Emma of 83rd Street by Audrey Bellezza is fun and charming! I mean a retelling of Emma? Sign me up! Mixed with a few twist and of course a modern take its a quick fun read.

Thank you to Net galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a very cute and fluffy rom com! It was a retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma but I personally have never read the classic. With that being said, I’m sure I missed a lot of the homages to the original story. I thought this book was very cute and simple. At times, it felt a little slow to read but over all I enjoyed the story! There is a bit of an age gap trope in there with Emma and Knightly but nothing too terrible. And this book was more fluff than spice. I would say just the end of it had a little bit of spice. Overall a very fun and enjoyable read and if you’ve read the classic you might enjoy this a little more than I did.

It was a privilege to get an early peek at this novel, thank you #netgalley. Please read this beauty, it will be well worth it readers!

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books.
I'm going to keep this simple and to the point. I did not enjoy this book at all. Every character is unlikable self centered, immature and problematic. I didn't fall in love with any characters or the story.

This was such a fun read AND it got me out of a reading slump 🤗 thanks @gallerybooks for the eARC, I clearly loved it and immediately went out and purchased a physical copy.

For as many Jane Austen retellings that I’ve read (and the movies that I’ve seen) and absolutely LOVED, I’ve never actually read JA’s books 😬 BUT I did love this retelling of my namesake! Not only were the characters so intriguing but the writing was so descriptive that I felt myself fully immersed in that UES world. I actually haven’t read any Emma retellings before so I wasn’t familiar with the story and everything was a delightful surprise to me. I was a little worried that Emma’s suspicions of Nadine might actually be true but WHEW, they weren’t 😂

Just ordered a copy of the next book in this series, Elizabeth of East Hampton 💕

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an advanced copy! I will read any and every book marketed as a Jane Austen retelling.

This is a book that I can see myself coming back to one day, but the beginning did not work for me. At this time I will not be finishing it since I could not connect to the writing or the characters at all. I do think in a different headspace I would enjoy it, but right not it is not for me.

I've heard such good things about this one that I was excited for it, but it just did not work for me and I no longer force myself to read books I am not engrossed in.

An Emma retelling with an age gap and childhood friends to lovers trope set in New York perfect for fans of Made in Manhattan by Lauren Layne.

Prefacing this review to say that I DNFed the original Emma by Jane Austen and had Clueless as the only adaptation that I’ve seen so far. Being a retelling, this may contain some comparisons with the two.

Emma was obviously my least fave Austen book and it’s safe to say that I enjoyed this more than the original. Both main characters are a lot less condescending and insufferable, HA. Tension was also more palpable.

This was well-written and felt cinematic with the 90s romantic comedy films vibe, I guess, given that both authors are TV producers. It’s just that the story itself, while entertaining, may not be for me. Knightley also proved to be too unbearable as this went on for a book boyfriend and for my liking that I almost came to a point that I wanted Emma to even end up with no one and just be happy by herself. This could have benefited from a bit more groveling.

I’m looking forward to the authors’ take on my fave Austen book, Pride and Prejudice, though.

My thanks to Gallery Books, NetGalley and the authors for my copy. All opinions are honest and my own.

Emma of 83rd street is a delightful and modern adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma. Bellezza and Harding perfectly capture the charming characters and scenes and imbue them with witty observations regarding modern society. This is a great read for Austen fans and contemporary romance readers.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an early copy of this ebook!

Admittedly, I have not read the original ‘Emma’ from Jane Austen, but I have read various retellings of Jane Austen’s works from other authors. I was excited to read this unique retelling of a modern Emma taking place in NYC (one of my favorite settings to read from!).

I absolutely loved the friends to lovers trope and the recurring theme of friendship we followed throughout the novel. However, I found myself often annoyed by our main character while reading (which, due to reader error, I’m not sure if this is consistent with the original novel or not).

Overall, this was an enjoyable read with a cute romance!

Unfortunately, it was difficult for me to connect with this story and the main character. Emma rubbed me the wrong way and I couldn't finish the book.

AMAZING!! This book was beyond adorable!! Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book !! I was completely captivated from the beginning.

Emma Woodhouse and George Knightley have been best friends and neighbors since childhood. The friends-to-lovers, slow-burn romance between them is filled with angst, banter, tension, chemistry, and some spice. I would say the last 10% of the book has steamy scenes !!

Overall, this was a sweet and heartwarming read that deserves ALL the stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I cannot recommend this book enough

This was okay! It was interesting idea, but overall quite forgettable. its not a book where the plot or characters will stick with me.

I thought this was an enjoyable story and even though the romance was barely there, I enjoyed being in their world.

Thank you Net Galley for the copy of this book! I loved this sweet story! Total Clueless vibes through the whole story. I loved Emma and Knightley and their whole entire crew. I want to be invited to Sunday dinner!! I want to start my own Sunday dinner too! Just all around a sweet story and a fun retelling of a classic story.

Emma of 83rd Street is a fun and funny spin on a classic story. It moves along quickly, so I never got bored. I liked the characters, especially Emma and George (aka Knightley). Their relationship feels real and flirty. They've been friends since they were kids, almost like brother and sister, but they start to realize there might be something more between them. It's a quick and easy read that I enjoyed.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Cute story and a great twist on a classic. I enjoyed the banter and the characters. Loved the setting.

Unputdownable adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma that will please Austen experts and also lovers of well-written romance. Emma of 83rd Street is true to the original Emma but updated and relocated to the Upper West Side of Manhattan. This book would be an amazing teaching tool for students to get a grasp of the culture and socioeconomics of Jane Austen's world.

Replacing the society of Victorian England with modern day and fast paced New York does not change the story, but enhances it and makes it so relatable and fun. Also transformed are the roles of Emma and Knightley. Instead of a gentleman's daughter, this Emma is a grad student majoring in Art and her friends are drawn from NYU. I think Jane Austen would be thrilled that this modern Emma is pursuing higher education and a niche career in the Arts while still caring for her needy and opinionated father. Knightley becomes a modern day philanthropist instead of a wealthy gentleman. The writing in this book is modern yet classic. The authors must have fully researched Jane Austen to be so authentic.

The setting of Emma of 83rd Street closely follows the status, cultural gaps, and issues facing the original. especially the matchmaking and not fully appreciating the boy next door's worth as a man and romantic partner. It really captures the light-heartedness and the humor of the original too. Readers could read the original and get a treat by then reading this version as I did. Or they could read this adaptation first and have a deeper understanding of the original. Also a reader could easily read this alone and be thoroughly entertained.

I read deep into the night to see how the book ended, even though I knew how the book ended by reading Emma. I am grateful to have received a free copy of this lively book from NetGalley and Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster and this will be a much treasured book in my Austen collection.

I love stories set in New York City, and having lived on the Upper East Side for a number of years, this book really hit. The writing style wasn't quite by favorite but a NYC retelling is an enjoyable read.