This was phenomenal! Oliver is such a relatable and sympathetic protagonist! I found myself deeply invested in his journey, his friendships, and his growth as a young man. There were points where I found myself pushing against the boundaries of my suspension of disbelief due to how accepting certain characters were, but I am willing to overlook them for the sake of trans joy.

I already know at least one kiddo I'm recommending this to!

I absolutely adored this take on P&P and I’m iffy on rewrites and refmixes. Trans people belong everywhere, however, and that includes historical fiction - and especially in romances. Can’t wait to hand this one off to my non-binary trans masc kiddo.

4.5 Stars

This retelling of Pride & Prejudice is so well done and such a joy to read. I have the privilege of listening via audio and the narrator makes the characters come alive and I fuses so much personality into Oliver.

Born as Elizabeth, Oliver Bennet has to keep his true identity inside and sneak off to feel like himself, because regency era England wasn’t a safe place for our trans hero. With all of the classic plot points from our beloved original, Oliver’s story of self discovery and subsequent romance with Darcy is an absolutely stunning story. I loved the moments within the plot that were adjusted to fit this narrative (Wickham is still truly a villain, but not necessarily for what we originally knew him to be a villain before, and Collins…still just as annoying).

While the story does touch on tougher moments including body dysmorphia and feelings of claustrophobia within one’s own body, this book is so far from anything that would be depressing or hard to read. It’s pure trans joy and a much needed retelling!

As someone who holds Pride and Prejudice in a very special place in my reader heart, I knew I was either going to love this book or be sorely disappointed. I am thrilled to say that I adored Most Ardently! Gabe Cole Novoa manages to capture the essence of the original work while braiding in Oliver's struggles as the second eldest Bennet child in a society that refuses to acknowledge his existence as a son rather than “Elizabeth” the daughter. The author shows a mastery of the original material with his own added flair from his lived experience as a trans man.

For anyone familiar with Pride and Prejudice, the plot of Most Ardently will be comfortingly familiar. We have the Merriton Ball, Jane’s illness, Mr. Collins (the dreaded cousin), and the Netherfield ball playing out as expected, but with a shift in Oliver’s perspective and the way other characters interact with him. It makes for a fun way to experience the story of the Bennet children in a new and refreshing way!

My absolute favorite thing about this new addition to the Remixed Classics series is the faithful portrayal of the relationships between characters. Jane and Oliver's relationship is as close as Jane and Elizabeth’s. The friendship between Charlotte and Oliver is as honest as it is in the original. The relationship between Oliver and his father is explored even more deeply, and at times, it genuinely brought me to tears.

Bingley is a solid mix of the original and the 2005 Pride and Prejudice film adaptation to my utter delight. He has the same charismatic, puppy-dog energy in Most Ardently while his sister, Caroline, is still a pill. While the main point of contention in the stories is shifted from Lydia to Oliver, I appreciate the way the author handled this change, shaping the existing characters to fit the problem in ways that made sense for their original rendering from Jane Austen.

I also want to express my appreciation for Novoa's historical research into queer lives in the regency era, especially with the historical note at the end. My hope is that this book serves as a reminder to trans and nonbinary individuals that people like them have always existed, have a right to exist as they are, and can be happy and supported living their lives as their authentic selves. Over and over, Novoa reaffirms this possibility in his beautiful story about a young trans boy finding love. Most Ardently is a beautiful take on Pride and Prejudice, and I hope everyone gives it the chance it deserves!

CW: deadnaming, outing, extortion

I liked this book and really loved the main character. I think that Oliver's experience is the most powerful aspect of the book.

What worked less well for me were the other characters, who I felt lacked some of the humor and nuance of the original. Indeed, as a whole, I think this story works best if you haven't read Pride and Prejudice and therefore aren't comparing the two. As it was, I couldn't help the comparisons. This was too alike the original story to not be compared, and though there were myriad differences, a lot of those differences, apart from the character of Oliver himself, did not work for me. It felt unfair to cast Mr. Bennet in the role he has here, which is so very different from in the original, and to make Mrs. Bennet even more of a sort of embarrassing nag. I think that there are reasons in the original that make the reader able to understand why she is so worried for her daughters, as they will have nothing once their father dies. That isn't really touched on as much here, and so she becomes a sort of over the top eye rolling annoyance. I just think a lot of the humor and the nuance of the characters and the situations they are in doesn't come across. I also found the total last minute turnaround of a character to ring untrue.

I guess I hoped that Oliver would question the way in which society treats women versus men more than he does. It is touched on a bit, but I wanted that delved into more. How is he treated as a son versus as a daughter and what does that say about their family and about their society?

Apart from Oliver, a lot of the characters are changed a great deal, and the way the relationship between Darcy and Oliver unfolds is very different here. Again, I think a a reader who hasn't read Pride and Prejudice would be more able to just fall into this story without missing some elements of the original.

I did love the idea of imagining what the experience of a trans man would have been like during this time period and the reminder for young people that trans people have always existed. Again, I think that Oliver and his experience are at the heart of this book and are the best aspect of it.

I'd definitely recommend this book to YA readers who are looking for a historical romance with a trans character and a very happy, if in some ways rushed, ending. I preordered the print to lend out to the students I work with and I think they'll love it.

This was so heartfelt and delightful. Oliver Bennet is trying to figure out his place is this Pride & Prejudice retelling. All of our favorite characters are here, Wickham is a dick, Collins is insufferable, Jane is sweet and lovely, and Oliver has all the wit and charm we expect from a Jane Austen lead.
I loved the ending, I loved watching Oliver and Darcy banter, I loved how emotionally vulnerable this story felt.

Most Ardently is a novel that I wanted to enjoy far more than I actually did.

Let me back up for a second and assert that this book was fine, a solid three-star read, and I think a lot of readers will love it. For me, however, it missed in several ways—most notably in pacing, its examination of sexism, and the underdevelopment of all secondary characters—which tarnished my overall reading experience.

Still, this is a cute YA queer love story and a clever twist on a classic. I will definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy Austen retellings and sweet romances.

I did not put this book down. I couldn’t. How could you even want to? This is my first book that I’ve read by the author and wow… what the heck? I want a series I want more I want to live in this world!

The representation of Oliver living his authentic self but going back to what his mother expects of him gave me flashbacks to my early trans youth days. Those moments and scenes made me weep from how far I’ve come and how far Oliver gets to where he gets to live as himself.

I don’t care about how true it could’ve been during those times. I just love that the author wrote what they felt and still let the read know “this is still a story I don’t know if this happened during those times.”

I need more. I want more. I FOREVER LOVE THIS BOOK

This is a remix of Pride and Prejudice wherein the protagonist is a trans man named Oliver Bennet. He is the second oldest Bennet child, just as in the original. Only his older sister Jane and a few of his close friends know Oliver as himself, as he doesn’t get too many chances to dress in men’s clothes and go out in public. He is constantly expected to dress in corsets and gowns and go to social functions as ‘Elizabeth.’

On one of these rare outings he meets Darcy, a man that has been super rude to him at one of the aforementioned social functions. But with Oliver dressed as himself, Darcy is sweet and pleasant to be around, and as they continue to spend time together, the catch some feels at each other. D’aww.

But as Oliver is expected by his parents to marry and be somebody’s wife, suitors that he is absolutely not interesting in marrying are starting to become more insistent and threatening, and poor Oliver just wants to be himself.

This was a quick and pleasant read! I thought Oliver was adorable and easy to cheer for. I have always found Darcy to be a complicated character in most versions of Pride and Prejudice that I’ve read or watched, and this one is no exception. Nonetheless, as rude as Mr. Darcy tends to be, I can never help wanting to smush them together from the very beginning. This one is also no exception.

I definitely recommend picking this one up if you’re interesting in an LGBTQ+ remix of P&P. Considering the time period, there’s transphobia and homophobia as well as misogyny, which I thought was handled well. That considered, if you’re anything like me, queer Darcy is just a instant read.

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends/NetGalley for a copy of Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix in exchange for an honest review.

The Oliver “Twist”
I’ve never read anything by Gabe Cole Novoa before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from his writing style. He blends modern quite nicely with the Regency world of Pride and Prejudice. I’ve read the Jane Austen original, but that was nearly 20 years ago, and my memory’s a bit dusty. Still, in my rusty opinion, I think Novoa rises to the challenge admirably.

Oliver is equally charming and frustrating as his cis-straight Austen counterpart, Elizabeth. And honestly, Novoa’s explorations of Darcy in this context make a lot of sense. (Dare I say more than Austen’s?) Here, I adored both Oliver and Darcy as characters. Novoa’s book contains fully realized characters who share many traits with their counterparts in Pride and Prejudice. Yet Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix doesn’t feel like a simple rehashing. It’s all really well done.

Another thing: Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix stretched my brain with regard to pronouns in usage. There are passages throughout the book where I caught myself unsure of who a “he/him/his” was referring to. And then I’d realize, “Duh: it’s Oliver.” I don’t think that is a fault in the writing. Nor do I mean I saw Oliver as anything other than a boy, but rather, how sentences are structured challenges you.

Should You Read It?
If you’re an Austenphile or simply someone who was forced to read her work in high school, you’ll enjoy Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix. If you like queer stories, particularly about gay trans guys, you’ll like it. Are you a fan of both? Well, then, you’ll adore this lovely novel.

Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix hits stores on January 16, 2024. Pick up a copy at your local indie bookstore or library. 📚🎩

i couldn’t tear my eyes away from this book. i read it in one sitting! the story took me through such a whirlwind of emotions and had me kicking my feet in the air with a girlish giggle in the same way the pride & prejudice movie did. i absolutely adore the queer representation in this!!

i did feel, however, that the story wrapped up too perfectly. but at the same time i didn’t mind! it made the story more relaxing and enjoyable to read.

This Pride and Prejudice retelling is told from the main character "Elizabeth" Bennett's POV, who is actually Oliver Bennett, a transgender man. I went into this book excited for the tension and retelling of Oliver and Darcy's story, but it fell flat to me in many moments because we really didn't get enough time with them together in this book. I also believe I would of liked the book more if we got Darcy's POV as well because by the end of the book, Darcy still feels like a stranger. Overall I did like the representation of Oliver's character and having a story like this being told in this London, 1812 setting. I would still recommend this book for Oliver's journey and character development.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the arc!

Most Ardently is a charming twist on the classic story of Pride and Prejudice. Oliver is an incredibly endearing main character and I love how Novoa weaved Oliver’s journey as a trans man into the familiar narrative.

It was really fun to see Pride and Prejudice as a remixed classic. I was immediately drawn into the story because of the familiar premise. My anticipation of iconic moments from the original book propelled me through the story. The changes to the pacing and series of events also made this a quick and engaging read.

I do wish Most Ardently had strayed from the source material a bit more in order to make some of the character relationships feel more fleshed out. The story prioritizes Oliver’s experience as a trans man over the romance with Darcy. Though I appreciate that Oliver was able to find a solution to his problems outside of Darcy I would have loved to see more time dedicated to building the close relationship between them. I love the changes to Darcy’s character in this remix. He and Oliver were absolutely adorable together and I couldn't stop smiling during their interactions.

I also feel like the effort to hang on to some of the original Pride and Prejudice scenes felt a bit forced at times and threw off the pacing towards the middle. I love the existing changes to the story so I feel like even more separation from Austen’s novel could have made Most Ardently that much stronger.

Most Ardently is a heartwarming story of trans joy that brings a unique twist to a familiar favorite.

What a joy this book is! Anything Pride & Prejudice related is always going to hit for me, and MOST ARDENTLY was no exception. I adored the queer twist on this classic story, and the way the plot carried forward. We enter into the story through Oliver, a trans man living a double life as himself and as his mistaken identity in Elizabeth. His mother is insistent he wed this season, and Oliver finds himself on a journey of identity crises, dysphoria, and dodging engagement. What I loved most sincerely about this is the sweetness in Oliver coming out to his family and friends. What a joy that was to read about Oliver’s security and happiness in these moments.

Of course, the romance was compelling (because Darcy is compelling!), and I really enjoyed how this all came together. There was enough of the classic P&P story with new elements and details. I could have done with a little more Charlotte and Oliver moments - particularly towards the end during the climax of the plot. It felt that there was more to be unpacked there. Lovers of P&P and queer romance absolutely should pick this up! Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for this ARC!

As both a Pride and Prejudice and The Wicked Bargain fan I was very excited for this book and am even more excited to say I absolutely loved it. It was a very quick read and I enjoyed every second of it. This is the first of the “remix” retellings I’ve read and it really made me want to give the others a chance.

Have you ever read Pride and Prejudice and thought, “I just wish this was a bit more…queer.” Then Gabe Cole Novoa has the book for you! What if Lizzie Bennet wasn’t Lizzie Bennet at all but instead Oliver - a transboy who is not out to his family and is trying to survive a life he does not consider his own? What if Mr. Darcy wasn’t dismissive of potential matches because none of the women he met reached his impossibly high standards, but because they weren’t men?

This book does a wonderful job of telling this story in a new light, as well as making changes to the source material that still leave the book enjoyable. While there were some choices that made me go, “oh huh ok didn’t expect that” I still enjoyed seeing what Novoa did with this classic story. If you want a completely accurate retelling of Pride and Prejudice with just queer characters, this is not it. There are some pretty big changes to the original story that are still very enjoyable.

Most Ardently is a often sweet, sometimes sad, coming of age story about accepting yourself and trusting those you love to do the same. I cannot wait for everyone else to enjoy it.

I had never read Pride and Prejudice before, so to prepare myself for it, I decided to read it. I do want to read the classics, but I find myself leaning toward contemporary novels. When I finished Pride and Prejudice, I was a bit underwhelmed. It could've been because I listened to it and didn't physically read it. So, when I picked up this book, I wasn't sure how I would like it.

Consider me blown away. I wasn't sure what angle Novoa would take with this book, but I love how he did.

The story follows Oliver Bennet, a trans boy being forced to perform the role of a woman in regency-era England. After his sister, Jane, is spotted and courted by one Mr. Bingley, Mrs. Bennet's attention turns to Oliver. Oliver would rather die than be a "wife." When on an outing as himself, he runs into Mr. Bingley and his good friend, Mr. Darcy, who when meeting him while performing as a woman was rather cool towards him. However, dressed as himself, Darcy seems fully interested.

Firstly, I love how this story explored the lesser-known sides of queer England. I think I've heard the term "Molly House," but I didn't know what they were. Also, Novoa does an amazing job explaining the roles of "performance." In college, I read a journal that talked about performing gender and while I understood what it meant then, Most Ardently really fleshed out what it means. This book is amazing for people who are cis and want to understand what it feels like to be trans. Or, it's good for people who want to feel seen. In the end, I think this book is for everybody.

Another thing I love about this book is how loveable (sans Collins and Wickham) are. Mr. Bennet is such a kind, supportive soul. Jane is an amazing sister, Oliver and Darcy have amazing chemistry. I genuinely cared about these characters. However, there is something about Charlotte. I wonder if she mentioned anything to Collins about Oliver being trans?

The only thing that I wished was a bit different was the pacing at the end. I do understand that this is made for a larger audience, but I feel like there needed to be a bit more.

Overall, I think that this was a great rendition and it's pushed me to read Pride and Prejudice again just so I can better make the connections. While I'm currently in a "not purchasing any books for myself" year, I still can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy!

A delightful modern take on Pride and Prejudice with all the atmosphere of 1800s London.

Oliver Bennet feels trapped by society's expectations. Many of his friends and family think he's a girl named Elizabeth, forcing him to attend balls in pretty dresses and consider suitors. But the best solace for Oliver is when he can sneak out and explore London dressed as a young gentleman. There he gets to know Darcy, a boy who had previously been rude to "Elizabeth" at a social function. Darcy turns out to be much more compelling with Oliver. As they start to spend more time together, and Oliver spends more time as his true self, Oliver is forced to make a choice between safety and security or risking it all for freedom and love.

To start out with, Gabe Cole Novoa's writing is very compelling. It's a great mixture of classic language from the original Jane Austen novel and modern language to make it extremely readable. There are moments of humor and heartbreak and the story really keeps you engaged. The cast of characters are also very fun to read about and overall quite supportive of Oliver (read the content warns though, because that's not the case for everyone). When Oliver explores London dressed as himself, we get a great taste of London in the early 1800s which really added to the atmosphere.

Retellings are always tricky. I think the author did a good job of giving us many of the key moments in the original while also including some new scenes to align with this version of the story. With the additional challenge of making these book interesting and relevant to a modern young adult audience, I think there was overall a good balance between these two competing factors.

Overall, if you enjoy Pride and Prejudice (or Jane Austen more generally) retellings, then I definitely recommend picking up this book. It manages to be a fun, quick read while also letting us understand some of the competing pressures Oliver was feeling from his family and society.

I was so freaking excited to get a copy of this book. I absolutely love Pride and Prejudice and I think doing remixes or revamps are a cool way to get people to fall in love with the book all over again. This remix, was incredible, sexy, and modern. I loved Gabe's take on this book and think it is a perfect new remix of an old classic.

Overall I'd definitely read this book again and I would recommend this book for fans of other romance books. I have received this ARC for an honest review, all thoughts/ opinions above are my own.

Meet Oliver. He's just your average regency guy except for the fact that by day the world (minus 5 of his closest confidantes) knows him by another name, that of Elizabeth Bennett. Oliver is tired of hiding who he is from the world and his family but regency England isn't really the most forward thinking place to be. Enter Fitzwilliam Darcy who by all accounts should be the last person that Oliver can relate to, and yet time after time they find themselves on common ground.

I am sure that we all know by now how very much I love Pride and Prejudice. It was my first introduction into the grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, he fell first tropes. And boy do I lap those tropes up in books. So when I heard there was a queer, trans retelling of my most beloved classic, you bet your ass I immediately went to Netgalley and requested Most Ardently.

"It was a special thing to have ones reflection in harmony with who they were. "
- Oliver

I read and received an E-arc of this book. I am going to be completely straightforward here, I am probably not the intended audience for this book. That being said, I enjoyed Oliver's story and his journey to owning himself. Oliver made me look at P&P in a completely new light. I mean, Lizzy and her dad were so close and she was the most "boyish" of all the girls. Wouldn't it make sense then, that she wasn't actually a girl?

One of the things I appreciate most about retellings is how they challenge the way that we view a story previously told. It makes you question if we really got the full story when we originally read it and I will absolutely be breaking out a copy of Pride and Prejudice to re-read after this to see if there are things I may have missed in any of my previous reads where Jane Austen was telling a different story from the one we all read.

While I felt that the chemistry between Oliver and Darcy was lacking and the way Wickham was fit into the story didn't really work for me, I rated this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. If you love Pride and Prejudice as much as me and want to see it in a new way or you just want to add more diversity into your reading, this is a great jumping off point for trans romance.

This heartfelt adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is a must-read. The story centers on Oliver who is struggling to live his authentic life while figuring out how to let go of his family life as Elizabeth especially as he worries about how his family and society at large will accept him. The book is filled with fun moments of deliberate misunderstandings, Darcy and Oliver's joint love of books, insta-attraction, found family, historical queer realities, and of course a soul-wrenching declaration of love.

Stars: 4.5/5 (rounded up)
Steam: 1/5 (It is YA after all).

TWs:
-As part of the plot Oliver is frequently misgendered and deadnamed. He is, however, never misidentified by the narration.
-anti-queer sentiments carried out by and discussed by Wickham and Collins characters
- some misogynistic rhetoric in how cis-gendered, homosexual Charlotte opts for a traditional life and it being "okay because she's a woman" vs Olivers vehemence that he couldn't subject himself to the same choice because he is not. (honestly, my read on this was more of a cis vs trans conversation of Charlotte feeling comfortable with settling because she was otherwise comfortable in how she was able to present herself to the world while Oliver did not... however, I can see how this could be upsetting to some readers and thus wanted to mention it).

Note: Posted to Goodreads and Instastories. Will post as Instapost next week.