Snyopsis from Amazon.com:
Based on the Emmy Award-winning “genius” (The Guardian) web series, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, this is a new novel starring Lizzie’s spunky sister Lydia as she navigates the joys and pitfalls of becoming an adult in the digital age.
Before her older sister, Lizzie, started her wildly popular vlog, Lydia was just a normal twenty-year-old plotting the many ways she could get away with skipping her community college classes and finding the perfect fake ID. She may not have had much direction, but she loved her family and had plenty of fun. Then Lizzie’s vlog turned the Bennet sisters into Internet sensations, and Lydia basked in the attention as people watched, debated, tweeted, tumblr’d, and blogged about her life. But not all attention is good…
After her ex-boyfriend, George Wickham took advantage of Lydia’s newfound web-fame, betrayed her trust, and destroyed her online reputation, she’s no longer a naïve, carefree girl. Now, Lydia must work to win back her family’s trust and respect and find her place in a far more judgmental world.
Told in Lydia’s distinctive, eccentric, and endearing voice, The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet picks up right where The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet left off and “offers a fresh take onPride and Prejudice without ruining it” (The Washington Post, onThe Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet). Featuring fresh twists, wonderful new characters, and scores of hilarious texts, doodles, and tweets, The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet takes you behind the webcam and into the lives of your favorite sisters in a way that’s sure to satisfy existing fans and delight new ones.
To be perfectly honest, I didn’t like Lydia in the The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Or in Pride & Prejudice for that matter. I never watched her videos and I was hesitant about this book. That being said, I actually really enjoyed this novel.
At first the novel started slow but then it picked up. I actually liked getting to know more about Lydia and her situation with George and what happens after. Since I didn’t watch her videos I didn’t really get to know Mary either so it was cool getting to know her here as well. Especially because instead of being one of the sisters, in this adaptation she’s their cousin.
The story follows Lydia through taking summer classes to graduate from her community college, going to therapy, living with Mary, and preparing to leave home and move to San Francisco with Mary at the end of the summer.
To do so, Lydia has to complete her college application, which is easier said than done. She struggles to find the balance between remaining true to herself but not going back to her old, self-destructive ways.
I really liked seeing Lydia grow up and figure out what she wanted for herself, instead of focusing on what everyone else expected of her. I’ll admit, I teared up at the end when Lydia finally got what she wanted but more importantly, what she needed. Great read!
Borrow or Buy: Borrow. I liked this book more than I thought I would but I don’t think I’d reread it. It’s a nice quick read but not a story I’d read again.
Stars:
Favorite Line:
“Here’s the thing about good guys. They don’t tell you they’re good guys.”
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Zakiya N. Jamal 