Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
I really loved this book as I had never really read anything similar to the story before. The way I would describe this book is; sweet, and I don't mean sickly sweet or Yo! That's sweet, I mean sweet as in a kind of soothing sweetness that's not too much or too little but just the perfect amount. Don't judge me, I know what I mean.
I think the storyline was lovely as it made quite a negative situation have a happy ending and I also really loved the perspective of it as it wasn't the victims perspective, instead it was Emmy, a character that became debris from the storm. It shows her struggle while touching on those around her including the victim. I think it brings honesty to the situation as quite a lot of the time too much time is spent thinking about the victim that everyone else caught up in it is almost ignored when it's just as painful for them. I like the way the story is told though because not only is it sweet and honest but throughout the novel, you get a subtle feeling of hope, a beautiful attribute.
I think the characters were perfect too, they all fitted together really well and in terms of the book itself, really completed the puzzle. Even the names are sweet! Another aspect of the book I really loved was the delicate nature of which the characters tried to re-calibrate with each other, I almost felt like I was watching it from afar. Its simplicity is truly commendable considering the complex issue, once more it's not cliche or unrealistic but just perfect how each character reacted to one another and the situation at hand.
I don't know how to explain other than it just worked, it was an utter treat to read.
Sweet, honest and full of hope.
I think the storyline was lovely as it made quite a negative situation have a happy ending and I also really loved the perspective of it as it wasn't the victims perspective, instead it was Emmy, a character that became debris from the storm. It shows her struggle while touching on those around her including the victim. I think it brings honesty to the situation as quite a lot of the time too much time is spent thinking about the victim that everyone else caught up in it is almost ignored when it's just as painful for them. I like the way the story is told though because not only is it sweet and honest but throughout the novel, you get a subtle feeling of hope, a beautiful attribute.
I think the characters were perfect too, they all fitted together really well and in terms of the book itself, really completed the puzzle. Even the names are sweet! Another aspect of the book I really loved was the delicate nature of which the characters tried to re-calibrate with each other, I almost felt like I was watching it from afar. Its simplicity is truly commendable considering the complex issue, once more it's not cliche or unrealistic but just perfect how each character reacted to one another and the situation at hand.
I don't know how to explain other than it just worked, it was an utter treat to read.
Sweet, honest and full of hope.
Super cute and touching, my heart hurt so much for the characters the entire time.
6/20/15:
I’ve been rating a lot of books 5 stars recently, not because I’m easy to please(which I kind of am) but because I’ve just been reading really good books lately. However, Emmy & Oliver truly touched me, in more ways than one.
First, I’d like to start out by saying that this isn’t entirely a romance novel. The blurb screams romance, but it’s a lot more self-discovery than romance. All the characters, including side characters grow and develop more then they typically do in an typical romance novel, but I’ll get to all that in a minute.
Emmy & Oliver is told from the point of view of Emmy, who is dealing with the return of her childhood friend after his father kidnapped him for ten years. This premise, although welcome in the land of Aliza’s Booktopia, is not 100% unique, so the direction Benway took it was crucial for me to like it. Luckily, I was not disappointed. While slow plot-wise, the character development is phenomenal, every character grows in some way, but I’ll get to that later.
Regarding the plot itself, it’s not fast, as I mentioned before, but powerful nevertheless. Realistic fiction often focuses on the characters, like this book does, and the small moments described in such detail enhanced the characters, which are the star of the story, not the plot. Minor interactions play a big role(and are totally adorable), which made me feel like I was truly experiencing this story with Emmy and Oliver, and made me love them all the more.
Character-wise, if it’s not apparent already, Benway does an excellent job, one of the best I’ve seen in a while. Oliver is wonderfully written, with his inner struggles, obviously, but what surprised me was how much I ended up liking Emmy. This is not your typical heroine that spends all her time fawning over a hot guy. Her struggles with her over-controlling parents, while not as dramatic as the whole dad-kidnapping-you-for-ten-years thing, makes her very much three-dimensional and honestly, more relatable to all us average people living today. I’m also very happy with the way things turned out for her.
6/20/15:
I’ve been rating a lot of books 5 stars recently, not because I’m easy to please(which I kind of am) but because I’ve just been reading really good books lately. However, Emmy & Oliver truly touched me, in more ways than one.
First, I’d like to start out by saying that this isn’t entirely a romance novel. The blurb screams romance, but it’s a lot more self-discovery than romance. All the characters, including side characters grow and develop more then they typically do in an typical romance novel, but I’ll get to all that in a minute.
Emmy & Oliver is told from the point of view of Emmy, who is dealing with the return of her childhood friend after his father kidnapped him for ten years. This premise, although welcome in the land of Aliza’s Booktopia, is not 100% unique, so the direction Benway took it was crucial for me to like it. Luckily, I was not disappointed. While slow plot-wise, the character development is phenomenal, every character grows in some way, but I’ll get to that later.
Regarding the plot itself, it’s not fast, as I mentioned before, but powerful nevertheless. Realistic fiction often focuses on the characters, like this book does, and the small moments described in such detail enhanced the characters, which are the star of the story, not the plot. Minor interactions play a big role(and are totally adorable), which made me feel like I was truly experiencing this story with Emmy and Oliver, and made me love them all the more.
Character-wise, if it’s not apparent already, Benway does an excellent job, one of the best I’ve seen in a while. Oliver is wonderfully written, with his inner struggles, obviously, but what surprised me was how much I ended up liking Emmy. This is not your typical heroine that spends all her time fawning over a hot guy. Her struggles with her over-controlling parents, while not as dramatic as the whole dad-kidnapping-you-for-ten-years thing, makes her very much three-dimensional and honestly, more relatable to all us average people living today. I’m also very happy with the way things turned out for her.
Awe, this book was just perfect. <3 It was so cute, sweet, and sad all rolled into one. I loved it.
*ARC provided by the author - Thank You! This in no way impacted my opinions of this book.*
Emmy and Oliver weren't just next door neighbors when they were kids, they were best friends. But everything changed when they were seven years old and Oliver's father kidnapped him. Overnight their sleepy little town went on high alert, and no one more so than Emmy's parents. But Emmy never forgot her friend - she couldn't even if she wanted to. While the search parties eventually dwindled, their worry didn't. Ten years later, the incredibly early curfews and expectation that she'll attend community college so she'll still live at home have pushed Emmy into secret applications and surfing behind their backs. But then everything changes again when Oliver is found, comes home, and doesn't really remember the girl next door at all, but she's exactly who he needs.
While I've only read one other of Benway's books (her debut, Audrey, Wait!), I completely loved it and was jumping at the chance to get to read this. From the summary alone, I could tell it would be something I'd enjoy: guy and girl friendships, childhood friends, growing pains, finding your own voice - and it was all here. Emmy is a smart girl but she's not perfect, and neither are her life-long friends Caro and Drew. It was refreshing to see what I felt like was a realistic look at teens - in my experience, many of them really are good kids, but that doesn't mean they're perfect. The Triangle (as they call themselves) felt fully formed. Two of my favorite scenes were when Emmy declares "what's wrong with being like other girls?" and when the trio is genuinely trying to understand a directive from their parents but can't follow the muddled grown-up logic at all.
And of course, there's Oliver, another good kid without whom this story wouldn't happen. Benway does a good job letting the audience get to know this boy well before he actually comes back into the picture, and then redefining him again since readers, like Emmy, haven't known the person he's become in the past ten years. While it's understandable that he plays his cards close to his chest, I would have liked to have known a bit more what was going on in his head a la Heather Demetrios' Josh in I'll Meet You There. At times, the story felt a bit rushed or that there was the potential to go a little deeper, however, the story still worked really well. I sympathized with this character and all he's been through, constantly having to be the one to pay the price for something he never asked for.
All in all, this was a solid contemporary story taking on an issue that happens far too often but is rarely discussed, especially in young adult literature. I can especially see this book being a big hit in the hands of Sarah Dessen fans or any reader who likes books that take on a bad situation but can also find the silver lining.
Emmy and Oliver weren't just next door neighbors when they were kids, they were best friends. But everything changed when they were seven years old and Oliver's father kidnapped him. Overnight their sleepy little town went on high alert, and no one more so than Emmy's parents. But Emmy never forgot her friend - she couldn't even if she wanted to. While the search parties eventually dwindled, their worry didn't. Ten years later, the incredibly early curfews and expectation that she'll attend community college so she'll still live at home have pushed Emmy into secret applications and surfing behind their backs. But then everything changes again when Oliver is found, comes home, and doesn't really remember the girl next door at all, but she's exactly who he needs.
While I've only read one other of Benway's books (her debut, Audrey, Wait!), I completely loved it and was jumping at the chance to get to read this. From the summary alone, I could tell it would be something I'd enjoy: guy and girl friendships, childhood friends, growing pains, finding your own voice - and it was all here. Emmy is a smart girl but she's not perfect, and neither are her life-long friends Caro and Drew. It was refreshing to see what I felt like was a realistic look at teens - in my experience, many of them really are good kids, but that doesn't mean they're perfect. The Triangle (as they call themselves) felt fully formed. Two of my favorite scenes were when Emmy declares "what's wrong with being like other girls?" and when the trio is genuinely trying to understand a directive from their parents but can't follow the muddled grown-up logic at all.
And of course, there's Oliver, another good kid without whom this story wouldn't happen. Benway does a good job letting the audience get to know this boy well before he actually comes back into the picture, and then redefining him again since readers, like Emmy, haven't known the person he's become in the past ten years. While it's understandable that he plays his cards close to his chest, I would have liked to have known a bit more what was going on in his head a la Heather Demetrios' Josh in I'll Meet You There. At times, the story felt a bit rushed or that there was the potential to go a little deeper, however, the story still worked really well. I sympathized with this character and all he's been through, constantly having to be the one to pay the price for something he never asked for.
All in all, this was a solid contemporary story taking on an issue that happens far too often but is rarely discussed, especially in young adult literature. I can especially see this book being a big hit in the hands of Sarah Dessen fans or any reader who likes books that take on a bad situation but can also find the silver lining.
* I received this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*
So I have to give Emmy & Oliver credit, because this wasn’t your standard coming of age story. In fact if anything the love story felt secondary to everything else that was happening to Oliver. I thought the way the author handled this potentially delicate situation was perfect. She did a fantastic job showing how Oliver is torn between two parents, and I think that his emotions would absolutely be valid in the real world.
This story is told from Emmy’s perspective, but she handles Oliver and all that he’s going through with extreme grace. I also thought it was interesting how the author showed how other kids who were around Oliver might be affected by his disappearance. As a parent, I can absolutely understand their desire to keep their child safe and while I can admit they went overboard I think that Emmy did a pretty good job of being understanding. This book was incredibly well written and the subject matter was handled appropriately. There were a few moments of teenage immaturity that I found annoying especially for kids in such precarious positions. Overall, I would give it 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend for fans of Young Adult, Romance, and Contemporary
*This review was first posted on Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2016/05/emmy-oliver-by-robin-benway-review.html*
So I have to give Emmy & Oliver credit, because this wasn’t your standard coming of age story. In fact if anything the love story felt secondary to everything else that was happening to Oliver. I thought the way the author handled this potentially delicate situation was perfect. She did a fantastic job showing how Oliver is torn between two parents, and I think that his emotions would absolutely be valid in the real world.
This story is told from Emmy’s perspective, but she handles Oliver and all that he’s going through with extreme grace. I also thought it was interesting how the author showed how other kids who were around Oliver might be affected by his disappearance. As a parent, I can absolutely understand their desire to keep their child safe and while I can admit they went overboard I think that Emmy did a pretty good job of being understanding. This book was incredibly well written and the subject matter was handled appropriately. There were a few moments of teenage immaturity that I found annoying especially for kids in such precarious positions. Overall, I would give it 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend for fans of Young Adult, Romance, and Contemporary
*This review was first posted on Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2016/05/emmy-oliver-by-robin-benway-review.html*
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
I was looking forward to reading Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway. Not only does it have an interesting concept, but I've enjoyed Benway's books in the past. Emmy & Oliver really surpassed my expectations though.
Oliver disappears over a three day weekend in second grade. He was abducted by his father and it changed the lives of his three best friends, Emmy, Caro, and Drew forever. Emmy's life was devastated the most. She was his best friend, next door neighbor, and they had been inseparable since they were babies. Stowed away in her room is the last memory she has of Oliver, the note Caro passed to him asking him whether or not he liked Emmy on the Friday he was taken with the yes circled three times. Oliver left a hole in Emmy's life and forever altered her view on the world. It also caused her parents to turn extra cautious and protective. Ten years later all Emmy wants is to make her own choices and live her own life. Her world is changed again when Oliver is found and returned home. Now that he is back Emmy has to figure out who this person that she knew so well but doesn't know at all anymore fits into her life. (And how she fits into his.)
The characters in this book are wonderful. Emmy is smart, caring, and makes a good sounding board and support system for Oliver. She is also deceptive and isn't sensitive enough to the feelings of Caro and Drew as she gets so wrapped up in Oliver when he returns. Oliver is a great guy, but also a hot mess. Finding out everything you thought for the past 10 years is a lie can really mess with your head, and Oliver is confused and out of place and ridden with guilt. The relationship between Emmy and Oliver develops organically. She listens. He talks. And vice-versa. They have a wonderful chemistry, but the genuinely are friends too. Drew and Caro are just as alive and nuanced as Emmy and Oliver. They have their own strengths and weaknesses and problems. The struggle Oliver has trying to fit back into this group when he's missed ten years of experiences with them is genuine. Watching them all try to fit their new selves together with their old memories-memories that are barely there for Oliver-makes for a rich and full story. The dialogue between all four of them is pitch perfect.
In addition to the strong characterization of the four teens, the parents are also well drawn and multi-dimensional. The relationship between Emmy and her parents is the perfect mix love and frustration with all the emotions involved in a child wanting to let go while her parents are still holding on. The fraught relationship between Oliver and his mother is also very well done. As is Oliver's confused feelings toward his father.
I was a little concerned going in that the book would rely on some crazy drama or twist to spice up the book, but all of the conflict made sense in the context and developed organically. I thought it was an incredibly realistic look at the psychology and fall-out of such a situation. I recommend this read for anyone who enjoys well written contemporary stories with in depth characters and amazing relationships.
I read an ARC made available by the publisher, Harper Teen, via Edelweiss. Emmy & Oliver is available June 23rd.
I was looking forward to reading Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway. Not only does it have an interesting concept, but I've enjoyed Benway's books in the past. Emmy & Oliver really surpassed my expectations though.
Oliver disappears over a three day weekend in second grade. He was abducted by his father and it changed the lives of his three best friends, Emmy, Caro, and Drew forever. Emmy's life was devastated the most. She was his best friend, next door neighbor, and they had been inseparable since they were babies. Stowed away in her room is the last memory she has of Oliver, the note Caro passed to him asking him whether or not he liked Emmy on the Friday he was taken with the yes circled three times. Oliver left a hole in Emmy's life and forever altered her view on the world. It also caused her parents to turn extra cautious and protective. Ten years later all Emmy wants is to make her own choices and live her own life. Her world is changed again when Oliver is found and returned home. Now that he is back Emmy has to figure out who this person that she knew so well but doesn't know at all anymore fits into her life. (And how she fits into his.)
The characters in this book are wonderful. Emmy is smart, caring, and makes a good sounding board and support system for Oliver. She is also deceptive and isn't sensitive enough to the feelings of Caro and Drew as she gets so wrapped up in Oliver when he returns. Oliver is a great guy, but also a hot mess. Finding out everything you thought for the past 10 years is a lie can really mess with your head, and Oliver is confused and out of place and ridden with guilt. The relationship between Emmy and Oliver develops organically. She listens. He talks. And vice-versa. They have a wonderful chemistry, but the genuinely are friends too. Drew and Caro are just as alive and nuanced as Emmy and Oliver. They have their own strengths and weaknesses and problems. The struggle Oliver has trying to fit back into this group when he's missed ten years of experiences with them is genuine. Watching them all try to fit their new selves together with their old memories-memories that are barely there for Oliver-makes for a rich and full story. The dialogue between all four of them is pitch perfect.
In addition to the strong characterization of the four teens, the parents are also well drawn and multi-dimensional. The relationship between Emmy and her parents is the perfect mix love and frustration with all the emotions involved in a child wanting to let go while her parents are still holding on. The fraught relationship between Oliver and his mother is also very well done. As is Oliver's confused feelings toward his father.
I was a little concerned going in that the book would rely on some crazy drama or twist to spice up the book, but all of the conflict made sense in the context and developed organically. I thought it was an incredibly realistic look at the psychology and fall-out of such a situation. I recommend this read for anyone who enjoys well written contemporary stories with in depth characters and amazing relationships.
I read an ARC made available by the publisher, Harper Teen, via Edelweiss. Emmy & Oliver is available June 23rd.
*Thank you so much to HarperCollins and Epic Reads for this review copy!
Emmy & Oliver holds a special place in my heart. The author, Robin Benway, is a wonderful, lovely human being and I found out from her via twitter that there was going to be an ARC giveaway of her newest title at the Epic Reads tent at YALLWEST, so it became one of my top priorities during the festival. I was so intrigued by the synopsis, as so often kidnapping is perpetrated by parents in a custody battle, and though the cover seemed like a YA romance I was willing to bet there were deeper themes hiding in this contemporary. Benway didn't disappoint and delivered a unique combination of a fluffy contemporary built upon the foundations of community rocked by fear.
The book is set in Southern California (Yay! We need more West Coast books!) and Benway did a really great job at setting the scene. A middle class suburb, mere miles from the beach, Del Taco runs at lunch, February evenings that only require a hoodie- this book was so wonderfully SoCal. Juxtaposed against the laid-back setting was the constant tensions and anxieties that rippled through the families in the communities when one neighbor's nightmare was realized ten years ago- her child never returned home from school. Emmy was best friends with Oliver, and his absence has had almost more of an impact on her life than his presence; it's caused her parents to overcompensate and be insanely protective. When Oliver does come home, ten years later, it's strange for her to navigate the void in her life since his kidnapping, which has lasted longer than the duration of time that she knew him.
Though the story is told from Emmy's POV, the book is much more about Oliver than it is about their romance (which I was pleasantly surprised to discover). While everyone in the community celebrates his return, he is left in a horribly liminal space where he's supposed to pick up where his life left off ten years ago, with a mother he barely remembers in a town that he only has fragments of memory of. It really struck me when Oliver mentioned that it was like being kidnapped all over again because he's right. We always celebrate the return and rescue of victims, but often pay far too little attention to the struggle and ramifications of placing a person back into their former life when they've been irrevocably changed. Oliver's emotional struggles and transitions are what really made the book such a compelling read for me.
I also enjoyed Emmy's circle of friends, and Caro and Drew felt like fully fleshed out individuals rather than placeholder characters. I enjoyed their friendship and how the group sort of naturally, if a bit awkwardly, expanded to envelop Oliver back into their group. The adults, while perhaps realistically over-protective, could be so frustrating at times!
While I enjoyed that the book was a mix of fluffy contemporary and heavier themes, I wish it had fallen more on the serious side. There was so much more I wanted to know about Oliver's time away, how he coped, how he was deceived by his father. I would've loved to see a whole transcript of Oliver's news interview about being abducted and found, or learned more about his parents' custody battle that provoked his father to take him. This book is very much a stand alone and everything was wrapped up almost a little too neatly for me in the end (considering what a messy situation it was in the beginning- he was missing for ten years and the book all takes place around a month or two. I suppose for tackling such a heavy topic I would've liked to see messier dynamics.
Overall: Emmy & Oliver is a rare contemporary that balances fluff and intense themes, without tipping into the category of being a "heavier" contemporary. It's so much more than just a contemporary romance, and seeing Oliver struggle with such a unique situation is heartbreaking and fascinating. While I wish the book had delved more into the details and duration of Oliver's kidnapping, it's solidly written and has a believable and enjoyable cast of teenage friends. This is the first book by Robin Benway that I've read, but it won't be the last!
Follow Me: Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Bloglovin'
Emmy & Oliver holds a special place in my heart. The author, Robin Benway, is a wonderful, lovely human being and I found out from her via twitter that there was going to be an ARC giveaway of her newest title at the Epic Reads tent at YALLWEST, so it became one of my top priorities during the festival. I was so intrigued by the synopsis, as so often kidnapping is perpetrated by parents in a custody battle, and though the cover seemed like a YA romance I was willing to bet there were deeper themes hiding in this contemporary. Benway didn't disappoint and delivered a unique combination of a fluffy contemporary built upon the foundations of community rocked by fear.
The book is set in Southern California (Yay! We need more West Coast books!) and Benway did a really great job at setting the scene. A middle class suburb, mere miles from the beach, Del Taco runs at lunch, February evenings that only require a hoodie- this book was so wonderfully SoCal. Juxtaposed against the laid-back setting was the constant tensions and anxieties that rippled through the families in the communities when one neighbor's nightmare was realized ten years ago- her child never returned home from school. Emmy was best friends with Oliver, and his absence has had almost more of an impact on her life than his presence; it's caused her parents to overcompensate and be insanely protective. When Oliver does come home, ten years later, it's strange for her to navigate the void in her life since his kidnapping, which has lasted longer than the duration of time that she knew him.
Though the story is told from Emmy's POV, the book is much more about Oliver than it is about their romance (which I was pleasantly surprised to discover). While everyone in the community celebrates his return, he is left in a horribly liminal space where he's supposed to pick up where his life left off ten years ago, with a mother he barely remembers in a town that he only has fragments of memory of. It really struck me when Oliver mentioned that it was like being kidnapped all over again because he's right. We always celebrate the return and rescue of victims, but often pay far too little attention to the struggle and ramifications of placing a person back into their former life when they've been irrevocably changed. Oliver's emotional struggles and transitions are what really made the book such a compelling read for me.
I also enjoyed Emmy's circle of friends, and Caro and Drew felt like fully fleshed out individuals rather than placeholder characters. I enjoyed their friendship and how the group sort of naturally, if a bit awkwardly, expanded to envelop Oliver back into their group. The adults, while perhaps realistically over-protective, could be so frustrating at times!
While I enjoyed that the book was a mix of fluffy contemporary and heavier themes, I wish it had fallen more on the serious side. There was so much more I wanted to know about Oliver's time away, how he coped, how he was deceived by his father. I would've loved to see a whole transcript of Oliver's news interview about being abducted and found, or learned more about his parents' custody battle that provoked his father to take him. This book is very much a stand alone and everything was wrapped up almost a little too neatly for me in the end (considering what a messy situation it was in the beginning- he was missing for ten years and the book all takes place around a month or two. I suppose for tackling such a heavy topic I would've liked to see messier dynamics.
Overall: Emmy & Oliver is a rare contemporary that balances fluff and intense themes, without tipping into the category of being a "heavier" contemporary. It's so much more than just a contemporary romance, and seeing Oliver struggle with such a unique situation is heartbreaking and fascinating. While I wish the book had delved more into the details and duration of Oliver's kidnapping, it's solidly written and has a believable and enjoyable cast of teenage friends. This is the first book by Robin Benway that I've read, but it won't be the last!
Follow Me: Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Bloglovin'
A really cute romance, some great friendships and overall a well-written book with good pacing and a decent narrative voice.
I can't find anything wrong with it, which is annoying because I find reviews are easier to write when there's lots of negatives to point out, but honestly this book was good and I really liked it.
I can't find anything wrong with it, which is annoying because I find reviews are easier to write when there's lots of negatives to point out, but honestly this book was good and I really liked it.
I've been a fan of Robin Benway since I first read Audrey, Wait! many years ago in grad school. This book's been on my radar since it was first released, and I'm kind of kicking myself that I waited so long to finally give it a read. It's definitely a coming of age story, not only for Emmy, who is our main narrator, but also for Oliver, although we learn about him from his conversations with - and through the viewpoint of - Emmy, which means she's ultimately the one we get to know the best. And that makes sense, because Oliver truly is new to her, thanks to his disappearance for 10 years. I found this book somewhat heartbreaking, but ultimately it's a book about a friendship that never went away, but just got a bit waylaid in the middle. And it's further proof that I will like any book that this author releases.