Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh by Rachel Lippincott
CW: Swearing, Underage Drinking, Poorly Arranged Marriage, Misogyny, Past Toxic Relationship, Minor Injuries with Blood, Internalized Homophobia, Queerphobia, Classism, Abusive Parent, Past Death of Parent
3.5/5
I automatically chose to read Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh because Rachel Lippincott had once again targeted the niche audience I am a part of; queer Pittsburghers whose favorite genre is queer YA romcoms. After She Gets The Girl, a book which Lippincott wrote with her wife, Alyson Derrick, I assumed this book would also be a love letter to Pittsburgh. Although it missed that mark, which I will elaborate on later, it was a very intriguing book with a sweet romance and loveable characters.
Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh starts with Audrey, a seventeen-year-old girl from 2023 Pittsburgh who gets transported back to North England in 1812. She lands in the field of an estate belonging to an absent father and a girl of high society named Lucy. Audrey realizes she only has 25 days to spend in the past, but not why she's there. She works with Lucy to blend into the 1800s and to solve her mystery. They have narrowed it down to two things that may be connected: finding love or regaining her passion for art, so they try both out. Only, Audrey isn't finding a spark with any of the handsome men around her and she can't stop drawing Lucy. Meanwhile, Lucy is trying to come to terms with her marriage arrangement to an awful older man. Will the two girls truly be able to help each other?
I normally avoid period pieces because the language it's confusing and goes over my head, but Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh is far more approachable. The language isn't too heavy and many things are explained on-page to Audrey. Having both Audrey and Lucy's POV helped with getting the full picture. Audrey knew things I did and served as fresh eyes to the 1800s. Lucy was in awe of the world Audrey came from. And well-versed in her own. The tropes used also helped with approachability, adding a familiar element. A training montage, an animal with an attitude, and kissing in the rain, all help this period piece feel like the modern literature it is.
Lippincott created a really enjoyable and well-developed cast of characters for her book. Audrey is thrown into Lucy's world by a curmudgeonly but secretly sweet old man with a backstory you'll want to stick around till the end for. Lucy's world holds 3 potential suitors for Audrey that would all be wonderful picks in their own right. They all have hidden depths beyond their attractive looks. Even the awful man that Lucy is set to marry is full of personality. The best of the characters in Lucy's life is likely Martha, the staff member of the estate who practically raised Lucy after her mother died. These characters and more all added something important to Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh.
The title of this book, Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh, is false advertisement. That isn't a reason not to read the book. It is still a cute queer time travel romance, but it's important to know what you aren't getting into. Although I have never read Pride and Prejudice, I have it on good authority that this isn't a modern-ish adaptation of it. The only connection is that it takes place in the regency era. It also barely features Pittsburgh. It's there when Audrey is in her own time and she thinks about it a little bit, but that's all. Audrey has a line in her head where she mentions the "polar vortex that hit Pittsburgh a few years ago", taking me completely out of the book. It reminded me that Lippincott isn't from Pittsburgh and is older than her characters. Audrey would have been 4 years old at the time and a real Pittsburgher always calls it Snowmageddon. I had assumed that the 1800s portion would take place in 1800s Pittsburgh. I am still left wanting a book with this premise.
The queer rep in this book was both romantic and realistic. I appreciate that it addresses how it may be far more unsafe to be openly queer in 1812, but it can still be a problem in 2023. I related to neither girl knowing her queer identity at the start of the book, despite the obvious signs. They're both only about 17, which is around the time I started being honest with myself about not being straight. It takes time for some people. Thankfully, this couple had some people on their side in 1812. Queer people were not unheard of then, despite the secrecy.
If a WLW regency romance with time travel appeals to you, give Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh a try! Rachel Lippincott understands how to write two clueless characters falling for each other, and that alone would make this book worth reading. If you happen to know of any other Pittsburgh romance books, send them my way!
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