I have very mixed feelings about this book. I wanted so badly to love this book, but unfortunately that was not the case. The first thing I will say is that this book was enjoyable, but it does have many flaws that detract from it. The rest of my review will likely be mildly spoilery, so proceed with caution, but I won’t drop any major bombshells without warning.

Possibly the biggest flaw for me was that the romance was unconvincing. I was sold on sexual chemistry and tension, but then the book sort of glosses over the whole section where the characters supposedly fall in love without giving the reader any insight to this relationship. The most we see of the romantic development is a few fade-to-black spicy scenes and the inevitable fight towards the end. So, when the characters are confessing their love for each other I am unconvinced because what feels like two chapters ago, they were at odds and then friends with benefits, and I saw none of the wooing.

Also, there is a secondary romance plot between Esha and Sid that makes the book feel somewhat cluttered. Randomly interspersed throughout the book are chapters that are entirely dedicated to Esha, and she is not mentioned much outside of these weird interruptions. Her plot feels simultaneously underdeveloped and overdeveloped, because it felt like it had no place in this story, but it was also a very weak insta-love plot with no real buildup. I think the fact that this book is the last in a series about the family might be the reason for this odd insertion, seeing as the author probably wanted to tie everything up with a nice bow. It was also very strange that Esha brings in a weird paranormal aspect to otherwise completely normal books, and it also felt out of place.

I also felt that characters and scenarios were at times cartoonish. Although the book seems to be self-aware about some of these moments, they just didn’t feel appropriate and became somewhat annoying. For example at the opening party, there is a scene where every couple keeps sneaking behind the pool house to kiss, one by one. It was funny the first time, and even the second, but after FOUR times it was like beating a dead horse.

Hari’s character also felt cartoonishly anxious and emotional. He felt more like a caricature of someone with social anxiety than an actual representation.

Finally, the resolution felt too quick and unresolved. It felt like things that seemed to be huge arcs were reduced to a simple sentence to wrap them up, which left me feeling overall unsatisfied.

Overall, this book wasn’t unpleasant to read, but I definitely wouldn’t pick it up again. Between the constant reminders that Naina knew Vansh when he was in diapers (I’m all for an age gap but them constantly bringing that up specifically was really weird) and the underwhelming plot, this book was a bit of a miss for me.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Collins as well as Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The only reason I’m giving this four stars is because I desperately wanted at least one more book in the Raje series.

This Emma retelling was the redemption arc for the would be villainess of the previous installment and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My qualm was a secondary romance that was plugged in as a B-plot and I STRONGLY believe it could have been a standalone.

(I really really wanted that one to be a standalone.)

As always, Sonali Dev does a wonder job with a re-interpetation of Jane Auten's Emma with THe Emma Project.

The writing feels rich and her characters are always well thought out.

As much as I enjoyed The Emma Project, I feel that the other three books in this series so far have had a stronger storyline but if you have read the other books in the series, you'll enjoy this one.

I'm putting the book in my "to be continued" list. I've read a few books this year that are meant to be part of a series, but can be read as stand-alones. Although I got through a third of the book and could continue reading while following the story, I decided I need to read the previous novels to get the most of the series.

Sonali Dev can do no wrong! Her writing just keeps getting richer and richer, and I'm glad she approached the story of Emma now, when her writing has such nuance and depth. This is a book you'll treasure and not want to hand along, because this is one you'll want to read every year. Fabulous and time well spent.

Thanks to NetGalley for an uncorrected proof in exchange for a free and unbiased opinion.

I'm sad to see the last book of the Rajes (though a lot of them were jerks in this one). I didn't click as well with these characters, maybe because Vansh was so little seen in previous books and Naina was presented as an uber-bitch in Yash's book. I was actually more excited to see Esha's story, and could have done more of that. Still, I love the writing and mostly enjoyed it.

This was a great romance novel, that I really enjoyed reading! The characters were fantastic, and I really liked the epilogue. Overall, this is one I would definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I had a hard time getting into this book, but once I was I didn't put it down. It was fun to see how the author took the story of Emma and made it her own. I'm sad the series is over, but this was a nice conclusion!

I’m a huge fan of the Rajes series, and was so excited to read the latest installment.

This book centers around the youngest Raje child, Vansh. He’s charming, impossibly handsome, and so clueless of his own privileges it’s painful.

The romance is very cute and I enjoyed the friends with benefits vibes between Vansh and Naina, but dear God I hated Vansh’s self-absorbed attitude and flat out ignorance of his privileges.

It was a fun read but the plot preromance nearly made me DNF due to the sheer audacity of Vansh.

I received an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really don't like leaving negative reviews. I also wanted to love this book. I've had it on my wish list for a while now. Indian-American retelling of one of my favorite classic romances? GREAT! I loved the idea of taking classics and making them culturally diverse and represent the rest of the world that's not cis-straight whiteness. But...I don't understand how this is inspired by Emma? It seemed like the only correlation was that the main character talked about it. I didn't get any inspiration at all.

I didn't relate to any of the characters. In fact, I didn't like any of them. I thought I would like Naina at first, but then she turned completely immature as soon as she lost half her funding...like a child. These are grown adult characters and they act like children? Also, I think Hari was supposed to be endearing in his innocence and unfortunate circumstances, but only inspired pity. Also, the level of immaturity was astounding.

Vansh and Naina...I don't think I have ever wanted two people to be further apart from each other. I thought they were supposed to be friends? Yet, as soon as Naina looses half her funding, she acts like a child and Vansh 'gets his feelings hurt' over the argument and basically stomps his foot in defense...like a child.

Then, I have to address Esha. This side character that is suddenly thrust into the story with a chapter focused completely on her every now and then, has some mysterious magical ability? Her story is almost completely separate from the main characters and their plot. It just threw everything off.

This was definitely a complete miss for me.

I LOVED this book!! Sonali Dev has crafted a beautiful and engaging goodbye to the Raje family. Vansh and Naina were such a fun couple to follow! They dynamic was palpable and you will be sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to see what these two will do. On top of this fun romance we get a love story for Esha that is truly heartwarming and the cherry on top for any avid fans of Dev. Make sure to add this book to your cart and be ready to devour every page!

The Emma Project is the last and final book in the Rages Series and I had no idea! For one, you don’t have to read the previous books to read this one.

This book centers around Vansh, the youngest Rages sibling. It also ties in Esha’s love story as well. Two for One!

Honestly, this book was everything I was hoping it would be. It had some steamy romance (but not too much). It had some important topics. And it concluded nicely!

Highly recommend this one if you love contemporary romances!

I think Sonali Dev does herself a disservice by comparing this story to Emma. It is a great story full of love and family support and the desire to make the world a better place-all themes from Emma but that is as far as the comparison should go. This love story stands alone.

I was not a fan of this book. I've enjoyed the rest of the series, and was excited to read the last installment, especially because it has an age gap with an older woman/younger man, and because Emma adaptions usually just really work for me as a form of media. And I did really enjoy the first 30% or so.

The first thing that really put a bad taste in my mouth was a reference that Vansh made to suicide by hanging when he was referring to how much pressure both Hari and Naina were putting on him. As someone who has struggled with mental health, I just think there was a better way to describe the pressure he was feeling, especially since Vansh's mental health is not a topic covered in this book. It really felt like a poor metaphor and immediately took me out of the book.

Sonali Dev does an amazing job setting up all the conflicts in this book: with Jiggy, with Dr Kholi, even Naina vs Vansh. Like, I have never been more upset reading scenes with some of those characters. That said, with all the conflict that was showing up in the book, I was expecting more resolution. Most of the storylines seemed to get resolved at the end with a simple sentence. Most disappointing for me was the resolution of the Jiggy storyline - he is SO awful, and Naina is so smart that I just *knew* the showdown between the two of them was going to be epic. And instead, we just got a simple paragraph that essentially says "and she tore him a new one". I would have been fine with that if we had gotten a scene where Naina is able to stand up to Dr Kholi, but we didn't get that either.

Lastly, I didn't buy Naina's attraction to Vansh. She spends SO much of the book thinking that he is superficial and a ditz, and I really didn't understand how/why she ended up being able to turn that around other than she was sexually attracted to him. But I think there needed to be more groveling on her part. And speaking of groveling - the Raje women needed to do 10x more of it to Naina. Having a throw away line "apologize to Naina for me" and "I've been such a bitch" - ???? where is the emotional resolution???

I'm really struggling to figure out who I would even recommend this to because I just don't think it's something I want to recommend to my friends. Maybe newer romance readers or people who are trying to cross over from fiction to romance, but I just think there were a lot of misses in this one.

I may or may not have squealed with joy when I got the approval email for The Emma Project by Sonali Dev. This is the fourth and final book in the Raje Family series. The story picks up after the events of Incense and Sensibility and focuses on Vansh and Naina. Vansh is home after years away and Naina is dealing with the fallout after her 10 year fake relationship with Yash - Vansh’s older brother - has ended. Circumstances have now brought them together to work on the same project.

More than just an age gap romance, we look at Naina’s relationships with her family and learn more about how she ended up fake dating Yash. We learn about Vansh’s relationship with his family. And as we go along we see how they are a perfect fit for each other. We also learn more about Esha and her past.

I recommend this book if you enjoy:

❤️ Age gap romance
❤️ Family drama - good and bad
❤️ Dual POV

I strongly recommend that this series is read in order. Reading it in order will give you the history and backstory of how the characters ended up where they are in this book.

The Emma Project is out on May 17. Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Vansh is the spoiled younger brother that is very different from the rest of the family. He has always been friends with Naina who is just out of a 10 year fake relationship with Vansh's older brother. When they find themselves thrown together on a project that is important to each of them they have to find a way to work together. But will all that time together lead to something neither expects? And wht will Vansh's family think? A story of finding your way in spite of your parent's expectations.

Another fantastic romance story from Sonali Dev!! I love how the author incorporates the original Jane Austen story but adds such a unique and original spin that there are still plenty of surprises to enjoy along the way. Getting to know Naina better and learn how she thinks was such a delight after reading about her as a supporting character in Incense and Sensibility. I also really enjoyed getting to know Vansh throughout the story and see his character growth. Can I also say just how awesome it was to read about Esha in this story?! She's been a character of interest since the start of the series and I am so happy that she found her own happily ever after too. This Emma retelling was as delightful as it was creative (so basically it was fabulous). This book further convinced me that I will enjoy whatever Sonali Dev comes up with next! Many thanks to Avon books and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book, all thoughts are my own.

An absolutely satisfying Sonali Dev read, with a bit less of her usual angst! Which, frankly, I was not sorry about, given the state of the world. A bit of enemies to lovers, an age gap (the woman's older and even though some people give her crap about it, she absolutely holds her ground), and the usual sprawling Raje family drama. Highly recommended.

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There’s so much to be said about Sonali Dev’s ‘The Emma Project’ that I barely know where to begin. I initially was unsure how this retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma would play out in the world of the Rajes but once I began reading I knew it was perfect. Sonali Dev has proved how well she can do a role reversal in the first installation of the series (Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors) with Trisha as Darcy and DJ as Elizabeth and she did it again with Vansh as Emma and Naina as Knightley. The iconic scenes from Emma were written really well in the setting and with our character's modern sensibilities/adjustments. It was funny, sweet, romantic and had that wonderful touch of Raje family magic. I also really enjoyed seeing more of Esha and her getting some time on the spotlight.

Overall, I love this series, I love this newest and final installation and I’m sad to see it end. But hey, that just means it’s time for a re-read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVE RETELLINGS and I've been a fan of Sonali Dev for a while. This newest installment did not disappoint!

I would highly recommend this whole series, but I would certainly suggest reading this one with a full tummy.

Thanks for the review copy!