Wow this is very late and that's not good, but this book was entertaining and a very good read. Follows along with Pride and Prejudice in a way that was fun and different than what I've read before. Bennet and Darius had fantastic chemistry, even from the start and that continued throughout the novel. It was really fun trying to follow along and figure out who in the novel was supposed to be the P&P stand-in. Would recommend to others if they are looking for a Pride and Prejudice retelling.

It has been many years since I read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, but reading Megan Reddaway’s modern version, Out, Proud, and Prejudiced, was so much fun. There have been numerous adaptations and retellings over the years of this much-loved book, both in print and on the screen, and it’s amazing to see how well the story and characters hold up even two hundred years later. Reddaway’s is a clever, modern retelling that follows the basic storyline of the original, with the most obvious nods being the character and place names. Here the main characters are Bennett and Darius, and just as with the beloved Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy, they most certainly do not immediately hit it off!

The enemies-to-lovers trope is a favorite of many romance readers, and Reddaway nailed it with Bennett and Darius. When word gets around that there is a mysterious new gallery owner in town, and that he’s rumored to be young and hot, Bennett’s roommates are all atwitter. They convince Bennett to go with them to Rush, the once-a-month LGBTQ night at Meriton’s only nightclub, so that they can check him out. Tim, the new owner of the gallery, is lovely, but the friend he brought with him? Not so much. Darius comes off as such a shit at first. Seemingly looking down his nose at Bennett, his friends, the town, their college, even Bennett’s best friend, Jamie, who Tim is instantly taken with. Bennett decides on that first meeting that Darius is a pretentious asshole, and he does everything he can to avoid him.

Because Jamie and Tim are quickly falling for each other, however, the two men are constantly thrown together, eventually forcing them to acknowledge their attraction to each other, and surprising them with the things they have in common. I loved the super slow-burn between these guys. Reddaway did a great job easing them from intense dislike, to tolerance, to possible friendship and finally admitting their fondness for each other. I liked when Bennett had his epiphany that he perhaps judged Darius a bit too harshly, if not entirely incorrectly. And, when they figure things out at the end, it’s so satisfying and perfect.

I loved the settings of Meriton college, Longbourn Manor, and Pemberley Hall, and I enjoyed what Reddaway did with the characters. Bennett’s roommates Leon and Kofi were ridiculous and entertaining. I LOVED sweet sensitive Jamie, and Tim as well; they were so wonderful together. And, I could tell who the villain was going to be from the get-go. Red flags going up left and right with that one!

When Bennett finally lets go of his pride in order to solicit Darius’s help at the end…Or…was he too prejudice and Darius was too proud…? (Bonus points to everyone who gets my silly You’ve Got Mail reference. Ha! 😊) I think we can all agree that they each have elements of both pride and prejudice to overcome but, as I said, the ending was wonderfully done. I think, whether you’re familiar with the original or not, there are many fabulous things to enjoy about Out, Proud, and Prejudiced.

Reviewed by Jules

The premise of this book drew me in, with the pride and prejudice feel you get from these character's but I was hard pressed to have any type of adoration for Darius. He just struck a nerve with me from the get go, and I felt that the relationship between him and Darius, once it got there, was just...hard pressed? The pace of this book is very slow, and, if I am being honest, for me, somewhat hard to stick with, but that was mostly because of my dislike for one character.

Austen's novel is one of those pieces of classic literature that countless people have read, and in my humble opinion, I do think that it helps if you've already read the original piece. After all, what makes a retelling appealing is one's familiarity with the story that inspired it. However, if you've never read Pride and Prejudice, I think you can still dive into this one and enjoy it on its own merits. The story of two people who don't particularly have a great deal of love lost for one another is an appealing one, and Bennet and Darius, along with their cast of supporting characters, do make this modern M/M version an interesting one. It did drag in certain places, tempting me to skim more than once, in hopes of moving forward the story at a much faster clip than was presented on my tablet. Reddaway's writing is good, and with this being my first from her, I certainly wouldn't hesitate to read more in the future. She did an admirable job whipping together a story that appeals to her readers and fans of the Austen original. All things considered, Out, Proud, and Prejudiced garners 3.5 stars. ♥

it was ok , couldn't stand the main characters at all , and though out the book i just wanted to head slap them , with said i would like to thank Netgalley for let me read and review it in change for my honest opinion

Ooh, this one was quite disappointing!

I loved the premise behind it - a modern, gay retelling of Pride and Prejudice (aka my favourite novel ever) - but the execution was lacking.

I'll start with the things I really liked:

- Bennet (our Elizabeth) was a great protagonist. He was a lot like the original Lizzie, in that he's headstrong, prejudiced and very intelligent.
- Darius (our Darcy) was fantastic, very like the original Darcy. He was arrogant, proud, haughty, but he has a wry sense of humour that isn't apparent until Bennet, and the reader, gets to know him better.
- I loved the way the story was loosely based on and followed the original one, with it's own ... unique take on events. But it always went in the same direction, and for the most part, I enjoyed the author's modern takes (Bennet and Darcy bonding over rock climbing) and it was exciting to see beloved quotes remade but still recognisable.
- Jamie (our Jane) was just as sweet and lovely as the original, and Tim (our Mr Bingley) was cute and head over heels for Jamie.

The things I didn't like:

A lot of the plot, to be honest. While I appreciate that every author can make whatever changes they see fit in a retelling and can take the story down a different path, I really didn't like or appreciate the changes Reddaway made here - and that's not because I love Pride and Prejudice. It's because of the character of Giorgi (our Georgiana, Darcy's sister made brother in this novel).
I obviously can't go into much detail because a lot of my issues are considered spoilers but I will state what they are for other readers (hidden under a spoiler cut on my Goodreads review), because one would not typically expect to find these topics in a Romance book, of all genres.
Trigger warnings:
- rape of a 16 year old boy, which was illegally filmed
- mentions of child abuse and child p*rn
- illegally filming adults having sex with the means to sell their video to harm the LGBTQ+ community
- homophobia (like, a lot)

I'll also mention my disappointment with one of the only three female characters of the novel. I know Catherine (Lady Catherine) and Annabel (Lady Anne) are not likeable characters in the original story, but Charlotte - who has always been my favourite - was vilified. At the beginning of the book, she was one of Bennet's best friends, but the decisions she makes in the novel were disappointing and angering - and something I see in so many m/m novels written by women: the female character acting in a way that makes the reader hate her, while we are pushed to love the male characters. Ugh.

I didn't understand the importance or need for Bennet's ex-boyfriend in the book. At all. He served no purpose. None. Unless ... was he supposed to be Mr Collins? Because that's what this book sorely lacked and needed: a Mr Collins.

Anyway, to say I was disappointed by this novel would be an understatement. I can't recommend this novel, not even to diehard P&P fans.

Okay, I'm always terribly late with feedback and reviews. Mea maxima culpa.

So, Pride and Prejudice, always a solid bet. We're a library/safe space focusing on queer fiction. A match made in heaven right? The answer is Yes then no then yes. I'm very hesitant to purchase retellings of famous stories that aren't fairytales, a lot can get lost in translation when you make a contemporary story into historical romance, gender swap, etc. While on the surface the concept of this book seems a slam dunk, it would be crazy easy to just end up with a hot mess. Imagine my surprise- the book was actually really good!

I initially bought only one copy, there were points where the story seemed a little disjointed, and I was worried that the Wyndham plotline might be too dark and trigger-y for an otherwise fluffy book. The sex scene also was kinda isolated, but I couldn't see how else it would have fit into the plot.

Since purchasing the book, on three separate occasions, I have caught teens trying to sneak out the ipad with the book on it, a tablet that is rated above their age level (because getting accused of giving minors porn is bad, giving "gay porn" to said minors, while in OK, is even worse). Turns out, one high school senior who is 18 read it, loved it, and talked it up to a bunch of other teens. Now they all want to read it. I bought a second copy for the library, it's been read 9 times. Further, I took a risk and bought a copy personally ( I don't share ARCs), and allowed the curious teens to borrow my old iphone 3g that was otherwise locked and wiped down. It was voted the book of the month by the unofficial QSA for the Oklahoma City Public School System. *sigh* I told them to go rate and review it on goodreads or amazon, I don't know if they did.

Overall, the author took a risk adapting a well known and beloved work to a very different setting. There were some hiccups in the translation of the story, but the author brought enough personal style and original voice to smooth over the rough spots and still maintained strong pieces of the charm of the original work. It doesn't read as being of a particular year, i.e., it shouldn't feel dated three years from now- always a bonus from a library perspective. I may buy a third copy for the library if it continues to be read at this rate.

Out, Proud, and Prejudiced is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, where the main characters are gay. There are some differences to the original tale, but there isn't any radical changes. I went in knowing this and not expecting to be surprised, and I enjoyed the story a lot. I only have to say that the blurb is misleading as there isn't a dual point of view, because the only perspective is Bennet's and Darius's inner thoughts are not on page.

Despite expecting that there wouldn't be big surprises plot or character wise, there were some elements of suspense and I enjoyed the story. It took me a little while to warm up for the characters and situation; mostly because of the modern setting, as I've always felt that a lot of the charm for Pride and Prejudice is the time period. However, Reddaway made the story work well in modern setting, where Bennet and his friends studied hospitality in a college and Darius was a hotshot city lawyer.

The relationship dynamics have changed from the original tale; Bennet and Jamie are best friends and flat mates instead of siblings and so on. I enjoyed the dynamics between characters. Jamie's one of my favourites because he's kind and adorable, and I loved his relationship with Tim. Of course, Bennet and Darius get the limelight with their initial mutual dislike and slow progress of learning to stand each other. Both are proud men with prejudices, and I found it especially delightful read to see how they found they both enjoyed climbing and such. It was really good that Bennet and Darius had a lot of interaction - there's a trip to Brighton, climbing, and surprise visits to Pembroke. It was a really slow burn, but it was to be expected and I truly enjoyed their interactions.

Out, Proud, and Prejudiced was engaging read and especially captivating at the end. It would have been even better reading experience, if I'd been able to stop comparing and looking for links to the source material. In any case, it's a good contemporary retelling with M/M romance. I do recommend this for both fans of Pride and Prejudice and fans of M/M contemporary romance.

Now, I just want to re-read the original and watch one or two movie adaptations.

I'm a massive fan of classics with a modern twist,especially in this case with a MM theme.

It's a while since I read Pride and Prejudice but once I got into it the original story came flooding back.

A very enjoyable,well written engaging story that stayed close to the original.A little slow to get into but once I passed 30% I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Recommend.

While the writing was well-crafted, I wish the story had had a dash more creativity to it, rather than following its source material so closely. Because it was so firmly predictable, it made for a quick but not-page-turning read. Ultimately, I think it's worth it for the niche audience who enjoys both Austen and genre m/m, but it's not entirely memorable.

CW:

filming without others’ approval
abuse & filming of a minor (not too explicit but there are mentions)
I love Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Actually, I am a huge fan of Jane Austen and I did love when we had classes on Romantic Novel. So this was a kind of ‘NEED TO READ’ book. A queer retelling of a book I like? SIGN ME UP!

The characters’ names were generally changed a bit, but had connections with the old names. It isn’t difficult to connect the characters in this book to their original counterparts.

The book DOES follow the plot of the original for most of the time. I mean, it is a contemporary book, so there are changes, but still, the premise seemed the same. Jamie and Bennet (or Jane and Elizabeth in original), are now students at a vocational college. There are events from the college and their work places. The author also found interesting ways to connect them to the places that stayed the same, such as Pemberley.

There is some angst, the villain of the book does things a bit (worse?) differently than the counterpart in the original. But in general the book is sweet, with twists. It is also very modern – Darius doesn’t write a letter, he leaves voicemails, and some other such modernisations.

As in the original, I was not a fan of Darcy/Darius due to his behaviour but by the end I did get more fond of him, but Tim and Jamie were as likeable here as Mr Bingley and Jane in the original.

In general, I liked the book. It was interesting, something close to sweet as well, but not the cheesy sweet. Also there’s the animosity between characters…well, if you know Pride and Prejudice, it follows that. Otherwise it might seem a bit darker, but it is still very enjoyable and it did meet my expectations 🙂

Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book, and I’ve read a lot of adaptations, because I’m always curious about how other authors will choose to riff on Austen’s work. I think in this case the adaptation is problematic, though, because the parts that the author chooses to retain don’t always work.

While the author does keep some plot elements of the original, she makes quite a few changes, and the gender and orientation of the main characters are only two of them. For example, Charlotte does show up, but she’s not Bennet’s (aka Lizzie’s) best friend.; that’s Jamie (Jane). So, there isn’t quite the same resonance to the character as in P&P, where Charlotte’s choices act as an obvious foil for Lizzie’s. Charlotte does get married, but it’s to a bi ex-boyfriend of Bennet’s who doesn’t figure deeply in the plot, except as a reason why Bennet has trouble making ends meet. If you enjoy the absurdity of Mr. Collins—well, you won’t find that kind of comic touch here. (Although I really don’t expect any author to be able to match the wit Austen could bring to bear in her more absurd characters.) Because of these changes, the choice to include Charlotte just kind of felt mechanical to me, like something the author felt she should do. Honestly, I might have enjoyed the book more if it was even more loosely based on P&P, rather than keeping aspects of the original that aren’t central to the story.

I think the book worked better for me when I didn’t consciously look for the links to P&P. Then I could focus more on the specifics of this novel, which I thought was an OK romance if you appreciate a plot built around relationships complicated by misperceptions and class anxieties. Readers who like that sort of thing might want to give this novel a try.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

A modern retelling of Pride and Prejudiced. The characters and environment were richly described, though I needed more connection between them all. There is a nice subplot that while resolved, I wanted to see the confronatation that resolved it. If you are looking for steam, this is not your book as it does follow the original book in pacing. There is payoff in the end but there is not a lot of romantic connection between the two main characters. It is definitely an enemies to love connection. I writing was very detailed and the editing was crisp.

3.5 stars.

This was a cute retelling of Pride and Prejudice with a M/M twist. There’s no Lizzie or Darcy this time, but we do have Bennet and Darius, along with their various friends who fill the roles of the various Austen characters as the story plays out in much the same way, only with more modern variations on the old familiar themes.

It’s told entirely from Bennet’s POV, so of course Darius is seen as cold and aloof, with extra judgement thrown in, but if you know the original at all, then you’ll know that not everything Bennet sees is as it first appears, and there’s more to Darius than first impressions. The author does a good job of adapting the old tale to a modern romance, although the pace is slow in places – especially the start – the characters aren’t always as deep or well-rounded as they could be and some of their behaviour felt a bit too clichéd.

I’ll admit not everything quite worked for me. Bennet’s debt problems seemed unnecessary, especially when the Callum side of things didn’t go anywhere. I didn’t like the way Charlotte came across at all, and I felt Philippe was a bit unfair on Bennet towards the end. I did, however, really like the way Bennet and Darius bonded over their love of climbing, and I thought the Wickham/Wyndham plot was cleverly done, if thoroughly awful – but he’s an awful kind of guy.

In all, this is an enjoyable take on an old favourite of mine. It was a little more high on angst, without as much light-handed wit, but it still managed to be a fun, undemanding read.

This book is a modern day retelling of Pride and Prejudice with most of the character’s gender swapped. It is told in the limited third person point of view of Bennet, a man living in the shadow of massive debts while trying to maintain his friendships and find his place in life. As part of the maintaining of his friendship with his bet friend Jaime, he has to put up with Darius. But we only get to experience Darius though Bennett’s eyes and to Bennet, Darius is arrogant, mean and despite it all, irresistible. While Bennet loves to hate Darius, he still falls for him.

This book is probably one of the slowest burns I ever read but I still devoured it in one sitting and was not disappointed. There were some aspects that I didn’t like, such as Bennet’s friends, even Jaime. They were so wrapped up in their selves that they ended up being very selfish and not very good friends to Bennett. I would have liked to see him realize this and remove the toxic people from his life. Charlotte was so toxic that she was practically hazardous waste. I can’t really hold that against the book though because I believe that these characters were written in the same way in the original telling which I haven’t read.

Ultimately, I really loved this story and I think I’ll check out more by this author. I recommend this to anyone that likes enemies to lovers but doesn’t mind a slow burn.

Out, Proud, and Prejudiced is a contemporary romance novel by Megan Reddaway. It’s also a gay adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and as soon as I saw the description, I knew that I had to read this book.

If you’re a fan of Jane Austen’s literary classic, the basic storyline should be familiar to you, with the notable exception of most of the characters being gay men. Bennet Rourke meets Darius Lanniker, and their mutual dislike is almost palpable. They are forced to endure each other because their friends are dating. Misunderstandings occur, mostly due to the machinations of the villainous Wyndham. Can Bennet and Darius see beyond their initial impressions of each other, or are their differences far too great?

I could spend several hundred words gushing about all the ways Reddaway took the original story and modernized it, but that would spoil so many of the lovely surprises. Needless to say, Wyndham does the most Wickham-ish thing ever, and the big Lady Catherine speech was utterly hilarious.

I would absolutely recommend Out, Proud, and Prejudiced to fans of m/m romance. This is definitely one of my favorite adaptations. The beginning was a little slow, but the pacing increased, and I found myself reading quickly to find out what was going to happen next. This is such a sweet story, and I am definitely going to check out more of Reddaway’s books in the future!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book.

3.5 stars
Solid story. I must confess I skipped pages... yes I’m bad :(
Half way my attention drifted off, it had to much story.

I wanted more Darius and Bennett. O they were there, only not enough for me.
Again there was so much story around them, they almost drowned by it.
They didn’t even fit together throughout 98% Sometimes a little here and there in the story. There was tension but it I would have loved more intensity.

In short: a good written story, on the slow side, al the personalities were well put down.
Even though Darius and Bennett were the main it didn’t felt like it. There was so much going on.
I think there are others who will love and appreciate this story.

This one was... Kind of a disappointment. It started off well enough, but it kind of stumbled as the story progressed. The whole dynamic was kind of off? I don't know how to describe it, exactly. I couldn't bring myself to care about anything that was happening. Our main character, Bennet, was pretty basic and not that interesting, I would have much rather read this story from Jaime or Darius' POV, they were more multi-dimensional and all in all more appealing. The relationship between Bennet and Darius was also kind of lacking, the development felt weird at times. The "conflict" was solved way too quickly and all the other things that went down seemed to be there just to make the story longer but they did not make the plot more interesting nor were they realistic. By the end of the book, I was just kind of skimming through to reach the end.

I can't say I'd recommend this book, to be honest.

Pride & Prejudice is one of my favorite classics. When I found out there was a male coupling, I immediately grabbed it! I will admit, one half of me grabbed this book because I knew it wouldn’t compare and I wanted to see what the differences were, aside from the obvious differences. The other half of me grabbed this book because it’s based on a classic, and you can’t go wrong with classics. The characters were well executed, and it was clever how the author made the story modern. The pacing was a bit slow for me. It felt like I had to get too far into the book for me to remotely connected to the story. However, once you’re hooked… you’re hooked.

You do feel the same amount of angst in this version as you do in the original, but not the same wit. I can’t speak for others, but I thought the character of Charlotte to be quite despicable. For her to be the best friend, she didn’t have any redeeming qualities. Bennet (Elizabeth), Darius (Mr. Darcy), Jaime (Jane), and Tim (Mr. Bingley) were wonderfully crafted to fit this modern version.

Modernizing a classic is no small feat. I can say, Ms. Megan Reddaway was up to the challenge.

Ok. I have to admit it first. I am a Jane Austen addict so Austen fan fiction is like the edge pieces of brownies to me, what I want most. And just like the edge pieces of brownies, some are oh so good, some are alright, and some are terrible.

This book is edging on the oh so good. It had enough of Pride and Prejudice elements to keep me happy to connect it to the original. Not only that but it was funny and interesting enough in its own right. I just wonder if there are really gay men who act like the young men do in this book.