Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka (AKA Wibbroka) are easily my favorite contemporary writing duo. At this point if you haven’t heard me talking about them endlessly you must be new here… which in that case hello! Welcome! But, really. Emily and Austin are an author duo who currently have three published YA books with a promising future in writing ahead of them. They write on a variety of subjects including Shakespeare retellings, defying gender stereotyping (hello strong girls and soft boys), and complicated families.
I’ve been so excited to write up a guide for Wibbroka! In this guide I will be talking about which books are the best to start with along with information to help if you’ve never read anything from them before!
About the Authors
You can Emily on Twitter HERE or Instagram HERE. You can find Austin on Twitter HERE or Instagram HERE.
The Best Book to Pick Up First
If I’m Being Honest (2019)
At this point I’ve given every Wibbroka title a perfect 5/5 stars, but when choosing which book to suggest first I decided that If I’m Being Honest stood out to me for these few reasons:
– It is a Taming of the Shrew retelling
– The protagonist is a mean girl and the love interest is a soft boy who wants to create video games
– The banter is absolutely unreal
Synopsis: ” CAMERON BRIGHT is gorgeous, popular, and—according to 99% of Beaumont Prep’s student body—a bitch. But Cameron knows she’s only being honest. It’s not her problem people don’t appreciate it. However, it becomes her problem when her crush, Andrew, sees Cameron’s cruelty up close, threatening any chance she had to win his affection. So Cameron devises a plan: she’ll “tame” herself like Shakespeare’s illustrious shrew, Katherine, and make amends with everyone she’s wronged. If she can reverse her reputation as a mean girl, Andrew will have to take notice.
Cameron’s apology tour begins with Brendan Rosenfeld, the guy whose social life she single-handedly ruined in the sixth grade. If she can get Brendan to forgive her, Andrew might just come around. Only problem is, Brendan wants nothing to do with Cameron and blocks her at every turn. It isn’t until Cameron befriends her school’s geekier crowd that she finally breaks through, and she has to admit, hanging out with Brendan isn’t the worst. In fact, he inspires her to want to be a better person and, unlike Andrew, considers her honesty an asset.
Now, Cameron’s left wondering if maybe she doesn’t have to compromise who she is for the kind of love she deserves.”
Their Other Novels
At the moment Emily and Austin have a total of three published novels. Since I just shared about If I’m Being Honest I’ll be taking this moment to introduce you to their other two!
Always Never Yours (2018)
– A Romeo & Juliet retelling, but majorly twisted
– A cinnamon roll love interest who writes plays
– A sassy and sex positive protagonist with a secret soft side
Synopsis: “Seventeen-year-old Megan Harper is about due for her next sweeping romance. It’s inevitable—each of her relationships starts with the perfect guy and ends with him falling in love . . . with someone else. But instead of feeling sorry for herself, Megan focuses on pursuing her next fling, directing theater, and fulfilling her dream college’s acting requirement in the smallest role possible.
So when she’s cast as Juliet (yes, that Juliet) in her high school’s production, it’s a complete nightmare. Megan’s not an actress, and she’s used to being upstaged—both in and out of the theater. In fact, with her mom off in Texas and her dad remarried and on to baby #2 with his new wife, Megan worries that, just like her exes, her family is moving on without her.
Then she meets Owen Okita, an aspiring playwright inspired by Rosaline from Shakespeare’s R+J. A character who, like Megan, knows a thing or two about short-lived relationships. Megan agrees to help Owen with his play in exchange for help catching the eye of a sexy stagehand/potential new boyfriend. Yet Megan finds herself growing closer to Owen, and wonders if he could be the Romeo she never expected.”
Time of Our Lives (2020)
– Dual POV featuring two drastically different characters
– Post high school coming-of-age story
– Road tripping and college tours
Synopsis: “A boy desperate to hold on, a girl ready to let go.
Fitz Holton waits in fear for the day his single mother’s early-onset Alzheimer’s starts stealing her memory. He’s vowed to stay close to home to care for her in the years to come–never mind the ridiculous college tour she’s forcing him on to visit schools where he knows he’ll never go. Juniper Ramirez is counting down the days until she can leave home, a home crowded with five younger siblings and zero privacy. Against the wishes of her tight-knit family, Juniper plans her own college tour of the East Coast with one goal: get out.
When Fitz and Juniper cross paths on their first college tour in Boston, they’re at odds from the moment they meet– while Juniper’s dying to start a new life apart for her family, Fitz faces the sacrifices he must make for his. Their relationship sparks a deep connection–in each other’s eyes, they glimpse alternate possibilities regarding the first big decision of their adult lives.
Time of Our Lives is a story of home and away, of the wonder and weight of memory, of outgrowing fears and growing into the future.”
Bookish Buzz Words
Romeo & Juliet retelling, sex positive, banter, theater – Always Never Yours
Video games, complicated family, mean girls, rocky horror – If I’m Being Honest
College tours, road trip, unexpected connections, complicated decisions – Time of Our Lives
Academic enemies-to-lovers – What’s Not to Love ( due to be released Spring 2021)
Adult romance, bestselling co-authors, past lovers – The Roughest Draft (due to be released Fall 2021)
Long distance rom-com – With and Without You (due to be released 2022)
Superlatives
Best Couple: I’m cheating and putting all of them!
Best Female Character: Cameron from If I’m Being Honest
Best Male Character: Owen from Always Never Yours
Funniest Book: The banter in both Always Never Yours and If I’m Being Honest is hilarious
Best Chemistry: It’s honestly all of them. Wibbroka wears the crown for writing fantastic chemistry.
Best Plot: Time of Our Lives
Final Notes
Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka are incredibly talented writers! Their YA contemporary stories are full of heart and humor. They even play into one of my favorite things ever, character cameos! You can catch glimpses of different characters in their stories, which makes it all the even more special. Then, Emily and Austin are not only fantastic writers, but people as well. They are both active on social media and use their platform to spread awareness for important causes, which as us teens say, we love to see it.
Leave a Reply