being in a queer relationship in a historical setting.

Loved the reminder that queer people have always been here.

Most Ardently is such a unique take on Pride and Prejudice, and it was so much fun to read a fresh take on the beloved classic. It was impossible to not want to root for Oliver and his desire to live out his life true to himself, as a man and without a forced marriage for survival. I loved reading Novoa's retelling so much that I ended up staying awake reading the entirety in one sitting because I was so interested in the characters and the variations of the story. I do think that Lu and Charlotte were some of the more interesting reinvented characters after Oliver, but this also renewed my soft spot for Mr. Bennett.

While I absolutely recommend this to any Austen fans, I do think that those not familiar with the story may be a bit lost reading this without context. It felt more like fanfiction than a traditionally published novel (this is NOT an insult, technically all retellings are fanfiction), because the original story felt like it was in the background, allowing for Oliver's story as a transman to take precedence over it. It makes sense that it was told this way, but because of that things felt a bit rushed and unexplained, like having characters briefly appear and then disappear without a real explanation because the reader was expected to already be familiar with the source material. Anyway, my point here is that if you're unfamiliar with the original story you may want to either watch the movie or read a SparkNotes summary before you start just so you can fully enjoy things.

My only complaint was the way that the misogyny was handled in the novel, while Oliver had to deal with it, it felt like it was only ever really shown as a negative thing when it came to *his* problems, rather than in general. I know that the women in the novel weren't the focus of the story, but since it's such a strong aspect of Austen's work, it felt odd to have Oliver simply... dismiss his friends' and sisters' mistreatment compared to his own. It wasn't awful or anything at all, but it was something I felt was important enough to mention because well over a week after finishing, the way it was handled has still stuck with me.

It might look like a disproportionate amount of praise to complaints, but I honestly didn't have much to say other than I enjoyed it a lot unless it was going to include spoilers so 😅 Either way, Most Ardently is one of the more creative Pride and Prejudice retellings I've consumed, and I'm so excited for this book to come out and get into the hands of trans teens. Also, the cover is so pretty, the peacock? The hand reaching? *chef's kiss*

i absolutely love when the classics get remixed by queer people - i've always hated pride & prejudice (which might have something to do with being forced to read it) but absolutely adore the 2005 movie. (the hand flex. every. time.)

reading this is a breath of fresh air into a pretty beloved classic that makes it juuuust different enough that you know you aren't reading austen but isn't so far from the og that you're left going "huh???"

anyways 10/10 will read again.

(thanks to netgalley and macmillian for the egalley)

Pride and Prejudice was the first classic I fell in love with and the thing that made me decide to be an English major, so it holds a special place in my heart...and that is why I was so excited to read Gabe Cole Novoa's remix featuring trans boy Oliver and gay Darcy. From the first line, I was instantly captivated. I love how well Novoa worked in familiar Pride and Prejudice lines/plots but with his own twist -- for example, the ballroom scene where Darcy and Oliver first meet.

I am also a sucker for historical mentions of queerness, and so the scenes set in the Molly houses (Regency-era gay clubs/coffeehouses, essentially) were among my favorites. Pure queer joy. Everything here, from the prose down to the dialogue, felt unbelievably true to Austen and so, so wonderful. Darcy is, as always, a delight. Mr. Bennett is, unexpectedly, a delight (and every queer kid's dream parent!!). And Oliver is, of course, the shining star.

The only reason I'm taking a star off is because it went by so fast, I almost wish the book had been longer. Some subplots from the original (such as the Kitty/Wickham one) were cut and I didn't miss those, but I did wish that Darcy and Oliver had gotten to spend more time on the page together.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Feiwel & Friends, and Gabe Cole Novoa for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review! This is my first Remixed Classic, but it certainly won't be my last!

This book was… fine? I’d gone in with really high expectations as I’d seen some of my favorite creators review and love it but was quickly let down. I want to start by saying that none of this review will comment on the representation of the main character, Oliver, and his experience as I have no personal experience with it (so please look into the reviews of others in the LGBTQ+ community if that is what you’re looking for). However, I will say that the main character being called by both their real name and deadname was handled very well and wasn’t difficult to follow or comprehend even if both were used in back to back sentences! But, that being said, the diversity in this book is wonderful and authentic (as much as possible) and brings about representation for minorities in a classic piece. That being said, the mixture of diversity and the period style did not mesh well for me. I could buy into one or the other but when the two heavily intertwined I found it hard to believe it and stay engaged. It is written in modern English so much of the talk or verbiage about the diversity of the characters seemed much too current and modern for a period piece. Also at times, the book quoted the original book and the movie adaptation which immediately broke me out of the experience. I understand some of the famous lines might’ve seemed tempting but it created a weird (in my opinion) experience of modern language with some older language lines that didn’t seem to fit into the plot as well.
I love the characters, and many stay extremely true to the classic characters we already know and love, but at times the characters that changed, such as Darcy, seemed rushed. The ending, which I won’t spoil, could’ve taken longer to build or been led up to better as it felt very rushed and out of character for Darcy and Mrs. Bennett in many ways. Lastly, I wish this book wasn’t marketed as YA. The characters being aged down is uncomfortable and also the experiences available and the possible ways to describe would’ve grown had it been New Adult or even Adult. As a YA novel I like it a lot less because some parts of it felt simplified purely for the audience but not being the right choice for the story. The book does have a historical context note at the very end which, had it been at the beginning, would’ve given it another half a star. By placing this context at the end it makes the book seem more fictitious than it is so had I read it first I would’ve had a better understanding of the realistic touches the author took as they were very well done. But, believing they were fiction not historically-based did make the novel seem a bit more far fetched to read.

This book was amazing -- I absolutely loved the flipped perspective of Lizzy being a trans man, and Darcy being a queer man. Their relationship was perfect, and I adored how the author used the framework of this classic story and queered it up.