Freaky Friday!

Pride & Prejudice characters body-swapping, oh, the possibilities!

Jun 13, 2025

Dear Readers,

Today is, of course, Friday the 13th. Not being a fan of horror movies, I much prefer those sillier comedies related to this day, namely Freaky Friday and its remakes.

I’ve recently been reading some wonderful Pride and Prejudice variations with this trope. Body-swapping characters lends itself to some amazing possibilities for humorous situations. Elizabeth and Darcy in each other’s bodies? What about Elizabeth and Caroline? Elizabeth and Mrs. Bennet? How about putting Mr. Darcy into Mr. Bennet’s body at the same time? Or what if we made him change places with Mr. Collins? Then would Elizabeth have to be Charlotte? You see how fun it is?

I guarantee you’ll have a rip-roaring good time this Freaky Friday with these body-swap variations. I’ll give you my brief run-down of these hilarious comedies that have had me cackling all month long.

Darcy by Any Other Name by Laura Hile

I snagged this one when it was on sale for 99c. The author told me the year it was published, a mix-up occurred and it released on Friday the 13th instead of the day before as was scheduled. Talk about kismet!

Could Elizabeth ever fall for a fat, bumbling guy like Mr. Collins? Maybe if he’s inhabited by the spirit of Mr. Darcy! A strange lightning strike causes Darcy and Collins to swap. At first, Elizabeth is repulsed, but she soon begins to wonder if she’s misjudged her silly cousin. Laura Hile is one of my favorite JAFF authors and this was such a fun variation of hers to read. Darcy as Collins was so adorable I almost wished he could stay in that form forever (almost!).

Body & Soul by MJ Stratton

I moved on next to MJ Stratton’s new release, Body & Soul. This one is a true Freaky Friday story with mother and daughter swapping bodies. I loved MJ’s subtle references to the 2003 version with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis (yes, I’ve watched that one enough times to catch them, haha!). Body & Soul was rife with humor, yet it had some moments that caught me off-guard with their surprisingly deep impact.

I loved that it drew Mrs. Bennet and all her daughters, not just Lizzy, closer together, and the restoration between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet was especially touching. There is a romance for Lizzy and Darcy, as well, and seeing them fall in love while in the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet made for an interesting perspective. The building to the Christmas conclusion was a nice touch.

A Disguise of the Worst Sort by Sarah Courtney

Caroline Bingley draws upon a faerie incantation to trap Elizabeth Bennet, switching their places so she can marry Mr. Darcy in Elizabeth’s stead and cursing Elizabeth so she’s thwarted any time she tries to speak about it. At first Elizabeth thinks it won’t be so bad since she never wanted to marry him anyways, but as time goes on, she realizes what a huge mistake it is. But how to break the curse when she can’t even speak about what happened?

Sarah Courtney’s variations are so imaginative, and I loved her use of faerie lore and magic to make this curse happen. It was very interesting to see how even in the body of Miss Bingley, Darcy’s heart was still drawn to Elizabeth. This was a really delightful story that takes place mainly at Pemberley at Christmas.

BeSwitched by KaraLynne Mackrory

This was a re-read for me this month, but well worth it! An emissary sprite is in charge of overseeing the fates of mortals. Having had enough of Darcy and Elizabeth knocking theirs off course, he casts a spell to put them into each other’s bodies.

There is something so delicious about seeing the male and female love interest forced to switch bodies, as it is really ripe for hilarious situations, especially in the context of Regency era modesty and virtues. For Darcy and Lizzy’s sake, they can be thankful that their swap lasts no more than an evening, over the course of the Netherfield Ball, and that their sprite uses a spell to suspend some of their bodily needs, ha!

A bewitching story that takes less than an hour to read, and manages to neatly resolve all the usual troubles between the characters in a unique fashion.

Isn’t it wonderful how two books can have the same basic premise but yet play out entirely differently? As I searched for body swap variations, I found some recurring concepts, but the timelines, setup and authors voices all made them entirely unique and entirely lovely.

A Very Merry Mix-Up by Jennifer Redlarczyk

A short little fic set on April Fool’s Day, both Darcy and Collins and Elizabeth and Charlotte exchange places after drinking some Romani wine that Colonel Fitzwilliam gave them the night before. The humorous events that follow lead to a day of unexpected revelations and understandings for Our Dear Couple. Fortunately for all, the effect wear off after a day, but so do the memories, fading away as a dream. Can Darcy and Elizabeth remember their love afterwards or will it always be like a distant feeling of déjà vu? If you’ve only got a half hour to read and want something funny and quick, this one hits the spot just right.

Stealing Darcy by Cass Grix

Like Sarah Courtney’s book, Cass Grix’s Stealing Darcy capitalizes on the idea of Caroline Bingley entering Elizabeth’s body in order to take advantage of his love for her. The story initially follows the plot of the novel, but diverges at Netherfield when a gypsy woman sells Caroline a necklace that allows her to trade places with Elizabeth.

This one had some surprising twists to it, and a thrilling climax. Despite her meanness, Caroline also managed to pull my sympathy at times. The longer timeline means that Caroline and Elizabeth spend a considerable amount of time in their alter-egos bodies, and this led to some interesting developments as well.

Darcy or Lizzy? by Cassandra B. Leigh

During the Netherfield stay, Lizzy and Darcy find themselves switched. Unlike the BeSwitched story, this transformation is a longer one, forcing them to deal with the awkwardness of protecting their modesty during daily rituals and many opportunities for hilarity. Being each other naturally draws them together and helps them see the world through the perspective of the other’s eyes. Wickham’s deeds are exposed earlier in this story, so there is no danger for Lydia. This was a very sweet and low-angst story.

Are there any other body-swap variations you’ve read that you’d like to recommend? Feel free to mention them in the comments!

Happy reading,

Amanda Kai