Dear Emma

December 15, 2015
A college junior with an advice column discovers that following her own counsel is easier said than done. Harriet lives a fairly standard college life: hanging out with her two closest friends, going to classes, drinking, and enduring hangovers--all while secretly dispensing wisdom to peers in her advice column, "Dear Emma." Each week, students write in with dating and friendship problems, and Harriet replies with clearheaded and thoughtful solutions. After all, Harriet's been an observer for so long that she's developed a knack for identifying the hidden fault lines in others' lives. But when she meets the enigmatic Keith in her Spanish Civil War class, everything changes; she's finally at the center of her own drama, and the weeks that follow are a flurry of excitement, study dates, and road trips. As their texts fizzle out, though, Harriet's plunged into despair. As she continues to harp on Keith, everything seems to be going wrong around her: she's fighting with her roommate; going to the civil war class is torture; she spots a pretty girl writing on Keith's Facebook wall. Things get interesting when that girl, a senior named Remy, begins working the same library shift as Harriet, whom she begrudgingly begins to befriend; and when Remy writes Emma asking whether she should break things off with Keith, Harriet is forced to re-evaluate the way she views guys, friendship, and the integrity of her column. Heaney's (Never Have I Ever, 2014) debut novel is a relatable depiction of modern college romance, and Harriet, despite her annoying obsession with Keith, has an endearingly humorous voice ("I have been waiting my whole life to quiz a hot guy in the library and now that it's here I'm like, not ready"). However, the novel's scope is so limited that it may not hold readers' attention. College can indeed be a bubble, but Harriet's sole focus on guys and day-to-day dramas precludes more complicated or long-term plotlines--which could have transformed Harriet from a merely humorous character into a well-rounded, satisfying one. Somewhat superficial, funny, and short.

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May 1, 2016

Harriet, an English lit major at a college in Springfield, IL, is used to giving advice. She's been writing the student newspaper's "Dear Emma" advice column for two years. Harriet is decisive and swift to kick boys to the curb in her column, but in real life, she's cyberstalking the boy she likes on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. She overthinks everything and spends hours contemplating the last text she sent. Luckily Harriet's two roommates keep her grounded, but even they can't help when her new coworker at the university library turns out to be her ex's new fling. As much as she wants to hate Remy, the two become friends, and that relationship is threatened when Remy writes "Dear Emma" for advice with her communication-challenged man. Unfortunately, the focus on Facebook in this modern adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma already dates it, but teens will connect with Harriet's waffling about whether or not to "friend" someone or "like" something online. She stresses about every word in a conversation and constantly worries about what her friends think. Harriet's inexperience with dating will ring true, even as she is slamming tequila shots for courage before heading out to the bars on a school night.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2016

Memoirist Heaney's (Never Have I Ever) debut novel follows Harriet, a college student who is very good at guiding the lonely and lovelorn coeds at her Midwestern school through the student newspaper's pseudonymous advice column, "Dear Emma." After Keith, the boy Harriet is dating, blows her off, Harriet fumes when she finds out he has moved on to her new coworker, the effortlessly cool Remy. When Remy herself writes in to the column asking for advice about Keith, Harriet must deal with the conflict of interest that is giving your ex's new girlfriend relationship advice. While "Emma's" advice is consistently no-nonsense and straight to the point, Harriet always turns to her roommates to dissect text messages and analyze even the briefest social interactions from every possible angle. Readers will feel nostalgic for their own college days when the library during finals week was the epicenter of the social scene. VERDICT While Harriet and her roommates are realistic characters with some snappy dialog, there is not enough conflict in this novel to make it an engaging read. [See Prepub Alert, 9/28/15.]--Erin Shea, Ferguson Lib., CT

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2015

Author of the beloved and funny memoir Never Have I Ever, Heaney turns out a coming-of-age tale starring college junior Harriet, the anonymous force behind an advice column called "Dear Emma," who needs advice on her own love life. With a 75,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.