I received a free copy of this book for an honest review, so here it is!This was a quick, light read that is perfect for teenagers, particularly considering that its premise is that what you think you want isn’t always what you really need. I liked that it was clean, I liked the protagonist (except for her constant obsession), I liked the realistic development of the friendship and relationship between the 2 main characters, and I liked that the Mr. Darcy character was developed slowly, which made me like him at times and dislike him at other times. It complicated the book nicely. I do have a couple of dislikes: (1) that it was so obvious the entire time who Lizzie would end up with (which made the end of the book drag a bit), (2) that the romantic spark between Lizzie and who she ended up with wasn’t really there when they were actually dating, and (3) the title. Gag. Pride and Prejudice has been my favorite book for about 30 years, and I love books that take a different angle on a classic, so when I had the chance to read My Own Mr. Darcy for free in exchange for an honest review, I couldn’t turn it down. Like the Hallmark movies I used to watch with my mother before she passed away, this book made it clear fairly early on how it would all turn out in the end, but I still enjoyed taking the journey with the characters. (I must vehemently disagree with Lizzie’s assertion that Matthew Macfayden’s Mr. Darcy is superior to Colin Firth’s, but that’s a discussion for another day.)I suspect nearly every young woman who has read Pride and Prejudice or seen any of the film adaptations has probably fallen in love with Mr. Darcy at least a little bit, so it isn’t too difficult to relate to Lizzie’s obsession with finding her own Mr. Darcy. She takes it to the extreme – seriously, what woman would continue to fantasize about a fictional character when she has a real-life wonderful guy right in front of her? – but fortunately, the story moves beyond her obsession into dealing with the uncomfortable love triangle she’s created for herself. And though the resolution is somewhat predictable, it’s still a fun read.Unfortunately, the e-book is marred by several typos sprinkled throughout the text. Anytime I came across one, I was instantly yanked out of the world of the book and into “copy editor mode.” As a trained proofreader, I just think it’s unprofessional to publish a book (or e-book) with mistakes, when they could easily hire me!
