3.5 rounded down due to the urine.

On the anniversary of her mother's death, Emilia finds herself trapped in an elevator with 3 versions of herself 30 years apart and must finally face what happened that day and the ripple effects its had on her life.

The description of this book felt tailor made for me. Sad girl lit about grief and being misunderstood and stagnant with a weird, magical premise but it didn't quite land as I hoped. I love the messaging and if I look at it conceptually and thematically i adore it. But it just feels like characters are missing development

Emilia and Millie's life don't get quite enough out of elevator time for me to understand just how Emilia is contributing to the issues in her relationships. The couple scenes we got left me hating Joel and adult Sonya and because of that I wasn't rooting for Emilia to recognize her flaws and fix those relationships. Especially with Joel I didn't see anything worth saving.

And while we get so many scenes about Em's life, we don't see just how she's ruining her relationship with her dad or that anyone really cares until later. There's a point where Em knows her dad dies in the future and that isn't an emotional reveal for Em. She just knows and we never get a character beat of her reflecting.

I do love the ending. I love the implications - I do just wish Millie actually got an ending. She felt so under-utilized

I also just have to talk about the Urine pages because they are haunting me 1. Why, that was so much and so unnecessary and they literally never pee again. 2. It contradicts a later line. "She’s right. Now that I think of it, in all of this time together, we haven’t touched each other at all." except they DID. They supported Millie during the whole fiasco. "he older woman pulls herself up and takes a turn, which is an even more cumbersome effort as she needs to have me and the girl support her in her squat lest she fall over and spill the entirety of the bag’s contents onto the floor."

Those pages would have been spent on literally anything else.

Three and a half stars, rounded up. I was fascinated by the premise of this book, though there are elements that I felt fell a little flat. I liked the character interactions, and that they were distinct enough to be interesting while still being believably the same person. Working through grief and guilt is such a delicate and difficult topic, and I thought it was approached with grace and understanding while still looking at the harsh reality of living through it.

There were only a few things that pushed me out of the story a bit. First, the gross way they settle into being stuck in an elevator really put me off. I understand it's the reality of the situation, but it was explored in too much detail for me. Next, I didn't love the implications about the future of the country. I understand the motivation behind them, and that most are realistic, but I felt like the timeline for those things were a bit more advanced than what is being projected. Last, without spoilers, I fell that the reveal towards the end cheapened the experience for me and led to more questions than answers (about memory, grief, shame, etc. and how those truly affected Emilia's character). That being said, those were all small moments. I think this was a great character study and relatable, even if the reader has not gone through the exact same experience.

I liked the writing style and pacing of this book, and I will definitely check out other books by this author.

Such a moving story and a creative one as well. I love when a book comes along that is unlike anything I've read before. I was enthralled by Oko's brilliant characters and witty dialogue. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I had high hopes for this book after reading the synopsis and a few other reviews. Unfortunately, the writing was so horrible that it was simply unreadable and I stopped part way through. At first, I chalked it up to being more YA than I had anticipated and continued on, but ultimately it was just very poor writing (and clearly editing) and I gave up.

i was so intrigued by the premise and kind of got dissapointed halfway through the book. don't get me wrong - it's well written, it has an interesting story to tell, but i think with such a great concept in mind it could have been executed much better. anyway if anyone is to blame, it is me for having different expectations. the novel itself is good!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this book.

this book has a cool premise: three versions of the same person—teenage Em, middle-aged Emilia, and elderly Millie—get stuck in a D.C. metro elevator, forced to confront their past, present, and future selves. the concept is fresh and intriguing, exploring time, identity, and self-reflection. while the idea is compelling, the emotional depth didn’t quite hit the mark for me. the characters’ interactions felt rushed at times and flat making it hard to fully connect with everyone. themes like redemption and forgiveness are there, but they didn’t resonate as strongly as i would hoped.

but it’s still an enjoyable read with steady pacing and some interesting twists. the notion of meeting yourself at different stages of life is thought-provoking and left me reflecting on my own journey. overall it’s a decent pick for fans of self-discovery stories, even if it didn’t leave a lasting impact.

thank you!

Three people get stuck in an elevator - a 17-year-old teenage girl, a 47-year old unhappy mother and wife and a 77-year-old woman. Em, Emilia and Millie. But really, they are all just Emilia - past, present and future - trying to make sense of the death of her mother.
A well-written book; relatable, realistic characters; a scenario everyone has thought about before: What would I say to my past self? What would I ask my future self?
The book gives an answer to these questions, reflects on a single life from three distinct perspectives and does so beautifully.

A VIBRANTLY IMAGINED NOVEL
The joy of discovering a new author is exciting.
*Jennifer Oko* is an entertaining, humane and intelligent writer.
“Just Emilia” is endearing……smart, witty, compassionate, with contemporary-savvy-fresh-prose. A very creative darkly-comic-premise….with an awesome-symbolic-setting to ignite deeper concealed significance.
It’s poignant and evocative…..soul searching; a unique expedition of inner undertakings. (grief, mystery, hope).
I found myself slipping into introspective thoughts about my own life ….(as a mother, daughter, sister, wife, daughter-in-law, as a teenager, a young adult, as the 72 year old I am now).
The twists and turns in “Just Emilia” (love the title and book cover art), kept me riveted until the last page. ….. but it was the emotional power that sneaked up on me ‘towards’ the end that was the icing on the cake. I didn’t expect tears ….but ….organically they happened too.
“Just Emilia” by Jennifer Oko will be released June 10th.

Now for a little sneak ‘preview-review’….(at only 235 pages - I’m zipping away the precious stones). . .
But here are a handful of puzzles . . .
….”Just Emilia” is a dark, time traveling comedy about three women (Emilia, Millie, and Em) who are trapped in an elevator and forced to grapple with a shared unresolved trauma.

…. The DC Metro was in a grave state of despair, with the city, shutting down line after line because of sparks on the tracks and occasional smoke in the trains. Two weeks ago, the entire train had to be evacuated from the middle of the tunnel near the Navy Yard because it had simply stopped running.
It didn’t cross Emilia’s mind that the elevator’s mechanical reluctance to close might have been a good signal to simply step back out.

….”It is just so dark”.
“There isn’t even a thin beam forcing its way through the seams of the door. Nothing seeps in from the top. The darkness is so thick I can almost feel it. It’s like there is a pressure to it. It’s completely disorienting, as if I am deep underwater with no sense of which way is up”.

…. “There is only the sound of our breathing as each one waits for someone else to say something, offer some wisdom that might help us escape”.

….”You would think that being trapped in a dark void would be a good place to be if you wanted to ponder difficult things—the fight you had with your husband, what you want to make for dinner, the death of your mother, really anything at all. But honestly, the longer I sit here, the more it feels like I am sitting in the middle of a vacuum, one that is sucking my brain dry thoughts”.

…. Ginkgo trees peppered Em’s entire neighborhood.
“In a few weeks’ time, the vomit-like stench from their dropping fruit would permanent the streets”. (my, how pleasant).
“A ridiculous name for a ridiculous tree with ridiculous fruit… They can live to be thousands of years old”. Ridiculous! 😱
I loved the symbolism of the ginkgo references throughout.

….What if, the impossible is possible? What could I possibly say to my younger 17-year-old self?

…..”We all unwittingly make decisions when we are young that will change the course of our lives. They aren’t always big decisions, like where we go to college or whom we marry. They can be small and seemingly insignificant. And not unlike that butterfly in the Galapagos whose flapping of wings causes a tsunami in California (okay, I have to admit that’s probably slightly overstated, although conceptually it works)”.

…..”I have taken to reading passages from Anna Karenina out loud. I start, of course, at the beginning, with Tolstoy’s famous maxim—
‘All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, yada yada,’ — but partly because things are getting tedious (it isn’t easy sitting with oneself for hours on end, even if there are three of you) . . .

“Yes, Em. I’ve read ‘A Wrinkle in Time’, too, I say. But the truth is that none of us knows if what happens in here will impact anything beyond these walls. There’s no way to know.”

“There is a split second of memory, endlessly, floating in and out of Em’s mind. It feels like a gaseous substance, impossible to grasp”.

“People don’t always remember things clearly”.

….There was plenty of bickering— and —
prying and pulling at each other — literally and figuratively —
….Wonderful unique character augmenting and bourgeoning qualities.
….There was (the adorable ‘tough-girl’ facade—with lace-up Doc Marten black boots) —
….a little truth —
….a lot of fear —
….great laugher —
….a little uncertainty —
….as well as wisdom. (awesome references to great literature, science, art, nature, film, music, symbolism), etc.
….memories - the past - the present - the future - the mystery of life . . .

I could see - feel - and smell the setting . . .
….The Emergency Button inside the Washington DC, Friendship Heights metro station elevator was worthless ….
….The lights flickered on and off ….(there was complete darkness for long periods of time).
….There were many flashback memories (personally I loved the tale about “Hump Night”).
….Overbearing pungent body odor, urine, and metallic fragrance emanated from the elevator walls.
….It was more than seven hours before a rescue.

“Just Emilia” ….with multiple characters of me, me, and me ….. is fragile and brittle….mournful and life-affirming. Jennifer Oko created a satisfying, fascinating, work of fiction.
I loved it!!!

SIDE NOTE . . .
….Does anyone remember the Musical Stage Production, “They’re Playing Our Song”, by Neil Simon?
Of course this story isn’t the same ….but at times I imagined “Just Emilia” as a stage play. (with a three-person Greek chorus acting out the inner voices).

Congrats to Jennifer Oko.
A Wonderful Novel!!!

Jennifer Oko tackles the conversation of grief and self-hatred well in Just Emilia. The time jumps were easy to follow and interesting, keeping the reader wanting to know more about the story. This book uses magical realism well and I liike the choice of an ambigious ending. Out of all the characters, I feel like Millie lacked the most depth, despite her being the oldest version of Emiilia. The plot of the lights flickering on and off, and then going into complete darkness felt confusing at times as well. Overall, I really enjoyed this read!

3.5 stars
This was an imaginative and entertaining read, I really enjoyed the concept of Emilia meeting herself in different timelines. I thought the writing, especially the conversations in the elevator, flowed well and it was these conversations that kept me reading. The background characters were a little underdeveloped and I found the plot to be quite repetitive towards the middle, but I still enjoyed my time reading.

JUST EMILIA by Jennifer Oko presents an interesting and unique concept—three versions of the same person, each at different stages of life, trapped together in a malfunctioning D.C. metro elevator. The story follows teenage Em, middle-aged Emilia, and silver-haired Millie as they face one another, their past mistakes, present struggles, and future uncertainties. The idea of encountering yourself at different ages is fascinating, and Oko plays with the concept of time and identity in a way that feels fresh and engaging.

While the premise was captivating, I found that the emotional depth of the story didn’t quite match my expectations. At times, the interactions between the characters felt somewhat rushed, and I had trouble connecting with them on a deeper level. The themes of self-reflection, redemption, and forgiveness are definitely present, but they didn’t fully resonate with me.

Despite this, JUST EMILIA is still an enjoyable read. The plot moves at a steady pace, and the twists and revelations keep the pages turning. I appreciated the exploration of personal growth and the complexities of identity that come with age. The idea of meeting yourself at different stages of life and having to reconcile those versions of yourself is thought-provoking and left me pondering what I might say to my future and past selves.

In the end, I found the book to be decent, though not as emotionally gripping as I’d hoped. It’s a solid read for those who enjoy stories about self-discovery and the passage of time, but it didn’t leave a lasting impact on me. I'm giving this book 3 ⭐.

This is a gripping time-traveling tale where the past, present and future collide inside a DC Metro elevator. When Emilia Fletcher finds herself trapped getting out is the least of her problems. Sharing the confined space with her are Em, a troubled teenager plagued by suicidal thoughts, and Millie, an elderly woman yearning to mend ties with her estranged daughter. As the hours drag on, hunger, exhaustion, and panic set in, revealing an almost incomprehension they are the same person. Locked in an uncompromising match of memories, the three women excavate and attempt to reckon with the shared shame and suffering stemming from an unresolved trauma that has cast a profound shadow over their lives. Brimming with biting humor, compassion, and quick-witted insight, Just Emilia, is a remarkable journey of self-discovery.