Emmy & Oliver

Looking through reviews on here, it seems I might be the only person who didn't enjoy this book at all. And that is exactly why I never trust Goodreads ratings.

Emmy has known Oliver her entire life. But when Oliver's dad kidnaps him when they're seven, everyone's world is turned upside down. Now they're 17 (?) and Oliver is back. But no one is the same. Can they still be friends, etc, etc, etc. There's a heart on the cover and this is contemporary YA. I'm sure you can see where this is going.

I wanted to give this three stars so badly just because the plot line is finally something not overdone in YA. It sounded so promising and emotional. But I just couldn't give this more than two stars. I just really did not enjoy reading this book. I kind of dreaded it?? I had to force myself to finish because I JUST DNF'd a book. So here we are. The writing style is kind of painful and the romance was SO cheesy at times. I so wish it had been better because the PLOT. Childhood best friend gets kidnapped and then just shows up again 10 years later?! Come on! This had so much potential.

I really can't explain what I didn't like about this other than the writing style, the parents were absolutely clueless and AWFUL, and Oliver has just come back from being kidnapped and everyone is just pretending nothing happened??? This honestly would have been so much better if it was from his POV or dual POV. Or if it focused on that one aspect. But between Emmy's drama and the side character drama, it was way too much and nothing got focused on. Not to mention that every single “twist” and pain point was SO predictable I couldn't even believe it. It was just really frustrating to read.

TLDR; This is not it, sis.

Would I recommend?
No. Go read a Sarah Dessen or Deb Caletti if you're looking for contemporary YA that will actually make you feel something other than bored and frustrated.

This book was really not what I expected. It was a bargain ebook, which right away means I lower my expectations. Not that there's anything wrong with picking up a cheap or free ebook, but it's often a crap-shoot. While I've found some good books that way, I've also found a whole lot of not so great. The simple descriptive summary combined with the slightly cutesy cover art made this sound a sweet, fluffy YA romance of sorts. And while that's definitely a part of the story, it's really just a small part. This is more a grounded, contemporary coming of age that focuses on friendship. It's not of the overly dramatic, look how many social issues the author can shove into 250 pages variety.

It really was the bonds of the various relationships that made this story come together. And not just with Emmy and Oliver. The relationships with Drew and Caro and even with Emmy's parents were important too. They were real and realistic and yet awkward and honest (even when the words were lies). There was a good amount of sarcasm and humor but also an underlying understanding. The teens talked like teens, not pretentious 26 year olds. The adults were adults, not props or plot pieces or cheesy dispensers of proverbial advice.

There were two things I did kind of wish for throughout: 1) more descriptions of the characters physically. Things like hair color or nervous ticks or whatever and 2) sometimes I really wanted to know what Oliver was really thinking. I don't know that I necessarily needed his POV a lot, I just wish he'd spoken up a little more at times. Really, those are just minor notes when it comes to the story as a whole. I'd definitely recommend this anyone looking for a down-to-earth, heartfelt, contemporary YA story.

So now I many have to check out the author's other works.

This is one of those that would be five stars if the genre that I was in love with was YA Contemporary. So for those of you who are in love with that genre and can't get enough then I HIGHLY recommend not just Emmy & Oliver but all of Robin Benway's works.

I am happy I picked this book up–I'm even more glad that the ebook was on sale. I haven't read a really good YA Contemporary in a long time and I'm sad to say I don't go looking for them as much as I used to anymore because I feel like if you've read as much as I have of the genre, you recognize the formula and don't want to keep reading it.

The author's writing restored some of my love for the genre. It reminded me that there are authors out there that know just how to manipulate your emotions. The characters were pretty fantastic and I adored their sense of humor. Their banter was perfect and the teary-eyed moments completely enthralling. The main character was my favorite because while there were major events and life-altering decisions happening around her, she knew just where she stood and how her life wasn't defined by others actions but by her own. That is also why I loved the main guy character in this book. There were so many things happening to him because of other people's actions and he had to learn that he had to find out who he was in order to get the life he wanted.

The characters seemed a bit too mature for their age sometimes but I'm kind of glad they were. They also had moments where they were teenagers in need of their parents which I'm also glad about because it portrayed a vulnerability that would seem impossible to capture in writing but wasn't.

The ending was spot on and somewhat predictable and I'm happy about it.

It was cute

This was a one-sitting read for me. While the premise deals with the unfunny topic of parental kidnapping and the fallout, the characters are adorable and easy to root for.