Customer Reviews

Perfect Fit

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I too, purchased this novel based on customer reviews--which were all very complimentary. I was quite disappointed in the novel and couldn't even finish reading it. I did appreciate some of the character revisionings: the Lucas family owning a publishing house, Charlotte being an editor, and Lydia dealing with drug addiction. Unfortunately, the plot plods along and never takes off which is why I gave up trying to finish the novel. Like another reviewer, I found the love scenes astonishingly bad. At one point, Darcy "ruts" on Elizabeth. George Wickham would "rut" on a woman, Tom Buchanan (The Great Gatsby) would be another "rutter", Pap Finn (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) would "rut" on a woman if he could find a woman who would touch him, and Bob Ewell (To Kill a Mockingbird) would definitely "rut" on a woman, but FITZWILLIAM DARCY?!! I think not!

I strongly urge readers to seek out Pamela Aidan's retellings of Pride and Prejudice from Darcy's point of view. This trio of novels is delightful and well written. Please also consider reading retellings and sequels by Abigail Reynolds and Linda Berdoll.

The disproportionate number of excellent reviews for this novel compelled me to write my first review for Amazon.com. I felt obligated to save other readers from wasting $19.00.

I bought this book based on the reviews posted at the time (11 total) and was quite disappointed. I hate to be severe on any of our sex, but I found this author's "love" scenes were the most poorly written I have read in any P & P sequels and bordered on offensive. At times they were just boring- I lost track of the number of times Darcy or Elizabeth said,"oooooo baby."
If you want to read a good modern P & P story, I suggest "Pemberly By the Sea" by Abigail Reynolds. She wrote several other P & P variations as well.
If you enjoy the sequels and variations,the work of Regina Jefferrs is also enjoyable. "Remembrance of the Past" by Lory Lilian is a variation I found quite interesting as well. I will warn you that all of the aforementioned authors include love/sex scenes that likely will not appeal to P & P purists or those who prefer a more chaste novel.
"Perfect Fit" must be perfect for some readers, but not this one.

As in Ms. Wells's earlier works, "Chance Encounters" and "Fate and Consequences", "Perfect Fit" begins with a delightful and charming first meeting between Darcy and Elizabeth; however, this time they must navigate the modern world in and around New York City instead of Regency England. Darcy and Elizabeth fall in love quickly and then must face together the pain caused by past experiences. Meanwhile Elizabeth's sister, Jane, must self examine to determine what she really wants in life and chart a path to her own happiness.

In `Perfect Fit', the problems Darcy and Elizabeth must face are deep and personal, and therefore more difficult to overcome. Their confidence in their deepening relationship is frequently questioned and tested as they navigate the pitfalls of past lovers and their own insecurities. Jane must reevaluate her expectations for her future life and balance those goals and desires with those of her potential lovers.

This book is not a modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice, so if you are a die hard fan of cannon Jane Austen FanFiction, this will not be your cup of tea. This story does contain adult situations and romantically erotic love scenes - which are certainly my cup of tea! Most importantly, this is a story of personal growth and understanding as Darcy, Elizabeth, and Jane learn that a lifelong love is not simply the result of instant attraction. It takes compromise, patience, and trust to create a `Perfect Fit'.

Let me start out by saying I enjoyed most of th journey of reading this book. I didn't take it too seriously and I smiled frequently. It was a good escape read with no expectations.

Is it a must have classic? No. Would I add this as a long term collection of 'must read again' on my book shelf? No. One time was enough for me.

There are plenty of cheesy parts and a lot of "ohhh baby" and "honey". I had issues with the pet names being thrown through out. And I found the dialogue confusing at times at who said what statement.

It's fan fiction where the author took a beloved classic Jane Austen love story and made it her own. I believe this book was written as a way for the author to play out how she viewed Austen's characters would react in today's society. However, that being said she didn't always stay true to the Austen character's of P&P. The names stayed the same but some of the real character elements got lost in the lack of details.

The romanance was alittle too perfect and unbelievable at times. And some of the intimate scenes were redundant- at which I browsed over quickly without remorse of wondering what I missed.

I wouldn't recommend this book if you were a serious Jane Austen enthusist looking for the next best read. But if you enjoy a quick light read from another Austen's fan- then you might like it as I did for a brief time.

I know that an unedit version of Linda Well's work is available on her website.

This book uses the characters' names to tell a different story, which others have done. The problem is that Darcy and Elizabeth confess their love by page 13 - there is no longing, on their parts or the reader's, from the very beginning. The minor characters' stories diverge from Austen, but no where in the book is there a real conflict for anyone.

I was so ready to be transported, but this book was substandard. It needs a good copy editor for one thing. I found a few misspellings right off the bat, and plenty of awkwardly structured paragraphs. I often struggled to figure out which character was speaking, since the author would frequently run dialog together in one paragraph without making any distinctions (he would smile, but she would speak--I think). Getting past that was difficult, but there was much more. Unbelievably, the men in the book obsess and talk about relationships and marriage like needy women, and they very willingly take ballroom dancing lessons. The twenty-something characters sing entire love songs from the eighties to each other--Barry Manilow no less. The plot was a thin thread of minor misunderstandings and struggles. Elizabeth and Darcy are together almost from the beginning which happened waaay too fast, and killed the potency and curiosity for this reader. I was desperate to find a story arc that would hold me, but the whole of the story seems to be only to set up where and how Will and Elizabeth are going to have sex--which was very graphic, by the way. "Ooooh, baby!! Jane is vexed and blushing in her grave."

I bought this book based on the glowing reviews but wonder what book those other reviewers read? I would rate this among the worst of the Pride and Prejudice adaptations, of which I've read quite a few. Save your money--it was unreadable, and I couldn't even get through the first few chapters. The only positive thing I can say is that I didn't lose too much money reading it because I just couldn't.

I love Linda Wells' writing in both the modern and Regency P&P genre. I would have given her 6 stars if she had added an additional 100 pages. I was delighted that in this storyline there was no dramatic misunderstanding between Darcy and Elizabeth. The characters were both committed to their relationship and making it stronger. Darcy's struggle in overcoming his parents' tragic and untimely deaths and Elizabeth as a victim of emotional abuse gave the couple added depths to their characters and a catalyst to strengthen their marital bond. The surprising outcomes of the relationships of Jane, Bingley, Charlotte, Maria and John Fitzwilliam were a joy to follow. And of course, Caroline Bingley was her ever annoying self. Any woman who can wear stilettos as well as Elizabeth is a stronger woman than me.

I originally received this book in paperback and I was not disappointed. I loved that the fact that most characters were paired differently then they were in the original P&P other then our Elizabeth and Darcy. I loved that Mrs. Bennett was not a fickle and that she was willing to tone down her actions... All in all I loved this book and have recently purchaced more of Ms. Well's books.

I enjoyed this book as I did the others by this author. She takes the feel of P&P, mashes it with a Cinderella like plot, and douses it heavily with romance. This is a loose retelling so P&P purists beware. It is also a for mature readers only with some warmer passages in the book.

Lizzy the writer meets Darcy the billionaire paper company owner at his cousin Anne's wedding that her sister Jane coordinated. Their families and friends though in modern roles are about the same. Collins takes on a different role as does Charlotte who I think will surprise you in this one. Let's just say Wickham, Lady Catherine, and Caroline have competition. Another little surprise is that both Darcy and Bingley have rivals. Darcy's rival is not as strong as Bingley's to deal with. Lizzy's biggest rival is not the past women, who do exist, but her own past's affect on her. New York replaces London and Long Island becomes Derbyshire. But the romance is tender. I enjoyed meeting the other Fitzwilliams and Lucas sister, Maria. Hey and shocker, Lydia is actually mature enough to dispense advice.

Nice cozy read when you're in a mellow romantic mood.