Author L.C. Rosen (also known as Lev AC Rosen) has just released a new YA book, entitled Emmett, a modern-day gay retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma. The book centers on its title character, a teenager raised in a privilege life who is aware of the advantages life has provided him. As such, Emmett makes it a point to give back to those who aren’t quite as well-off as him in various aspects. One way he does so is by helping his friend-with-benefits find a boyfriend, something Emmett isn’t searching for until he’s at least 25 and his brain is fully developed (or so he says). Despite Emmett’s confidence, his childhood friend Miles doesn’t think it’s such a good idea, but that only makes Emmett more determined. However, the further along Emmett gets in his pursuit, the more he begins to realize that love and relationships aren’t as simple as he may have initially thought.

Something that caught my attention immediately — and that Rosen does well in illustrating throughout the book — is that Emmett is specifically a nice person, rather than someone who views him or is described as a kind or good one. As Emmett goes about his mission of finding Harrison a boyfriend, Rosen showcases the different ways in which Emmett approaches not only his main goal, but in how he interacts with others. He can be a self-centered character, though one with good intentions who doesn’t seem to quite grasp where he goes wrong until things escalate. It eventually forces him to look at certain events with a new perspective, whether it’s owning up to his mistakes or contending with bigger ideas and beliefs he holds.

Another facet I thought was interesting is how Emmett views relationships in general. Early on, readers learn that Emmett’s mother died a few years prior to the events of the book. One tidbit he’s firmly held onto since her death is how the human brain is fully developed until 25-years-old. So, Emmett built that into his own philosophies on romance. In doing so, Rosen unravels many of Emmett’s fears, especially when it comes to losing more people close to him. Though he’s adamant he can’t properly be in a relationship until he’s 25, his cynicism goes much deeper. Moreover, it informs Emmett’s careful tactics in finding a boyfriend for Harrison and provides insight into Emmett’s relationship with his father.

Emmett is a strong retelling of Austen’s original work. Rosen incorporates elements from Emma’s text while effortlessly adjusting and creating new ones to make the story a unique one. He allows his characters the space to flourish whether they occupy a lot of page space or only appear every so often. Rosen also brings a poignant look at modern society, exploring different relationship dynamics, offering critique on the role of social media in relationships, and more. Ultimately, Emmett is an insightful, entertaining, and romantic read.

4 / 5 ⭐️'ˢ

“Emmett” By Lev A.C. Rosen

📕 Edition: eBook & Audiobook

A modern-day LGBTQ+ retelling of Jane Austen's classic, "Emma." 🏳️‍🌈 This book transports you to Highbury Academy in Los Angeles, where Emmett, a handsome and clever young man, takes center stage.

Emmett's journey to play matchmaker for his friend Harrison leads to a rollercoaster of emotions and discoveries. 🎢 He's charismatic, conceited, and sure he knows it all, but his character growth is where the magic happens. 🪄

I found myself both charmed and captivated by this book, and I couldn't help but root for Emmett as he navigated the complexities of his relationships and his own understanding of love.

Thank you @NetGalley , Lev A.C. Rosen and @LittleBrownYoungReaders for providing me with this ARC.

EMMETT by L.C. Rosen is a charming adaptation of Jane Austen's EMMA, featuring contemporary, queer, teenaged characters. The prose is light and easy to read, creating a bright, breezy atmosphere. Rosen also nails the comedy beats. Even having never read or seen a film adaptation of EMMA, the story is fairly predictable but in a way that creates strong dramatic irony and an eye roll-inducing, yet loving, relationship with the main character. Overall, an enjoyable read.

I have to hand it to the author, they really understood the heart of Emma but also gave us quite a nice modernization of the story. Like a cross between the movie Clueless and Austen's Emma, this rather simple and smug nature of Emma's perfect life is recaptured perfectly with many of the same mannerisms and observations from the Austen version. It's a fun tale that is a very easy read.

Story: Emmet is comfortable in life. Yes, his father is a bit neurotic but loves him greatly, he isn't bad looking, gets good grades, and has a very comfortable life. Even his best friend Miles doesn't get too annoying even though he has to see him too often since their families are so close. When his bestie Harrison looks to need a new guy in his life, Emmet takes up the challenge. After all, he helped his other bestie find her awesome boyfriend so he must be talented in that regard. But things are not always that easy and Emmet will soon learn that hearts are not that simple.

I really enjoyed this book. So many times I was reminded of Clueless but with Emmet being not as Ditzy as Cher. The observations about the modern wealthy in America were all there and well done. From TikTok obsessions to football games. As with Emma, Emmet lost his mother at a young age and his father never really recovered from the tragedy - enter Miles and his two mothers, all trying to help out Emmet's family in any way they can.

I highly recommend this - it is definitely one of the better Emma homages. The author didn't just take the plot and modernize it; they kept so much of Emma's personality and quirks intact. But this isn't a laborious read and very quick and fun to go through. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Readers for the ARC of this queer coming of age romance.

The premise (that Emmett won't date until his brain is fully developed at 25, but is perfectly okay with a physical relationship with a friend - which my demisexual brain couldn't parse as different) was kind of silly. But by the end I was feeling all the emotions and basically yelling at Emmett that he was an idiot and needed to look in front of him. It was sweet and emotional, and I was happy to see some demi rep.

Thank you to NetGalley/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for a copy of Emmett in exchange for an honest review.

When Is a Retelling Just Fill-in-the-Blank?

L.C. Rosen's Emmett is in no way hiding that it is Jane Austen's Emma "but make it gay." It's in the billing. The first paragraph of the summary is literally the opening of Austen's work!  Look, "but make it gay" is practically my love language. Unfortunately, Emmett really is just a retelling of Emma. It's like when someone takes Shakespeare and sets it in ... 2023 Los Angeles. The costumes look different, but a rose is still a rose and all that. 

Truth be told, I haven't read Emma, but I've seen the 1996 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow quite a few times. Emmett follows the plot points much more closely than, say, Clueless, which is another work based on Austen's novel.

Emma is one of my all-time favorite flicks, so the Emma/Emmett character is near and dear to me. There is nothing in Rosen's book that I specifically disliked, but I think it would have worked better if he'd strayed a bit off the plot path.  I found myself anticipating every major beat rather than savoring the little moments. 

Should You Read It?

Emmett is well-written, and its sense and sensibility fit in with those of its contemporaries. Its cast is diverse, with alphabet mafia members of varying persuasions (I also loved all the Jewish rep!) I imagine this will work much better for those unfamiliar with Austen's work.

Conversely, perhaps complete Austenphiles would also enjoy picking up the book as a way to complete their collection of sorts. I am not the audience for Emmett, but I do believe many would appreciate it. But, if nothing else, reading Emmett has inspired me to finally pick up the OG novel. 

Emmett is out on November 07, 2023. Pick up a copy at your local indie bookstore or library. 📚🌼

Content warning: child abuse (medical)

L.C. Rosen takes Jane Austen's beloved Emma and makes it a queer YA novel. It's a quick and cute read that captures high school while exploring friendship, romance and grief after loss. I loved the casual Jewish representation. I thought the book was fine, but it's not my favorite by the author. It never fully captured my heart.
Thank you to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
L.C. Rosen has been on my radar for a while, and while I wasn’t a fan of something I tried written under his other pen name, Emmett sounded much more my speed, being a modern queer Emma retelling. And while I’ve always had mixed feelings about Emma as a character, I’ve warmed to her in recent years, and Rosen’s Emmett captures the endearing, flawed side of the character archetype in his reimagining.
Emmett is simultaneously full of good intentions, yet very privileged and oblivious to what’s really going on around him as a result of said privilege. It was fun to play with him as a matchmaker, given it’s definitely something more associated with women, and you don’t even see queer men offering to matchmake their friends. But it feels believable, as do the deeper reasons why Emmett might be reticent to get too attached. I particularly liked how his mother’s death was made a much bigger deal, and how it impacts both him and his father.
The rather large cast of mostly queer characters are fairly obvious equivalents for many of the original novel’s major characters, although they may be a lot to keep track of if you’re not at least somewhat familiar with the story in some form, especially as the character context clues largely help distinguish who they’re meant to be.
Despite being somewhat marketed as a romance, the focus is much more on Emmett’s personal growth, mirroring Emma’s in the source material. The romance is there, and it’s pretty clear who he ends up with, but they did not get a lot of page time to develop their relationship beyond the mutual crush stage. However, any potential problematic implications (age gap, possible grooming) are now removed, and Emmett and his love interest are now both high school students and equals.
This was a fun read, and I would recommend it if you’re enjoy modern reimaginings of Jane Austen’s work.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I’m not a classic book girlie and have never read Jane Austen, but this was an interesting book without the context. I googled the plot of Emma and I like seeing the side by side comparison. This is a genderbent/queer retelling of Emma. I love Lev Rosen’s other books and felt like a completely different type of book from his usual.

Emmet is so frustrating in the beginning, but I think that’s just his character. He wants to get in everyone’s business and avoid his own feelings because he has problems dealing with them. While I didn’t like him at first, he grew on me when I learned more about him. I saw all the obvious signs of who should be together and the ending was super sweet. The talk about breakups made me cry a bit because it was very relevant to my life right now. Emmett didn’t want a bf because he didn’t want to deal with people leaving him. I felt that so heavy. I loved how loyal Emmet was to his friends as well. He was ready to throw down and fight when people got to be too much. I loved him for that.

This book was also super short and I read it in one sitting. It’s a great quick read that made me giggle and smile and if you like that I highly recommend!

I ended up really enjoying this book! I love a good retelling, and this read like an incredibly queer version of Clueless. Based off Jane Austen's Emma I feel this story stayed true to the purpose of its source material, and simply modernized it.

Emmett is always nice, to everyone, all the time, no matter what. He has also picked up a new hobby: matchmaking. After successfully helping his best friend get the boyfriend of her dream, Emmett takes it upon himself to help his friends-with-benefits, Harrison, find his very own boyfriend too. What starts out as a small side project quickly falls into chaos as Emmett learns that he may not know as much about love and attraction as he thinks he does.

I really enjoyed this queer, coming of age story. We don't always like Emmett, but that's OK because he is still learning and growing. I love the person I think he could be one day!

DNF @ 30-something percent.

There's truly nothing wrong with this book but I just really wasn't vibing with the characters and couldn't keep everyone straight since there were so many. This is also partly on me for requesting this book because I really don't like the original source material nor have I liked any Emma adaptation. I thought that a queer retelling would hit better for me but unfortunately I wasn't vibing with it and need to move on to other ARCs

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily

A Jane Austen Emma retelling but make it gay and Instagram post worthy. Emmett has issues. He thinks he’s a good matchmaker, so a match he will (try to) make in this story. His brain won’t stop developing until he’s 25 so having a steady boyfriend isn’t in the cards for him. As If! Gay relationships, mental health and grief are some themes in this book that made this a must read for me. Thanks to L. C. Rosen, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Sometimes, books take a while to get invested from the start of Emmett, you’ll immediately be invested. Given that the book is less than 300 pages, that’s a good thing.

The book follows Emmett who is popular, good-looking, and seemingly has everything he wants. The only problem is that Emmett refuses to be in a relationship for reasons we find out later. Things take a turn when he finds out his hookup, Harrison wants a boyfriend.

Emmett takes it upon himself to try and matchmake Harrison. From there, it goes completely off the wall. Emmett starts to spiral and focus on things he shouldn't while ignoring his responsibilities. In addition, he doesn’t notice what’s right in front of him. I’m trying to be vague but when you read the book, you’ll know what I mean.

This book is also casually queer as there are characters of all identities including gay, bi, and trans. Emmett is such a fun and snappy book that you’ll pick up and not realize that you’re halfway through already. It’s surprising how quickly you’re able to fall into this story.

On the whole, the story is about Emmett and him getting a wake-up call. He needs to be better and reflect on his actions. Thankfully, in the end, he gets there but it doesn't mean you won’t want to smack him a time or two. Either way, this story felt like the perfect pose of queerness even after Pride Month.

This was a cute, quick and engaging read. Great for when reading is feeling challenging and you're having trouble getting hooked by anything or want something lighthearted. I'll be honest, I've never actually read Emma. I have, however, seen Clueless about 20 times, and felt this was just the right level of inventive/ familiar. The characters are very likeable and I appreciated that although it's written for a YA audience, Emmett is allowed to be self-deluded and very much in denial without spelling that out for readers. His perfectionism and his mistakes felt just right. If you're looking for a hefty helping of feels or a lot of romance, this isn't it, as the romance doesn't fully come to light until quite close to the end. But it is sweet and as a reader I was definitely rooting for the MCs to get together, though I didn't quite feel they had as much chemistry leading up to the big reveal as I'd hoped. Anyway, I enjoyed this very much and also loved the bigger role the MCs' families had in this version, especially Emmett's dad. And, as always, yay for characters going to therapy. Absolutely recommend this one if you're looking for something charming and fun.

Thank you to Little Brown Books for the ARC of <i>Emmett</i> via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Eighteen year old Emmett Woodhouse has it all figured out. He intends to avoid the pitfalls of relationship turmoil but staying free of entanglements until he’s older, citing the fact that men’s brains don’t even finish developing until mid-20s as an excuse to press pause on romance. Instead, he occupies himself with stringless dalliances and playing matchmaker to his circle of friends. As his matchmaking prowess seems to fall short, he’s left to question whether his whole way of living is wrong. By avoiding heartbreak, is he also avoiding love?

This modern day Emma is a delightful, breezy read. Charming and clever, it effortlessly combines the timeless story of Jane Austen with a queer and modern twist. I loved the exploration of grief and loss and complex familial relationships. Emmett and Miles made perfect sparring partners and I closed this book wanting more of them. Jane Austen’s love stories are nothing if not demonstrations of wit and banter, and L.C. Rosen rises to the occasion here to give us characters that are smart, funny and challenge each other. Highly recommend!

There’s just something about Rosen’s writing that is so addictive yet soothing? I always love diving into the his new stories and Emmett proved to be no different.

Emmett is pitched as a modern-day gay Emma retelling. We follow Emmett Woodhouse, who has a lot going for him. He’s handsome, clever, and of good fortune, and is generally a happy guy who loves to spread the wealth, whether that means letting an irritating person infiltrate his lunch table or setting up his ex-hook up with a new guy. Because as nice as Emmett is, he has absolutely no desire to be in a relationship before he is older and his brain has developed completely, otherwise the feelings wouldn’t be real—or so he thinks. After watching his father be devastated when Emmett’s mother died, he knows that he doesn’t want that kind of pain in his life, no matter how sweet the idea of romance may sound. But just because he doesn’t want a relationship, he’s not opposed to helping others get what they want. And when setting up his ex-friend-with-benefits proves to be a tougher nut to crack and constantly throws him together with no other than Miles, his childhood best friend, Emmett quickly learns that drawing lines only works as long as his heart isn’t on one of them. And what started out as a matchmaking quest may turn into a real love for Emmett himself.

At its core, this book really is about grieving and healing. Emmett is still reeling from the loss of his mother, even if he pretends he isn’t, and has to deal with his father who has adopted some unconventional methods to make sure his son is healthy and won’t get sick like his wife did. It’s a different way to express love that will make sense to anyone who’s ever loved a lost one.

Lest you think it’s a sad book, though, Rosen delivers a fun spectacle of young shenanigans, hilarious over-the-top romance moments, an adorkable cluelessness. and some moments that make your heart soar.

I loved Emmett as our protagonist. Emmett’s internal struggle was incredibly relatable. He’s doing everything in his power to be nice and be considered a kind person, even though he—as we all—has these internal thoughts that make it clear that he would love to just growl at people sometimes. Meanwhile, his flawed logic about not engaging in any type of relationship with actual feelings before his brain has finished developing just really hit home for me. Emmett is determined to not be romantically involved with anyone because he just couldn’t stand to handle the pain of losing them if something were to happen. I thought that was such an interesting coping mechanism and it kept me completely entranced in the fast-paced story. We know these moments in romances where people give up before they get hurt but here Emmett takes himself out of the game completely, refusing any emotional connection that might break his heart and leave him as sad as his dad. There’s much to say here about emotional growth and maturity and Rosen did it so perfectly.

Add to that the secondary characters that fleshed out this fun romp in the best of ways. From Emmett’s (ex-)hook up that he tries to set up with someone perfect, his fellow classmates and friends and his strained relationship with Miles just all added a lot of depth to the story. Also, some of the over-the-top romance was just hilarious. The way Emmett constantly stood on the outside looking in as his best friend and her boyfriend were swept up in their love and got swept up in cinematic-worthy moments made me cackle. Not to mention that the setting up fails also had me grinning because it was so obvious to everyone but Emmett that you can’t script love, you can only follow what your heart wants.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs a refreshing tale to cleanse their palate.

An upbeat, modern gay Emma-retelling, Emmett will have you smiling like a Cheshire cat while also feeling all the feels. Perfect for fans of Jason June and Robbie Couch!

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

I really struggled to like this book and, had I not been gifted an eARC and felt like it was my responsibility to finish the book, I likely would have DNFed it.

My main issue is the character of Emmett. I understand that the author was somewhat bound by the constraints of Emma - the main character is supposed to be pretentious - but I felt like Emmett was too one-note, with no redeeming characteristics. In the end, I wasn't rooting for him to be with his love interest; in fact, I felt like his love interest would be better off without him. I believe the author could have preserved Emma's inherent cluelessness and blindness to her own needs while still providing some redeeming qualities so that the reader wasn't left with the overwhelming impression of an insufferable and unlikeable main character.

I did not post this review on any public facing sites besides NetGalley because I have no desire to tank the reviews of a queer book. I wish I had liked this more, but I really struggled to enjoy this. However, it's clear that others have enjoyed it, so I hope it does well when it's published!

This is exactly what I needed. There were moments when I thought I knew where this book was going, only to be swiftly reminded I didn’t, and that ending was perfection.

Emmett is the nice guy. He is handsome and kind, always willing to lend a helping hand, but he knows that he doesn’t want a boyfriend. A lover of casual hookups, Emmett doesn’t want to make any “love” decisions until his brain is fully developed… His surgeon mother taught him that before she died four years ago, and they are words he lives by. No boyfriends!

When a casual hookup, Harrison hints at wanting more from him, Emmett takes it upon himself to play matchmaker. It worked with his best friend and her boyfriend, so why wouldn’t it work for Harrison? His neighbor Miles has concerns, though. He thinks this is all a bad idea, but Emmett wants nothing to do with his smirks or his weird attitude.

We get to see Emmett grow and learn through a series of ups and downs, triumphs and mistakes, and his group of friends is there along the way. I loved this book. It was so sweet and full of hope. Rosen is a favorite author of mine and I knew I would love this!

I will be honest, I don't know a lot about the 'classics'. So I can't compare any similarities. Emmett is a supposed queer modern-day retelling of Emma. Clueless meets Bridgerton. Emmett is an extremely privileged 18 year old who decides to help people by matchmaking. It turns out to be a little more complicated than he originally thought. Especially when it comes to himself. Emmett was a little tough to like at times but I think that was probably part of the point. I think fans of Queer stories, coming-of-age stories, and romcoms will enjoy Emmett.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Books for Young Readers for providing me with a review copy.