29/07/2015

// review + discussion: emmy & oliver by robin benway

Title: Emmy & Oliver
Author: Robin Benway 
Publication: 23rd June 2015 by HarperTeen 
Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Genre: Contemporary

Goodreads // Book Depository // Amazon

Synopsis: 

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.




Review:

Emmy & Oliver is a contemporary novel and being a massive fan of contemporaries, I didn't hesitate in picking this book up. The cover was also very minimal (which I liked) and I've read several good reviews about it so why not get my hands on a copy? I got excited reading the synopsis of the book, it was about this two people who were best friends (slash puppy love) until one day, Oliver disappears. But after 10 years, he comes back. I just knew they were going to rekindle their friendship and probably turn it into something more than that... And I was right. I loved that aspect. I have a soft spot for best-friends-turned-into-lovers kind of stories. Their relationship was so new and innocent, I just wanted to put them in a bubble and protect them at all times. 

This book focuses on Romance but I liked how it also touches on friendships and family relationships. Emmy, Caro and Drew, the trio, their friendship are goals, you could never ask for better friends to be honest. They're very loyal to each other. 

Ever since Oliver disappeared, everyone in their town became so panicky and uptight. Emmy's parents are so cool but ever since what happened, they've been strict and cautious. They didn't want to lose her too so they monitored almost everything she does. From curfews, to where she goes and making plans for her after high school. I know they just want her to be safe but what they're doing could be suffocating. I think this is very relatable because some of us here do have strict parents. 

I also felt really bad for Oliver because he is put in this shit of a mess and he didn't even have a say. He's just dragged into a situation and he has to suffer the consequences. He was pulled away from his mother and made him believe that she din’t want him and was left to hurt all those years but then now he’s back things wasn't exactly working out the way they wanted to do. Maureen was expecting her seven year old son to be the same but things are different now that he’s grown up. Being back was like the same thing ten years ago. He had to start all over again. I just wanna hug Oliver because he’s so lost and he doesn’t deserve it.

Okay overall, this book was alright. I didn't hate it but I wouldn't say I'd go around raving about it either. It's not that Emmy & Oliver was horrible, it's not the book, it's me. The book and I just didn't click... My rating for this is three stars. 


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