This was such a cute story! It was such a nice modernisation of Jane Austen’s Emma, and it was easy to read. I liked the pacing and the writing style made this a quick read for me. The concept of this story is so relevant in this day and age – there are so many dating apps that use algorithms to “match” people so I can definitely relate to that idea here. The MC was very well developed and loveable, despite her flaws. If you are looking for a nice lighthearted YA read, then definitely give this a shot!

I really liked this book. I don't really read Young Adult books anymore, but this was a great one that was set in the senior year in high school. They're in a coding club where they have to enter into a competition - they decide to do a dating app-esque code and it works really well, but it also has its own consequences. I really loved this and how it taught everyone involved some lessons, while still having a happily ever after.

This was a really fun YA retelling of Jane Austen's Emma! I feel like most Austen retellings tend to focus on Pride and Prejudice, so it was great to see this fresh take on what is arguably my favorite Austen novel. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author!

DNF - Did not finish. I decided not to keep reading this title because I did not connect with the writing or plot. Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for the early copy!

Being a mood reader can be hard. I'm fairly certain I could love this book, however it wasn't grabbing my attention at the time I went to read it. I'm fairly certain this is because I haven't been in a YA reading mood, it comes and goes. For now, it is a DNF from me, but I can see enjoying this one. There is a chance I may come back to in it the future and will update my review at that time.

The Code for Love and Heartbreak by Jillian Cantor is a witty, contemporary take on Jane Austen’s classic Emma. It’s been years since I read the original story, but from what I remember, Cantor hits the mark modernizing the wayward matchmaker. I started reading this one and didn’t stop til I finished. It’s a quick read, made all the better by the author’s writing style and first-person narrative. Following two teens in their senior year of high school, The Code for Love and Heartbreak is sure to leave you smiling.

Emma Woodhouse is a self-proclaimed math wiz. Numbers make sense to her, they never fail her, and they always tell the truth. It’s people Emma doesn’t understand. With her social butterfly of a sister leaving for college, Izzy makes Emma promise that she will be more social during their year apart. Emma has zero intentions of following through on that promise, but after a few weeks being at home alone in the evenings, she decides to give it a try with her fellow classmates in the coding club.

George Knightley is Emma’s only true friend, at least he understands her like even her family doesn’t. They have the same interests, the same classes, the same goals in life really. But where Emma has no social skills, George excels in this. He tempers her remarks, making her come off as kind, even when she doesn’t realize how mean she may sound. Can you tell yet that I like George?

The story begins with a joke from Izzy to Emma: "You could always code yourself a boyfriend." Well, Emma doesn’t code herself a boyfriend, but for the coding club competition she does get a brilliant, at least to her, idea to code a matchmaking program specific to her high school. As you can imagine, this devolves quickly, even if it is a smart idea. George is set against it, and suddenly the boy that has always been by Emma’s side isn’t. The story follows Emma and the club through state competition, from the beginning of the school year to sometime around Valentine’s Day. That’s a lot of time to pack into three hundred or so pages! Despite that, it flows well. I love the relationships Emma develops with her other club members, and how during Izzy’s absence, Emma finds herself doing things she enjoys instead of trying to make her sister happy.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Code for Love and Heartbreak. Emma’s character growth from the beginning to the end is extraordinary. It reminds me a little of that last year of high school, the feelings of this is the end and the beginning, being slightly terrified and unsure but also excited and ready for what life will bring. Cantor invokes all of those feelings in the reader through Emma. If you are in need of a sweet YA rom-com for your reading pleasure, look no further than The Code for Love and Heartbreak.

This was a really cute, fluffy HS romance. I flew through it (read it in a day)!
I really loved the cast of characters and that it wasn’t only about finding romantic love but also about finding yourself and friendships and family. That the MC, Emma, was on the autism spectrum (which wasn’t said in the book, but that’s how I read it, since Emma has trouble with social interactions and relies on numbers to navigate her world) made this book stand out to me.
I listened to the audiobook while reading along and the voice actress did an amazing job - highly recommend checking that out as well.
Can’t wait to see what this author will do next.

I missed out on this due to personal issues but I just wanted to say thanks. It was a great book and I would buy it for friends or relatives for sure.

I love this spin on a classic and the addition of girls who are passionate about math and coding. A romantic heroine that is not socially adept, and instead is good at STEM-related things? Sign me up.

This is a quick fun read that is based on Emma and follows through in a modern setting (all with a coding club and a matchmaking app). The premise is fast-paced and I really liked how well the characters were adapted. I do believe that this is a book I'd have loved to read as a younger reader, and devoured with a ton of smiles on my face.

This book is adorable and fun, and I loved reading it. I'm also a huge fan of Clueless. (I'll be honest that I've tried reading Emma, but find the BBC movie adaptation a little easier to get through.) The Code for Love and Heartbreak is a modern retelling of Emma, where Emma is a high school senior who loves coding. Before leaving for college, her sister inspires her to code to a dating app that matches students. It has some successes and some failures, much to Emma's concerns. I'd definitely recommend this to 7th grade and up, especially to introduce them to the plot and themes in Emma by Jane Austen.

This is a fun YA retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma set in the middle of a high school coding club. After Emma’s sister graduates, her main goal is to win state with her coding club. When George, co-president of the coding club, disapproves of her submission of a matchmaking app, Emma works harder than ever to find “The Code for Love” when their matched couples start breaking up. This was a quick read!

Thanks to @NetGalley and Inkyard Press for my ARC!

3.5 stars

Cute YA story about high schoolers who use coding to match up their classmates. But can you really find the code for love?

The story was sweet but very predictable. None of the characters were super intriguing and most of the drama was typical high school stuff. I thought their passion for education was admirable and liked the direction they took their school project, how dedicated to its success they became. The romance was very minimal for being a “love” story. I would have liked to see more from that side of the book.

Overall it was cute and the writing was decent.

Another book that I wanted to fall for but it just didn't happen. This story about first love and coding just wasn't for me. I found that the coding sections of the book over took the romance of the story and just really bogged down the reading. I felt like I was slogging through a coding class most of the time and just had to call it quits.

This one was an okay read. I appreciated the inclusivity of a girl who loves coding and numbers. I was not able to connect with Emma as much as I would like to and felt this one was a little too YA for me. Still would recommend for actual YA readers.

It was... simply bad.

1) Other than the names, there's not really that much Emma in this book.
2) The absolutely most unlikable main character ever. I can't say one simple good thing about her and by the end of the book she still didn't really learn her lessons...
3) The book goes on and on about how much Emma loves numbers and math and coding, yet her algorithm has the biggest flaw and no logic whatsoever...
4) No chemistry... between any of the couples in this book.

And there's probably more but I should go to sleep.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles.
I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

This was a really cute YA contemporary romance! I honestly didn't realize it was an Emma retelling until the main character said her name was Emma Woodhouse. I was only so-so about it up until that point but after I knew where the story was going to go I was very much into it. And it got a lot cuter as it progressed. As with all retellings, you know where the story is going to go but I really enjoyed this modern twist to one of my favorite classic novels.

It was very cute but I felt like it was a very surface level story. I didn't feel a strong connection to the characters and honestly, if I hadn't been familiar with the Austen novel Emma, I probably wouldn't have cared about these characters at all. I also would have liked to see more sexual orientation diversity in the main characters, the two same sex relationships happened on the periphery.

That said, reading this was a nice way to spend an afternoon.

Modern retelling of Jane Austen's Emma, I think this is a great book for the younger audience that likes this storyline, but a very modern and lighter take.

A clever and heartfelt updating of Austen’s Emma for the 21st century. Instead of the original Emma as bubbly, clever, and overly interested-in-others’ affairs of the heart, this Emma is an introvert much more familiar with the world of coding, classical piano, and the coding club at high school, where she’s a senior intent on getting into Stanford. Older sister Izzy has already beaten the path from their New Jersey home to attend college in California, same as her boyfriend John. But Em worries about her dad, lonely already after the death of his wife some years earlier, and now would be on his own if she decamped westward. Em’s meddling in the heart affairs of others is based on her unshakable conviction that mathematics and coding can answer most if not all questions, including those surrounding human behavior in who is attracted to whom. Just as with the original, good intentions lead to disastrous consequences, though all come right in the end. Engaging characters, enough hark-back to Austen’s Emma to keep things tied together, but with a distinctly 2020’s feel. Highly recommended.