The book reads super easily and Samantha Ryan writes incredible banter and characters that are easy to like. Obviously I enjoyed it since I finished it in one sitting and I wasn't forcing myself to continue.

Plot (4/5): 📚📚📚📚
Character Likability (4/5):👱🏽‍♂️👱🏽‍♂️👱🏽‍♂️👱🏽‍♂️
Character Development (1/5):🌱
Romance (3/5):❤️❤️❤️
Spice (1/5):🌶️

Things I liked:
- The characters are easily likeable
- Low stakes conflict while also still being interesting and having drive
- Excellent banter
- Easy and enjoyable to read

Things that were lacking (nothing I really *didn't* like):
- Overall it felt like it just needed a couple more editing pass throughs
- The characters were fairly shallow, and I tend to prefer more character driven novels
- I found myself questioning a lot of Avery's actions. His character, while likeable, didn't seem as clear in his motivations and reasoning. Several things happened that I felt like were convenient to the plot, but I didn't quite have the understanding of why and it was never revealed later.
- The tension went on just a little too long, with too few carrots given. I was finding myself skimming at parts because it was just the same, "He seems to be into me, but he's straight" resolution and little to no tension/stress on Avery's part.
- The romantic pay off wasn't enough for me. I don't mind a fade-to-black/low spice situation, but there was almost no reward for the amount of build-up.

Overall, a 2.5 for me, rounded up to a 3.

Thank you to NewGalley for the ARC!

I got this as an ARC and am so glad I got the opportunity. This book is just so wholesome and I adore it. I read it in one sitting and finished with a smile on my face and an urge to go tell all my friends and family how much I love them.

The writing is good and it flows well. The characters are so lovable and endearing and by halfway through the book I wanted to take a frying pan to their heads because they’re the absolute cutest and can you please just admit your feelings dang it?! I love them together so much and enjoyed the growth we see in Avery through the book and the confidence in Ben. I hope everyone reaches a point where they can be as unapologetically themselves as Ben is.

The reveal at the end was great - I started having a sense that maybe it was coming and really enjoyed watching it happen. What a fun twist in the story!

Overall, if you love a good queer romance this one is for you. It’s cute and wholesome and a true storybook type of romance.

Pride by Samantha Ryan is a sweet LGBTQIA+ romance that centers around the protagonist, Ben, who owns a bookshop. When he goes with his sister to a bar one day, he ends up meeting Avery Fitzgerald, the best friend of his sister’s coworker. They become quick friends and as the get closer, Ben begins to wonder if Avery is hiding something.

I really loved the writing style of this story and moved through it very quickly. Once I got into it, I finished it within 24 hours. My one complaint is that the chapters are very long. I often found myself having to stop in the middle of a chapter because there was no good stopping place close by. I am one who typically likes short chapters, however, so this is just a personal opinion. I loved the characters, and really loved the relationship between Ben and Avery. The surprise twist at the end is easily predictable, but I don’t come to a romance book looking to be surprised. I choose to read them for the sweetness, and this book definitely provides.

I do wish there was a bit more character development throughout the book. At times, this story gave off “cozy romance” vibes in that there was not a large amount of conflict or character change. The exception to this is Avery, who does have a bit of an awakening throughout the story. I wish I knew more about his job or his connections to his family’s oil company. It feels like these details were added, but then not expanded upon.

Overall, I give this book 3.5/5 stars. It was a very cute romance and I loved the relationship that formed between the two characters. I moved through it very quickly and I felt like both the writing style and the pacing were very well done. I would recommend this story to anyone who is looking for a new and unique romance to read.

I had a fun time with this book, I really did. At no point did I feel forced to keep turning the page, it was a quick read, there were a lot of funny and romantic moments that I really enjoyed. I don't want to spoil anything, so I can't say what I particularly liked, but I did love how mature "some" moments were, and I especially loved how original this story felt. It's a Pride and Prejudice retelling, but there are enough changes that it feels so fresh and unique and interesting, while still maintaining some of that inspiration from the original. There's no smut, but I didn't even notice until 80% of the way through, and I honestly couldn't have cared less because the main characters had that much chemistry that I was really enjoying all of their intimate moments. Also, I totally saw the big reveal coming the second it was mentioned 😂 but I don't think it was meant to be a surprise, and it was handled SO painfully well, I really enjoyed it.

All of that said, the reasons I couldn't rate this book any higher were few, but they were pretty consistent:

- There was a lot of telling and not showing, especially around the love interest. Again, I can't go into specifics, but the way he was described was not at all the way he was acting, so that characterization never made any sense to me.

- There was a character who we were supposed to feel sorry for in the end? I didn't. I'll leave it at that.

- It felt like the main character was making a lot of... ill-conceived decisions. I could understand his motivations, I really could, but it was tough to read or sympathize at times.

While I enjoyed Pride as a story of self-acceptance and love, I found myself constantly comparing it to Pride and Prejudice, and not in a good way. The parallels to Austen’s classic were superficial, with elements like the names, a meddling mother, and the sudden appearance of a “scoundrel” three-quarters of the way in. Honestly, I would have preferred if the novel had distanced itself from Pride and Prejudice altogether. It could have been a much stronger book if it had its own identity, rather than relying on the famous opening line and loose character resemblances.

That said, Pride has its strengths. Ben, the bookstore owner, is a likable character, though his aversion to putting a café in his store (was this supposed to represent his pride?) seemed a bit forced. His love interest, Avery, was harder to connect with. Despite being portrayed as easygoing, Avery often came across as distant and flighty. Their romance had its moments, but at times it felt like Ben was putting in all the effort, while Avery faded into the background.

The vacation setting, which set up the classic “one-bed” trope, felt forced and didn’t do much to develop their relationship. Avery’s struggle with his identity, revealed at the end of the book, could have been explored more deeply. Instead, it felt rushed, and I wish the themes of identity, acceptance, and love had been woven throughout the story more thoughtfully. These concepts had real potential, but they were crammed into the final pages when they could have driven much of the narrative.

The chapter with the therapist also felt out of place, and I could have done without it. Additionally, the subplot involving Ben’s sister Mel and her romance with Beck seemed like an unnecessary distraction from the main story.

Despite its flaws, I still found Pride enjoyable. Samantha Ryan’s writing shows promise, and while this book felt like it needed more editing and focus, I’m open to reading more of her work. Pride could have been a standout romance if it had distanced itself from its Austen inspiration and leaned more into its own unique story. Fans of Pride and Prejudice retellings may enjoy it, but don’t expect a perfect parallel to Austen’s timeless work.

While I generally enjoyed this book of self-acceptance and love, I felt that I was constantly trying to draw comparisons between Pride and Prejudice and this novel. The similarities begin and end with superficial things such as names, a crazy mother, and a no good scoundrel who randomly appears 3/4 of the way in the book. I would rather have read this book without any strings attached to P&P. If the book began without that famously overused line of Jane Austen's and the characters were simply renamed, the book would be far better for it. In general the characters were easy to like, Ben came across as a good natured man prone to love the wrong person and had an aversion to putting a cafe in his bookstore (was this pride?). His love interest, Avery, was a much harder read as he was supposed to seem easy going but at the same time aloof. There were many times the two characters felt flat in their attraction, as though Ben had to struggle to keep liking Avery, and Avery was just... not present as a character? The vacation setting was very contrived and while I'm all about some tropes, the one bed trope here was confusing. Sure Avery was struggling to accept/reveal his identity, as we find out at the very end of the book, but he just came across as flighty - which frankly happened often. As I was mentally comparing Avery to Austen's Darcy, I felt that he just wasn't a substantial character. The end reveal could have been half the book instead of a blip at the end and explored the ideas of identity, acceptance, trust and love ingrained in the book. And the whole chapter with the therapist felt random and I could've done without it. I'm not even going to get into Mel, the sister, and her side quest with her love interest Beck.

I don't mean this to at all sound like I disliked the book. I actually did enjoy it and thought it could use some tightening up and perhaps some more editing. I'd definitely read more by Samantha Ryan.