Title: Dear Emmie Blue
Author: Lia Louis
Published: July 2020, Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Format: ARC E-copy, 311 pages
Source: Netgalley via Publisher
Summary:
In this charming and
poignant novel, teenager Emmie Blue releases a balloon with her email
address and a big secret into the sky, only to fall head-over-heels for
the boy who finds it; now, fourteen years later, the one thing Emmie has
been counting on is gone for good, and everything she planned is up in
the air.
At sixteen, Emmie Blue stood in the fields of her
school and released a red balloon into the sky. Attached was her name,
her email address…and a secret she desperately wanted to be free of.
Weeks later, on a beach in France, Lucas Moreau discovered the balloon
and immediately emailed the attached addressed, sparking an intense
friendship between the two teens.
Now, fourteen years later,
Emmie is hiding the fact that she’s desperately in love with Lucas. She
has pinned all her hopes on him and waits patiently for him to finally
admit that she’s the one for him. So dedicated to her love for Lucas,
Emmie has all but neglected her life outside of this relationship—she’s
given up the search for her absentee father, no longer tries to build
bridges with her distant mother, and lives as a lodger to an old lady
she barely knows after being laid off from her job. And when Lucas tells
Emmie he has a big question to ask her, she’s convinced this is the
moment he’ll reveal his feelings for her. But nothing in life ever quite
goes as planned, does it?
Emmie Blue is about to learn everything she thinks she knows about life (and love) is just that: what she thinks she
knows. Is there such thing as meant to be? Or is it true when they say
that life is what happens when you are busy making other plans? A story
filled with heart and humor, Dear Emmie Blue is perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Evvie Drake Starts Over.
My thoughts: I am so glad the publisher reached out to me, asking if I wanted to read this. This book was not on my radar prior to that but it definitely hit that sweet spot and was the perfect book to pick up and get lost in, especially in light of all that we have been going through lately in life. And let me just say, I haven’t read either of the two books this one is being comped two, though I am definitely adding them to my list if they are anything like this one!
Have you ever read a book where you just want things to work out for the main character so much? That’s Emmie. I adored her and all her quirkiness. And while there might have been a few instances where I didn’t necessarily agree with all her decisions, I still found myself routing for her and my heart hurting for her when things didn’t go her way.
This book really gets at the heart of how miscommunication can really impact things. It’s got such endearing characters that you won’t be forgetting, both young and older, and many little nuggets of wisdom. You may think you know where this book is heading, but it has a few twists that actually took me by surprise. And while I thought it was going to be a lighthearted, breezy read, it actually was more emotional than I was expecting.
I fully enjoyed my time with Emmie Blue and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys emotional, heartwarming reads. And I will certainly be keeping an eye out for what Lia Louis writes next…I loved her writing!
A lovely review, thanks for sharing your thoughts