** I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley for consideration. All thoughts are my own.
Pudge and Prejudice is an homage to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, transported to the fictitious Northfield Texas High School in the year 1984. After moving to Northfield with her family, Elyse Nebbit faces the challenge of finding her place in a new school, one dominated by social status and Friday night football. When Elyse’s effortlessly beautiful older sister Jayne starts dating Charlie Bingley, the captain of the school football team, Elyse finds herself curious about Charlie’s popular and brooding best friend, Billy Fitz. Elyse’s body insecurities eventually complicate her relationship with Billy, leaving Jayne and Elyse’s exceedingly blunt friend, Lottie, to step in and help Elyse accept herself for who she is, pant size and all.
As far as I know, I have always been a writer. Before I could put words to page, I would dictate stories to my mother. I have always lulled myself to sleep by crafting stories--a new chapter each night. When God called me to write, I was thrilled to answer His prompting. And so it was, after a long conversation with my husband, I left a 20-year teaching career to pursue a new direction. It called for a HUGE step of faith, but God has kept me and our family safe.
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At 33 years old, I must admit that I am far from the target young adult audience for which this book was intended. Still, the name and cover drew me in, and I've always believed that a good story knows no age so I was excited to check it out anyway.
As the name suggests, Pudge and Prejudice is a young adult retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Set in the 1984, we meet Elyse as she and her family have moved to a new town. Being the new kid in high school is hard enough, but being the new kid who is not exactly a size 2? Well that presents it's own set of challenges... with lots of 80s references, some teen romance and a message on accepting one's self, this came together as a cute retelling of a beloved Classic.
Though the story was quite cute and enjoyable for the most part, I must admit I was a bit torn on it. First, let's talk the 80s theme, shall we? Though as a 90s kid I don't actually have any memory of life in the 80s, I appreciated many of the throwbacks throughout anyway. Sure, some went over my head, but many hit their mark as well, being not that far removed from my own childhood. Many of the books I read myself as a kid/teen took place around this same time (Sweet Valley Twins/High, Baby-sitter's Club, etc...) As such, I really enjoyed the nostalgia aspect of it personally. While the intended audience might not catch all those references, I wouldn't think it would affect their enjoyment anyway.
I must admit however that the teen romance drama in places did seem rather immature to me. But again, this is likely due more to my own age than anything else. While there are many books that are in the Young Adult genre that don't necessarily read as such, I couldn't help but feel like the romance here really would appeal more to that age group.
Regardless, it was a pleasant read anyway. If you're an adult reader looking for a cute 80s throwback, this could be a cute read but otherwise I'd likely recommend it more to it's intended reader!
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