The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet: A Novel (Lizzie Bennet Diaries)

★★★★½It is a truth universally acknowledged that The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is, like, SO TOTES ADORBS. Rieeeeght?!So upon discovering that the story I fell in love with on YouTube was going to get a companion novel, I was excited. And a little scared. I mean, what if this novel was just some flimsy, ill-conceived attempt to make bank on the incredible success of the webseries?I needn’t have feared.I LOVED IT.The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet does follow the same set of events that unfold over the course of Lizzie’s videos, BUT instead of simply rehashing everything the reader (viewer) may already know, it compliments the story wonderfully, giving the reader more insight to Lizzie’s innermost thoughts and events we as former viewers weren’t aware of. It fills in all the pieces between the videos. You get to see more of Lizzie’s interactions with Dr. Gardiner, her struggles with school, living at home, changing relationship dynamics and growing up. You see her wondering, as circumstances get more real and complicated, about the wisdom of releasing so much of her life online and how transparent she should be while still endeavoring to be as honest as possible with her viewers. It’s her coming of age story… again. But a little more personal this time, since before we were simply the viewer, and this time we get a front row seat to her private thoughts.Other things:- There’s more behind-the-scenes with Lizzie’s parents and her sisters. It’s an expanded view of the Bennets and Lizzie’s interactions with them, And this is one of my favorite parts of this novel – seeing beyond Lizzie’s typical reaction of exasperated affection for her family and watching her come to certain realizations about her family and herself in relation to them.- You also get a bit more Darcy. Can I get a fistbump? Little hints… The Most Awkward Dance Ever™. Darcy’s letter. San Francisco. Yesssssss… I know.- Because this reads like a diary complete with dated entries, a part of me wishes I’d had the time to re-watch the series while reading this novel so that I could’ve had the *cue epic-sounding, movie trailer guy voice* Full and Immersive LBD Experience. (Yes, I’m a nerd. Yes, this is now on my bucket list.)- The audiobook is narrated by ASHLEY CLEMENTS. Though the novel in book form has some visually interesting elements, listening to this book made it almost feel as though Bernie & Co. had released a bunch of brand new episodes. LBD Season Two! Kind of. Not really. But it was awesome to hear everything in Lizzie’s voice and how she’d say it. Plus… ya know, costume theatre voices.- There were some truly hysterical moments in this book, as in I laughed myself to the point of tears.- There were also some really poignant, heart-rending moments that, again, had the end result of tears.So why the 4.5 since I loved this book so much? Well, simply this: I asked myself how the novel would stand on it’s own without the reader having been familiar with the YouTube series. And… I’m not really sure. My initial impression is that this book is better served with foreknowledge of the web series and it’s spin-off episodes. I think some events would feel truncated; lacking a bit in depth and emotional payoff. Especially when it comes to the climax and resolution of the story. Especially when it comes to Lydia’s storyline. Not that it was badly done in the book. I actually loved all the Lydia/Lizzie time we’re given in this novel. It’s fantastic, but Lydia’s downward spiral was a slow, gradual process in the videos; the viewer helplessly watching her slide further and further away over the course of months. However, reading Lydia’s story line purely from Lizzie’s POV, it doesn’t have (and understandably so) that same emotional resonance if the reader is unfamiliar with the story that’s already been established through the videos.Overall. If you loved The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, this book is for you, because The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet is pretty much the motherload of special features/extra content, as it broadens, deepens and expands upon the story in the original web series.

Let me take you back to a time which is usually filled with stress, sleep-deprivation, studying (and also trying to study but epically failing), and a lot…A LOT of procrastinating. Maybe this isn’t how it is for all people, but this is usually what my finals weeks look like. So let me take you back to finals week Fall 2014. There I was, attempting to study, pulling out my books, notes, and highlighters, ready for some serious cramming…when I discovered this wonderful Youtube series called The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Seriously, it was wonderful. And if you know me, you’d know that I love all things Jane Austen, especially Pride and Prejudice. So a modern-day version of P&P to watch instead of studying? Heck yes. That’s basically all I did that week…with some studying on the side (Don’t judge. I came out of the semester with all A’s and a B+). Read my full review, along with the first episode (it’s like three minutes and totally worth your time) of the web series here. GO WATCH THIS WEB SERIES. It’s wonderful.Anyways, little did I know that they had taken the web series and made it into a book! When I found out, I instantly put it in my Amazon cart and had it shipped to me. I had to have it in my hands and I had to read it.Truth be told, though, I was kind of nervous to read it. What if I didn’t like it as much as the show? What if it’s like those lame “based on the movie” books? What if, what if, what if. To be fair “what if?” is a question I ponder on way to frequently in my life. But I was nervous. Mostly because I thought it might be the exact same thing as the web series and, therefore, I’d be getting nothing out of it.I am glad to tell you that my speculations amounted to nothing. The book was great! It was basically the behind-the-scenes of the online series. You got to hear about things that Lizzie failed to (or purposefully chose not to) include in the show. It is the same story, you just get the added perspective of it being the “secret diary” as opposed to the “public, on-Youtube, for the whole world to see” version.Recommendation: If you’re a Jane Austen fan, looking for a fun read, read it! Actually, I take that back. First you have to watch the web series. You have to. And then read it! It’s a fun, light read that goes by pretty fast for its 400 pages. I really enjoyed it.[Sidenote: I just mentioned this, but it’s something I thought a lot about while I was reading: what should the order of things be? Should you watch the series first, or read the book first, or maybe even do both simultaneously? I have come to a conclusion. Watch the series first. If you read the book before, you’d miss a lot of things and not get their characters the way the web series helps us to do. I think simultaneously watching/reading them would be awesome, but they aren’t specific on which episodes are concurrent with her diary entries, so I don’t think it’s really plausible.]Originally posted <a href="http://confessionsofcarlisa.com/2015/03/14/the-secret-diary-of-lizzie-bennet-a-review/">here</a>

I have loved Pride and Prejudice since I first read it thirty years ago. As far as I am concerned it is the most beautifully written book in the English language. So I am always wary of fanfiction, follow ups, or alternative universe versions. Frankly they are usually poor.Then in the Radio Times I saw The Lizzie Bennett Diaries rated in the top 100 series ever. I watched all 100 microepisodes and thought it fantastic, really fresh and original and with a Lizzie Bennett any man would fall in love with!. The book of the videos has now been published as "The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennett.It's even better than the videos. Being a "secret" diary it can give more space to Lizzie thoughts that she wouldn't put on the Internet. I honestly couldn't put it down and read it in a couple of days.Cannot recommend it enough and I sincerely hope that somebody will finance a movie before too long, preferably starring the lovely Ashley Clements, so perfect in the title role.

I have always loved Pride and Prejudice, it is one of my favourite books, and this modern adaptation is certainly one of the best I've seen and read. All the characters are relatable, the overarching story is relatable, and the story is brilliantly told. This diary carries the plot of the videos and yet gives us added background details that were left out. Reading this alongside watching the videos, you are privy to more of the minute details shown in the videos and it makes the series much more impressive.I will always be in awe at the creative genius behind this adaptation and how it has opened up Pride and Prejudice to a much wider audience. I will never tire of it and it just shows how flexible the story is.

This is a great read for fans of the award winning web series, I would constantly read it whenever I had a spare moment. It not only provides a more in depth look in our heroine but it also adds stuff that is referenced in the series. For example, the night that Lizzie was at the bar with Darcy and her sisters, we get a detailed retelling that makes us see how blind Lizzie was as we interpret. We also get note of the letter Darcy gives and anything that isn't revealed in the vlogs because a diary is more private. The ending is written well, often it's hard to end a book in a diary format because life goes on, why would a character stop but here, it feels natural and doesn't have to be bleak or sad, it is about a young adult moving onto the next stage of their life - we even get to see a cheeky bit of Lizzie and Darcy together.I can't judge whether this can be read if you haven't seen the web series, but this is a brilliant book that not only adds to the series but adds another layer to the transmedia project.

Really enjoyed the web series and this is a great accompaniment. I read it quickly when it first arrived and will be reading it while rewatching the videos in a month or so. The dates in the entries will make it easy to watch and read concurrently. It adds an extra dimension to an already excellent retelling of my all time favourite book.

Bought this as a gift for a friend. She was very happy with it.