shainalite's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
menniemenace's review against another edition
4.0
#Jane Austen Inspired
So, I don't actually like Jane Austen. I was worried about this prompt, but I picked this book off of the challenge group and it was so good. Solid story. nice characters. Even the aloof hero was not annoying or mean or anything.
I really enjoyed this. The beginning wasn't great, but after around 30-40 pages, I was hooked.
So, I don't actually like Jane Austen. I was worried about this prompt, but I picked this book off of the challenge group and it was so good. Solid story. nice characters. Even the aloof hero was not annoying or mean or anything.
I really enjoyed this. The beginning wasn't great, but after around 30-40 pages, I was hooked.
liarachi's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jdalton's review against another edition
5.0
I loved how this was based enough on Pride and Prejudice to be familiar but different enough to be fresh. It's also a great book to help learn more about different cultures and their familial relationships.
Oh and I want to try all those foods now. *drools*
Oh and I want to try all those foods now. *drools*
hiii_ris's review against another edition
2.0
The book description didn't really hint at the Pride and Prejudice and I only knew it because I read some Goodreads reviews before I started it. I like Pride and Prejudice retellings as much as the next person, but I think the book sometimes suffered from it's adherence to this plot. If you have a basic knowledge of Jane Austen's text, you basically know what's going to happen. In many ways, it's not exactly a one to one comparison in terms of characters and plot beats, but I kind of wish it either leaned into Pride and Prejudice more or less because, for me, this book wasn't that engaging.
It was actually a bit of a struggle to get through. It's very possible that this is because I listened to the audiobook and didn't always enjoy the narrator's delivery.
Unfortunately, the romance is the part that I was looking forward to the most, so it also disappointed me the most. James is Darcy and at first I was invested in how he and Liza's relationship would develop. It wasn't as swoony as I was hoping for, especially since he's supposed to be Darcy! Maybe I'm too old for things like this.
The baking aspect was unique and enjoyable, but it also felt kind of unrealistic to have this Great British Baking Show aspect. I was willing to suspend my disbelief though, and the contest was honestly a fun part of the book. It does take a really long time to get to, though, and wasn't actually as big a part of the book as I was hoping for.
One thing I'm conflicted about is the mother/daughter relationship. On the one hand, Liza's mom being so overbearing and strict was kind of relatable. The fact that as the child, you're always wrong and have to listen to your parents even when they're being objectively unreasonable, was very painfully accurate and frustrating. But I couldn't relate to Liza's mom being so involved in her daughter's love life because my parents weren't really encouraging me to date until I got to college. I feel like most Asian parents also push schoolwork and extracurriculars over having a love life in high school. I also don't think the resolution of their relationship was satisfying.
All in all, there were enjoyable parts but I really struggled to get to the end which makes it 2 stars.
It was actually a bit of a struggle to get through. It's very possible that this is because I listened to the audiobook and didn't always enjoy the narrator's delivery.
Unfortunately, the romance is the part that I was looking forward to the most, so it also disappointed me the most. James is Darcy and at first I was invested in how he and Liza's relationship would develop. It wasn't as swoony as I was hoping for, especially since he's supposed to be Darcy!
Spoiler
This is one of the parts I wished had leaned into Pride and Prejudice more than it did. James is a bit like Darcy, and he does make a bad first impression, but Liza's feelings for him seem to change too fast. Liza doesn't really dislike James for a great length of time and doesn't really misunderstand him for too long either. They do fight due to the Bingley/Jane and Wickham conflict in the story, but the way they go back to being a couple was kind of not natural to me. Also they were disgustingly cutesy and into PDA which I'm just not a fan of even in books. James didn't really strike me as someone who would be so open with his feelings in front of other people, and it felt really unnatural at points.The baking aspect was unique and enjoyable, but it also felt kind of unrealistic to have this Great British Baking Show aspect. I was willing to suspend my disbelief though, and the contest was honestly a fun part of the book. It does take a really long time to get to, though, and wasn't actually as big a part of the book as I was hoping for.
One thing I'm conflicted about is the mother/daughter relationship. On the one hand, Liza's mom being so overbearing and strict was kind of relatable. The fact that as the child, you're always wrong and have to listen to your parents even when they're being objectively unreasonable, was very painfully accurate and frustrating. But I couldn't relate to Liza's mom being so involved in her daughter's love life because my parents weren't really encouraging me to date until I got to college. I feel like most Asian parents also push schoolwork and extracurriculars over having a love life in high school. I also don't think the resolution of their relationship was satisfying.
All in all, there were enjoyable parts but I really struggled to get to the end which makes it 2 stars.
nomnomriir's review against another edition
3.0
the cover def threw me off but i actualky loved this book- it’s such a cute, fun read!!! the characters felt a bit.. flat ? at times and the writing was a bit disengaging at times. nevertheless i loved this book a lot!! vv cute and sweet and!! i think im still biased bc of the cover and how it touched in certain subjects but otherwise it was very very cute and i loved it!!
librarylizzie's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
angelsbookstaloves's review against another edition
3.0
Yay for more adorable rom-coms! This was so cute! It definitely took me by surprise because I thought the protagonist was going to be with someone completely different, but I was pleasantly surprised! She actually ended up with someone way better than I thought originally!
I looooooved the baking aspect in this. Baking in books is seriously the most fun thing! I need to read more of them!
And the competition in this was so amazing. I think competitions are so fun, as I LOVE watching cooking competitions on Netflix!
I looooooved the baking aspect in this. Baking in books is seriously the most fun thing! I need to read more of them!
And the competition in this was so amazing. I think competitions are so fun, as I LOVE watching cooking competitions on Netflix!
wordyhughes's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0