Emmy & Oliver

June 22, 2015 ARC, Book Review 2

I received this ARC from Publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Emmy & OliverEmmy & Oliver by Robin Benway
Published by HarperCollins on June 23rd 2015
Pages: 352
Source: ARC from Publisher
Amazon-Indiebound
Goodreads

Emmy’s best friend, Oliver, reappears after being kidnapped by his father ten years ago. Emmy hopes to pick up their relationship right where it left off. Are they destined to be together? Or has fate irreparably driven them apart?

Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life.

She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach—go anywhere without her parents’ relentless worrying. But Emmy’s parents can’t seem to let her grow up—not since the day Oliver disappeared.

Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart.

He’d thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing and his thoughts swirling.

Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy’s soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles—impossible to fit together?

Readers who love Sarah Dessen will tear through these pages with hearts in throats as Emmy and Oliver struggle to face the messy, confusing consequences of Oliver’s father’s crime. Full of romance, coming-of-age emotion, and heartache, these two equally compelling characters create an unforgettable story.

My Thoughts:

This was my first Robin Benway book but it certainly won’t be my last! I loved it so, so much. I’m not even really sure where to start. I’ll divide this into three parts: why I picked it up, why I kept reading, and why I’ll read more.

Why I picked it up:

There were a couple reasons I wanted to read Emmy & Oliver. First, everyone has been raving about Robin Benway’s books and I’ve never read one. What is my deal?!?! I bought Audrey, Wait years and years ago but it’s just sat in my shelf. This seemed like a good time to read one of Robin’s books. Second, I was so intrigued by the concept of this book. What would it be like if your childhood friend was abducted but then returned when you were in high school? That idea really made me want to check this one out.

Why I kept reading:

The writing style! Oh my goodness! I was totally drawn in. I started Emmy & Oliver later in the evening so I only planned to read part of it. I simply couldn’t stop. Clearly this book has some seriously heavy emotional aspects. I totally expected that. What I didn’t expect was how funny and clever it would be! Emmy is witty and I loved her interactions with the people she cares about. Her humor was seamlessly woven in to the emotional landscape of the story. This really makes it stronger.  Actually, I really just loved all of the characters. They felt authentic and like people I would want to know. The characters, their relationships, the issues addressed…. Everything about  the story drew me in.

Why I’ll read more:

I was so impressed by the writing style and the character development. The way Robin Benway balanced the humor and the more serious aspects was perfection. I just loved the way she doesn’t write around issues. She has the ability to address issues in a way that is clear and easy to understand. I so appreciate that! I cannot wait to enter more stories that she has created!

2 Responses to “Emmy & Oliver”

  1. Anthea

    I’m SO happy you loved this book. I just finished it yesterday and I loved it as well, it’s definitely a new favourite of mine!

Leave a Reply