Book Review: Spies and Prejudice by Talia Vance

Spies and Prejudice Talia Vance Genre: YA Contemporary

Fields’ Rule #1: Don’t fall for the enemy.

Berry Fields is not looking for a boyfriend. She’s busy trailing cheaters and liars in her job as a private investigator, collecting evidence of the affairs she’s sure all men commit. And thanks to a pepper spray incident during an eighth grade game of spin the bottle, the guys at her school are not exactly lining up to date her, either.

So when arrogant—and gorgeous—Tanner Halston rolls into town and calls her “nothing amazing,” it’s no loss for Berry. She’ll forget him in no time. She’s more concerned with the questions surfacing about her mother’s death.

But why does Tanner seem to pop up everywhere in her investigation, always getting in her way? Is he trying to stop her from discovering the truth, or protecting her from an unknown threat? And why can’t Berry remember to hate him when he looks into her eyes?

With a playful nod to Jane Austen, Spies and Prejudice will captivate readers as love and espionage collide.

And I read another book inspired,in part, by Pride and Prejudice. Do you now see the love I bear for Jane Austen's book? Maybe not since you don't see me talk about it much on the blog nor on Twitter. You also haven't seen me watch the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice a hundred times, pausing here and there nor did you see me getting frustrated with how slow the Youtube videos of the 1995 BBC series loaded. Not to mention the fact that if it even remotely hints at being like Pride and Prejudice I would read the darn book.
You get the idea.
Which is precisely why laid my hands on Spies and Prejudice. Was I going to read something about Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy in the modern world, being spies?
No, not exactly. I recognize hints of Pride and Prejudice like Berry overhearing Tanner talk about not so nice things about her; Drew as the Wickham character; Mary Chris as the everyone-is-nice Jane; and Jason as an OOC Charlotte. That's where the book stops being P&P to me which to me is kind of a good thing since it pretty much put and end with my comparison between the two books, looking for similarities and slights.
Talia Vance did a wonderful reimagining of Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy and their story. I liked the way how the story panned out with the twists and turns that Strawberry Fields (Yes, that is her name. Her mom was huge Beatles fan. Her best friend is named Mary Chris Moss who builds spy gadgets in her spare time.) encountered as she tried to find out what really happened with her mother's "death". When the boys were exposed as undercovers, I totally shouted "I knew it! I called it at the first few chapters!"
There were some aspects that I wanted to be developed more like Berry's relationship with her dad; Drew's involvement was not solved; and what about that last big revelation at the end?
I don't know if there's going to be a sequel to this book but I would want to read it if only to know what happens next.