Like any good fan of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, I had bought The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet and loved it. I was therefore super excited to see that there was going to be a second book from Lydia’s point of view which takes place after the end of the series. SQUEE. I knew immediately I needed the book in audiobook form, since Ashley Clements had done such a fabulous job narrating the first one. I hoarded one lone Audible credit for months long after I had declined to renew my subscription just to purchase this book in audio.

Totally worth it. Mary Kate Wiles is a skilled voice actor and created different voices for each new character, and mimicked the ones we already knew from the web series. She definitely added a depth that I would not have gotten from just reading the book myself.

The book follows Lydia as she tries to move on past the events of the web series and regain her confidence and sense of self. She starts out optimistic on finishing her classes and transferring to college in SF. She even has plans to share an apartment with cousin Mary, who has moved in with the Bennets for the summer until then.

But in Lydia fashion, things don’t go as planned and she has to hit bottom again to truly move on and grow. Lydia shows that we can be our own worst enemies, both in our actions and our thoughts. But by getting through her new troubles, she grows and matures in a way that she never did post-Wickham, and I'm glad for that.

True confession time: I hated Lydia in the web series. She was annoying, bratty, self-centered, and egotistical. Even while I felt for her after Wickham, I still did not like her very much as a character. This book changed that. It got me inside her head so I understood that yes, she's a flake and selfish, but I understood her a bit better, and that at her heart she does care for other people and wants to do what is right. Plus, she stopped being so everything I disliked in this book and started growing up.

Hopefully there will be a third book in the near future focusing on Jane. One can dream. :-D ( )

Loved the story and the writing style. This book was a fun read that left me feeling nicely fulfilled at its completion A great story with a very satisfying conclusion. ( )

A fitting continuation of the LBD universe full of bad choices and example-setting, much like The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet before it. But this one was much less relevant to me. Still interesting though. ( )

"There's this weird thing that happens when everything falls apart. It's happened to me before, so I know. Your body, the normal one you live in every day, sort of starts to exist apart from you. You're still there of course. Still hanging out. But it all goes on autopilot, getting you through the days while you...contract."

When I started reading The Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet, the thought that I might like it more than The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet hadn't even crossed my mind. But I did. Maybe it's because there was no web series to accompany this or maybe it's because in some ways Lydia felt more relatable than Lizzie did.

After what happened with Wickham, Lydia is trying to pick up the pieces of her life but she's not quite sure how to do that. All she knows is that she wants to get away and start over. In the beginning, instead of acknowledging or admitting to how she really feels she chooses to pretend like everything is okay. In doing so she not only jeopardizes her future plans but the trust she's working to rebuild with her family. As time goes on she decides not to let her past define her and slowly begins to find her way.
I loved watching Lydia grow. Yes, she still makes a number of bad decisions but she's learning. There isn't much Lizzie/Darcy or Jane/Bing but that's okay. They (more or less) got their happy endings at the end of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries so it's only fair that Lydia has a chance at a happy ending too.

The fact that I loved this book as much as I did is a surprise considering I have never cared much for the character of Lydia Bennet. Definitely recommend this! ( )

The first half of this book is hard to get through. Not because it's boring, but because it's painful. At the end of LBD, we feel so good about the progress Lydia has made, about her growth, and about the place she is at the end of the show. We're certain she's going to be okay. But life doesn't follow neat little narrative arcs. People don't change quickly or neatly. Pulling a life back together is a hard series of two steps forward and one step back. The first half of this book focuses on the steps back. We see Lydia fail, sometimes on accident sometimes because of her choices. We see her get discouraged. We see her almost give up. And I didn't want that. I wanted my happy ending back. But that wouldn't have been true to Lydia's character. She does pull forward again in the second half, and her growth by the end of the novel feels real and earned and that story is well told, but dang it Lydia, I just want you to be happy.

And I love that Ricky offers Lydia a job as a sign waver in Winnipeg, Manitoba. ( )