Emmy & Oliver

Emmy and Oliver Review

Emmy and Oliver were best friends, until one day Oliver was gone, kidnapped by his father and never to be seen again or so Emmy thought. This is the tale of Oliver returning to his hometown ten years after being taken away and seeing the devastation that his absence caused. The setting of the novel and sense of unease of having a child kidnapped runs strongly throughout the opening passages and dialogue between Emmy and her parents. We already see a girl desperate for escapism and reasons to break free. It is in these opening passages that I really feel the novel is at its best, trying to claw back what happened, can Oliver’s return undo the damage that has fallen in its wake?

This is a love story split down the middle. One half is about finding each other again after such a long time apart and making sense of time apart and now together. At times the writing felt so unique and breathtaking, breaking boundaries of long lost friends trying to get back together. Whilst in the second half of the novel things become more formulaic, it was one that worked for me and I became utterly charmed by their blossoming relationship. Ultimately what takes the novel away from the rest is its focus on the consequence on Oliver leaving and how that shaped the people and situations they faced.

Emmy, Oliver, Drew, and Caro are best friends. They're in first grade (that's Year 2 to us non-Americans), and everything is great. Emmy and Oliver are sharing birthday parties, their parents are best friends, and they live next door to each other. It's the perfect friendship.

Until, one day in first grade, Oliver doesn't show up for school. His father has kidnapped him, seized him away to some place new. Suddenly there are news reporters on the lawn, missing person posters around town, and a very stricken group of 7 year olds.

Fast forward 10 years and everything has changed for Emmy. Ever since Oliver was taken, her parents have reigned her in - they're the epitome of over-protective. She trudges through life, the shadow of Oliver's disappearance cast over every day, every conversation, always in the back of their minds...

Until one day he comes back.

-

Me, I-only-read-contemporaries-when-I'm-bored, was actually excited for this book! The idea of a mystery/romance got me, so I had to request it when I saw it on NetGalley (nice!).

However, this book does not focus on mystery nor romance; it focuses on family, friendship, and growing. What I like the most is how even though it's read from Emmy's perspective, it feels like Oliver is the main character. Everything revolves around him, and it works perfectly. I loved the way that it sometimes felt like Emmy was talking to you, and I loved the little relevant flashbacks. This book really only took place over a few months, but the character development for every single character was huge. I feel like I read through years!

The only reason I dropped two stars is because although a very original concept for the YA genre, it seemed extra predictable to compensate. I enjoyed it a lot but it won't stick with me forever.

I really enjoyed this book, it was the second of Benway's novels which I'd read and I now know she can be relied upon to deliver an intriguing and fun book. The characters were realistic and believable, and the relationships between each of them were genuine. The entire book will hook you in, slowly at first, until you find yourself staying up late just to reach the end.

I loved the entire dynamic between Emmy and Oliver, both from the flashbacks you see of them as children, and the relationship developing between them upon his return. You really get the sense that they understand each other, no matter what age they are, and the romance that develops between them is something that had been building ever since they first met but was based upon genuine friendship. There were moments I wanted to shake both of them for the missing something or simply not listening, but they are both still so young that you can understand why occasionally the misunderstandings occur.

I also enjoyed the fact that there was a genuine presence of family in this book. Too often in YA novels you find teenagers seemingly living with no parental supervision, free to come and go from their home at whatever hours they wish, it as nice to see some strict parents in a book for once. You understand why Emmy's parents have become so paranoid and controlling and you understand why Oliver's mom seems incapable of treating him like a grown up, because she has him forever frozen in her mind as a little boy, and without the years of him growing up she can't fully grasp the same boy hasn't returned to her. I think that was of the more heartbreaking realisations in this book for me, the fact that there were so many lost years simply because one parent didn't want to risk losing someone.

There are important lessons in this book of understanding, growing up and honestly, but I think the most important one is that there are consequences for everything, not just direct ones either. This is demonstrated by Oliver being taken by his father, it didn't just affect Oliver, but Oliver's family and an entire community as a whole for various reasons. It was interesting to read about the changed that occurred because of one event in someone else's life. I think that is another element I enjoyed in this book, it isn't truly about Oliver, Oliver is just a person in Emmy's life, this book is predominantly about Emmy, she is witnessing the struggles of Oliver returning home, but we are also witnessing her own struggles at home as she is trying to grow up and continually struggling with the restrictions her parents put in place because of their own fear.

It's hard to say hat I like about this book, because it is a book with a lot going on and it's not easy to explain my thoughts about everything, but I definitely enjoyed it, more than I ever thought I would. This book is far more than the description makes it seem, and I only hope people pick it up and get a chance to enjoy it as I did.

If I'm really honest, I requested Emmy and Oliver by Robin Benway for two reasons: the first, I've loved previous Robin Benway stories I'd read, and the second, the cover looks quite cute and romantic. I didn't actually know that the story was about a kidnapping at all until I opened it in my Kindle and started reading. (Because let's face it: that cover design is selling me romance, not child kidnapping!)

I'm not entirely sure if that knowledge would have made much of a difference. It's still another great, emotional story from a wonderful writer. And while I'm not overly fond of the missing child story line, I think I still would have wanted to go on this journey.

Emmy and Oliver were two really wonderful characters. Though I flew through this story very quickly and it didn't feel very long, it felt like Robin Benway really packed a lot into this book. I loved both Emmy and Oliver individually and also together. I loved their relationships with their respective families and I loved Emmy's relationships with her two best friends.

Emmy and Oliver is a story about two childhood best friends. But their paths separate when, after a messy divorce, Oliver's dad kidnaps him and Oliver doesn't return for another ten years. I love that what this story does is tell both the titular characters' stories but also paints this picture of not only broken families but a fractured community.

All these years later, Emmy is a very different person. She still holds onto her memories of Oliver but she's also feeling very suffocated both by her parents over protection and about the expectations her family and friends make of her. Emmy's dream is to move to San Diego and pursue her interest in surfing but she has had to hide both of these things from everyone she cares about.

And at the same time, Oliver returns and his whole life is different. For ten years, he's believed one thing only to be told that the opposite is true and he doesn't know how to fit into the missing shapes that his disappearance ten years ago caused. And it seems that Emmy and Oliver kind of need each other the most, to have someone they can both be honest about their feelings with.

I really loved this book. I loved seeing both Emmy and Oliver develop throughout this story. Not just their love story, but themselves as individuals. I loved seeing the different dynamics within both sets of families and the different ways everyone has reacted to trauma. I love how Emmy and Oliver both had to fight for their voices to be heard. There was some absolutely amazing dialogue and it surprised me how very quickly I began to become so very emotionally invested in all of the characters who play a part in this story.

Emmy and Oliver was an amazing, emotional story and I'm so glad to have read it!

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This is no way impacted in my view.

This book was complete and utter perfection - and I don't say that lightly. I've just spent the past four hours devouring this book from start to finish; I honestly could not put it down for anything. I knew the book would be wonderful just going off the synopsis, and Benway's previous AKA series - another favourite of mine - though I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I have.

As said in the synopsis, Emmy & Oliver covers the return of Oliver after being abducted by his father 10 years earlier. All of the characters are trying to deal with the fallout of Oliver's return, and trying to assimilate with the fact that 10 years have passed, and they're all basically strangers.

Emmy and Oliver was simple wonderful protagonists, and I'm really pleased that we saw the story through Emmy's eyes, as she suffered just as much as the adults did, if not more, when Oliver disappeared. The only criticism I could make is that it may have been better to have dual POV so that the audience could also hear Oliver's thoughts on it all. The relationship between Emmy and Oliver was beautiful - both platonic and romantic - and the way they understood each other made this even more tangible. I also really enjoyed the relationship of them two, and Caro and Drew - they definitely seemed like really good friends, who all cared for each other.

There were definitely sadder parts to the story, especially when parents, particularly Oliver's, came into the mix. I could definitely understand Oliver's feelings towards both his parents, and Emmy towards hers too, as they were still living in the past, and wouldn't allow the teenagers to be just that: teenagers.

To be perfectly honest, I don't even think there was any part to the plot that I didn't like. It was all so clever and detailed, again just like the AKA series, and nothing felt out of place. As with all stand-alones I've ever read, I've tended to be left wanting more, and this was no exception. However, the epilogue was the perfect amount of a conclusion, with just a bit of wanting still there.

Basically, this book was perfect,and hands-down one of best books I've read this year. I can not recommend this enough!

I received a copy from Netgalley.

This is one of those delightful books I knew I was going to love from reading the first few pages. This was a lovely, lovely book ranging from the most wonderful bantery fluff to deeply emotional drama and self discovery. I loved every character. Each different person was so fleshed out and real, even Emmy's incredibly annoying overprotective parents had their moments. Parental involvement (while frustrating at some points) in this book was well developed and fit the tone of the novel perfectly without being over the top.

Its also quite a thought provoking plot at times.

The story focuses on Emmy and Oliver, with the odd flashback from before Oliver disappeared and what happened after he comes back and how the two of them, their friends and family deal with his reappearance. There is some delightful witty banter, swoony romance and gut wrenching emotional turmoil. Nothing is as neat as it seems.

Emmy was a well rounded very relatable main character, with thoughts and feelings all over the place, a brilliant snarky wit and a sweet tender side. Oliver has a difficult journey from his reappearance to how to fit in with his mom and her new husband and daughters, at the same time trying to figure out his feelings for Emmy and where he fits in with her. Emmy has some fantastic friends to stand by her, who all have their roles and everything just clicks perfectly.

There were some incredibly deep emotion overflowing throughout and it was very moving. I just loved this book from start to finish.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK Children's for approving my request to view this title.

Absolutely amazing, was so so excited when I heard she was writing a book again I've loved Audrey Wait for a very long time. Would 100% recommend to new and older readers.

So much more than simple romance like I was expecting, ‘Emmy and Oliver’ is a truly lovely, uplifting and enjoyable read, and one that I’m sure I’ll remember for a while.

There are just some books that put you in such a lovely mood. This was ‘Emmy and Oliver’ for me. I don’t think I was expecting what it turned out to be, as the blurb makes it out to be a relatively simple YA romance. Romance is undoubtedly a theme, but it became more of a coming-of-age novel, dealing with themes of friendship and family even more than romantic love.

‘Emmy and Oliver’ centres around the friendship of Emmy and Oliver. Ten years ago, the two were best friends, until Oliver was kidnapped by his father. Emmy, and her friends Caro and Drew’s, lives are consequently changed completely. The novel begins with Oliver finally being found by police, and returning home, and it progresses by dealing with the effect of his return on all the characters, not just Emmy and Oliver. The subject matter is a huge one to deal with, but I thought it was handled with sensitivity. The problems Oliver faces in returning to his life ten years later were a significant part of the whole novel, and because of this, its main focus is on the characters. This is why I think it turns out so much more than a simple romance, and the way it affects his relationships with everyone, not only Emmy, is lovely to see. There are also plenty of platonic relationships that come into it, and I especially loved the trio of Emmy, Caro, and Drew. Their interactions were so fun, leading to both hilarious and thought provoking dialogue between the three. Adding in Oliver to this mix was interesting, and I loved seeing their friendships develop.

At first, I wasn’t sure what it was that drew me so much into the story, although I realised very quickly that I was hooked. But I see now that it’s definitely Emmy that was the main factor here. Her narration was so much fun to read, but she was also a character who I cared deeply for almost straight away. Benway has created such likable, well-rounded characters, with lives and backgrounds aside from Oliver’s plot line, and combined with their dialogue, they felt real. Real in the sense that teenagers in books should feel. All the problems and issues the four friends face were handled with sensitivity, and each character had a focus that is dealt with throughout, despite it being written in Emmy’s first person narrative. So while it was Benway’s writing of Emmy’s narration that started my love of the book – writing that emotionally moved me a number of times throughout – it was definitely the characters that kept me reading, and it is the characters that, for me, truly made it shine.

Admittedly, I didn’t think ‘Emmy and Oliver’ was going to be anything remarkable or special, or even memorable, but it definitely turned out to be all these things. Sometimes, the best novels are the ones that completely surprise you. I love almost everything about it: the narration, the characters, the easy to get into writing, and the fast pace, despite being primarily character driven. Teenage problems are handled well, as is such a sensitive topic in Oliver’s kidnapping, and the effect this had on him isn’t glossed over. It left me in such a satisfied mood, and I highly recommend it for an uplifting, friendship-focused read.