Enthralling. Captivating. Hard to put down. All of these describe the charm that is captured in Emma on 83rd Street. Whether you are a fan of Jane Austen’s Emma or one of the many cinematic captures of Jane’s classic tale (i.e. Clueless. If you didn’t know that was based on Emma - now you do and you are welcome), this modern day twist takes us into the heart of New York where the Woodhouse and Knightly clan take on nuisances of the 21st century.

Determined, driven, beautiful, and creative are a just a few ways to describe the youngest daughter of the Woodhouse family. Adored by the residence of 83rd Street, Emma Woodhouse knows how to throw a party, bring people together, and help two people find love. At the age of 23 with only one year remaining of graduate school, Emma is trying her hardest to make the most of her single life in New York. While she is proud to have helped her sister Margo find her forever relationship, with her gone and her close friends abroad - Emma finds herself lonely, with only her overbearing neighbor George Knightley to keep her company. That is until she meets Nadine, a midwest transplant that seems so out of place, it would be a disservice not to step in and help her!

Feisty, argumentative, and a gigantic pain in the rear is exactly how George Knightly would describe Emma Woodhouse. Absorbed into her gravitational pull at age seven, George has tried his best to steer Emma in the right direction to no avail. He has watched her blossom from a curious girl to a surprisingly independent and strong-willed woman. While his thoughts may latch on to the latter more frequently lately, George has more important things to do - focus on his business, minimize risk in his life, and do everything in his power to be nothing like his father. Easy enough until Emma, who always believes she is right, correctly guesses that his brother and her sister are an item and has now latched onto another unexpected victim, disguising it as friendship.

Contrary to the objections of Knightly that this is only another hair-brained hobby, Emma sets her focus on helping her friend, yet again - find love in the big city - not realizing that love has other plans in mind.

What I like about it: The subtle humor of this book was what kept me engaged. The characters are presented as refined, well educated, and cultured but then they drop lines that are so out of left field, you find yourself laughing out loud! I enjoyed the family atmosphere, not just within the bloodline, but within the community. They came together, they supported each other, no matter what life dealt - neighbors didn't leave one another behind.

What I love about it: I loved the friction of Emma and George. Yes, they fought like brother and sister as their history made them just that but underneath all of the bickering, you felt the connection, the protective nature, the love, and admiration. When you grow up with someone like that, they have front row seats to the person behind the curtain. There is no protective veil, no hidden truths - they know the raw you, the real you - you can’t ask for a better foundation for love and trust than that.

The moment the author finally gets Emma and George together is so jaw dropping hot that you want to take a mental pause and give Knightly a “bro” type fit bump because, up until this point, you just didn’t think he was capable of that type of intensity! I mean there have been brief glimpses at the uncouth side but in that particular scene, you just wanted exclaim “Wow! Didn’t think he had it in him!”

This book is better than a soap opera, no one gets amnesia, no elevator shafts, but you are so pulled into the lives of the characters that reveals have you yelling “I knew it!”

I found the story itself had a rolling hills approach. It would be a slow build until it hit an important point in the story and then it was full speed ahead, focus locked, burning through pages until it approached its next hill, slowing down again and painfully inching the story forward, only to once again hit that peak and come roaring down the other side.

For a debut novel, hats off to Audrey and Emily. This was a beautifully crafted story for anyone who enjoys a good romance with a literary classic twist. I can't wait to see what these two come up with next!

Read if you like:
📚 Jane Austen Retellings
🗽 Books Set in NY
💰 Old Money Stories/Characters
💋 Romance
🤷🏼‍♀️ Friends to Lovers

This book was so fun! And now I feel like I need to go back and reread Emma as it has been far too long!

The dual pov truly made this book so much more fun, more spicy, and more lovable as we not only get Emma’s POV but also Knightly’s to see what a goner for Emma he is long before he will admit it.

I love the childhood friends and mash up of the boy next door tropes with that subtle feeling of enemies to lovers as Knightly and Emma are often disagreeing.

If you loved Emma by Jane Austen I highly recommend checking out this retelling asap! Thank you Gallery Books for my ARC!

This is a modern adaptation of Emma by Jane Austen. It was somewhat predictable but I enjoyed it. There was good tension between Emma and Knightley even if I knew they would end up together. The cast of side characters were funny and added a lot to the story. Overall, a solid retelling of a classic story.

I should preface this with the fact that I am not a Jane Austen fan. I was, however, excited to read this based on the blurb. I loved it! Emma and Knightley's chemistry was swoon worthy, and I loved the friends to lovers angle. I do hope we get a book about Nadine, she was so sweet.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Really enjoyed this reimagining of Emma! I like that they’ve softened some of the harsher aspects and that they didn’t turn anyone into a joke. I really loved the character of Nadine and also that of our now down on her luck neighbour. But, my favourite part might be when she realised that her family doesn’t call her out on her rude behaviour. Granted, I didn’t think it was terribly rude, but I’m glad she took it upon herself to apologise.

Never having read Jane Austen's Emma, I kind of went into this book blind. This was chosen by an online book club I belong to that meets monthly on Zoom. I did read Emma after I read Emma of 83rd Street, both because it was for the book club, but because I wondered how the two compared.

I loved this retelling of Emma - the characters, the setting, and pretty much everything about the book. I loved the big family feel, the dinners, the care they exhibited for each other, and just the whole feel of things.

Do yourself a favor and pick up Emma of 83rd Street, whether you've read the original Emma or you haven't. I think you'll find this a heartwarming, wonderful read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you for NetGalley and Gallery Books for an ARC in exchange of an honest review. 

I am so glad I read this book. If you Love Emma by Jane Austen and love Clueless you need to read Emma of 83rd street. 

A modern retelling of Emma by Jane Austen, Emma of 83rd street follows our FMC Emma Woodhouse as she meddles in the lives of her loved ones, playing matchmaker, sometimes judge them a bit harshly, views life thru rose-colored glasses, and banters with her childhood friend and neighbor Knightley. 

Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review :

The start was a bit slow for my liking but I'm glad I pushed thru it because this book is so good. Emma isn't loveable at first, she's shallow, judgemental and she meddles, albit with good intentions but she meddles in peoplse's lives but she grows thru the book and you find yourself starting to understand and lover her. 

I loved Emma and Knightley's interactions thru the evolving of their conflicting emotions, You get the confusion, jealousy, denial and the moment of realization. 

I liked all side characters minus the dad. Emma's dad is such an almond dad that it can get triggering sometimes. So, no for the dad but yes for the rest. 

If you love childhood friends to lovers, Jane Austen's Emma, Clueless, and swoony heroes, read this book.

My notes while reading: 

Knightley has daddy issues. 

He can cast judgment as well. He sometimes a bit hard on Emma. 

He is the only one who hold Emma accountable. Emma needs someone to do just that. Don't we all ?  

Even when judging her and sometimes disagreeing with her, he believes in her and what she can achieves. 

I loved the lessons Emma learned thru her story. 
I want to watch Clueless again.

This was such a well done modernized retelling of Emma! It doesn’t stray too far from the original work and its plot points, but refreshes the story by putting it in Manhattan and allowing for a more mature retelling. Knightly is just as insufferable yet swoony as ever (and honestly, same with Emma). I really appreciated the Nadine (Harriet) storyline for this book and felt like it did an excellent job of showing Emma’s desire to care for others vs just wanting to fix them. And I also loved how instead of Mrs Weston, we get Emma’s sister and Knightley’s brother in this story more! It was steamy and the romance was so satisfying and based on some other Austen characters introduced in the background, I’m hoping we get more retellings!

I adored this fab retelling of Austen's Emma. From the Big Apple vibes to cherished characters lovingly refreshed for modern life, I was hooked and sunk by page one.

The authors breathe thrilling new life into one of Austen most beloved tales, charming the petticoats off me with wit, intelligence and swoon. Highly recommended, this fav book of 2023 is sure to endear any Janeite or romance fan.

I have very mixed feelings on this book. On one hand, Emma is my favorite Jane Austen novel, so I will always read a remix/ retelling. This one, just wasn't a very good adaptation in my opinion. Besides being set in modern day, it didn't really do anything new with the source material. I thought the romance was very good, I just wish it was not tied to an Emma retelling. I also felt like character names were changed willy-nilly, like it didn't make sense that some characters had the same names and others didn't. I also felt this novel seemed a little out of touch with no mention of how white privilege, nepotism, and being in the 1% affected the characters in the story. As well as the fact that the only non-white character only existed to move the plot.

Oh how I adored this book! I ended up purchasing the audiobook because the narrators are two of my favorites and it was just delightful! I loved the friendship and slow burn between Emma and Knightly. I loved her friendship with Nadine and just Emma herself. This bad me swooning at times with the banter between George and Emma and seeing them both separately realize they had feelings for each other. The end mention a William Darcy and I really hope that means there will be a Pride and Prejudice retelling coming next!

Do you like retellings? Emma of 83rd Street is a retelling of Emma and oh, how I loved it. Since Clueless is also a retelling, it totally gave me Clueless vibes. Emma is a New York socialite, getting in everyone’s business by acting like a matchmaker while also trying to get her life in order and not realizing her one true love. All the warm fuzzy feels with this one. Smart, witty and oozing with charm.

I really enjoyed this retelling of Emma. The writing style of the authors was humorous, clever, and engaging - I was smiling for most of the book as I read of Emma's encounters with her health-conscious father, meddling sister Margo, her new friend Nadine, and the frustrating and magnetic neighbor George Knightley. The dialogue between Emma and Knightley has the perfect amount of tension - truly some of the best I've read in awhile! Set against the backdrop of modern NY, this novel is a fun update of Jane Austen's classic story. That being said, and spoiler alert.....the book has a mostly wholesome feel for the first 85% or so of the book, but there is some definite spice towards the end that felt out of place compared to the rest of the story. Overall, a delightful retelling of Austen.

What an absolute delight of a book. I loved this contemporary retelling of Jane Austen's Emma, and thought the author did such a wonderful job of modernizing it. The dialogue was wonderful, the characters hilarious and loveable, and the New York setting was fantastic too. Emma and Knightly had fantastic angst and chemistry and I could have happily read about them for another 370 pages. In a nutshell, this book was witty, charming, and downright dazzling.

#book49of2023 Emma of 83rd Street by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding This was just mediocre for me. I enjoyed parts of the story and I was bored by a lot of the story. This book felt so contrived. And I’m pretty sure Clueless was a major factor in several scenes. It was pretty obvious in the “party in the Valley” scene and I still roll my eyes thinking about it. I did love Knightly- he was one of the redeeming characters. Emma is a teenage adult living with her dad in their brownstone on 83rd street. She’s kind of a mess surrounded by family and friends who might as well be family who are there to support her. She is going to school and majoring in art history which hopes of a fantastic internship at the Met. When Emma meets Nadine she knows Nadine is in desperate need of a makeover- not just in her appearance, but with life. Knightly is the only one who calls Emma out on what he thinks is appropriate or not. He gets a little jealous when a potential love interest enters the picture for Emma. This sounded so much better than it was- which was just ok. #kristalreads

I’d like to thank #NetGalley and #GalleryBooks for an advanced readers copy.

Rating: 4/5⭐️

Publication Date: May 23rd 2023

Author: Audrey Bellezza & Emily Harding

Review: I love the retelling aspect of Jane Austen's Emma, everything about it was truly a feel good kind of read. its charming and quirky too, but also had its moments of being steamy. I am a person that judges a book by its cover and this one held its own. What was on the outside really helped/ represented what was going to be on the inside. It was easy to read and helped me live my fantasies of living on the upper east side.

This is a book that I would defiantly read again when i have the chance.

This is a really cute adaptation of Jane Austin's Emma. While reading this book, I kept coming back to the similarities to the movie Clueless, which happens to be my favorite 90’s movie!

What I liked about this book:
-Clueless vibes (one of my favorite movies from the 1990's)
-The Setting: Upper east side Manhattan. I had an apartment a few blocks from where this story took place
-Childhood friends to lovers
-Adaptation of Emma
-Likeable main and side characters
-Grumpy/Sunshine
-A few great spicy scenes
-One of my favorite book covers of 2023

The miscommunication trope is never going to be my favorite but I understand why it was used in this story.

Overall, this was a really fun read. I enjoyed getting to know these characters in the Upper East Side setting. I would recommend this to readers who love the friends to lovers trope or Clueless 😍

Thank you @simonandschuster @bookclubfavorites and @netgalley for this gifted copy.

A modern retelling of Jane Austen's Emma that will have you smiling from ear to ear! Emma Woodhouse is a 24 year old Upper East side resident with a heart of gold. She loves her family and friends deeply and is always putting them first. The boy next door/across the yard, is George Knightley, seven years her senior and sparring partner extraordinaire.

This book left the biggest smile on my face and I let out lots of happy "squees" while reading. Such a great book to kick off the summer! Or winter, or fall, just read it!

a well done modern retelling of Emma with some steamy stuff. Emma is always challenging because she is truly annoying and self absorbed and thoughtless in many ways. Same happens here but they do what they can.

Very charming modern retelling of Emma! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this!

The upper class New Yorker twist on served Emma's story nicely, and I loved that this was dual POV- Knightley's perspective added a lot of depth to the story.

I'll definitely be checking out more by this author.

Disclaimer: it's been a bit since I've read the original Emma, but to me, this felt like a fairly faithful to the core parts of what makes Emma Emma.

Content: some open door scenes towards the end that were very easy to completely skip