This book will break your heart many times over, yet leave you feeling as buoyant as the balloon on its cover before you turn the last page. I LOVED it! ⁣
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Oh, Dear Emmie Blue - how I wanted to reach into the pages of this book and hug you! Lia Louis did an amazing job of not only bringing her characters to life but of making the reader feel so much emotion. This book made me laugh & cry. I felt so much emotion right along with Emmie - joy, hope, sadness, loneliness, acceptance and love. ⁣
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There is so much to say about this book but I refuse to give even one iota of a spoiler. This is a book that you must simply let unfold. While not giving anything away I must share a few things I loved about the book and why it hit me so profoundly. First, there’s Emmie. Emmie was such a complex character. When we meet her, she is suffering from the effects of a childhood trauma. Her life is in a state of limbo and not much seems to be going her way. Yet, Emmie perseveres and finds a way to grow and overcome. Secondly, there are the most amazing secondary characters in this book! Oh how I loved Rosie, Fox, Louise and Eliot! They seem so real you can picture yourselves being friends with them.
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Honestly, if you haven’t read this book do yourself a favor and read it. It’s safe to say that Emmie has nestled herself into a special place in my reader heart! ⁣

DNF at 20%. I think this is a case of “it’s not you book, it’s me.” I have so many friends who read and loved this book - found it charming and touching and often five stars. I also saw charming and heartwarming thrown around a lot - and maybe that’s my problem. At this moment as I sit midpandemic - I’m not sure charming/heartwarming is where my head is at. I’ve listened to 20% and don’t feel it’s really gotten anywhere yet. Maybe I’ll return to this at another time when my head is in a different place. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading and listening copies.

At its core, Dear Emmie Blue is more than a love story, it was about grief, overcoming trauma and friendship. I really enjoyed reading this! The story was so poignant and beautifully written that it tugged at my heartstrings and I could not stop thinking about the book hours after I’ve finished. I wouldn’t be opposed to a movie adaptation because this is something movie-worthy!

Emmie was such an enduring and relatable character, she had her faults but you can’t help but root for her happiness. As for the side characters, I loved Emmie’s friends, Rosie and Fox, their banter made my day and I loved Rosie’s crude jokes and Fox's posh talk.
The book does have a love triangle of sorts, but I felt that it was done really well! I liked both Lucas and Eliot but in the end, I didn’t mind who Emmie ended up with, I just wanted to see her happy.

Since I listened to this on audio, the narrator, Katy Sobey, did an amazing job! She really captured Emmie’s inner monologue and conflict. I felt so close to Emmie as a character, she almost felt like a friend.

Overall, I enjoyed this book! It was a sweet, beautiful novel and I will be looking forward to more books by Louis.

Thanks For the opportunity to read this. It was a truly beautiful novel and I loved getting to know Emmie.

16 yr old Emmie releases a red balloon from her school field with her details and the secret she has been guarding attached to it. Across the ocean, in France Lucas also 16, discovers it and emails her right away. Starting the friendship that withstands the test of time.
On the eve of their 30th birthday, Emmie hopes that Lucas is finally about to kiss her but instead he announces that he is marrying someone else! Lucas asks her to be his Best Woman and Emmie agrees even if it means putting on a happy face and dealing with Lucas’s brother Elliot again. Someone who used to be one of her closest friends before a falling out on her 19th birthday.

I didn’t like Lucas because he continued to be an ass and he tried to monopolise Emmie’s time and affection all the time plus he gave her nothing in return. Also, he kept judging her for working at a hotel and pressuring her to get a better-paying, job.

This was my first audiobook from NetGalley and I'm so glad I chose it.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

#DearEmmieBlue #NetGalley

Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis
I am going to switch to reading this book, I've got to 30% and just not connecting with the narrator.

Dear Emmie Blue is an adorable, heart-warming and uplifting tale of love and friendship. This cozy and emotional read is perfect for lovers of romance - be prepared for happy tears!

When the 16-year old Emmie, who is awkward and shy and quite lonely, releases a balloon in the sky with a note containing her name and email address, an unlikely but immensely sweet friendship is born her and Lucas, the boy who found her balloon about a 1000 miles away from where she lives. Emmie's character and sadness were very easy to understand and relate to, which made me root for her throughout the book. Her character is intricately fleshed out and refreshingly real. Her challenging coming-of-age journey and story of unrequited love made me shed quite a few tears.

However, this is far from a sad book. The plot, although mostly predictable, is not only a romantic tale but also deals with far more serious themes. Relationships are the heart and soul of this book. If you are a character-oriented reader like me, you would not regret reading this book. It is brimming with emotion and love and quite a bit of heartache.

Lia's writing brings everything together wonderfully and is very fluid and readable. The narration was not my favourite bit about the book, but I am still warming up to audiobooks so I might be biased.

AUDIO BOOK DID NOT DOWNLOAD
Due to issues with the new Netgalley shelf app the book did not download to my phone and has now been archived so I am unable to review the book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book made me laugh, cry and was just an enjoyable book to sit and read on an evening. At first I was worried that it would just be like all the other books in this genre and would be the same story line just with different character names, I was happily surprised that this wasn't the case!

It is a slow start and you do have a power through with it but it is so worth it and if you are a fan of Bridget Jones's Diary and other similar romance novels then this is the book for you.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to have an ARC of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it, the characters and the story were both brilliant and I didn't want to put it down. I will be recommending this book to all my friends.

This is quite nearly a 5 star book for me! It was so sweet and warmed my heart to the core.

The story follows Emmie Blue, a woman who has been in love with her best friend for a few years. Lucas asks her to meet him at their favourite restaurant and while she is hoping he’ll finally tell her that he also has romantic feelings towards her, that’s not what happens. Lucas is getting married to Marie, kind sweet Marie with whom he has had an on and off relationship for a while, and he invited Emmie to the restaurant to ask her to be his best woman.

Emmie finds herself being constantly bombarded with reminders that Lucas is taking the next big step in his life with someone who isn’t her. She never tries to sabotage the wedding or meddle with Lucas and Marie’s relationship. She actually does everything to organise Lucas an amazing stag party and be there to help with wedding stuff.

Enter Elliot. Lucas’ brother and the man who, a long time ago, broke her trust. He is back in Europe, divorced and dating his divorce counsellor. He’s also kind and always there when Emmie needs him, which is both thrilling and confusing to her.

Emmie is such a sweet character who has had a terrible past. After being sexually abused and having everyone at her school turning on her for going to the police, she finds herself sending off a red balloon with a note in it.

On the other side is Lucas. At the time, a kid on holiday in England with his parents and brother. He finds the balloon at the beach and replies to it. That’s how their friendship starts.

I really didn’t like Lucas. I felt that he continued to be an ass as an adult and he was very childish! He tried to monopolise Emmie’s time and affection all the time and gave her nothing in return, not even an occasional visit. Plus he kept judging her for working at a hotel kitchen and pressuring her to get another, better-paying, job.

Elliot was such a sweetheart! He was always there for Emmie emotionally and picking up after the shit his brother did to her. I loved him so much!

I’m so glad my request to read this audiobook got accepted! It is so good and wholesome and I recommend it to everyone!!

A beautiful and sad story about a girl who released a red balloon with a secret and her email address only to be found by a boy, Lucas, in another country. It was the sweet fateful beginning of a friendship that over the years grew beyond what they thought possible. Lucas and Emmie come together to celebrate their 30th birthday and so begins the sad drawn out emotional events described throughout Emmie's life. It took some time to truly invest in the story and as a friend who I read it with described it, it was like a broken heart's eulogy.

I did love all the people surrounding and supporting Emmie through her journey of self discovery and self love. I adored all the mixed CDs that she received as a child that were from "Lucas" and how that was incorporated into each chapter. Although, it was clear to see that Emmie was a little too dependent on this friendship and therefore, blinded by the love she had for him. Eliot, Lucas' brother, was such a beautiful person inside and out and I truly loved everything about him except for his temporary taste in women, aka Anna. It became pretty obvious to everyone BUT Emmie that the person who was always there for her, every step of the way, was Eliot. Lastly, I grew to love Louise and the final life lesson she shared with Emmie and just how similar they actually are to one another.

The author did a wonderful job in creating Emmie's story about life and love and letting go. A story that through the sadness came light. Truths revealed, blinders removed, an eye opening experience leading to long overdue life changes. I appreciated the story for what it was and I enjoyed listening to it every step of the way.

Thank you to NetGalley UK and Hachette Audio UK for an advanced listeners copy for an honest review.

I received a free audiobook copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley.

Dear Emmie Blue by is a fantastic book! The story follows Emmie as she goes to meet up with one of her best friends who she has had a crush on for many years. He wants to meet up with her to ask her something, she is hoping this will be the chance she has been waiting for, for him to ask her out. She doesn’t expect the question she gets instead. This is a book about discovering who you really are, and finding love in both romantic and friendships and I highly recommend this book so much.

The audiobook was narrated fantastically, it felt like I was listening to Emmie's story straight from her, which made for emotional attachment to many characters. I was listening to this book every chance I got, and when I wasn't listening to it, I was thinking about it. This was such an unexpected surprise gem of a listen.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a well written, charming story about a 30-something young woman who is finding out about herself and discovering just because life hasn't gone exactly the way she planned or hoped doesn't mean it can't be a happy life.
An easy read, which I would recommend.

I heard so many good things about this book, but I just could not connect with it. The main character has so many bad things that have happened to her in her life that continue to cause problems. Unfortunately, this took half the book to get through and by that point all I felt for her was bad that there wasn't someone in her life that would help fix or cope with these problems. The narrator of the audiobook did not help the depressing vibe of the story. Overall, I think this book was just too realistic for my liking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio UK for providing me with an advance reader copy of the Dear Emmie Blue audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Emmie Blue is such a sweet tale of growth, self-discovery, love and friendship. This book was unlike any other romance I've read before - the unique story of two long distance best friends finding one another when they were needed the most. This book contains a sort of 'love triangle' which I don't usually enjoy in books, but this one worked so well, and I felt like I was rooting for Emmie the whole way through the book and just wanted her to end up with someone that made her happy.

This book also touches on grief, abuse, the loss of a close friend and terminal illness which was a really interesting addition to a love story. Whilst listening to the audiobook I felt so many emotions, I was happy, I was hurt, it was so bittersweet to read.

I felt like the narrator for the audiobook really suited the tone of this book, and I could feel as though the narrator could actually have been the main character, Emmie. Although, with most audiobooks I did feel as though the speech was a little slow, and so listened to this audiobook on 2x speed.

I would like to thank Hachette Audio UK and NetGalley for sending me copy of the audio books to listen to and review.
Dear Emmie Blue was a brilliant story to listen to. I had wanted to start reviewing audio books as I love to listen to them, either at night, while doing the housework or out in the garden and even sometimes in the car. This audio book I listened to while running on the treadmill during lock down.
The story was narrated by Katy Sobey who had a lovely voice to listen to. Through her tones you could tell each character apart really well and I kept wanting to listen on. The story itself by Lia Louis I had heard so much about across social media about it being really amazing and I was not disappointed.
I adored Emmie and the idea behind the balloon was such a special element to the plot. Emmie is a character that you can instantly connect with and there were some elements to her story that I could really relate to. There were times when I cried and times were I laughed out loud, even while running on the treadmill.
Dear Emmie Blue is an emotional, heartwarming and powerful story that left me contemplating life.

I cannot even begin to explain to you how much I loved this book! I just knew from the moment I finished the first chapter that this book was going to be special. Emmie Blue was such a lovable character and I honestly wish she were my friend so I could be there for her throughout the entire book and join her on the emotional rollercoaster she was on!! This book was just fantastic and will be up there as one of my all-time favourites. I can honestly see this book being made into a film as it was just perfect and has such brilliant supporting characters…. especially Rosie.

Admitedly, I wasn't a fan of the book through the first half. Emmie is quite the sad character with a sad set of circumstances. I was hoping for more interaction, more something, between Emmie and Luc. They have had each other's backs, but there is much they still don't say to each other.

Watching Emmie grow was great, but I would like to have seen the story have more excitement and move quicker in the beginning rather than giving me all the sad details.

The narrator of the book was fabulous. Her voice is enjoyable to listen to, her timing just right. I easily was able to distinguish between characters.

In the end, the saving grace for the book was the narrator and the last half.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to listen to this and give my honest opinion.

Something happened to Emmie when she is 16 and she is ostracized because of it, feeling lonely she lets go of a red balloon with her email. Across the channel in France Luc finds the balloon and starts what becomes the most important friendship in Emmie's life. This book at times had me sad, angry and happy. I struggled in the beginning because I found her character to be pretty mopey and the story was sad so I wasn't sure how much I was going to like it. About half way thru the book I got hooked and had to finish it right away! I started listening on audio but switched to the book so I could finish ASAP. I love where this story went and the growth of Emmie. I absolutely loved the secondary characters of Fox and Rosie and their story was great! If you are looking for a sweet read I recommend this one just be warned that it is sad at times. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for my advanced copies of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.