im not sure on this one. im not sure it hit the write notes. but i never quite new why. i didnt know whether it really was too young so the depth i crave was lost, or couldnt be added because it needed to be plicable for a younger audience.
it felt like it was trying to be a take on the pride and prejudice but in name only. i didnt get many or any of the links really. but again was that to make it relevant for a younger audience.
it wasnt bad. it just wasnt enough or it didnt grab me.
the thing is i didnt not enjoy it. and looking at it now i do think my younger self would have enjoyed it. and it is for that age group so all in all its a success.
i think im far too used to young adult hooking me in.

The ARC that I received was impossible to read. It had letters missing from words every line and disjointed sentences. I could not get one sentence completed. I know that is a formatting problem and obviously no reflection of the book or the authors. I will have to wait and read a completed and edited title for this one.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

A lighthearted YA Pride & Prejudice retelling set in Australia that is sure to hit great for the summer beach reading teens. I enjoyed this North American re-release as a die-hard Austen fan and found it fluffy and funny with the perfect amount of snark/banter between the two love interests. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was a brilliant book!
As soon as I saw it listed I was hoping I would be accepted! Thank you for the ARC copy of this I really appreciate it!

What a fun light-hearted summer romance. It’s based on 'Pride and Prejudice' with the main characters being in the generation after the five Bennett sisters. The mothers share the same names as the girls in Jane Austen's classic – Jane, Elizabeth, Lydia, Mary and Catherine – but it does get a bit complicated with all the cousins in the next generation. Lydia's daughter Lily is our heroine and she is a gem! Lydia might be shallow and a bit flighty but Lily is certainly not. The setting reminded me of Palm Beach, north of Sydney, and the long summer school holidays where all the wealthy Sydneysiders landed for weeks at a time - so nostalgic 💕

With so many characters, it’s all pretty light and there’s not a lot of depth in anybody but it’s still a promising romp. Essentially film star people come to the beach and the various plot elements of 'Pride and Prejudice' play out. This is a debut for mother-daughter team Kate and Angourie and it’ll be fun to see what they come up with next.

Thank you Kate and Angourie Rice, and Candlewick for the ARC. Opinions on my own.

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review. I did not enjoy the story, unfortunately, and could not continue. Thank you for the opportunity and consideration.

This was really poorly written, super hard to understand what was going on, no real introduction to any characters, really shallow plot line as well

I found this book to be quite challenging to engage with. Despite my hopes that the story would improve as I continued reading, it unfortunately didn’t resonate with me. It felt like the authors were attempting to portray characters with mindsets reflective of the 1700s, which didn't mesh well with the modern setting, making the story feel somewhat inauthentic.

Additionally, I struggled with the romance between Dorian and Lily. Given their age difference—she's in high school and he's 24—I found it difficult to relate to their connection. Their feelings seemed intense, yet their interactions were minimal, which left me questioning the authenticity of their love. Moreover, the subplot involving Lily's mother running away with a 22-year-old felt like a major turning point that I found hard to accept. Overall, I believe the story could benefit from a more cohesive approach to character development and age-appropriate relationships.

A cute and modern take on Pride and Prejudice. Loved the premise of this one. It's a fun teenage rom-com which is a light romantic read.

Thank you Holiday House and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

I am sadly DNF'ing this book at 3% because, in the first chapter alone, there were 27 spelling errors (incomplete words). The first couple of times were ok, but I'm not about to spend the rest of this book piecing together words like a jigsaw puzzle.

That aside, the dialogue was jumpy and jarring, and you're really just thrown into the middle of a scene with little introduction to who was speaking, where they were, and really what was going on.

Thanks to NetGally for the ARC, but this one was a miss for me.

I'm all in for a good YA, but this gave SUCH YA vibes that I felt like the overall message of the book was lost in the tweenagness of the story.

Thank you Netgalley and Holiday House for a copy of this review in exchange for an honest review.

I really hate giving a book 1 star, it is one of my least favorite things to do. I feel an author took time to write a book and they deserve at least two. But, in this case somewhere beyond the million and six editing errors. How did this book even get published to Netgalley with this many mistakes? Seriously I counted 45 times in the book where I could not even piece together the letters to even form a coherent sentence. Maybe that is Pippi Beach talk but, I do not think so.

The story it was flat, boring, a mom running off with a twenty-two-year-old, leaving her children. That part made me angry because it had no rhyme nor reason for the story. Like let's come in make the kids move because their mom who think she is a teenager runs away but all the while we are going to go back to Pippi in the end because she shows back up admitting she was an idiot.

Then Lily is in love with Dorian but never even said she liked him? I mean come on. This book was horrible. Absolutely horrible. I wish I would have not wasted the time even reading it but because I said that I would leave an honest review that is what I am doing. Hoping that the published final version is readable. Then maybe I will update my rating.

While this book has an overall good concept, I was looking for more in terms of writing style. It seemed rushed and not very developed. I'd love to see this go back to some editing. Maybe take out some characters as there are a lot or focus on developing characters. The dialogue also seemed to be a bit stunted.

The story was decent and the summer romance was cute. However, it felt a bit slow paced for my taste. Unfortunately, it didn't quite match the vibes I was looking for.

Devored this one. An amazing celebrity romance. Made me think of the Celebrity Crush and it was PERFECTION.

Rating: 2.75 stars

In Stuck Up and Stupid, we follow Lily as her perfect summer at Pippi Beach takes an unexpected turn when Hollywood heartthrob Dorian Khan arrives with his flashy entourage. She’s convinced he’s just another arrogant celebrity—until their paths keep crossing, forcing her to question whether she misjudged him.

At first, I wasn’t sure where the story was going, and by the end, it felt a bit scattered. The characters were well-developed and felt real, but the book tried to tackle too many things at once, leaving some elements underwhelming. The romance, in particular, felt underdeveloped and rushed into the second half—I never fully believed Lily’s feelings for Dorian. The writing was solid, but the shifting perspectives were sometimes confusing, and I think the story would have flowed better if told in the first person.

Overall, it had a lot of potential, and despite its flaws, it kept me entertained!

~
Thank you Candlewick for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Stuck Up and Stupid by Angourie Rice and Kate Rice is a charming and modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in the world of high school drama and social media pressures. The story follows Lizzie, a sharp and independent high schooler, and her reluctant interactions with the seemingly arrogant and privileged Will Darcy. From the start, it’s clear the authors are paying homage to Austen’s classic while putting a fresh, contemporary spin on the story.

2.5 stars; This is a lighthearted, comedic take on Pride and Prejudice that made me interested right away from the get-go. However, I’m not sure the execution of the idea held my attention for the rest of it. There were too many characters to keep track of and too many names to remember that it just got to be overwhelming. I also wish there was more character development between Lily and Dorian. And while I can appreciate that Lydia and Jane are taken directly from P&P, it feels a bit like false advertisement to market it as a YA romance when half the story is also about the mother. Maybe this just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Angourie and Kate Rice, and NetGalley for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

2.5⭐ I just could not get into this book. I nearly dnfed, but wanted to give it a chance. There were so many characters to keep track of and I didn't like that it was in third person. The characters felt flat and the pacing was strange. I liked the idea of it being a Pride and Prejudice retelling, but the book overall just didn't work for me.