<I> A HUGE thank you to Inkyard Press for providing me with an eARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This novel is currently set to be published in October 2020. </I>

4.5 stars

Wow! I am not sure if it was serendipidy or fate that caused me to come across this novel as I was obsessing over the new film rendition of Jane Austen's <u> Emma </u> released last week, but whatever the universe's impetus behind it was I am utterly infatuated with Cantor's new romcom. I have not read <u> Emma </u> in about a decade, but I found this modern reimagining to be just as fun and disastrous as the original novel.

Cantor made an effort to keep some of the key names faithful to Austen's book (e.g. Emma Woodhouse and George Knightley), but others she chose to substitute more modern names with the same first initial. It is pretty easy to figure out who is supposed to represent who as you are reading, if you are interested in drawing comparisons to its predecessor. I thoroughly enjoyed how Cantor gave this an updated spin by setting it in a high school with a "Code for Love" app as the matchmaking business. It keeps it relevant to 21st century readers while touching on the original themes and social dilemmas that Austen presented over 200 years ago. Some things never change; humans will always be drawn to love stories full of wit, humour, and suspense. This book has all of those. An easy fun read, especially for Austen fans.

This was an adorable read! I feel like STEM and coding for girls are really under-represented. While not a hard hitting book this was the perfect light romance!

Quirky, nerdy, and super cute! Ended up in a different direction than I thought it would - but I loved it! Catch me teaching myself how to code an app!

This was a cute, quick read. Cantor has made characters who are likable and engaging. I loved that this was a YA book with a female lead who is also a math genius. Emma is a bit of a Sheldon Cooper type in terms of her social intelligence and it is both frustrating and endearing navigating senior year with her. Definitely recommend for fans of Emma and Clueless (another retelling of Emma)., or for anyone wanting a palate cleanser after a heavy read or a good beach read.

4 stars

This was a sweet novel with a good premise. It was, however, very light on the romance aspect and the characters didn't really speak to me. I'm not sure why, but I had a hard time really connecting and staying engaged as the story progresses. It may be that I generally read books with more mature lead characters and this book takes place in High School. That may not be an issue for other readers.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5
I thought this book was pretty cute. I thought it resembled a Jane Austen book but a more modern version. I liked how the characters developed, but at the same time I couldn’t stay hooked on the plot. It had its potential moments to be really cute but it fell a little short for me. It could also be my age, I’m in my late 20’s and have a difficult time sometimes connecting to younger characters.

There was something about the title and premise that drew me in. I mean, who doesn't love a good love story? I know nothing about Emma which is what this is a retelling of but I was still excited to give this one a try. The thing is, there was just something missing. I did like it for the most part but it just needed more.

Emma has no friends. She would rather deal with numbers than socializing. Although she quickly makes friends in this book so not really sure if that makes sense. I was a shy teen back in high-school but I still had a handful of friends. There wasn't anything that made me connect to her character but I did like that she cared so much about her dad. Family is important and I like seeing that in books. On the other hand, I literally can't remember a YA book I have read recently where both parents have been in the picture for the MC. I thought about that while reading so I'm just going to throw it in here.

The other characters in this book are fine but also a bit lackluster. They are there to move along the plot. George was fine but again, no connection for me. I did like the relationship and how it played because at least it wasn't insta-love and Emma had to work through her feelings to understand that math isn't the answer for everything and love just happens.

The plot was entertaining but I think what was missing is the love/heartbreak. Everything was told and not showed. I wanted to know more about the couples. It also felt like the part that could be taken as heartbreak was fine but also not that emotional? It could be just me.

Overall, I liked it but just needed a bit more of something.

The blurb sounds fascinating, and a retelling of Emma by Jane Austen? I'm all for it! And I'm a sucker for anything about coding/computers. Computer nerds/geeks are sexy. Seriously.

Sad to say, this book isn't for me. Here are the reasons:

1. The heroine doesn't endear herself to me, for some reason. However, I did like that she cares for her dad and worries about him should she go away to college when the time comes.

2. It seems weird that she doesn't have a single friend (aside from her sister) before the book starts. She does go to classes, doesn't she? How about seatmates whom she may be acquainted with?

3. Not much romance.

4. When Izzy came home for Christmas, the way she pined for John when he went on a trip with his family. I don't think it's a good depiction of a person in love. Impressionable teenagers would get the wrong impression.