When I first started this book Emma was so unlikeable. She was so self centered and everything was handed to her. It made me want to stop reading. But I am happy I kept reading. Because I ended up really liking Emma in the end. This book had a sweet friends to lovers vibe. It also had strong female friendships. Overall I liked this book. And I would suggest it.

Delightful, engaging, and fun novel filled with messy situations formed from undiscovered love and feelings. The character of Emma is a whirlwind of action and adorable. A definite winning novel.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is such a fun and lovely read. If you love Jane Austen's, "Emma" and the movie "Clueless", then this book is for you. It is a modern retelling of the classic Emma as she takes Manhattan. Emma is in her final year in grad school and wants to prove that she doesn't need her family name to make it out on her own. After her sister gets married, she is bored and decides to make her friend Nadine who she ran into her new "project" with a new makeover and her match making skills. Meanwhile, her childhood friend and neighbor is realizing that Emma is no longer "the spoiled rich girl" and is growing up. I loved Emma's and Knightly's romance! The friends to lovers tension! I hope this book becomes a series with other Austen's retellings because I loved it so much. It is my favorite Emma retelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5/5 stars! Full disclosure: I love Jane Austen and her novel Emma, so when I found this modern re-telling I was extremely excited to read it. This book was faithful to the original and kept me smiling page after page. I loved Emma and Knightly; they were the ultimate grumpy sunshine pairing. The ending was utterly lovely. I need a million more books like this by this author duo.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

3.5 Stars Emma of 83rd Street was a delightful modern take on Jane Austen’s classic romance novel, Emma. 23-year-old Emma Woodhouse loves her life in her tight-knit Upper East Side neighborhood and fancies herself a matchmaker after she sets up her sister Margo with one of their next-door-neighbors, Ben Knightley. Emma and Margo have been close friends with Ben and his older brother, George, since they were children, playing in their shared backyard. Although somewhat busy with her MFA in art history program, Emma feels bored after her sister marries and moves out, so she sets her sights on a new project—her new friend and classmate Nadine. Emma’s determined to make over Nadine and set her up with her “forever” romance. George Knightley is frustrated with Emma’s plans for Nadine and is happy to lecture Emma on how she’s failing at the finer points of adulthood. Suddenly, Knightley isn’t able to get Emma out of his head; she’s no longer the little girl from next door, but a vivacious and independent woman.

The plot of this story mostly followed the same structure as the original Austen story, but with some modern updates, plus scene and name changes. Overall, it was a really sweet story. Emma is adorable and Knightley is frustrating, but ultimately they make a great couple. I loved that this had a dual POV so we saw how Knightley’s feelings towards Emma changed and how he realized he was in love with her. A fun and sweet read!

This book was such a wonderful surprise. The story is familiar, of course, A modern Manhattan take on Emma. The chemistry with Knightley was fantastic and Emma's growth throughout the book was well done. She can be immature, and her privilege in terms of her wealth can be a bit off putting, but her relationships and caring, endearing qualities still came through. I loved everything about Knightley; he is such a good book hero. He was easy to love and I was happy to get a slow burn book that included some steam. I would definitely read this book again and am looking forward to follow-up books with Will Darcy and other characters. Great, fun book that gave me a much needed escape and took me out of a reading slump. I loved it.

I loved this book! I have to admit I have not read "Emma" by Jane Austen (I know go ahead and heckle me) which this novel is a modern take on. I worried because I didn't have this knowledge and love of the inspiration behind this story it wouldn't resonate. Wrong. It was so good. This is the first book I have read by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding and I have to say I can't wait to read more. Knightley and Emma are adorable and so likeable. This is a slow burn romance with some spice. It's full of heart and well written. I would reccomend this book to all romance lovers out there.

Slow burn
Friends to Lovers
Jane Austen meets the Upper Eastside
Adorable

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Gallery Book Publishing House for allowing to to receive an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion. Romance readers add this to your "Must read for 2023 lists!"

Retellings of books I love can be really challenging for me to fully appreciate because I get too caught up in what that author(s) decided to change vs. keep the same. I think Emma in particular is a really hard story to modernize and not feel like everyone kind of sucks. Still, this book pulled off the chemistry between Emma and Knightley and I was rooting for them.

Near the end of the book, I was bummed when Nadine mentioned that as time went on she found a certain situation that resulted in someone trying to force themselves on another person)was becoming more hilarious. I get that people who face horrible experiences sometimes prefer to make light of them and Nadine may have been referring to the situation more globally, but this felt icky to me.

This book is super cute. It's a fun, young, fresh Austen retelling. The pacing is fast and the writing is adorable. Emma is my favorite Austen novel and this took the spirit of the book and translated it really well while adding a few fresh twists to make it contemporary, for new audiences. It's a happy good read that I'd definitely recommend for an easy beach-type read.

This was adorable and the perfect fun and uplifting, cozy read.

This retelling of Jane Austen's Emma takes place in the rarified air of New York's Upper East Side, and modern day Emma is an adorable very rich and well connected girl in her early 20s finishing school.

Of course there's a neighbor and longtime family friend and a clueless newcomer for Emma to makeover. Everything about this book is cute, and it was a relaxing, fun read.

I honestly have not loved an Emma retelling so much since Clueless. I look forward to the hinted about sequel as well.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a fun read! I read it in one sitting on a long flight and just couldn't put it down. If you love Jane Austen's, "Emma" and the movie "Clueless", then you are in for a real treat. There was so much chemistry between the main characters and it really stays true to Austen's style of creating romantic tension and angst.

Wow. I read this book and then immediately started reading it again. There's so much to savor. Yes, this is a retelling of Emma, but it's so much more than that. I love this Emma who works so hard and also loves her father. She is underestimated by everyone around her, and she wants to show them that she can earn her own way. Knightley is infuriating and pompous and caring and steamy. He's everything. The authors really have him dialed in. I love present-day New York in this book. I love that the characters have tease and right and have sex and it feels realistic. I couldn't love this book more.

Thanks NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book..

This is a cute, easy read and shouldn't look too deeply into characters or storyline developments. Emma's character is very childish, yet she sometimes sounds grown up. She's not the only character that voice is not consistent. I guess I didn't look at the fact two authors wrote it. However, I've read books with multiple authors, and the character is very consistent.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was so much fun to read! I enjoyed the NYC setting, including all of the details about the city. The story transported me to a world I am definitely not familiar with so it was a pleasant break. The nods to Jane Austen were appreciated throughout and I loved the side character of Nadine. She found her own way throughout the story with just a little help from her friends. The ending wrapped everything up nicely and left you feeling inspired. Overall, this was a great way to spend a day of my winter break!

EMMA OF 83rd STREET - Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for giving me the chance to view an advance readers copy of this book. I’m a huge Jane Austen fan so I was thrilled when I got the email.

This is a modern retelling of Austen’s Emma, set in New York City and Emma is a 23 year old wealthy socialite. What I love about a good retelling is that despite knowing what’s going to happen, it still feels fresh. This book nailed it!

It follows the original book pretty closely - more so than Clueless (but it has similar vibes). We have a cast of very similar characters, including Mrs. Pawloski, who serves as a great Miss Bates. Emma’s father, Mr. Woodhouse, was also done really well. He was the perfect mix of overprotective, yet somewhat removed. There is also Nadine, serving as our Harriet Smith. Her ending was a little different from Harriet’s, but I loved it.

And of course there is Emma and Knightley! Emma was… infuriating. In the best way. The story just doesn’t work if Emma is someone already fully developed. She’s messy, she makes mistakes, she’s selfish and spoiled - but we want to see her succeed. Knightley is sweet, but condescending. He wants to do right by people, but is also quick to judge. Their banter is perfect and the chemistry is undeniable.

What makes this version really different, is that we get a few chapters from Knightley’s point of view. We get to see him realize he’s in love with Emma, and how he comes to terms with it. I thought this was a really great addition to the story - it certainly drew the familiar plot along.

The book also plants seeds for a possible Pride and Prejudice retelling in this universe! So let’s make this book a hit so that can happen, yes?

Adapting classics can be very hit or miss, but Emma of 83rd Street is an example of how to do it extremely well. The characters were charming and had great chemistry. While the plot loosely followed the structure of the original, enough adjustments were made to keep the story engaging.

Emma of 83rd Street was an absolute delight! The premise intrigued me immediately, however, I'm not always the biggest fan of adaptations, but this book knocked it out of the park!

Emma was sweet and her character growth was superb, and Knightly will be one of the favorite book boyfriends of 2023! It was friends to lovers with sarcastic and slightly antagonist banter that left you wanting more and more. The characters push each other to grow and become their best versions. And the chemistry between the two main characters was off the charts. The cast of supporting characters was lovable and goofy.

I also loved the writing style. It was mainly told from Emma's perspective, but there were just enough chapters of Knightly's POV/inner monologue to make you love him more and give a fresh perspective on the story. The authors also have another spin-off story set in Austen's world teed up at the end and I will be first in line to read their next book!

I absolutely recommend Emma of 83rd Street to anyone looking for a sweet modern romance, especially those who love Jane Austen!

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an ARC of this fantastic book!

Emma of 83rd Street was SUCH A DELIGHT! Wow did I love this book so much! As a massive Jane Austen fan, this just totally hit the spot and was such a fresh and well done retelling of Emma. I was really pleasantly surprised by how well the chemistry between Knightley and Emma was written. Bellezza and Harding managed to meld the story of a charming, if somewhat spoiled, young woman's growth with a really lovely friends-to-lovers romance that was believable, sweet and sexy.

I am SO excited by the tease for Will's story and am VERY eagerly awaiting the next installment from these authors!

This modern take on Jane Austen’s Emma is just fantastic! I read Emma many years ago and yet I could get a sense of how this book’s Emma was similar to Austen’s Emma. I loved that the story is based in Manhattan’s Upper East Side and loved the group of characters.

Emma is a little entitled, thinks she can matchmake her friend Nadine and make her over into a more fashionable self. Sometimes you get the feeling she’s like a puppet master and she’s moving the strings. In spite of her machinations, she has a heart of gold and her essence is to help others. Her father is a riot with his horrible kale smoothies, her sister Margo is a little intrusive and dominant but she also means good.

I loved broody Knightley. I don’t remember the character in Austen’s book, but this one was perfect for the story and perfect for Emma. The slow burn in the story, Emma’s ingenuity in not recognizing the chemistry between them, her constant optimism were all the layers that made this book so enjoyable. Poor Emma was so deluded and she was the last one to even realize her feelings, it was so cute.

The transition from friends to lovers is slow and completely believable. Actually, we knew they were in love way faster than they realized. I loved that it was a slow burn, no sexy times until later in the book, so we were delighted with a beautiful story, completely dependent on character and plot line. It was beautiful and now I want more. There’s a character, one of Knightley’s friends called William Darcy so I already have designs on the next one!

Wow; I loved this! Not all Austen adaptations are created equal, but this one captures the essence and charm of its source material with a few winks to other notable Emma adaptations, like Clueless, along the way. The setting, in high society NYC, really worked for the base of this story - I loved that the city and the houses felt like they were characters too; the use of brunch at Tavern on the Green to mirror the picnic at Box Hill was a particular delight. The thing about reimagining a classic is that many many many people understand how the story is going to go and it can be really hard to have a unique and charming take, but even though the story was family, the characters felt inspired and modern. This venture capital entrepreneur Knightley felt so right and I loved seeing him and Emma finally understand that their one true love has been right in front of them the whole time. I truly can't wait to make everyone read this when it comes out!