ARC Review: Emmy & Oliver

Title: Emmy & Oliver

Author: Robin Benway

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: June 23, 2015

Source: Borrowed from Sarah

Goodreads || Amazon

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.

My Review

When I first came across Emmy & Oliver, it was through social media. Immediately, I was attracted to the beautiful font on the cover, and then I went to Goodreads to read the synopsis. I wanted it right then and there, and this was about seven or eight months before the book's publication. Even though I had never read a book by Robin Benway, I knew right away that this was a book I needed to read. Who isn't fascinated by a kidnapping story? Stories like that - fictional or true - are just so compelling, and I always find myself interested in them.

This novel is simply stunning and slightly bittersweet. It's raw and real,  but not in a way that makes it too harsh for readers to understand. Emmy & Oliver actually takes a more mellow approach on an all-too-real problem for parents in this country and around the world.  The novel has everything that readers will want in a book about such an emotional subject - kidnapping. Tense family moments, reconnecting friends, and learning about and old and new life are all brought up realistically in this novel by Benway. Everything from the characters, plot, and flashbacks to Emmy, Oliver, Caro and Drew's childhood is completely and utterly perfect. The storyline will captivate readers and keep them on the edge of their seat from the beginning to the end.

The characters in Emmy & Oliver were very well-balanced, and I loved each one of them. The book focuses on Emmy and her childhood friend, Oliver, but their other friends, Drew and Caro, also play important roles in the development of the plot. Emmy is a girl with a lot of secrets, and I loved that she truly seems bothered by the fact that she's not able to share important things with her parents. Oliver also has his fair share of secrets, but he doesn't know how to deal with them after being kidnapped and returned. I love how Ms. Benway characterized these two title characters to help one another after such a traumatic experience.

If you're looking for a slightly emotional  and beautiful read this summer, look no further than Emmy & Oliver. It's full of human emotion, but the book is still light enough to make it the perfect book to pack in your beach bag. I think both teen and adult readers will be drawn to this title, and I would recommend it for fans of MTV's show, Finding Carter. Trust me, this is one book that you won't want to miss!

About Robin Benway

Robin Benway is the author of Audrey, Wait, The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June, and the AKA series. Her most recent novel, Emmy & Oliver will be published on June 23, 2015. She lives in Los Angeles with my extremely stubborn shih tzu, Hudson. Robin loves coffee.