Flashback Friday #5- PRADA & PREJUDICE by Mandy Hubbard

By: Mandy Hubbard

Published by: Razorbill

Released on: June 11th, 2009

Source: Bought

4 stars: I enjoyed It

Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

To impress the popular girls on a high school trip to London, klutzy Callie buys real Prada heels. But trying them on, she trips...conks her head...and wakes up in the year 1815!

There Callie meets Emily, who takes her in, mistaking her for a long-lost friend. As she spends time with Emily's family, Callie warms to them - particularly to Emily's cousin Alex, a hottie and a duke, if a tad arrogant.But can Callie save Emily from a dire engagement, and win Alex's heart, before her time in the past is up?More Cabot than Ibbotson, Prada and Prejudice is a high-concept romantic comedy about finding friendship and love in the past in order to have happiness in the present -quoted from Goodreads

This is one of those books that I was so excited to read when it first came out and now a couple years later I'm finally reading it. Like the other books featured in the Flashback Friday, I'm wondering why this took me so long to read. It was fabulous! How could I not love a book that takes place in both modern day and 1800's London England, has a fiesty character, romance and a well written friendship.

I adored the setting, the historical references to Victorian London, and the characters. Callie herself starts off as an insecure girl who's traveled abroad with her school group to London. Wanting to fit in, her buys a pair of prada shoes and ends up tripping and knocking herself out, which sends her back in time. While I loved Callie's sense of self she discovers on her journey, I was really irritated with her during the beginning of her visit back in time. Don't get me wrong, I love a character who's all about women's right, but I couldn't excuse her lack of respect for the time period. I felt like Callie was a well educated character and once she learns she's in 1815 I had expected her to try and act a little more proper than she did or at least try her best to fit in, instead of trying to change the way society was during this time. At the same time, I loved that Callie stayed true to herself. I adored her transformation when she returns to modern day London, and of course I enjoyed the entertaining mishaps that she causes in 1815 London. Ooh that ending was fabulous!

This is a wonderful, Jane Austen like romance that really made this story for me! I loved it! Alex is definitely a swoonworthy "Mr. Darcy". The chemistry he and Callie have is a well written love/hate one. Really, it's not so much hate, but they both do a great job at suppressing their true feelings from each other. This is a fabulously, fun, quick, cute read. If you're a fan of Jane Austen I definitely recommend picking up this clean cut book up! I'm hoping there will be another book to compliment this one.

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Flashback Friday was inspired while trying to figure out away to help spread the word about books that aren't new releases. This is a weekly post we'll doing that will include a review of a book that's been out for awhile or one that's been sitting on our shelves begging us to read it.