Accomplished.

 

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*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review* 

 

Georgiana Darcy gets the Pride & Prejudice retelling she deserves in Accomplished, a sparkling contemporary YA featuring a healthy dose of marching band romance, endless banter, and Charles Bingley as a ripped frat boy. 

 
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Georgiana Darcy should have been expelled after The Incident with Wickham Foster last year – at least if you ask any of her Pemberley Academy classmates. She may have escaped expulsion because of her family name, but she didn’t escape the disappointment of her big brother Fitz, the scorn of the entire school, or, it turns out, Wickham’s influence. 

But she’s back for her junior year, and she needs to prove to everyone—Fitz, Wickham, her former friends, and maybe even herself—that she’s more than just an embarrassment to the family name. How hard can it be to become the Perfect Darcy? All she has to do is: – Rebuild her reputation with the marching band (even if it kills her) – Forget about Wickham and his lies (no matter how tempting they still are), and – Distract Fitz Darcy—helicopter-sibling extraordinaire—by getting him to fall in love with his classmate, Lizzie Bennet (this one might be difficult…) 

Sure, it’s a complicated plan, but so is being a Darcy. With the help of her fellow bandmate, Avery, matchmaking ideas lifted straight from her favorite fanfics, and a whole lot of pancakes, Georgie is going to see every one of her plans through. But when the weight of being the Perfect Darcy comes crashing down, Georgie will have to find her own way before she loses everything permanently—including the one guy who sees her for who she really is.

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 Splendid. 

Unlike many others, I never read Pride and Prejudice; it was on my list, but I never got around to reading the book. I am aware of some of the information, but not too much. However, I had always loved retellings, and after reading the summary of the book, I became curious about book. Not being familiar with Pride and Prejudice didn’t stop me from falling in love with the story. Accomplished made me want to go and read Pride and Prejudice and learn more about her brother Fitz and what had happened between him and Lizzie. I loved watching the character’s development, especially Georgie. Despite everything that happened to her, she didn’t give up, I know that she wanted to at the beginning, but she didn’t. Of all the characters from the book, Georgie was one of my favorites, and I found myself rooting for her; I wanted everything to turn out for her in the end. I was curious about the title, Accomplished from the moment I came across the book, and when I started to read the book, the title fit perfectly. 

I loved the friendship that formed between her and Avery. It seemed as if he was the only one that didn’t judge her entirely on what had happened with Wickham. Instead, he listened to her and even helped her play matchmaker for her brother. Georgie needed a friend like Avery. I believe that having Avery in her life that year helped her more than Avery might have realized. The two had their moments throughout the book, but they were always there for each other in the end. Although I am curious about what happened to them once the book ended, I couldn’t help but be curious. I loved the jokes and how the two of them teased one another without taking it personally. It was impossible not to love them.
There is also Fitz, and I could go pages listing everything I loved about him. There is a reason that I want to read Pride and Prejudice and find out more information about him. I loved the relationship that he had with Georgie. I did feel that he was a bit overprotective and hard on Georgie, but I knew he did that because he loved her. I had a feeling that he was afraid to lose her. There are not many siblings out there that are close like Fitz and Georgie were. I loved reading about their relationship. I’m hoping that the two of them would stay that close for long after the book was over. I loved so many things about Accomplished , making it hard for me to put the book down. All the characters came to life for me and had me transported right into the story. I wanted to see how it would end, but at the same time, I didn’t want it to end. 

Accomplished did have a slow beginning, but it didn’t take me long to get engaged in the story. A fantastic debut novel by Amanda Quain, and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next. I’m excited that I got a chance to read an early copy of the book. Even if you haven’t read Pride and Prejudice, it’s a story you will fall in love with, a book that will stay with you long after turning the last page.