I didn't finish this book. I wasn't what I thought it was, and I couldn't get into it. I tired, but it just wasn't for me. I do appreciate you letting me try. Thank you.

This book follows some of the typical plot lines, but the characterization, writing, and overall environment makes it stand out. The beginning of the book made me assume it would be like countless others I've read before - but it truly is unique and heartwarming!

One thing that makes this book stand out is the complex nature of Emmie's relationship with Lucas, and his family. The author does a wonderful job of creating a full story of Emmie without diving too deeply into tropes, or spending too much time on flashbacks. Like a real person, Emmie's complex - yes, she has a complicated past, but she's also a normal 30-something who's in love with her best friend. Throw in the complex family dynamics and a happy ending and you've got something warm but not saccharine - the perfect read!

This is a super sweet, lighthearted, fun, but surprisingly deep novel about love and all the kinds of relationships one encounters through this journey we call life. The characterization is to die for. Each and every character is fully fleshed out and perfectly life like. One of my biggest pet peeves when reading a book is when you can tell a story is driven primarily by the plot. You could put any character, with vastly different personalities in the role and the story would remain the same. Dear Emmie Blue, on the other hand, is character driven, and the story comes from them. Lia Louis does a masterful job of giving her characters a life of their own, and because of this the story flows naturally and beautifully. I couldn’t put this one down. It is a perfect summer read!

Dear Emmie Blue warmed me from the inside out! I loved reading about Emmie’s experiences and how they led her to her various friends and family. I enjoyed the witty banter between Fox and Rosie and also between Lucas, Emmie, and Eliot. Lastly, Emmie’s growth throughout this novel is so substantial. I was rooting for her the whole time!!

Dear Emmie Blue how I adored you! 16 year Emmie released a 🎈 and 16 year old birthday twin Lucas finds it. The two begin emailing and become the best of friends. Aww that sounds really cute, most definitely a fluff read. I just wasn't feeling it and almost passed up my opportunity to read this. Luckily I came to my senses. You know what? It was more complex than I thought. This absolutely beautiful story had some deeper life issues, yet sweet Emmie was such a positive soul. Go ahead, take a chance on Dear Emmie Blue!

This was a very cute story, but also a little all over the place.

When she was sixteen, Emmie Blue released a red balloon on the field of her high school. It was attached to a letter containing her name, email and a secret. Lucas Moreau found the balloon weeks later on a beach in France, emailed her, and they became best friends. Now, Emmie Blue realizes she is in love with Lucas, and is hoping she'll be able to confess her feelings.

This was a cute love story. It made me feel a lot of big emotions at times. I think this book had potential to wreck me, but it just didn't get there. It was extremely slow, and nothing monumental really happened until it got toward the end of the book. It also jumped around a lot. There were too many subplots to keep track of.

Overall, this was a cute but probably forgettable story. It's definitely good for a beach read.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange from my honest review. [book:Dear Emmie Blue|52761268] is scheduled for release July 14, 2020.

Thank you Milena Brown from Atria Books for asking me to read this book. Thank you NetGalley for the free eARC.

This book is full the most interesting group of characters. It is made up of interesting and relatable personalities and situations. The variety of characters definitely makes this story one that will appeal to many.

It's the perfect mix of mystery, love (friend and more), connection, self exploration, and family/societal dynamics. It is most definitely contemporary/adult fiction.

My favourite part has to be the attention to and interesting use of detail. It really brings the whole story together and make it the wonderful tale that it is.

Character I was so I would like but ended up loving: Rosie
Character I craved more of: Eliot

This book is a perfect beach read, pandemic read, it is a good read.

This was a beautifully written story of hope, love, friendships , and dreams. It is emotional in spots so get your Kleenex ready!
Many thanks to Atria Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I really, really enjoyed this book. It's not like others that I read. I thought I was reading a cute, romance novel, but it was so much deeper than that in many beautiful ways. It would thoughtful and eye-opening. Lots of tears! All the stars for this one!

I enjoyed Dear Emmie Blue. It is a cute story with interesting characters. Emmie Blue is in love with "Balloon Boy," the boy who found her balloon with her deepest secret that she let go when she was sixteen. Since then, they have been best mates. But now, with "Balloon Boy" getting married everything is changing. I enjoyed the flashbacks and the buildup to the end. It was a bit predictable, but still enjoyable.

So cute and fun to read. It fe a lot like Eleanor Oliphant. I highly recommend for rom com lovers. It felt like a few good movie. I binged this in a day!

What a charming book! I really enjoyed this one. I had never heard of this author, but when the publisher sent me access to an early copy and I read the synopsis, I was excited to read it. The concept of a teenage girl releasing a balloon with a message and a boy in another country finding it and beginning a friendship is just lovely. It hooked me.

Most of the characters in the book are sweet and lovable. Emmie Blue had a difficult childhood, but her friendship with Lucas Moreau has carried her through her toughest times. Now, Lucas is getting married, and Emmie is conficted because she thinks she is in love with him. Through the course of the story, we see Emmie come to terms with several aspects of her life. She learns what love really is, and it isn't what she expected. I particularly enjoyed reading about her growing friendship with Eliot, Lucas' brother. Eliot is a great character because he is compassionate and genuine. He might just be my new book character crush! There are several other side characters in this book that add depth and enjoyment to the plot, especially Emmie's landlord Louise.

The plot has some moments that are frustrating because characters are completely misunderstanding each other. I get a bit tired of female characters getting so caught up in their own insecurities that they misread the motives of the men in their lives. However, that minor annoyance does not detract from the overall enjoyment of this book.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. I thoroughly enjoyed my time inside this story line. Emmie Blue is a character that is endearing and memorable.

" I tend to only fancy one person at a time."


Guys, This is my favorite book so far this year!

Oh, the feels! So many feels. It was everything I wanted it to be.

There were tears, sad moments, happy moments, don't-leave types of moments, and ecstatic moments.

As a lover of romance, Dear Emmie Blue melted my heart. My kindle is full of highlights. So many favorite one-liners <3.

So what's the book about?

I almost don't want to tell you. I want you to experience it yourself.

But in case you're wondering......

Emmie Blue is turning thirty. Her life is not where she envisioned it. Far from it. She is living in Louise's house. An older lady, who rents a room and is as quiet as Emmie. She's working at a hotel instead of working at a high school. She never met her father and her mother is as warm as a cactus (please forgive me cactuses for the comparison). Emmie's mother has been in and out of Emmie's life as far as she can remember.

Emmie's best friend is Lucas. The boy who found her balloon all those years back. The boy who knows her secret. The boy who is now a man and whom Emmie has fallen in love with without telling him. The man who shares her own birthday. The man she's waiting for him to notice he loves her back.

When Lucas asks Emmie to meet him in France (he lives there, she lives in the UK) for a special dinner, Emmie thinks this is it. He's finally going to pop the question. Yet, this is not what happens. Instead, her heart is broken. With the news he gives her, she knows things will change between them.

Dear Emmie Blue was a charming, endearing story with lovable characters. Ballon Boy stole my heart. At the 53% mark, I hit my forehead when I finally realized what my heart was telling me to be true.

The secondary characters were so well done. Rosie was the best girlfriend someone could have. Her sincerity, no-nonsense personality and her humor made her stellar. Fox presence complimented the trio too. Louise also found a place in my heart. She was a quiet presence until she wasn't anymore.

"I support you and accept you, even though you're a wreck."


Dear Emmie Blue is a road to self-discovery for our main character, Emmie... A time to grow and do some needed soul-searching. To stand up and become stronger. To learn that despite adversity and a lousy past, you can be better. You can be happy ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you, thank you, Atria for sending me this book!

Cliffhanger: No

5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Atria via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Emmie Blue made my heart ache in a good way and a bad way! I felt so sad for Emmie with everything that she has experienced in her life but then also mad at her for being a complete fool at times. Really wasn’t sure where this book was going at first but I’m so happy with where it went and once I started it, I just couldn’t stop!! This is definitely a book I will recommend over and over again!

I almost gave up on this book. It tool a really long time for me to get into it. I dont know if its our current situation or if it was the book.

It eventually got good. My favourite part was the relationship with her landlord and with Eliot (eventually)

Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for this ARC.

I didn’t think I would love this book as much as I did. I thought it would be the cute, predictable love story and I definitely thought I had everything figured out about half way through. I was pleasantly surprised to be completely wrong about where this story took a turn. This story has more depth than just girl pines after boy. It goes into complicated relationships with family members and has an amazing cast of supporting characters that I fell in love with and need to know more about. After the slow burn of a beginning, Emmie will have you smiling as you read and wishing for more.⁣

Emmie Blue has been abandoned, betrayed or neglected by every adult in her life. Her mother leaves 14 year old Emmie alone for weeks at a time, and Emmie has no idea who her father is. Emmie's mother claims her birth was the result of a one night stand with a musician, but gives no other details. The father of Emmie's best friend (who is also a teacher at Emmie's school) commits an atrocious act of sexual assault on Emmie, but no one believes her. All this poor little girl wants is someone to love and trust, and to be loved in return. One night Emmie releases a red balloon into the air-it travels many miles and lands at the feet of Lucas- and the friend Emmie has longed for is found. Over the next sixteen years Emmie and Lucas exchange emails, texts and even visits. Their bond grows deeper every year even though they are apart. Now they are 30 and Lucas tells Emmie he needs to ask her something very important. Emmie is sure Lucas wants to marry her even though their relationship has never been romantic. Emmie Blue is a lovely, bittersweet story-your heart will ache for Emmie and all she endures. Surely Emmie's due a happily every after with the boy she has loved half her life. Dear Emmie Blue alternates between the teenaged and adult Emmie & Lucas and highlights their starkly different circumstances. Lucas lives with his wealthy parents and brother, Emmie struggles to get by. But Dear Emmie Blue is so charming you'll be smiling through your tears. Pay close attention to the little snippets of notes and CD playlists at the end of some chapters. I was almost two thirds through Dear Emmie Blue before I understood what was really going on, and that realization brought the biggest smile of all. Kudos to Lia Louis for pulling off one of the subtlest twists in romantic literary history. Dear Emmie Blue will turn even the most hardened cynics into hopeless romantics. If you ever find a red balloon pick it up-you'll marvel how something so small can bring the biggest surprise.

Wow! Dear Emmie Blue was a beautiful story about friendship, heartache and love that will capture your heart from the very beginning. I absolutely loved this story!

I was having a VERY hard time focusing on any books, until Atria sent this one to me. It was exactly what I needed during this strange, uncertain season. With compelling, empathetic, quirky characters and a story with a LOT of heart, this book made me smile and cry the whole way through. By the time it was over I didn't want to let Emmie Blue go, but loved seeing how things turned out for her. If you're looking for a heartwarming story or are a fan of Jenny Colgan, Kerry Winfrey, or Abbi Waxman, give this one a try and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Sixteen year old, Emmie Blue, releases a red balloon into the air that contains her contact info and her deepest secret. Across the channel in France, Lucas Moreau discovers the balloon and emails Emmie.

Fourteen years later, Emmie & Lucas are the best of friends and she's realized that she's in love with him. However, Lucas has just proposed to someone else. Should she tell him how she feels? Is she losing her best friend? Emmie Blue will soon find that life never goes the way you expect it to.

This read wasn't as light as I was expecting. It definitely had depth in its themes. Emmie was so endearing as she faced the truths from her past and the struggles of her present. There was also a wonderful cast of supporting characters who brought so much to the story. It was a quick-read and a really lovely story. of friendship, love and possibilities.

This would be a great summer read! I really enjoyed it! Thanks to Atria Books for reaching out to me with a digital ARC through NetGalley!