The Code for Love and Heartbreak by Jillian Cantor
Inkyard Press, 2020, 304 pages
Trigger Warnings: death of a parent (off-page); character is badly injured in a car accident (off-page); misogyny (challenged); parent has a medical emergency
About the Author: “Jillian Cantor has a BA in English from Penn State University and an MFA from the University of Arizona. She is the USA Today bestselling author of ten novels for teens and adults, including The Hours Count, Margot, The Lost Letter, and most recently, In Another Time. Her novels have been chosen for LibraryReads, Indie Next, Amazon Best of the Month, and have been translated into 13 languages. Jillian’s next YA book, The Code for Love and Heartbreak, will be out October 6, 2020. Her next historical novel for adults, Half Life, will be out in March 2021. Born and raised in a suburb of Philadelphia, Cantor currently lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.” (Bio taken from the author’s website.)
Website: https://www.jilliancantor.com/
Twitter: @JillianCantor
Instagram: @jilliancantor
Facebook: @authorjilliancantor
Hashtags: #TheCodeforLoveandHeartbreak #YAromance #YAromcom #JaneAusten
Devastated when her older sister leaves for college, high school senior and resident brainiac, Emma Woodhouse, throws herself into the only thing she can trust: numbers. So, with the state competition on the horizon, Emma teams up with coding club co-president, George, to create a fantastic project that will definitely win them a first-place medal. In the process, Emma creates a dating app that matches fellow students based on their similarities in various areas. While George isn’t crazy about meddling in other people’s love lives, the app actually works. That is, until it doesn’t, and Emma learns that, despite her perfectly calculated algorithm, love is a lot more complicated than she thought.
In her newest release, bestselling author Jillian Cantor breathes new life into Jane Austen’s Emma, retelling the classic novel as a delightful contemporary YA rom-com. The Code for Love and Heartbreak combines the matchmaking shenanigans of the original work with a witty, modern tale of computer programming and young love. Cantor layers complex sibling relationships alongside intense coding competitions and plenty of mutual yearning—a staple of any Austen-inspired story. Full of stolen glances and tender-hearted moments, The Code for Love and Heartbreak is perfect for life-long Austen fans or anyone looking for a smart and utterly romantic new read. With a deft hand and light touch, Cantor crafts a story that explores the enigma of the human heart, because when it comes to falling in love, some things just can’t be quantified.
(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change.)
PRR Assistant Director, Hannah Miller