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PUDGE AND PREJUDICE by A.K. Pittman – Book Blog Tour and Review

Today on the blog I’m happily joining up with Lone Star Book Blog Tours to bring you A. K. Pittman’s FABULOUS Pudge and Prejudice. I don’t know who geeked out more over this book – the ’80s teen me or the Austen fan in me. Either way, we both absolutely loved this book. Read on to find out why, enter the fun giveaway, and check out the tour list for more great takes on this witty, sweet, and heartwarming book. 

SO many thanks go out to A.K. Pittman and Lone Star Book Blog Tours for providing me with a review copy. All opinions, typos, and teen flashbacks are mine alone.

PUDGE AND PREJUDICE
by
A.K. PITTMAN

Categories: YA / Clean & Wholesome Romance / ’80s 
Publisher: Wander (a division of Tyndale House)
Date of Publication: January 12, 2021
Number of Pages: 352 pages 

Scroll down for Giveaway!

 

SYNOPSIS

Book cover image of A.K. Pittman's Pudge and Prejudice

A Mixtape of Big ‘80s Style, High School Angst, and a Classic Jane Austen Tale

It’s 1984 and after moving to Northenfield, Texas, with her family, Elyse Nebbit faces the challenge of finding her place in a new school, one dominated by social status and Friday night football. When Elyse’s effortlessly beautiful older sister Jayne starts dating golden boy Charlie Bingley, Elyse finds herself curious about Charlie’s popular and brooding best friend, Billy Fitz. Elyse’s body insecurities eventually complicate her relationship with Billy, leaving Jayne and Elyse’s exceedingly blunt friend, Lottie, to step in and help Elyse accept herself for who she is, pant size and all. 









PRAISE FOR PUDGE AND PREJUDICE:

Written with wit and considerable insight into the highs and lows of first love, this coming-of-age twist on the Jane Austen classic had me laughing out loud, singing ‘80s lyrics in my head, and cheering on the brilliant, yet self-deprecating heroine. Pudge & Prejudice is a joy to read from beginning to end! Lorie Langdon author of Olivia Twist and the Disney Villains series 

Allison Pittman will have readers laughing (and singing) on every page of this delightfully tenderhearted novel for all ages…[She] crafts a particularly savvy character who learns that beauty really is soul-deep…. Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of Perennials

I can’t remember the last time I loved a book as much as I love this one. It’s an instant classic I will return to time after time. Bethany Turner, Award-Winning Author of The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck 


CLICK TO PURCHASE YOUR COPY OF PUDGE AND PREJUDICE!

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REVIEW

A retelling of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice set in the ’80s, you say? Yes, please!

Let me just say, A.K. Pittman crushed it with her delightful Pudge and Prejudice. In 1984, I was a junior just like Elyse’s sister Jayne (please don’t do the math) and this book brought back so many memories – the music in the book that Elyse listens to was the soundtrack of my high school years. However, for anyone NOT overwhelmed with nostalgia for their oversized sweater dresses and leggings or Gloria Vanderbilts (comb in the back pocket) and fuzzy sweaters and MTV, I think this book will have an equal amount of appeal because it’s so well done. If anything, YA readers will laugh at how gloriously awkward we were back then while digging into just a really great story.

I thought the plot was handled really well, and parallels between the original and this retelling were a delight to discover. While some might say that a pairing of Elyse and Billy Fitz would be unlikely, I totally get Billy’s take that she SEES him and isn’t swooning over the IDEA of him like nearly every other girl in the story (aside from Jayne, who was totally besotted with Charlie). Unfortunately for him (but not for the story), his explanation of this to Elyse was awkward and a little insensitive and creates the conflict that drives the story forward. And it’s something that I can see a teenage Mr. Darcy saying to a teenage Elizabeth, too.

Pittman’s characters really nail the personalities of Austen’s characters while being truly their own unique TEENAGE people. I truly adored Elyse Nebbit, the main character. She’s funny, sassy, and her own person. At first, I thought the constant comments about her weight would be troubling (and those from her mom truly were). However, how she viewed her weight and how it affected how she saw herself really marked the growth she goes through over the course of the novel (pun not intended). I also loved how she refused to let other people use her weight to define her.

While the book has great dialogue (inner and between characters), is quick-witted and fun, it definitely has its moments of insight and poignancy – like when Billy says he likes her because she’s not like all the other girls – and that she’s not like what most people would think a guy like him would go for.

“Oh,” I said, fighting for every syllable, “is this the part where I’m supposed to, like, throw myself at you in gratitude? You know, poor, fat girls like me can’t usually get so much as a Hey from the likes of the great Billy Fitz. Am I supposed to feel grateful? Humbled? Should I be swooning right now? Do you keep smelling salts in your bag?”


From her first interaction with the moody, handsome Billy Fitz, we get a good sense of who Elyse Nebbit is and how she can hold her own, even around the cute guy who she figures won’t give her the time of day.

“What do you even know about football?”

“I know you have the puny build of a running back and the arrogance of a quarterback. So, one of those. Am I right?”



Billy Fitz really is Mr. Darcy, if Mr. Darcy were a 16-year-old football player who drives a Camaro. Honestly, all the main characters – Billy, Charlie, Elyse’s sisters Jayne and Lydia, are really well fleshed out, and fun takes on the originals. Charlie’s little sister is a true horror in a most delightfully painful way.  

The only character that I struggled with, honestly, was Elyse’s friend Lottie (Charlotte, in Austen’s world.). Lottie is that friend I think we all have who says exactly what’s on her mind, no sugar coating it, and what’s on her mind is not only brutally honest but also – well – wrong. She veers just short of mean, because I think she really believes what she’s saying, and I really hated how she treated her boyfriend, Collin. For as outspoken as Elyse is, I was surprised that she never really pushed back on Lottie’s bad takes on things like how girls like them needed to aim lower.

The author really nails the setting of the story, too. From the tinkling of the bells on the giant mums that scream “It’s Homecoming” to the tired neighborhood where the Nebbits live, the pizza place on Friday nights, or the fanaticism of Texas football, images vividly form in my head.

I found myself rooting for spunky, self-deprecating, awkward Elyse. Overall, I found Pudge and Prejudice to be a delightfully fun, laugh-out-loud, read-it-in-one-sitting kind of story.  

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Image of AK Pittman, author of Pudge and PrejudiceAllison Pittman is an award-winning author of thirteen novels, including the Christy-nominated Sister Wife series and the critically acclaimed The Seamstress. An enthusiast for all of the writing world, Allison holds active leadership in her local American Christian Fiction Writers chapter, and she heads up a thriving critique group in the San Antonio area. 

When not writing, Allison teaches middle school English, working as a conduit to introduce her students to new, fresh literature. You can follow her around on Instagram or Twitter and keep up with her writing news on her Allison Pittman Author Facebook page. Here you’ll learn what’s going on with new books, next books, and day-to-day life with Allison and her husband, Mikey. You’ll also get a peek at Snax, the world’s worst dog.

WEBSITE    FACEBOOK    TWITTER     AMAZON
BOOKBUB    INSTAGRAM

 

GIVEAWAY!

THREE WINNERS!
Each winner receives a SIGNED COPY of the book, a hair scrunchie, and a $25 Visa Gift Card
Giveaway ends Midnight, CST, 2/13/2021
(US ONLY)

Image of blog tour giveaway for Pudge And Prejudice. Each of three winners get a copy of the book, a hair scrunch, and a $25 gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE
FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY, or visit the blogs directly:

2/3/21

Review

The Page Unbound

2/3/21

Review

Missus Gonzo

2/3/21

BONUS Promo

LSBBT Blog

2/4/21

Review

All the Ups and Downs

2/5/21

Review

Carpe Diem Chronicles

2/5/21

Review

That’s What She’s Reading

2/6/21

Review

The Adventures of a Travelers Wife

2/7/21

Review

Rebecca R. Cahill, Author

2/8/21

Review

Nerd Narration

2/8/21

Review

Rainy Days with Amanda

2/9/21

Review

Story Schmoozing Book Reviews

2/10/21

Review

StoreyBook Reviews

2/10/21

Review

Momma on the Rocks

2/11/21

Review

Book Fidelity

2/3/21

BONUS Promo

Hall Ways Blog

2/12/21

Review

Librariel Book Adventures

2/12/21

Review

Jennifer Silverwood

 

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One Comment

  • Kristine Hall

    LOVE this review and how you point out that it’s a book for all ages to love — not just those of those who lived the ’80s in all its glory. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

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