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.

The Remixed Classics series (Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix, Teach the Torches to Burn, e.g.) is laudable in its efforts to provide queer teens a chance to see themselves in some of the our most revered white cishet classics, but judged on its literary merits alone, "Most Ardently" falls short. The dialogue veers awkwardly between 21st century ally-ship and snippets of Austen's original prose. A romance between a gay Darcy and a transmasc Elizabeth/Oliver is an interesting choice, but most of the 19th century gender dynamics wittily dissected by Austen are lost in translation. The characters are inconsistent; Mrs. Bennett hews closely to her Austen behavior for 95% of the book, only to undergo a complete personality transformation at the story's climactic scene. If you want to read a cute historical romance between two boys, this isn't a bad novel, but in its well-intentioned efforts to provide a queer experience, it sacrifices most of the meaningful themes of the original.

This was cute! I found it a little odd to have all the characters aged down and the story felt a touch rushed, but overall this was well done. A trans Pride & Prejudice retelling that incorporates the most memorable parts of the original with a new storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this advanced copy.

Such a sweet story and really romantic. However, it was all okay for me.

In this Pride and Prejudice retelling, the second eldest Bennett is a trans boy who's not yet out to his family or society. It's less enemies to lovers since Oliver is immediately taken with Darcy when he's dressed as himself, but Darcy's rudeness to him when he wears dresses complicates and is presented as "Elizabeth" complicates their relationship. Especially since Oliver doesn't want him to realize those two people are the same. The writing and dialogue are a bit modern, but I enjoyed it all the same.

Most Ardently is a queer P&P retelling where the second eldest Bennet child is a trans boy and Darcy is gay.

Oliver’s journey carries this book. It’s sweet, but the rushed ending left me wanting more. Some of the parallels from Austen are good, like Charlotte and Lu, but the original scenes didn’t remind me of Austen’s characters. Change the names and there’s nothing of a witty Lizzy Bennet and proud Mr. Darcy.

There’s not much nuance and characterization to anyone other than Oliver, not even Darcy, which is too bad given the importance of female friendships in Oliver’s life. The made-up geography boggled my mind and aging down these characters to 14-18 and calling them girls and boys made the canon-compliant push to get married uncomfortable to read.

While this doesn’t fit the mold as an Austen retelling, I want more queer historicals and queer JAFF. Plus, that cover!

Content note: Oliver isn’t out for most of the book and is often deadnamed, although not in the narrative.