Sunday, May 18, 2014

Book Review: My Own Mr. Darcy

My Own Mr. Darcy 
Author: Karey White
Publisher: Orange Door Press
Publication Date: July 15, 2013

From Goodreads:
After being dragged to the 2005 movie Pride and Prejudice by her mother, sixteen-year-old Elizabeth’s life changes when Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Darcy appears on the screen. Lizzie falls hard and makes a promise to herself that she will settle for nothing less than her own Mr. Darcy. This ill-advised pledge threatens to ruin any chance of finding true love. During the six intervening years, she has refused to give any interested suitors a chance. They weren’t Mr. Darcy enough. Coerced by her roommate, Elizabeth agrees to give the next interested guy ten dates before she dumps him. That guy is Chad, a kind and thoughtful science teacher and swim coach. While she’s dating Chad, her dream comes true in the form of a wealthy bookstore owner named Matt Dawson, who looks and acts like her Mr. Darcy. Of course she has to follow her dream. But as Elizabeth simultaneously dates a regular guy and the dazzling Mr. Dawson, she’s forced to re-evaluate what it was she loved about Mr. Darcy in the first place.

Review:
So my last Pride and Prejudice redo was such a disaster that I immediately tried again and I am so glad I did.  I ABSOLUTELY loved this book. I should say up front though that this is not YA.  The main character is a year out of college and she is dating two men several years out of college.  That said, the content and story are appropriate for YA and the book serves as a great reminder for not letting one's "dream guy" limit who one actually dates.   

This book was a really creative take on the age old question of, why do we fall for the  jerk when there is a wonderful person just waiting for us to notice?  Since there is absolutely no surprise about who the MC is going to end up with I don't think I need a spoiler alert at this point but if you haven't figured it out from the Goodreads summary you should stop reading now. 

I loved Chad and  I generally liked Matt.  I was really glad the author, Karey White, kept Matt as a mostly nice guy who simply wasn't the right person for Elizabeth.  In doing this she gives the reader the opportunity to really understand why this decision was such a struggle for Elizabeth.  I also truly appreciated how she worked in the standard Austen themes of family life and social class.  If you want to read a book that has a predictable plot, is a little bit sappy, and has you rooting for the good guy then this is the book for you!

Posted By: Sheri

3 comments:

  1. I loved this book too! What was the last one you read (that was a disaster)? I'd like to avoid those since I read so many 're-do's myself.

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  2. Great review. I haven't really heard anything about this book but it sounds like a great read. I feel it might not be for me though, I'm not a fan of predictable plots most of the time, and I am definitely not a sappy fan ;)

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  3. I'm glad this one was better than the last :)

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