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Wrong About the Guy
This contemporary twist on Jane Austen's Emma features the signature wit and swoon-worthy romance of beloved author Claire LaZebnik's other fan favorites Epic Fail, The Trouble with Flirting, and The Last Best Kiss.
Ellie Withers is definitely not spoiled, so she wishes that George Nussbaum would stop implying that she is. It's not her fault that her stepfather became a TV star and now they live in a big house and people fawn over her wherever she goes. She doesn't even like being fawned over. Fortunately, her two closest friends understand her a lot better than George: Heather Smith loved her before she even knew who Ellie's stepfather was, and handsome Aaron Marquand has a father who's just as famous.
With Aaron back in town and very much in her life, Ellie feels like things are just fine—or would be if her mother hadn't hired George to tutor her. George has a habit of making Ellie feel a little less sure of herself, a little less on top of the world, a little less right about everything. It's almost like he wants her to be a better person than she is.
When Ellie's plans for her family, her friends, and even her love life don't turn out the way she imagined, she begins to wonder if maybe she could stand to learn a thing or two after all . . . and whether it's possible—or even likely—that the perfect person to teach her is the last person she'd expect.
Ellie Withers is definitely not spoiled, so she wishes that George Nussbaum would stop implying that she is. It's not her fault that her stepfather became a TV star and now they live in a big house and people fawn over her wherever she goes. She doesn't even like being fawned over. Fortunately, her two closest friends understand her a lot better than George: Heather Smith loved her before she even knew who Ellie's stepfather was, and handsome Aaron Marquand has a father who's just as famous.
With Aaron back in town and very much in her life, Ellie feels like things are just fine—or would be if her mother hadn't hired George to tutor her. George has a habit of making Ellie feel a little less sure of herself, a little less on top of the world, a little less right about everything. It's almost like he wants her to be a better person than she is.
When Ellie's plans for her family, her friends, and even her love life don't turn out the way she imagined, she begins to wonder if maybe she could stand to learn a thing or two after all . . . and whether it's possible—or even likely—that the perfect person to teach her is the last person she'd expect.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 21, 2015
25 people are currently reading
2341 people want to read
About the author
Claire LaZebnik
20 books1,143 followersHIDDEN BRILLIANCE: UNLOCKING THE INTELLIGENCE OF AUTISM is out! We set out to write a loving, respectful, helpful and supportive book for parents and educators, one that never forgets the value and importance of diversity in our community, and I'd like to think that we succeeded. Please check it out https://hidden-brilliance.org/
The Washington Post says: "But even those outside of that audience who would also benefit from reading it, including autistic former children (present), parents of autistic adults and, for that matter, autistic adults who have thought about having children."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
The Washington Post says: "But even those outside of that audience who would also benefit from reading it, including autistic former children (present), parents of autistic adults and, for that matter, autistic adults who have thought about having children."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
April 12, 2021
I'm a bit torn on this one. I liked the last 20% SO MUCH and I wish DESPERATELY the whole book had been that great. The first 80% wasn't bad, but it felt a bit rushed and not all there.
I've given a fair amount of thought to modern Emma adaptations. There's so much that just doesn't translate to modern settings and you just HAVE to change. I like a lot of the choices LaZebnik made in theory, but some of them left me a little confused because I kept trying to find connections that weren't there.
So I don't know. Perhaps I'll just have to write the perfect Emma adaption at some point.
Re-Read April 2021
Had to re-read after reading The Code for Love and Heartbreak and having conversations about Austen adaptations. This remains . . . fine. I do think it translates a lot of the plot points pretty well--particularly college as the "Harriet" storyline and the grandma as Miss Bates--but somehow it never entirely comes together.
Content warning: The autism storyline hits a little differently in 2021 than it did in 2015, as it often comes across as needing to "fix" the character so they can be "normal."
I've given a fair amount of thought to modern Emma adaptations. There's so much that just doesn't translate to modern settings and you just HAVE to change. I like a lot of the choices LaZebnik made in theory, but some of them left me a little confused because I kept trying to find connections that weren't there.
So I don't know. Perhaps I'll just have to write the perfect Emma adaption at some point.
Re-Read April 2021
Had to re-read after reading The Code for Love and Heartbreak and having conversations about Austen adaptations. This remains . . . fine. I do think it translates a lot of the plot points pretty well--particularly college as the "Harriet" storyline and the grandma as Miss Bates--but somehow it never entirely comes together.
Content warning: The autism storyline hits a little differently in 2021 than it did in 2015, as it often comes across as needing to "fix" the character so they can be "normal."
July 11, 2015
I know that Emma isn’t the most endearing heroine of the Jane Austen pantheon, but I can’t help but like her and her many incarnations, and LaZebnik’s extension of her in Ellie is no exception. Ellie is confident, ambitious, and she just is who she is. Sometimes confidence can become arrogance and ambition looks more like selfishness, but her actions and decisions are typically driven by good intentions and a love for her family and friends. While this novel did start off slow and I had a little trouble being drawn in at the beginning, I pushed through because I have enjoyed LaZebnik’s previous Austen retellings, and I’m glad I did. The story picked up the more I read, and I found myself becoming emotionally invested in Ellie & George — the slow evolution of their relationship and their self-realizations. I also really enjoyed how certain elements and plot points of Emma were incorporated into this particular young adult reimagining.
Overall, a cute, modern-day retelling of Emma.
Overall, a cute, modern-day retelling of Emma.
dnf
March 5, 2015Pages read: 12
1) I've been burned by LaZebnik's Austen retellings before. The only one I enjoyed was of my least favorite novel.
2) This book is already so obviously not Emma. She's living with her mom and step-father and has a younger brother.
3) I quit because of the descriptions of how attractive Ellie's parents are. See chapter two. That kind of stuff just creeps me out in a YA novel.
I'm quitting while I'm only slightly behind.
1) I've been burned by LaZebnik's Austen retellings before. The only one I enjoyed was of my least favorite novel.
2) This book is already so obviously not Emma. She's living with her mom and step-father and has a younger brother.
3) I quit because of the descriptions of how attractive Ellie's parents are. See chapter two. That kind of stuff just creeps me out in a YA novel.
I'm quitting while I'm only slightly behind.
April 9, 2017
Nope, nope, nope.
I didn't like this at all, and it was mostly because of the main character. She was spoiled, selfish, bratty, and completely disregarded her "best friend's" feelings - and there wasn't much character development as the story progressed either.
Speaking in terms of plot, I felt very distant from everything and the pacing just seemed sluggish and slow.
I didn't like this at all, and it was mostly because of the main character. She was spoiled, selfish, bratty, and completely disregarded her "best friend's" feelings - and there wasn't much character development as the story progressed either.
Speaking in terms of plot, I felt very distant from everything and the pacing just seemed sluggish and slow.
September 8, 2018
MY OPINION: *****
So this book was meh at first and then OOH by the end. I loved it.
Anyways, this book was about a girl named Ellie; honestly, I completely forgot that was her name until someone said it, which was pretty rare.
Ellie is the stepdaughter of a TV star and she's used to people trying to be her friend just for the sake of saying that they met her stepdad, etc. But her two best friends are home and she feels pretty good.
She is in her senior year and she's ready to apply to colleges. She has one college in mind, though she could have made it into an Ivy League college. She has a tutor, George, who I basically adored from the start. Except for his name. Honestly, I don't have anything against the name George but there is someone at my school with the name George that I can't stand and when I read about a character named George, my mental image of that character is that kid at school. :\
So basically, I loved the ending. The ending was really beautiful and romantic and amazing. But the beginning and about the first half of the middle was either very rushed or very slow...
What I didn't like about this book was the fact that Ellie was so self-centered and spoiled. I completely agree with George! However, by the end, I loved how she managed to change her personality a little and wasn't so conceited and ANNOYING.
I first loved Aaron but by the end, I started to despise him and I was so bored by him. He was more spoiled than Ellie, and I completely agreed with George's opinion of him. And what the heck was up with having
I loved Jacob. They made it seem like being autistic or possible autistic was a horrible thing but it really isn't. Being unique is a good thing, but I love how by the end everyone learned to just accept it and realized that jacob was really a mini genius.
I love this author and I am so excited to read more from her. I am so sorry for such a horrible review but I honestly have no time and this is one of those quickies. As always, comment and follow and check out my WORDPRESS blog.
I would recommend this book to Jane Austen and contemporary lovers!
Main Character: Ellie
Sidekick(s): George, etc
Villain(s): Things going wrong, etc
Contemporary Elements: This book was all real to life and quirky.
So this book was meh at first and then OOH by the end. I loved it.
Anyways, this book was about a girl named Ellie; honestly, I completely forgot that was her name until someone said it, which was pretty rare.
Ellie is the stepdaughter of a TV star and she's used to people trying to be her friend just for the sake of saying that they met her stepdad, etc. But her two best friends are home and she feels pretty good.
She is in her senior year and she's ready to apply to colleges. She has one college in mind, though she could have made it into an Ivy League college. She has a tutor, George, who I basically adored from the start. Except for his name. Honestly, I don't have anything against the name George but there is someone at my school with the name George that I can't stand and when I read about a character named George, my mental image of that character is that kid at school. :\
So basically, I loved the ending. The ending was really beautiful and romantic and amazing. But the beginning and about the first half of the middle was either very rushed or very slow...
What I didn't like about this book was the fact that Ellie was so self-centered and spoiled. I completely agree with George! However, by the end, I loved how she managed to change her personality a little and wasn't so conceited and ANNOYING.
I first loved Aaron but by the end, I started to despise him and I was so bored by him. He was more spoiled than Ellie, and I completely agreed with George's opinion of him. And what the heck was up with having
I loved Jacob. They made it seem like being autistic or possible autistic was a horrible thing but it really isn't. Being unique is a good thing, but I love how by the end everyone learned to just accept it and realized that jacob was really a mini genius.
I love this author and I am so excited to read more from her. I am so sorry for such a horrible review but I honestly have no time and this is one of those quickies. As always, comment and follow and check out my WORDPRESS blog.
I would recommend this book to Jane Austen and contemporary lovers!
Main Character: Ellie
Sidekick(s): George, etc
Villain(s): Things going wrong, etc
Contemporary Elements: This book was all real to life and quirky.
May 1, 2015
2.5 stars
Ellie Withers has it all, her step dad is famous and before that it was her and her mother only in a one bedroom apartment, now they have a mansion with staff.
Ellie thinks that Aaron is her perfect match and future husband but things never go as planned.
Ellie is a spoiled little bitch at times she could be funny, but she was really demanding everything’s she want she gets, I don’t feel that she works for anything or that she deserves the way that things fall in her hand.
When her friend points out a boy that she likes all off a sudden Ellie wants this guy too and he off course wants her back. The love was not build it was like I like you do you like me too? Ok I love you be mine. They're relationship was not build on beautiful moments.
The other thing that bothered me a lot was the way her mothers’ concerns were washed away like she was making it up. There were so many clues on what he has that after some pages even I know it. Ellie is demanding on her staff and her friend.
This was an OK read, I did enjoy it to some point.
Ellie Withers has it all, her step dad is famous and before that it was her and her mother only in a one bedroom apartment, now they have a mansion with staff.
Ellie thinks that Aaron is her perfect match and future husband but things never go as planned.
Ellie is a spoiled little bitch at times she could be funny, but she was really demanding everything’s she want she gets, I don’t feel that she works for anything or that she deserves the way that things fall in her hand.
When her friend points out a boy that she likes all off a sudden Ellie wants this guy too and he off course wants her back. The love was not build it was like I like you do you like me too? Ok I love you be mine. They're relationship was not build on beautiful moments.
The other thing that bothered me a lot was the way her mothers’ concerns were washed away like she was making it up. There were so many clues on what he has that after some pages even I know it. Ellie is demanding on her staff and her friend.
This was an OK read, I did enjoy it to some point.
June 30, 2016
Cuteness overload :D Wrong About The Guy ini buku Claire LaZebnik ketiga yg kubaca. Seperti biasa tiap baca buku LaZebnik ini paling bisa bikin senyum-senyum sendiri saking imutnya.
May 27, 2015
I actually don't know how to rate this. This main character is self absorbed and shallow and much of this book is filled trivial incidents, however this is a retelling of Emma so it all seems fitting. My biggest problem with this is that is felt like a lesser version of Clueless and I like Clueless more than I like Emma . Ellie Withers is no Cher Horowitz. I felt as though as I wasn't in her head but just observing her life.
I love retellings but I would pass over this one.
I love retellings but I would pass over this one.
September 24, 2015
While this was a fun contemporary read, I didn't enjoy it as much as Claire's other books, like Epic Fail. The plot had a good basis, but some of the settings and characters didn't impress me. Overall 3/5 stars; not the best, but still a story worth trying.
Read
December 6, 2017Enjoyed! Really great dialogue, cute ship, slightly sanitized version of my hometown, but an easy breezy read with, again, really funny dialogue. This book should be all dialogue. Ellie was funny and charming and endearingly spoiled, and I loved George. They had an excellent Emma/Knightly dynamic.
March 4, 2019
Aww! this is such a cute book. <3 Just the kind of book/ story that I love!!
I love the head-strong main character Ellie. She's always being such a tough and confident girl on the outside when she has to take on so many problems and changes in her life. I'm still a little bad about everybody new she meets trying to use her to get to her famous stepdad. I would hate never knowing who I could trust in my life. Also, how stupid and dumb can people actually be when being mad at her for speaking up about the bullshit they are doing. I would have loved if Ellie would have just pointed the people out at her high school who were literally stalking her for her relationship to a celebrity. I mean can't they just be left alone and given some privacy, they're also just humans!!! Therefore I was sooo sooo thankfully for her true friend Heather, who also had to find herself through this book. Another person I loved, besides her amazing family, is George her Tutor. He's the right kind of guy to keep her grounded and simply let her be her unique self. Everybody needs a person like George! ;)
The end was still kind of kept open, but with a promising future for all my favorite characters. The only thing that could still get in the way of the happy happy end is life, and maybe a little distance. ;D
I definitely have to read more books from this author as I loved the style and her combining a serious and important topic with a cute romantic story and the everyday drama that keeps coming up in our lives. :)
I love the head-strong main character Ellie. She's always being such a tough and confident girl on the outside when she has to take on so many problems and changes in her life. I'm still a little bad about everybody new she meets trying to use her to get to her famous stepdad. I would hate never knowing who I could trust in my life. Also, how stupid and dumb can people actually be when being mad at her for speaking up about the bullshit they are doing. I would have loved if Ellie would have just pointed the people out at her high school who were literally stalking her for her relationship to a celebrity. I mean can't they just be left alone and given some privacy, they're also just humans!!! Therefore I was sooo sooo thankfully for her true friend Heather, who also had to find herself through this book. Another person I loved, besides her amazing family, is George her Tutor. He's the right kind of guy to keep her grounded and simply let her be her unique self. Everybody needs a person like George! ;)
The end was still kind of kept open, but with a promising future for all my favorite characters. The only thing that could still get in the way of the happy happy end is life, and maybe a little distance. ;D
I definitely have to read more books from this author as I loved the style and her combining a serious and important topic with a cute romantic story and the everyday drama that keeps coming up in our lives. :)
March 24, 2017
(I did, for the sake of being honest, basically skim this.)
I gotta admit, I really, really didn't like this. Frankly, it makes me squirm. I know Knightley and Emma have their differences (age included), but... ah... dealing with that by having Emma be a senior in high school and George be this, what, twenty-something post-college grad?
Yeah, that's just creepy.
And don't get me started on the Frank Churchill adaptation. NOPE. That was just... also creepy, tbh.
I gotta admit, I really, really didn't like this. Frankly, it makes me squirm. I know Knightley and Emma have their differences (age included), but... ah... dealing with that by having Emma be a senior in high school and George be this, what, twenty-something post-college grad?
Yeah, that's just creepy.
And don't get me started on the Frank Churchill adaptation. NOPE. That was just... also creepy, tbh.
May 19, 2015
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: This is a retelling of the classic Jane Austen tale Emma. I have liked some of LaZebnik’s other retellings, but I had a really hard time with this one. With the annoying protagonist and unoriginal plotline, this actually ended up being a DNF read.
Opening Sentence: It was my first idea for Mom and Luke to make a big deal out of their fifth wedding anniversary.
The Review:
Ellie Withers is getting ready to start her senior year of high school and she is one of those girls that everyone wants to be. She is gorgeous, filthy rich, extremely intelligent, and her stepfather is very famous. Lucky for her she has a really great friend that doesn’t care who her stepfather is and she has just started dating her dream guy. The only way for Ellie to be any happier is to make sure that everyone else in her life is just as happy as she is and she knows exactly what will make them happy. But when things don’t turn out exactly how she planned, she begins to realize that maybe she doesn’t know as much as she thought. But the most surprising thing is the person that shows her how wrong she was, is the person she least expected!
Ellie is a ridiculously annoying character. Personally, I have never been a big fan of the character Emma in the Jane Austen book because I always thought she was pretty stuck up and just acted really dumb at times. Ellie is the epitome of what a modern day Emma would be like and let’s just say she is not someone I would want to be around. She is very intelligent, beautiful, and rich. She knows that she has a ton of great qualities which is fine, but there is a really fine line between stuck up and having confidence. To me she just came across as really snotty, and being inside her head drove me nuts. On the positive side she does try to be a good person and a good friend, but I can only take so much ignorance before it just becomes stupidity. I imagine that as the book goes on she probably gets better, but I honestly didn’t have the patience to find out.
George is the love interest in the story and while I didn’t mind his character, I did find him to be pretty boring. He is smart and cute, but I am honestly having a hard time coming up with any other adjectives to describe him because there just wasn’t much to his character. I mean he is only twenty years old and has already graduated from Harvard which is a huge accomplishment, but instead of doing something with his life he is currently tutoring a high school student for the SAT’s. To me that just didn’t really add up, and it made me lose a lot of respect for his character. The one thing I did like about him was that he would put Ellie in her place when she would say or do stupid things. Their romance was sweet as well, but once again it wasn’t anything spectacular. While I did like him better the Ellie, I still didn’t really love his character either.
Wrong About the Guy is a retelling of the classic Jane Austen story, Emma. I have read all of LaZebnik’s retellings and while I have enjoyed some of them, others I have had a really hard time with. Unfortunately, this one fell in the second category and I ended up not even being able to finish it. To be fair, I will admit that out of all of Jane Austen’s books, Emma is actually my least favorite, so the story had that against it from the start. But what I disliked most was that it didn’t really stray much from the plotline of the original story at all. There were really no surprises and the story was so slow moving that I kept having to force myself to read it. Eventually I just didn’t see the point in reading anymore. I knew exactly what was going to happen and like I mentioned earlier in the review. I didn’t really care for any of the characters, which ultimately lead to me having no interest in finishing the book. In some of her previous retellings LaZebnik took more chances and changed things up a lot more, which I personally really liked and I would recommend her other books over this one. Obviously this was a pretty rough read for me, but if you are looking for a light beach read maybe give this one a try; you might have a better experience then me.
Notable Scene:
“Or you’ll go to different good schools,” George said.
I shook my head. “We’re going to Elton together.”
:What other schools are you thinking about?” George asked Heather.
“I don’t know …. My dad went to Steventon College. He wants me to apply there.”
“Oh, please,” I said. “You can do better than that.”
“It’s a good school,” George said, an edge to his voice.
“Whatever. Heather and I are going to get into Elton early decision. I’ve already decided that.”
FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Wrong About the Guy. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: This is a retelling of the classic Jane Austen tale Emma. I have liked some of LaZebnik’s other retellings, but I had a really hard time with this one. With the annoying protagonist and unoriginal plotline, this actually ended up being a DNF read.
Opening Sentence: It was my first idea for Mom and Luke to make a big deal out of their fifth wedding anniversary.
The Review:
Ellie Withers is getting ready to start her senior year of high school and she is one of those girls that everyone wants to be. She is gorgeous, filthy rich, extremely intelligent, and her stepfather is very famous. Lucky for her she has a really great friend that doesn’t care who her stepfather is and she has just started dating her dream guy. The only way for Ellie to be any happier is to make sure that everyone else in her life is just as happy as she is and she knows exactly what will make them happy. But when things don’t turn out exactly how she planned, she begins to realize that maybe she doesn’t know as much as she thought. But the most surprising thing is the person that shows her how wrong she was, is the person she least expected!
Ellie is a ridiculously annoying character. Personally, I have never been a big fan of the character Emma in the Jane Austen book because I always thought she was pretty stuck up and just acted really dumb at times. Ellie is the epitome of what a modern day Emma would be like and let’s just say she is not someone I would want to be around. She is very intelligent, beautiful, and rich. She knows that she has a ton of great qualities which is fine, but there is a really fine line between stuck up and having confidence. To me she just came across as really snotty, and being inside her head drove me nuts. On the positive side she does try to be a good person and a good friend, but I can only take so much ignorance before it just becomes stupidity. I imagine that as the book goes on she probably gets better, but I honestly didn’t have the patience to find out.
George is the love interest in the story and while I didn’t mind his character, I did find him to be pretty boring. He is smart and cute, but I am honestly having a hard time coming up with any other adjectives to describe him because there just wasn’t much to his character. I mean he is only twenty years old and has already graduated from Harvard which is a huge accomplishment, but instead of doing something with his life he is currently tutoring a high school student for the SAT’s. To me that just didn’t really add up, and it made me lose a lot of respect for his character. The one thing I did like about him was that he would put Ellie in her place when she would say or do stupid things. Their romance was sweet as well, but once again it wasn’t anything spectacular. While I did like him better the Ellie, I still didn’t really love his character either.
Wrong About the Guy is a retelling of the classic Jane Austen story, Emma. I have read all of LaZebnik’s retellings and while I have enjoyed some of them, others I have had a really hard time with. Unfortunately, this one fell in the second category and I ended up not even being able to finish it. To be fair, I will admit that out of all of Jane Austen’s books, Emma is actually my least favorite, so the story had that against it from the start. But what I disliked most was that it didn’t really stray much from the plotline of the original story at all. There were really no surprises and the story was so slow moving that I kept having to force myself to read it. Eventually I just didn’t see the point in reading anymore. I knew exactly what was going to happen and like I mentioned earlier in the review. I didn’t really care for any of the characters, which ultimately lead to me having no interest in finishing the book. In some of her previous retellings LaZebnik took more chances and changed things up a lot more, which I personally really liked and I would recommend her other books over this one. Obviously this was a pretty rough read for me, but if you are looking for a light beach read maybe give this one a try; you might have a better experience then me.
Notable Scene:
“Or you’ll go to different good schools,” George said.
I shook my head. “We’re going to Elton together.”
:What other schools are you thinking about?” George asked Heather.
“I don’t know …. My dad went to Steventon College. He wants me to apply there.”
“Oh, please,” I said. “You can do better than that.”
“It’s a good school,” George said, an edge to his voice.
“Whatever. Heather and I are going to get into Elton early decision. I’ve already decided that.”
FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Wrong About the Guy. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
May 28, 2015
I have enjoyed the books by Claire LaZebnik that I've read so far and was excited to read this Emma retelling. Unfortunately, this one was disappointing.
Ellie was not a likeable character. She was spoiled and had entitlement issues. Just because she has a famous stepfather she expects things to be given to her and that she deserves them because of who her stepfather is. She wants special treatment and expects people to cater to her needs. It got old very fast. I did not find it cute or endearing. I found it irritating. Even by the end of the book I still disliked her and found that there was little character growth. The end was also very rushed and unbelievable that Heather and Ellie would make up as fast as they did.
I'm disappointed that I did not enjoy this more I was looking forward to this. I hope that I enjoy the next book more.
Ellie was not a likeable character. She was spoiled and had entitlement issues. Just because she has a famous stepfather she expects things to be given to her and that she deserves them because of who her stepfather is. She wants special treatment and expects people to cater to her needs. It got old very fast. I did not find it cute or endearing. I found it irritating. Even by the end of the book I still disliked her and found that there was little character growth. The end was also very rushed and unbelievable that Heather and Ellie would make up as fast as they did.
I'm disappointed that I did not enjoy this more I was looking forward to this. I hope that I enjoy the next book more.
October 1, 2015
I usually like LaZebnik's Austen retellings. Even the ones that I don't love (like Epic Fail), I at least enjoy. But this was so really boring and didn't capture enough of what I think is important about Emma. Will anyone ever update Emma better than Clueless did though? I doubt it. Still this could have been way better.
May 16, 2015
Having loved Jane Austen's Emma I was intrigued to read this modern YA take on the story.
Sadly it just didn't work for me. Ellie came across as spoiled and arrogant, I found it really hard to like her and poor Mr Knightley aka George was reduced to the part of errand boy for her wealthy family. The chemistry that Emma and Knightley had just wasn't there.
Ellie's family also featured heavily in the book and I did find myself skimming pages whenever they popped up, which was a lot!
Sadly it just didn't work for me. Ellie came across as spoiled and arrogant, I found it really hard to like her and poor Mr Knightley aka George was reduced to the part of errand boy for her wealthy family. The chemistry that Emma and Knightley had just wasn't there.
Ellie's family also featured heavily in the book and I did find myself skimming pages whenever they popped up, which was a lot!
June 3, 2015
I forgot how entertaining Claire's conversations are. Always so witty, always full of sass. I had always wanted to make a gobblers shelf (but I won't because its too much of a hassle to look back on all the books I've read and put them there) but theoretically, if I were to make one, there's no doubt that all of her books would be in that list. She knows what I love, she gets me (hahahaha). She gives me fluff (which is my most loved thing in the world)! And witty conversations (which is my second most loved thing)!! Words can't express how much I love her tbh. I highly recommend this if you need instant pick-me-uppers.
And let's take a moment to appreciate how perfect this essay is:
I want to be exceptional. But my expectations of who I should be always run ahead of the reality of who I am. I see myself as a writer, a philanthropist, an athlete, a dancer...
But I’m not any of those things. Not really. I’ve tried my hand at so many different activities, been enthusiastic and optimistic about each one until it turned challenging or repetitive, and then... stopped. I never make it to the next level, where I might actually get good. I’m strong with beginnings; it’s sticking to something that’s hard for me.
I used to dream about being really good at something and I’ve managed to convince myself that the reason it hasn’t happened yet is because I just haven’t found the right “thing.” So I keep trying new things, just waiting for the magic to happen.
But maybe you aren’t born with a talent that’s like a key that fits into a lock. Maybe it’s the sticking-to-something part that makes you outstanding—and that’s what I don’t have.
So now my dream has changed. Now instead of dreaming of being brilliant, I dream of being consistent. I dream of being dedicated. I dream of finding something I love so much that even someone like me—a mercurial, inconstant, lifelong dilettante—could honestly say, “This time, I’ll make myself proud.”
Also, SCOREEEE!! I got a hunch when
--- (my mandatory post-my-favorite-conversations) ---
And let's take a moment to appreciate how perfect this essay is:
I want to be exceptional. But my expectations of who I should be always run ahead of the reality of who I am. I see myself as a writer, a philanthropist, an athlete, a dancer...
But I’m not any of those things. Not really. I’ve tried my hand at so many different activities, been enthusiastic and optimistic about each one until it turned challenging or repetitive, and then... stopped. I never make it to the next level, where I might actually get good. I’m strong with beginnings; it’s sticking to something that’s hard for me.
I used to dream about being really good at something and I’ve managed to convince myself that the reason it hasn’t happened yet is because I just haven’t found the right “thing.” So I keep trying new things, just waiting for the magic to happen.
But maybe you aren’t born with a talent that’s like a key that fits into a lock. Maybe it’s the sticking-to-something part that makes you outstanding—and that’s what I don’t have.
So now my dream has changed. Now instead of dreaming of being brilliant, I dream of being consistent. I dream of being dedicated. I dream of finding something I love so much that even someone like me—a mercurial, inconstant, lifelong dilettante—could honestly say, “This time, I’ll make myself proud.”
Also, SCOREEEE!! I got a hunch when
--- (my mandatory post-my-favorite-conversations) ---
December 26, 2024
2015 YA romcom novel, which is an homage both to Emma by Jane Austen and to Clueless, a 1995 teen movie homage to Emma
Ellie is 17 and George is 20. He is so brilliant, he graduated from college several years early. He is her tutor for the SATs and her mother's personal assistant. George's brother Jonathan is personal assistant to Ellie's wealthy stepfather, Luke.
Here are the significant characters in this novel as compared to the characters in Emma that they reference:
*Ellie Withers - Emma Woodhouse
*Heather Smith - Harriet Smith
*George Nussbaum- George Knightley
*Jonathan & Izzy Nussbaum - John Knightley & Isabella Knightley, Emma's elder sister, married to Mr. John Knightley
*Luke Weston - somewhat Mr Weston
*Cassie Weston, Ellie's mother - Mrs Weston, Emma's former governess, who became her companion before marriage
*Michael Marquand - somewhat Mr Weston
*Aaron Marquand - Frank Churchill
*Crystal, Aaron's third wife - Jane Fairfax
*Elton College, which Ellie wants to attend with Heather - Philip Elton, the vicar of Highbury
*Ellie's maternal grandmother - Miss Bates
Similar to the novel, Emma, Ella encourages Heather to like Aaron, but Heather thinks Ella is encouraging her to like George. Like Emma, Ella doesn't realize that she likes George until near the end of the book, when she gets angrily jealous about Heather's presumptuous crush on George.
I have read this book multiple times over the years. It's quite entertaining. It is G-rated, with very little more in terms of sensuality beyond a kiss or two.
Ellie is 17 and George is 20. He is so brilliant, he graduated from college several years early. He is her tutor for the SATs and her mother's personal assistant. George's brother Jonathan is personal assistant to Ellie's wealthy stepfather, Luke.
Here are the significant characters in this novel as compared to the characters in Emma that they reference:
*Ellie Withers - Emma Woodhouse
*Heather Smith - Harriet Smith
*George Nussbaum- George Knightley
*Jonathan & Izzy Nussbaum - John Knightley & Isabella Knightley, Emma's elder sister, married to Mr. John Knightley
*Luke Weston - somewhat Mr Weston
*Cassie Weston, Ellie's mother - Mrs Weston, Emma's former governess, who became her companion before marriage
*Michael Marquand - somewhat Mr Weston
*Aaron Marquand - Frank Churchill
*Crystal, Aaron's third wife - Jane Fairfax
*Elton College, which Ellie wants to attend with Heather - Philip Elton, the vicar of Highbury
*Ellie's maternal grandmother - Miss Bates
Similar to the novel, Emma, Ella encourages Heather to like Aaron, but Heather thinks Ella is encouraging her to like George. Like Emma, Ella doesn't realize that she likes George until near the end of the book, when she gets angrily jealous about Heather's presumptuous crush on George.
I have read this book multiple times over the years. It's quite entertaining. It is G-rated, with very little more in terms of sensuality beyond a kiss or two.
February 16, 2018
I feel like this "retelling" of Emma was a pretty loose one, making a lot of changes and cutting out some elements that I think were important to the original storyline. () There were some characters in this retelling that didn't appear to have counterparts in the original Austen tale, and yet didn't really add anything.
The George-Ellie relationship was cute, although I felt surprisingly little chemistry/tension between them until Ellie realized how she felt about him. I think there were probably moments that could have been played up a lot more, to ramp up the romantic tension.
I liked Ellie's voice, and it seemed quite true to the original Emma's character — somewhat superficial and self-centred, but with a good heart and a willingness to admit her faults and try to change. I also thought the storyline involving Jacob was an interesting addition that felt quite realistic.
The George-Ellie relationship was cute, although I felt surprisingly little chemistry/tension between them until Ellie realized how she felt about him. I think there were probably moments that could have been played up a lot more, to ramp up the romantic tension.
I liked Ellie's voice, and it seemed quite true to the original Emma's character — somewhat superficial and self-centred, but with a good heart and a willingness to admit her faults and try to change. I also thought the storyline involving Jacob was an interesting addition that felt quite realistic.
January 20, 2019
Sweet and real, I loved it.
April 5, 2020
George was a total sweetheart. Ellie was quite Emma-ish, spoiled, selfish, entitled, but she overcame it by the end. An interesting retelling of Emma. I like how Elton was represented as a school they are trying to get into, not a person. A cute read, but I wanted more from the romance.
May 17, 2024
3/4th of this book is super-cute and fun, with an engaging heroine who is much more self-aware than. Austen’s Emma. However the Harriet/Heather character is pretty dim, and the Knightley stand-in of a SAT tutor and college graduate who ends up dating the high school Emma/Ellie is pretty icky. I guess so is the Clueless stepbrother, thing, too. But I'm sorry, I don't care how young a Harvard grad is, he's still a college guy with way more life experience than a high schooler.
The big revelation about the guy Ellie thinks she's in love with, though, is an even more major yikes-on-a-bike, and while fascinating, it just too much for the breezy, light tone of the book to fully unpack (it deals with major trauma, and what is truthfully statutory rape).
This book is more Emma vibes than a scene-by-scene replay, which I very much prefer. It has some genuine surprises to sustain the reader's interest, though the end feels a bit rushed and emotionally unresolved-I don’t think this Emma has the kind of major internal shift as Austen’s.
The big revelation about the guy Ellie thinks she's in love with, though, is an even more major yikes-on-a-bike, and while fascinating, it just too much for the breezy, light tone of the book to fully unpack (it deals with major trauma, and what is truthfully statutory rape).
This book is more Emma vibes than a scene-by-scene replay, which I very much prefer. It has some genuine surprises to sustain the reader's interest, though the end feels a bit rushed and emotionally unresolved-I don’t think this Emma has the kind of major internal shift as Austen’s.
April 7, 2015
YABC.
Best for older or mature teens, Wrong About the Guy is YA Contemporary. We have a nice and subtle romance and a complicated drama with so much drama. (A drama with drama. Yes, I do realize how redundant that sounds, but there is no other way to put it.) Set in Los Angeles, Wrong About the Guy has all the right moves and all the right words. It is absolute perfection.
Ellie Withers, our main character and sole narrator, is a spoiled girl, to be put shortly. However, she is also a great character with a lot of potential that Claire LaZebnik delightfully taps into. Ellie is the girl who want everything to go her way, and she is suspicious whenever she does have it her way. Amusing and incredibly easy to empathize with, she has an amazing self-awareness period where she starts becoming better and more.
The romance, which is most certainly one of the biggest parts of the book, is unfortunately easy (and I repeat, too easy) to predict. From the very beginning, I know exactly who Ellie will end up with. The journey to the point where the two characters (Ellie and ____) end up together is paved with a lot of twists and turns. But it is worth it. Wrong About the Guy is about the journey, not the ending, and that is what makes it spectacular.
LaZebnik's writing style is mostly light, though she is also able to pull off the romantic drama or family melodrama without a hint of cheesiness. The characters act and react with each other smoothly. Flowing easily and smoothly, the plot itself has a lot of spectacles and hype (translation: drama). The minor plots falls in easily with the main plot, and I love how LaZebnik set up Jacob's problems to be a driving force of many characters.
The ending is one of the best parts of the book. The character development for Ellie is quite magnificently played out. It is where everything meets together, and all of the colors show up perfectly in order.
It is easy to escape into the book and be amazed by the world Ms. LaZebnik sets up. I'm all up for a sequel, if LaZebnik writes one. However, Wrong About the Guy is most likely a standalone and definitely a worthy book to reread over and over again.
In conclusion, Wrong About the Guy is an amazing and light read from Claire LaZebnik. With a terrific romance and humorous dialogue and witty remarks and strong characters, the book is about the journey and not the ending. Perfectly-paced, Wrong About the Guy is a page turner from start to finish. I definitely recommend!
Rating: Five out of Five
Best for older or mature teens, Wrong About the Guy is YA Contemporary. We have a nice and subtle romance and a complicated drama with so much drama. (A drama with drama. Yes, I do realize how redundant that sounds, but there is no other way to put it.) Set in Los Angeles, Wrong About the Guy has all the right moves and all the right words. It is absolute perfection.
Ellie Withers, our main character and sole narrator, is a spoiled girl, to be put shortly. However, she is also a great character with a lot of potential that Claire LaZebnik delightfully taps into. Ellie is the girl who want everything to go her way, and she is suspicious whenever she does have it her way. Amusing and incredibly easy to empathize with, she has an amazing self-awareness period where she starts becoming better and more.
The romance, which is most certainly one of the biggest parts of the book, is unfortunately easy (and I repeat, too easy) to predict. From the very beginning, I know exactly who Ellie will end up with. The journey to the point where the two characters (Ellie and ____) end up together is paved with a lot of twists and turns. But it is worth it. Wrong About the Guy is about the journey, not the ending, and that is what makes it spectacular.
LaZebnik's writing style is mostly light, though she is also able to pull off the romantic drama or family melodrama without a hint of cheesiness. The characters act and react with each other smoothly. Flowing easily and smoothly, the plot itself has a lot of spectacles and hype (translation: drama). The minor plots falls in easily with the main plot, and I love how LaZebnik set up Jacob's problems to be a driving force of many characters.
The ending is one of the best parts of the book. The character development for Ellie is quite magnificently played out. It is where everything meets together, and all of the colors show up perfectly in order.
It is easy to escape into the book and be amazed by the world Ms. LaZebnik sets up. I'm all up for a sequel, if LaZebnik writes one. However, Wrong About the Guy is most likely a standalone and definitely a worthy book to reread over and over again.
In conclusion, Wrong About the Guy is an amazing and light read from Claire LaZebnik. With a terrific romance and humorous dialogue and witty remarks and strong characters, the book is about the journey and not the ending. Perfectly-paced, Wrong About the Guy is a page turner from start to finish. I definitely recommend!
Rating: Five out of Five
March 4, 2015
Ellie has a charmed life with her Mom, famous stepdad Luke and little brother in an LA mansion. But she thrives on getting things to go her way, whether that means sharing her infuriating SAT tutor George with her less motivated best-friend Heather, getting her Mom and Luke to honeymoon where she wants them to, or planning the future of her own love life. When Luke's best friend's son moves back to LA for his senior year, Ellie thinks this might finally be the time to jump start her own romantic life. But there doesn't seem to be any chemistry to speak of between the two of them. With fake girls at school giving her trouble, fights with Heather over college (and surprisingly, a guy) putting a crimp in their friendship, and Aaron not being quite what he seemed on the surface, is it finally time for Ellie to admit that she needs to spend some time on her own life instead of everyone else's?
I am a sucker for Jane Austen retellings and had previously read Epic Fail and The Trouble With Flirting by this author, and really enjoyed them. That said, Elizabeth Bennet and Fanny Price were likeable heroines inherently and I was rooting for them in the original stories. Emma was not really a favorite of mine. I will say that Claire definitely managed to make the characters more approachable. I especially liked Emma's Mom and her stepdad in this book, and the overall family relationship (a great one). Heather was okay, but I do feel like she was dumbed down quite a bit to make the whole SAT situation more believable. I honestly felt like Emma didn't even need an SAT tutor, but it was a good way to bring George (aka Knightley) into the story and lessen the originally FAR more creepy age difference between him and Ellie (Emma). The were a few subplots, such as the one with Aaron's true object of affection, the one with a weird girl at school trying to get to Ellie's stepdad through her, and one with the slow development of Ellie's little brother/what could be responsible for it medically. Overall, a sweet and fluffy retelling of Emma that I enjoyed and would recommend, even if I didn't quite love it.
VERDICT: 3/5 Stars
**I reviewed this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is April 21st, 2015.**
I am a sucker for Jane Austen retellings and had previously read Epic Fail and The Trouble With Flirting by this author, and really enjoyed them. That said, Elizabeth Bennet and Fanny Price were likeable heroines inherently and I was rooting for them in the original stories. Emma was not really a favorite of mine. I will say that Claire definitely managed to make the characters more approachable. I especially liked Emma's Mom and her stepdad in this book, and the overall family relationship (a great one). Heather was okay, but I do feel like she was dumbed down quite a bit to make the whole SAT situation more believable. I honestly felt like Emma didn't even need an SAT tutor, but it was a good way to bring George (aka Knightley) into the story and lessen the originally FAR more creepy age difference between him and Ellie (Emma). The were a few subplots, such as the one with Aaron's true object of affection, the one with a weird girl at school trying to get to Ellie's stepdad through her, and one with the slow development of Ellie's little brother/what could be responsible for it medically. Overall, a sweet and fluffy retelling of Emma that I enjoyed and would recommend, even if I didn't quite love it.
VERDICT: 3/5 Stars
**I reviewed this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is April 21st, 2015.**
July 13, 2015
Check out this review and more at On the Wings of Books
What I Thought...
• I love Claire LaZebnik's books. They are always cute and fun with a little bit of heartbreak thrown in.
• Wrong About the Guy is based off of Jane Austen's Emma. I've never read Emma (don't throw stones, but Jane Austen's books are not for me), but Clueless is one of my favorite movies ever, and Clueless is also based off Emma.
• Even though I knew who Ellie was going to end up with in the end I loved how she got there and how everything played out. Ellie does a tremendous amount of growing throughout the book while she is figuring herself out. She was kind of hard to like at first because of her vapidness, but as she goes through and changes you can't help but want to be her friend.
• Ellie's best friend is Heather, who she knew before her step-dad became famous. They do not have the best kind of friendship in the beginning, Ellie kind of abuses Heather and Heather idolizes her, but despite that they do complement each other and once they work through those issues they are golden.
• Aaron is guy number one and while he is mostly likeable he is also a bit shady.
• George is guy number two and not the least bit shady. He's older than Ellie by a couple of years.
• I have so much love for Ellie's mom and step-dad. For one they are awesome parents for her, and two they have so much love for Ellie's little brother Jacob. He's a bit different and I really loved this part of the story and how things worked out.
Overall if you haven't read one of LaZebnik's books I suggest you do so, you won't regret it!
What I Thought...
• I love Claire LaZebnik's books. They are always cute and fun with a little bit of heartbreak thrown in.
• Wrong About the Guy is based off of Jane Austen's Emma. I've never read Emma (don't throw stones, but Jane Austen's books are not for me), but Clueless is one of my favorite movies ever, and Clueless is also based off Emma.
• Even though I knew who Ellie was going to end up with in the end I loved how she got there and how everything played out. Ellie does a tremendous amount of growing throughout the book while she is figuring herself out. She was kind of hard to like at first because of her vapidness, but as she goes through and changes you can't help but want to be her friend.
• Ellie's best friend is Heather, who she knew before her step-dad became famous. They do not have the best kind of friendship in the beginning, Ellie kind of abuses Heather and Heather idolizes her, but despite that they do complement each other and once they work through those issues they are golden.
• Aaron is guy number one and while he is mostly likeable he is also a bit shady.
• George is guy number two and not the least bit shady. He's older than Ellie by a couple of years.
• I have so much love for Ellie's mom and step-dad. For one they are awesome parents for her, and two they have so much love for Ellie's little brother Jacob. He's a bit different and I really loved this part of the story and how things worked out.
Overall if you haven't read one of LaZebnik's books I suggest you do so, you won't regret it!
November 21, 2020
A very good story inspired by the novel "Emma" of Jane Austen. Like in all the author's others tentatives the extrapolation is inspired.
For instance the sweet, innocent but also needy and tiresome relative isn't a father but a toddler with an autistic syndrome. Ellie isn't an orphan, her father were just never there. Her good intentions toward her best friend (who isn't so naive and featherbrain as Harriet is in "Emma") are not to throw her into a favourable marriage, but to drag her in a college much to difficult for her. Her intentions are really good, she just doesn't realise how bright she is.
Ellie is adorable, smart, funny, unflappable, happy with her life. She nice and affectionate but doesn't have any complex, she's pretty and clever, her family loves her and she makes friends easily. It's not always easy to feel warm feelings for this kind of person, easy going but also very smooth, but I still loved and understand Ellie as much as I did Emma, who may be my favourite Austen heroin!
George is perfect. He's clever enough for Ellie, very clever in fact - the author doesn't' demure with her gift characters, which is quite refreshing, especially for a French reader (in France it isn't proper to praise someone intellectual abilities, it's still considering as bragging...).
An excellent read that I recommend to all the readers who love Jane Austen and/ or love intelligent, insightful and witty romances.
For instance the sweet, innocent but also needy and tiresome relative isn't a father but a toddler with an autistic syndrome. Ellie isn't an orphan, her father were just never there. Her good intentions toward her best friend (who isn't so naive and featherbrain as Harriet is in "Emma") are not to throw her into a favourable marriage, but to drag her in a college much to difficult for her. Her intentions are really good, she just doesn't realise how bright she is.
Ellie is adorable, smart, funny, unflappable, happy with her life. She nice and affectionate but doesn't have any complex, she's pretty and clever, her family loves her and she makes friends easily. It's not always easy to feel warm feelings for this kind of person, easy going but also very smooth, but I still loved and understand Ellie as much as I did Emma, who may be my favourite Austen heroin!
George is perfect. He's clever enough for Ellie, very clever in fact - the author doesn't' demure with her gift characters, which is quite refreshing, especially for a French reader (in France it isn't proper to praise someone intellectual abilities, it's still considering as bragging...).
An excellent read that I recommend to all the readers who love Jane Austen and/ or love intelligent, insightful and witty romances.
February 10, 2016
The gif speaks for itself.
I love Emma. I adore her relationship with Mr Knightley. Depending on the mood, it even surpassed my love for Darcy and Elizabeth and that, right there, is saying something (I blame it on the BBC version from 2009 starring Romola Garai and Johnny Lee Miller).
The only reason I picked this book up was because I needed that romance (I mean it's a retelling so I know how the story goes. I'm here for the kissing not the plot twists).
I didn't find it. There were kisses but the emotional connection I expected to feel for both Ellie and George never happened. They ended up together because the original story calls for it and not for any actual earthshattering bond between these two, or even plain, old, chemistry, which might explain my disappointment.
It was just...bland. Hence, the miserable rating.
I'm sorry Mrs LaZebnik. Maybe next time ?
May 12, 2015
If you looking for a light reading, the one that will keep you sane in your long trip, you must try this book! so Sweet!!
About an adorable, spoiled, conceited, narcissistic brat girl. Ellie. That's her name. And I am so grateful that I can instantly love the character. Not because she is a spoilled girl, but because the author can make us see all the kindness in her without too obvious. These make Ellie more real. As real as some teenage girl who did a lot of mistakes. And what they need isn't a judge, they just need some help. Help to figure out how to be a better person.
Oh, wait, I think I wrote this kind of stuff in my last review. ...
About an adorable, spoiled, conceited, narcissistic brat girl. Ellie. That's her name. And I am so grateful that I can instantly love the character. Not because she is a spoilled girl, but because the author can make us see all the kindness in her without too obvious. These make Ellie more real. As real as some teenage girl who did a lot of mistakes. And what they need isn't a judge, they just need some help. Help to figure out how to be a better person.
Oh, wait, I think I wrote this kind of stuff in my last review. ...
July 20, 2016
3.5 stars
This is a cute, fun retelling of Jane Austen's Emma. I like Claire LaZebnik's retelling because they're always a little more cleverly done. So for example, rather than Mr. Elton being a guy Emma pushes Harriet toward, it's a college she pushes her to apply to. Emma has a mom and a little brother. I know some people might not love that, but I personally don't want an exact regurgitation of Emma - I've read it, seen the movie. I want something a little different.
The story is cute, fun. I think Ellie is a great representation of a modern day Emma. It's nothing Earth shattering or mind blowing, but it's definitely a quick, fun read.
This is a cute, fun retelling of Jane Austen's Emma. I like Claire LaZebnik's retelling because they're always a little more cleverly done. So for example, rather than Mr. Elton being a guy Emma pushes Harriet toward, it's a college she pushes her to apply to. Emma has a mom and a little brother. I know some people might not love that, but I personally don't want an exact regurgitation of Emma - I've read it, seen the movie. I want something a little different.
The story is cute, fun. I think Ellie is a great representation of a modern day Emma. It's nothing Earth shattering or mind blowing, but it's definitely a quick, fun read.
May 12, 2015
Oh my gosh. I don't think anyone would hate this book! Too adorable! I loved it! Omg! It was so cute! Tthere was just one part I didn't like. Where Ellie had the talk with George about Heather and they kinda got together. I mean, I felt really bad for Heather. I mean, she should have talked to her first. But well, that's just me. All ended well. The one with Aaron was a shocker although I did had a suspicion. But anyway. 5 stars! This was a very light read and adorable too. I love that Ellie loves her baby brother, Jacob.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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