I'm going to get to my review of Emmeline in a minute but first I want to tell you about Stellae Books, the fantastic website I'm working with for this post!
So you've probably heard of Netgalley, right? Where reviewers can request ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) of upcoming or new releases to review them? Well, Stellae works in much the same way, but the best part is that they specialize in indie-published books! Which is super cool!
So I signed up to be a reviewer (and I highly recommend you do the same!) and the first book I picked out was one that I had been looking forward to reading!
Emmeline
Author: Sarah Holman
Genre: Historical Fiction
Content: None
Main Character: Emmeline Wellington
Synopsis:
What if Jane Austen’s Emma lived in America in the year 1930?
The talk of stock market crashes and depression isn’t going to keep Emmeline Wellington down. Born to wealth and privilege, Emmeline wants nothing more than to help her new friend, Catarina, find a husband. Emmeline sets her sights on one of the town’s most eligible bachelors, but nothing seems to go right. Even her friend and neighbor Fredrick Knight seems to question her at every turn.
Will she help Catarina find the man of her dreams? Why is her father acting so strangely? Will the downturn affect her life, despite her best efforts?
What I Thought:
Emma is one of my favorite Jane Austen stories. Granted, I've only really experienced two of them, Emma and P&P... and I still haven't read the book... but still! I really enjoy the misadventures of Emma Woodhouse, or in this case, Emmeline Wellington. The romance between her and Knightley is definitely one of my favorites. Friends-to-lovers is my favorite trope, and this is the classic example of that. So as far as the plot was concerned, I already knew what was coming, but that didn't stop me from loving every second of it. Well, you know, almost every second.
The characters were wonderful as well. Emmeline was the perfect mix of naïve and witty, where you got the feeling she knew exactly what she was doing but not what it would cost. Frederick was perfectly swoon-worthy, and even before the romance came in, their friendship was amazing. Catarina was adorable and I loved the twist of making her German, it was a great way to use the historical setting. And every supporting character was so interesting and individual, it was perfect.
The setting was great as well. I'm a history nut and that's what made me really want to read this book. Stories retold in different time periods are so cool to me, and I love how the author used the setting to affect the plot points that we already knew and loved.
And then obviously, I loved the ending. It was sooo perfect.
Favorite Quote: "Hearts are harder to mend than shattered glass."
Overall Rating: 4.5 new hats out of 5
HUGE shout-out to Stellae Books (seriously, go check them out if you read indie books!) for sending me a copy of this book for review! I loved it!
~ Abby
Loved this book! also...signing up now :)
ReplyDeleteIt was so cute! And yay!! :D
Delete