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dramakingbooks13's review against another edition
5.0
A modern and gay retelling of Jane Austin’s Emma, at the heart we find Emmett, a pristine highschooler who is handsome and very clever. He likes to keep his life clean of emotional messes and refuses to enter a relationship until his brain is fully developed, at the age of 25, since any relationship prior to that will inevitability end in heartache. Also, watching how his father struggles to cope with the loss of his mother sears the back of his mind. No relationship, no heartbreak, no mess. Naturally, his friends-with-benefits now expresses that he would like a boyfriend and so Emmett launches into action and attempts to be his matchmaker, he’s done it once before so why not again? His oldest friend, now semi-estranged, Miles thinks this is a terrible idea but he’s straight, so what does he know about queer love. As Emmett attempts to match-make we learn he has no idea what love really is even if it’s been in front of you all along.
What I loved so much about this story is that Rosen highlights the complexities of love, ideas that we struggle with at any age. Are we willing to risk heartbreak for love? Are we willing to endure pain if something shatters? Ultimately, through this story, we realize that living in the present, no matter the outcome is more important than the what-if’s of the future. As a YA novel, I feel it’s so important to explore these themes of love and heartbreak in a queer way as, for me, this is not something I had to turn to when I was growing up and these stories told by and for queer people help, as it gives us media to be seen in, from our own perspective. I love how Rosen explores these themes within the complexities of queer culture and how lines blur, friends become lovers, and the love is all worth it.
Watching Emmett’s journey touched me as I saw him fight through his trauma, through his internal struggle to accept love. And, yes, I even teared up. A very charming, very queer romance that I read in one sitting, I loved this book so much and implore you to pick it up and fall in love with this story as I have.
Scarf Rating:
What I loved so much about this story is that Rosen highlights the complexities of love, ideas that we struggle with at any age. Are we willing to risk heartbreak for love? Are we willing to endure pain if something shatters? Ultimately, through this story, we realize that living in the present, no matter the outcome is more important than the what-if’s of the future. As a YA novel, I feel it’s so important to explore these themes of love and heartbreak in a queer way as, for me, this is not something I had to turn to when I was growing up and these stories told by and for queer people help, as it gives us media to be seen in, from our own perspective. I love how Rosen explores these themes within the complexities of queer culture and how lines blur, friends become lovers, and the love is all worth it.
Watching Emmett’s journey touched me as I saw him fight through his trauma, through his internal struggle to accept love. And, yes, I even teared up. A very charming, very queer romance that I read in one sitting, I loved this book so much and implore you to pick it up and fall in love with this story as I have.
Scarf Rating:
aloreno1992's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
shelff's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Essentially a Clueless retelling with a queer cast.
jbellomy's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A fantastic concept is wasted on this absolutely cursed text.
Emmett Woodhouse is a semi-professional vibe curator, menace of a twink, and full-time sociopath. And he's surrounded by freaks (derogatory). The only human people in this book are Miles' moms and Miles himself (Knightley), and he needs to RUN. FAR AWAY.
Emmett's narrative voice comes across like he's ten years old, which makes it all the more disorienting when it cuts to a post-sex scene. The sentences are short, the language juvenile, the thought patterns barely past the mirror stage. The world building is even more nauseating -- think a very stupid Instagram stand-in and an ever-present string quartet playing the hits, ripped directly from Bridgerton. Worse still are the visuals meant to be "beautiful." We've got the ugliest school uniforms known to man, the truly unwearable jewelry collection made by Emmett's bff (a collection, mind you, that's meant to get her into FIT), and far too much zebra-print-and-pink. By the end, I imagined the author cackling as they wrote these descriptions, delighting in the truly hideous images they were creating.
As much as I hoped this would fulfill all my queer Austen dreams, I guess it's not a huge loss. There's always Fire Island, and we already have a modern Emma for the girls and the gays. It was called Clueless.
Emmett Woodhouse is a semi-professional vibe curator, menace of a twink, and full-time sociopath. And he's surrounded by freaks (derogatory). The only human people in this book are Miles' moms and Miles himself (Knightley), and he needs to RUN. FAR AWAY.
Emmett's narrative voice comes across like he's ten years old, which makes it all the more disorienting when it cuts to a post-sex scene. The sentences are short, the language juvenile, the thought patterns barely past the mirror stage. The world building is even more nauseating -- think a very stupid Instagram stand-in and an ever-present string quartet playing the hits, ripped directly from Bridgerton. Worse still are the visuals meant to be "beautiful." We've got the ugliest school uniforms known to man, the truly unwearable jewelry collection made by Emmett's bff (a collection, mind you, that's meant to get her into FIT), and far too much zebra-print-and-pink. By the end, I imagined the author cackling as they wrote these descriptions, delighting in the truly hideous images they were creating.
As much as I hoped this would fulfill all my queer Austen dreams, I guess it's not a huge loss. There's always Fire Island, and we already have a modern Emma for the girls and the gays. It was called Clueless.
dezlld's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book in about 4 hours, in one sitting. This book was a magical queer retelling of a classic, and I loved how unlikeable Emmett was at certain points. He was definitely a bit of an unreliable narrator, very unaware of his own self. He slowly comes into himself, understanding why he does what he does, who matters most and what things he needs to improve on. I think he treats Miles unfairly, as more of a defense mechanism within himself, and it's rewarding to watch him break those walls down and let himself love the way he wants to.
kelssa's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
madelise's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
amber_hastings's review against another edition
I could not finish this book. I found it to be a terrible adaption of such a fantastic classic. The main issues: a lacklustre main character that didn't have any personality; a cast of two-dimensional supporting characters with such unconvincing and dull lives that I never felt invested in them; stilted, samey dialogue; repetition; and so many run-on sentences. I liked the idea to turn Emma into Emmett, a gay teen struggling to accept romantic love into his life, but unfortunately this book did not deliver at all.
stitchsaddiction's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kaispellmeier's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0