Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard

Prada and Prejudice

Author:  Mandy Hubbard

Publisher:  Razorbill

Paperback, 238 pages

From Goodreads:

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.

-----------

I really liked Prada and Prejudice, it was a fun quick read. There were a couple of things that didn’t make this a great read for me, but overall I enjoyed my time reading it.

“I’ve landed in Regency England: 90210. Just as much drama ; a lot less glamour.”

Overall, Prada and Prejudice was a joy to read. Callie is a teenage girl who is not so popular. On a school to England she’s all by herself and wants nothing more than to be part of the reigning girl clique. When she overhears them talking about sneaking out to go to a club she decides she will put herself out there and invite herself. She heads out by herself to find the perfect clothes, and makes a stop at a Prada store to buy the perfect pair of heels. After walking out of the store wearing her new red Prada heels, in true Callie form she takes a stumble and wakes up in Regency England, 1815. Lost in the countryside she comes upon a castle. There she is mistaken for a girl Rebecca, a friend of a young women staying in the castle, who should be arriving from America. Deciding her best bet for a roof over her head is to pretend to be Rebecca, she soon learns the castle belongs to the Duke of Harksbury, Alexander. In Jane Austen fashion, Callie and Alex bump heads.

I am a fan of time travel books, so I wasn’t surprised that I read this in one sitting. Callie is a good character. She’s not perfect, shes clumsy, and she desperately wants more. The Duke, Alex, is cut from the same mold as Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, and I love Mr. Darcy. The ending of Prada and Prejudice left a lot of unanswered questions, and that’s something I hate immensely. Again, I have to ask what is the deal with these abrupt endings? We get into these stories just to be left saying “okay, wait a minute”. Big no- no for me!

Rating:  3.5