Kissing Emma by Shappi Khorsandi – Book Review [Blog Tour]

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Kissing Emma Synopsis

From widely acclaimed comedian and author, Shappi Khorsandi, comes a modern fable about the rise and fall of a beautiful, but vulnerable, young woman in a world obsessed with money, status and looks.

Emma and her mother are down on their luck. They’re taking turns sleeping on the sofa in her nan’s tiny flat – and desperately trying to come up with an escape plan.

Emma is struggling with her family, struggling at school where the girls are bitchy towards her and the boys only seem to want one thing, and struggling with never having enough money for anything, ever.

Just as she’s contemplating quitting school to get a real job, she meets two men who convince her that she has a shot at modelling. But their motives are far from innocent, and Emma is soon pulled into a dark world. And then she meets Con, who is rich, handsome and so romantic! Has Emma’s luck finally changed?

Kissing Emma is inspired by the real life and untold story of Emma Hamilton, Lord Nelson’s mistress. But Shappi Khorsandi’s modern Emma is going to get the happy ending her namesake never did – and stick two fingers up at the men who dare to take advantage of young women while she’s doing it.

(Not suitable for younger readers)

📝 My Thoughts

I first came across Shappi Khorsandi when she took part in the 2017 series of ITV’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and I remember really liking her. I’ve followed some of the things she’s done over the past couple of years, so when I was asked to join the blog tour for her YA book Kissing Emma, I jumped on it!

WARNINGS: This book contains heavy themes including domestic abuse, bullying, sexual assault, grooming, coercion, and mentions of racism.

The Story

Kissing Emma is the story of Emma (obviously), a teenager who isn’t having much luck. During her childhood, her she and her mother suffered abuse at the ends of Emma’s father, leading to the mysterious moment he falls off the balcony of their flat while Emma’s mother watches and screams. Emma never saw what happened, but one thing is for sure: everyone except her is certain her mother did it.

Since that night, they can’t live a normal life. People throw things at their front door; no one in school wants to know her; their names and pictures are all over the press. But for Emma, that’s just the tip of the iceberg: things are only going to get worse when she starts drawing the attention of horrible men who want to hurt her, and the affection of the worst boys in school.

When Emma and her mum are forced to move away from their estate and live with Emma’s nan, Emma can’t take much more. She sleeps on a sofa in a room she shares with her mum, and soon, they’re both trying to find any work to keep themselves afloat. Emma is desperate for them to get a place of their own so they can finally start living their own lives.

So when an opportunity to make potentially a lot of money arises, it seems like perfect timing. She could have everything she’s dreamed of. But is it all as it seems… what if things are about to get much worse than they already are?

The Writing & Characters

I was gripped all the way through Kissing Emma. I read it all in just a couple of sittings (including at my desk before I started work, and my colleagues were as engrossed as I was as I kept them up to date on what was happening). The short chapters and the fast pace of the story made me race towards the ending because I was dying to see what would happen next.

At first, I felt like I was reading a slightly more grown-up version of a Jacqueline Wilson novel. I could see definite similarities between Kissing Emma and my all-time favourite Wilson novel, Lola Rose: the abusive father, the running away to escape the past, and the chance to start fresh. But once I got deeper into the book, I quickly realised this is so much darker.

Some of the things that happened to Emma were horrific and I really wanted to jump inside the book and do my best to help her out. She doesn’t make great decisions (what teenager does?) and she’s incredibly naive (again, what teenager isn’t?). But the story shows just how hard it can be to escape coercion and grooming, especially when there’s potential for a chance at a better life at stake.

There are characters that will make you seethe with rage, but also characters you’ll love. Emma’s friends at her new school, for example, were a shining light for Emma amongst the chaos and they weren’t scared to tell her what she needed to hear. Meanwhile, there are other characters that will make you want to reach into the story and punch them right in the face (and report them to the authorities).

Overall

I say this a lot, but Kissing Emma is one of those books I think every teenager should read. Not only does it reflect how difficult it can be for people to live with an abusive partner or parent, especially in a not-very-nice part of town, but it also shows how hard it is to break out of a situation where someone else has you in their control.

On Shappi’s website, she states, “My novels have funny people in them but the subject matter is dark.” This is exactly true for Kissing Emma. It’s full of witty dialogue and heaps of sarcasm, but with subject matter that really makes you wish no one had to go through things like this in real life.

This is my first book I’ve read by Shappi Khorsandi, and I will definitely be seeking out more!

Kissing Emma by Shappi Khorsandi is out now, published by Hachette Children’s Group in paperback original, priced £7.99.

Follow the Tour!

The tour is almost over, but why not check out some of the other blog posts to see what other readers thought? You can find details for the other tour stops in the graphics below.

About the Author