The Trouble with Emma

ROMANTIC COMEDY

Title: The Trouble with Emma
Author: Katie Oliver    
Publication date: 02/29/16
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

I have a confession to make. I’m not a Jane Austen fan. There, I’ve said it. All you Colin Firth fans out there can quit reading now if you feel it necessary. I’ve never daydreamed about finding my own Mr. Darcy, or of being Lizzie or Jane Bennet. Nope, no siree. Not. A. Fan.

So what, you might ask, made me pick up a book that’s part of a series titled The Jane Austen Factor?  I dunno. Temporary insanity?

In all honesty, I thought the blurb was cute, and the cover made it look like a fun book, so I thought, what the hell? I gave it a try….and I DNF’d it at less than 10%.

​Now, I’m no quitter, so deciding to mark a book DNF is not a decision I make lightly. I’ve read some pretty terrible books from start to finish. (And watched some pretty craptastic movies in their entirety, too...but I digress)

What really pisses me off about this book is that it’s well-written. I should’ve been able to finish it. But I learned all I wanted to know about Emma Bennet after a few pages. She’s a self-centered, judgmental, gossipy brat. She gave her housekeeper judgy eyes (and uncharitable thoughts) for daring to talk about eating sweets when she has a round figure (i.e.: fat shaming), she was openly jealous of the good fortune of everyone around her, she bemoaned having to show up to her 2-day a week job at 7am (and being forced to work at all, really), and chastised her father for giving to the church instead of saving the money to fix their house’s saggy wallpaper (because she was embarrassed for anyone to see it). I could go on, but won’t. I think you get the gist of it.

Because what I read was well-written, I’m sure the author managed to redeem Emma by the end of the story. And if I was an Austen fan, I’m sure the story would’ve resonated with me. But as it stands? Just...no.                 

Full disclosure: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
It’s really well-written, so it doesn’t contribute to the stigma. But I can’t say it’s doing much to crush it, either.
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Other reading suggestions
I got nothing on this one. I don’t normally read Jane Austen adaptations. I can recommend some good fairy tale adaptations, but that’s about it. Sorry.

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