Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book and I would definitely recommend to others!

I felt so many emotions during this book and I couldn’t put it down.

I would like to purchase a physical copy of this book, and reread in the future, rather than listening to the audiobook. While I think the narrator did an amazing job with the accents and it was clear to distinguish between different characters, it just didn’t hook me and I began to tire of the narrator’s voice, and not fully listen to all of the words being said. I think this is mainly a personal preference, as looking back at other audiobooks I have enjoyed, I tend to favour a deeper voice.

My only fault, hence the 4 star review, is due to the narration. I think if I had read this as a physical book, which I intend to one day in the future, I would have rated as 5 stars.

This is the story of EmmieBlue and her lifelong friendship with Lucas who found her note in a balloon when she was younger. Their friendship became stronger and stronger and Emmie was smitten. Then the fateful day comes when Lucas announces he is getting married.... a tale of unrequited love, This story has a twist and is interesting enough to want to find out what happens.

The narration is excellent on the audiobook and all told from one perspective so easy to follow.

Dear Emmie Blue was totally unexpected. I thought I knew what I was getting into, but this book was so much more than a simple romance or book about friendship. Emmie Blue is in love. She is in love with her best friend of 14 years, but it seems he is in love with someone else. Emmie has been there for Lucas for years, through broken hearts and all sorts of problems. What he doesn't realize is that Emmie doesn't just want to be his friend, she is in love with him. He is getting married and has asked Emmie to be his Best Woman. Of course she says yes, because she would do anything for Lucas.

This story was about friendship, loyalty, family, secrets and more. It is full of emotions and had me getting teary often. The characters in this book were well developed and had me wanting to react with them, not always in a good way. I do not want to spoil this story for anyone, so will not tell you much more about this story, but I will say that this is not only a sad story. There are some wonderful aspects and there is a happy ending, as well as a huge twist, so take a chance on this one and curl up with Emmie, Lucas and the rest of the characters that inhabit this story.

I did a read/listen with this book. I started listening to the audiobook and switched over to read the book and after several chapters I was hooked. I actually started the audiobook over again and loved it. I say this because I had expectations about what this story was about, so I missed some of the small details and emotions that are so important to this story. Narrator Katy Sobey, does a great job. Her accents (both British and French) were well done. Her expression, pacing and tone were perfect and changed as needed throughout the story. A pleasure to listen to this one.

Thank you, Netgalley for the audio version in exchange for my review. Unfortunately, for me this was a DNF. I can’t put my finger on why but I think it must for the most part be the narration, it just didn’t hook me and I began to tire of the narrator’s voice around 20% through, a little too sweet sounding, I think.. The storyline sounds interesting; maybe I would’ve got on better with a written version. I am glad though that Netgalley now offers audiobooks, I can give my sore thumb a rest from holding devices and books but still indulge in escapism in the form of stories.

Dear Emmie Blue is a fantastic character led romance novel which slowly grips is claws into you without tooi noticing your hooked.

Emmie is in the early 30s and reflects upon her life and her poor upbringing. But uses her past to strengthen herself - if the things that happened to her in the post hadn't happened, would she be where she is now?

The story- Emmie meets two brothers, one becomes her best friend and one is the one who deceived her. But which is which?

Dear Emmie Blue reminds us that love isn't straight forward and simple -but worth it when its meant to be. And that there are 3 sides to every story proving that not everything is as it seems.

The narrator in this audiobook is perfect for the role, she brings new meaning to words with her emotion and really makes you feel one with the characters.

At sixteen, Emmie Blue released a red balloon into the sky. Attached was her name, email address and a secret she desperately wanted to be free of. Weeks later on a beach in France, Lucas discovered the balloon and immediately emailed her, sparkling an intense friendship between the two teens. Now, fourteen years later, Emmie is hiding the fact that she is desperately in love with Lucas. And when Lucas tells Emmie he has a big question to ask, she’s convinced he’ll reveal his feelings for her. But nothing in life ever quite goes as planned, does it?

I had no idea what I was going to read when I started this audio; I saw this beautiful cover, with a red balloon and pick it up. And surprise, I fell in love with this story since the firsts chapters. This book had everything: it was sweet, beautifully written, funny, emotional, great characters and inspiring.
I loved everything about it.

Thank you NetGalley , Atria Books and Lia Louis for giving me a copy of this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

http://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeepleasemx

Fourteen years ago, Emmie Blue released a red balloon, with a heartfelt message hidden inside. A balloon that was found many miles away on a French beach by a boy called Lucas. And so Emmie found a best friend and some light at the end of her lonely tunnel.

On the eve of both Emmie and Lucas' 30th birthday, he announces that he plans to marry someone else, and with this Emmie's life comes crashing down - for she has been in love with Lucas from the time they met and always thought they would end up together.

Now, Emmie finds herself Lucas' 'best woman' and helping to arrange his marriage to another woman and she does not know how she will ever got over it.

But maybe...just maybe...Lucas is not the man she is meant to be with. What if that man has been there all the time and she just has not been able to see it....?

***********************************************

I can't tell you how much I was looking forward to Dear Emmie Blue, after falling in love with Lia Louis' wonderful debut Somewhere Close To Happy, last year.

This time, I indulged myself by listening to the audio version of Lia's new book, which is narrated beautifully by Katy Sobey, whose voice makes for the perfect Emmie and draws you completely into this most heartwarming and enchanting tale of love and friendship.

Emmie was a desperately lonely child, with a cold and distant mother, and an absent father who she had only the vaguest details about. She longed to have the kind of family and welcoming home that her best friend had, but when Emmie was the victim of sexual assault by one of the very people she trusted most, her world came crashing down and she found herself without the comfort of friendship, and the subject of hurtful gossip, with no one to confide in.

So, Emmie released a red balloon, with a heartfelt message inside that made it's way across the water to Lucas, who had recently moved to France. And so began a correspondence that eventually led to Emmie becoming a member of Lucas' own family, as close to his parents and brother, Elliot, as Lucas himself.

When Lucas tells Emmie he is getting married to another woman, she is forced to look closely at not only her feelings for him, but whether she has seen their relationship in the right light all these years. Is she really in love with him, or with the idea of him? Is it actually someone else who has been there for her all this time and she has just not seen it?

And as Emmie finds herself, her true family and home, and the man who has always loved her, we go on the most delicious of journeys that fills your heart to the brim - not to mention your eyes with overflowing tears. Along the way, we meet some excellent characters too, many of whom will have you chucking and dabbing your eyes in turn!

I loved this story so much and it is now my new favourite Lia Louis book. It is just so beautiful, romantic, tender and darn right lovely that I absolutely sobbed my heart out at the end. This is one of my favourite listens this year, and I just know it will be one of your favourites too!

Dear Emmie Blue is available to order now from your favourite book retailer in audio, ebook and paperback, and will be realeased on 6th August 2020. Get ordering now!

I should start by saying this is the first audiobook I have listened to, having been a big reader for many years.
So some of this review might be a general feedback on the experience as I have no comparison just yet.

This is the story of Emmie. Emmie has a distant relationship with her mother, and a life changing experience during her school years means that she has lost her old school friends. But she has Lucas - a boy she met when he found her balloon with a note attached 14 years earlier. Lucas and Ellie are the closest of friends, but Emmie has come to realise that she sees him as more than just a friend... but as we know love does not run smoothly.... this is a charming contemporary story, with lovely characters and whilst there are no great shocks there are a few twists and turns along the way.

I think I would have enjoyed this more as a physical book - and this is mostly because of the narration and the time it takes. I am sure reading a physical book would have taken 3-4 hours, but the audio version is over 10 hours long, and as a result it takes a long long time to "read". The narration is not pacey, but speeding up isn't an option without the narrator sounding like a cartoon character, and she actually has a nice soothing voice. I liked the narrator, although there are times I thought it was Siri narrating. That might be a compliment to Siri rather than a slight on the narrator. I found her better when voicing the other character rather than Emmie herself, and those voices were distinctive.

I have come to really appreciate the differences between audio and physical - the fact that when a physical book drags you can often skim read a bit - you can't do this on audio. It is definitely harder to get used to timing finishing listening to a chapter than when reading a book, and harder to pick up and start listening again.

this has been a "light" enough book that I have been able to listen whilst out walking, or driving somewhere, which is something I could obviously never do with a physical book - so this has been good. And a good way of reading something I might not have read in physical form.

So, this has been good. A learning experience, and this was a good book to start with.

Eleanor Oliphant meets My Best Friend's wedding.

Emmie Blue is lonely and slightly awkward, but not as much of an oddball like Eleanor. Emmie had her share of traumas and there is only one person that she can depend on to always be there for her, Lucas, her friend. And at some point, this is the reason why she starts having feelings for Lucas. But things get awkward when those feelings are not reciprocated and Lucas decides to marry and asks her to be his "Best Woman". Ouch!

What ensues after that is all sweet and cute and a little bit sad, a reminder that we should not be held to our past or our past feelings. Things are not always what they seem to be, and people are rarely who we think they are. Don't take anything at face value and a stranger can have far better intentions for you than someone you have known your whole life.

I loved the narrator's voice and characterization It brought the story to life and it was very soothing at times when Emmie had her small soliloquies.

A quick, easy read and an equally enjoyable listen. Perfect for a summer break or getting yourself out of a reading rut.

Overall I enjoyed this. Despite being quite emotional in places I found it a relatively quick and easy read. I did also find it quite predictable but that's not necessarily a problem. I think where this book shines is in the friendships - the main character Emmie has a few quite different friendships with different people and I loved that. Her relationship with Lucas, her best friend, is an interesting one because clearly they both rely on each other but sometimes in quite unhealthy ways. On the other hand, Rosie is the kind of friend everyone needs in their life and I loved her blunt and brutal honesty. Then of course there is the very sweet friendship between Emmie and Louise despite their age difference. I did also enjoy the romance aspect of the book, but I think the non romantic relationships were absolutely fantastic.

Oh my heart - this book was EVERYTHING! I finished listening to it yesterday and I'm still thinking about it and how it gave me all the feels. Can't recommend it enough if you haven't read it yet!!

16 year old Emmie Blue releases a balloon into the sky with her name and email address attached. Lucas finds the balloon and so starts an intense friendship between the two. But Emmie is basing her life around Lucas and neglecting to do things for herself like building her relationship with her mother and trying to find her father. Emmie soon realises that she needs to take her life in her own hands and figure out what it is SHE wants.

A pleasant storyline, delightfully narrated. Full of humour and utterly captivating. Wonderful escapism from a global pandemic!

This story follows Emmie Blue and her friendship with her best friend Lucas. Emmie is secretly in love with Lucas and is heartbroken when he gets engaged and asks her to be his 'Best Woman'.

The storyline is unpredictable and follows Emmie's journey. I didn't really love this book but I think it just isn't my sort of genre! I didn't really like the narrator, I think I might've got on better if it was the physical copy.

At first I wasn’t sure about this, where Emmie Blue’s story was taking me. And having listened to the audiobook version, I don’t think that helped me be to be as engrossed with her story as if I’d had the physical book to read. But Emmie’s story pulled me in hook, line and sinker. As she navigates her lonely life; lonely in childhood in a single parent family whose mother was never quite enough for her, and following the fallout after that traumatic event at school leading to her ostracism, well into adulthood with her ongoing friendship with Lucas and how his family have semi-adopted her.

She does have some friends, but is alone. And it’s the events that unfold that really pull at your heart. I love Emmie Blue and the relationship she has with Lucas, Rosie, Fox, Louise and Elliot. As her story progresses and you learn more and more, and you really feel for her. Particularly with the strained relationship she has with her mum. You see how her love for Lucas is all consuming, but she’s willing to do the right thing and let him be happy with his bride to be. Yet still loving him from afar. But then things change and people change. Emmie changes. She learns she is enough. And she learns what happiness is, for her. She learns that she is loved and she’s not lonely. This one had me tearing up - I loved it! It’s heartbreaking, funny and so romantic. I’ll be checking out more books from Lia Louis.

I didn’t gel with the narrator for this book unfortunately; particularly with Emmie’s voice, but I enjoyed her voicing the other various characters.

This audiobook was a delight from start to finish. I'm not usually a reader of romantic fiction but I enjoyed this very much - it was sweet without being sentimental. The characters were well drawn and drove the plot. I thought the narrator, Kate Sobey, was particularly good. She has a lovely voice and I'd definitely consider listening to any audiobook she narrates in the future. Recommended!

My heart broke many times over with this book, yet it was such a feel-good book. Does that make sense? I have been on the struggle bus lately with finding a book I can click with ( as much of us at this weird time). This book just blew me away...this is defiantly making it to my top 10 of the year and being adding to my shelf of favourites. It was a book that I spent all day looking forward to when I could get the chance to pick it up again. A book that I will not soon forget. A book that I connected with right from the start. If this is not on your radar, well it should be. I highly suggest you need to meet Emmie Blue if you get the chance. She is a pretty special girl!

Emmie Blue, you melted my heart! Lia Louis this book was beyond perfect, seriously adorable. At 16 lonely Emmy released a balloon with her email and a note written on a card tied to it. Lucas on a beach in France finds the balloon and emails Emmie. Remarkably the two are instantly connected, not only are they the same age, but they share a birthday. It is now 14 years later Emmie and Lucas have been each others person for over a decade, but Emmie wants more. It is the night of their combined 30th birthday and Emmie is convinced Lucas is finally going to profess his love. BUT things don’t always go to Plan... what follows is the sweetest story of unrequited love I have ever read.

Emmie Blue is one of the most lovable characters I have ever read about. She is one of those characters that will worm their way into your heart and stay with you long after you have turned the last page. There was even a kind of love triangle and loads of miscommunication in the story. Two things that usually drive me crazy, and still I loved every minute. Katy Sobey narrated the audiobook and did a stellar job. The voice she gave Emmie fit her sweet character perfectly. The story really had all the feels. I was smiling. I was swooning I was bawling like a baby. A heartwarming story packed with character, compassion, and love.

This book in emojis 🎈 🥑 💍 💫 🔨 💿

*** Big thank you to Atria and Hachette Audio for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

Audiobook Review
Overall 5 stars
Performance 4.5 stars
Story 5 stars

This story was even more powerful listening to the audiobook. It made all the scenes so much more emotional and Katy Sobey delivered such an incredible performance. She was perfect as Emmie and I had no issues determining which character was speaking. Her comedic timing was wonderful and it balanced the more serious scenes so well. This is my first time hearing Katy Sobey narrate and I really enjoyed her performance. This was the perfect way to reread this uplifting novel!

*I voluntarily listened to a review copy of this book*

*****
I absolutely loved this book! I started it thinking I would read a few chapters before bed and ended up reading until I finished in the wee hours of the morning. I honestly couldn't stop. The writing was amazing and was so heartfelt and witty. Dear Emmie Blue fell more into the women's fiction genre for me, but there was also a healthy amount of romance and humor too.

I experienced so many emotions while reading this book. I laughed. I cried. I swooned. I laughed some more. I was invested in Emmie's story right away and she was such a relatable heroine. I felt her pain deep in my chest, but I also celebrated her victories as if they were my own. The story unfolded in such a beautiful and thoughtful way. The flashbacks were perfectly placed and it was like each piece of a puzzle slotting into position. I did figure a few things out before Emmie, but that made the story even sweeter and powerful. Yes, this book is a love story, but it's mainly about Emmie's journey to love herself. It's about Emmie coming into her own and being comfortable in her own skin. It's about acceptance and change and emerging stronger on the other side.

Emmie's friendships were the heart of the story. Her friendship with Lucas and his brother Eliot came at such a critical time that it irrevocably changed her (and them). It saved her in many ways, but it also came to hold her back. Lia Louis showcased all the shades and layers of friendship in such a raw and honest way. All the sacrifices and lengths we go to to maintain these bonds. Emmie's friendship with Rosie and Fox was a highlight of the book and they added just the right amount of comic relief when it was needed most. I laughed out loud almost every time Rosie was on the page. My heart was so full as I finished the last page and that epilogue couldn't have been more perfect.

Dear Emmie Blue was enjoyable and captivating from start to finish. I can't recommend this uplifting novel enough!

CW: sexual assault

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

Emmie is in love with her best friend but he announces he is marrying someone else. We follow Emmie as she struggles with being a good friend whilst harbouring what she believes are feeling for her best friend. I had my suspicions of what was going on at about 2/3 of the way through and it still felt like an emotional sucker punch when I got to the end!

I have all the love for this book! Do you ever scroll trough Netflix find what you think is a cheesy rom-com and then absolutely fall in love with it? That is what happened to me with this book, I didn't think it was going to be cheesy but I did think it was going to be a typical love story but was so pleasantly surprised at what lay between the pages. It had friendship, heartache, music and yet also touched on some very serious issues and how they can have a huge impact on a persons life.

After finishing this I knew I need more Lia Louis in my life so went straight on to somewhere close to happy and now I NEED book three (no pressure Lia 🤣)

This is a perfect summer romance that follows in the footsteps of great books like the Flatshare and Beach Read.

I found this book in the perfect way and when you read the book, you’ll understand why. NetGalley has just announced that they were offering audiobooks as ARCs and since I am an audiobook freak as It allows me to walk and cook and do yucky housework whilst still reading, I was like ‘YAY’!

Anyway, I was scrolling through and was about to click on a thriller and touched this wondering about the cover and it just added itself to my library instead of playing a sample - true story! I’m so glad it did.

This is such a lovely book, full of touching, sad and joyful moments. The characters are complicated and well-conceived and if some things were a little easy to guess at, it didn’t matter a bit. Emmie’s voice is beautifully realised by the audiobook narrator as well, so I felt as though Emmie really was telling me her story.

Emmie meets her best friend, Lucas in the most unusual way and we are introduced to them at a pivotal moment - Lucas has just proposed - just not to Emmie. The narrative moves around timelines and although sometimes that can be deeply annoying, in this novel it is used properly, to give depth to characters and their back stories and to understand layers of their personalities.

This is another of those books you feel is ripe for transition onto the big screen and I hope that they do make it because it’s a stonkingly good story. ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Hachetteaudio for this audiobook and to #LiaLouis for writing it.