Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing me with this eARC to review!

I finished this book in a couple of days, which for me personally is always telling of a gripping narration!
Brodie was a breath of fresh air as a romance MMC! I loved his style and his struggles equally. He's such a supportive partner and I really enjoyed how his relationship with V developed.

The overall plot was sweet and charming; any Jane Austen fan will easily appreciate it!

I was surprised (not necessarily in a negative way) by the amount of spice - perhaps it would have felt a bit more organic if it had been more spread out throughout the story rather than back-to-back scene, but that's just a minor detail!

I'd recommend The Worst Darcy to anyone looking for a quick, fun, steamy love story - especially if you love that iconic hand flex moment from P&P and the opposites attract trope!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4
This was a very light read, with good pacing, loveable characters and a good writing style. But, yes there is a but, it lacked depth. Especially the main characters, while likable, were lacking in depth. I liked the concept of the story and paired with authors' writing style made it a fast read. Vivian and Brodie's story was entertaining. I loved that they both had their own insecurities and they were not "perfect". They were such a good match, these two flawed, yet strong individuals finding each other was a treat to witness. Them falling in love was very nicely done and believable as it didn't happen overnight but it took time for their affections to grow. I really appreciated that.
Overall, I have no regrets whatsoever reading The Worst Darcy. It satisfied my craving for a sugar sweet happy ending, it was so lighthearted and cute and I liked it. I was smilling all through reading it.

I loved that this book was a peak inside Pride and Prejudice at its core. It was a fantastic modern day retelling and made me laugh so much. I especially loved the focus on letting go of toxicity and living your life joyfully in spite of whatever others may say, including family. I loved their relationship with each other and how they grew to respect each other and their differences. I loved the single mom aspect and his immediately falling into a fun uncle/parental role around the kids in his life. I appreciated that the book pointed out how living with a baby, even if they aren't your baby, changes a person for the better.

I was not expecting the dual POV at all, so when chapter 2 hit, I had the biggest grin on my face. I loved the ending. Flash forward epilogues are the best for these kinds of love stories.

The spice in this book was personally too much for me (but I have a pretty low threshold and just skip them as a general rule). I think a lot of readers will like the spice.

Favorite quote: "You make me feel like it's okay to not be perfect." 😍

Tropes: Found family, he falls first and hard, pride and prejudice reenactment retelling, stepped up uncle/stepdad father figure, small town romance, bad boy x single mom

Content Warning: spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️, whole rainbow curse words but not over bearing for the sake of cussing like some books, explicit mentions of alien smut, unwed but pretty freaking spectacular mother, toxic families.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

I love Pride and Prejudice so when I saw this I had to read it. At first, I wasn’t sure I would enjoy it. Vivian, our FMC, annoyed me in the beginning. She did grow on me, and I loved reading her interactions with Brodie, the town’s ‘bad boy’. They live in a place called Austen and there is an annual Jane Austen festival. This year, Vivian is portraying Elizabeth and is distraught to discover Darcy to be played by Brodie. This book is an easy read and the P&P plot was something I’ve never seen done before. 4⭐️/2🌶 Thank you Netgalley and Robyn Gynee for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you haven't guessed from the title, this is another wonderful Jane Austen Adaptation. I knew I was going to love this book from the first paragraph, and I did! I read it in a day. The book was perfect; perfect characters, storyline, and setting. I loved that their first impression was not that of instant attraction(unlike most romances). They both grew into the love, and the attraction just builded up.
👫🏼👫🏼
I liked the MCs, especially Brodie, because of what He had to go through with his mom and his past bad boy image. I loved that he was able to seek closure, and I'd have loved to see the same for Vivian. She had a lot of issues with her parents, and they were not really focused on in the book.
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I loved seeing an amicable co-parenting setting in this book ( first I've ever read) between Vivian and Sam with their son, Keaton. It was very healthy and refreshing to not see a bad ex.
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The chemistry between the MCs were 🥵🥵🥵. I also loved the Austenworld it was cute, and it's something I'd like to see irl.
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This book was very good and I'd totally recommend it

✔️ Dual POV
✔️ He Falls First
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ No Third Act Break Up
✔️ Single Mom

“Have you even read Pride and Prejudice?”
“It’s cool, I’ll watch the movie.”

I was so excited for this book from the blurb alone. I’m a sucker for Pride and Prejudice, so of course I picked this up right away! And it did not disappoint. This was such a cute and quick read. I found myself smiling at some of the parts in the book because they were adorable.

Brodie and Vivian were great! I really love that they communicated with each other! It made reading this book so much easier because once they got over their hesitation, they were both 100% in. And I loved it! It was refreshing to read that.

This book also has some spicy scenes. So if you’re into that, definitely recommend you read this. It didn’t take away from the plot, but it was a nice addition. Overall I enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it for a quick, easy, romance read.

Favorite Quotes:

“How one went this long without a library card was beyond me.”

“Gonna poke someone’s eye out with that homework boner.”

“You make me feel like it’s okay to not be perfect.”

“She made me feel worth a damn. She chose me.”

We are suckers for any Pride and Prejudice remake and were both sold by the premise of the first novel by Robyn Gynne, The Worst Darcy. We were not disappointed. A delightful spin on the original story, small town librarian and single mom, Vivian Trent, is looking for her chance to make a name for herself; she finds her opportunity with Austen's yearly "Austen World" where in which the town completely decks itself out in the retelling of one of Jane Austen's notable works. It's just Viv's luck that this year is Pride and Prejudice and she's playing Regency bad girl, Lizzy B. Now, if only she can get her Mr. Darcy to cooperate.

This book was delightful. At times laugh out loud funny and heartwarming; we've got a hero that #fallsfirstfallshard that everyone absolutely loves. Plus, Brodie, as the lovable 'loser' is absolutely charming. While he might not be the perfect Darcy he's the absolute right one for the job.

Full of both Jane Austen and 90's metal/grundge call backs, this book is heavy on both the sentiment and the comedy. Both Brodie and Viv make mistakes, but don't spend chapters lamenting. We see resolutions quite quickly and quite satisfactorily. Also, this is one for the books on the spiciness scale.

We will be doing a whole episode on this book which will be released 8/22. Tune in to get our full thoughts! www.chicklitbookclubpodcast.com

I had the privilege of receiving an ARC of The Worst Darcy, a debut novel by Robyn Gynne.

Vivian Trent is trying to make a name for herself in the small town of Austen, where she has lived for the past few years. Here, she is known as Keaton’s mom, Sam’s ex, or the nameless librarian. When the annual Jane Austen Festival rolls around, she jumps at the opportunity to play Elizabeth Bennet. This would be the perfect way to solidify her spot with the locals and to prove she is thriving in this town. But when the perfect Mr. Darcy is replaced by his tattooed, rock star brother, her carefully thought-out plans go up in flames. Brodie Bishop is used to being a black sheep and disappointment to his family and the town of Austen. So, he isn’t surprised that Vivian is upset to see him taking over the role of Mr. Darcy. He's too laid back, she’s uptight. He hasn’t read the book or watched the movie; she has a deep love and appreciation for Pride and Prejudice. But once the festival begins, they both start to see new sides of each other. Brodie starts to see Vivian in a more endearing light, and it doesn’t help that the way they interact with one another during the festival is beginning to blur lines of acting and real life. But when the festival is almost over and her goal is within reach, will Vivian finally give up control or will she stick to the script?

I really enjoyed this book and thought it was the perfect blend of sweet and spicy! Also, as someone who has never read nor watched Pride and Prejudice, I felt it was very easy to follow along. Robyn did an amazing job explaining the references and I did not feel lost or that I was missing a key part. My favorite part of this story was the opposites attract. Vivian and Brodie were a great balance for one another, and I felt like they pushed each other out of their comfort zones and were very open & honest. I loved seeing how they fit into the other's life. Brodie was amazing with Keaton, Vivian's son and it was so cute to see how well the two got along. And Vivian was genuinely interested in his music and went to one of his shows to see first hand what it meant to him. I do wish we got one last scene between Brodie and his mother. I would've liked to see him stand up for himself and for her to finally realize how special her son was.

I must say, the shining light of this book was definitely the audiobook scene in the library. When Brodie accidentally begins to play Vivian’s audiobook and unearths her biggest secret, it really changed the dynamic between them and made me giggle every time it was mentioned.

If you love sweet & spicy romances and are a Jane Austen fan, I highly recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Robyn Gynne for the early copy!

4.5 *s

I enjoyed the heck out of this one. Brodie is down right awesome – an honorable, sweet man wrapped up in a bad boy package. He’s so supportive of Vivian, validating her and her interests, and helping her when she needs it. But I will say the man has to have the patience of a saint to put up with her attitude, especially after the way he’s treated by everyone else. As she gets to know him, her attitude changes and she starts to appreciate him & support him as well, and It’s great to see, but I do wish we’d been given a little bit more resolution with his family. I’d have loved to see them supporting him and treating him well too. He’s a good man and we need to see more people recognize that as well.

Humorous, sizzling, and fun, The Wrong Darcy is a light-hearted, rom-com with that right touch of emotional turmoil to give it depth. Gynne is another new to me author and I’ll be looking forward to reading more from her.

The premise doesn't completely make sense in practice and the characters are mostly just vehicles to get to the next sex scene - which involves a surprising number of tentacles. There really isn't an Austen vibe outside of a couple of fairly superficial references.

Well. I just found a new favourite romance author and smashed pre-order on a physical copy.

Robin Gwynne’s debut is everything I expect from a contemporary romance: adult leads who act and think and speak like adults; a rounded supporting cast of characters: discussion of traumas and mental health (as they apply); strong romantic leads; swoons romance and great sex scenes. (Seriously the sex. I haven’t blushed as a book sex scene in YEARS and I did at these. They are spicy and. SO. DAMN. GOOD.) I hope Robin Gwyne keeps writing for a long time.


Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the ebook ARC. All enthusiastic opinions are mine alone.

The worst Darcy sounds about right 🌝.

Vivian is a single mom. Her son’s dad Sam is her best friend but they were not meant to be and he is engaged to someone else. For her son’s sake Vivian lives in Sam’s hometown but she doesn’t have many friends. Playing Lizzy during the town’s Jane Austen festival is a way to help her fit in.

Brodie is known as the town’s bad boy because of his troubled youth, but he’s a successful musician and generally a nice guy. He doesn’t like books, says ‘fuck’ and ‘hell’ a lot, has pierced nipples and wears his metal band’s stage clothes every day.

I struggled with this story. The ‘enemies’ part of ‘enemies to lovers’ felt forced, especially on Vivian’s part. I could not understand why she was so hostile towards Brodie when he was literally saving the day; he didn’t have to be Darcy, he had filled in for his brother last minute!

It also bothered me that Vivian kept calling Sam her best friend even after she got together with Brodie. I liked that she was on good terms with her son’s dad but it was sad that her best friend was another guy and not her man. (Couldn’t blame her though, Sam was a better catch.)

What I liked was the Austen festival. I hope it’s based on true events, I’d love to see it one day!

Thank you Robyn Gynne and NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5* rounded up

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC!

This was a pleasantly surprising Pride & Prejudice retelling. I was not into our “Darcy” in the beginning — and truth be told, his physical descriptors never won me over — but I think maybe that was the point? He wasn’t your typical dark, brooding MMC that we all love, but he was sweet and caring.

This was also so spicy. Like wow. It was good spicy too.

Overall, a fun, quick read!

With the disclaimer that I went into this with high expectations (I adore a P&P remix) I found The Worst Darcy to be a somewhat mid-pack romance.

If this was a straight up "plot what plot?" spicy book, it would have been great. Gynne nails that aspect of the contemporary adult romance. If you love your romance tropes, this was also a good read. Opposites attract, enemies to friends to lovers, classic story retellings, terrible families, small town antics...this one had them all. On these traits this book is a five star read.

However, the characters take "tropey" a bit too far. They felt like archetypes who didn't do much growing. Sure Brodie's family is the worst, but he just acts like a petulant child. Vivian is somehow uptight and controlling while also being a wholly unformed ingenue (a trait that gets real old, real fast when we are talking about an adult woman). Add in a cadre of supporting characters that really dont even need to be there other than offering cliched interactions, and the book felt a little underwhelming.

While there was a great plot premise and grade A spice, the characters and dialog made the plot feel rushed and undeveloped. It's not that I wouldn't recommend the book, but I think it could use some polish. I do however hope to see more from:Robyn Gynne because there are some solid bones in here and I would love to see more contemporary romances in this vein.

Rating : 3.5 stars

- Loved Brodie. Vivian was good but sometimes she was so over.
- Sam was absolutely amazing, Viv was so lucky to have a best friend like him.
- Keaton was so adorable, I wanted some more scenes of him.
- The story began with preparations for the festival but slowly the environment of festival faded away.
- Loved that the author mentioned things like the struggle of single moms, emotional torture from family members etc. But it would have been great to see how both the families react after knowing that they were wrong.
- Same goes to the town people. I wanted to see how they react about the festival, specially the last scene.

I expected more from the book but still it was worth giving a try.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me a free eARC of the book in exchange of an honest review.

"This girl gives me heartburn.. or something." This book was funny and super spicy, and Brodie was the perfect bad boy Darcy. Cool that it was set in Canada and the Jane Austen festival idea was fun.

The first couple of chapters feel too fast. Vivian is both meek and too bold. The whole getting Lizzy by just asking seemed too little of a build up. She is very judgemental of Brodie's look. She did grow on me.
It didnt eventually hook me a couple of chapters in.
When Vivian called Brodie a "good boy" I damn near died. It was perfect, and I loved the switch up with the trope there.
I would totally go to a festival like this if it were real.
Also Ms. Bishop is such a mean person, and a bad mom.

Cute, sexy romance.

This was a cute book. Not my favorite as far as retellings or inspired stories go, but ultimately a cute read. While retellings do often feel overdone, this just didn’t feel as original as I would have hoped, despite the cover. Overall it was cute and a fun read, but nothing lifechanging.

*4.5

This book was a lot of fun. I really liked how they got to know each other as friends before they started dating. He was just trying to figure out where he would fit in her life and it was so cute. I love that he was embracing being Darcy because he wanted to make her happy. My only wish is that it was a bit longer so that we could have more scenes of him and Keaton.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This book was so good, I absolutely loved it. Brodie, that poor man, I just wanted to hug and tell him he was more than enough. He was such a good person, and he really did love Vivian. He showed everyone that they were wrong about him. Vivian, I liked her, it took a little bit yeah but she stood for him and what she felt, that was an amazing scene. Tjey made just a perfect couple, they shouldn't at first glance but they did, they fit together so beautifully. I just hated his mother, that woman didn't deserve to have a fabulous man as her son, really couldn't stand her