A Young Adult Historical Romance with Lots of Laugh and Heart
Witty in Pink
Teen & Young Adult Historical Romance, Teen & Young Adult Romantic Comedy
Entangled: Teen
August 6, 2024
Ebook, Audiobook, Paperback
400
Keep your friends close. Keep your nemesis closer.
After nearly five years of avoiding him, Briggs Goswick may have appeared at my feet on horseback like a handsome white knight but, in fact, he is a certified man-child.
Briggs may be many things—a society darling (annoying), attractive (so unfair), and heir to an elite family (helpful)—but after humiliating me at a ball several years ago, he is primarily my archnemesis.
His presence has made this summer go from bad to…complicated. I have the weight of saving my family’s name and finances solely on my shoulders, while I endure an endless parade of dreary balls and insufferable suitors to make a favorable match. But I have another idea—a business venture—to save my family. All I need are investors.
And as for Briggs? He’s hiding a secret as well: he’s flat broke.
Now the person I loathe the most in this world is just as trapped as I am—both penniless and our households depending on us to save them. And I think I know how. All I have to do is play nice with the very devil I’ve sworn to hate…
His society connections can boost me from near obscurity to help me win over investors for my business. And perhaps I can help him woo an aloof heiress with deep pockets. It’s a long shot. It might even work…but do I want it to?
Imagine Pride and Prejudice, but with Darcy as a somewhat self-centered rogue and Elizabeth as an entrepreneurial bee enthusiast.
Any historical romance that has an opening paragraph in which the female protagonist calls the male main character “a certified man-child” has my full attention. Erica George’s Witty in Pink is nothing less than that (witty) and is honestly laugh-out-loud funny. There is no shortage of smart banter and coming-of-age clumsiness in George’s new young adult Regency-era romantic comedy.
Witty in Pink is a dual point-of-view story of Blythe Rowley and Briggs Goswick, two childhood friends who grew up torturing one another with pranks and quips. After four years of absence from one another, they are reunited in the prime of their young adulthood, where each is ready for the marriage mart. Blythe, however, could care less about making a suitable match this season. Her goal instead is to secure investors for her apiary business. Yet she quickly learns that a gentleman’s daughter is expected to act and dress a certain way. She needs some help learning how to mingle with the wealthiest landowners in the county. In steps her childhood nemesis, Briggs Goswick, who is handsome, charming, and recently became lord of Mistlethrush manor after his father’s death. Briggs needs help as well. He needs to secure himself a bride with a large dowry so that he can save his ancestral home from debt. Blythe and Briggs enter into a reluctant alliance to help one another: Briggs will introduce Blythe to potential investors while Blythe will help Brigges win the heart of a young heiress with fifty thousand pounds to her name.
What unfolds from their agreement is one of the sweetest enemies-to-lovers romance that I’ve read in a while. Blythe and Briggs are both endearingly flawed characters who you see growing up and growing together through the pages of the story. t. Through their partnership, Blythe and Briggs find that, when they stop arguing with one another long enough, they bring out the best in each other. They understand one another and see through that front that many of us feel as if we need to put in place to protect ourselves from the trials of young adulthood.
The title also captured my attention from the beginning since I’m a fan of the 1986 Pretty in Pink starring Molly Ringwald. I can see some continuities between the two stories when it comes to the tension between classes, as Blythe’s family is not as well positioned as the social circles she tries to mingle with in hopes of finding investors. The most fun connection, though, is the dress. A pink dress. A dress that makes Blythe feel secure in herself and confident as well as a dress that draws Briggs’ attention in the most “girl steps into the prom and takes the boy’s breath away” kind of way. So classic.
Blythe Rowley wears a pink dress. Perhaps the first time I’ve seen her in that color since the incident in the pigsty. But this pink is different. This Blythe is different. She’s vibrant, deep, and powerful, and I’m blown away by the sheer glory of her, unable to notice any other person in the room.
Since this romance is written for young adults, the spice level is low. This doesn’t mean, however, that there’s not plenty of tension and swoony kisses. I found the romance satisfying, sweet, and genuine.
If you are in the mood for a fresh Regency-era romance with fun dialogue and lovable characters, then I’d highly recommend Erica George’s Witty in Pink.
Celeste is a woman who is unwavering about certain things in life; three of those being books, cats, and cold brew coffee. If she can enjoy all three at the same time, it’s going to be a good day. Her favorite genres are fantasy or sci-fi romance, historical romance, and historical fiction but every few books she likes to mix it up with contemporary fiction, a good psychological thriller, or an inspiring memoir. She has a busy schedule working full-time for an online university but she makes sure to unwind each day with stories, either by reading to her elementary school-aged daughter or tucking herself in bed with her Kindle or the latest book she picked up at a local book store.
