Emma of 83rd Street | ARC Review

This might be the best Jane Austen/Emma retelling I’ve ever read, and I don’t say that lightly.

Quick bites:

• age gap
• slow burn
• NYC
• third person, but dual pov

Mr. Woodhouse was spot on to the original character. He was so funny, completely aloof, and so ridiculous. Every interaction with him was something to look forward to.

Bellezza and Harding understood the rules of writing a retelling which meant they also knew when and how to break them. I think this is illustrated well regarding Nadine and Emma’s relationship. I usually see this relationship portrayed poorly or leaving me feeling a certain way. I think they killed it. They understood the original material well enough to take its spirit and rewrite that rather than the story beat for beat.

The romance had me in shambles!!! I love slow burn romances so this book was right up my alley. And when I say slow burn, I might right up to the end the characters are aching for each other and keep missing opportunities to profess their love for each other. But we still got a nice moment (momentsssss really) at the end that made everything worth it.

Also, as a random note, I loved all the fashion. I thought it was so fun even for someone who knows nothing about designer…or fashion.

Overall, you should not skip over this book for any reason! It is an absolute delight (even if it does take place on the upper east rather than my beloved upper west) and I will be recommending to everyone I know.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed a gifted and advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating

To check out my other reviews, click here. Or to check out more books by Audrey Bellezza, go to her Goodreads profile. Or to check out more books by Emily Harding, go to her Goodreads profile.