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The Year My Life Went Down the Loo
(Emily #1)
by
Paperback, 221 pages
Published
September 1st 2003
by Leisure Books
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Start your review of The Year My Life Went Down the Loo (Emily, #1)

The Most Die Hard Romance Fan Will Love This Hilarious, Sweet Book
This book was one of the most hilarious young adult books I’ve read in while. My goal for this year was to diversify my reading bookshelf and I’m glad a good friend of mine recommend this book to me, as it’s a genre I don’t often explore but enjoy reading. I went into reading it optimistic but a little cynical because my usual preference is anywhere from sweet romance to extremely sensual romance. I would describe the romance in T ...more
This book was one of the most hilarious young adult books I’ve read in while. My goal for this year was to diversify my reading bookshelf and I’m glad a good friend of mine recommend this book to me, as it’s a genre I don’t often explore but enjoy reading. I went into reading it optimistic but a little cynical because my usual preference is anywhere from sweet romance to extremely sensual romance. I would describe the romance in T ...more

One of those books that might be overlooked as just being a silly Angus-Thongs-wannabe, but actually has a very good and too rarely addressed issue: a cute girl wants guys to like her so she flirts, dresses sexily, etc., and then is surprised when a guy thinks she wants him to do more than like her. She is saved at the last minute, but you get a clear sense of what might have happened. She's not a "bad" girl and it's not "bad" that she wants guys to think she's cute--but there can be bad consequ
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This week’s headline? Teen does England
Why this book? Work in progress
Which book format? Half-price used paperback
Primary reading environment? Carry in purse
Any preconceived notions? Want to hate
Identify most with? Dru, email recipient
Three-word quote? “SimEmily died. Gah.”
Goes well with? Walker’s crisps (sigh)
OMG! R u 4 real? I know it’s a crappy paperback, but this book sucks.
We love playing The Sims? We have email addresses like Dru@Seattlegrrl.com? We totally dye our hair Copper Sunset Splen ...more
Why this book? Work in progress
Which book format? Half-price used paperback
Primary reading environment? Carry in purse
Any preconceived notions? Want to hate
Identify most with? Dru, email recipient
Three-word quote? “SimEmily died. Gah.”
Goes well with? Walker’s crisps (sigh)
OMG! R u 4 real? I know it’s a crappy paperback, but this book sucks.
We love playing The Sims? We have email addresses like Dru@Seattlegrrl.com? We totally dye our hair Copper Sunset Splen ...more

This is one of my favorite go-to books when I'm feeling down, or even if I just have a free Saturday afternoon. It's an easy read, but Emily has you laughing out loud with her wit, sarcasm, and hilarious anecdotes as her life in America is uprooted and she is transplanted to a tiny town in England. Very relatable for teenagers, or even young women who can still remember how they used to relate, in every adolescent way, to Emily's 15-year-old antics.
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I read this as a tweenager and thought it was hilarious. As an adult rereading it, it's not nearly so funny but it's still a fun, humorous little read. I understand more of the British slang now and Emily's confusion over her boyfriend makes more sense even though it's still annoying. I liked it, but it is definitely dated and definitely caters to a much younger audience. A nice throwback from my past.
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I read this book countless times due to it's lightly weighted humor. I love the way it's written, the excellent choice of title, and the love story that never happened.
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It was.... strange. I liked it, but it wasn't very... PG. :)
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Read years ago, but decided to do a reread. Not as good as before, but then again I read it years ago and had different taste in reading material.

I found this book second-hand and immediately picked it up due to its quirky title and also because I'm English living in America- so I loved the concept of my situation in reverse. At first I genuinely enjoyed the story- I could relate to Emily's teenage woes and loved the English references. However the ranty/angry/email format narration got on my nerves VERY QUICKLY. After reading the first few chapters I flipped through the rest and thought "Do I really have to read through a dozen more of t
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Reading Katie Maxwell's The Year My Life Went Down the Loo, which was recommended to me by a friend, I initially thought, "What a self-absorbed little snot this girl is!"
Emily is 16 and her parents have just ruined her life by moving her to England while her father serves as an adjunct professor for a year in Oxford. Queen of hyperbole, Emily sees everything as uber-coolio or the worst thing to ever happen to her. The book is a series of emails mainly from her to her friend, Dru, who is still ba ...more
Emily is 16 and her parents have just ruined her life by moving her to England while her father serves as an adjunct professor for a year in Oxford. Queen of hyperbole, Emily sees everything as uber-coolio or the worst thing to ever happen to her. The book is a series of emails mainly from her to her friend, Dru, who is still ba ...more

This is the tale of a teen who has been dragged off to England with her progressive (and therefore embarassing) parents and activist (and even more embarrassing) older sister. Injustice after injustice, she feels, is piled onto her life, like how she gets put in the "5th form" in the English school system, effectively putting her back a year from where she should have been in the American! She tries to make the best of it, by flirting it up with a crush-alicious British boy from the 6th form, an
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Angst of a 16 yo forced to move to a small town in England when her father goes there on a teaching assignment. It is told in the form of emails to her friend back home. However, it is a little unbelieveable that some of thes emails are the equivalent of full book chapter and she uses no internet shorthand. There are no malls, the school uniform is hideous, she is held her back a year behind her age group peers, her 18 yo sister has much more freedom, and her parents go out of their way to morti
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I'll admit, I picked up the book in hopes that it'd be similar in wit and style as the Georgia Nicholson series or even Adrian Mole. Sadly, I was mistaken. I got half way through this book before I had to put it down and vowed not to pick it up again. Within pages, I found the main character, Emily, to be extremely irritating, self-centered, and not the least bit funny or witty. Her whiney attitude and inability to get over herself and see any good in her new situation pushed me over the edge. S
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I love this book!! It is so funny I have to be careful I don't take a sip of my drink before reading the next line - you never know when you are going to spew your drink due to laughing.
Emily is uprooted and moved from her cosy home in Seattle, which happens to be close to 2 malls, and placed in a very small town in England. The story is told from the mostly one sided point of view of Emily's emails to her best friend back home. Emily is hilarious and she paints a clear picture for all but her t ...more
Emily is uprooted and moved from her cosy home in Seattle, which happens to be close to 2 malls, and placed in a very small town in England. The story is told from the mostly one sided point of view of Emily's emails to her best friend back home. Emily is hilarious and she paints a clear picture for all but her t ...more

Unlike the Georgia Nicholson series which has universal appeal, the Emily Williams series is definitely for YAs. Her dad, whom everyone calls Brother, is teaching in England for a year. The whole family moves from Seattle to Piddlington-on-the-Weld. The story is a series of emails which Emily writes to her friend Dru back home. As a 16 year old, Emily seems pretty normal but her older sister Bess is only 18 yet is given the freedoms of a much older girl. (Disturbing as a mother of teenagers!) No
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I can't help but compare this book to the Georgia Nicholson series. And in doing so, the Emily series comes out on top. I often got annoyed with Georgia, especially with how she treats her best friend. Emily hasn't done anything to annoy me yet (okay, except perhaps for using the word coolio a little too much). Emily's character just feels more realistic to me. Perhaps it's because she's two years older than Georgia and so a little more mature. Whatever it it, I'm very much looking forward to re
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I have very mixed feelings about this book. I would actually give this one 3.5 stars, but I'll admit I would most likely have rated it higher when I was a teen. Since I'm older now I found some of Emily's behavior really annoying and she lacked a lot of the character grow that I enjoy so much in books now. With that said, the portrayal of a junior in high school is fairly spot on- especially in the early 2000s when the book was written- but I'm also not sure how most teenagers today would feel a
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When I was a preteen I ate this book up because it talked about things no one else was talking about. Looking back, though, it really is just a book of silly teenage drama that feels so stereotypical and melodramatic. The end of the book is so predictable and the height of the drama is so close to the end there was very little closure. I guess it's supposed to make me want to read the next one, but I really wasn't interested in what happened next. The email format was entertaining though and was
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Emily is forced by her family to spend a year in England, where there are no malls and no decent lattes—although there are some very cute boys—and at least she can keep in touch with her best friend by e-mail. Deals with interesting topic: Emily wants guys to think she's hot, but is shocked when a guy expects her to put out. Dealt with sensitively, realistically, non-critically, but warningly.
Lesley@DTH ...more
Lesley@DTH ...more

Of course Emily's life didn't really go down the toilet just because her family had to move to England for a year. In fact she has some fairly cool opportunities to learn the ways of the world, which she shares in constant emails to her friend back in Seattle. Its just that she has really horrible judgement in guys! The Year My Life Went Down the Loo, by Katie Maxwell, is a quick, funny read.
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Emily is forced to move to England for a year while her father is a guest scholar. Her life is over. No malls, no food, weird names of things, and a ghost in her underwear drawer. Then she meets Aidan, who is gorgeous and has a mustache. Things may be looking up, but only if she can overcome the horrible school uniform and being placed back a year!

Didn't actually finish the book cause it bored me to death.
I hate books that just have babbling and rambling.
It seemed like a knock off of Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging which I enjoy MUCH more than this ...more
I hate books that just have babbling and rambling.
It seemed like a knock off of Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging which I enjoy MUCH more than this ...more

I read this book for the first time when I was in junior high. I've read if many times over and over again ever since. It was just good, and Emily is very funny, I think. Although, sometimes the text lingo irritates me.
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This book is probably one of my favorite books of all time. I read it in highschool and now that I am almost 30 I still think it's hilarious. in fact anytime I am at a book store I loom for anything Katie Maxwell has written! I'm obsessed! It literally made me laugh out loud!
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Outstanding YA novel that was thoroughly enjoyable as an adult. Lol. Can't wait to read the rest of the series! If you like a novel that leaves you feeling good I highly recommend getting your hands on this one.
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Jun 02, 2008
Jael ~ *~ Syhren ~* ~
rated it
liked it
Recommends it for:
Those who love Bridget Jones and Georgia Nicholson
Shelves:
young-adult
This books is hilarious. It's just as funny as Georgia but with an American twist.( Emily is an american girl liviing in the UK)
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topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA trilogy? Girl moves to England or Scotland. She calls her dad "brother" for some reason, has a group of friends that go to a fair/ petting zoo and save a small animal. Her one friend is called Fang. Read around 2012. [s] | 5 | 15 | Jan 08, 2021 02:24PM | |
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA series about a girl travelling to Scotland/France/etc? [s] | 6 | 21 | Feb 02, 2014 09:36PM | |
British Humor | 3 | 18 | Mar 24, 2009 06:35PM |
Katie Maxwell is a pseudonym of
Katie MacAlister
.
Katie MacAlister is a Seattle-area author of fiction and non-fiction. Her most popular titles are historical, contemporary, and paranormal romance. She also writes Young Adult books under the pseudonym Katie Maxwell and Mysteries under the pseudonym Kate Marsh.
About Katie
as long as she can remember, Katie MacAlister has loved reading. Growing up ...more
Katie MacAlister is a Seattle-area author of fiction and non-fiction. Her most popular titles are historical, contemporary, and paranormal romance. She also writes Young Adult books under the pseudonym Katie Maxwell and Mysteries under the pseudonym Kate Marsh.
About Katie
as long as she can remember, Katie MacAlister has loved reading. Growing up ...more
Other books in the series
Emily
(6 books)
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