Hara Isari, a reporter for a small Oregon newspaper, wins a contest to interview a basketball star who almost never gives an interview, and she is thrilled. Her father Thomas, an inmate at the local prison and a former sports bookie, is delighted for his baby girl, while her mother thinks only that it’s time Hara settled down to married life. Hara’s interview goes smoothly, but she overhears a conversation between Charles and his best friend and teammate Derek that makes her wonder what the real story is, and with her journalistic curiosity, she becomes determined to figure it out.

Okay. Well. There are many issues I had with this story, but I’ll only mention a couple from the first few chapters. Hara is half Japanese and half African American. There’s no way she has baby blue eyes. Her grandparents met as children in an internment camp ten miles from the hospital where they were born. Oregon had no internment camps, people from the Portland area were usually sent to a camp in Idaho. I looked it up. As the storyline progresses, there is drama. Oh, Lord, is there ever drama. All the drama, all at the same time, and it made me tired. I was expecting a romance and instead I got a confusing mess.

Hara Isari is determined to make it as a sports reporter for a big newspaper, leaving behind her felon father, mother insisting that she should marry, and the small town that won’t let her forget either. When she is selected to interview a big football star, she jumps at the chance. There she also meets Derek Darcy, a rookie who is determined to show he can play the game and isn’t relying on his monied background. As much as the two don’t hit it off right away, they keep crashing together thanks to fate.

Hara’s favorite book is Pride and Prejudice, and it initially struck me as odd that she says that in chapter one yet doesn’t seem to remark on the characters in the novel that fit the roles from the Austen novel. It’s not a big issue, but you’d think she’d comment at some point that the guy she thinks is a jerk has the last name Darcy, just like the novel. Her focus is more on making her mark with a story in the sports world, and she doesn’t care about dating any basketball stars as her mother urges her to do. This becomes something of a selling point with the Wives And Girlfriends club, which is how Hara keeps getting pulled back into Derek’s orbit. It feels natural and not as contrived as that sounds in this review.

I hadn’t read novels from these two before and know absolutely nothing about basketball. You don’t have to in order to read The Wrong Mr. Darcy and enjoy the story they’ve told.

The “baddies” that serve as obstacles to love feel a bit more like caricatures than characters. I understand that you’re not supposed to like them, but there are probably other ways to make it clear that they value profits over people. I felt like Hara’s father had more of an individual personality than some of the Bostonians.

That being said, the last third of the book actually grabbed my interest not just for the romance aspect but for the suspense as well. Hara was in legitimate danger, and so was Derek. I also feel sorry for Naomi, who got short shrift by so many people in positions of power. Because she’s not our main character, there really isn’t a happily ever after in store for her.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙙:
- The TWISTS! Oh my lord, I thought this was going to be a cute little rom-com but DANG the ending is crazy.
- Steamy!
- I really liked the trope - a little play on hate to love.
- The ONLY sport I follow is basketball so I appreciated the basketball plotline.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝘿𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚:
- I wish we'd gotten to know the characters on a little bit of a deeper level.
- Hara got SUPER involved in these people's lives she'd known for like 2 minutes which felt a little unrealistic.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was not the book for me, unfortunately. I think that it might have been a better read for me personally had it not had the Austen connection- I usually have certain expectations on feelings and tone from Austen-based books, and I just didn't get it from this one. The writing felt a bit stiff, and that might have allowed it more freedom. However, it is wonderful to see more diversity in characters, and the choice of sports was an interesting take.

The Wrong Mr. Darcy // by Evelyn Lozada and Holly Lorincz

I really, really wanted to like this. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite Jane Austen novel and I have heard so many people talk about reading retellings of it that I jumped at the chance for it when I saw this book. The premise was very promising: a multi-cultural woman trying to make her way in a male-dominated profession. I love a good underdog story, especially when it comes to women breaking through in a field that is so set against them. But this book just tried way too hard in the wrong places and not enough in the right ones. The writing was stilted and awkward (I was really thrown off whenever we would read someone's thoughts and then all of a sudden they were referred to as "the reporter" or "the basketball player" - so impersonal!). I honestly did not like the chemistry between the main characters either. Their attraction to each other did not seem to come very naturally but rather forced just for the story. As I said though, I enjoy the multi-cultural aspect (though I would've liked more pride there) and I'm glad the character made it out of her adventure successfully.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I will not be publicly reviewing this book. It was giving me major soap opera vibes (not in a good way) so I DNFed.

I have loved so many P&P/Austen retellings and this one was definitely unique. I really liked Hara as a Lizzie like character and didn't mind the places where this book strayed from the original because the sentiment was there. However, I can say that the ending was definitely not something I was expecting. I don't want to spoil the book but if you love Austen/P&P, this one is definitely worth checking out.

The Wrong Mr. Darcy comes out soon on August 25, 2020, and you can purchase HERE.

Hara Isari turned off the engine and sat, not moving, her heart beating with the tic-tic-tic of the cooling engine. She'd been completely immersed in a comforting Jane Austen audiobook for ht past hour, hanging out with her favorite characters, but now it was time to ease back into her own reality. The familiar line of old firs at the edge of the parking lot were monstrously huge and fiercely beautiful, their limbs pronounced against a light gray sky, swaying in the winds of all. Try as they might, however, the trees could not entirely camouflage the buildings just beyond the greenery. Or the crumbling, twenty-five-foot-tall stone walls that held in her father.

According to the blurb, The Wrong Mr. Darcy is a charming, multicultural, Pride and Prejudice--inspired romantic comedy from celebrity Evelyn Lozada and Holly Lorincz.

I was disappointed by how poor the writing was, and this was a very skimmable story. There is little to no character development, and the characters are very shallow.

One positive is the adorable cover. The cover is what drew me to request this book, and I love the basketball to clue you into the sports theme of this story. I also liked the Pride and Prejudice quotes that introduced each chapter.

I purposefully do not read Goodreads reviews before I read an advanced copy from NetGalley. After reading this book, I am not surprised to see that the other reviewers on Goodreads have an overall negative view of this book.

Thank you to Net Galley and St Martin's Press for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Evelyn Lozano, Holly Lorincz and St. Martin’s Griffin for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
I feel bad giving this book 2 stars, but I really did not find this book that enjoyable. It is not your typical love story, as it focuses to much on the side stories then on the actual love story between Hara and Derek. Also, the whole story is not believable, especially since apparently it happens in a time span of less than a week. There are so many side stories going that you kind of get confused as to who the main characters are. I normally try to not give to much away in my reviews so people will read the book, but with this book it is hard to find what the main point of the story is.

The Wrong Mr. Darcy, was a little Pride and Prejudice, and a lot of Basketball Wives. I didn’t know while I was reading it, but the author was on Basketball Wives, so that makes sense.
I felt like the plot was a little too drawn out. This book was full of drama, so if you are into that this is the book for you. For me, though, it was a bit much. Part of the reason was that I didn’t know what to expect from this book ahead of time, other than it was a Pride and Prejudice retelling.
I liked Hara, the female lead, but honestly not really anyone else. Even Darcy was just too aloof for my taste. This book was entertaining, and the overall plot was interesting, just a little too dramatic.

This book was difficult to read. The writing was all over the place, and for a sports-themed book, there was no atmosphere of the game or authenticity of the athletes. There was also no real comparison to Pride & Prejudice, which was disappointing. I did appreciate the diversity of the characters - this is something that we need to see more of in our stories.

I was excited about this new basketball-themed rom-com version of Pride & Prejudice, but unfortunately it wasn't for me. The writing was choppy and I kept wanting to say to the authors to show, don't tell! I think the idea had a great deal of promise, but the execution was lacking. I would love to see another take on this idea. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the advance digital copy!

When an author can combine a sports romance with a Pride and Prejudice twist, I can't help but rush to read it! Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. The drama was forced and the pace was disjointed. It was definitely missing the Austen element and the angst was too much to be believable.

I’ve read some really good Jane Austen adaptations in the last year and I was hoping this one would be as satisfying as some of those but it fell short. The characters were all interesting, but the story got so convoluted. In almost every romance novel you know you need to suspend reality but the twists and turns this book took were just too much. I really liked the character of Hara and I wish we had a chance to learn more about her - namely her relationship with her father and how her relationship with Darcy grows, instead the reader is continually sidetracked with meaningless side plots and drama that is so over the top the only word to describe it is ridiculous.

Okay The Wrong Mr. Darcy took me by surprise, but maybe not always in a good way? It starts off as a retake on Pride and Prejudice, but soon twists and turns in ways I could not have predicted.

Synopsis: Hara Isari has just landed her big break: an exclusive interview with Charles Butler, the star of Boston’s NBA team who is notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to the press. But all is not as it seems. The team’s owner and Charles are clearly trying to keep a bigger story under wraps, but Hara will do whatever it takes to uncover the truth. Even if it means making some incredibly dull conversation with Charles’ best friend, Derek Darcy.

I thought this would just be a simple rom-com with a modern twist, but wow, it took a turn into solving a mystery, really violent high stakes and backdoor deals that I was totally unprepared for. The plot was definitely what kept me reading, even past some pretty cringe borderline racist and sexist moments, and the dialogue, which often felt stilted in stereotypes. The writing was... not good. But I saw it through because the plot was interesting to me. It also got somewhat repetitive, with this constant back-and-forth of “will they/won’t they” and I did find myself skimming some of those parts.

There are some steamy moments, so be warned, and there’s definitely some CW moments of sexual violence, miscarriages and threats of violence. I do wish the pacing had been better — there was a lot of exposition on the front end, which I needed, but the ending (which came as a huge shock) felt very quick and wrapped up without excessive detail, which I would’ve appreciated more of.

Overall, I didn’t love it or hate it, but it kept me engaged from the get-go, as I was wondering what would happen next! This one is out on August 25th and is definitely a library read.

This was a quick read; my first by either of these authors.

Overall it was an enjoyable read. I'm a fan of Pride & Prejudice, and while this isn't a re-telling I did enjoy the similarities to that august title. The fast pace kept me reading, so I read the whole thing in one day. The characters were all distinct, as well as diverse.

I was not well pleased with the rushed feeling of the ending, nor of the endings of some storylines. It was here that this story veered widely from the source material.

Still, the core concept of the repercussions of hasty judgments and appreciating the difference between superficial goodness and actual goodness can be found in this book. I would definitely reading more by either author.

When I spotted this title and cover, I thought I’d struck gold. I love contemporary stories that pay tribute to or retell Jane Austen’s stories. It looked like a light and fun RomCom and perfect for a summer read.

Sadly, dear reader, this book and I did not have a good outing together. I had expected something closer to a retelling, but was not surprised that it was its own story with original characters. Nor, was I particularly broken up about the fact that it wasn’t really a light romantic comedy. This was not what sunk the book for me.

Hari Isari is a sports journalist from a small town. She is mixed race (Black American-Japanese American). Her dad is in jail for his activities. He’s not exactly father of the year material and after what he did for Hari, I would shudder if he were to offer me a similar favor in help of finding a job in my field.
It wasn’t long before I had real issues with Hari as a character and the way she was described. She was pretty harsh with her assumptions especially since she had no basis other than impressions of Derek. Her personality was a source of severe strain for me and I didn’t even find her competent as an emerging sports world figure. Let’s just say that any armchair sports fan knows more about sports than Hari. And, you’ll never convince me that a small town paper forked over the dough for a rookie reporter to be sent to interview a big time pro athlete. The paper wouldn’t have the money for plane tickets, limo rides, and the rest let alone trust a small time reporter to do such a job. Hari totally hates Derek Darcy practically on sight and the hostilities stay there for a significant portion of the book. Then, here we go again with an unbelievable moment, she learns her friend has an unplanned pregnancy so contraceptives should be on her mind, but nope, she jumps in the sack for some unprotected sex with a guy she is convinced has had one night stands in the triple digits.
While I didn’t hate Derek Darcy, -he seemed like a decent guy and I loved that he’s a pro basketball player- I didn’t loved him. He certainly isn’t bad like Hari imagines. However, I found him bland. I wanted to feel something more for him. In truth, I couldn’t name a single character I cared about.
I haven’t yet spoken to the plot on this one. It had a rough feel to it. I couldn’t settle into the story and it felt disjointed and loose particularly when the last half took a turn into suspense-land. Not that it was a bad idea. Maybe the whole book should have been building toward that and I’d not have felt the jolting ride so much.
So, yes, I really struggled and nearly DNF’d a few times. I skimmed more than once and the finish didn’t raise it for me. I won’t recommend it, but I will say that others might not have such strong reactions to what I considered negatives so I say go for it if the blurb takes your fancy.

Absolute Love!

This is the second book that I've read from Evelyn Lozada and it definitely didn't disappoint. We follow a romance between a professional basketball player and a sport journalist. As with Pride and Prejudice our female lead, Hara, thought that she could tell someones personality and moral compass based on a cursory conversation. She adapted these instincts because of visiting her dad in prison and dealing with the other prisoners as well as the prison guard. So when she first met Derek his gloomy and stand offish personality told her he was not someone she wanted to get to know. Though he body had an immediate reaction to him being near her that she couldn't explain. This book had bribery, murder, attempted murder, gambling, and love all written perfectly in this story. I can't wait to read the next book by this author.

I jumped at the chance to read this book because of the title. I am a huge Jane Austen fan and have enjoyed a few Pride and Prejudice retellings. Unfortunately, this was not one of them. The characters were not well developed, The plot was poorly structured. I’m not happy to give such a poor review, but this book just does not have anything going for it.

Who doesn't love Jane Austen? This story was full of Janeisms and the story line was cute and funny.