Emma Gannon

Olive

The debut novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author, Emma Gannon. ‘Explores such an important topic with a lightness and warmth’ Dolly Alderton ‘Thoughtful, funny, and honest’ Elizabeth Gilbert ‘Brilliantly observed’ Sophie Kinsella ‘It'll give a voice to countless women’ Marian Keyes

i will probably look back on this moment one day in the future and love you even more for having the strength to do something i couldn’t

The debut novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author, Emma Gannon. 'Thoughtful, searching, funny, and (most importantly) honest' Elizabeth Gilbert 'Brilliantly observed' Sophie Kinsella 'It'll give a voice to countless women' Marian Keyes 'Utterly distinctive' Emma Jane Unsworth OLIVE is many things. Independent. Adrift. Anxious. Loyal. Kind. She knows her own mind. And it's ok that she's still figuring it all out, navigating her world without a compass. But life comes with expectations, there are choices to be made and - sometimes - stereotypes to fulfil. So when her best friends' lives branch away towards marriage and motherhood, leaving the path they've always followed together, she starts to question her choices - because life according to Olive looks a little bit different. Moving, memorable and a mirror for anyone at a crossroads, OLIVE has a little bit of all of us. Told with great warmth and nostalgia, this is a modern tale about the obstacle course of adulthood, milestone decisions and the 'taboo' about choosing not to have children.

Arm E

** spoiler alert **
           Such a beautiful read. Especially the last few chapters were so wholesome.

Keely Calagos

If you were a fan of HBO's Girls, then this is the book for you!

This book is exactly what I would imagine a revival season of Girls to be like, if it flashed forward to their early/mid thirties. Olive and her group of girlfriends are just as tight knit (and toxic) as Hannah, Marnie and the characters in Girls.

The story follows a group of college friends as they each go through different major life transitions - babies, new jobs, weddings, breakups, fertility struggles, career successes, struggling with a 9-5 etc. The author, Emma Gannon, does an excellent job putting the reader deep into Olive's mind, including sharing some of the less than kind thoughts we have but don't always admit. This made Olive both extremely unlikeable and relatable at the same time. 

If you're a thirty-something whose friend group is going through different phases in life, then this is the book for you. And it was so refreshing to read a book with a childfree protagonist.

I will say, I wish we had a bit more time with Dorothy, she was my favorite side character and I wanted MORE! 

3.5 Stars, but I rounded up to 4 because I liked the way it ended

Thematically relevant in my 30th year of life, but I found the “CFBC” topic was beat to death a bit by the end. Also, Olive and her friends were generally not very kind and dramatic in a bad way - it made my feel like turning 30 will be traumatic..

Jacqui Spears

Janna Niemi

Right, I struggled with this book a little bit at the start. The topic is a bit heavy and therefore at times I had issues listening to the book.
The topic of whether or not one wants children is a big topic and something I feel like people always judge others by. I couldn’t really empathize with Olive about her not wanting children since I’ve always wanted them but the book still the book intrigued me. The other topics in the book like friendships and how we as human change over the years. I also feel like this book fits fully into today’s society as women are fighting harder than ever to have control over their own bodies without judgement. 
I had a hard time liking Olive at first. I didn’t much like any of her friends either. I feel like they all only thought about themselves and how they are feeling. But I guess that is the point of it. For Olive to fully embrace her wants and feelings without having to thing about how other people see her and also for her friends to come to terms with their own problems and then support their friends in their lives no matter their choices. 
The audiobook was pleasant to listen to. I feel like the narrator fully embraces Olive’s persona and brings her to life. I also think that I would have probably DNF this book had I not been listening to it. 

*ARC received from publisher via NetGalley

Kaitlyn Wendler

An honest and refreshing account of a young women’s desire to not have children and the resulting pressure of society, as well as the people closest to her that she finds herself combatting along the way. Related to this book in many different ways and glad to see people talking about a topic rarely spoken about. 

I so desperately wanted to like this book… unfortunately, apart from a few moments that made me feel validated, I found Olive and her friends pretty unlikeable and difficult to relate to. I guess I was up for reading a novel about what it means and feels to be childfree in this day and age, which it did… but it erred on the side of chick lit too much for my liking.

Becky

** spoiler alert **
           I LOVED this book! After reading a book I really didn’t enjoy I picked this up on a whim and I’m so glad I did. I have often struggled with friendships falling apart due to people just going in different directions and it was so comforting to read something like Olive. I love Olive so so much and, even though I do want children in the future, I feel like I can really resonate with her

To begin with I was a bit disappointed that she got into a relationship in the end? I think at that point I thought it was all about being independent and that being okay? But now i realise that it happened when Olive least expected i’d and the idea is that we all reach stages of our lives and THAT is what matters as long as it’s what the person wants.

I would have loved a little bit more about Olive’s relationship with the kids, especially Caitlin. I feel like her eating disorder was glossed over a little bit and I feel like with such a big topic like that it’s not something you can gloss over? But I understand the reasons why!!

Brittany Harper

Wow, this was good (not great, some of the writing and plot could have been better). I love the book's perspective of a 30-something woman going through the process of figuring out if she wants to have children. As a mid-20-something woman, who is unsure about children in the future, this was a really important read. I really appreciated the ups and downs that Olive explored to both having (and not having children). Her friendships and relationships explored all of those complexities and realities that go with that decision.

Moray Lyle McIntosh

As a fellow CFBC (child-free by choice) the same age as the titular Olive I was drawn by the idea of a narrator negotiating life as a young woman who doesn't want children. The story is told by Olive, a society and culture editor at magazine .Dot. She had recently split with her long-term partner over the issue of children. He wants and she doesn't. And she is the only one in her friend group who isn't pregnant (Cecily), trying to get pregnant (Isla) or raising several kids (Bea). She feels isolated and left out by their common goals and is floundering in a society that often doesn't see being child-free as a valid choice for women.

The was a lot of potential but I had immediate issues with Gannon's style which has confessional, Carrie-from-Sex-and-the-City vibe that I didn't enjoy. While I appreciated that Gannon was attempting to cover a wide range of experience with her characters, there wasn't much individuality in their voices and without the details of their different lives, I wouldn't have been able to tell them apart. They were archetypes of the other lives Olive could have had rather than characters with a life of their own. Their inability to empathize with each other or value each others decisions and choices was infuriating. Maybe Gannon was trying to illustrate the Mumsnet-style judgement and competitiveness that parenthood can bring out but it felt like they were teenagers rather than women in their 30s. And I should mention that these are very privileged women with impressive careers, nice homes and (despite Olive's brief mention of paying double rent after her break-up) no financial worries.

I was hoping that Olive would finally give us a well-adjusted, child-free protagonist but a lot of her thoughts and actions really just reinforce the old stereotype of selfish, childish and self-obsessed, scornful and judgemental of those with children and bitter that their friends no longer pay them enough attention. There was some growth by the end but the way it comes about seemed like a betrayal of what the book claims to be (view spoiler)[ Her personal growth really kicks in when she starts setting Marcus, a man with two teenage daughters. Child-free suddenly appears to mean "hasn't given birth". And I'm all for Olive changing her mind and showing that step-parents can be bloody brilliant, but did get new-found sense of fulfillment REALLY have to be tied to a mothering role?! (hide spoiler)]

Margarete 

I absolutely loved this book and enjoyed every word! It is so relatable, reassuring, and emotional. I can especially recommend to listen to the audiobook version read by Sian Clifford. She did a great performance, enabling you to dive even more into the story and its characters.

Emily Blackburn

It's been a while since I picked up a book that I could not put down. A long-time fan of Emma's podcast I was excited to read her debut novel, as a 24-year-old who's always felt maternal from a very young age. Recently I have been looking into the pressure society puts on women to produce children, and I've been catching myself wondering whether my instincts are just that, instincts or if there's an undertone of FOMO and this book has brought up some great 'points' (for lack of a better word) around both sides to that story.

Emma's writing style is modern, fun and relatable, it flowed so easily and I've Kindle highlighted a few lines I particularly resonated with or found humorous. I see a lot of myself in Olive, especially surrounding her love for her friends and her fear of losing them as time goes on and as life delivers different journeys for all of us. 

Overall, this is the perfect 2020 novel, a mix of the ups and downs of modern life and how nobody really knows what they're doing.

Anika | @chaptersofmay

Olive Stone is a thirty-something career woman living in London. She’s ambitious, headstrong, and witty. Her best friends, Bea, Isla and Cecily have been her closest companions since her school days. When they graduate university, they promise to keep their tight-knit bond at the forefront of their lives. But when met with life’s ups and downs, that pact is much easier said than done. 

As Olive’s friends move through life, with their careers, their marriages, and their families, Olive starts to question her choices. Because her life looks different. But the thing is, Olive doesn’t want the same things her friends do. Mainly, she doesn’t have the same maternal desire her friends have.
The book jumps between the past and present years of Olive’s life. I didn’t expect this format, but it made it so such much easier to get to know the characters. Although the entire story is told from Olive’s point of view, the reader gets to know her friends incredibly well. Like most friendship groups, every person plays a role. I really like how the author managed to keep each voice very unique but lifelike. No character bled into another, they all had a different tone which added to the authenticity of this tale.

I love that I can’t relate to the main character in any way, yet it’s so easy to empathise with her. Her personal battle isn’t something I’ve given much thought to, but it didn’t diminish how she felt to me. Olive is so human it was difficult not to feel for her. She isn’t perfect by any means. There are a lot of things she does that irritate me. But it was an understandable irritation, the same way you become irritated with yourself for mistakes and missteps. Olive has her good days and her bad, and I like that the author included both in her story. It made everything seem more down-to-earth. 

I adore the bond of friendship between the women. This is another huge highlight for me. I wish I had that kind of friend group. Even with the bumps in the road, the love and loyalty they have for one another is really heart-warming to read. The dynamic between the four women is entirely lifelike and representative to modern-day friendships. Some grow close while others drift, then it switches depending on circumstance, then it switches again. There’s a genuine flow that really grounded the conversation between Olive, Bea, Isla and Cecily.

Gannon’s writing is warm and compassionate, even as the characters in her book struggle with weighty issues. Motherhood is explored in a variety of ways through the characters, and no path feels less significant than the other. This book really forces you reflect and it’s a brilliant quality for a novel to have. As we see the group evolve, it subtly pushes the reader to examine their own choices and desires. 

The only thing that stopped this novel being a five-star read was the length. Some chapters or moments didn’t feel necessary, and I was tempted to skim a few pages. I also appreciate that Olive was going through a very real struggle and felt alone, but her thoughts felts repetitive from time to time. There were a few times I felt like the character said the same things over and over.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Olive. This debut novel explores a woman’s decision to live child-free, life after a break-up, female friendship, and navigating adulthood. And Emma Gannon’s original and honest voice made it a refreshingly pleasant read.

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Momo

I do wish there were more stories like this. Not just about women who don't want to have children but individual female experiences. We live in a society full of pressures to hit milestones and start families, so this was a refreshing read for someone who wants to simply purse a career. It often feels like the female experience is pigeonholed into social obligations many of us want nothing to do with. 
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Olive is a 33-Year Old journalist who loves her job but doesn't love the feeling of being pressured to have kids and having her own personal opinions on the matter harshly judged and constantly in question. Her boyfriend and she break up after she expresses she doesn't want to have children and she feels exiled from her friends as they are now paying attention to familial matters.
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Olive not only addresses going to childfree but the many complexities of those who want to pursue motherhood. For example, infertility, mental health, being honest with not enjoying motherhood and the differences between longing for it and it actually happening. 
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The language is the most interesting within this novel because it reinforces that society strongly believes that women should have children, that it's their duty but more importantly that women who want to be childfree will eventually change their minds which I believe to be a dangerous notion. It implies that women are born to have children and that it's inevitably in their cards but just because you can do something doesn't mean you should have to. 
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Another aspect I'm happy was addressed was a situation where Olive was with two mothers and they were telling their children that their toys were their babies and they were their mothers. It seems strange that many are comfortable placing these ideas before children at such a young age. For many it may seem normal but why should such matters be in their heads at that age.
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Olive is a fantastic book with a modern perspective.

Olive

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