Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Also by this author: Also Known As, Far from the Tree
Published by HarperCollins on June 23rd 2015
Genres: Emotions & Feelings, Family, Love & Romance, Marriage & Divorce, Social Issues, Young Adult
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
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?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 had 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.Readers who love Sarah Dessen will devour 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.
I’m a Robin Benway newbie you guys… I only read the AKA series in the last year and I absolutely loved everything about them, so when I saw that she had a new book coming out I knew I had to get my hands on it. And after reading this one, I can honestly say that Robin Benway is now on my Auto-Buy list.
The story of Emmy & Oliver is complicated. They were going to be best friends forever… and who knows, maybe it could have been more. But before they even got the chance to see what life had in store for them, Oliver was taken from his mom and his home and his friends by someone he trusted. His father.
What complicates things further is that Oliver didn’t know he had been kidnapped, and when he’s finally found and returned to a life that he was taken from, nothing is at all the same. His mom has another family and he isn’t quite sure where he fits in the grand scheme of it all.
What had me so invested in this story was seeing the outcome of Emmy & Oliver’s story. Benway doesn’t make it an easy road by any means either. How do you jump back into a life 10 years later and expect everything to be easy… you just can’t. From the complications of his new family life and coming to terms with what his father actually did to him… It was heartbreaking to read.
Emmy’s life was forever changed that day Oliver was taken too. Her parents have had her on a tight leash for years, planning out what her future will look like and never taking into consideration what she really wants to do. But when Oliver returns she knows that there is only one thing she can do… be there for him in any way that she can, even if it isn’t easy.
I loved, loved, loved the friendships in this book. Caro & Drew were amazing not only for Emmy, but for Oliver and while there is some romance here, the big focus for me was seeing the way these friends help and support in an incredibly unique and difficult situation.
What Benway does amazingly well here is provide both the uplifting and the bittersweet … the easy and the very challenging. There is no easy fix for Oliver and both his family & friendship dynamics will have your heart breaking one minute and stitching back together the next.
Of course there is some romance here, as I stated above. What I think totally made this work for me was that it wasn’t rushed. It was the perfect slow burn… the will they, won’t they get to that point was just so well done. Since they were basically getting to know each other all over again, the evolution of that relationship just felt perfectly right.
I can’t recommend this book enough… heartbreaking and sad at times, but ultimately an amazing story of friendship, love and romance. Pick this one up as soon as you can!
Please check out all the stops on the tour:
Giveaway:
2 upcoming fall ARCs from HarperCollins:
Galley of WALK ON EARTH A STRANGER by Rae Carson
Galley of WHAT WE SAW by Aaron Hartzler
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