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!

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.

Bookshop.org│ IndieBound │Books-a-Million

Barnes and Noble│ Parable│ Christianbook

Target│ Walmart │Tyndale │Amazon

Praise

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

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I LOVED this book!  It isn’t because it is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice (I don’t think I have read the original by Jane Austen, don’t shoot me!). I connected to this book on multiple levels. This book is set in a small Texas town in the mid-80s and I attended high school in a small town in Texas in the 80s. I wasn’t part of the popular clique, much like Elyse, and wondered where I fit in with my classmates. I am the oldest of five (almost all girls) and Elyse is the second oldest of five, and I could relate to her and Jayne babysitting and watching the younger siblings. Then there are all of the 80s references, from clothes to music to movies and so much more. There are also the Texas football references that are so true. Texans seem to revere football and they go big and bold with anything related to the sport. And when they spoke about the rectangular pizza served in the school cafeteria? Yup, that was my favorite lunch day too. I don’t know why that piece of pizza was so good. Talk about a giant flashback!

Elyse is like many fifteen year olds. She is self-conscious about her body, has a hard time knowing where she fits in and has fallen in love with someone that might be unattainable. But that doesn’t seem to stop her from making the best of her life. I loved that her best friend is her sister, Jayne. They have many wonderful conversations during this novel, and I think both of them are able to give fitting advice when the need arises. They also support each other and never seem to let each other down. Elyse’s mother, while loving, always seems to make comments about her weight. That is hard on a teenage girl no matter the decade.

Lydia…this slightly younger sister is in too much of a hurry to grow up and is boy crazy at a young age. She definitely puts an interesting spin on their family and somehow manages to stay one small step ahead of trouble. Lydia is a sister you love to hate, but love that much more especially when she is helping you with your fashion sense.

Do you remember your teenage crushes? Elyse has it in spades for Billy Fitz, the star quarterback. Billy is rather aloof to Elyse and really a lot of people. As the story progresses, we learn more about Billy and his life and the pieces fall into place. I loved how he realizes that perhaps the way he has been going through life isn’t the best and despite all of his initial thoughts about Elyse, she is the one that speaks to his soul and forces him to take another look at reality. There is a lot of miscommunication between the two and you wonder if they will work things out or not.

My least favorite character was Lottie. Lottie is rather blunt about many things and doesn’t mince words when speaking her mind. While she may be correct with some of her thoughts, she hasn’t learned how to temper her words so perhaps they don’t stab you through the heart. Every story needs that one character that forces you to see reality and that was definitely Lottie.

I did question some of the locations which forced me to do an internet search. Many times I was surprised at the results of my searches and learned some new things. I still wonder where the state football game was played because there weren’t many large stadiums in Arlington in the mid 80s that I remember. The only stadium that might have been large enough is the UTA Maverick Stadium since that might have been the largest football field compared to the local high schools, but there isn’t seating in the end zones, and this is supposedly where the band sat during the game. This is a curse when you live in the town that is mentioned as hosting the state playoff game, you try and see it through what you know of the area.

There were so many lines that spoke to me throughout the book. Many of Elyse’s thoughts and feelings were those that I had growing up and sometimes even today. I really think Elyse is a kindred soul. Here are some of my favorite lines:

“I’ve always found something I needed more than a smaller waist. Like to read more books…”

“I would rather stand my ground in all my wrongness than step one foot into someone else’s idea of right, even if it means I’m sometimes left standing alone.”

“She had perfected the vernacular of the Valley Girl, even though we’d never spent more than a week in California.”

We have to give this book 5 paws up for the memories and the angst of being a teen in the 1980s. I think this book will resonate the most with anyone that grew up in the 80s or anyone that is fascinated with that time period. Or anyone that likes clean romance, YA, or a retelling of P&P set in Texas.

If you feel like you need a playlist of all the songs listed in the book, check out this playlist from That’s What She’s Reading

Allison 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!  GIVEAWAY!  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)

Visit the Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page

For direct links to each post on this tour, updated daily,

or visit the blogs directly:

blog tour services provided by