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A review by alisonheide
Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa
3.5
Very cute and hopeful book. I honestly could have cared less about Darcy. Oliver’s experience with gender, gender expression, and familial/societal obligations were much more interesting. I loved getting to see his euphoria and acceptance from those he loves.
Pacing was questionable and the book flip flopped on what exact level of historical inaccuracy it was going to go for. I read a lot of queer historical romance and there seem to be three main levels authors shoot for: complete accuracy , accurate but the most optimistic circumstances, and disregard for all actual societal conditions. Books work when they fall on one of these solely or between two adjacent categories, but I feel as this one touched all three depending on what was most convenient for the plot. It made it very hard to get a complete grasp of the world and stakes of the book. I love queer historical books all over the range of accuracy and absolutely love to see queer joy where it is not usually discussed but the story still needs to be a cohesive unit.
Pacing was questionable and the book flip flopped on what exact level of historical inaccuracy it was going to go for. I read a lot of queer historical romance and there seem to be three main levels authors shoot for: complete accuracy , accurate but the most optimistic circumstances, and disregard for all actual societal conditions. Books work when they fall on one of these solely or between two adjacent categories, but I feel as this one touched all three depending on what was most convenient for the plot. It made it very hard to get a complete grasp of the world and stakes of the book. I love queer historical books all over the range of accuracy and absolutely love to see queer joy where it is not usually discussed but the story still needs to be a cohesive unit.