Name: Emmy & Oliver
ISBN: 9781471144141

Robin Benway

Oliver's absence split us wide open, dividing our neighborhood along a fault line strong enough to cause an earthquake. An earthquake would have been better. At least during an earthquake, you understand why you're shaking. Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. But now Oliver is back, and he's not the skinny boy-next-door that used to be Emmy's best friend. Now he's the boy who got kidnapped. A stranger - a totally hot stranger! - with a whole history that Emmy knows nothing about. But is their story still meant to be? Or are they like the pieces of two different puzzles - impossible to fit together?

Emmy & Oliver

4 of 5 stars

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Though I didn't loved this as much as Far from the Tree by the same author, which was an easy five-star rating for me, I still adored this book so much. I appreciate that this wasn't all focus on teenage romance but cover friendship and family as well. There were certainly complications about the different kinds of relationship in this book but those issues only emphasized the wonderful connections between the characters. No toxic relationships which I always looked for in a contemporary. I tend to hesitate with contemporaries because it's not really easy to come by books with beautiful, moving, non-toxic relationships. The relationship between Emmy and Oliver is just so sweet and heartwarming and innocent. Despite both of their issues with their families, they managed to support each other in their own ways. I also always loved how Robin Benway created the family dynamics. It always touched my heart in a most emotional yet beautiful way, just like how she did it with Far from the Tree that made me cry a lot. Though this was not as emotional as FFTT for me, this has its own touching moments. I hope I can find books with this kind of relationship dynamics again because this is what I wanted in my life!

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.

Raven 

oh my god. that's the only thought going through my head rn. when I started this book, something was telling me that I would love it, I didn't expect to actually love it though😭. no, I feel like there's a..bigger word to describe my feelings for this book. there has to be. I could not put this down. at all. the characters were the freaking best. idky, but I felt so connected in a way that's unexplainable. this is no doubt a new favorite. this is a memorable book at it's finest. if I could give this book every star in the world, I would definitely do it.

One of my all time Favorites. Its heart warming but at the same time mysterious.

Gwenifer

Fans of Sarah Dessen will devour Robin Benway's story of romance, coming-of-age emotion, and heartache, now in paperback. 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 this, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, 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?

First of all, I really love that title. No pretenses, no poetic bullshit, and straight to the point. Atta girl!
The cover and the title suggests a cutesy romance novel, but it was more than that. It was more of a coming-of-age thing that hits you right in the guts. It's very simple and relatable, and I love how the teens are going through the same stuff all of us experience as well — school, friends, love life, college applications, curfew, parents — no superficial and unnecessary drama. The characters don't spout poetic nonsense and do weird things to lure in the readers, but their dialogue stands out because it's so honest. This time, they actually sound like normal 17-year-olds! 

I found it very quiet and moving. Robin Benway's humor got me laughing out loud most of the time and I appreciate that in a book. Another star in there, too, for positive friendships! Yay.

Sven Test

This review was first published on Latte Nights Reviews.

This book is probably one of the cutest books I have read this year. You would think it is a romance-filled story but it so much more than that. It also focuses on friendship, family, self-discovery and growing up.

Emmy and Oliver had been the best of friends when they were kids—they were inseparable. One day, Oliver’s father kidnaps him which leaves the town, especially Emmy, distraught. They stay hopeful that one day Oliver will appear. This kidnapping left many scarred especially Emmy’s parents. They are very protective her. Her mom doesn’t even want Emmy to move away to college, saying that Emmy is better off at a nearby community college. What no one knows is that Emmy has applied to a college 2 hours from home, where she will be able to join the surf team, another secret she has been keeping from her parents. Ten years later, Oliver returns and everyone is so happy about the news but Oliver feels like he has been kidnapped all over again. Will Emmy be able to rekindle their friendship?

This story is complex and sensitive, yet beautiful. Every relationship was much highlighted in the story with nothing left to the imagination. We get to read about Emmy, Drew and Caro’s friendship, which has to be by far the best friendship ever. There is so much witty banter that will leave you laughing out loud and wanting a friendship like they have. We also get to read about the relationship that Emmy has with her parents, which isn’t an easy one. Her parents are overprotective and they treat like she is a child. I mean, she has to be in bed by 10pm! Like…what?! I related to Emmy and her parents because mine can get protective at times but never to that extent. Let’s not forget about Oliver’s half sisters! They are so cute and very, very hyper. Emmy babysits them to help Oliver’s mom, who doesn’t know how to work with Oliver. She feels like Oliver’s ignoring her and don’t want to have a relationship with her but then Emmy comes to the rescue and:

“I’m actually legally obligated to ignore her [Emmy’s mom]. The other teenagers and I made a pact. There were lawyers involved; it’s a whole thing now.”

I love all of the characters, especially Emmy and Drew. They are so funny and amazing. Oliver is a complex character that the reader will love. At first, I was skeptical about his character but my love for him grew. I must say, while I did laugh for the majority of the book, I was a ball of emotions, too. We get short chapters on Emmy and Oliver as kids, which had me a mess. I would tear up at every chapter that was written in their past. And the last chapter? Wow! That one did bring the tears. I’m so glad I read this beautifully written story with funny and relatable characters.

Mia Tuccio

Rose Balicki

Bea R.

“I guess the more you start to love someone, the more you ache when they’re gone, and maybe it’s that middle ground that hurts the most, when you can see them and still not feel like you’re near enough."

Emi Gilmore 

Reyna Wren

Addison Degginger

Preorder this one, guys and gals. Cutest damn read I've enjoyed this year.

Lila Harrison

Becky

You would not believe how I’ve struggled with reviewing this book. I know that probably makes you think I didn’t like it, but I did. I think that’s the issue! I loved this book. There were so many things to enjoy, but I’ve struggled with how best to verbalise my love. 

It's hard to say what I like about this book, because it is a book with a lot going on and it's not easy to explain my thoughts about everything, but I definitely enjoyed it, more than I ever thought I would. This book is far more than the description makes it seem, and I only hope people pick it up and get a chance to enjoy it as I did.

Read my full review over here at my blog

Jen Estrella

He looked like a stranger, and then he met my glance, and it was like I had never stopped seeing him.


I laughed so hard while reading this book. It was honest and fun and had just the right amount of wittiness and fluff to keep me going. 

Emmy and Oliver were childhood friends separated by an unfortunate incident - a kidnapping perpetuated by Oliver's father. All of a sudden, their lives are consumed by searching; the entire community distressed because of one dreadful occurrence. Then without warning, Oliver returns and along with his arrival a struggle of all sorts - restless families, missed opportunities, forgotten relationships, etc. Then there's Emmy, filled with hesitation and longing, who hopes to restore their severed ties, but how does one restart a friendship without putting forward memories of a painful and complicated past? 

The thing I liked most about this book is that it really gets the reader emotionally involved. The blurb makes it seem like it's just some run-of-the-mill contemporary, but really it's more than teenagers falling in love and finding themselves. The entire story revolves around the complexity of Oliver's situation. 

Initially, I imagined Oliver as this rebel guy with anger management issues, but he's actually the opposite. He is quiet and aloof with this huge mess of confusion inside of him. However, what's more interesting is that it's not just Oliver who has to live with the turmoil. The kidnapping also affected Emmy (more gravely, imo) because her life has basically turned into a prison cell (semi, if that makes it better). 

I can relate to her situation, having overprotective parents and all, but I cannot imagine being told to go to bed at 8 in the evening, sulking in my room when my phone gets taken away, or worse being robbed of my right to decide for myself. 

Don't go blaming Emmy's parents though because here's another compliment. This novel carefully presents everyone's perspective. Our thinking has to go beyond the assumption that the characters' actions are selfish and unreasonable, because at the end of the day, everything made perfect sense. I can empathize with everyone, and that's something that very rarely happens. 

Another thing I could not get enough of was the beautiful friendship between Emmy and Caro, Emmy and Drew, Emmy and Oliver, etc etc. The four of them seemed like a magical squad. This friendship is also why you shouldn't think that this book is too serious or too dramatic for your taste. It just makes everything better. 

The dialogue is hilarious. Emmy's parents are unexpectedly cool despite their usual panicked states. 

  “Tonight sucked" my dad said and I started to laugh hearing him say that. "What?" He smiled at me. "Isn't that the slang you kids are using? The lingo? Do I sound hip?"
I just shook my head. "The only hip I hear is the sound of yours breaking.”

The twins are too cute. Caro's responses are classic, and of course, there's Drew. Drew is my personal favorite. I want to take him out of the book, hug him, squish him, and join him in drinking coffee and gawking at baristas. 


  "Emmy, you are a saint among saints," Drew said, then hugged me to his side as we walked down the hall. "Let the healing bonds of friendship ease all of our wounds!"
"Oh, shut up."
"That's not very saintly language," he pointed out, then kissed the top of my head and then released me with a shove. 
"Now get off me before Kevin thinks I'm straight."
"He's homeschooled. He doesn't even go to school here."
"Rumors, Emmy. They respect no boundaries."

The only thing that I didn't fancy was the romance between Emmy & Oliver. Was it the pacing? I'm not really sure. I am aware that I'm a sucker for slow-burn romance, so I guess a romance halfway through the story wasn't enough to make me squeal. Surprisingly, I think I was looking forward to their development as friends (yes, just friends) so much so that I wanted to see them conquer the world without romance in the picture. I don't know, I find that more comforting (and sweeter maybe?) than the usual I fell in love with my best friend scenario. Nevertheless, the character development of not just Emmy and Oliver but also the rest of gang was enough to sustain my interest. 

In the end, I'd easily recommend this book to just about anyone with a penchant for flawed but well-developed characters, LoL-worthy conversations, and delightful friendships. Go and read this book. It will be fun, I promise.

laura

I really loved this book. It follows two characters oliver was kidnaped and is returned and emily is the best friend that is left behind. I really loved this book it explored friendship, love and parents and i LOVE IT. It felt so real and I FLEW through it. It reminded me of the t.v show finding carter. Such a good read.

Danica Holdaway

Not my ~favorite YA fiction, but still interesting and easy to read. I liked Emmy and Oliver ok, Caro and Drew are definitely more captivating and lovable. The subject (Oliver being kidnapped) was so interesting, and she tries to go into how it affects all these people but it still somehow falls a little flat. The romance is cute and very clean, and it does a pretty good job of showing parents in a multi-faceted but overall good light, which is important to me in YA fiction. Definitely an easy audiobook listen.

Hope Brockway

From the cover, you'd think this book was just a fluffy contemporary romance. And, to an extent, you'd be right. There is romance (shocker), it is contemporary, and there are some parts that are just fluff. But this book covers deep topics as well. Topics like dealing with helicopter parents, trying to figure out who you want to be despite what your parents want, and sorting through the feelings of being kidnapped by your dad. 

So yeah, some pretty intense stuff. 

This book covered all those topics in such a natural and careful way. They don't feel forced. 

I enjoyed the dynamics between Emmy, Oliver, Caro, and Drew. Their friendship felt so real and I loved learning about their struggles after Oliver left.

One thing I didn't like was the lack of Oliver's POV. I mean, the book just being from Emmy's POV was interesting, but since he's pretty much the main character (I mean, the plot pretty much revolves around him) I felt that something was missing.

There was some cussing and a description of kissing and a pretty wild party and such but those were brief. The book is otherwise clean.

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


My god. This book, y'all. Why didn't you tell me to read it sooner? (Ok, ok... I'm sure you did. I'm just stubborn.) I'm kicking myself for letting it sit on my shelves this long without picking it up. A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who voted for it in my TBR List poll for August. Thanks to you, I have a new book to add to my "most favoritest" shelves. 

Books like Emmy & Oliver are why, despite rapidly approaching an age I'm not quite ready to talk about yet, I still enjoy reading YA contemporary. Everything about it was just plain magical. I read it cover to cover in pretty much one sitting by the pool. It gave my feels feels. I fell in love with Emmy, Oliver, Caro and Drew. These characters were so real. The friendships were top notch and true. There was loads of humor and heart and I just couldn't stop turning the pages. I'm pretty sure I read about 95% of this book with a huge, cheesy grin on my face... even if sometimes there were tears in my eyes, too. 

I'm not even sure what else I can say to try to do this book justice, to be honest. It was beautiful and real and raw. I loved the friendships and the romance. Especially the romance because, let's be real, there's nothing better than a friends turned more love story. Except, maybe in this case, where it was also a second chance of sorts. It's a crime Emmy and Oliver were separated for as long as they were. (Wow. Poor choice of words, because you know, kidnapping... but you know what I mean. Ha!) Reading along as they were reunited and started to get to know each other again did things to my heart. I loved how the characters grew and found themselves, all while finding something special in each other. And that last chapter? Holy perfection. I swear, I'm getting teary eyed just thinking about it. 

If you're like me and you've not yet picked this one up yet, do it soon. This one is definitely going on my "to be reread" pile. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

FAVORITE QUOTES

  The only way I could describe what kissing him felt like was, like the last day of school, knowing that months of freedom and sunshine lay before you, the feeling that you could do anything you wanted and time stretched out in endless possibilities.

Sometimes there just aren't enough words to fill the crack in your heart.

The more you start to love someone, the more you ache when they’re gone, and maybe it’s that middle ground that hurts the most, when you can see them and still not feel like you’re near enough.

Cortnie

this is one of the cutest freaking books I have ever read.

Nadia Leontescu

I loved reading this book! It was pretty light and a good pace, but there was still some good, emotionally heavy parts. I wish we could’ve seen a POV from Oliver, since the book IS Emmy&Oliver, but Emmy’s POV was great too. I enjoyed the romance and friendship dynamics, and the family situations felt pretty genuine. The whole idea of Oliver being kidnapped by his dad was really interesting and new to me, so I enjoyed that as well. Overall a good, simple read!

Elad Schulman

Basically, I adored this book. I loved Emmy, I loved Oliver, I loved Caro, I loved Drew, and I loved it when they were all together. This book made me so happy, and all around, it was a really good contemporary novel.

Jacelyn

Jess Houston

ALL THE UGLY HAPPY TEARS. THIS BOOK. OH MY GOD. I NEED A FINISHED COPY.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

THE STORY:
Lisa: I’ve adored Robin Benway since reading her Also Known As series (Also Known As and Going Rogue.) It’s so much fun! The characters are incredible, and the story is incredibly entertaining. (I also LOVE that she narrated her own audiobooks, which was a major plus!) So when I saw the summary of this book, I was beyond excited. Becca and I went into this book with HUGE smiles that never faded. Emmy & Oliver was more than we could have hoped for. It was perfection!

Emmy and Oliver were childhood friends who lived next to each other, and even shared a birthday. They were born within hours of each other, forming an immediate friendship in the nursery. Their families were super tight and spent a lot of time together. They were more than neighbors, they were best friend. At the age of 7, Oliver disappeared from school with his father for a visitation weekend, and never returned. For 10 years they looked for Oliver and his father, finally finding Oliver and returning him home to his mother and her new family, which consisted of a new husband and twin daughters. After the trauma of Oliver being taken 10 years prior, Emmy’s parents became very over-protective, to the point where it was pushing Emmy away. When Oliver’s returned to his family, he’s completely lost. He doesn’t have many memories from his childhood before leaving with his dad, but it seems like everywhere he turns, people know who he is and they all know his story. Oliver is now struggling to live in his new life, find the answers to many questions he has, and in the process, finding out who exactly he is for himself.

Becca: Perfectly summed up Lisa :) Big smiles is right! We absolutely loved this story! I had a huge grin on my face pretty much the ENTIRE story! I giggled, I laughed and I even sighed out loud (instead of the mental sighing I usually do). This book was packed with emotions and so many feels! From happiness, to sadness and everything in between. The feels were so overwhelming towards the end that I think I cried the last 10% of the book or so… but the good, soul cleansing crying :)


THE CHARACTERS:
Becca: This was my first Robin Benway novel, so I did not have the previous experience that Lisa did with her character development. After reading Emmy & Oliver, I can see what Lisa meant about her building wonderful characters! This entire cast of characters was absolute perfection! I loved each and every one of them!

Let’s start with Emmy, she was so unique when it comes to female MC’s. She was fun, silly and also independent and just COOL! I liked her so much! Oliver was hard to read at the very beginning, and rightfully so after what he had been put through. Once we got to know him though? Swoon! He was so sweet and funny! I think my favorite thing about him was his kindness, he tried so hard to protect everyone from what he was feeling inside, no matter how much it hurt him to do so. Together he and Emmy bring out the absolute best in each other, talking and confiding in one another and re-creating an unbreakable bond.

“You’re always gonna know it’s me. And I’m always gonna know it’s you.” she pushes her hair out of her face and swings harder. “You’re Oliver, who else would you be?”

Emmy’s friends were so much fun! Lisa and I actually had conversations back and forth about how we wished that we could be friends with them :) They were so outgoing and funny! I laughed out loud so many times at their banter and witty conversations. I fell in love with their bond, Emmy, Caroline (Caro) and Drew have been best friends since kindergarten. There inside jokes and love for one a another was infectious. Caro and Drew were also best friends with Oliver before his disappearance, this story also focuses on them reconnecting with Oliver. When the four of them hang out it was the best and my cheeks were hurting from the ear to ear grinning!

I also loved the parents in this novel! Iv’e said before that I long to see more parent in YA and NA novels and Emmy & Oliver focuses a lot on the power of family and friends. Although Oliver’s Mom could be a bit whacky and Emmy’s parents were so over protective, it was wonderful to see strong family bonds and loving parents! I think I’ll let Lisa talk now that Iv’e gone on and on and on :)

Emmy’s Mom: “He’s not going to talk to you, all right? He’s seventeen. Emmy’s Seventeen and she never talks to me.”

Emmy: “It’s true,” I said. “I’m actually legally obligated to ignore her. The other teenagers and I made a pact. There were lawyers involved, It’s a whole thing now.”

Lisa: Haha! Well said, Bec! I totally agree with everything. These characters were INCREDIBLE! I also really appreciated the family aspect and parental importance in this book. Oliver’s mom, though a bit overbearing at times, had many insecurities after having her son taken from her. So I think her wackiness and outright crazy actions at times were completely warranted. Emmy also had parents that were extremely involved… a little too involved, really. I can see how Emmy’s parents must have felt watching Oliver’s mother go through that huge loss 10 years ago, so I can see why they became so overprotective with Emmy. Definitely TOO overprotective, but still understandable. I loved watching the parent/child relationships blossom and grow throughout the story.

I adored this group of friends!! Seriously one of my favorite group of book friends ever. Drew and Caro were such awesome friends. They weren’t perfect teenagers by any sense of the word, and they definitely had their issues, both in their own personal lives as well as with each other… but their friendship was as close to perfect as possible, in my opinion. Even with their differences and issues, they always seemed to come together and figure out how to do what was right. Such fantastic people, ones Becca and I would definitely be friends with in real life.


OVERALL:
Lisa: How can I sum up this book for you guys. It was emotional, impacting, empowering, and really made you think. There were super adorable happy times, and also emotionally-draining sad times. This story had it all. It brought out every emotion in me. I honestly didn’t want it to end. I’ve had my eye on Robin Benway for a while now, and I’m always excited to see when a new book is coming out… but she’s officially now moved to my auto-buy list. An incredible read that I’m still thinking about long after finishing. I’m already looking forward to a re-read! I have so much love for this book, and I will recommend it to absolutely any YA book lover out there. This is a book you won’t want to miss.

Becca: Emmy & Oliver is definitely on the top of my list for favorite reads in 2015! Sweet and fun, but at the same time emotional and powerful! This is my first Robin Benway book, but it will definitely not be my last! This novel made me a believer and I will definitely be on the look out for more books by her and hopefully read the Also Known As series soon!

“He put his arm around me, like a hug, like a wing, like a home.”

(Thanks to HarperTeen for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Emmy & Oliver

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