i called this book "lackluster and uninspiring" in my gr review, and that is exactly what this is. this reads less like a retelling and more like self-indulgent fanfiction. the protagonist is so whiny. the ppl around him have zero complexity, some are just straight up annoying (wickham). dare i say, as abhorrent as collins was, he was the slightest bit more interesting. otherwise, ew, the book is so short yet it took me three days to get through it. and it isn't like the writing was all too special either. this didn't live up to what i expected, so minus points. i was bored and kept spacing out. it felt so stagnant and repetitive. the protagonist doesn't even change in ways that matter. even the chemistry between the leads doesn't make sense—there's barely any buildup. and for a romance book, it sure is a complete and utter subplot. this isn't a romance; i believe it has been wrongly marketed. rather, this is abt a trans man trying to live in the regency era and more coming of age ig—which is also executed poorly. all characters except the clearly villainous ones just accept oliver without any curiosities or question and over half of them happen off-screen. it's so unbelievable. u did not understand the assignment, sir, and failed it rather spectacularly. this is a disservice to miss austen. r.i.p queen.
