Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix

A STONEWALL HONOR BOOK

A trans boy searches for a future—and a romance—in which he can live and love openly as himself in this heartwrenching YA reimagining of Pride & Prejudice, perfect for fans of Bridgerton and Gwen and Art Are Not in Love.

London, 1812. Oliver Bennet feels trapped. Not just by the endless corsets, petticoats and skirts he's forced to wear on a daily basis, but also by society's expectations. The world—and the vast majority of his family and friends—think Oliver is a girl named Elizabeth. He is therefore expected to mingle at balls wearing a pretty dress, entertain suitors regardless of his interest in them, and ultimately become someone's wife.

But Oliver can't bear the thought of such a fate. He finds solace in the few times he can sneak out of his family's home and explore the city rightfully dressed as a young gentleman. It's during one such excursion when Oliver becomes acquainted with Darcy, a sulky young man who had been rude to "Elizabeth" at a recent social function. But in the comfort of being out of the public eye, Oliver comes to find that Darcy is actually a sweet, intelligent boy with a warm heart. And not to mention incredibly attractive.

As Oliver is able to spend more time as his true self, often with Darcy, part of him dares begin to hope that his dream of love and life as a man could be possible. But suitors are growing bolder—and even threatening—and his mother is growing more desperate to see him settled into an engagement. Oliver will have to choose: Settle for safety, security, and a life of pretending to be something he's not, or risk it all for a slim chance at freedom, love, and a life that can be truly, honestly his own.

This bittersweet Pride & Prejudice remix follows a trans boy yearning for the freedom to live openly, centering queerness in a well-known story of longing and subverting society’s patriarchal and cisheteronormative expectations.

The Remixed Classics Series

In the Remixed Classics series, authors from marginalized backgrounds reinterpret classic works through their own cultural lens to subvert the overwhelmingly cishet, white, and male canon.

A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C.B. Lee

So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Morrow

Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix by Aminah Mae Safi

What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix by Tasha Suri

Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore

My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix by Kalynn Bayron

Teach the Torches to Burn: A Romeo & Juliet Remix by Caleb Roehrig

Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix by Cherie Dimaline

Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa

This Wretched Beauty: A Dorian Gray Remix by Elle Grenier