This starchy fellow is in need of rumpling, and if burlesque has taught me anything, it’s that time and tension will undo the most rigid of squares.

A Certain Appeal (From ARC, quotes may have changed in publication copy)

Thank you, NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After a betrayal derailed her interior design career, Liz Bennet found a fresh start in New York. Now an executive assistant by day and stage kitten by night, she’s discovered a second home with the performers at Meryton, Manhattan’s top-tier burlesque venue. Love’s the last thing on her mind when she locks eyes with Will Darcy across the crowded club. The spark between them is undeniable–that is, until she overhears the uptight wealth manager call her merely “tolerable.”

Bennet is determined to write Darcy off, but once their besties fall head-over-heels, they’re thrown into each other’s orbit again and again. Each encounter begins to feel more heated than the last, but is their chemistry enough to topple that terrible first impression? What’s more, when a charming newcomer arrives on the scene with accusations against Darcy, his claims leave Bennet torn. And when a sudden development leaves Meryton’s fate in jeopardy, she will have to decide who to trust in time to salvage her design dreams, her heart, and the stage she shares with her found family…

I will admit that it’s been probably about 10 years since I last read Pride and Prejudice (and it was the play because my school was doing a production of it), but when I saw a retelling set in a burlesque club, I had to read it. When a betrayal derails her interior design career, Liz Bennet moves to New York for a fresh start, which she finds in the world of burlesque. Her night job as a stage kitten at Meryton is freeing and uplifting, and it gave her a place to call home. What she never expected was for Meryton to also give her a chance at love, especially with someone as uptight and seemingly cruel as Darcy. But when her design dreams and Meryton’s future hang in the balance, Bennet is forced to decide whether to trust Darcy’s claims that the accusations against him are false.

A lot of elements in A Certain Appeal are recognizable as being from Pride and Prejudice, but it’s still its own story, which I really enjoyed. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Bennet and Darcy was well done and full of witty banter and palpable chemistry. The burlesque setting was fun and allowed for an amazing discussion about how empowering and feminist burlesque can be. All of the female characters were strong and confident, and it was inspiring to read. The elements of found-family were absolutely perfect, especially between Bennet and Jane, and I loved the queer side representation with Jane and Charles.

All in all, A Certain Appeal is a clever, sassy, and refreshing re-imagination of a timeless classic, and I definitely recommend it, even if you aren’t at all familiar with Pride and Prejudice.