Mini reviews: P&P versions

With school craziness (yes, it is summer and I am still doing school) and ACT prep (for the second time) along with trying to maintain a social life, I actually got into the nasty habit of reading books and then forgetting to review them. I told myself I'd review everything I could get my hands on. Alas, I just put it off...then forgot. So to make up for that, I decided to do two mini reviews of Pride and Prejudice retellings because you can never have too many Mr. Darcy characters Jane Austen retellings.

First one:

Title: Prom & Prejudice

Author: Elizabeth Eulberg

Publication date: January 4, 2011

Publisher: Point

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single girl of high standing at Longbourn Academy must be in want of a prom date.
After winter break, the girls at the very prestigious Longbourn Academy become obsessed with the prom. Lizzie Bennet, who attends Longbourn on a scholarship, isn't interested in designer dresses and expensive shoes, but her best friend, Jane, might be - especially now that Charles Bingley is back from a semester in London.
Lizzie is happy about her friend's burgeoning romance but less than impressed by Charles's friend, Will Darcy, who's snobby and pretentious. Darcy doesn't seem to like Lizzie either, but she assumes it's because her family doesn't have money. Clearly, Will Darcy is a pompous jerk - so why does Lizzie find herself drawn to him anyway?

Mini review: 

If you have read any of my posts recently, you would have noticed that I have started paying attention to a new (to me) author: Elizabeth Eulberg. I reviewed one of her books here and put her on the Nicest Authors list here because she deserves it (she even sent me a sweet tweet!). So I saw that she wrote a book about one of my favorite stories and knew I had to pick it up at the thrift store for only $2! That's besides the point. The point is, Eulberg writes great fluff books. I can pick up her book, be wrapped up in the story, but it also gives my mind a break, in a good way. 

If you want another cute, fluffy read, then this is your kind of book. Sometimes what I need to get myself back into the reading game is to read a book like this one because I don't have to think hard, I just get to enjoy the story. I also adore retellings.

My issues were slim considering it didn't have any glaring annoyances, but I would have wished some more swooning Darcy moments. We definitely got some, but not to the standard I would have liked being that I love to squeal over him. But, like I said, this one was a fast and light read, a book you like to have on the beach or to get away from some doom and gloom fantasy book. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Verdict: A fast and cute book that does a good job modernizing a special classic. 

Second book:

Title: Epic Fail

Author: Claire LaZabnik

Publication date: August 23, 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:

- As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school--not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.
- As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn't exactly on everyone's must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.

When Elise's beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince's best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.

Mini review:

I had been pining to read this for the longest time since, as I stated above, I love retellings and I love this plot. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed. Epic Fail was filled with humor, cuteness, and a vacuum that liked to suck my time away because it was so enjoyable. 

Once again, I didn't really care for how Darcy was represented via Derek considering that he didn't have as much mystery to him. From the very beginning, I felt like Derek was a good guy and I know he is, but...what about the insults? All he really did was glare and snub a bit. What about the "barely tolerable" line or another off-putting remark? Nothing he did actually deserved hatred and even though Elise goes on about how unlikable he is and how rude he is, she seemed to be always trying to get to know him, which felt odd to me. 

One other thing I would like to add before I give my thumbs-up approval was the dramatic Webster plot was highly disappointing. It felt like since it was a part of the original, the author knew she had to put it in there, but didn't know how. It felt rushed and anticlimactic, which let me down a bit. 

However, overall, I really liked and enjoyed this one. It was cute. It was breezy. It was witty. 

Verdict: A thumbs-up for everything I just mentioned above PLUS my (yes, real) middle name is Elise.

Winner: Epic Fail, but Prom & Prejudice was very close behind. 

Did I also forget to mention that I finished each one of them in about a day, staying up way too late because I thought they were adorable? I even watched Pride and Prejudice related movies and references because who doesn't love P&P?! I went on a bit of a Pride and Prejudice overload.

Do you have a favorite Pride and Prejudice retelling?