Emma of 83rd Street

Written by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding

Narrated by Brittany Pressley and Teddy Hamilton

In this witty and romantic debut novel, Jane Austen’s Emma meets the misadventures of Manhattan’s modern dating scene as two lifelong friends discover that, in the search for love, you sometimes don’t have to look any further than your own backyard.

Beautiful, clever, and rich, Emma Woodhouse has lived twenty-three years in her tight-knit Upper East Side neighborhood with very little to distress or vex her…that is, until her budding matchmaking hobby results in her sister’s marriage—and subsequent move downtown. Now, with her sister gone and all her friends traveling abroad, Emma must start her final year of grad school grappling with an entirely new emotion: boredom. So when she meets Nadine, a wide-eyed Ohio transplant with a heart of gold and drugstore blonde highlights to match, Emma not only sees a potential new friend but a new project. If only her overbearing neighbor George Knightley would get out of her way.

Handsome, smart, and successful, the only thing that frustrates Knightley more than a corked whiskey is his childhood friend, Emma. Whether it’s her shopping sprees between classes or her revolving door of ill-conceived hobbies, he is only too happy to lecture her on all the finer points of adulthood she’s so hell-bent on ignoring. But despite his gripes—and much to his own chagrin—Knightley can’t help but notice that the girl next door is a woman now…one who he suddenly can’t get out of his head.

As Emma’s best laid plans collide with everyone from hipster baristas to meddling family members to flaky playboy millionaires, these two friends slowly realize their need to always be right has been usurped by a new need entirely, and it’s not long before they discover that even the most familiar stories still have some surprises.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: May 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9781797157177

Audrey Bellezza

Audrey Bellezza is a two-time Emmy Award–nominated TV producer who has spent over twenty years writing, developing, and executive producing nonfiction television shows for a number of networks and streaming platforms. Audrey lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children.

Reviews for Emma of 83rd Street

[Nirvana Doodla · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sweet, well written, cute humor. Easy read. Easy to follow.

[Heather Ratcliff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

great story with great narration. I recommend this to fans of the Austen original but also to anyone just looking for a fun listen.

[Kara Taylor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A cute story based on Jane Austen’s masterpiece, loved it

[Andrea Author · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

NYC grad school student Emma is beautiful and privileged—but she's lonely since her sister's marriage. Is it any wonder she relies on friend and neighbor George Knightley for company? Despite his lectures that she needs to be more careful and organized, he's the one person who seems to understand her. What happens when friendship turns to love?

I'm a sucker for a great contemporary Austen retelling, and this one is adorable. It's sensual and emotional, with engaging characters and a compelling plot. I can't wait for the next book in the series!

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Karen Titus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So much fun to listen to the verbal sparring between Emma and Knightley. I really enjoyed the family connections and the modern take on Jane Austin’s original. Highly recommend as a fun beach read/audio.