Emerett Has Never Been in Love

Love, Austen #1

by Anyta Sunday

A man who acts before he thinks, a man who thinks before he acts, and the ensuing mishaps on the path to the ultimate love match.

~ ~ ~

Emerett “Lake” Lakewood has a healthy ego and a flair for the dramatic. After losing his best friend to marriage—completely crushing his heart—he deems it prudent to distract himself, and what better way than playing cupid?
He’s already got his eye on two young men desperately seeking romance, and he has a plan to hook them up.
Barbecues.
Photoshoots.
Reciting Shakespearean love declarations.
Lake is killing it. Love is positively pulsing in the air. Anyone could see it.
Well, anyone other than Knight, his best friend’s dad, who cautions Lake to stop meddling. To leave love to its natural course.
Lake has always valued Knight’s frankness, but this time he’s wrong. Without him, two hearts might be doomed never to find love.
Besides, what does Knight know about romance? He’s barely dated in all the seven years Lake’s known him. He’s clueless.
Though, there’s a thought. Knight has everything going for him. Sensibility. Kindness. Generosity. And for a forty-four-year-old, he’s—objectively—freaking hot.
Why is he single?

~ ~ ~

“. . . [T]here may be a hundred different ways of being in love.” ~ Jane Austen

And a hundred different ways not to recognize it.

Genres: Romance, M M Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Friends To Lovers, Retellings, Queer

262 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 2021

About the author

Specialising in slow-burn romances where emotions reign, intimacy lingers, and chemistry sizzles—stories that leave you holding your breath and cheering for love, with just a splash of spice to sweeten the journey.

Check out my website:
Contact: http://www.anytasunday.com/?page_id=386

Für deutsche Leser:
http://www.anytasunday.de/

In italiano:
http://www.anytasunday.it/

Reviews

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a lot I like here, and… some I don’t. Thankfully, a lot of my issues are glossed over by the fact that Lake and Knight are the major highlight of the whole book. From their witty dialogue to all the ridiculous situations they got into that made up most of the plot, it's classic and refreshing at the same time! It was just a whole lot of fun to read through. Also, it was pretty nice to read a book where the characters seem to enjoy being in each other’s company. I don't know, sometimes I feel like writers forget that the main couple should probably like each other. The bar is on the floor, I know. As for the bit I didn't like? Well, there's an odd subplot where one of Lake’s friends has a crush on his own cousin? Bid odd, in my opinion. I can only assume this couple is in the original Jane Austen novel, but isn’t the point of a contemporary retelling to… retell it contemporarily? Update a couple things that wouldn't fly today? Maybe switch it up a little? At least have somebody comment on it! Ugh, I wish I could grab a pair of scissors and *snip snip* the parts I didn’t like! Anyway, on a positive note, here’s a bit I did like:

“Reading you has been a pastime for months, but right now I need spoilers. Do you feel the same?”

Good stuff.

[☆ Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come, but I'd rate it at around 3.5 stars.

[Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*I Liked It*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

This book was plain adorable. You can feel the chemistry between the clueless Emerett ‘Lake’ Lakewood (26) and his best friend's father, Knightly ‘Knight’ Dixon (44). The cluelessness became a bit too much at times and the missinterpretation/misscommunication became a tad bit annoying, but overall it was an enjoyable read with cute characters. That said, am I the only one who wish the author wrote more alpha male/dominant characters? At least for one of the characters? Also I wish that this one was a strict top/bottom relationship, but they are verse: Knight tops Lake first time around, and Lake tops Knight the second time around. We only got two sex scenes. Oh and I wish there was a bit more angst and that it didn't feel anti-climatic. But then again, having more angst might take away all that adorableness this book has; what most of this author's books has. To finish this off: I liked this book. I finished it on one go when I was supposed to be in bed.

Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (New Adult? Adult?) Contemporary Romance (M/M)
Series: - Series, Book One.
Love triangle? - No.
Cheating? - No.
HEA? - Yes.
Favorite character? - Knightly ‘Knight’ Dixon.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Sure.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Sure.
Will I read this again in the future? - Who knows?
Rating - 3.5/3 stars.

[Agla · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't believe that my first DNF is by this author. Time of Death p102. I looked for the big scene where all would be revealed, read it + the end and decided to call it quits! I have never read Jane Austen (sorry everyone) so maybe it's a good retelling/adaption/hommage I couldn't tell you. There were several problems for me. The premise was nice: after the mariage of Taylor his dad and best friends feel lonely while he is on his honeymoon and get closer. That's a good premise. The problem is that it did not make sense: the day after the wedding (in chap 2) Emerett (the best friend) shows up at the dad's house with his suitcase to move in without really asking first or having a good reason to do that, it felt very convenient. Second big problem, EMERETT: he was SO infuriating. He is so clueless that he reads as a 12 years old, his cluelessness is never explained and his meddling is OTT, in bad taste and infuriating. He moves into the dad's house and then invites people over to eat or even stay: dude that's so over the line you can't even see it anymore. Everything that happened was because of his cluelessness, he barely understands what's happening around him. Final problem, the writing style. It was very flowery, felt outdated and pedantic. It did not match the setting at all and I love the meeting/mixing of culture but having shakespearean style sentences with "kinda" in them is a no no to me. It was a bit like the movie Rome + Juliet in which you have guns and cars with Shakespeare's writing. In that movie it worked but not here. Anyway this was a bust, moving on

[MarianR · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.7⭐
Best-Friend's-dad-romance. This is a retelling of Jane Austen's Emma, though I haven't read anything by the author jeje
It was kind addictive and easy to read. I think what I liked the most was the chemistry between Lake and Knight, and from the beginning of the book you realize that there is something there. Knight is mature, thoughtful, kind, and funny. And Lake, he is a good person and funny, sometimes he does not think what he says, he is so cluelessness, but some of his actions exasperated me, because they did not end up making things easy and it caused more problems. I wish his character had more depth in what he wants in his life.
But it entertained me, this is the second book by the author, and I want to read more!

[Gustaf · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, I am a huge Austen fan. Like super huge. Almost like Cameron is in this book. This one is a retelling of Emma and Emma is by far my favorite Austen piece. I knew I had to read this as soon as it showed up on my GR wall the first time and I was beyond excited.

With that said. I struggled with this one. Emerett might just be the most oblivious character I've ever met. In the beginning it was cute, but it grew tiring really quickly and then it just went on and on and on. He came to his own conclusions about what was happening and stuck with it. Even after being told it wasn't what he was thinking. Knight was what saved it for me. Not because he was a spectacular character in any way... But at least he was grounded. That and the ending made up for a lot. For the longest time, this was a one star read.

The writing was... okay. There was a lot of telling instead of showing going on and just to mix it up there was a lot of showing instead of telling where things really were enough with just being told. I've read a lot of reviews saying that you'd probably enjoy this book more if you have read Emma, but I think I disagree. Some of the references to Emma made the plot even messier. And that was the last thing I needed after being in Emerett's head for the entire book.

Pay attention to the list of characters in the beginning of the book. It saved me from a lot of headache.

Do you like some messy fun? Really slow, slow burns? Then this book is for you. Don't let my review scare you away.

[Eli Easton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I asked Anyta for an ARC for this because I love her books and it sounded so good! I was not disappointed.

If the idea of contemporary mm romance versions of Jane Austen classics is as much catnip to you as it is to me, you'll love this book! I enjoyed everything about it: the Emma plotline, the older man-younger man dynamic, the writing, the dialogue, the characters.... I think the thing I admire the most, is the genuine and deep sense of connection Anyta expresses between these characters whether it's through a glance, touch, or sex scenes. It's so romantic!

I highly recommend this book to all!

[Renée · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Super cute story overall, but Anyta pushed the oblivious MC too far in this one. His obliviousness combined with an immaturity that didn't work.

Still enjoyed reading it.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Hmmm, this is a mixed bag for me. On the surface, I love the characters and story, and everything felt very present and movie-like. The descriptions from smells and textures, the romance of benches and a gazebo all come together to make a story that’s escapism.

Emerett is a character similar to Theo from Anyta’s Leo Loves Aries. Both attempting to find love for others, often contriving situations to the detriment of their loves ones and friends. Whereas Theo was *utterly* charming, Emerett veered towards exasperating with his sheer denial, too stupid to live, slow-to-understand personality. What worked for Theo with misreading two people & not understanding his blossoming bisexuality seemed silly with gay Emerett failing to understand so many others around him and their crushes and love.

There was a slow, burning charm with Theo and Jamie’s love in that the reader went through their journey of discovery. Emerett and Knightly we have to trust they are right for each other. Knightly, or Knight as Emerett calls him, is a saint with love and patience overflowing & the ultimate book husband. I can see in many ways how Emerett and Knight compliment each other, but there was something about their dynamic that despite it being stressed that Knight “looks” young for 44 (which 44 is young actually) or that he’s not Emerett’s dad (he’s a *cool* dad) that still felt very father/son at times. Because their connection never quite felt like equals to me, I couldn’t full enjoy it. As another reviewer pointed out, there was so much focus on looks and attractiveness that it started to be a turnoff very quickly.

To note: there are a lot of side characters in this, and sometimes I can get lost in all the extra names, but the way they were woven into the story, I feel as if I could easily remember them all. That being said, perhaps I remember them so much because there wasn’t much development to the love between Emerett and Knight. I think that was what was most missing for me. I understood how both of them could have feelings for the other, but we missed out on them getting there. It felt like one big bait and switch scene until it finally happened. It grew tedious at times.

However, they are sweet and tender, the romance feels like ROMANCE, and everything feels easy and like your slowly exhaling a sigh while looking out on a quiet Spring day. Lines so lush and poetic. I think most will enjoy this, but ymwv if you have any concerns over flighty, child-like characters.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up for this absolutely joyous and loveable retelling of Jane Austen's Emma (yes, I was surprised, too :D)!

I've never been a fan of Emma (the person), so I was really relieved when Emerett turned out to be the sweetest, most adorable little meddler imaginable. He's just as clueless as the original, but luckily, he is not just some bored snob who picks out a random girl as a project to interfere in her life. Emerett is sweet and kind, and actually wants those around him to be happy (with the added bonus that this way he doesn't have to deal with his own problems). Plus, his reason for trying to get Harry (Harriet) to look for someone other than Martin (Robert Martin) actually is understandable. The same is true for most of the other things I never understood about Emma, especially the way Churchill treated Jane and why their relationship had to be kept secret. This was all handled so much better here!

I also loved Knightly. Sigh. So much like the original. Only I never worried about this one's sanity (as I did with the original; I never understood why he fell for Emma) :D He was sweet and patient while Emerett figured things out (much less exasperated with his love interest as the original), and he was just an all-around good guy. My favorite kind of hero!

I also loved (I know I'm saying it a lot, but I REALLY DID!!!!) how Anyta Sunday took the most iconic scenes and characters from the book and made them her own! The little moments like the strawberry picking, the who-send-the-secret-gift plot, rescuing Harry (Harriet; though thankfully not from a band of gypsies...). I really appreciated how she incorporated SO much of the original! It was also pretty fun to see all the similarities to the characters (again, Harriet, Mr. Elton, Churchill, Jane (although, to my shame, that one took me a while to figure out. Lol)) while they were still their own people. It's one of the things I love most about Jane Austen, that essentially, her books are about people, which is what makes them so relatable.

*I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review*

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emerett took clueless to an entire new universe 😂😂😂

This was just a calamity of misunderstandings and lack of awareness, and although it was frustrating at times it was also endearing when Emerett finally clicked. I would have liked to see more of Knight and his perspective though.

The side characters were interesting too, although I'm a little on the fence with Harry and Martin's situation - like what actually is their relationship and why is everyone totally cool with it? I'm no stranger to cest books, but there's a reason blood relatives are taboo 🧐 It felt deliberately ambiguous about how exactly they're related but it kept being reiterated so now I'm just confused!

I feel like I also have to add that I never finished reading Emma so I have no idea if this is a good retelling or not!! The only Jane Austen book I've ever finished is Pride and Prejudice, and that's only thanks to watching Colin Firth climb out of the lake in the BBC adaptation! 😂😂😂

[Leslie]

This wasn’t for me.

[h o l l i s · Rating 1 out of 5]

There's oblivious characters.. and then there's Emerett "Too Stupid To Live" Lakewood.

I've been reading a lot of questionable KU lately, so the bar is low for what I'm consuming, but this.. was one of the worst. How you could mess up a retelling when half, or more, of the work is done for you.. I'll never know. This was painful and boring and nothing worked for me. Not the plot, which felt both convoluted and yet completely missing, or the characters, who either all blended together or only stood out because of how painful they were.

I've read from this author before and yet this feels like someone completely different. I will try to push on and hope that book two doesn't go sideways on me or I might never get to the two I most want to read -- the PERSUASION and PRIDE & PREJUDICE retellings. We shall see.

1.5 stars

[Pikolina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mmm para mi el mas flojito d la autora hasta el momento ... 2.5*
El estilo y demás igual que siempre, pero la trama y el romance para mi gusto dejan mucho que desear.

[Shan( Shans_Shelves) 💜 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

When I first heard that Anyta Sunday was not only writing a new book series, but that said series would feature Jane Austen retellings – I was overjoyed. Yes, I may have only read Pride and Prejudice, but I love Anyta’s books and knew without a doubt that I would enjoy Emerett Has Never Been in Love. Thankfully, my intuition was correct… well almost, but we will get to that.

The book is told completely from the perspective of Emerett “Lake” Lakewood who seems to make it his business to get people together, he is sort off like a love guru... but terrible at it. Which brings about the humour in the story and all so a little cringe because you can’t help but scream at him to stop. Emerett was the typical oblivious/fun character we see in all of Anyta Sunday’s books. His ability to completely miss the obvious may be annoying for some people but I related so much that I couldn’t help but love him. In addition to Emerett we have a huge cast of characters and while I see where the author was going with this, they all kind of blended into each-other. The side characters- minus the love interest- just weren’t as developed.

The romance was my favourite part of the book. I loved the build-up and Knightly was such a sweet character. I loved their interactions and even though Knightly is older and his best friend’s dad, it didn’t feel weird. It almost felt like a friend to lovers’ story because of how close they were.

“Knight entwined their fingers and squeezed. Butterflies invaded Lake’s chest.”

For the most part, I really enjoyed this book, but I have to admit, I was a little put off by a side romance plot, Emerett’s vanity and the constant focus on people’s looks. I don’t know if some of this is possibly to do with the retelling aspect- I have never read Emma- but it bothered me. With this certain romance plot, Emerett is made feel guilty for meddling and not wanting the two together. I get the variety of lessons Emerett gets from this… but you can see why he wouldn’t want them together.

Nonetheless, Emerett Has Never Been in Love was a quick read and like I said- I did like the main romance. I am eagerly awaiting the pride and prejudice retelling.

Content Warnings: Incest (side romance plot), Age gap (18 years), fatphobia.

Thank you to Gay Book Reviews for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Georgie-who-is-Sarah-Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do admire AS for having updated Emma, and I think I may reread this in a more charitable light later, but on a first pass, this didn't work for me.

On the plus side:
* this is not (thank goodness) another P&P spin-off: Emma's a more interesting book;
* Knight (Knightly, obv) remains just as attractive as in the original;
* some of the updating works well (Taylor as Emerett's best friend).

Other things didn't really gel, ironically because quite a number of the original plot points don't actually translate well into contemporary mores. I found it jarring when AS (who generally did a good job in updating the characters to a C21st setting) stuck too closely to C19th events.
In the original, for example, Emma's rudeness to Miss Bates is shocking because Emma has so much agency and Miss Bates has none. Emma is abusing her position, and Knightly reproaches her for it. Emma is, quite properly, mortified. It's the emotional nadir for her character arc.
But here, Cameron ("Miss Bates"), though he rambles on like her, does have agency, so when Emerett is (mildly) rude to him, it simply can't have the shock value of the original because the C21st counterparts don't stand in the same relation to each other. So Knight's reaction, and Emerett's bitter self-reproach appear quite disproportionate. The scale of their reactions is right for Knightly and Emma, but not for Knight and Emerett, if that makes sense.

AS also removes much of the context that gave Emma herself much of her gravitas: with no Mr Woodhouse to show off Emma's patient affection, Emerett comes across as petulant and indolent. Emma had faults, but not those.

One final regret: that there wasn't room for Mrs Elton's raptures about Maple Grove.

[Rebelexmachina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

I haven’t read or watched Emma 😳 so I can’t speak to whether this was a decent retelling of Jane Austen’s novel. My review is based on how I read the book as a stand-alone text.

I liked this a lot but I don’t think Anyta Sunday’s clueless MC trope quite worked in this one where the two MCs had such an age difference. I love an age-gap romance if both characters are in the same ballpark as far as maturity level goes. But, for me, Lake’s obliviousness read as immaturity most of the time and I forgot that Lake was meant to be 26, not 18.

[Ed Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just found Lake really frustrating. He was so clueless that it got old. I thought it was cruel the way he tried to manipulate his friends. He hurt practically everyone he came in contact with. Part of his behavior was because he was so clueless and part was pure meanness. I’m surprised these people liked him at all. Knight was the only thing that saved this book.

Anita Sunday has been one of my favorite writers. This was the second book in a row that I found disappointing.

[drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love everything i’ve read from anyta so far - and i mostly loved this, too - but the incest subplot was just…. not my thing. that issue aside, this book was everything i’ve come to love from anyta’s books; it was so sweet and funny and just really cute. looking forward to reading the sequel soon.

[Maite Gil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se trata de una adaptación, contemporánea y con personajes LGTBI, de la novela “Emma” de Jane Austen. Con este libro se da inicio a una serie basada en las obras de la autora. La acción transcurre en Port Rãtapu, un pueblo de Nueva Zelanda.

Anyta Sunday nos relata un romance complicado, pero bonito y divertido. Si la diferencia de edad, dieciocho años, ya enreda las cosas, el que uno sea el padre del mejor amigo del otro las termina de liar. Pero el mayor impedimento es la empanada mental que tiene Emerett. El chico tiene todas las señales delante pero no se entera de nada. Y no es para lo único que está más ciego que un topo, organiza unos cuantos líos en su faceta de casamentero, pero con buena intención.

Aunque tenemos una pareja definida, y el romance es la parte fundamental del libro, los secundarios tienen un papel importante en esta comedia de enredos.

Knighly Dixon tiene cuarenta y cuatro años y es gay. Es sensible, paciente, amable y generoso. En el último curso de instituto, una compañera lo convenció para acostarse, por probar, y el resultado fue un embarazo no planificado. A pesar de la oposición familiar, Knight se ocupó él solo de su hijo Taylor. El joven acaba de casarse con Amy.

Emerett tiene veintiséis años, es gay y lleva siete años siendo el mejor amigo de Taylor. Tras el fallecimiento de sus padres se mudó con los Dixon, y aún sigue allí. Es despistado y algo egocéntrico, juega a ser casamentero y tiene un una gran vena dramática.

Los secundarios son casi todos gays, e imagino que protagonizarán futuras entregas de la serie.

El libro me ha gustado, pero me ponía de los nervios Lake. Entiendo que hay que respetar el personaje de la obra original, e igual habría disfrutado más de haberla leído, pero el chico terminó por cansarme. Sin embargo Knight me ha gustado más, aunque se pasa de perfecto.

El libro es entretenido, ameno, divertido y fácil de leer. La obra de Austen es muy importante y sale a relucir varias veces. Incorpora unas ilustraciones muy chulas, y la edición esta tan cuidada como de costumbre.

Os animo a darle una oportunidad a esta nueva serie que cuenta, como siempre, con la estupenda traducción de Virginia Cabanillas.

🌟🌟🌟,⭐

[Amy Aislin · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up to 5. I absolutely adored this! It reminded me a lot of Anyta's "Gemini Keeps Capricorn," which is my favourite of her books and probably why I liked this one so much. She does the whole "character 1 is in love with character 2 but character 2 is too oblivious to his own feelings AND the feelings of character 1 to realize it" thing very, very well!

This was funny and witty and whimsical. I was rooting for Lake and Knight the entire time and I devoured this whole book in one sitting, staying up until 1am on a work night. This book made me smile so hard, and it made me cry a few times, and by the time I was done, I just felt so happy. I can't ask for more than that from this delightful romantic comedy.

My only complaint is that I wish Lake and Knight had had more on-page couple time than they got because they were just perfect together! Loved this to bits and can't recommend it enough.

[Lieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

“. . . [T]here may be a hundred different ways of being in love.” ~ Jane Austen

.... And a hundred different ways not to recognize it...


Once in a while I’m just feeling in the mood to read something fluffier, so that I can break a little through my reading slump.
This book did it for me and is simply beautiful written and fun to read .I‘m so glad I took a chance on this author who didn’t disappoint at all with this retelling of Emma .. Wow , these main- characters ; a meddling ,clueless Lake and a sweet and very patient and much older Knight are amazing together and they have such a great chemistry that was clearly established from the beginning .
Lake’s thoughts, actions and feelings toward Knightly, they all kept me interested and I was constantly wondering what could happen next for him and Knight . I immediately fell in love with these two just the way they fell for each other.
I truly enjoyed the way this story was written with such a very believable dialogue that felt so genuine and real ...this book was just heartfelt beautiful and now I ‘m waiting for the next one to come !

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

So I’m going to be honest, I’ve never read anything by Jane Austen *hides in literary shame*. But I love retellings, and I love Anyta Sunday, so I absolutely had to read this one and I’m so glad I did. Big ole note: if you don’t like clueless characters who misunderstand everything, this is NOT the book for you. But for me, I found Lake’s inability to see what was right in front of his eyes to be so incredibly endearing. And strong, reliable, protective Knight was just so patient and perfect for him. This book is a series of comedy of errors and I just loved it to pieces. Sunday is the queen of slow Burns, and this book was no different, these two MCs took a long time to get it together. My one complaint? It ended too soon; and that definitely makes it a win in my book.

[True Loveislovereview · Rating 4 out of 5]

You all don’t mind if I don’t refer to Jane Austen, do you? Thnx.

Emerett “Lake” Lakewood is twenty-six, and his best friend just got married and is a month traveling through Europe for his honeymoon. Gosh, who will listen to him now Taylor is gone.
Lake misses him already desperately. He’s a matchmaker and has plans for the next one, Philip.

Knight, Taylor’s forty-four years old dad, invites Lake to a bbq so Lake can ask Philip and match him to someone.
Lake knows Knight already for a year or seven but now without Taylor it’s different, the force being Knight is doing some strange things to him. Lake just took the guest room on the same floor as Knight. And suggest renting a room to cousin Harry. This way he can match Harry and Philip.
Oh, boy, Lake finds Knight hot and doesn’t understand why he’s single.
Knight tells Lake he’s wrong about the matching he sees with his friends.
Lake is so oblivious to what happens around him. Especially with Knight.

What a delicious feeling good story this is, so entertaining. I enjoyed it immensely.
The main characters are wonderfully pictured. Lake is such a dear and Knight he’s the best.
It’s of course a slow burn and I’m always getting a bit impatient with it, but this story has a beautiful pace and build-up.
All the secondary characters have a story to tell and I hope to find it in the next installments.
An absolutely adorable narrative with a sweet romance, written appealingly duh!

[Bookreader87(Amanda) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emerett 💜 Knightly

Slow burn
Oblivious MC
Best friend dad 💜 interest
Chaotic match making
Weird cousin loving feelings
All and all a decent read

[Fátima Embark · Rating 5 out of 5]

«—Cuanto más intento entender el amor, menos parezco saber. Es como jugar a Operación con tu corazón usando un machete gigante.»

Al pensar en Jane Austen muy pocos recuerdan a Emma con cariño. Y es que Emma es un personaje irritante, egoísta y, en general, una antiheroína en toda regla. Una persona que, de existir, seguramente querríamos tener bien lejos.
Y ese es su verdadero encanto. Que NO es la típica protagonista, que lo tiene todo y se aburre tanto que decide meterse en la vida (amorosa) de los demás. Que se equivoca, piensa por y para sí misma, comete mil errores que hacen daño a otras personas y... aprende. Lentamente, pero lo hace. 

Por eso adoro la novela de Emma. Y como buena fan de los friends to lovers que soy, adoro su relación con Knightly. Puede que Darcy sea el protagonista de Austen por excelencia, pero personalmente Knightly tiene toda mi admiración y cariño. Es un hombre íntegro, considerado, atento, bondadoso y tiene muuuchaaa paciencia.

Anyta Sunday nos regala un retelling precioso y actual donde los personajes principales son dos hombres con caracteres muy similares a los personajes de Austen pero a la vez totalmente distintos. Y es que Anyta sabe coger la idea básica, amoldarla a su estilo y construir una historia que te roba el corazón y te obliga a devorar con avidez.

Lake me ha conquistado porque aunque quiere parecerse a Emma, no tiene nada que ver con ella, y roza la inocencia de una manera entrañable. A veces es tan tonto que querrías darle un empujoncito.  

En cuanto Knightly... Sin palabras. Este señor es puro amor y la manera en que conduce su relación con Lake es tan lenta y sincera que no quieres más que ponerle una velita por ser tan auténtico y tener las ideas tan claras respecto a lo que quiere y a cómo lo quiere. 

Si eres fan de Austen, de Emma, y de los BL que se cuecen a fuego lento, leedlo. 

Gracias a @virginiacavanillas por traducir los libros. No sabes lo felices que nos haces 🥹

[Agalactiae · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5

Même si je suis loin d'avoir découvert pour le moment tous les romans de Anyta Sunday, je trépigne d'impatience avant chacune de ses nouvelles sorties. Sa plume est vraiment originale, bien à elle.

Cette fois pour cette nouvelle série, elle a choisi de faire en quelque sorte des réécritures de romans de Jane Austen. Je dois en avoir lu qu'un ou deux durant mon adolescence, je n'en garde pas un super souvenir, mais j'ai toujours bien aimé les adaptations sur grands et petits écrans. Pour ce premier opus, elle s'est attaqué à Emma et nous offre donc ainsi sa version en romance M/M.

Emerett, je dois l'avouer, correspond donc à une Emma, et ce bien plus attachante que l'originale, selon moi. Emerett aime bien s'occuper de la vie amoureuse des autres, a tendance à faire des plans sur la comète, et des interprétations mais pas toujours vraies des choses.
Je suis fan des romances avec une différence d'âge entre les deux personnages, ce qui est le cas ici, car Anyta Sunday nous offre un petit "friends to lovers", enfin "best friend's dad" lol, qui avait tout pour me plaire !

J'aime ce genre de relations, celle qui met un peu de temps à venir, des petites situations drôles, un personnage qui ne voit rien, l'autre qui tente de faire comprendre les choses. C'est ce qui se passe entre Emerett, surnommé Lake, et Knight, le père de son meilleur ami.

Seulement, pour moi ici, il y avait trop de personnages secondaires qui étouffaient le couple principal. Si bien qu'au fur et à mesure, je me désintéressais d'eux, pour ne retenir que les éléments concernant le couple principal et j'ai eu trop peu d'eux. L'auteur rentre dans le vif du sujet d'emblée... Pour moi, cela manquait de développement, quelque chose m'a empêché de pleinement m’immiscer dans cette histoire.C'est dommage car j'ai aimé le peu que j'ai eu de ces deux personnages ensemble.

La plume de l'auteur est bien là et franchement, elle a fait du bon boulot pour cette réécriture. Personnellement, Emma n'est pas vraiment mon histoire préférée, du moins je n'ai jamais été emballée par les adaptations que j'ai pu voir. Ceci explique donc cela, peut-être. Peut-être faut-il être fan du livre de Jane Austen pour pleinement apprécier ce livre ? Moi, du coup, je ne vois que la romance MM en elle-même et je ne juge que cela...
Je ne peux que mettre une bonne note tout de même, car, comme je le disais, j'ai adoré les personnages principaux, j'en aurais tellement voulu plus ! Et puis, la patte de l'auteur est si singulière que je ne peux qu'aimer...

Je lirai bien sûr la suite, portée sur Cameron et j'espère accrocher avec ce personnage dans le futur !

[Carlota (thehatinggirly) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 estrellas

Cuarta oportunidad que le doy a la autora, y cuarta que me decepciona.
Esta nueva saga de romance LGBT está formada por retellings de las seis novelas de Jane Austen, siendo el primero “Emma”.

Como retelling, me ha parecido cutre. Lo único en lo que se diferencia de la “Emma” de Jane Austen es que todos son parejas LGBT y que está ambientado en la actualidad. Las escenas que se narran y el carácter de los personajes son un calco a la obra original. Si la tienes fresca, sabes en todo momento qué y cómo va a pasar todo.

Si habéis leído “Emma” sabréis que el mundo se divide entre los que la amamos y los que la odian. Bien, pues yo odio a Emerett pero adoro a Emma.

La autora ha trasladado la inocencia y el desconocimiento de una mujer de 1815 a un adulto de 25 años en la actualidad.
Resultado: Emerett parece imbécil el noventa por ciento del libro. No se entera de nada. Va más perdido que Frodo en una joyería.

Por otro lado tenemos a Knight, que también se comporta como el señor Knightley pero en pleno siglo veintiuno, así que la mayor parte del tiempo es el meme del chico gritando en la oreja a la chica en la discoteca. Un brasas. Si las cosas no se hacen como él quiere, lanza miraditas pasivo-agresivas.
Ah, y es el padre del mejor amigo de Emerett.

En general, es un libro que se lee rápido, pero no tiene nada más. Hay cositas que me chirriaron, como que Knight solo lea clásicos o se ponga a leerle a un chaval que no es lector “Moby Dick” (no debía de tener algo más ligero en la estantería), y no creo que siga leyendo los siguientes.

[dix (1001 year old high strung anamoly) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2 (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

“Our first kiss . . . you weren’t just proving a point. You wanted it.”
“And a million more, if you’ll give them to me.”

It's Jane Austen's EMMA retelling. I haven't read the classic, but I liked this contemporary romance. It was cute and fun though Lake's clueless nature and 'speak before think' had me face-palming numerous times.
But I loved how the relationship of MCs built and how they eased into being lovers from friends . Also, side characters were lit !


𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕖𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥
🌷 MM Romance
🌺Best Friend's Dad
🌸Friends to lovers
🏵️ Clueless & dramatic MC
🌻 Jealous MCs
🥀 Slow burn
🌸Age Gap
🌹Cute feels
🌼 LGBT+ friendly town
🌺Lovely artwork



“. . . [T]here may be a hundred different ways of being in love.”
~ Jane Austen
───
And a hundred different ways not to recognize it.


🟥Possible spoilers ahead





Love triangle ? No
Cheating ? No
HEA ? Yes

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This one definitely grew on me.