4.5 stars

Flawed is a modern retelling of Pride and Predjudice.  I've never read Pride and Predjudice.  I haven't seen the movies either.  The closest I've come is watching Pride, Predjudice, and Zombies.  So I get the gist of how the storyline goes.  From what little I know Becky nailed it.  

The tension between Mia and Finn filled this book from start to finish.  It made me itch for more to happen between them.  The wait was a sweet kind of torture that made the pay off all the more worth it.  Between Finn's antisocial, guarded attitude, and Mia's quick to judge, slow to trust personalities this book was filled with misunderstandings.  

The side story of Finn's best friend Charlie and Mia's sister Jade added another layer to the story that kept the book flowing and tension high.  The differences in personalities between both Mia and Jade, and Finn and Charlie really helped make each character stand out and brought out their individual personalities.  

The development of Becky Bird's writing between this book in the last was huge.  I am beyond ready to see what she has in store for us next.

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review from the author.**

Title Flawed

Author Becky Bird

Description

When Mia Baker begins at an elite school on a scholarship, she’s instantly besotted with the hot but arrogant Finn Davis. But when she overhears him commenting on her attractiveness compared to her beautiful sister Jade, Mia takes an instant dislike to him. When Finn’s best friend Charlie takes an interest in Jade and invites both sisters to his family’s lake house for the weekend, Mia and Finn are forced into close proximity. Despite their differences, their attraction to each other continues to grow. But Finn’s not about to admit he might actually like Mia. She’s on a scholarship, and she’s failing English. Then there’s Grayson Wang, his mortal enemy, who Mia can’t seem to get enough of. When Charlie starts dating Mia’s sister, Finn begins to doubt just how genuine Jade’s feelings are for him, so he warns his friend to cut Jade loose. When Mia finds out Finn is to blame for her sister’s heartbreak, it only continues to fuel her harsh judgments of him. But, if there is to be a happily ever after, Mia must overcome her pride, and Finn, Mia’s socioeconomic status.

Initial Thoughts

I really enjoyed Slumber by Becky Bird and was super excited when she contacted me about reviewing her new work, Flawed. I love her writing and when she mentioned that it was a Pride and Prejudice retelling, I was totally sold.

Some Things I Liked

Pride and Prejudice – it’s literally my favorite Jane Austen novel and I loved this modernization. Retellings can be difficult to tackle as they are always directly compared to the original, but this book, while paying homage to the original, is an incredibly unique retelling.
Elements changed for the modernization – I really loved that there were fewer “Bennett” sisters and that the love triangle with “Darcy” was left out. I thought it made the overall story more believable in its modern setting.
The length – I also really enjoyed that this was a shorter work. I thought the whole retelling fit nicely into the length of this story.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

I found the brand name dropping and general opulence of the setting to be a little over the top. While it did serve its purpose to distinguish the classes, it was a little too much.

Final Thoughts

I loved this retelling. I don’t normally read contemporary works, especially modern contemporary, but I really loved this one. I am excited to read more of Becky’s writing in the future and would definitely recommend this story to anyone who likes Jane Austen.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date September 30, 2019

Recommendations for Further Reading

Slumber by Becky Bird – if you liked the writing style in this book, definitely check out Becky Bird’s other work, Slumber.
Cupid’s Match by Lauren Palphreyman – this book isn’t out yet but if you enjoyed the setting and characters in Flawed, definitely give this new release a try. They’re actually both coming out 1 day apart, so there’s no waiting necessary.
Anything by Cindy Anstey – if you liked the Pride and Prejudice element, do yourself a favor and look up Cindy Antsey’s works.

I went into this book with an open mind. I really really did, but unfortunately I did not finish it. I got to about 40% complete before I called it quits. What forced my hand was that this is simply a take on a modern teen version of Pride and Prejudice. I have read the origin which has earned its place in the literary world as a classic.

The plot lacked originality for me. Much of the dialogue was similar to what I would expect to see in the classic. By the 40% mark I already knew how the book would play out. Especially since Pride and Prejudice is referenced in the book and the initials for the characters are the same as those in the original classic.

Sorry to say this book did not hold my interests and it had potential to entertain. But it was far to similar to the classic plot that it lacked a unique style.