I’m not entirely sure what my expectations were when I sat down to read this book… I don’t think I expected to enjoy it quite as much as I did. I certainly didn’t expect to be awake until 2:00 am so I could finish the book before I went to bed!
When it comes to my favorite book ever — Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen — I am very cautious about reading fan fiction, spin-offs, etc. I’m always more than a little reluctant to start a book that I’m afraid will just make me mad because the author butchered my favorite story.
What about this book first grabbed my attention? Definitely the title. When I read the title, My Own Mr. Darcy, my curiosity demanded I see what this book was about. I read the first paragraph of the book blurb and was convinced that it would be — if nothing else — an entertaining read. Good for a laugh, you know?
It was so much more! 🙂
Let me just say right here that, if I hadn’t already watched the 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice, this book would have made me want to watch it. In fact, it kinda made me want to watch it anyway. And I absolutely hate that movie! (I’m a die-hard fan of the 1995 mini-series version.) But the way the author described the movie from Lizzie’s point of view was so beautiful! And, movie versions aside, the story really is beautiful.
But back to the book…..
To me, Lizzie was very frustrating and really annoyed me at times. I absolutely loved Chad!! Janessa was— I couldn’t decide how I felt about her. Sometimes I really liked her & other times I didn’t. As for Matt… I didn’t find him to be very believable at all. I mean, Lizzie’s fixation (obsession if you want to call it that) is actually pretty believable. Janessa making Lizzie promise to go on ten dates with the next guy who asked her out was annoying, but believable. Chad? Yeah, I think he’s pretty believable. A guy like Matt..? Sorry, but I had a bit of a hard time with that.
While I actually liked Mr. Darcy almost — almost! — from the beginning of P&P, I never liked anything about Matt Dawson. He just seemed so fake to me; and that made me extremely frustrated that Lizzie would keep dating him.
One thing I really didn’t like: The ending seemed a little… rushed? I don’t know… It was just too abrupt for me. Like the story was going along well and then, suddenly, it ended. Matt was there and then — boom! — he was gone and Lizzie was back with Chad and— “the end”! I think a nice Epilogue or something would have helped the book end more smoothly.
I think this book really showed what can happen when you get a certain future set in your mind and you’re too stubborn to give a thought to any other possibilities. Lizzie was determined to end up with the dream guy she had imagined since she was a teenager, but that wasn’t what was best for her. It wasn’t the future she was meant to have. Yes, she eventually figured all that out. I just wish she had figured it out a bit sooner and avoided hurting Chad & Matt in the process.
Overall, I really did like this book. I especially enjoyed the dialogue. It was a lot of fun. The book went super fast for me. I consider myself a fast reader, but I don’t usually finish a book in a single day like I did this one. It just grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go! I had to see how everything would work out.
I’m sure I’ll be re-reading this book in the future. 😉
Expressions Of Me 
I wanna read it! Looks like another book for my TBR list! 🙂
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