From The Repository is a collection of my old book reviews lifted from my old website. Check out the rest here.
Emmy and Oliver by Robin Benway
Pub Date: June 23, 2015 by HarperTeen
[Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Bookshop]
SYNOPSIS
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.
This post contains affiliate links and I may earn a small commission through qualifying purchases.
My Thoughts 🧠
If I only knew this book was only going to take me less than 24 hours to read, I would’ve devoured it as soon as I got the ARC.
The synopsis was catchy enough, I was actually excited to read it. At the same time, I became a bit afraid because I thought the book was going to be full of drama and I wasn’t ready for that yet. Not in the mood, more like. Well, I was wrong.
The book tells the story of Emmy and Oliver, who are childhood friends but they lost contact with each other when Oliver was “kidnapped” by his own father. Ten years after, Oliver comes back, but things aren’t just the same anymore for them and with their families and friends.
The thing I really loved about this book was friendship. It explored friendship like no other books. The relationship between Emmy and Oliver was really adorable, but I cannot overlook their other friends, Drew and Caro.
They’ve all been friends with each other since childhood since they grew up in a small town. All of them were affected when Oliver was gone. All of them were affected when Oliver came back. Each of them played a vital role to help Oliver start over. Yep, because that’s what friends do. I love the fact that Robin Benway managed to depict a friendship so real and honest that it speaks directly to my soul. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. <3
“Sometimes love isn’t something you say, it’s something you do.”
Family was also a major topic in the book. I love the fresh perspective it offered me. It actually got me thinking about the kind of relationship I have with my family. It’s really nice to see a book without the usual rebel/angsty teen who has a distant relationship with his/her parents. Although, the four characters had their own version of differences with their parents and families, they way it worked out at the end was so great to see.
The narration was perfection. I’m not even kidding. It’s so honest and beautiful that I could easily feel Emmy’s emotions. The characters were superb. I don’t mean only Emmy and Oliver themselves, but the supporting characters, each of them were given enough exposure which made them more dimensional. If this was an ordinary book, Drew would just be the side gay BFF who brings comic relief and Caro, would probably just be the girl BFF of the main character in which she confides in. But they are not. Even both Emmy and Oliver’s parents got their own spotlight.
The plot was really interesting. It wasn’t heavily dramatic but I got emotional towards the end. I remember even tweeting the author that I might cry reading this book. She joked by virtually giving me a box of tissues.
The story was really lovely. The romance between the main characters was adorable. I love that it started out slow, but their chemistry was burning with passion. I thought it was going to be an insta-love kind of thing but it didn’t. AND I LOVED IT.
Overall Thoughts 💡
I don’t really think I have given enough justice for this book. I just know that I loved it very much. Robin Benway has become an auto-buy author for me. I learned a lot of lessons from this book and I would definitely recommend this to everyone!
PIN THIS POST 📌
Let’s Chat! 💬
Have you read Emmy and Oliver? What did you think about it?
This review was first published on The Bibliophile Confessions on June 24, 2015. A review copy was provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.
