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Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz is a fluffy book that will definitely put you in the holiday spirit. The story is a unique retelling of the classic, with its gender swap. However, there isn’t much substance to the plot.
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Also by this author: Mistletoe: 4 Holiday Stories
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Genres: Contemporary, Adult Fiction
Publication Date: October 17, 2017
Rating:
Darcy Fitzwilliam is 29, beautiful, successful, and brilliant. She dates hedge funders and basketball stars and is never without her three cellphones—one for work, one for play, and one to throw at her assistant (just kidding). Darcy’s never fallen in love, never has time for anyone else’s drama, and never goes home for Christmas if she can help it. But when her mother falls ill, she comes home to Pemberley, Ohio, to spend the season with her family.
Her parents throw their annual Christmas bash, where she meets one Luke Bennet, the smart, sardonic slacker son of their neighbor. Luke is 32-years-old and has never left home. He’s a carpenter and makes beautiful furniture, and is content with his simple life. He comes from a family of five brothers, each one less ambitious than the other. When Darcy and Luke fall into bed after too many eggnogs, Darcy thinks it’s just another one night stand. But why can’t she stop thinking of Luke? What is it about him? And can she fall in love, or will her pride and his prejudice against big-city girls stand in their way?
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe, Melissa de la Cruz
I am a huge fan of holiday books, so when I first heard about this book, I was really excited. It is quite a short story, which is something that actually draws me into a book like this because it is one that you can pick up and read quite quickly during the busy Christmas season. The holiday party at the beginning of the novel really sets the scene for a fun seasonal read.
❀ A Female Darcy
There have been quite a few retellings of Pride and Prejudice over the years, but this is the first one that has a female Darcy that I have heard of. I really enjoyed this concept and the character of Darcy is definitely an interesting one. Darcy starts off as a bit of an unlikable character, but as the story goes on and we learn more of her backstory, her personality softens quite a bit.
❀ Unrealistic
I try not to expect too much from a fun seasonal read, but I would have enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe more if the plot was a little bit more realistic. Some of the events just seemed to be a bit far-fetched and a little bit confusing. That being said, the story moved along quickly and I really liked the ending, so there are some redeeming aspects to this one.
❀ A cute holiday read
Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz wasn’t as epic as I had hoped for, however, it is still a cute holiday themed read. The gender swap is one that gives this retelling a different flair. If you are looking for a fast-paced novel to jump into over the Christmas season, this may be a book that fits the bill.
Quotes: Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe, de la Cruz
Book Beginning:
A Taylor Swift cover of “Last Christmas,” originally recorded by Wham! in 1986, strummed from the stereo of the sleek, black town car, where Darcy was sitting in the backseat.
Friday 56:
The light pierced through blue gingham curtains, jolting Darcy awake. Her head throbbed with the aftermath of too much eggnog. Where am I?
About Melissa de la Cruz
Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.
Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).
About Lori
Avid reader. Contributor to The Candid Cover. Educator.