Pride and Protest

                         

Title: Pride and Protest

Author: Nikki Payne

Published: Berkley, November 15, 2022

Pages: 409

Genre: Contemporary Romance / Retellings

Liza B.—the only DJ who gives a jam—wants to take her neighborhood back from the soulless property developer dropping unaffordable condos on every street corner in DC. But her planned protest at a corporate event takes a turn after she mistakes the smoldering-hot CEO for the waitstaff. When they go toe-to-toe, the sparks fly—but her impossible-to-ignore family thwarts her every move. Liza wants Dorsey Fitzgerald out of her hood, but she’ll settle for getting him out of her head.
 
At first, Dorsey writes off Liza Bennett as more interested in performing outrage than acting on it. As the adopted Filipino son of a wealthy white family, he’s always felt a bit out of place and knows a fraud when he sees one. But when Liza’s protest results in a viral meme, their lives are turned upside down, and Dorsey comes to realize this irresistible revolutionary is the most real woman he’s ever met.

Full disclosure. Pride and Prejudice is not my favorite. I KNOW. OK, I know. Obviously, Keira Knightley is a queen and Matthew Macfadyen's hand lives rent free in my brain. But otherwise, it's not for me. HOWEVER! This was so dang good.

This was one of the closer retellings that I've read recently. A true retelling, if you will. But it was much more readable because....eeee....I'm so scared to say it....I don't love a historical. That was scary! I don't though. I mean, there are historicals that I love. Just like there are classics that I love. Pride and Prejudice ain't it though. But Pride and Protest? This was very good.

Liza is just as obstinate for no reason. Dorsey is just as stoic. I mean. All of the big themes were there. And their chemistry was what really got me. I love that both of them can't stop thinking about one another, can't stop texting, all of this. And yet. We're still convincing ourselves that it's not going to work. It was hilarious. And much more relatable than letter-writing to my tiny snail-sized attention span. 

Their chemistry may actually be my favorite update. I mean, the chemistry has always been there. In all of the iterations of PandP. BUT we get to read about their physical chemistry here. This is not closed door, and this is not fade to black, and this is not Georgian England where even illicit handholding could get you ruined. These two are so hot for each other and they did not contain it and it was glorious.

Ratings

Stars: 5/5

Spice: 2/5