Book Summary: 

Beautiful, clever, and rich, Emma Woodhouse has lived twenty-three years in her tight-knit Upper East Side neighborhood with very little to distress or vex her…that is, until her budding matchmaking hobby results in her sister’s marriage—and subsequent move downtown. Now, with her sister gone and all her friends traveling abroad, Emma must start her final year of grad school grappling with an entirely new emotion: boredom. So when she meets Nadine, a wide-eyed Ohio transplant with a heart of gold and drugstore blonde highlights to match, Emma not only sees a potential new friend but a new project. If only her overbearing neighbor George Knightley would get out of her way.

Handsome, smart, and successful, the only thing that frustrates Knightley more than a corked whiskey is his childhood friend, Emma. Whether it’s her shopping sprees between classes or her revolving door of ill-conceived hobbies, he is only too happy to lecture her on all the finer points of adulthood she’s so hell-bent on ignoring. But despite his gripes—and much to his own chagrin—Knightley can’t help but notice that the girl next door is a woman now…one who he suddenly can’t get out of his head.

As Emma’s best laid plans collide with everyone from hipster baristas to meddling family members to flaky playboy millionaires, these two friends slowly realize their need to always be right has been usurped by a new need entirely, and it’s not long before they discover that even the most familiar stories still have some surprises.

My Review:

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.

I enjoyed that Audrey and Emily didn’t keep the story on the surface. We got to see a side of Emma that was safely tucked away – Emma’s tie to art. While everyone else saw her focus on a Master’s in Art History as a fleeting interest, she knew it was a way to tie a connection to her mother. Her love of art was her own but stemmed from the pieces that her mother collected, her personal, tangible tie to a woman she could barely remember. Whether it was her lack of fully explaining that connection (which I doubt) and those who were aware not grasping the depth of loss she was experiencing, it was still touching to see how this remained a recurring theme throughout the story.

Back to the story and I will fully admit, I was incredibly animated during the cab ride with Zane! Score one for Emma but Cabby – what the what?! I mean you could obviously hear her when she said pull over but were you just going to turn a blind eye to everything else going down in the back of your cab?! I think I actually growled on her behalf for that part.

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 duo 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!