Recommended Pride and Prejudice Readalikes
The Great Jane Austen Read Along 2025
I’m back again with more Austen readalikes, to go along with The Great Jane Austen Read Along hosted by
. We just finished reading Pride and Prejudice, so now I am here to list book recommendations if you are looking for something similar.Now we are on to the book that Austen declared was he “own darling child”, Pride and Prejudice. There is a reason why Pride and Prejudice is so loved. Not just for its enemies-to-lovers romantic trope that, in my opinion, spearheaded the theme to be used in most romance novels, but the book’s memorable characters, entertaining dialogue and captivating plot, which makes this a book that readers return to over and over. I have to admit, even though I knew I had so many choices to choose from, I did have a difficult time coming up with perfect readalikes for this round. But like Lizzy, my courage rises at any intimidation. I believe I came up with book recommendations for you, but the original is always the best. But if you are looking for books that capture the similar essence of Pride and Prejudice, hopefully these will not shades of Pemberley:
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are ‘affiliate links’. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission.
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
If you’re looking for a classic with an epic enemies-to-lovers story, there’s no better recommendation than North and South. Not only are the themes of pride and prejudice robust in this beloved classic, but also the tension between tradition and modernity as society embarks on the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution. It may be gritty and realistic; however, Gaskell brings the authenticity and insight that Austen fans will immediately gravitate towards this story and discover the subtle influences that Austen inspired in North and South. You will also fall in love with Margaret and Thornton’s relationship, maybe not as much as Lizzie and Darcy’s courtship but it is right up there!
Get It At: Your local library | Project Gutenberg |LibriVox
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
Considered to be one of the first feminist novels, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a powerful portrayal of a woman fighting for domestic independence and creative freedom. Anne Brontë is sometimes seen as inferior compared to her sisters, Charlotte and Emily. But I am happy to say that she is seeing a resurgence. Austen fans will appreciate Anne’s writing style and themes that challenge social mores. With its title featuring a female character seeking an independent yet happy life, this character-driven and issue-oriented classic will appeal to most fans of Austen.
Get It At: Your local library | Project Gutenberg | LibriVox
Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer
An altogether unsatisfactory arrangement
After their father’s death, Miss Judith Taverner and her brother Peregrine travel to London to meet their guardian, Lord Worth, expecting an elderly gentleman. To their surprise and utter disgust, their guardian is not much older than they are, doesn’t want the office of guardian any more than they want him, and is determined to thwart all their interests and return them to the country.
With altogether too many complications
But when Miss Taverner and Peregrine begin to move in the highest social circles, Lord Worth cannot help but entangle himself with his adventuresome wards… (Credit: Sourcebooks Casablanca)
Get It At: Your local library
Marriage by Susan Ferrier
She was seen as the “Scotland’s Jane Austen”, however, Susan Ferrier was an admirer of her Austen’s works and you can see that as her works, which portray vivid accounts of Scottish life and sharp commentary that effect women, such as education.
What have you to do with a heart? What has anybody to do with a heart when their establishment in life is at stake? Keep your heart for your romances, child, and don’t bring such nonsense into real life – heart, indeed!’
Understanding that the purpose of marriage is to further her family, Lady Juliana nevertheless rejects the ageing and unattractive – though appropriately wealthy – suitor of her father’s choice. She elopes, instead, with a handsome, penniless soldier and goes to Scotland to live at Glenfarn Castle, his paternal home. But Lady Juliana finds life in the Scottish highlands dreary and bleak, hastily repenting of following her heart.
After giving birth to twin daughters, Lady Juliana leaves Mary to the care of her sister-in-law, while she returns to England with Adelaide. Sixteen years later, Mary is thoughtful, wise and kind in comparison to her foolish mother and vain sister.
Following two generations of women, Marriage, first published in 1818, is a shrewdly observant and humorous novel by one of Scotland’s greatest writers. (Credit: Virago)
Get It At: Your local library | Project Gutenberg | LibriVox
A Room with A View by E.M. Forster
A forbidden romance, a humorous take on English society, clash of the social classes…I am not talking about Pride and Prejudice but a young woman trying to discover herself through strict societal expectations is just what the doctor ordered after finishing Pride and Prejudice. Forster’s humor is different from Austen’s but still has the entertainment value as you read this social comedy full of perception and engagement.
Get It At: Your local library | Project Gutenberg | LibriVox
And now we move on to contemporary titles, and with stories like Pride and Prejudice, readers’ choices are in abundance! So, I thought I would list fantastic contemporary retellings that perfectly capture the ambience and feeling of a book most beloved by all.
Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne
Liza B.–the only DJ who gives a jam–wants to take her neighborhood back from the soulless property developer dropping unaffordable condos on every street corner in DC. But her planned protest at a corporate event takes a turn after she mistakes the smoldering-hot CEO for the waitstaff. When they go toe-to-toe, the sparks fly–but her impossible-to-ignore family thwarts her every move. Liza wants Dorsey Fitzgerald out of her hood, but she’ll settle for getting him out of her head.
At first, Dorsey writes off Liza Bennett as more interested in performing outrage than acting on it. As the adopted Filipino son of a wealthy white family, he’s always felt a bit out of place and knows a fraud when he sees one. But when Liza’s protest results in a viral meme, their lives are turned upside down, and Dorsey comes to realize this irresistible revolutionary is the most real woman he’s ever met. (Credit: Berkley)
Get It At: Your local library| Libro.fm
Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal
One of my favorite retellings of Pride and Prejudice, Unmarriageable is a fun and engaging retelling that is both witty and culturally diverse. What I appreciated with this retelling is that it wasn’t trying to emulate or copy Austen’s style but celebrate it with their own spin to the tale. Readers will appreciate the culturally relevant social satire but it’s not Pride and Prejudice retelling without romantic tension, which is portrayed here beautifully.
Get It At: Your local library | Libro.fm
The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy by Sara Angelini
Same witty romantic tension but this one is a spicy read and see Austen’s characters deal with more modern ethical dilemmas and Darcy’s and Lizzy’s stubbornness eloquently depicted. Fans of spicy slow burn romances will enjoy this one!
Get It At: Your local library
Yuletide: A Jane Austen-Inspired Collection of Stories edited by Christina Boyd
This is my favorite short story anthology to read during the holidays and if you are looking to celebrate Christmas early this year, then I suggest picking up these stories. Either a retelling or continuation, these stories will go perfect with your favorite cuppa.
Get It At: Your local library
Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev
It is a truth universally acknowledged that only in an overachieving Indian American family can a genius daughter be considered a black sheep.
Dr. Trisha Raje is San Francisco’s most acclaimed neurosurgeon. But that’s not enough for the Rajes, her influential immigrant family who’s achieved power by making its own non-negotiable rules:
· Never trust an outsider
· Never do anything to jeopardize your brother’s political aspirations
· And never, ever, defy your family
Trisha is guilty of breaking all three rules. But now she has a chance to redeem herself. So long as she doesn’t repeat old mistakes.
Up-and-coming chef DJ Caine has known people like Trisha before, people who judge him by his rough beginnings and place pedigree above character. He needs the lucrative job the Rajes offer, but he values his pride too much to indulge Trisha’s arrogance. And then he discovers that she’s the only surgeon who can save his sister’s life.
As the two clash, their assumptions crumble like the spun sugar on one of DJ’s stunning desserts. But before a future can be savored there’s a past to be reckoned with…
A family trying to build home in a new land.
A man who has never felt at home anywhere.
And a choice to be made between the two. (Credit: William Morrow Paperbacks)
Get It At: Your local library| Libro.fm
Take a chance on a new genre by trying out these titles that put a new spin on a beloved story:
The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray
What I love about this book series is that it doesn’t just focus on the characters of Pride and Prejudice but all of Austen’s characters from her other books. Top it off with a country house murder makes this historical mystery series hard to put down!
Get It At: Your local library| Libro.fm
Mr. Darcy’s Daughters by Elizabeth Aston
Picking up twenty years after Pride and Prejudice left off, Mr. Darcy’s Daughters begins in the year 1818. Elizabeth and Darcy have gone to Constantinople, giving us an opportunity to get to know their five daughters, who have left the sheltered surroundings of Pemberley for a few months in London.
While the eldest, Letitia, frets and the youngest, Alethea, practices her music, twins Georgina and Belle flirt and frolic their way through parties and balls and Camilla — levelheaded and independent — discovers what joys and sorrows the city has to offer an intelligent young woman.
Get It At: Your local library
The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub
In this exuberant retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Lydia Bennet puts pen to paper to relate the real events and aftermath of the classic story. Some facts are well known: Mrs. Bennet suffers from her nerves, Mr. Bennet suffers from Mrs. Bennet, and all five daughters suffer from an estate that is entailed only to male heirs.
But Lydia also suffers from entirely different concerns: her best-loved sister Kitty is really a barn cat; Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world believes him to be, but what else would one expect from a demon? And if Mr. Darcy is uptight about etiquette, that’s nothing compared to his feelings about magic. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that for a witch, promises have power . . . (Credit: Grand Central Publishing)
Get It At: Your local library | Libro.fm
Pride and Prejudice in Space by Alexis Lampley
Elizabeth Bennet lives on a small moon in the Londinium lunar system with her parents and four sisters. While she dreams of piloting a starship rather than settling down with an eligible man, her world turns upside down when the handsome Mr. Bingley docks the Netherfield StarCruiser on the neighboring estate. The arrival thrusts the Bennet sisters into the bustling asteroid field of the system’s wider society, and Elizabeth’s aspirations are suddenly in flux. Drawn into the orbit of Mr. Bingley’s friend, the proud Fitzwilliam Darcy, Elizabeth is determined to dislike him despite his ten thousand aurum per year.
Can the Bennet sisters navigate the perils of love and space? Will Elizabeth avoid the collision course she’s on with the formidable Mr. Darcy? This tale of scifi romance for women explores timeless themes of love, pride, and prejudice, set against the backdrop of the infinite cosmos. Pride and Prejudice in Space features stunning, colorful chapter headers and an array of interior art. With over 60 full-color illustrations and designs, readers will be captivated by this new world–from maps and brochures to digital message logs and pages pulled from the Bennet sisters’ journals and sketchbooks. (Credit: Union Square & Co.)
Get It At: Your Local Library
Mr. Darcy’s Diary by Amanda Grange
Monday 9th September
“I left London today and met Bingley at Netherfield Park. I had forgotten what good company he is; always ready to be pleased and always cheerful. After my difficult summer, it is good to be with him again. …”
The only place Darcy could share his innermost feelings was in the private pages of his diary…
Torn between his sense of duty to his family name and his growing passion for Elizabeth Bennet, all he can do is struggle not to fall in love.
Mr. Darcy’s Diary presents the story of the unlikely courtship of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy from Darcy’s point of view. This graceful imagining and sequel to Pride and Prejudice explains Darcy’s moodiness and the difficulties of his reluctant relationship as he struggles to avoid falling in love with Miss Bennet. Though seemingly stiff and stubborn at times, Darcy’s words prove him also to be quite devoted and endearing — qualities that eventually win over Miss Bennet’s heart. This continuation of a classic romantic novel is charming and elegant, much like Darcy himself.
Get It At: Your local library
That’s it for the Pride and Prejudice readalikes! Make sure to continue with the read along for more book recommendations!
And if you are looking for more blog posts related to Pride and Prejudice, check out these past posts that made it on cup of tea with that book, please!
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This list is wonderful. I'm looking forward to checking out many of these titles. I'd also add The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Harlow to your list. Is a beautiful book about Mary Bennet getting her happily ever after.
What a fun list! Especially happy to have made the acquaintance of Susan Ferrier. First time hearing of her.