Jillian Cantor

In this contemporary romcom retelling of Jane Austen's Emma by USA TODAY bestselling author Jillian Cantor, there's nothing more complex--or unpredictable--than love. When math genius Emma and her coding club co-president, George, are tasked with brainstorming a new project, The Code for Love is born. George disapproves of Emma's idea of creating a matchmaking app, accusing her of meddling in people's lives. But all the happy new couples at school are proof that the app works. At least at first. Emma's code is flawless. So why is it that perfectly matched couples start breaking up, the wrong people keep falling for each other, and Emma's own feelings defy any algorithm?

The Code for Love and Heartbreak

Beatrix Haase

3.5/5 

I really did enjoy this book it was very cute. I'm not usually a huge fan of books that are based off of famous stories. I tend to think they are overdone and not very exciting. I do have to say that this book exceeded my expectations. My father is a software developer and works in tech and so being able to read about a boy and a girl who fall in love with code and each other was very cute. This book was done very well, the writing was simple and it was just a good ol contemporary book. I'm not going to spoil the book, because that defeats the whole purpose of this review but the relationship that was presented in this book was well done. It wasn't a, girl meets boy, and they fall in love. 

That's all I really have to say about this book. I highly enjoyed it and I recommend it if you need a light romance contemporary read. 

xoxo,
Bea

Candyce Kirk

Stephanie Midolo

Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Readers Copy. 

This book was super cute. Emma loves numbers. Math makes sense. But people and relationships? Not so much. Her coding club decides to use her algorithm to write the "Code for Love" for an app competition. The idea takes off at her school and Emma has to figure out how she really feels about love.
The start was a little slow but once the story got going it was so cute. Emma was flawed but relatable. The subtle love triangle was interesting and not played out. The female friendships were so refreshing to see in YA. There was quite a bit of coding but not so much that it was confusing. I would recommend this book to computer lovers or anyone looking for a light rom-com.

laura

I really wound up enjoying this read so much! I thought it was a great retelling of emma with a modern twist. I really grew to love these characters and loved all the side characters. It was a book that for being so short still kicked me in the emotions. I loved emma as a character and really felt for her. I also loved the app contest at the heart of this book and also the many side characters that we meet. It became a friendship group that I really loved! Would def read more books set by this author for sure!

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Code For Love and Heartbreak

Author: Jillian Cantor

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3.5/5

Recommended For...: romance lovers, classic retellings

Publication Date: October 6, 2020

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 16+ (romance, slight sexual content)

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Pages: 304

Synopsis: Emma Woodhouse is a genius at math, but clueless about people. After all, people are unreliable. They let you down—just like Emma's sister, Izzy, did this year, when she moved to California for college. But numbers...those you can count on. (No pun intended.)

Emma's senior year is going to be all about numbers, and seeing how far they can take her. When she and George, her Coding Club co-president, are tasked with brainstorming a new project, The Code for Love is born—a matchmaking app that goes far beyond swiping, using algorithms to calculate compatibility. George disapproves of Emma's idea, accusing her of meddling in people's lives. But all the happy new couples at school are proof that the app works. At least at first.

Emma's code is flawless. So why is it that perfectly matched couples start breaking up, the wrong people keep falling for each other and her own feelings defy any algorithm? Emma thought math could solve everything. But there's nothing more complex—or unpredictable—than love. 

Review: Overall, this was a good romance. It's a retelling thing of Emma by Jane Austen and the book does well to develop the characters and the romance. The story was also intriguing for me and it helped me get through the book.

However, I do feel like the book was a bit too slow paced and too predictable. The book also had a "meet in the middle" trope which I'm kinda bored of.

Verdict: It was cute but slow.

Heather Harrington

*I received a copy of this via the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Emma Woodhouse is a whiz at math, but utterly clueless when it comes to human interactions. People can be unreliable, but numbers will never let you down. When her older sister leaves for college making Emma completely friendless, she plans to dedicate all her time to the coding club she's co-president of. With the national competition looming, the club must brainstorm an idea that will take them to the top, and Emma has a rather unconventional project: an app that will mathematically match students up with their perfect partners within the school called The Code for Love.

The rest of the coding club, especially George, Emma's co-president, is hesitant, to say the least. They believe nothing good can come from meddling in people's love lives, but the more excited the student body gets about the matches, the more they have to admit maybe Emma is on to something. But when couples start breaking up, and George is matched with someone else in the club causing certain feelings to stir in Emma, she has to face the facts that maybe math can't solve everything. 

I'm always a fan of a Jane Austen retelling, and while I did enjoy this, it felt a little young. There was all the typical high school drama you'd find in a YA, so I do think it'd be well-suited for someone who is actually in that age bracket of the characters. Like the original material, Emma is headstrong, stubborn, and a bit childish at times. She is dead set on the fact that math is the answer to everything that she gets very defensive and lashes out when things don't go her way. I did like her and George and felt he brought out a nice balance to her, and they were cute together. I did also have a few issues with the writing itself. There were times where Cantor felt very repetitive and wordy. The highlight for me was all the actual coding references. I know nothing about that, so it was interesting to see how in-depth and complex it all is. Despite not fully clicking with this, it was a quick read and kept my attention for the most part, and I'd recommend if you're into retellings and YA contemporaries.

Becca Futrell

Thank you to Netgalley & Inkyard Press for providing me with an e-ARC of The Code for Love and Heartbreak; however, I did my review based on a finished copy of the audiobook!

3.5 Round Up!

Click here for an excerpt of The Code for Love and Heartbreak!

Who loves a good retelling? Me. Who loves a book that centers around technology? Also me.

The Code for Love and Heartbreak is an Emma by Jane Austen retelling; I'm gonna be real with you, I have never read Emma, so I can't necessarily compare the two for you.

Something I have to remind myself often is that when I read YA books, the characters are, of course, young. Did I get upset over really dumb things when I was in high school? Yes, absolutely, I was a Hot Mess. Emma & the Coding Club have some conflict throughout the book & it made me cringe so much. Like? That's what you chose to be angry about? Seriously? But after stepping back & reassessing the situation, maybe I would have been mad too at that age. 

There is one thing that irked me though that did lower my opinion on The Code for Love and Heartbreak. And it's that it felt like it was attempting to be a love-triangle story. Emma seems to be pining after two characters & for some reason, it just didn't feel right to me? This may have been just a me thing though.

I was going to give this a 3-star overall, however, the ending had me in my feels & I definitely had to raise it a bit. The Code for Love and Heartbreak is a cute read where our main character learns a lot about herself & develops really meaningful relationships.

Aliyah Manji

Ok so I am definitely not a math/coding person, but this book was so interesting, and I read the whole thing in like 2 hours. It was so sweet and lighthearted, and also has those really great coming-of-age aspects. 

Characters: 4/5
I loved the main character, I thought she was really developed

Plot: 5/5 
I was hooked the whole time and eager to see who the MC would fall in love with

Writing Style: 4/5
Really good, nothing special or extremely bad about it

Overall: 4.7 (rounded up to 5)

The Code for Love and Heartbreak

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