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A review by cgreaderbee
Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway
2.0
The fact that I didn't really like this book was both surprising and disappointing.
I did not care for or connect with any of the characters. I didn't really like Emmy or Oliver very much, nor the relationship between them.
Oliver and Emmy were neighbors and best friends up until Oliver was kidnapped by his father when he was seven. Emmy has held on to the memory and loss of Oliver for all this time, until one day the moment everyone had all been waiting for but basically given up on - Oliver is found. Now he's back in the house next door, and the past and the present are forced together despite all the time and events that took place in between.
Ultimately, Emmy and Oliver rekindle their friendship and "more" (No spoilers people; you can read the title and see the little pink heart on the cover). I could appreciate the emotional turmoil as Oliver struggled with the demons of a past he never chose and his conflicting feelings about his parents. Even Emmy had her own drama, longing to be free and independent under the strict reign of parents who feared losing her as they saw Oliver be lost so many years before.
But like... I just didn't really care? There were a couple good insights, but ultimately I just didn't connect with their thoughts or dialogue. And without that connection, the drama and feelings of all these characters wound up feeling ... for lack of a better word, dumb.
I also didn't like the flashbacks to when Emmy and Oliver were kids. Obviously it was supposed to be told from the POV of children, but they just felt bland and stupid. I agree that the point of those flashbacks was to give you a better understanding of the Emmy and Oliver of the past and therefore strengthen the reader's connection with the Emmy and Oliver of the present. But as I feel it rather failed to do that, they just felt pointless.
And that ending chapter - The "Wave" - was so unrealistic and cheesy. Like seriously? UGH.
Okay, I am done with my vent fest. From the reviews I have looked through, I am in the minority in how I felt about this book. But alas, there it is.
I did not care for or connect with any of the characters. I didn't really like Emmy or Oliver very much, nor the relationship between them.
Oliver and Emmy were neighbors and best friends up until Oliver was kidnapped by his father when he was seven. Emmy has held on to the memory and loss of Oliver for all this time, until one day the moment everyone had all been waiting for but basically given up on - Oliver is found. Now he's back in the house next door, and the past and the present are forced together despite all the time and events that took place in between.
Ultimately, Emmy and Oliver rekindle their friendship and "more" (No spoilers people; you can read the title and see the little pink heart on the cover). I could appreciate the emotional turmoil as Oliver struggled with the demons of a past he never chose and his conflicting feelings about his parents. Even Emmy had her own drama, longing to be free and independent under the strict reign of parents who feared losing her as they saw Oliver be lost so many years before.
But like... I just didn't really care? There were a couple good insights, but ultimately I just didn't connect with their thoughts or dialogue. And without that connection, the drama and feelings of all these characters wound up feeling ... for lack of a better word, dumb.
I also didn't like the flashbacks to when Emmy and Oliver were kids. Obviously it was supposed to be told from the POV of children, but they just felt bland and stupid. I agree that the point of those flashbacks was to give you a better understanding of the Emmy and Oliver of the past and therefore strengthen the reader's connection with the Emmy and Oliver of the present. But as I feel it rather failed to do that, they just felt pointless.
And that ending chapter - The "Wave" - was so unrealistic and cheesy. Like seriously? UGH.
Okay, I am done with my vent fest. From the reviews I have looked through, I am in the minority in how I felt about this book. But alas, there it is.