Emmy & Oliver

by Robin Benway

[Sam@WLABB]

I adored Far From the Tree, and knew I need to read more of Benway's work. And, wow! She just continues to capture my heart with these beautiful stories. This book is called Emmy & Oliver, but it's really Emmy's story and how Oliver's disappearance and reappearance affected her life.

Things I loved:
• The friendship between Emmy, Drew, and Caro was one to be jealous of. It was interesting to see how Oliver's return and impending college plans affected that little triangle.
• I am a fan of how Benway incorporates family into her stories, and really appreciated how she wrote Emmy and Oliver's parents. They were all deeply affected by the kidnapping, and it changed how they treated their children. But as Emmy and Oliver grew and changed, Benway allowed the parents to grow and change too.
• That romance was so sweet, tender, and adorable. Watching their relationship evolve just warmed my heart.
• Oliver's struggle was so well done. My heart ached for him, and I was left elated with all the progress he made over the course of this story.

Overall: This was just a touching and wonderful story packed with love and friendship.