AWWWWW Dear Emmie Blue was overload with sweetness and cuteness!!

I was seeing so many high stars for this one and was terrified that I would be another outlier. But, ladies and gents I also really enjoyed it yay!

When I was younger, in my early twenties funny story. I actually always on and off fooled around with sending a balloon in the sky with a letter attached to find the love of my life haha. I never ended up doing it but I fell in love with the premise.

What more could you ask for in a romance? Charming, uplifting and pure raw beautiful love.

And that ending?! Oh my goodness it was pure bliss. I loved this one!

4 stars!

So cute!!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Atria for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 7/14/20
Published to GR: 6/14/20

Thank you to Atria books and netgalley for this book.
I liked the Idea of this book. Emmie sends a balloon up into the sky when she is 16. Many miles away Lucas finds the balloon with Emmie's email and a secret inside. What Emmie needed most was a friend and she found her best friend in Lucas. This book is so much more than what the premise suggests. It's hard to explain this book without giving away the ending , but I will say I loved it and couldn't wait for the end.

At age 16, Emmie Blue released a balloon with a secret. Lucas finds the balloon and a friendship blossoms. Emmie is now hiding the secret that she's in love with Lucas and it pains her now even more as Lucas is prepping to be married and he asks Emmie to be his best woman. Life doesn't usually go as planned and through some twists and turns Emmie finds out where she is supposed to be. This story was filled with heart and humor and its an easy read. Thank you to Netgalley for the copy, all opinions are my own.

Oh my heart with this book!! I didn't know what to expect when I started reading but by the time I finished I had run the gamut of emotions. I laughed, I cried - happy and sad tears, my heart stretched super tight, then settled back in my chest.

Emmie has been through some stuff in her life. Not turning out anything like she had imagined, she is due for some happiness and good fortune, finally and she's hoping she finds that with Lucas once he realizes how he really feels about her and they get out of the friend zone they've been in for the past fourteen years. But oh, that is not what happens on their joint 30th birthday!

This is a story of friendships, of self-discovery, of realizing that the love and happiness you've been searching for could possibly be right in front of your face, if you just stop to see it. I loved the characters, the story is witty and endearing, and I know it will stay with me for a long time. I'm intentionally being vague in this review because it's best to go into this story without knowing anything. The emotions you'll feel will be so much more impactful that way as things unfold along the way.

What an amazing debut novel!! I can't wait to see what else Lia Louis brings us in the future!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

‘Dear Emmie Blue’ completely blew me away with it's captivating writing style that pulled and tugged at my heartstrings, vibrant and real characters readers are able to relate and sympathize with and an engaging drama that makes you want to root for the heroine and her happily ever after. It was an unforgettable story that left me an emotional wreck. It’s been a long time since a book hit close to home, driving me to ugly cry so hard you would’ve thought someone died.

It’s not to say this book was perfect. There were a few questionable scenes and actions that made me want to wring the neck out of Emmie, Lucas and Eliot. Moreso, when reaching the conclusion of the story and how a particular life changing incident from Emmie's past came to light, I was more than frustrated with the heroine's reaction to this character's deed and how easily it was pushed aside and not really addressed. Despite the long history between them, forgiveness came too easily and I wished their actions would have had repercussions. Vague, I know. But going further into would only spoil what transpires.

In the face of those underlying issues that I was able to push aside because it made the characters far more real and raw, ‘Dear Emmie Blue’ kept me spellbound and I was so compelled to read this, I finished it in one sitting with frequent breaks to wipe my tears and to reflect on the magic of the story. It’s evident that I'll be thinking about 'Dear Emmie Blue' for a long time to come.

Rating: 4.5/5⭐️⁣⁣⁣⁣
Rationale: This was a really charming young love story that will tug at your heart strings.⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐨 𝐈’𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐨: fans of Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝: Dear Emmie Blue is a heartfelt and touching story about love, friendship, and finding your place in the world.
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Louis does a great job of illustrating Emmie’s complex feelings about Lucas moving forward in his own life. The writing allows you to struggle alongside her as she tries to diminish the "perfect" image she previously held of him. The flashbacks were a perfect addition and were an added compliment to what was going on in the present.⁣
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The secondary characters were such a strong element of the story and were really well-written. I especially loved her ride-or-dies in Rosie & Fox mixed, and that we got to witness the development of a relationship with her landlady Louise.⁣
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Overall I found Dear Emmie Blue to be a comforting and enjoyable read. ⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞: For me the first quarter of the book was a bit slow, which cost ½ star, but it gained momentum quickly. I found it un-put-down-able and finished it in two sittings thereafter. The overall message was a bit on the cheesy side—but sometimes you just need that feel-good message that “things always have a way of working out.”⁣

Dear Emmie Blue is a heartwarming and emotional tale of love, loss, and finding yourself. The characters are likable, the plot is interesting, and the little twist and turns in this story kept me glued to its pages. Emmie Blue is a sweet and loveable heroine, and her journey to self-discovery, even though it was heartbreaking at times, gave me joy and made my heart full.

I highly recommend this quick, easy, and emotional read to anyone that enjoys friends-to-enemy-to-lovers stories that bring delight and quiet satisfaction to one’s heart.

Thank you NetGalley, Atria publisher, and the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Dear Emmie Blue gave me all types of feelings. There were points when I felt sad, happy, angry, and all of the feelings in between.
I love Emmie Blue, and the whole time you kind of feel sorry for everything she has had to experience. At first I did not like Eliot's character because of what you think he did, but by the end I loved him too!
I never would have guessed the ending of this book, which is partly why it kept me wanting more. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

I did not expect to LOVE this book as much as I did. Emmie took my heart and I was frantically reading hoping for the ending that she so deserved...is it the one I thought? Of course not- that's the making of a great book! I was so invested in this incredible friendship of these two characters I was rooting for them silently the entire time. Fabulous characters, interesting plot with lots of small twists that keep you wondering and an ending that made my heart happy. Bravo Lia Louis- I am now in your unofficial fan club!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was an absolutely JOY to read. Aside from being a beautiful story about long lost love, it’s also a gorgeous testament of learning to accept who you are on the inside. I gobbled this book up and had butterflies in my tummy flipping through these pages. A beautiful twist at the end, easy to read pages, and a beautiful plot made this book the perfect summer read!

4.5/5

While this book has nuances of “My Best Friend’s Wedding”, it is much deeper and poignant than that movie. I loved it.

Emmie is a 30 yo living in England working in food service at a hotel. She met her best friend Lucas, when at the age of 16 during a school project, she sent a red balloon into the sky with a message attached…a secret that she was desperate to share and unburden. Lucas, finding the balloon on a beach in France, begins an email correspondence with that leads to their meeting. Over the years Lucas’ family becomes her family as she’s never had the emotional support from her mom or a father her mother refuses to reveal.

I won’t reveal too much here, but this story covers so much territory. There is a sexual assault (not too graphic) and PTSD to deal with, emotional abuse and abandonment issues, trust issues, lies and misunderstandings. But in the end, it’s a story about a young woman learning to see her own strength, stand up for herself and rely on herself, and in doing so, finds that she already has all the support and love that she needs in life from her landlady and her friends.

Yes, she loves Lucas, but is it as her best friend or something more? And while yes, this is an important part of the story, it was Emmie’s journey to self-healing and self-love that ultimately captured my heart.

Great cast of characters…bonus points for the dirty-minded, staunchly loyal, hilariously funny Rosie. My only con? I could have done without some of the language. Highly recommend.

My thanks to #NetGalley, #Atria, and #EmilyBestlerBooks for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

Uplifting, heartwarming read about a young woman on the brink of turning 30 who is watching the man she believes is her true love marry someone else. When Emmie was in high school she endured a terrible act caused by a teacher, in her grief and pain she released a ballon with her email and it was found by Lucas who became her best friend and the man she believes she loves. Fast paced, emotional read.

I adored this sweet and charming book! ♥️ This story of Emmie Blue as she learns about love and life was heartwarming and so, so lovely. Emmie is an intensely likable character and you’ll find yourself rooting for her as she navigates her way through life’s obstacles. Dear Emmie Blue was a beautiful surprise of a book and I absolutely loved it. 5⭐️ Thank you @atriabooks for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

Heartwarming story for anyone who believes in fate, in the tradition of PS I Love You. Emmie is an incredibly likable heroine in this very sweet story. Easy, quick, and satisfying romance that stayed with me long after I finished it. Would love to read more by Lia Louis!

Thank you to Net Galley for the advance copy.

4.5 out of 5 stars for Dear Emmie Blue!

LIA LOUIS! How grateful I am to you! I genuinely couldn’t put this book down. It was totally and completely captivating. Emmie Blue is all of us in some capacity, wanting to be loved. Reaching milestone after milestone without the conventional family but rather - her chosen family. Emmie Blue, a girl who struggles with the trauma of her abuse, a family who considers her an inconvenience and the feeling of trying desperately to find her “home” and being terrified at the thought of losing it all.

These characters were magnificent and I was consumed by their stories - devouring page after page, I could not go fast enough! I loved how complex Emmie was, a closed book as she’s described, but a thoughtful deeply caring person who puts the needs of others before her own. I felt for her while she battled through the feelings that come with a sexual assault. I cried with her when I read how those she thought cared for her, did not believe what had happened. I was so angry to witness a mother who was not a mother and a dad whose “family man persona” is more important than even his own daughter, flesh and blood. I love how you can feel the childlike hope and fantasy of Emmie and Lucas’ love story, and how it’s paired with the reality of being an adult and growing up/possibly growing apart. How do you deal with relationships as they change? And someone new becomes the most important woman/priority in your best friends life? This is so poignant and relevant to all of us.

Family was a deep connector throughout the novel. It made me feel introspective, how these strained relationship with parents can color the way you view your own personal relationships. Emmie was searching for that family connection she never seemed to have and clung to it where she thought she’d already found it, even if it wasn’t right.

Lia Louis you tricked me, I was Team Lucas! I was devastated with how dense he was in the beginning, how could he not see that he was meant for Emmie!? But then comes along Emmett. Emmett, Emmett, Emmett. We all need an Emmett. I was in love with their I love! How deeply he cared for her. How he always did! He was there all along, watching out for her. They were so meant for each other. This is the best kind of love story. “Home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling” and that is Emmett, all wrapped up into one. He’s what she always was looking for, and what she didn’t realize she needed.

I am so grateful to this book. What a hopeful bright spot in all of this darkness! A thank you and cheers to Lia Louis for her outstanding storytelling. I am very much looking forward to her next novel!

The premise of this book drew me in but the sweet story kept me furiously reading until the final page. Emmie Blue has been through a terrible trauma. As she works through her pain, she writes her secret on a note and sends it off attached to a balloon. A boy named Lucas finds her note and emails her, starting a deep friendship that lasts throughout adolescence and into young adulthood. Along the way Emmie finds herself secretly falling in love with her best friend. Then he announces his engagement. It was hard not to become fed up with Lucas as you read. He is pretty selfish and oblivious to Emmie’s needs. Just as I was starting to become frustrated that Emmie would waste her time pining for that guy, the story starts to reveal a turn in the romantic storyline. Then I was hooked. I loved the sweet relationship that develops and Emmie’s personal growth is a joy to read. As a reader, you just root for her to overcome the heartbreaking circumstances she has endured and find a stronger sense of herself. This story is sweet, romantic, and so hopeful. I highly recommend this book. Oh, and it also has such a beautiful cover.

Thank you to Lia Louis, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh Emmie Blue. This book started out as okay for me, but by the end I really enjoyed reading about Emmie and her journey. While at times depressing and sad, I also found myself smiling. I enjoyed the writing style and the character development - it truly was a heartwarming story about friendship and love. Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for a digital ARC of this title.

I'm not a huge fan of chick-lit but sometimes you just need a nice little romance to get you through hard times---like maybe a PANDEMIC!!!!
Nothing earth shaking, but it was cute and a much needed respite from real life.

OMG I LOVE this book! Okay this book was nowhere to be found on my radar. I am so thankful that the publisher suggested I read this because it blew me away. No kidding, Emmie Blue stole my heart. What did I love? Every single word of this story. I loved the characters, the premise.......everything.

You know when you crack open a book hoping for the best...then you get that feeling from the very first chapter...that this is it...this is going to be a book that you are going to love? That was Emmie Blue for me. Right from the very first page. Then ...it just got better and better. The characters were so well developed that I felt Emmie was my BFF. I wanted to laugh, cry, hug her and drink lots of wine with her. This girl was so likeable. It felt like when I watch a Meg Ryan movie and you can't help but cheer her on the whole way...yep Emmie again.

My heart broke many times over with this book, yet it was such a feel good book. Does that make sense? I have been on the struggle bus lately with finding a book I can click with ( as much of us at this weird time). This book just blew me away...this is defiantly making it to my top 10 of the year and being adding to my shelf of favorites. Why you ask? It was a book that I spent all day looking forward to when I could get the chance to pick it up again. A book that I will not soon forget. A book that I connected with right from the start. If this is not on your radar, well it should be. I highly suggest you need to meet Emmie Blue if you get the chance. She is a pretty special girl!

Thank you so very much to Atria Books for my ARC via Netgalley

I was initially drawn to this book by its beautiful cover. I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this book and meet Emmie Blue! The book had likeable characters, a creative storyline and some surprising twists. The book is a quick read but I did not want it to end! I cannot wait to recommend it to all of my library patrons who enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant and Evvie Drake. Thank you for such an uplifting book to read during quarantine:)