Out, Proud, and Prejudiced

Obligatory I didn't read Pride and Prejudice, so I can't compare this novel to the original.

What a ride! I can't remember the last book that made me feel so anxious and so frustrated with the characters. I knew where this was heading, of course I did, but that didn't take away from the frustration. Most of it was because of misunderstanding and while I would normally have a huge issue with the characters not talking about what was going on, it made perfect sense here. It fit the story, and it fit the character's personalities so I have no complaints.

What I may complain about is that some things were superficially explained—some of the situations and a part of Jamie and Tim's relationship—but the frustration kept me occupied enough to not be too bothered by it. And, boy, I can't express just how much of that there is. I literally had to remind myself that there are always two sides of a story otherwise I would have dropped the book so hard. (No, I wouldn't have, at this point I was so into it, I had no option but to find out what happens next.)

I didn't like almost anyone except for Jamie, Bennet and, only later, Darius. I didn't see much of Tim, he seems like an okay guy, but he was a fool.

I liked Jamie and Bennet's friendship, Bennet was the only one out of their friends who actually got Jamie, who didn't make any idiot jokes and just accepted his principles. They all should have. He also was willing to give up on what he wanted in order to not hurt Jamie. Speaking of Jamie, I didn't like his reaction when he saw Bennet and Darius together. He immediately assumed that Bennet would stoop so low as to sleep with someone for a job and that's just not how their friendship went until that point. It was out of character for Jamie to think that and he should have known better. Other than that, he was great.

I didn't like Bennet so much at first, but after the first five chapters or so I warmed up to him. He's clever and a generally good guy, despite deeply prejudiced. Luckily there is a cure to prejudice, so no harm done.

Darius was by far the most frustrating character. Not knowing why he acted the way he did or what he was thinking made it really easy to misjudge him. I still wanted his side of the story, but man, it was tough.

As for the other characters, Philippe and Nigel were great, I instantly disliked Leon and Kofi (and I mean instantly) and while I kind of liked-but-not-really Charlotte in the beginning, in the end I really didn't like her.

Overall I liked the take on the plot (if I didn't read the original it doesn't mean I don't know what's going on there), it was good. I liked the rock climbing as a means for the characters to interact more, and for most part it made sense. It also mentioned some heavy themes (trigger warning rape, recording sex with a minor, and recording sex without the partner's consent) and I'm not sure how to feel about that. Normally it's not an issue for me reading about these kind of themes, but in this case I think it could have been replaced with something less weighty. I'm 50/50 on this.

I would still say to give the book a try if only for the anxiety and the frustration. And, obviously, if you are a fan of the original and would like to try a retelling of it. Might not make it to your favourites, but it's still a pretty good read.

This was a very interesting gay retelling of Pride and Prejudice. It's so much more of a slow burn than the original and has a very modern twist on the side characters and their lives. But there is also very less romance and I thought by the end, Bennett and Darius just started to get to know each other better.
The writing is very easy flowing and I finished it in a single sitting but despite the enjoyable characters, I just felt that spark missing.

I would still recommend it to anyone who enjoys modern takes on P&P. You will not be disappointed.