Review: Emmy and Oliver by Robin Benway

 
Reviewer: E                      August 2015

Stop what you’re doing and add this book to your to-read list!

Emmy & Oliver is about two 17-year-olds, childhood best friends. When they were 7, Oliver’s dad kidnapped him and took him all across the country escaping police- all the while, Oliver had no idea he was being held hostage. Ten years later, he returns to the town. Emmy rekindles the friendship and maybe something more… wink wink. The plot of missing persons has been done plenty of times, yet this plot seems fresh. Less “woe is me” and “how will we find him”, because he comes back close to the beginning of the book. More of “reconstructing our lives”, which is way more heartfelt 🙂

The writing was fantastic, it basically leaps off the page! Ms. Benway’s work kept me entertained for every minute. Intriguing, engrossing, un-put-down-able. She writes with a lot of honesty and emotion, really from the heart. Readers will face waves of feels!

The characters in Emmy & Oliver were so. Real. The past couple books I’ve read have featured cardboard characters, so this was a very nice update. Emmy is relatable; Oliver, Drew, and Caro are likeable. Each of them have many traits and quirks that express their personalities. The connections between characters were well-written and clear. Ms. Benway describes their relationships with actions, not words. Not cheesy, not insta love romance was a real breath of fresh air. 

In short, this book is an amazing read perfect for summer. I would recommend it to any lovers of contemporary, romance, and coming of age stories. 5/5 stars. 😀