Ramblings of a Drifting Mind: Review: Prada and Prejudice

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Review: Prada and Prejudice

Prada & Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard

Age Group: Young Adult
Published: June 11, 2009 by Razorbill
Format: Paperback, 238 pgs.
Source: Purchased

Description:

To impress the popular girls on a high school trip to London, klutzy Callie buys real Prada heels. But trying them on, she trips…conks her head…and wakes up in the year 1815!

There Callie meets Emily, who takes her in, mistaking her for a long-lost friend. As she spends time with Emily’s family, Callie warms to them—particularly to Emily’s cousin Alex, a hottie and a duke, if a tad arrogant.

But can Callie save Emily from a dire engagement, and win Alex’s heart, before her time in the past is up?

More Cabot than Ibbotson, Prada and Prejudice is a high-concept romantic comedy about finding friendship and love in the past in order to have happiness in the present.

My Thoughts:

I am a Jane Austen fan-girl--let me say that right now; so I really enjoyed the time-travel twist in Mandy Hubbard's retelling. I loved the fashion and the dances and Callie in general. And Alex. Yum.

Hubbard has crafted a quick fun read that has all the best parts of an Austen novel without the language or the Austen style that teens don't seem to like any more. There's drama and romance mixed with 1812 fashion and intrigue. What's not to like? Not a whole not to be honest. It was a wonderful read.

As much as I enjoyed the book, I do wish it had ended a little differently. But that's because I didn't want Callie to have to come back to her present and leave all her new friends behind, something that was inevitable yet depressing nonetheless.

The only real issue I had with the book was personal and something that couldn't be fixed. I read it immediately after something that had a completely different writing style and mixed POVs, and the drastic differences took away from Prada. It took a little while for me to really sink into Callie's perspective, but even with that I still enjoyed the writing and the plot a great deal.

Also, I apparently require more of a romance in order for it to get a higher rating, which Hubbard no doubt would have received if I hadn't had the problem I did of settling into the book. Again, that was my fault, not the book's; however, it did have an impact on it for me, so keep that in mind when you check this one out. And you should definitely check this one out. I cannot wait to get my hands on more of Mandy Hubbard's books.

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