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Epic Fail Claire LaZebnik Books

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Epic Fail Claire LaZebnik Books

Reviewed for MM's by Sophie-

Who doesn't love to read a romance in the summertime? Well, I obviously do and any story that keeps the structure of my beloved Pride and Prejudice is definitely worth the perusal.

Claire LaZebnick brings the rhythm of Pride and Prejudice's plot into the modern day setting of Coral Tree Prep School in Los Angeles. Imagine a school where every kid is not only privileged but also related to a movie star or someone famous. Then imagine a more academic family moving from snowy Massachusetts to sunny L.A. because of their parent's jobs. What if that family consisted of four daughters, and contained the new principal of Coral Tree as well as a new teacher there? Okay, now you are all with me.

Epic Fail is told from Elise Benton's point-of-view. She's the second oldest daughter and the one who is partnered up with Coral Tree's resident hottie, Derek Edwards. They are brought together only because Elise's older sister has fallen for Derek's best friend and sisters tend to stick together. You can already tell that I loved that sibling bond part, right? Well, I did. But, my heart went out to Elise as the moments of awkwardness and misunderstanding grew between her and Derek. Yes, I've read P&P dozens of times and yes, I fall for the plot's high and lows every time. This adaptation had them all but tweaked them just enough to keep me interested.

If you are looking for a smart, funny romance be sure to pick up Epic Fail when it comes out in a few weeks. As for me, well, I have to do something about that dreamy look in my eye that manifested itself after I turned the last page.


Tags : Amazon.com: Epic Fail (9780061921261): Claire LaZebnik: Books,Claire LaZebnik,Epic Fail,HarperTeen,0061921262,Romance - General,School & Education - General,Social Themes - General,Dating (Social customs),Dating (Social customs);Fiction.,Interpersonal relations,Interpersonal relations;Fiction.,Los Angeles (Calif.),Peparatory schools,Schools,Sisters,Sisters;Fiction.,Social classes,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),Fiction,Romance & relationships stories (Children's Teenage),Social Themes - Adolescence,Social Themes - Dating & Relationships,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Girls & Women,Young Adult Fiction Loners & Outcasts,Young Adult Fiction Romance General,Young Adult Fiction Romance Romantic Comedy,Young Adult Fiction School & Education General,Young Adult Fiction Social Themes Dating & Sex,Young Adult Fiction Social Themes General (see also headings under Family),Young Adult FictionSocial Themes - Dating & Sex

Epic Fail Claire LaZebnik Books Reviews

Cute cute cute! Epic Fail is freaking adorable and fun - a perfect pick-me-up on a rainy, sad day.

When I first started reading Epic Fail, I had no idea it was a modern take on Pride and Prejudice until someone told me, but then I thought about it and I definitely saw the similarities as I was reading. This is awesome on two levels - I love Pride and Prejudice, but Claire LaZebnik was clever/talented enough to make the story her own without overdoing the retelling. I never once thought "yeah, yeah, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy already did this" - I was too invested in what was happening to Elise and Derek.

A lot of the elements in Pride and Prejudice would have been tough to translate to modern times, but the setting for Epic Fail was very crafty. A prep school in LA suited the story perfectly.

I liked Elise's character a lot - I thought she was witty and clever, just like Elizabeth. I must admit, I had no real affinity for Derek until the end, but that's true with Mr. Darcy as well.

Overall, I loved reading Epic Fail. It definitely brightened by day, and even though it was one of those books where I knew exactly how it would end, I couldn't stop reading - it was too much fun getting there. Epic Fail is a fun and adorable book, and I definitely suggest it to anyone in need of a pick-me-up.
Unfortunately for me, this book lived up to its title. Maybe that was a bit harsh... there were some points in the story that made me smile and laugh but for the most part, I was rolling my eyes. For the most part, I was disappointed by this book and a bit irritated at the stretches that the author took to make it fit as a retelling of Pride and Prejudice.

If you guys have been around my blog at all since December, you know that I have a serious love (obsession? okay, obsession) with Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and an interest in any kind of reimagining, retelling, or spin off there is. And, for the most part, I've had a really great experience with these stories. I was so excited to see that was featuring Epic Fail as one of its monthly deals for $2.99 and immediately bought it because it was the first YA P&P story that I've come across.

Mostly, Epic Fail came off as an unrealistic contemporary romance. I felt that LaZebnik tried to force the characters and plot in certain ways so that they fit the story arc of P&P but at the same time, got a lot of it wrong. For instance, Elise's parents. Elise's dad comes off as an intellectual snob who is more concerned that his daughter is getting involved with a classmate because of his celebrity status than how she feels about the situation... where as the original Mr. Bennet ultimately cared for his daughters' well being and happiness. Elise's mom is the principal of the prestigious Coral Tree Prep who alludes to the fact that she has her doctorate in education. Rather than being a well educated and sensible woman, she often lapses into hysteria over who her daughters are dating. I felt as though LaZebnik wrote two completely different women and smashed them together to make it work as a P&P story.

Another issue (and I'll stop after this one) was what LaZebnik did with the Bingley-Jane separation story line. In the original work, Darcy and Caroline Bingley separate Charles Bingley and Jane Bennet because they believed her status to be inferior and thus unsuited for a man of his stature and also because her family was simply improper. The key here? Both Darcy and Caroline work to separate the couple. LaZebnik decided to place the whole blame on Caroline (named Chelsea). Derek/Darcy had nothing to do with it - no input, no knowledge, nothing... and this really turned me off from the story. The beauty of Pride and Prejudice is that both Lizzy and Darcy begin as flawed and make serious mistakes, work through them all, experience a ton of growth, and ultimately come back together as better versions of themselves thanks to the other. By altering the original story so much, LaZebnik totally lost the growth that could have occurred... and I hate to say it, but the story often felt two dimensional because of it.

Overall, it was an okay book. If you're looking for a good Pride and Prejudice retelling, I wouldn't recommend this one... and I think that was my biggest problem. I went into this book expecting one thing and did not have an open mind to it. It was not terrible... it just wasn't for me. I think that young audiences who are looking for a way to get into the Pride and Prejudice story would probably benefit most from it - just remember that the characters are very loosely based on the originals!
Reviewed for MM's by Sophie-

Who doesn't love to read a romance in the summertime? Well, I obviously do and any story that keeps the structure of my beloved Pride and Prejudice is definitely worth the perusal.

Claire LaZebnick brings the rhythm of Pride and Prejudice's plot into the modern day setting of Coral Tree Prep School in Los Angeles. Imagine a school where every kid is not only privileged but also related to a movie star or someone famous. Then imagine a more academic family moving from snowy Massachusetts to sunny L.A. because of their parent's jobs. What if that family consisted of four daughters, and contained the new principal of Coral Tree as well as a new teacher there? Okay, now you are all with me.

Epic Fail is told from Elise Benton's point-of-view. She's the second oldest daughter and the one who is partnered up with Coral Tree's resident hottie, Derek Edwards. They are brought together only because Elise's older sister has fallen for Derek's best friend and sisters tend to stick together. You can already tell that I loved that sibling bond part, right? Well, I did. But, my heart went out to Elise as the moments of awkwardness and misunderstanding grew between her and Derek. Yes, I've read P&P dozens of times and yes, I fall for the plot's high and lows every time. This adaptation had them all but tweaked them just enough to keep me interested.

If you are looking for a smart, funny romance be sure to pick up Epic Fail when it comes out in a few weeks. As for me, well, I have to do something about that dreamy look in my eye that manifested itself after I turned the last page.