Emma Mills (1) (1989–)
Author of Foolish Hearts
For other authors named Emma Mills, see the disambiguation page.
About the Author
Image credit: via Macmillan Publishers
Works by Emma Mills
Tagged
Common Knowledge
Members
Reviews
I picked this up because I enjoyed Emma Mills's first book, [b:First & Then|23310751|First & Then|Emma Mills|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1426513843s/23310751.jpg|40149265]. I loved this more than the first one! I think in this sophomore attempt, Emma Mills found her storytelling stride. Sloane, moving to Florida to finish off her high school career, finds herself in a group of friends who love her for different reasons - though mostly they love that she speaks her mind.
Sloane goes on show more a quest (one bordering on obsession) to find one of the last paintings of Vera and Gabe's mother, and through her journey we learn more about this group of friends that she fell into.
I only wish we saw more Sloane/Gabe interactions. I spent a lot of the book wondering if she would end up with Remy as we saw more of their time together than Sloane and Gabe.
The book is fast paced and it covers quite a few topics and a lot of them heavy (dealing with loss, dealing with depression), so there wasn't enough time to explore them all. However, I don't believe deep exploration of tough topics was the main purpose of this book. It was a little bit if a love story and a lot of a friendship story, and I appreciated the way they dealt with those topics.
I loved the witty dialogue and found myself laughing out loud a few times. Satiate your beach-read craving by picking this one up. show less
Sloane goes on show more a quest (one bordering on obsession) to find one of the last paintings of Vera and Gabe's mother, and through her journey we learn more about this group of friends that she fell into.
I only wish we saw more Sloane/Gabe interactions. I spent a lot of the book wondering if she would end up with Remy as we saw more of their time together than Sloane and Gabe.
The book is fast paced and it covers quite a few topics and a lot of them heavy (dealing with loss, dealing with depression), so there wasn't enough time to explore them all. However, I don't believe deep exploration of tough topics was the main purpose of this book. It was a little bit if a love story and a lot of a friendship story, and I appreciated the way they dealt with those topics.
I loved the witty dialogue and found myself laughing out loud a few times. Satiate your beach-read craving by picking this one up. show less
I can only describe this book as sweet. It was predictable, and cute, and fluffy, which was absolutely perfect. Because sometimes, you just want a story where you know what will happen, and this delivered.
I had not heard about this book before it arrived in my first Uppercase Box, one of the book subscription boxes I joined. I do read a lot of YA but it tends to be SFF and not contemporary, so this is a bit outside the norm for me. But I'm glad I read it, even though normally a YA sports show more romance is something I'd walk past.
The main character, Devon, is a huge Jane Austen fan, which not-so-subtly sets up the Pride and Prejudice-esque romance between her and brooding football star Ezra. There's also her unrequited crush on her best friend Cas complicating issues. There's this great cast of supporting characters from Devon's cousin who moves in with them, Marabella, Lindsay, Emir...
... and except for Foster, they aren't explored adequately. I can only hope that Mills is gearing up for a sequel or something because why else would she make a huge deal about Foster's crush on Marabella, teenage and pregnant but staying mum on the father? And giving Emir these two weird out-of-left-field scenes?
This book, if you take away Deven and Ezra's romance, seemed incomplete. Strings were left dangling and I wanted to tie them off so badly. show less
I had not heard about this book before it arrived in my first Uppercase Box, one of the book subscription boxes I joined. I do read a lot of YA but it tends to be SFF and not contemporary, so this is a bit outside the norm for me. But I'm glad I read it, even though normally a YA sports show more romance is something I'd walk past.
The main character, Devon, is a huge Jane Austen fan, which not-so-subtly sets up the Pride and Prejudice-esque romance between her and brooding football star Ezra. There's also her unrequited crush on her best friend Cas complicating issues. There's this great cast of supporting characters from Devon's cousin who moves in with them, Marabella, Lindsay, Emir...
... and except for Foster, they aren't explored adequately. I can only hope that Mills is gearing up for a sequel or something because why else would she make a huge deal about Foster's crush on Marabella, teenage and pregnant but staying mum on the father? And giving Emir these two weird out-of-left-field scenes?
This book, if you take away Deven and Ezra's romance, seemed incomplete. Strings were left dangling and I wanted to tie them off so badly. show less
I’ve enjoyed Mills’ contemporary YA and I was eager to read this. Seventeen year old Aurelie is an unpaid baker’s apprentice who is approached by an unconventional young woman and asked to use her magical Seeking ability to track down a missing person. In the Underwood they cross paths with Prince Hapless, the king’s younger brother, who is under attack by men dressed as palace guards.
This was absolutely delightful. I liked the friendships and the banter, and the way elements of show more Cinderella are woven into the story but there’s a whole lot more going on than just the Cinderella plot points.
This was absolutely delightful. I liked the friendships and the banter, and the way elements of show more Cinderella are woven into the story but there’s a whole lot more going on than just the Cinderella plot points.
show less
“So one either has it or they don’t.”
“I…” Aurelie thought of the time Mrs Basil went to the opera, how she spent the weeks that followed warbling arias in an uneven soprano. I think it’s like how some people are naturally good singers. And some people can take lessons.”
Hapless looked chagrined. “You could train me for a thousand years and I’d never be able to sing Faustival from Fugue and Fury. Some people are just hopeless.” He shook his head. “I may in fact be the worst magic scholar who ever existed.”
Aurelie smiled a little. “Well. At least you exist.”
Nina is in her final semester of high school and her radio broadcasting elective is not going as expected. She’s ended up in the same group as her childhood friend Jamie, who Nina has spent all of high school avoiding, and in an effort to improve their group’s weekly show, Sounds of the Nineties, they are dropping hints about a future mystery guest, but now their listeners are now expecting someone much more famous than Nina’s dad…
This book made me laugh. I enjoyed the camaraderie of show more the Sound of the Nineties team, and Nina’s close bond with her sisters. The way Nina processes her mother’s forthcoming remarriage is interesting. And I like the way Jamie is part of her life, quiet yet important -- he’s a classmate, a colleague, a childhood friend, a crush and a neighbour.
Often I’ve found contemporary YA set in the US harder to relate to, presumably because the context, culture and schooling system differs somewhat from what I experienced as a teenager. But I find Mills’ novels very relatable, even though her protagonists’ circumstances and personalities differ from mine. I think it’s the way these stories are about friendship, family, fandom and facing change.
“And my mom told me that part of growing up is just... learning that people come in and out of your life, and that there are all kinds of levels of friendship, all different types. And maybe you’ll make a friend, and you won’t see them again, but it doesn’t devalue what you had with them or the time you spent together. That’s still valid, even if it wasn’t built to last. It’s not any less… significant, you know?” show less
This book made me laugh. I enjoyed the camaraderie of show more the Sound of the Nineties team, and Nina’s close bond with her sisters. The way Nina processes her mother’s forthcoming remarriage is interesting. And I like the way Jamie is part of her life, quiet yet important -- he’s a classmate, a colleague, a childhood friend, a crush and a neighbour.
Often I’ve found contemporary YA set in the US harder to relate to, presumably because the context, culture and schooling system differs somewhat from what I experienced as a teenager. But I find Mills’ novels very relatable, even though her protagonists’ circumstances and personalities differ from mine. I think it’s the way these stories are about friendship, family, fandom and facing change.
“And my mom told me that part of growing up is just... learning that people come in and out of your life, and that there are all kinds of levels of friendship, all different types. And maybe you’ll make a friend, and you won’t see them again, but it doesn’t devalue what you had with them or the time you spent together. That’s still valid, even if it wasn’t built to last. It’s not any less… significant, you know?” show less
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Statistics
- Works
- 6
- Members
- 1,513
- Popularity
- #16,994
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 104
- ISBNs
- 70
- Languages
- 5
- Favorited
- 1