Summary (GoodReads)Twenty four year old grad student Lizzie Bennet is saddled with student loan debt and still living at home along with her two sisters, beautiful Jane and reckless Lydia. When she records her reflections on life for her thesis project and posts them on YouTube, she has no idea The Lizzie Bennet Diaries will soon take on a life of their own, turning the Bennet sisters into internet celebrities seemingly overnight.
When rich and handsome Bing Lee comes to town, along with his stuck up friend William Darcy, things really start to get interesting for the Bennets and for Lizzie's viewers. But not everything happens on screen. Lucky for us, Lizzie has a secret diary.
The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet takes readers deep inside Lizzie's world and well beyond the confines of her camera, from the wedding where she first meets William Darcy to the local hangout of Carter's bar, and much more. Lizzie's private musings are filled with revealing details about the Bennet household, including her growing suspicions about her parents unstable financial situation, her sister's budding relationship with Bing Lee, the perils of her unexpected fame, and her uncertainty over her future, and whom she wants to share it with.
Featuring plenty of fresh twists to delight fans and new readers alike, The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet expands on the web series phenomenon that captivated a generation and re-imagines the Pride and Prejudice story like never before.
My Thoughts: Okay, so I admit I was a big fan of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and I love Pride and Prejudice and I was so excited to read this book, I really was - particularly because I had heard it was really good.
Sadly, I had issues with The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet, I think Lizzie's personality didn't always translate well to the book format, she often came off a little wooden and, dare I say it, not quite likable. And I also felt like a lot of her 'personal' diary feel like a research log: informative notes rather than a private, intimate narrative - and let me tell you, I've written both research logs and private diaries, so the difference jumped at me.
As I said, the writing was wooden, like she had sat down and done draft after draft before settling on what was on the page, rather than a more immediate "I'm just pouring my heart out here" style.
That could just be my personal taste though.
Also, I didn't feel like it added to the Vlog's experience because, well, I already knew the source material, I already knew whom Jane, Lizzie and Lydia were supposed to be, so... well, there you go.
On the other hand, I did like Charlotte Wu here, felt like I got to know her a little better. The rest? well, I'm looking forward to the Lydia book coming out this year and all, but for this book in particular...it kind of confirmed that Lizzie doesn't particularly get more interesting the more you get to know her.
I guess I mean to say she didn't surprise me.
1/2
