Book Series Review: ‘The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion’ is the Most Delightful, Whimsical Series You’ll Read All Year
If you’re suddenly seeing The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower all over your social media, it’s with good reason. This series is five stars, and I cannot stop binging it. As I write this review, I’m currently on book six and I started this series a week ago. It’s that good. Yes, the first few are super short, and more novella in length, but they do get progressively longer, which you’ll be thankful for because you don’t want them to end. Because I’ve been binging them, and they just continue on, I’m going to review this as a series rather than each individual book, so I’ll update this review accordingly. I guarantee you’re going to fall in love with these characters through Emma’s voice. Written as entries in her daily journal, you get a glimpse into life of a young woman in Victorian England. She’s spunky, witty, and hilarious. Plus, the side characters are all endearing—even the grumpy ones. There’s also the slowest of slow burns with multiple potential love interests for Emma, and to be honest, I’m still not sure who’s she’s going to end up with! I would also wholeheartedly recommend this series as a perfect read to solve a book hangover, or as a palette cleanser read between heavy topic books. It’s truly a delight. Originally self published, there are currently 8 books out with a WHOPPING 24 volumes planned. Bloomsbury has just picked up the rights to publish internationally, so I can’t imagine it will stay self published in the U.S. for long. Snag these first editions while you can!
Things to Know:
Historical Fiction
Slowest of Slow Burn Romance
Victorian England setting
Diary entries as storytelling
Grumpy Side Characters
Wit and humor
We meet our title character as she comes back to Lapis Lazuli House, the home she’s inherited in the fictional London neighborhood of St. Crispian’s. She’s an orphan, and about to turn 21 when she’ll be able to finally control her inheritance. Unfortunately, her crotchety grump of a cousin, Archibald, has completely gone through all of her money while she was away! The horror! He has an obsession with morning gowns, and the resident town ghost. You’ll loathe him, but also laugh at his expense quite often. Every single thing Emma does or says bothers him.
Each volume in the series comprises about two months of Emma’s life, as she rebuilds her life after some devastating losses. She makes new friends, new frenemies, acquires a cat, placates a demanding aunt, dutifully accompanies her cousin to help her with her marriage prospects, and you’ll eat up every second of it.
As mentioned above, there’s more than one potential love interest for our dear Emma, and at first my money was on Pierce, but the more I read, I’m hoping for Duke Islington. He’s the steady, reliable Mr. Darcy type, but also likes to have a little fun now and then. I believe he’d suit Emma quite well.
Pierce is a war photographer turned portrait photographer who rents a side of her house, and they begin writing notes to each other through a crack in the wall. It’s adorable.
Duke of Islington is the perfect titled gentry. But they’ve all become friends and he’s helped Emma out of quite a few predicaments.
Then you also have the Vicar, a con man, and a childhood nemesis who could also be contenders (three different people). So there’s LOTS happening in Emma’s life, and she hilariously records it all for our reading pleasure.
She’s also attempting to build herself a home library, which any book collector is going to love. At the end of each book, Emma includes a list of her growing collection of books and how she obtained them.
How to Read This Series:
I am BEGGING you to please read this with the audiobook (immersive with a physical copy is always a great time), because these audiobooks are SO well done. The narrator, Genevieve Gaunt, is phenomenal, and you feel like you’re plopped right inside St. Crispian’s and its colorful characters.
You can find the audiobook on Audible or Libro.fm (ProTips: Audible is 99 cents/mo for three months (3 books for $2.97) right now AND you can get two free audiobooks on Libro.fm with the code SWITCH right now).
My Favorite Quotes (as it currently stands):
“I blame him for a great many things. Dying being one of them.”
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“May I introduce my childhood nemesis?”
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“Our conversation was very June and very afternoon, meaning it meandered like a honeybee.”
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“I don’t like to speak ill of the living.” “That is usually reserved for the dead. What of them?” “Oh, I don’t think they mind a few snippy words once and again.”
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“I believe I said something encouraging, like, don’t be an imbecile.”
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“Lazy wastrel?! The man wants for a mirror.”
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“Does he read?” “Oh I expect not. How else would one remain so incredibly stupid?"
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“Is it immoral to marry a man solely to gain a library? And if that man happens to be tremendously good-looking, is that more or less of a sin? Mercenary marriages happen all the time.”
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“I’ve decided positivity is the Everest of virtues.”
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“A grin is only a smile that’s fully decided to get on with it.”
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