***I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.***
Georgiana Darcy gets the Pride & Prejudice retelling she deserves in Amanda Quain's Accomplished, a sparkling contemporary YA featuring a healthy dose of marching band romance, endless banter, and Charles Bingley as a ripped frat boy.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Georgiana Darcy should have been expelled after The Incident with Wickham Foster last year – at least if you ask any of her Pemberley Academy classmates. She may have escaped expulsion because of her family name, but she didn’t escape the disappointment of her big brother Fitz, the scorn of the entire school, or, it turns out, Wickham’s influence.
But she’s back for her junior year, and she needs to prove to everyone – Fitz, Wickham, her former friends, and maybe even herself – that she’s more than just an embarrassment to the family name. How hard can it be to become the Perfect Darcy? All she has to do is:
- Rebuild her reputation with the marching band (even if it kills her) - Forget about Wickham and his lies (no matter how tempting they still are), and - Distract Fitz Darcy — helicopter-sibling extraordinaire — by getting him to fall in love with his classmate, Lizzie Bennet (this one might be difficult...)
Sure, it's a complicated plan, but so is being a Darcy. With the help of her fellow bandmate, Avery, matchmaking ideas lifted straight from her favorite fanfics, and a whole lot of pancakes, Georgie is going to see every one of her plans through. But when the weight of being the Perfect Darcy comes crashing down, Georgie will have to find her own way before she loses everything permanently—including the one guy who sees her for who she really is.
Accomplished by Amanda Quain is a cute, young adult romance that is also a Pride and Prejudice retelling. And I adored these characters and their story and enjoyed the P&P references throughout the book.
Georgiana Darcy is a student at the prestigious boarding high school, Pemberly. She lives in her brother’s shadow after he graduated a couple of years ago. Georgiana is now in her junior year, and she’s lucky she was able to come back after her disastrous sophomore year. It was only her last name Darcy that kept her from being expelled. If only she could live up to her brother’s perfect legacy and prove to him that she can manage herself without his help.
Her trouble last year started with her brother’s friend Wickham, and she knows her brother hasn’t forgiven her. So she decides to save her reputation at school and with her older brother Fitz by: 1. Rebuild her reputation with the high school band. 2. Forget all about her first crush, Wickham, and all his lies. 3. Distract Fitz by helping him to fall in love with his college study partner, Lizzie Bennet. She enlists the only friend she has left at Pemberly, Avery, to help her with her list.
I enjoyed this book very much. I liked that this P&P retelling is from Georgia’s point of view. I also felt like I knew these characters already, even in their modern personas, as they had similar characteristics to the characters from P&P. The romance was a very slow burn, but I enjoyed their friendship very much as they worked together to get Fitz and Lizzie together.
I liked the relationship between Fitz and Georgie, even the troubles between them. Fitz tries so hard to be the guardian of Georgie, but he has trouble communicating how much he cares for her. I also enjoyed Fitz as a younger cooler character than the Darcy of P&P. Especially his relationship with Charles Bingley, a fun-loving frat boy!
The only negative is Georgie was down on herself quite a bit for most of the book, and there was a lot of angst. But, I grew to enjoy her and when she finally came out of her funk, she was delightful.
I recommend Accomplished to anyone who enjoys Young Adult Romances. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
About Amanda Quain
AMANDA QUAIN is a writer, indie bookseller, and general life enthusiast. When she’s not shouting about her favorite new books, she loves theatre, baking, rock climbing, marching band, and the overall pursuit of adventure. If forced to choose, Amanda’s favorite Austen hero is Edward Ferrars, though she’ll always have a soft spot for Mr. Bingley. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband and her cat. ACCOMPLISHED is her first novel.
I’ve always loved the name Georgiana. Pride & Prejudice is such a great story and it’s fun here that the retelling is more on Darcy’s younger sister. A little different from most retellings. Sounds like fun!
This sounds good Wendy. I’m glad the author was able to keep the essence of the characters while moving them to a new setting and time period. Enjoyed reading your thoughts on this.
I enjoy retellings and boarding school settings. Amazing review, Wendy!
This one sounds like a gem. I love P&P stories. Great review!
I love the brother/sister relationship too. It was so heartwarming ❤️ Excellent review!
I somehow missed this one. I must read this one. Great review, Wendy!
I loved pride & prejudice so I think I would love this, great review 💕
This sounds like such a fun book! I enjoyed reading your thoughtful review, thank you for sharing! I hope you have a great weekend!
Great review. It does sound like a fresh retelling.
Ugh, angst. Ah well, I do love P&P, so there is that. Love your review!
Great review, Wendy. I am not a big fan of characters that put themselves down a lot.
I’ve always loved the name Georgiana. Pride & Prejudice is such a great story and it’s fun here that the retelling is more on Darcy’s younger sister. A little different from most retellings. Sounds like fun!
I love a good retelling and this one sounds like something I’d like! Great review Wendy.
This sounds good Wendy. I’m glad the author was able to keep the essence of the characters while moving them to a new setting and time period. Enjoyed reading your thoughts on this.
Wonderful review Wendy. This one sounds really good 🤗📚💜
Sounds like fun.
Okay, this retelling sounds amazing! We like how Georgie was adapted for modern times.
It sure was fun.
I finished this last weekend and thought it was such a fun read. Great review, Wendy!
Excellent review, Wendy! I love the way this one sounds.