Book Review: Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard

Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard

Publisher: Razorbill

Publish Date: June 11, 2009

Paperback, 270 pages

My Review:
Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard was the second book I read for the first round of the YA Bloggers Debut Book Battle.  This is a time-travel young adult novel.  Callie is on the outs at her school since her best friend moved away so she is trying to use the class trip to London to remake  herself in some way and become friends with someone so she won't be alone anymore.  But it's not easy, Callie wants to be outgoing and not clumsy, but feels it is in her nature to be that way.  In a final attempt to impress some girls in her class she goes and buys a real pair of prada boots and then promptly falls on the sidewalk outside of the Prada store.  But when she awakes she is in the countryside wondering how she got there.  Soon she finds out not only is she in the countryside way outside of London, but she is also in 1815.

The story that follows had me laughing at times and sighing at others.  Callie becomes Rebecca, a childhood friend that is expected to visit from America (conveniently explaining her accent).  But she has a lot to learn about 1815 and the class system in England at the time.  Her 21st-century beliefs come forward throughout the book as she tries to help her new-found friend Emily escape from an arranged marriage and as she tries to become what she has always wanted to be, popular.  Lessons are learned and Callie learns a lot about making assumptions about people through the book and a lot about herself.

I found Prada and Prejudice highly entertaining and even thought-provoking at times.  I chose Prada and Prejudice as my winner over Bleeding Violet  because it was a fun and quick read.  Callie just wants to fit in and when she finds herself in England in the early 1800s she thinks she can remake herself into who she wants to be as Rebecca.  And she does, but along the way she learns valuable lessons about life and lessons that are as good in 19th century England as they are in 21st century America.  Callie's growth is amazing and inspiring and I think this book delivers a message that is great for teenage girls today.  And on top of that it is highly entertaining and kept me turning the pages throughout.  I'm glad I participated in this battle because otherwise I think I might have missed this truly wonderful book.

My Rating:  4.5/5.0

About the Book:
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.

About the Author:
Mandy Hubbard grew up on a dairy farm outside Seattle, where she refused to wear high heels until homecoming--and hated them so much she didn't wear another pair for five years. She's currently living happily ever after with her husband and young daughter in Enumclaw, Washington. Prada & Prejudice is her first novel, coming June 2009.

See Mandy Hubbard's website .
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You Wish, her next book will be coming out on August 5th.  I have it on my side bar and can't wait to read it!

FTC Information: I bought this book for my Kindle and my reading enjoyment.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.