[Review] Emmy and Oliver by Robin Benway

Emmy and Oliver by Robin Benway
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publishing Date: June 23, 2015
Format: hardcover
343 Pages
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

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.

My Review

This book has been on my TBR for so long and I couldn't wait to read it. I've read a lot of good reviews about this one and it sounded like something I would enjoy. So when I was browsing the library last week and saw this, I knew I needed to grab a copy while it was available. 

This felt a lot different than the typical young adult novel, but I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it was because of the difficult content of this book, or maybe it was because of Emmy and Oliver's relationship. I really loved how they were such good friends for a long time. They were obviously friends before he was kidnapped, and then when he got back, they became friends again. Emmy helps Oliver exactly how he needs when he is thrown back into his old life. Although everyone thinks he should be super happy to be back home, they all forget that he didn't know he was kidnapped; he thought he had a semi-normal life with his father. Then he's ripped away from everything he knows. 

As their friendship grows, they realize they have feelings for each other in a new way. They slowly explore those feelings and don't jump right into anything. 

I really, really enjoyed this book. I can't believe I waited so long to read it, but I can definitely see what all the fuss was about! I'm really curious to read what else Benway has written. Big fan of this book!