Six Books To Read If You Like Pride and Prejudice

Khalid is well aware that his mother is more than happy to arrange his marriage. He doesn’t mind it, either. It’s easier this way. He’s a conservative Muslim and knows very well that people aren’t ever going to be generous with their perception of him. That is, until he meets Ayesha. Headstrong and beautiful Ayesha. Now he’s second-guessing his mother’s plans to have him married by July.

Ayesha has no interest in dating these days, let alone participating in the wedding games her younger cousin plays. While her cousin dreams of sitting through a hundred proposals before picking the ‘right’ one to marry, Ayesha dreams of making enough money to pay her uncle back for college tuition (she’s already given up loftier dreams of falling in love and becoming a poet).

When Khalid’s mother arranges his engagement to Ayesha’s younger cousin, Ayesha’s forced to reconcile her duty to her family with the feelings she’s starting to have for Khalid. 

Pick up Ayesha at Last if you're obsessed with The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed by Noreen Mughees or This Way Out by Tufayel Ahmed. And if you love Ayesha at Last, consider reading Much Ado about Nada, Jalaluddin’s spin on Persuasion, another of Austen's classics.

EJ is supposed to be spending her last year at Longbourn University sorting out what to do with her engineering degree after graduation. Instead, she’s finding that it’s easier to question her own ambition in a department where professors think that people with boobs aren’t cut out for civil engineering.

Luckily, EJ has the support of the ladies at Bennet House, Longbourn’s women’s dorm, where she has made a whole new family away from home. Unluckily, supporting her sisters also means that EJ is stuck socializing with Will Pak. His friend is dating her friend, which means they’re friends-in-law. Or something like that. She doesn’t want to entertain the man who insulted her at a campus party—even if Will is a handsome, semi-famous actor.

Even after talking with Will enough to consider him a friend, stray gossip makes EJ reconsider their shaky camaraderie. She has enough to deal with without pulling herself into soap-opera levels of drama. Though, on second thought, it might be too late for that.

You'll want to pick this book up if you ever thought that Darcy desperately needed friends to tell him that his first proposal was in need of TLC. This college romance spin on Pride and Prejudice is perfect for those who love classic and modern romance stories.

Be sure to also check out Appiah-Kubi’s sophomore novel, Her Own Happiness, which modernizes Emma,another of Jane Austen's books.

Interior-designer-turned-stage-kitten Liz Bennet has found an unexpected family in the burlesque performers at Meryton after being ousted from her previous job. So, when it comes out that Meryton is in danger of closing its doors, Liz knows she will give everything it takes to keep her family together.

The last thing she needs right now is to get involved with an uptight patron with an intriguing smile. There’s definitely a spark ready to burn bright... Except Darcy doesn’t ‘get’ the appeal of burlesque, and Liz isn’t keen on educating those unwilling to learn. But when their best friends fall into explosive infatuation, Liz and Will Darcy are forced to learn how to tolerate each other. Or maybe more, if they’re being honest (but who is these days?). In fact, they might be able to save Meryton if they’re willing to set aside their differences and work together. And if they end up in bed together in the process... Well, who could blame them?

Inspired by the author’s experience in NYC burlesque classes, this sex-positive spin on the Pride and Prejudice classic is perfect for fans of Eye Candy by Esme Brett and The Roommate by Rosie Danan.

If you end up loving this retelling as much as I did, Vanessa King’s new book, Ellie Hayes and the Himbos, comes out November 4th, 2025!

Theodora Ettings had exactly half of her soul stolen from a faerie when she was a child. She doesn’t mind. Feeling the full extent of her emotions seems bothersome anyhow. Sure, this unique curse makes her prone to social blunders and accidental scandals. Except Dora has never had any intention of being more than a wallflower and maybe a spinster on her dearest cousin’s estate - if her cousin can snag a proposal during London’s social season.

Of course, all the etiquette lessons in England couldn’t prepare Dora for meeting Elias Wilder, the perfectly rude (and handsome) Lord Sorcier. They start off on the wrong foot, sure, but if there’s one thing Elias can’t resist, it’s a mystery... And Dora is a plenty charming mystery.

Half a Soul is Pride and Prejudice by way of Emily Wilde. This book is perfect if you love the 19th-century backdropping of the classic and are looking for something a bit more magical.

You'll enjoy this book if you love Netherford Hall by Natania Barron or The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields.

Every author has their critics. Or, in Lady Georgiana Cleeve’s case, she has somebody who’s ripping off the plots of her novels.

When Georgiana discovers Lady Darling’s identity, she doesn’t find a stranger; she finds Cat Lacey - otherwise known as her teenage crush. Even worse!

Both Cat and Georgiana are determined to investigate the same gothic manor to research their next books. They’re hoping to cohabitate in peace, though that proves complicated when the women end up trapped in the gothic estate along with a few ghosts and only one... coffin?

You’re going to love this if your favorite part of Pride and Prejudice is Austen’s sense of humor. Ladies in Hating is the newest standalone addition to Alexandra Vasti’s Belvoir’s Library series and comes out September 23rd, 2025.

This book needs to be added to your TBR if you’ve loved sapphic regency novels like The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Lindz McLeod and Infamous by Lex Croucher.