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The Wrong Mr. Darcy
In Evelyn Lozada and Holly Lorincz's lightly inspired Pride and Prejudice romantic comedy, two unlikely people discover the error of judging by first impressions and the beauty of family, friendship and love. This book will entice you through the last page.
Hara Isari has big ambitions and they won’t be sidetracked by her mother’s insisting that she settle down soon. She dreams of leaving her small-town newspaper behind, as well as her felon father, and building a career as a sports writer, so when she is chosen to exclusively interview a basketball superstar, she jumps at the chance. It’s time to show the bigwigs what she’s truly made of.
At the same time, she meets a rookie on the rise, Derek Darcy. Darcy is incredibly handsome, obnoxiously proud, and has a major chip on his shoulder. Hara can’t think of a man more arrogant and infuriating. However, fate keeps bringing them together—from locker rooms to elegant parties, to the storm of the century—and what begins as a clash might just be more complicated than Hara anticipated. When she begins to see Darcy in a new light, Hara is not quite sure if she should drop the ball or play the love game.
Hara Isari has big ambitions and they won’t be sidetracked by her mother’s insisting that she settle down soon. She dreams of leaving her small-town newspaper behind, as well as her felon father, and building a career as a sports writer, so when she is chosen to exclusively interview a basketball superstar, she jumps at the chance. It’s time to show the bigwigs what she’s truly made of.
At the same time, she meets a rookie on the rise, Derek Darcy. Darcy is incredibly handsome, obnoxiously proud, and has a major chip on his shoulder. Hara can’t think of a man more arrogant and infuriating. However, fate keeps bringing them together—from locker rooms to elegant parties, to the storm of the century—and what begins as a clash might just be more complicated than Hara anticipated. When she begins to see Darcy in a new light, Hara is not quite sure if she should drop the ball or play the love game.
288 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2020
61 people are currently reading
5877 people want to read
About the author
Evelyn Lozada
9 books150 followersEvelyn Alexandra Lozada is an American television personality, model and spokesperson. Lozada was one of the five main cast members in the VH1 reality series Basketball Wives throughout its run. Lozada is set to return to the cast of the sixth season of the series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 543 reviews
December 18, 2020
I confess: I saw the book name including “Mr. Darcy” and I screamed: “Yessss!”
Only this magical name and beautiful illustration made me click the request button and of course after seeing it at my library, I applied my regular routine when I get a book that I really want to devour!
First base: Screaming
Second base: dancing on the chair
Third base: dancing in the street
Fourth base: catching the happy hour for grabbing house margaritas to celebrate!
So after my routine, I was suffering from a little tipsiness but I was still okay to start my reading.
But as I start to flip the pages and pass the chapters after chapters, I started murmuring: “What? Really! Ha? WTH? Nooo! Nooo! Nooooooooooooooo!”
Hara is half Japanese and half African American, (she also has Greek goddess name) a small company sports author but as I read the terms she uses for her articles or talk with the colleagues, she seems like she has no idea about sports. Even though she has friends circle with basketball players’ wives and dated with too many players. (Nobody taught her enough and I’m so sorry for her boss, arranges her limo, fancy hotels and flights for her gig.)
I have to admit I hate the guts of the heroine and romance parts definitely failed for me! This book is not retelling of “Pride and Prejudice”! Hara loves this book and mentions about quotes and passages and names are familiar but that’s it!
The story progression made me dizzy because too many dramatic, traumatic, angsty things happening at the same time. Miscarriages, perfect storm, flight cancellations, sexual harassment, parent at the jail! Oh boy! At some I waited for alien or zombie invasion. I could happily pay them to kill heroine to save us from the misery!
So characters, romantic development and story-telling, semantic mistakes didn’t work for me!
This is a big disappointment because I was so ready to enjoy a soft, sweet, entertaining romance.
You cannot always get what you want as the song says. I want to change the name of the book as :”Wrong Mr. Darcy Book”
So unfortunately after a long time, I’m giving two solid stars and chasing better books by climbing up to my MOUNT TBR.
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin Griffin’s to share this ARC with me. I wish I could enjoy it but unfortunately this book didn’t fit with my expectations.
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Only this magical name and beautiful illustration made me click the request button and of course after seeing it at my library, I applied my regular routine when I get a book that I really want to devour!
First base: Screaming
Second base: dancing on the chair
Third base: dancing in the street
Fourth base: catching the happy hour for grabbing house margaritas to celebrate!
So after my routine, I was suffering from a little tipsiness but I was still okay to start my reading.
But as I start to flip the pages and pass the chapters after chapters, I started murmuring: “What? Really! Ha? WTH? Nooo! Nooo! Nooooooooooooooo!”
Hara is half Japanese and half African American, (she also has Greek goddess name) a small company sports author but as I read the terms she uses for her articles or talk with the colleagues, she seems like she has no idea about sports. Even though she has friends circle with basketball players’ wives and dated with too many players. (Nobody taught her enough and I’m so sorry for her boss, arranges her limo, fancy hotels and flights for her gig.)
I have to admit I hate the guts of the heroine and romance parts definitely failed for me! This book is not retelling of “Pride and Prejudice”! Hara loves this book and mentions about quotes and passages and names are familiar but that’s it!
The story progression made me dizzy because too many dramatic, traumatic, angsty things happening at the same time. Miscarriages, perfect storm, flight cancellations, sexual harassment, parent at the jail! Oh boy! At some I waited for alien or zombie invasion. I could happily pay them to kill heroine to save us from the misery!
So characters, romantic development and story-telling, semantic mistakes didn’t work for me!
This is a big disappointment because I was so ready to enjoy a soft, sweet, entertaining romance.
You cannot always get what you want as the song says. I want to change the name of the book as :”Wrong Mr. Darcy Book”
So unfortunately after a long time, I’m giving two solid stars and chasing better books by climbing up to my MOUNT TBR.
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin Griffin’s to share this ARC with me. I wish I could enjoy it but unfortunately this book didn’t fit with my expectations.
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July 7, 2021
DNF. Made it more than half way through and saw no end in sight. 🥱😴
May 29, 2024
This is a contemporary/romance with a sport theme put in. I have to say I really enjoyed this book. It had enough drama to keep me reading, and it had a hate to love romance going on. I have to say I did not like how a couple of things was handle in the book (if I say what the couple of things are then I would spoil some things for you, so I am going to not say them.). If you like cute chick lit hate to love romance with a lot of drama then this is the book for you. I have to say I have see very mixed reviews of this book, and this is just my opinion. I also did not care that their was not a big inspired Pride and Prejudice. If you are reading this book because of the inspired Pride and Prejudice then I think you will not like this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher or author via NetGalley, booksirens, or goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
February 27, 2020
I received this e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
So, a few disclaimers. I'd never read anything by this author prior to picking up this e-ARC. I had no idea who she was. I just saw a super cute rom-com cover with a title that suggested that the book would take inspiration from one of my favorite books of all time.
I am a multi-faceted nerd. I enjoy many hobbies including reading, television, movies, music, crochet, and sports. Mostly football and baseball, but I also have a passing knowledge of other popular sports and athletes. As I was reading this book, which is about a sportswriter trying to catch her big break by interviewing a hot-shot basketball star, I just kept thinking to myself, "This feels like it was written by someone who has never actually been to a sporting event and uses the phrase 'sportsball' to demonstrate some sort of perceived superiority over people who enjoy competitive sport."
So you can imagine my surprise to learn that this woman has been romantically connected to multiple professional athletes, and was a member of the cast of the 'reality' show Basketball Wives for several seasons. She's also a model and spokesperson, shilling countless products on her instagram, including harmful diuretics masquerading as diet drinks. I'm not sure if she was counting on her previous platform as an influencer to help her sell books, but I can't imagine they actually sold on merit, so it must have worked.
I know that I'm being harsh and judgmental, but when I read a book as poorly-written as this pile of nonsense get published while other, more talented writers get overlooked after years and years of working on their craft, I get a little salty. Okay, I get a lot salty. I'm not a writer myself, but I understands how much work goes into writing a quality story.
Now, I understand that this book is an ARC, which technically means that the final copy may be very different from what I just read. And for the sake of any reader who actually picks up a final copy, I hope that's the case. There are just so many technical inaccuracies throughout this book that I'm not even sure where to start. That's not to say anything about the actual characters and plot (both of which were subpar.) Just a couple highlights:
The protagonist's name is Hara Isari. We are told she is African American and Japanese American. In Chapter 14, she tells our Mr. Darcy that her name is Japanese and she didn't realize that she wasn't named after the Greek Goddess Hera until she was in middle school. But that doesn't make sense. The names Hera and Hara wouldn't be pronounced the same if Hara was being pronounced as a Japanese name. Also, being the curious person I am, I looked up the name Hara to see what it means in Japanese. 'Hara' is the Japanese word for 'belly' or 'stomach'. I find it strange that her dad would want to name her 'Belly'. Then, going a step further, I looked up the last name, Isari. In Japanese, 'Isari' means 'fishing' or 'searching'. So her name is 'Belly Fishing'. I have to wonder if the author even bothered to do any research before settling on this for her heroine's name.
I'm actually curious why the author chose this ethnic background for her heroine, when the author herself is Puerto Rican. I just wonder if the character would've felt a little more authentic if the author had drawn on her own background to create her. To be clear, I'm not saying that the author isn't allowed to write characters with a different ethnic background from hers, and as a white woman I don't have any place to say whether the representation was good, but I feel like it possibly would've helped. Because this isn't good, and it needed all the help it could get.
There is another character, Kitty. Those who know the story of Pride and Prejudice know that Kitty is one of the younger Bennett sisters. In this book, she's in two scenes and serves as a plot device to get our heroine into a room where she needs to be for the story to move along. She is supposed to be Italian, which I only realized in the second scene (Chapter 11) she was in because when she's leaving she says, "Ciao" to Hara. Earlier in that scene she throws a couple other non-English words into conversation randomly. The only problem is, one isn't an Italian word and the other wasn't the correct word. Kitty is calling someone a whore and uses the word 'punta', which is Italian (and Spanish) for 'point'. A couple paragraphs later she says something about her 'familia', which is the Spanish word for 'family.' The Italian word is 'famiglia'. Then Kitty disappears never to be seen, heard from, or talked about again, so it doesn't really matter I suppose, but this feels so lazy to me.
There's another scene (Chapter 16) where Hara is reading a letter and the letter uses the word 'abeyance'. They use it as a synonym or relation to the word 'obedience'. In reality, this means almost the opposite of what the author intends. The definition of abeyance is: a state of temporary disuse or suspension. So instead of the letter saying 'we would like you to honor (obey to) our agreement', they are instead saying, 'we would like you to suspend our agreement'...
I can't actually point out a character or scene that I enjoyed in this. The romance was too little, too late. The passages from Derek Darcy's POV feel totally pointless. This whole story could've been written without them. Hara is one of the most annoying heroines I've read about in a long while. None of the side characters are anything more than caricatures. There's even a moustache-twirling villain who we're told has an obsession with phallic symbols and it's equated to being depraved and evil.
The story itself is just bad. It bums me out so much. There is a glimmer, just the faintest glimmer of an interesting story. This could've been a fun updated version of P&P, in semi-skilled hands. But aside from a few inserts of quotes from the source material, vague plot generalities, and a few character names, this has almost nothing to do with Pride & Prejudice. Then the end gets so utterly ridiculous and melodramatic that I don't even know how this whole book isn't one elaborate prank. At one point, our hero says, "Am I stuck in a bad cable movie?" And I literally face-palmed. EVEN YOUR CHARACTERS KNOW THE BOOK IS RIDICULOUS!
A couple more WTF moments:
1. We're told several times throughout the course of this book that Hara works for a small-town newspaper in a podunk town (I'll take boring cliches for a million, Alex) and that she is the ONLY full-time employee working at the paper along with her boss. Even so, her boss bought multiple plane tickets for her, ordered her a limousine, and put her up in a super swanky boutique hotel. He also bought her fancy clothes for the trip. Yeah...that sounds like real life in a podunk town.
2.
3.
4. There's a lot of girl-hate in this book. The word 'ho' is thrown around liberally and girls literally fight over shitty dudes. Could we not?
I am so thankful to be given the opportunity to read this book before its release, and I wish I had enjoyed it more.
So, a few disclaimers. I'd never read anything by this author prior to picking up this e-ARC. I had no idea who she was. I just saw a super cute rom-com cover with a title that suggested that the book would take inspiration from one of my favorite books of all time.
I am a multi-faceted nerd. I enjoy many hobbies including reading, television, movies, music, crochet, and sports. Mostly football and baseball, but I also have a passing knowledge of other popular sports and athletes. As I was reading this book, which is about a sportswriter trying to catch her big break by interviewing a hot-shot basketball star, I just kept thinking to myself, "This feels like it was written by someone who has never actually been to a sporting event and uses the phrase 'sportsball' to demonstrate some sort of perceived superiority over people who enjoy competitive sport."
So you can imagine my surprise to learn that this woman has been romantically connected to multiple professional athletes, and was a member of the cast of the 'reality' show Basketball Wives for several seasons. She's also a model and spokesperson, shilling countless products on her instagram, including harmful diuretics masquerading as diet drinks. I'm not sure if she was counting on her previous platform as an influencer to help her sell books, but I can't imagine they actually sold on merit, so it must have worked.
I know that I'm being harsh and judgmental, but when I read a book as poorly-written as this pile of nonsense get published while other, more talented writers get overlooked after years and years of working on their craft, I get a little salty. Okay, I get a lot salty. I'm not a writer myself, but I understands how much work goes into writing a quality story.
Now, I understand that this book is an ARC, which technically means that the final copy may be very different from what I just read. And for the sake of any reader who actually picks up a final copy, I hope that's the case. There are just so many technical inaccuracies throughout this book that I'm not even sure where to start. That's not to say anything about the actual characters and plot (both of which were subpar.) Just a couple highlights:
The protagonist's name is Hara Isari. We are told she is African American and Japanese American. In Chapter 14, she tells our Mr. Darcy that her name is Japanese and she didn't realize that she wasn't named after the Greek Goddess Hera until she was in middle school. But that doesn't make sense. The names Hera and Hara wouldn't be pronounced the same if Hara was being pronounced as a Japanese name. Also, being the curious person I am, I looked up the name Hara to see what it means in Japanese. 'Hara' is the Japanese word for 'belly' or 'stomach'. I find it strange that her dad would want to name her 'Belly'. Then, going a step further, I looked up the last name, Isari. In Japanese, 'Isari' means 'fishing' or 'searching'. So her name is 'Belly Fishing'. I have to wonder if the author even bothered to do any research before settling on this for her heroine's name.
I'm actually curious why the author chose this ethnic background for her heroine, when the author herself is Puerto Rican. I just wonder if the character would've felt a little more authentic if the author had drawn on her own background to create her. To be clear, I'm not saying that the author isn't allowed to write characters with a different ethnic background from hers, and as a white woman I don't have any place to say whether the representation was good, but I feel like it possibly would've helped. Because this isn't good, and it needed all the help it could get.
There is another character, Kitty. Those who know the story of Pride and Prejudice know that Kitty is one of the younger Bennett sisters. In this book, she's in two scenes and serves as a plot device to get our heroine into a room where she needs to be for the story to move along. She is supposed to be Italian, which I only realized in the second scene (Chapter 11) she was in because when she's leaving she says, "Ciao" to Hara. Earlier in that scene she throws a couple other non-English words into conversation randomly. The only problem is, one isn't an Italian word and the other wasn't the correct word. Kitty is calling someone a whore and uses the word 'punta', which is Italian (and Spanish) for 'point'. A couple paragraphs later she says something about her 'familia', which is the Spanish word for 'family.' The Italian word is 'famiglia'. Then Kitty disappears never to be seen, heard from, or talked about again, so it doesn't really matter I suppose, but this feels so lazy to me.
There's another scene (Chapter 16) where Hara is reading a letter and the letter uses the word 'abeyance'. They use it as a synonym or relation to the word 'obedience'. In reality, this means almost the opposite of what the author intends. The definition of abeyance is: a state of temporary disuse or suspension. So instead of the letter saying 'we would like you to honor (obey to) our agreement', they are instead saying, 'we would like you to suspend our agreement'...
I can't actually point out a character or scene that I enjoyed in this. The romance was too little, too late. The passages from Derek Darcy's POV feel totally pointless. This whole story could've been written without them. Hara is one of the most annoying heroines I've read about in a long while. None of the side characters are anything more than caricatures. There's even a moustache-twirling villain who we're told has an obsession with phallic symbols and it's equated to being depraved and evil.
The story itself is just bad. It bums me out so much. There is a glimmer, just the faintest glimmer of an interesting story. This could've been a fun updated version of P&P, in semi-skilled hands. But aside from a few inserts of quotes from the source material, vague plot generalities, and a few character names, this has almost nothing to do with Pride & Prejudice. Then the end gets so utterly ridiculous and melodramatic that I don't even know how this whole book isn't one elaborate prank. At one point, our hero says, "Am I stuck in a bad cable movie?" And I literally face-palmed. EVEN YOUR CHARACTERS KNOW THE BOOK IS RIDICULOUS!
A couple more WTF moments:
1. We're told several times throughout the course of this book that Hara works for a small-town newspaper in a podunk town (I'll take boring cliches for a million, Alex) and that she is the ONLY full-time employee working at the paper along with her boss. Even so, her boss bought multiple plane tickets for her, ordered her a limousine, and put her up in a super swanky boutique hotel. He also bought her fancy clothes for the trip. Yeah...that sounds like real life in a podunk town.
2.
3.
4. There's a lot of girl-hate in this book. The word 'ho' is thrown around liberally and girls literally fight over shitty dudes. Could we not?
I am so thankful to be given the opportunity to read this book before its release, and I wish I had enjoyed it more.
July 4, 2020
Oh dear. When I first started this one, I thought, well, this is a bit info dump-y, but this is an interesting enough set up for a P&P retelling. Sadly, those opening chapters and their promise were the high points of this one. I'm afraid I can't really find much to recommend this book. The plot was not really what was advertised- this is only a P&P retelling in the most broad sense, and what plot there is comes across as wildly improbably and inconsistent (why is this struggling small town newspaper spending all this money for this sports story?). The writing is... let's go with uneven. And the characters are thinly drawn at best (how does this sports reporter know almost nothing about the subject she's covering?) and play off of dubious racial tropes at worst (the biracial Asian character with blue eyes? honestly, it's 2020) .
Sadly, all in all, this does not have much to recommend it other than a nice cover & a well written back copy that promises more than it can deliver.
Sadly, all in all, this does not have much to recommend it other than a nice cover & a well written back copy that promises more than it can deliver.
May 24, 2020
Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
anddddddd this is what happens when reality tv stars try to write a book.
I was very hesitant to read this book because of all the negative reviews but I thought I can't be that bad, right?
well, it was in fact that bad. I was skimming because I hated the main character and the love interest.
I honestly just cringe because I keep imagining Holly Lorincz (who was basically the semi-ghost writer of this novel) trying to get Evelyn to change or fix things and Evelyn just refusing...
this book just jumped from random beat to random beat. it was so ridiculous, clunky, and unnatural... the romance and steamy scene felt so awkward... I just kept cringing..
overall, this book was a hot mess and I have a strong feeling it was only sold because of Lozada's celebrity status.
I don't recommend this one... sorry.
Read some other great reviews of this horrid book!
Desiree's review
Sheena's review
FTLOReading's review
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October 9, 2020
This was a complicated angsty sports Romance. This is another supposed PMP retelling, but even with my very limited knowledge of PMP I don’t think this worked. What I liked about this book was the enemies to lovers relationship between Hara and Derek. They both had preconceived ideas of the other that were later proven wrong. I also really liked the friendship between Hara and Naomi, although I’m not certain it would have formed quite as quickly as it did? The rest of the book was very busy, it was like a smorgasbord of plotlines. A dad in jail pulling the strings. A professional basketball player involved in illegal gambling. Sexism in the world of sports reporting. Cheating. An unwanted pregnancy. The storm of the century. Flight delays. Murder. With all of this going on I still enjoyed the book, I just think it could have been so much better.
This book in emojis 🏀 🗞 ☔️ 🌊
*** Big thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
This book in emojis 🏀 🗞 ☔️ 🌊
*** Big thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
April 24, 2020
Although there are some wonderful quotes from Pride and Prejudice that introduce each chapter perfectly, our hero is not Mr. Darcy from Austen's novel. He has some of the personality but he is a different character. Equally romantic, though. Our heroine is not Elizabeth, either. She is a wonderfully developed character who has to find her way without losing her compass.
Excellent book!
Excellent book!
July 7, 2020
I was just reading the sample chapter of this online, and the heroine is half-black and half-Japanese American, but she has blue almond shaped eyes. And I just don't know what to say about that except that it made me deeply uncomfortable.
I'll have to see what the rest of the book has in store when it's released in June.
I'll have to see what the rest of the book has in store when it's released in June.
January 22, 2020
What the fuck did I just read? This would make Jane Austen weep if she was still alive today. It was God awful and my brain is still processing what I just read.
"The Wrong Mr. Darcy" was too choppy at parts for my liking and didn't flow consistently. Moreso the sentences and most scenes ran into each other alongside the pov of the lead characters who were less impressive than most. It was like too much was happening all at the same time that it just became off putting. Like how much could happen in the span of 2-3 days? Plane delays because of rain, severe storms, unexpected pregnancies, and all around sports drama. About ¾ was unnecessary which includes the sex scene that was unexpected and would have been better if the author left an illusion that 'fun times' occurred. I was cringing throughout this Jane Austen inspired modern piece and needless to say, this missed the mark.
June 1, 2020
I will legit try anything that says it’s a P+P retelling and I was excited about the pitch for this one...sadly it was not good. Not even sort of.
Hara is an okay MC. She’s driven and passionate about her work. Derek is bland and even when we’re in his head, he comes across as a bit of a jerk. There are loads of other characters, but no one stood out.
Plot wise it’s a mess. There are a few moving pieces and not all of the threads felt needed. The writing is clunky, with several incorrectly used and/or misspelled words that will hopefully get fixed in edits. There were also a few scenes with the character’s names mixed up...again, edits.
Overall, I don’t know why the comparison was made as there’s nothing about this book that felt familiar to P+P, except the sentences at the chapter start. I’m not sure why I kept reading, but I’m guessing it was partly because it was like a train wreck I couldn’t look away from.
FYI: attempted suicide, miscarriage, abortion, sexual harassment
**Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin for providing the arc free of charge**
Hara is an okay MC. She’s driven and passionate about her work. Derek is bland and even when we’re in his head, he comes across as a bit of a jerk. There are loads of other characters, but no one stood out.
Plot wise it’s a mess. There are a few moving pieces and not all of the threads felt needed. The writing is clunky, with several incorrectly used and/or misspelled words that will hopefully get fixed in edits. There were also a few scenes with the character’s names mixed up...again, edits.
Overall, I don’t know why the comparison was made as there’s nothing about this book that felt familiar to P+P, except the sentences at the chapter start. I’m not sure why I kept reading, but I’m guessing it was partly because it was like a train wreck I couldn’t look away from.
FYI: attempted suicide, miscarriage, abortion, sexual harassment
**Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin for providing the arc free of charge**
April 7, 2020
Full review to come!!
September 4, 2021
" Hera had perfected the art of living by first impressions "
This was a really strange read .
I enjoyed it . However, I wouldn't recommend it at all .
A retelling of Pride and Prejudice, " Which is actually why I picked it up :P " .
I liked the characters, but I didn't enjoy the plot, Not the writing style .
This was a really strange read .
I enjoyed it . However, I wouldn't recommend it at all .
A retelling of Pride and Prejudice, " Which is actually why I picked it up :P " .
I liked the characters, but I didn't enjoy the plot, Not the writing style .
February 12, 2020
The write up (which is very brief) on this is very misleading. When you first read the description/ see the cover you think a modern day Pride and Prejudice with a basketball twist. Something light and fun. The story needs either a major overhaul to match said “charming multi-cultural P&P inspiration” or a new marketing campaign.
Trigger Warnings: Abortion, miscarriage, sexual harassment, attempted suicide, death by gunfire, near drowning, blackmail, cheating...there were more but that’s what I can presently recall.
Not what one would expect in a contemporary romance.
There is little connection to the classic novel save for the names of a handful of characters and a couple scenes, outside of the quote in the chapter header. The characters themselves are more like caricatures then believable people. Some of their speech patterns, thought processes, and behavior are generally too much or not enough.
The story itself, is not at all what was expected. The first couple chapters help a lot of promise. Hara as a journalist working the story, catching the eye of a pro athlete and going from there ok. It was the execution that did not work. They have a “hate/misunderstanding/annoyance to hop into bed to this is the one” relationship that transitions very quickly. Less then a week quickly. It really bothered me that she has the impression that this man shes getting into bed with has had hundreds of one-night stands but there is no talk of any kind of safe sex practices, none. In this day and age that’s just encouraging bad choices. That’s just one of several examples that left a bad taste in my mouth as a reader.
When it comes to the plot and over all feel of the story...again, not at all what was expected. This as a Romantic book doesn’t work. Steamy scenes aside. Your antagonists are so callous and intense that they do not belong in this kind of setting. The last 40% of the book where Hara is uncovering all the scandals (bet rigging, forced blackmail abortion, threatening of harm to persons or loved ones, deviant sports managers, etc) was a good concept. If you’re going to go this route, plug the story as suspense and tie it in more throughout the story. Not so much from Hara’s POV but from the other characters involved.
This was an advanced copy so it is possible this could be a completely different book by the time it is released. As it stands it is not a book I can recommend.
E-Arc kindly provided by St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Trigger Warnings: Abortion, miscarriage, sexual harassment, attempted suicide, death by gunfire, near drowning, blackmail, cheating...there were more but that’s what I can presently recall.
Not what one would expect in a contemporary romance.
There is little connection to the classic novel save for the names of a handful of characters and a couple scenes, outside of the quote in the chapter header. The characters themselves are more like caricatures then believable people. Some of their speech patterns, thought processes, and behavior are generally too much or not enough.
The story itself, is not at all what was expected. The first couple chapters help a lot of promise. Hara as a journalist working the story, catching the eye of a pro athlete and going from there ok. It was the execution that did not work. They have a “hate/misunderstanding/annoyance to hop into bed to this is the one” relationship that transitions very quickly. Less then a week quickly. It really bothered me that she has the impression that this man shes getting into bed with has had hundreds of one-night stands but there is no talk of any kind of safe sex practices, none. In this day and age that’s just encouraging bad choices. That’s just one of several examples that left a bad taste in my mouth as a reader.
When it comes to the plot and over all feel of the story...again, not at all what was expected. This as a Romantic book doesn’t work. Steamy scenes aside. Your antagonists are so callous and intense that they do not belong in this kind of setting. The last 40% of the book where Hara is uncovering all the scandals (bet rigging, forced blackmail abortion, threatening of harm to persons or loved ones, deviant sports managers, etc) was a good concept. If you’re going to go this route, plug the story as suspense and tie it in more throughout the story. Not so much from Hara’s POV but from the other characters involved.
This was an advanced copy so it is possible this could be a completely different book by the time it is released. As it stands it is not a book I can recommend.
E-Arc kindly provided by St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 20, 2020
The first thing you should let go of with this book is the impression that it has anything whatsoever to do with Pride & Prejudice. Apart from a few character names and the hero and heroine not liking each other very much at the beginning, the two stories have nothing whatsoever in common.
The second expectation to lose is that you’ll find anything funny about this supposed rom-com. I never even cracked a smile, never mind laughed. In fact, there are an awful lot of terrible, triggery things that happen, from blackmail, cheating, miscarriage, attempted suicide, violent assault and more. From the opening scenes, when the heroine is visiting her father in prison, it’s gritty and dark, and there’s never more than a thin veneer of gloss put over it when Hara is brought into the glitzy world of a pro basketball team. There’s infighting (especially between the wives and girlfriends) at least one of whom is depicted as dangerous. And considering that Hara thinks Derek Darcy “must have had a hundred one-night stands” and his condemnation of women as “wannabe baby mamas” the complete absence of even a conversation about contraception before they have sex is glaring.
Apparently Evelyn Lozada has dated several pro sportsmen, but from this, you wouldn’t think she’d got any closer to that world than watching episodes of Ballers. Frankly, that’s exactly how this reads, only told from the perspective of a wannabe WAG rather than a sports agent.
And I didn’t even touch yet on the disturbingly racist and genetically inaccurate half African-American half Japanese heroine having “caramel skin and translucent blue, almond-shaped eyes”.
This is a hot mess and I cannot believe anyone has DARED to market it as a “charming, multicultural Pride and Prejudice-inspired romantic comedy”. It is absolutely NONE of those things and it’s getting a one star from me.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
The second expectation to lose is that you’ll find anything funny about this supposed rom-com. I never even cracked a smile, never mind laughed. In fact, there are an awful lot of terrible, triggery things that happen, from blackmail, cheating, miscarriage, attempted suicide, violent assault and more. From the opening scenes, when the heroine is visiting her father in prison, it’s gritty and dark, and there’s never more than a thin veneer of gloss put over it when Hara is brought into the glitzy world of a pro basketball team. There’s infighting (especially between the wives and girlfriends) at least one of whom is depicted as dangerous. And considering that Hara thinks Derek Darcy “must have had a hundred one-night stands” and his condemnation of women as “wannabe baby mamas” the complete absence of even a conversation about contraception before they have sex is glaring.
Apparently Evelyn Lozada has dated several pro sportsmen, but from this, you wouldn’t think she’d got any closer to that world than watching episodes of Ballers. Frankly, that’s exactly how this reads, only told from the perspective of a wannabe WAG rather than a sports agent.
And I didn’t even touch yet on the disturbingly racist and genetically inaccurate half African-American half Japanese heroine having “caramel skin and translucent blue, almond-shaped eyes”.
This is a hot mess and I cannot believe anyone has DARED to market it as a “charming, multicultural Pride and Prejudice-inspired romantic comedy”. It is absolutely NONE of those things and it’s getting a one star from me.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
February 9, 2020
Had I not read the author bio I would have sworn to you that the person who wrote this has never attended a professional sporting event, met a journalist, or had parents. I'm really only about 85% they even read Pride and Prejudice.
September 1, 2020
This book was adorable. I don't read very many contemporary novels set around sports so this one was fun. I especially enjoyed the Pride and Prejudice references in some of the chapter headings and could pick out some of the sections of the book that related to the original story.
Hara is an aspiring sports reporter and when she lands an interview with basketball superstar she can't pass it up. While in Boston she runs into rookie Derek Darcy whose cold demeanor is a bit off putting but as she gets to know him more she realizes that there may actually be some softness under that hard exterior.
There are some good supporting characters like her friend Naomi and her father who shared his love of sports with Hara growing up. He's in prison but it hasn't stopped him from supporting her dream.
Overall I enjoyed this chick lit and would recommend it to other readers looking for a quick and fluffy read. I would have liked a bit more romance but given it's a P&P retelling it makes sense for it to not lean too much on the romance. I would check out more books written by Evelyn Lozada in the future.
Hara is an aspiring sports reporter and when she lands an interview with basketball superstar she can't pass it up. While in Boston she runs into rookie Derek Darcy whose cold demeanor is a bit off putting but as she gets to know him more she realizes that there may actually be some softness under that hard exterior.
There are some good supporting characters like her friend Naomi and her father who shared his love of sports with Hara growing up. He's in prison but it hasn't stopped him from supporting her dream.
Overall I enjoyed this chick lit and would recommend it to other readers looking for a quick and fluffy read. I would have liked a bit more romance but given it's a P&P retelling it makes sense for it to not lean too much on the romance. I would check out more books written by Evelyn Lozada in the future.
July 23, 2022
The expectations I had before reading The Wrong Mr. Darcy were quite simple. I expected that the story would follow a similar plot in a sports environment. I was very surprised to find that there was very few recognizable characters from P&P along with a drastically different plot. The story of Hara was interesting but it was hard to get invested when she is not Elizabeth Bennet. Derek Darcy does not share much with his namesake so it was very hard to see the retelling elements. I think this book suffers from identity crisis. It has quotes from P&P, a Darcy and a lot of assumptions but it is really a story about a reporter interviewing NBA players and visiting Boston. I would rate this book higher IF it was not a Jane Austen retelling.
February 8, 2020
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
CW/TW: parent in jail, sexual harassment, cheating, miscarriage, attempted suicide by a side character (happens off page, but mc walks in after), talk of abortion, death by shooting of a side character.
*I’m going to start off by saying that I listed what I could remember for the content/trigger warnings. Some of these things will be mentioned in passing in this review. This book is marketed as light and fluffy, but a lot of things happen that some people may find triggering and I want them to be aware. *
I am disappointed to say that this book was actually really bad. I thought it would be a fun, cute P&P retelling involving basketball. What I got was a story lacking in a clear plot with pacing issues and some scenes that left a bad taste in my mouth. There were some things said in the story that felt racist, ableist, and just gross. There were a few flippant comments about eating disorders peppered in too. As well as, a suicide attempt by a side-character that wasn’t handled with any kind of care or nuance. There was also a hyper-focus on the main character being African American and Japanese American with light blue eyes and “caramel skin” and, though I do not have heritage from either of those races, the way it was constantly brought up felt very uncomfortable and kinda ew.
The way that difficult topics and scenarios were just used as plot devices was abhorrent to me. There was no nuance in dealing with abortion, miscarriage, and attempted suicide, and definitely not any related to other topics like sexual harassment in the workplace. I feel like the author was trying to cram in a ton of hot topics but never took the time to do it with care and people stumbling onto this book thinking that it would be a cute rom-com based on the cover could end up being triggered and hurt by this.
As for being a Pride & Prejudice retelling, it barely stuck to the original storyline. The author took some names and a couple lines from the original. This premise was so great: a hot shot b-ball player and an up-and-coming reporter disliking each other at first and then coming to realize their prejudices were unfounded and then falling in love? I wish that was what we got here. The idea was solid, but the execution was severely lacking and with all of the issues noted above I doubt there was a sensitivity reader within a hundred feet of this manuscript. Needless to say, I did not like this book.
I would love to hear what others have to say about this, but, truthfully, I wouldn’t recommend that anyone read this book.
CW/TW: parent in jail, sexual harassment, cheating, miscarriage, attempted suicide by a side character (happens off page, but mc walks in after), talk of abortion, death by shooting of a side character.
*I’m going to start off by saying that I listed what I could remember for the content/trigger warnings. Some of these things will be mentioned in passing in this review. This book is marketed as light and fluffy, but a lot of things happen that some people may find triggering and I want them to be aware. *
I am disappointed to say that this book was actually really bad. I thought it would be a fun, cute P&P retelling involving basketball. What I got was a story lacking in a clear plot with pacing issues and some scenes that left a bad taste in my mouth. There were some things said in the story that felt racist, ableist, and just gross. There were a few flippant comments about eating disorders peppered in too. As well as, a suicide attempt by a side-character that wasn’t handled with any kind of care or nuance. There was also a hyper-focus on the main character being African American and Japanese American with light blue eyes and “caramel skin” and, though I do not have heritage from either of those races, the way it was constantly brought up felt very uncomfortable and kinda ew.
The way that difficult topics and scenarios were just used as plot devices was abhorrent to me. There was no nuance in dealing with abortion, miscarriage, and attempted suicide, and definitely not any related to other topics like sexual harassment in the workplace. I feel like the author was trying to cram in a ton of hot topics but never took the time to do it with care and people stumbling onto this book thinking that it would be a cute rom-com based on the cover could end up being triggered and hurt by this.
As for being a Pride & Prejudice retelling, it barely stuck to the original storyline. The author took some names and a couple lines from the original. This premise was so great: a hot shot b-ball player and an up-and-coming reporter disliking each other at first and then coming to realize their prejudices were unfounded and then falling in love? I wish that was what we got here. The idea was solid, but the execution was severely lacking and with all of the issues noted above I doubt there was a sensitivity reader within a hundred feet of this manuscript. Needless to say, I did not like this book.
I would love to hear what others have to say about this, but, truthfully, I wouldn’t recommend that anyone read this book.
August 30, 2020
Hara is a small time sports reporter living in Oregon when she wins the chance to interview the young star player of the Boston Fishers. She hops on a plane to Boston to stay with the team owner in his mansion and to interview the popular basketball star, Charles Butler. Once in Boston she meets Derek Darcy, another player on the Fishers and Charles' best friend since childhood. Hara and Derek both rub each other the wrong way yet are oddly attracted to each other.
The Wrong Mr. Darcy is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice with a cast of BIPOC characters and a sports theme. I liked that it was set in Boston and had some mentions of local sites, hotels, etc. The book is written by a "basketball wife" so she knows the subject of hanging out with professional basketball players. The story was cute but I didn't enjoy this retelling as much as I did the other 2 P&P retellings that I've read this year: Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors and Ayesha at Last. I just didn't find that characters as engaging. This book would be a good match for anyone who likes romcoms with a professional athlete character, like The Bromance Book Club.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advanced review copy!
The Wrong Mr. Darcy is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice with a cast of BIPOC characters and a sports theme. I liked that it was set in Boston and had some mentions of local sites, hotels, etc. The book is written by a "basketball wife" so she knows the subject of hanging out with professional basketball players. The story was cute but I didn't enjoy this retelling as much as I did the other 2 P&P retellings that I've read this year: Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors and Ayesha at Last. I just didn't find that characters as engaging. This book would be a good match for anyone who likes romcoms with a professional athlete character, like The Bromance Book Club.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advanced review copy!
March 31, 2020
Touted as a Pride and Prejudice retelling, this book doesn’t do Pride and Prejudice any justice. The writing is choppy and disjointed. While I appreciate wanting to integrate real world issues into this story, the amount of heavy themes in this one makes it tough for the palate and takes away from the overall experience of the book.
If you want a great Pride and Prejudice retelling, pick up Pride by Ibi Zoboi.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Goodreads for my giveaway win.
If you want a great Pride and Prejudice retelling, pick up Pride by Ibi Zoboi.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Goodreads for my giveaway win.
October 12, 2020
I had high hopes for this Pride and Prejudice inspired book, but unfortunately, it was a bit of a miss for me. I thought the characters' backstories were interesting and well thought out, but unfortunately, the writing kept me from really getting into the book. It felt clunky to read and the dialogue was inauthentic.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.
June 14, 2020
This was a cluster-cuss of confusion.
My first and foremost beef is why is the main character biracial with Japanese and African American (authors term) and have bright blue eyes? This seriously bugged me.
Also, the only thing that felt remotely P+P were the quotes at the beginning of each chapter.
The male interest was a mixture of broody and trying to do the right thing, at times? Honestly,...I was confused.
Then someone just died without any real resolution.
This was just a mess of confusion. There wasnt much cohesion. Just overall meh.
Thank you St Martin's Press for my ARC for my honest review.
My first and foremost beef is why is the main character biracial with Japanese and African American (authors term) and have bright blue eyes? This seriously bugged me.
Also, the only thing that felt remotely P+P were the quotes at the beginning of each chapter.
The male interest was a mixture of broody and trying to do the right thing, at times? Honestly,...I was confused.
Then someone just died without any real resolution.
This was just a mess of confusion. There wasnt much cohesion. Just overall meh.
Thank you St Martin's Press for my ARC for my honest review.
September 13, 2020
2.5
This book...... While it definitely drew me in, and I read through it really quickly it still had me frowning at the pages.
The drama of it all was a lot. Also, that Hara constantly called her dad Daddy was weird to me (that may be a me thing though, idk do adult women call their dads daddy once their grown?) Also, bitter about the shitty way the mom was portrayed. Literally dad is in prison and you're going to be frustrated with your mom bc she wants you to marry someone who will take care of you? Idk man, making the mom the villain did not give with me.
Also, while I get it, it's a romance novel, the relationship felt very rushed? Especially considering Derek and Hara's interactions.
Again, quick read, and easy overall. Just not the best book for me.
This book...... While it definitely drew me in, and I read through it really quickly it still had me frowning at the pages.
The drama of it all was a lot. Also, that Hara constantly called her dad Daddy was weird to me (that may be a me thing though, idk do adult women call their dads daddy once their grown?) Also, bitter about the shitty way the mom was portrayed. Literally dad is in prison and you're going to be frustrated with your mom bc she wants you to marry someone who will take care of you? Idk man, making the mom the villain did not give with me.
Also, while I get it, it's a romance novel, the relationship felt very rushed? Especially considering Derek and Hara's interactions.
Again, quick read, and easy overall. Just not the best book for me.
August 18, 2020
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 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.
September 3, 2020
*2.75 Stars*
I was provided an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Hara Isari is a sports reporter. She has won a competition to interview a very allusive NBA players.
She goes from a small town to Boston to do this interview and is being hosted by the team's owner. Loads happen, including natural disasters, prison visits, sexist comments, clubbing and so much more.
I was upset by loads of things in this book, but what upset me most has to be that the heroin called her father "Daddy" and her mother "my mother." And she was a grown ass woman. It just weirded me out. I also found the main couple to fall for each other very quickly and I just didn't feel what they felt. I also found most of the plot to be too far fetched. I guess it just wasn't for me.
I was provided an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Hara Isari is a sports reporter. She has won a competition to interview a very allusive NBA players.
She goes from a small town to Boston to do this interview and is being hosted by the team's owner. Loads happen, including natural disasters, prison visits, sexist comments, clubbing and so much more.
I was upset by loads of things in this book, but what upset me most has to be that the heroin called her father "Daddy" and her mother "my mother." And she was a grown ass woman. It just weirded me out. I also found the main couple to fall for each other very quickly and I just didn't feel what they felt. I also found most of the plot to be too far fetched. I guess it just wasn't for me.
May 24, 2020
Hara Isari is part African-American, part Japanese American who knows little about her ancestry, but she does know lots about sports, thanks to her father. Unfortunately, she can only talk to her father about sports when she visits him at prison, which she has been doing on her own for years. Her father was convicted serious crimes involving sports betting.
Hara works for a small town newspaper, but has big dreams. She believes she finally has a shot when she wins a contest to interview big name NBA star, Charles Butler. Charles to seems to have the typical bravado of sports stars. Hara can't help being intrigued by rookie Derek Darcy who is Charles' longtime friend. Derek may be handsome, but he come off as more than a little arrogant and not willing to talk much.
A variety of dramatic and traumatic events throw Hara and Derek together and they both wonder of they misjudged each other at the beginning. Can Derek become the "right" Mr. Darcy.
A world of basketball and all the drama behind the scenes is well explored and seems realistic with plenty of down and dirty dialogue. The authors have crafted both empathetic and despicable characters that will keep readers emotionally charged and engaged.
The authors have small from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE at the start of each chapter that contacts this modern tale to Jane Austen's classic novel. There are even other characters, besides Derek Darcy, who have names connected to the original book. Yes, many of the circumstances in THE WRONG MR. DARCY are quite different from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, but both books look at society and how money can affect your place in it.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this novel.
Hara works for a small town newspaper, but has big dreams. She believes she finally has a shot when she wins a contest to interview big name NBA star, Charles Butler. Charles to seems to have the typical bravado of sports stars. Hara can't help being intrigued by rookie Derek Darcy who is Charles' longtime friend. Derek may be handsome, but he come off as more than a little arrogant and not willing to talk much.
A variety of dramatic and traumatic events throw Hara and Derek together and they both wonder of they misjudged each other at the beginning. Can Derek become the "right" Mr. Darcy.
A world of basketball and all the drama behind the scenes is well explored and seems realistic with plenty of down and dirty dialogue. The authors have crafted both empathetic and despicable characters that will keep readers emotionally charged and engaged.
The authors have small from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE at the start of each chapter that contacts this modern tale to Jane Austen's classic novel. There are even other characters, besides Derek Darcy, who have names connected to the original book. Yes, many of the circumstances in THE WRONG MR. DARCY are quite different from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, but both books look at society and how money can affect your place in it.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this novel.
September 20, 2020
This is a short sweet romance novel about a reporter who falls for a basketball player. Hara learns that not everything is what it seems and that sometimes you can find love when you lwaat expect it. The story is a quick read. If you are looking for a Pride and Prejudice retelling then this is most likely not for you but if you want a quick chic lit then this will fit the bill.
August 10, 2020
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- not even to die-hard Jane Austen lovers, 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.
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- not even to die-hard Jane Austen lovers, 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.
October 24, 2023
NetGalley ARC.
You can't just tack on "Pride and Prejudice retelling" (sorry "lightly inspired by") just because they're enemies-to-lovers. And even if there was no P&P in this, mainly just character names, it still was a choppy romance and didn't stand well on its own. It was not even close to a rom com. There is no comedy in this. It's almost a thriller but not quite. Big disappointment.
You can't just tack on "Pride and Prejudice retelling" (sorry "lightly inspired by") just because they're enemies-to-lovers. And even if there was no P&P in this, mainly just character names, it still was a choppy romance and didn't stand well on its own. It was not even close to a rom com. There is no comedy in this. It's almost a thriller but not quite. Big disappointment.
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