3.5/5
It was a good mix between 'Crazy Rich Asians' and 'Pride and Prejudice'. I will say that it did get a little confusing at times with some of the dialogue as to who was talking and who some of the characters were. But overall, an enjoyable read.

Firstly, I really love this book. Genuinely loved it. My only gripe about it was that I needed dual POV, so that I could know what he was feeling as well.
I relate to the main character: Lissie Cheng, because I myself is the middle child, is an English Lit student and always trying to bridge a gap between my two sisters. Lissie was a lovable character, but sometimes, I feel like putting her in a headlock so that she would not speak and make the situation even more messy. But I get her, I would be this way too if my family members are affected because of me. I loved that she stood her stand and refused to give Preston Lin a chance. I like how capable she was, trying to find ways to make everything right without relying on the person who started the mess. She looked after both her sisters, putting their feelings above hers in many instances.
Overall, I feel that this book was a good read and I would pick it up again whenever I find myself wanting to read a lighthearted romance.

Pride and Preston Lin is a new adult Chinese-American Pride and Prejudice retelling. Lissie Cheng is finishing off her English degree and her older sister Jenny is studying for the MCAT. They both work at their aunt and uncle's restaurant and that is where they meet Preston Lin and his friend Charles Bing. A misunderstanding leads to an upheaval at the restaurant and Lissie is determined to hate the arrogant Preston. But as the original tale goes, Lissie finds herself in Preston's orbit when her sister Jenny and Charles start dating.

Okay, I actually had so much fun reading this retelling. It's not a perfect retelling. In fact, it can be very chaotic at times, but it's such a fun version of the original story. This version of Lizzie is flawed, but very witty and sharp. Preston has the social awkwardness and arrogance of Darcy, but to a lesser degree. The banter between these two gave me so much life 🤌🏽

As with every retelling, there are changes to characters and certain arcs, and the author did a good job making modifications to fit her version of the story and characters. What stands out the most in this retelling is that there's mutual grovel and growth, which I really appreciated. Both Lissie and Preston make mistakes and they own up to it. The only thing missing is an epilogue to tie things up neatly. What exactly happened with Lissie's PR internship? I feel like this whole PR internship thing was unnecessary. The author could've just focused on Lissie's play instead.

I also really wish authors would stop being so meta when writing retellings. It takes me out of the story and makes me wonder why the characters aren't drawing parallels between their own lives and the original story. There was even a Pride and Prejudice themed dance, which was a lot of fun, but it could have just been a regency-themed dance. I also caught a wrong reference about Lady Charlotte that bugged me. Anyway, all this to say that I wish Pride and Prejudice didn't exist in this world.

Overall, not a perfect retelling, but so much fun to read!!! 4 stars for pure enjoyment. This book would make such a fun movie! More BIPOC Austen retellings, please and thanks~

This was a wonderful and modern take on "Pride & Prejudice". I enjoyed the way Christina played with the roles from the original piece and made them unique to her characters and the way she wanted to tell the story. At first, I was not a fan of Preston and thought he would have to work very hard for me to change my mind. However, as often is the case with the "Darcy" character he managed to and I was rooting for Lissie and him at the end of the story. I also enjoyed the background characters for the most part except of course for the ones we were supposed to be rooting against. Highly recommend and deserves its place in the Halls of Austen Fandom.

3.5 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

I don’t read many re-tellings, but when I see a re-telling of any Jane Austen book I snap it up. It helped that Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite Jane Austen books.

This book is set in an Asian community in modern day San Francisco. Lissie is the middle sister and works in the family restaurant while going to school. Lissie is writing a play that is a re-telling of Pride and Prejudice. It’s all very meta. Her foil is gorgeous, snobby Preston Lin. Their initial meeting is the furthest from a “meet-cute”, and Preston’s actions afterward results in Lissie losing her job and the family restaurant losing customers. Add in her sister dating Preston’s friend and the fact that they keep running into each other, and it’s just a matter of time that the ice starts to thaw between the two.

I really like Lissie – I remember how goofy and dramatic I was when I was in college, so it gave me plenty of laughs. Preston was stiff and uptight, but there is definitely more to him. Their interactions were cute and all the nods to the original book were fun to read. If you’re a fan of Jane Austen, you’ll want to read this one.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by AustenProse PR and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Overall, I liked the story. The side characters were wonderful. I appreciated the aspects of Chinese-American culture and how they impacted the plot. To me, the author did a great job of making the characters distinct and easily identifiable based on their Austen counterparts. By the end, I could appreciate the middle more. While reading it, the middle felt slow, mostly with the build up of the whole swim team/volunteering thing. Sometimes the lack of communication/miscommunication amongst the characters got to feel repetitive.

The formatting made for a more challenging read and may have affected my overall enjoyment of the book. Some spots had multiple characters’ dialogue back to back, without new paragraphs.

I was really excited about this book, but unfortunately, I found it was only okay. I started to enjoy it a lot more by the end and I felt like the ending was too abrupt.

For most of the book, I couldn't figure out how the two MCs would ever find a way together, but the author mostly pulled it off at the end. I also found some of the actions and reactions a bit childish, as the book sometimes read more YA/high school than university.

Overall though, this was a cute read and I'd read more by the author.

I am an absolute sucker for any Pride and Prejudice retelling, but this was one of my favorites in a long time! I usually prefer a historical Pride and Prejudice retelling but even though this was set in modern times, it had the feel of the original. Preston Lin was a perfect Darcy and Lissie was the perfect mixture of headstrong, slightly awkward, compassionate, and intelligent. It hit all the right events from the original, slightly remixed, I loved the "proposal", though it was just asking her out on a date and the letter afterwards.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=2.75?? | 😘=2 | 🤬=1.5 | 14+

summary: Pride and Prejudice retelling but it’s Chinese Americans in LA and there’s a restaurant and a swim tournament and Elizabeth Bennet is an English major

thoughts: time for another episode of…. Norah Reviews a Classic Literature Retelling She Feels She Has Way More Stake in Than is Actually Accurate!!

things i liked:

- Darcy-equivalent’s Disaster Proposal™️ was very well executed. good stuff. gave me (false) hope halfway through the book.
- Lissie was a fun interpretation of Elizabeth!! I liked her as a character

things I didn’t like:

- very slow pacing—a huge issue for a romcom; this should not have taken me so long to finish

- why does the Secret Wickham Conflict involve Darcy’s MOM instead of his sister?? 😭 what was the reason???? it lowers the stakes soooo much—like, an affair between two consenting adults is not nearly as devastating as an adult man taking advantage of a teenage girl. the former is almost funny in a romantically comedic context, which is not the vibe we want?? the author tried to make up for it by having Darcy do some other romantic stuff at the end, which kind of worked, but minimizing Wickham’s villainy also minimizes the significance of Darcy’s character arc; he is a much weaker love interest, imo. anyway.

- also this was very minor but the gay best friend was so Gay Best Friend it was probably offensive––it was very much that guy from Isn’t It Romantic?, if you catch my drift.

in sum: there was, like, one key Pride and Prejudice element that was very well executed and everything else was not my cup of tea!!

THE ENDING. so stinking cute.

this was such a cute spin on pride and prejudice! i heard this had crazy rich asians vibes, which i totally agree with. this book had me giggling, blushing, all the things! one of my favorite aspects of this book was how asian culture was integrated into the retelling. reading this made me feel somewhat close to home, especially with the family dynamics (and lissie + her sisters). i especially loved the representation! although i was iffy about preston in the beginning, he slowly grew on me and by the end, i SWOONED so hard.

this was such a unique story despite it being a modern retelling. i really enjoyed the writing style by this author and i’m looking forward to more books written by her.

overall, i’d highly recommend to anyone who wants a cute, lighthearted read!

A refreshing take on Jane Austen's classic: Pride and Prejudice!

As a mixed english/chinese girlie, representation is so important to me and to be given an adaption of one of my favourite stories with a chinese FMC, I knew I had to read it immediately. So thank you Christina, for making my day.

I truly did appreciate how the original elements of the book were adapted in a way that made them both individual to this particular book as well as fit into the time period where it was set, while still being able to maintain the skeletal structure of 'Lizzie' and 'Darcy' s story. Believe it or not, I have read modern P+P retellings that did not accomplish this half as well.

For me, the only short fall was the ending. The conversation between Preston and Lissie in the doughnut shop where they are continuosly apologising to each other and repeating things that have already been said in the book seemed redundant and repetitive. This is literally my only drawback and even then, I can quite happily gloss over it.

Overall, this was a wonderful and fun read! I can't wait to see what Christina Dudley puts out next because I will definitely be picking it up :)

As someone who loves pride and prejudice and tries to read all the retellings, I couldn't help but read this book, the dynamic between the protagonists was very good and fun, I would recommend this book to someone who loves Jana Austen and enemies to lovers.

I would like to thank netgalley and Third State Books for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an entertaining update of the beloved story. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting and getting to know the characters, but not all the updated plot points really worked.

I really love a modern retelling of classic literature and Pride and Preston Lin is no different! I loved that characters were true to the original, just with modern energy. A sweet & fun read! I look forward to reading more from Christina Hwang Dudley!

This is a retelling of pride and prejudice set in the Greater Bay State area. Our main characters are Chinese Americans. We have three sisters, the Cheng sisters, and we see the story from Lucy's point of view. Overall, it was a quick, highly readable book. The genre is more new adult rather than a full blown romance. It has a satisfactory ending. I found it. Quite an easy fun read with all the trimmings of P&P. I felt like it was quite a short book so we didn't really delve into some of the other characters as much as we could have, but they were still quite a few fun quickly. Things going on especially with the cousin. Jeremy, Mr. Darcy equivalent is of course Preston Lynn of the title who is very darciasque. You have a lot of with a cerbic exchange of dialogue between or two main characters, but they were a few scenes were a thought. There was almost too much dialogue. I think there was a missed opportunity to delve into the trauma of Lissie Cheng and her sisters which is the death of their parents. I think that would have given the book quite a lot of depth. This book could have benefited from stricter editing in those circumstances.

Overall a fun read , rating is 3.5 stars. Thank you to the piblishers and Netgalley for my eARC.

Pride and Preston Lin by Christina Hwang Dudley is an adaption of Pride and Prejudice set in San Francisco. Lissie is the middle of three sisters who were taken in by their aunt and uncle after their parents pass. The two older sisters help their aunt and uncle run their restaurant. Preston is a wealthy Standford PhD. Student who is very confident in who he is and his opinions. Lissie accidentally serves a dish containing shellfish to someone who is allergic and Preston Lin happens to be at that table. Will they ever make it as friends?

I enjoyed this fabulous Austen adaption of Pride and Prejudice. The characters were interesting, thoughtful and the author did a great job adapting them to modern day. I found myself engrossed in the story and enjoyed seeing the connections to Pride and Prejudice. The story was from Lissie’s perspective, had interesting twists from the original story and took place in the Asian community of San Francisco. Truly a delightful read.

Pride and Preston Lin by Christian Hwang Dudley is a great Pride and Prejudice adaption. This thoughtfully written story will join my other favorite Austen adaptions on my bookshelves. I highly recommend this story!

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

Quick Summary: A Pride and Prejudice retelling

My Review: Pride and Preston Lin by Christina Hwang Dudley is a modern day version of a classic. With an Asian American take, this contemporary novel presents the P & P experience with an updated twist.

About the Book: Lissie Cheng and her sisters have endured a lot in their very short lives. Thankfully, they have their aunt, their uncle, and their cousin to lean on. Because of all that they have done to help her and her siblings, Lissie does all she can to help out at the family restaurant. When Preston Lin and his family come in to dine one evening, a very unfortunate incident occurs and completely turns everything sideways. In that moment, both Lissie and Preston become enemies of a sort.

My Final Say: This was an enjoyable read. It took me a while to get through, if I'm being honest. Nevertheless, the P & P bones for the story were there. Readers who want a fresh take on the push and pull between a dashing, young gentleman and a sassy, determined lady are sure to get it with this novel.

Other: The scene that made all the difference for me was... The Party (coded to avoid spoilers). So much was revealed in that moment and the one that came right after.

Rating: 3/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: NA
Status: Clean
Level: 👍

Thank you to the author, to the publisher (Third State Books), and to NetGalley for granting access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have voluntarily shared are my own. I appreciate the opportunity to become acquainted with this writer and her work.

What is your favorite retelling of a classic story? From fairy tales to Jane Austen, I love when classic stories are rewritten into a modern setting.

Pride and Preston Lin by Christina Hwang Dudley is a truly delightful Pride and Prejudice retelling. Lissie a college student working in her family’s Chinese restaurant. When she accidentally serves a patron, a dish she is allergic to, she almost unwittingly takes down her Aunt and Uncle’s entire business. One of the patron’s friends, Preston Lin, wrote a scathing article about the incident, citing the restaurant by name. Now business is down, and Lissie is desperate to help her family. She despises Preston Lin. Unfortunately for her, Preston Lin keeps appearing wherever she goes. Can Lissie and Preston both get over their pride and initial misconceptions of each other to find love?

My thoughts on this novel:
• This retelling worked well as Christina Hwang Dudley kept the major bones of the classic story, but made it her own with the setting, and modern tweaks to the storyline.

• I liked the inventive names Christina Hwang Dudley used to keep the names similar, but with a Chinese American twist.

• I really loved the Asian American representation and spin on the classic story.

• The San Francisco Bay setting was perfect. I also liked how Preston attending Stanford and coming from a wealthy family was juxtaposed with Lissie attending San Jose State and her family owning a restaurant.

• Lissie and her sisters Jenny and JoJo are orphans, but their Aunt and Uncle have stepped up to parent them.

• Lissie takes over taking her little sister JoJo to swim lessons where she meets the attractive Coach Wayman Wang who has a mysterious past with Preston Lin.

• The characters are great. Lissie has a quick wit and is a strong woman. Preston seemed like a stuck-up prick, but he grew to be a nice guy by the end. The side characters were also well developed.

• Mini Spoiler Alert, I appreciated that the tragedy at the end that brings Preston and Lissie together has to do with Coach Want having inappropriate relationships with the mothers of the students rather than inappropriate relationships with the students themselves.

• This book would be classified as New Adult rather than a romance. Preston Lin and Lissie don’t have much of a romance in this novel. They just realize that they like each other and have a kiss, and the book ends.

• I would love a second book to give Jenny and Charles more time to develop their romance, and to find out what happens to Lissie’s play and other open storylines.

• This book just was a happy book that kept me entertained during a very stressful week.

Overall, Pride & Preston Lin is an enjoyable modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in the Chinese community in San Francisco Bay. This story is timeless, and it works across so many settings, time periods, and cultures.

Book Source: Review copy from Third State Books for being a part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Pride and Prejudice in an Inn. A tale as old as time. I love Jane Austen’s adaptations and I’ll always read them. We know what’s gonna happen, but it’s the different setting that can make or break an adaptation.

The characters still remain true to Austen but are adapted in a refreshing way.

Two thumbs up.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This was an interesting modern Pride and Prejudice retelling. It had several recognizable famous characters: Elizabeth (Lissie), Darcy (Preston), Jane (Jenny), Wickham (Wayman), Lady Catherine (Mrs. Lin), the Bingleys (Bings) and Mr. Collins (Darren). This story features three orphaned Cheng sisters, taken in by their aunt and uncle. This time the misunderstanding comes via an accident allergen oversight at the family restaurant, which unleashes Preston's self-righteous rampage that nearly destroys the business.

More run-ins occur, along with the staunch defense of Coach Wayman, causing Lissie and Preston to constantly be at odds. It turns out that Preston has a secret tendre for Lissie, and she revokes his poorly delivered overtures in the most unflattering way. However, when Lissie's sister, JoJo, goes missing, Preston proves his faithfulness and integrity, helping Lissie to know that he is the good guy and her feelings have changed.

This reimagining is set in California, with the Cheng family being Chinese-Americans. Their heritage and culture are talked about and featured throughout the story and also factors into some of the relationships and decisions made in the story.

The beginning of the story felt a little chaotic. There were familiar characters, but it was difficult keeping them straight for a time. This "Darcy" was also more brutal than in the original, at least at first. A large chunk of the story is trying to pick up the pieces of the damage that he caused. He does redeem himself, but he is not really likeable to the reader until he gives Lissie his letter. Like in the original, he has a pretty good reason for his issues. The pacing, smoothness of the story, and the chemistry significantly improved from this point.

I enjoyed the sisterly relationships and the way the author wrote the "Wickham-type" controversy. The subject matter is maybe a little more mature than the original, and there were quite a few loose ends leftover. Overall, it's a good retelling.