Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway Published by Harper Teeen on June 23, 2015
Genres: Contemporary YA, Relationships, Young Adult
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Also by this author: Also Known As, Going Rogue
Source: a fellow blogger (thanks for sharing!)
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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.
I’ve had a good time with all of Robin Benway’s books, friends, and EMMY & OLIVER continues her hot streak. While I will forever love the fast-paced drama of Also Known As, EMMY & OLIVER offers a quieter, more emotionally intense plot, and I DUG IT. Emmy and Oliver and their relationships (they essentially have two, one from when they were children and another as teens) are heartwarming and heartbreaking and satisfying. Really big fan, guys.
EMMY & OLIVER is about, well, Emmy and Oliver. When they were young kids, they were bffs, and they were super cute about it. Things were going along great until one day during second grade, Oliver’s dad picked him up from school and didn’t bring him home. Ten years have gone by, and Oliver still casts a shadow over Emmy’s life. Her parents have raised her under the fear of something similar happening to her, Oliver’s mother has remarried but remains hopeful that her son will return. And one day, during senior year, he does. Emmy’s whole world is thrown upside down, and she and Oliver attempt to recreate their bond…and maybe then some. *wink wink*
I LOVED Emmy, friends. She has a great relationship with her parents, even though they are overprotective. She is a big-time surfer, but keeps it a secret from them because she knows they wouldn’t allow her to continue out of fear for her safety. Mostly, though, I loved her personality. Emmy is humorous, determined, friendly, and loyal. Robin Benway is a magician when it comes to funny, witty dialogue, and Emmy and her bffs have some great lines. Emmy is just adorable. As half of the main duo in EMMY & OLIVER, she’s likeable and real.
Oliver is definitely a more complex character than Emmy. Not that Emmy is simple or uncomplicated; she’s got secrets from her parents and Oliver’s return to their Southern California town is certainly complicated. But Oliver has a lot on his plate. He’s dealing with reentering his mother’s life, which now includes a new husband new kids. Most of all, though, he’s dealing with the cruel reality that his father–his best friend–kidnapped him and hid him from his mother and his life for years. Now he’s been taken away from what he knows and dropped again into a new life. That’s a lot of crap, guys. Oliver seemed pretty well-adjusted for all of that, but he struggles and I felt for him. I totally understood his feelings of confusion and disruption and strangeness. It’s really impossible to not root for him and feel for him.
Together, Emmy and Oliver are FREAKING ADORABLE. I can’t with them. Emmy has been missing Oliver since second grade, but their first interactions when he comes back home are a little awkward. Understandably. But as they spend more time together, they slowly begin to recreate what they had. Emmy confides in Oliver about her surfing and the colleges she’s applied to. I love that she brings him into her world and her hobbies and wants to reconnect with him. Oliver confides in her, too, about his dad and how he’s coping with his new old life. I loved how they had to start over in some ways but also remember their closeness from childhood and relied on that old trust. They were so supportive of one another, especially the way Oliver supported Emmy’s dream of going to college and not letting her parents’ fear dictate her future. These two are really the heart of EMMY & OLIVER, as they should be.
Robin Benway is a sure thing for me. I haven’t read a single book by her that I haven’t enjoyed, and EMMY & OLIVER is more of the same. It’s got complex emotions, a little more serious plot than her books usually have, wonderful characters and dialogue, and two main characters that are endearing and AWESOME. I really enjoyed EMMY & OLIVER, and I can’t wait for more from Robin Benway.
This book was absolutely totally completely adorable. I just loved both Emmy and Oliver so much.
I enjoyed Emmy & Oliver! As always, Benway’s characters are charming and real and lovely to read about. I really liked their story, complications and all. So glad you enjoyed it as well!
This was actually my first Robin Benway book, but I adored it too! I agree Oliver was more complex than Emmy, but that didn’t negate how awesome Emmy was too. And their relationship was just adorable 😀