Even as a modern retelling of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE set in the Bay Area, the author wrote PRIDE AND PRESTON LIN in a way that still felt like its own. Both in college Lissie is studying English, and Preston is getting his PhD in microbiology. They meet at Lissie's aunt and uncle's restaurant, but then something happens to makes Lissie never want to see Preston every again. That is until Lissie gets to know Preston better and realize her misunderstanding of him. It was a cute read, but I will say I didn't find myself really invested in Lissie and Preston. It wasn't my cup of tea, but I can see others enjoying it!

Thank you Stephanie Lim/Third State Books and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

4.25 stars
I will read any Jane Austen retelling. So when I saw this book on NetGalley, with that beautiful cover, I had to download it.
This is a unique take on a classic story.

The book follows Lissie as she works in her aunt and uncle's restaurant while trying to juggle finishing college and maintaining a relationship with her sisters. An unfortunate incident at the restaurant brings her face to face with an arrogant and self-righteous Preston Lin.

The story unfolds from there with all of Austen's characters woven in seamlessly. If you have read Pride and Prejudice, you can see the plot in this book unfolding the same way it did in the original. However, the Chinese-American take on the story and the diverse cast of characters takes a modern look at the issues Jane Austen highlighted in Pride and Prejudice, such as socioeconomic status and parental pressures.

My only criticism is that I would have liked to see a little more of Lissie and Preston’s relationship at the end. Much like the 2005 movie version of Pride and Prejudice where we get a little epilogue that wasn't true to the original.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I think Austen fans and romance fans alike will enjoy this sweet, no spice story of pride, prejudice and love.

Thank you NetGalley and Christina Dudley for an eARC of this book.

This was such a cute book and pulled me in almost immediately. The world and character building was amazing, and I loved how the author wrote the relationship between Lissie and Preston. I’d love to read more from her in the future.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! I love all variations of Pride and Prejudice. Set in the Bay Area, Lissie is in her final year of college studying English and finishing up her final project which is a Pride and Prejudice play with a twist that now features Chinese characters. Preston Lin is a PhD microbiology student and they immediately have an awkward first meeting that almost results in someone having a surprise anaphylactic shock in her family's restaurant. Lissie and Preston aggravated me a little, but the lack of self-awareness in Lissie can be explained by her age and we wouldn't have a story if she realized her own identified closely with the one she is writing. I'm not a big fan of new adult romances, but ultimately it's a cute re-telling and the writing is great.

It took me a little bit but I ended up really enjoying this book! Pride and Prejudice was my favorite book and movie growing up so I was excited to start this book! I appreciated that all of the characters were based on original characters and had similar names. My one wish is that the FMC had a realization that she was living out the book or at least that there were many coincidences. How could she not when she was doing her thesis on Pride and Predjudice?! Also the ending was just a little abrupt and I wish it had resolved some of the issues throughout the book more clearly.
Overall I really liked this book and the banter between the characters!

4⭐️

First of all, thank you NetGalley for the ARC

“Pride and Preston Lin” is a modern-day retelling of “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen.
As someone who loves P&P, I downloaded this book as soon as I saw it on NetGalley, and I'm glad I did so.

This retelling was quick and unique, and I appreciated the author's adaptation of the story and characters.

Anyone who loves Pride and Prejudice should definitely read this book, and I sincerely hope that the author will continue writing books in the future.

This book is such a sweet take on secret admirers, family pressures, and finding your own path. Lissie has so much personality and although she could’ve easily be written to feud with her sisters, their bond is so supportive. This was such a fun read!

A pleasant "bittersweet" version of Pride and Prejudice, set in the lanes of Los Angeles swimming pools rather than the English countryside, but the substance changes little when Preston/Darcy and Isabella/Lizzy are consistent with their alter egos.

Una piacevole versione "in salsa agrodolce" di Orgoglio e pregiudizio, ambientata tra le corsie delle piscine di Los Angeles piuttosto che nella campagna inglese, ma la sostanza cambia poco quando Preston/Darcy e Isabella/Lizzy sono coerenti con i loro alter ego.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

Genre: Romance Comedy, Story Retelling, Contemporary Romance
Romance: Slow burn, enemies to lovers (ish)

🪷 preface — If Crazy Rich Asians and Pride & Prejudice had a love child, it would be this book. Christina Hwang Dudley’s re-telling of Jane Auesten’s masterpiece, brings a Chinese-American twist to the well-loved romance, and masterfully incorporates a rom-com feel that hooks you in immediately.

📚 overall thoughts — The second I started reading this book, I could not put it down (I literally finished reading it in one sitting). With it being a re-telling, the story brings an entirely new feel to a familiar story — the character dynamics paralleling their counterparts in the original novel — while still bringing something that feels entirely new. Lin’s blending of the authentic Asian-American experience and the original source material makes for an interesting story that leaves you on your toes. From the witty banter to the comedic moments, I was thoroughly engrossed by the narrative she was building, and found myself anticipating how the story would move forward.

But I rated this four stars and not five for a reason.

There were good moments in which Lin seamlessly incorporated Lissie & Preston’s dynamic with Elizabeth & Darcy’s that left me speechless. But, there were also moments where I felt that it was reaching. I understand that this is a retelling, and staying somewhat faithful to the original source material is what makes this genre intriguing, but I have some opinions on that (they are very much personal to my preference as a reader). There were moments where it felt like the only reason why an event occurred was because the event happened in the original, which I don’t think is a good enough reason to keep if it doesn’t really fit the plot that has happened so far. I think this may stem from the fact that this was originally a time-piece that was then transformed and placed into the present world, so certain things that worked well in the original context, may not have translated as well in the new context.

Overall, it’s still a solid rom-com that is easy to follow, and very much a blast to read.

💌 romance — Preston Lin & Lissie Cheng embody the slow burn, enemies to lovers, miscommunication romance dynamic that is very much evident from the original Pride & Prejudice, and is something that definitely had me kicking my feet and giggling. It doesn’t feel forced at all, and I found myself loving how Lin made it her own. The tension between them is so well written, and it smoothly transitions into a friendship that blooms into something more, and it does not feel rushed at all. If anything, by the end, I wanted to actually see how their relationship would continue.

This book was very addictive. I love pride and prejudice and was so happy when I found this book. This retelling of pride and prejudice was amazing. The setting and the romance was very well done. I enjoyed this book!