Exclusive Interview

‘Finding Her Edge’ Author Jennifer Iacopelli Reveals Why Adriana Chooses Freddie Over Brayden

[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for Finding Her Edge by Jennifer Iacopelli.]

By now, readers know that Adriana Russo, based on Persuasion‘s Anne Elliot, chooses to be with Freddie O’Connell (i.e., Frederick Wentworth) over Brayden Elliot (i.e., William Elliot) at the end of Jennifer Iacopelli’s 2022 novel, Finding Her Edge. While Netflix’s TV adaptation, starring Madelyn Keys, does not always stick to the same script as the novel, Adriana’s choice remains the same… At least for now.

Following the Netflix premiere of Finding Her Edge, author Jennifer Iacopelli sat down with Swooon to reveal the true reason why Adriana chose Freddie (Olly Atkins) over Brayden (Cale Ambrozic) in her novel, what she thinks could change for the couple in a potential sequel or Season 2, and, of course, why she’s not surprised that fans love Brayden so much.

“I challenged myself when I wrote this book,” Iacopelli told Swooon, “to try to write a love triangle that is not super obvious.” Not afraid to stray from the course Jane Austen had laid out in Persuasion, Iacopelli revealed that she fell in love with both Brayden and Freddie during the writing process.

“In Persuasion, Anne Elliot chooses Frederick Wentworth,” Iacopelli continued. “We can just put that there. That exists. And then the character that I’ve written, Adriana Russo, is separate and different from Anne Elliot.” When it comes to Adriana’s decision, Iacopelli explained, “Neither one of these boys is an incorrect choice. But, if I’m 16 years old, and the boy I have been in love with since I was 9-10 years old, confesses to me that he still loves me, and there’s a chance for me to see whether or not that works… Brayden Elliot is a wonderful dude, but [Adriana’s] got to give [Freddie] a shot.”

That being said, this is a teen romance, so Iacopelli shared that 16-year-old Adriana’s happily ever after can be read as a happily for now. “Maybe [in the future] we reopen that door, and we say, okay, that’s what a 16-year-old chose in that moment. Now we can see what happens next.”

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While Adriana has made her choice, it’s clear that fans have a special place in their hearts for Brayden Elliot, and trust us, so does Iacopelli. When asked if she expected fans to be so obsessed with Ambrozic’s Brayden, Iacopelli shared, “One hundred percent. Particularly, I think there are some things that they changed in the series which make it even more obvious that [Brayden and Adriana] have incredible chemistry.”

“There are moments that occur with Brayden and Adriana in the show that actually occur with Freddie and Adriana in the book,” Iacopelli told Swooon. “When I learned about those changes, I was like, oh, okay, poor Freddie’s not gonna have a shot here. They’re gonna be rooting really, really hard for Brayden.” Much like the viewers, Iacopelli confessed, “I do love Brayden. I created him. I am heartbroken, especially for the TV version of Brayden.”

When it comes to continuing the story, both as it ends in the novel and the TV series, Iacopelli shared, “I haven’t really gotten to delve into maybe what happens with the book version of Brayden yet, but TV Brayden is going through it.” You can see it during the last few moments of the Season 1 finale, when Brayden and Adriana make eye contact after she finds out that he’s doing rehearsals with Riley (Millie Davis). This partner switch-up, which does not happen in the book, caused Iacopelli to ask one major question: Is Brayden just skating with Riley to get back at Adriana?

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According to Iacopelli, she chatted with Ambrozic about that very question, and the two couldn’t come to a conclusive answer just yet. Either way, she can’t help but feel for Riley. She shared, “If we get renewed, I can’t wait to see that play out, because that’s gonna be fun.”

“Riley is the only one who was upfront, honest, and told her friends what she needed to tell them in the moment.” Iacopelli continued, “She was completely open about what was going on while everyone else was keeping secrets. Adriana was a pretty rough friend to her at the end of that season.”

It’s clear that, as a viewer, Iacopelli ended Finding Her Edge Season 1 not as Team Brayden, Team Freddie, or even Team Adriana, per se. Instead, she was “fully Team Riley.” That’s why only time will tell what the future brings for the skating teens at the heart of our new favorite love triangle, both on and off the page.

Finding Her Edge, Season 1, Streaming Now, Netflix