I enjoyed this fresh adaptation and the banter between the main characters but I felt a twinge of disappointment at the ending. The story wrapped up rather abruptly, leaving unanswered questions and loose ends concerning the secondary characters. An epilogue would have been the perfect addition to tie up these loose threads and provide a more satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Third State Books for providing me with an ARC.

This has been such a joyous read! It's so refreshing to see an Asian heroine AND an Asian hero, definitely a new trend in Romance novels which I would like to continue seeing. I realized that the mashup of Jane Austin-like plot and Asian culture turns out so well, considering that there exist strong family ties and career (marriage) complications and in fact there are many Pride and Prejudice-themed Asian romance novels but this one definitely stands out.

Fun, fresh and creative retelling of Pride and Prejudice. All the special personalities and scenes were incorporated on this modern story.
I could see it as a movie, like Clueless was to Emma
The chinese spice was on point!
Would recommend as fun quick read!

Pride and Preston Lin is a YA version of Pride and Prejudice that feels like a blend of Crazy Rich Asians and a swim meet. Lissie is just trying to survive her final year of college while working at her aunt and uncle's restaurant when she accidentally gives a patron food that causes an allergic reaction. That sets off a series of bad interactions with Preston Lin. What starts as a hate relationship could edge into something more...but she's taking her younger sister to swim team, learning to be a US swimming official to satisfy volunteer hours and more. Add in roommates and an older sister who's in a relationship with Preston's best friend while trying to prepare for the MCATs and it felt like a trope. It was an enjoyable, quick read on a surface level. I give it 3.5 stars and think those who adore Pride and Prejudice will enjoy the book.

I am always excited to read a retelling of a Jane Austen novel. This was a fun book with clever connections to the original story with unique Chinese culture connections too. But I just didn't connect with it as much as I had hoped.

Lissie and Preston (Lizzie and Darcy) are both likable characters. I enjoy how they become friends and then admit feelings for each other in a similar timeline to the original story. Lissie is incredibly busy with school, working at her family restaurant and being her sister's "swim mom." Preston is a PhD student and an US Swimming Ambassador so he has plenty going on too. But somehow they manage to continually run into each other and slowly understand each other better. I thought Lissie was a bit intense and judgmental for longer than I thought necessary. She internally harps on Preston's wealth and personality and mistakes while not seeing much good in him until the end. Perhaps that is true to the original story but there is something more sophisticated about that judgment coming from Austen's pen. I had a hard time connecting with Lissie because I felt like she was a bit over the top in her judgments and in life. We don't get a lot of closure about her future which was too bad.

I enjoyed the Pride and Prejudice elements in the story. The names of the characters were clever. I think my favorite is Charles Bing :) I thought the modern elements were fun like Jane's dedication to get into med school and Preston's mother taking on the Catherine de Bourgh role. Even some of the conversations were spot on to the original like when Preston asks Lissie out for the first time against his better judgment or Lissie's realization of what he has done to help her family. But some of the connections didn't work as well for me. I thought the Wickham character was flat and oversimplified. And I didn't love the combination of Catherine de Bourgh and Darcy's sister in his mother, Penelope Lin. Some of the novel felt extremely long (With some unnecessary explanations of things) and it took so much time to get to scenes when Lissie and Preston actually start to become friends.

While the story was enjoyable and I liked the ending, there was a major flaw for me. Lissie is an English major writing a retelling of Pride and Prejudice for her senior thesis. But she sees none of the Pride and Prejudice similarities in her own life. I just think if she is a literature nerd, she would see them. And perhaps that would break the 4th wall or something. But I just thought it was strange that she doesn't see those connections. Also I would have liked more about the future. Maybe an epilogue watching the TV air or something? I was left wondering how the future unfolds for Lissie and Preston.

Overall, a fun retelling. Jane fans will enjoy this one.

<i>I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I want to love every Austen adaptation that exists but unfortunately, some of them fall short of expectations. And this is such a one.

There was too much going on. It's easy to see that the author was trying to make it their own and I applaud that effort. But the unique plot elements felt shoehorned into the original story trajectory. And the ending was so abrupt! We don't have any sense of where each storyline headed after the story ends.

The characters were pretty flat. I wasn't able to connect with any of them, which meant I didn't really care. It also meant the romance storyline was lacking. It felt like an afterthought.

This story was told through Lissie's point of view but there were moments when another character's PoV would interrupt for a paragraph or two. And then it would revert back to Lissie. I read both sole PoV and multiple PoV stories but it really irks me when it's inconsistent.

I won't be recommending this book, unfortunately.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Unfortunately, this one didn't do it for me. I am a big Pride and Prejudice fan. I actively search out and consume as many adaptations and retellings as I can. I love a modern adaptation. But this one felt like it leaned way too heavily on the reader having prior knowledge of the source material (side note: but in my estimation a good adaptation, you should be able to go in with no knowledge. It should easily stand on its own). And when the adaptation itself then picks and chooses only some of the plot points and themes to be included, and expects you to fill in the blanks? So much of this story happens off page, or as character explanations or recountings. Unfortunately, this damages any character or relationship development. Things felt too sudden, too out of the blue.
I did enjoy the Chinese American family setting, with the family run restaurant. It was a great vehicle for the P&P themes. Though I can't say I really liked any of the characters. Lissie could be annoying at times, and the side characters didn't really get enough time to shine.
Also, it fell into that Austen retelling hole of adapting the grand declaration/rebuff by trying to stick to the original script too much. This meant that the language got a bit too formal all of a sudden, and the characters didn't feel like themselves. I find this happens a lot in modern Austen retellings, but particularly in P&P ones.
And then it ended very abruptly.
Overall, not for me. And I don't think I would recommend it to anyone.

Lissie is a fifth-year college student who works in her aunt’s restaurant. One day she makes a big blunder; she serves a shellfish to a customer who is allergic to it, and it ends up affecting her aunt’s restaurant very much. There she meets Preston Lin, a microbiology student working on his PhD at Stanford and a USA Swimming youth ambassador.

Lissie is a fun, outgoing, and free-spirited character. Preston is a rich, uptight, and serious character. Their banter and the unexpected timing with which they met were hilarious. Lissie and Preston are totally opposite of each other, and even though they didn’t hit it off at the beginning, they took their sweet time to interact and understand each other. Their romantic development was very slow.

Pride and Preston Lin was a fun and easy read. The pacing was done well.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book.

This was such a cool take on Pride and Prejudice, I really enjoyed how it was adapted for a contemporary Asian-American setting! I particularly liked the second half of the book, I felt like the plot and the character interactions really got into steam there -- the third act conflict and resolution (parallel to Darcy helping Lizzie's family against Wickham) was written so well!

Note - the subplot of Wickham running away with Lydia has been modified for this book, so rest assured there is no grooming of an teen/child in this book! Thought I'd mention it here to save y'all the anxiety I went through😭

TWs - missing teen sister, parental infidelity and a child having to mentally deal with that

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

Another Pride and Prejudice retelling? Sign me up! I'm always a sucker for the OG enemies-to-lovers classic and this one didn't disappoint. It was fun and drew enough from the original story while still holding its own unique charm. Sometimes retellings can lean to the side of cheesiness, but I found that this one blended really well and incorporated enough changes, such as the Asian-American perspective, that it didn't become overly cheesy. It was a well done retelling and I found it super enjoyable!

This is a fun Pride and Prejudice retelling with an Asian twist.

Lissie is a college student who is working at her aunt and uncle’s restaurant when she accidentally causes a customer to have an allergic reaction. One of the other guests got upset and it led to Lissie being put on leave. Lissie’s sister started dating the brother of the allergy victim and Lissie is forced to see the angry patron again, Preston Lin. Lissie and Preston always seem to run into each other and can’t seem to get past their bad first meeting. Can they learn to get along?

Pride and Prejudice is one of my all time favorite books. I loved seeing the iconic characters portrayed differently but true enough to their original personalities that I knew who was who. I also liked how Lissie is a fan on Pride and Prejudice. The little bits where she talks about some of the original characters in the book and even in the movie adaptation were fun little Easter eggs.

I always enjoy books that showcase parts of another culture than what you would normally read. (I also tend to get hungry when reading about the food they are eating in the books). Seeing a retelling done of an English classic with an Asian American twist is delightful.

I love the premise of this one, more so because it features Asian characters in a Jane Austen retelling. However, I couldn’t get investethe story. I thought it had a lot of promise but unfortunately couldn’t get into it. Perhaps this one’s more for a YA audience.

The author wanted to go in multiple directions all at once which resulted in a storyline that made absolutely no sense.
First, calling it a pride and prejudice retelling is laughable. It was the end goal of the author, I'm sure, but she didn't know how to get them there.
Both characters were extremely two-dimensional, they were super robotic and lacked any depth. The author counted details of their lives, and overall personalities, in a style closer to bullet points.
The sequence didn't have any flow, it was like reading different scenarios featuring the characters with no connection at all.
Another thing that truly frustrated me was the characters reactions. They were super stale and unrealistic. They either love or hate. Sad or happy. The concept of layered emotions and complex thoughts, basically being a human being, was nonexistent.
The romance was lackluster, the author tried to give them the main sequence of pride and prejudice, but it lacked depth and credibility.
The two stars are for some of the jokes and banter.
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you Netgalley and Third State Books for prividing me with an early copy of the book.
{For my Greek fellas,I have also written a review in Goodreads}

Loving retellings and Jane Austen,I was excited since the beginning to see what this novel had to offer-and I am not dissapointed!
First things first,Elisabeth is a great protagonist-strong and witty,ready to work hard for what she wants and protect her loved ones.She loves and supports her sisters and family,follows her ambitions and is not afraid to stand for herself.She has her flaws,being more defensive than needed,sometimes hiding the truth and not giving second chances easily.She has prejudices to overcome and it takes a while to admit it.

Preston,like Darcy,is a proud and self-righteous man that acts before thinking about the consequences of his actions,causing trouble to people outside of his life without knowing.He lives to his own bubble and eventually realizes that not everyone is as privileged as himself,trying to change and help Lissie's family recover from the damage he had caused.He proves that there is more to him that what meets the eye-he is caring and passionate,hard working and incredibly good with children.

The secondary characters were also lovable and I loved watching all the references to the book is was a retelling of-which is why I advice you to read Pride and Prejudice first if you plan to read this.

Their relationship is adorable and interesting although I would have loved to see more of their friendship-the "hate" part was really believable and well built but the romance was rushed and there was no aftermath of it.Also,there were questions that were left unanswered about character arcs and subplots and the overall ending didnt really satisfy me or justify the narrative-at least in my opinion.

All in all,I really liked and enjoyed this book and deserves its stars!

It was difficult for me to get into this book and I really wanted to love it because it’s a Pride and Prejudice retelling. I didn’t feel a chemistry between the two characters and I felt the writing was flat.

Pride and Prejudice meets Crazy Rich Asians in this modern retelling of Jane Austen's book - but the blend isn't the meet-cute one might expect. While I didn't mind the change of cultural identity, the characters are downright insufferable.

Lissie is a waitress and law student. She's also the doormat of all other characters in this story, which makes you wonder what kind of lawyer she's going to be (not a very good one if she keeps it up like this). Preston is a lousy impersonation of Mr. Darcy. He isn't prejudiced, he's downright rude and condescending. There is nothing classy about him, so if you're expecting a grumpy yet sweet MMC (just like the original Darcy), this book isn't for you.

Both main characters are immature and almost unlikable. Then, there are dozens of secondary characters that don't add much to the story but do manage to confuse the narrative. The writing style is okayish, but it is more "tell" rather than "show," making for a boring read at times. It took me much longer to finish this book than originally anticipated because I simply couldn't get into it.

The author promised an entertaining adaptation of Austen's original, but for me, it failed to deliver. I have to admit the cover is spectacular... sadly, the content missed its mark. Since we can't rate half-stars, I round up to 3 stars from 2.5, offered for the effort and the stunning cover.

Thank you, NetGalley, Christina Hwang Dudley, and Third State Books for an advanced copy of this book.

This was good retelling and a nice read but it took a while for me to get into. When I finally got into I enjoyed it, but it took me a good chunk of the book to get to that point


Thank you to netgalley for the arc

Lissie and Preston are Lizzie and Darcy.. but modernized. I read ALL the Jane Austen modernizations so when I saw this one I knew I had to have it. This one has an added twist with Asian culture and flair. When I read these variations I always try to see if I can pick out which characters are supposed to be which. I have to admit, I struggled with this one. I know there are a lot of characters in Pride and Prejudice, but the amount of characters in this book was a lot. I really had a hard time keeping track of all that was going on in it from the swimming, to the restuarant, to which school who attended and what major they had and which person was a friend of whose. It got a little overwhelming. I felt like the love story part, the growth of character part for Lissie and Preston was an afterthought.
It might have been the mood I was in, or the fact I just read another JA retelling, but this one fell a bit flat for me. I really did enjoy the story and how the author made it her own, I just felt like it was a little too distracting to try to keep up with all the side characters and names.
Thanks to the publisher, the author and Netgalley for an early copy.

Set in present-day California, the story follows Lissie Cheng, a strong-willed and independent young woman who works at her family's restaurant while pursuing her dreams of becoming a lawyer. Lissie's life is turned upside down when she serves a shellfish dish to a customer with a severe allergy, causing her to cross paths with Preston Lin, the golden boy of a wealthy family. Dudley's writing is witty and engaging, making the story a joy to read. Her interactions with Preston are filled with tension and sparks, and their constant bickering adds a layer of humor to the story. One of the highlights of the book is the portrayal of Lissie's relationship with her sisters. The bond between the three sisters is heartwarming, and their banter and support for each other add depth to the story. The family dynamics and cultural traditions also add an interesting layer to the plot.
As the story progresses, Lissie's initial hatred towards Preston slowly turns into something more. Dudley does an excellent job of building the chemistry between the two characters, and readers will find themselves invested in their relationship. While the plot follows familiar beats of Pride and Prejudice, the modern setting and cultural elements add a unique twist to the story. Pride and Preston Lin is a delightful read that will appeal to fans of both contemporary and historical romance. It is a heartwarming and humorous love story that will leave readers with a smile on their face. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and charming romance novel.

This is an updated Pride and Prejudice retelling that is set in the modern-day Bay Area in California. Lissie (Elizabeth Bennet) works at her Aunt and Uncle's Chinese restaurant. One fateful night, Preston Lin (Darcy), his mother, and the Bings (the Bingleys) are seated in Lissie's area. While the restaurant is slammed, Lissie makes a huge mistake and serves Hazel a dish that has shellfish in it, of which she is allergic. Chaos ensues, and Lissie is "fired" from the restaurant. Now, as penance, she is forced to chauffeur her little sister JoJo around. And of course, she just keeps being roped into Preston's orbit.

The number one thing I didn't love about this book is that Lissie is an English major who likes Pride and Prejudice. There is a Fall Ball in the book with Lissie and her sister Jenny dressed as the Bennet Sisters. Even during this part, at no point does Lissie mention the similarities between Pride and Prejudice and her own situation. It's so frustrating that the main character has knowledge of the events in the Austen novel, but it never clicks that this is just like that.

I do love that this novel updates and shifts the "Wickham" storyline. JoJo is 14 years old, and any storyline where she runs away with an adult male would have been gross. The updated storyline still has a Wickham who is wicked 😉, but there is no pedophilia or inappropriate relations with minors.

This updated retelling is a little too copy and paste for me. I would have liked more kisses or any sort of physicality. I thought the yearning was nice, but it just felt like the stakes could have been updated. It was just lacking a little oomph.

Thanks to NetGalley and Third State Books for the ARC.