Book Review: Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

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Book Review: Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

Synopsis: In this modern take on “Pride and Prejudice,” Elise Benton, who has just moved to California, is a junior at an exclusive prep school where, in spite of her initial bad impression, she finds herself attracted to the moody and handsome son of Hollywood’s most famous celebrity couple.

The First Line: “The front office wasn’t as crazy as you’d expect on the first day of school, which seemed to confirm Coral Tree Prep’s reputation as ‘a well-oiled machine.’” Right from the start we know that Elise (love the name) is in a completely different situation. Her voice is strong and makes you want to read on to learn more about her.

The Good: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is one of my favorite books. I honestly didn’t know that this was a retelling. It kept showing up on my “Amazon Recommends” list, and for $2.99, I figured I give it a try. It certainly couldn’t be worse than some of the free novels I’ve downloaded. But I digress.

The setting is great. By having the Benton family move into a new neighborhood instead of the Baldwins, LaZebnik adds a fresh twist to the story.

The Bentons resemble the Bennets so completely that I would sometime slip and call Elise Eliza.

The Bad: Cousin Diana could’ve been a more fully realized character. She didn’t really serve a purpose in the story other than to resemble Charlotte.

Recommendation: While I recommend reading Pride and Prejudice first, this is a good complement to the story and a fun read.