I wanted to love this book. I really, really did. And I can definitely see how great a read this is going to be for trans teens navigating and exploring their gender identity, expression, and how the world around them interacts with them. And that's fantastic and I love that they have this book.

However, I'm not sure the book works as what it's intended to be: a Pride and Prejudice retelling.

My main issue is the way that Oliver internalizes his transness and the way that the narrative interacts with his being trans feels very modern to me. Because the book remains set in the Regency era, this was very jarring for me. I understand the reading demographic may identify strongly with Oliver's feelings, however I feel like the application of a modern trans narrative on a Regency era story is a difficult one that I'm not sure was completely successful here.

Another thing I found frustrating was Oliver's insistence that the only way for him to survive and thrive was to be out and open to everyone and also seeming quite judgmental when his queer friends chose to enter into heterosexual marriages to enable them to continue living as they were while also being safe and provided for. It was hard to think of Oliver as a Regency era character with this mindset, as you would think that he would understand the world he lived in.

Overall, this wasn't a bad book and I know it will speak to young trans people and I'm glad of that, however I think it may have worked better as a more modernized version of the story rather than attempting to remain steeped in the Regency era.