Dear Emmie Blue quickly became my favorite read of 2020. Everyone needs to read this book. This was a well written and while I thought I knew how this book would end I was surprised and happy with the ending. This was a light read and an easy distraction from the crisis going on in our country. I highly recommend this book. Dear Emmie Blue will be the perfect beach read this summer. I fell in love with Emmie and sweet Louise.

Dear Emmie Blue
Lia Lewis
7/14/20
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What a sweet, heartwarming love story. Emmie Blue finds Lucas at a time in need. Their friendship blossoms in the pages of a true coming of age story... You will root for Emmie and fall for her character. She is a girl you will always want in your corner. So after years of friendships, bonding, learning many life lessons as Emmie embarks on her 30th birthday Lucas has a special question for Emmie- unfortunately for her it’s not what she had hoped and dreamed about. This story follows twists and turns you don’t see coming and this will be a book you can not put down!! It is heartbreaking as well as realistic a story that many of us can absolutely relate to. I laughed out loud many times. This is a beautifully written story that needs to be read!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria books for an Advanced Readers’ Copy for an honest exchange of my review.


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Once you begin Dear Emmie Blue, you will not want it to end. I absolutely adored this debut novel from the first page and couldn’t help but laugh and cry – and everything in between – from cover to cover.

This novel touches on some heavy topics of abandonment and financial hardships, while also exploring being true to yourself and seeing what’s right in front of you. It really had me thinking about friendships, how far you would be willing to go for someone you love, and seeing them for who they really are and not what you want them to be. It’s a story of romance, serendipity, overcoming tragedy, and finding your place, and it is so, so good.

Emmie Blue is a strong, loveable character who has faced many hardships, yet still comes out with a positive outlook on life. You can’t help but root for her as she navigates the world as an adult in love with her best friend. As a teenager, she attached a note to a balloon and sent it off, where it was found 1000 miles away by Lucas who responded with an email. Thus begins a friendship that changes both their lives for the better, but most especially Emmie’s. When she agrees to be his best woman for his wedding, things really start to unfold.

I loved the secondary characters, who provided so much depth to Emmie’s story, but also provided comic relief at times. Rosie and Fox were stellar, and roommate Louise was an unexpected source of wisdom. My favorite character was Eliot, who willingly stepped aside to provide Emmie with the friendship she needed most to survive.

Run to the store when this comes out. You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC of this book.

I LOVED this book. I didn't know much about the plot before starting it, and it actually blew me away. Very highly recommend for anyone looking to escape a bit right now. Thank you for letting me experience it.

I absolutely loved this book! The first half of the book felt like I was watching My Best Friend’s Wedding (which I loved as a kid). Was I supposed to root for Lucas? Yeah I guess. But just like in the 90s rom com movie, emmie doesn’t get the Knight in shining armor But she gets something better, and real. Such a great little romantic comedy book (chick lit I guess?). I loved it, I loved Eliot and Louise. I loved that Emmie got her head out of her ass and went for the right guy!

Wow, I'm shocked. This blew my socks off. This was fantastic and something I completely recommend to those that enjoy a good emotional read.

In a literary version of "My Best Friend's Wedding'," with a slightly different outcome, we are taken along on Emmie Blue's journey of being best woman in her best guy friend's wedding (not quite over the shock of not being his fiancee). In the first half, I found myself continuously finding parallels between the Julia Roberts movie and this book. However in the second half, we finally get to see Emmie pull herself together with. . . . Lucas's brother Eliot. A bit cliché? Sure. But if we let go of literary snobbishness and relax into the novel, we can peel back the onion and see how Emmie is transforming and growing into the woman she needs to be outside the shadow of Lucas. And, as promised in the book blurb and by other reviewers, not everything is as Emmie once believed, with respect to her idolization of Lucas.

If you love a rom-com that's easy to read, approachable with relatable characters and a heart-warming read on a rainy day, this could be just the book for you. Predictable? Sure, I'll give you that. But that doesn't mean it's not enjoyable and entertaining. Having just read a dark and twisty novel before, this was just the palate cleanser I needed!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster as well as Net Galley for an ARC of this novel!

Fourteen years ago Emmie Blue released a balloon with just her email address. An ocean away Lucas Moreau finds the balloon and a friendship forms at a time in their lives when they both needed a friend .

It’s always been Lucas and Emmie. With an absent mother, an MIA father and a tragic HS memory Emmie has had a rough childhood. Lucas has always been her rock. Never a smoldering romance, but they love each other like no other. On the eve of their 30th birthday Emmie is sure Lucas is about to propose when he announced his engagement only to ask Emmie as his Best Man.

Can she stand by his side while he walks down the aisle? How will life change once he says “I do”? Can Emmie find HER ever after?

I can’t even explain how much I loved this book! I could not put it down, finished it in one day. Emmie Blue is the character that you want to root for! Highly recommend!

This was such a cute and fast read. The characters are well developed. Emmie has a hard upbringing but once she meets Lucas things get better. Their friendship throughout the years is darling. I'd highly recommend for a fast summer read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher, Atria/Emily Bestler books, for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

Description from the publisher: 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.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis. This is my first novel by Louis, and will look for her writing in the future after finishing this. I really enjoyed the title character's realness and how she dealt with the challenges given to her throughout the novel and throughout her life. I definitely agree with the comparisons Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Evvie Drake Starts Over, both of which I adored. I'm so looking forward to Lia's future novels.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

While this is definitely a poignant read about growing up and doing what is right for you, regardless of what the rest of the world thinks, for some reason, I just didn't connect to the story or the characters.

It was an emotional story that I can see a lot of people loving and enjoying and I did like it and the writing was great, I just don't think it quite hit me in all the feels I was hoping it would. Still a beautiful story about growing up, friendship, love, and life.

This book is ultimately between a 4 and a 5 for me and I am actually going to bump it to a 5 because I so enjoyed it. I also recommend not reading any reviews of this story because I actually really enjoyed not knowing where the story was going to go (although aby 25% I had a strong idea of where I wanted it to go!)

Dear Emmie Blue is a beautiful story about confidence, belief in oneself, friendship, and ultimately love. Emmie Blue is turning 30, in love with her best friend, and thinks he is going to propose. She met Lucas when she was 16, devastated after a seriously detrimental experience, and she released a balloon with her email and a secret, which was found 100 miles later by Lucas. The balloon sparks a fast friendship between Emmie and Lucas, and as a the story continues, you learn more about their friendship, and Emmie's relationship with Lucas' family, through flashbacks.

Unfortunately for Emmie, Lucas isn't actually proposing but he is telling her he is getting married and asks her to be his best woman. I was SCREAMING at the book when I realized that Emmie was going to say yes - like is this going to be a retelling of My Best Friend's Wedding cuz if so I am both into it and not into it. Needless to say, wildness ensues, you will learn more about Lucas and Emmie's friendship, you will meet amazing side characters (Rosie! Fox! LOUISE!), and most importantly, Emmie will learn so much more about herself. Emmie Blue is one of the strongest heroine's I've read in a book, which is funny because she is a bit wishy washy, but she truly comes across as someone that you just want to root for. The first 20% or so is a bit slow, especially because Lucas is not my favorite, but when it ramps up it really ramps up. I highly recommend!

**Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Emmie Blue
Lia Louis
Releases July 14, 2020.

I received a reviewer copy of this book. All opinions are my own, as they always are.

My heart is absolutely full after finishing this book. I had never even heard of it but I am so thankful that I recieved a copy. It chewed up my heart and spit it out whole.

Emmie Blue is a bit of a loner. She has no dad, no siblings, her mum is always away, her "friends" have all recently turned their backs on her. In a desperate attempt to find a connection, she releases a balloon with a note attached. The note states a secret and has her contact info attached.

Lucas finds her balloon an ocean away and responds to Emmie. They connect right away and he is everything she has been looking for. Fate brought them together. The trio of Emmie, Lucas, and his brother, Eliot. Until their 19th birthday when the past gets brought up and Eliot falls out of the trio.

She realizes that she is in love with Lucas and Lucas tells her he is getting married and asks her to be his best woman in the wedding. Heartbroken, she accepts anyway and decides to be the best best woman in the world. Anything for her best friend, right?

It forces her to interact with Eliot again all these years later and things aren't adding up anymore. Everything she thought she knew, she now has to question. Feeling more alone than ever, she and Eliot start spending more time together and she feels like maybe she'll make it through this whole wedding unscathed. But she doesn't. Her world gets rocked throughout and she doesn't know who she will be when she comes out on the other side.

Favorite quote:
Maybe home isn’t a place. It’s a feeling. Of being looked after and understood. Of being loved.

I thought this was a sweet story that had a “happily ever after” ending. The characters were likeable although it was fairly predictable. A light, enjoyable read overall. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

I was on the fence coming into this book, based off the synopsis. I had a feeling it would go one-of-two ways and, to be honest, I started off not liking this book. But once the heart of the story was revealed to me, and I met the side characters, I was done for...

Emmie was difficult to enjoy in the beginning of the book. You could tell right away she had a lot of growing to do. She completely relied on Lucas for her sole happiness. Everything she did was based off of him and it drove me nuts. Fox summed it up best by saying “I think you put too much onus on this man. You don’t give yourself enough credit. Who you are on your own.” Once I got more into the book, my love for Emmie grew. Watching her find her way, watching her grow and learn about herself, and challenge herself to not let her past define her, she became the lead heroine I was starving for.

Rosie and Louise were the perfect pillars of strength, love, and humor in the book. She showcased that family isn’t defined by blood, it’s defined by heart. I think everyone can benefit by having either one of these type of women in your life. Eliot was the guy I was not expecting, and I was pleasantly surprised by him. He made my heart hurt and butterflies flutter in my stomach. I was on team Eliot all they way, wearing the supportive shirt and holding my sign waiting for Emmie to open her eyes.

The writing flowed effortlessly throughout the whole story. It had an interesting concept of intertwining past with present conversation to help enhance the feelings for a particular moment. The past conversations were used more like an inner monologue of Emmie’s thoughts to help us understand what she was thinking at a particular moment. Another aspect I loved about the book is the mix tape track titles. Those tiny little confession broke my heart because of pure and innocence they carried. These slow reveals are the only thing that helped show Emmie she was loved during the times she felt alone and deserted.

I went in expecting to not like or connect with this story, but man was I so glad to be proven wrong. This story was so endearing and heartbreaking with humor and insightful self-awareness weaved in between. I was captivated and entertained to the point where I didn’t want to put down this story. Thank you to Netgally and Atria for this free copy for my honest review.

This book was adorable, filled with darling words and carefully crafted writing, but also filled with hints of sadness. With her dysfunctional and almost non-existent relationship with her mother, Emmie learns how to be resilient and self-sufficient at a young age. With the support of her quirky work friends and Lucas, she finds the motivation to overcome her past and make strides towards her future. Overall, I enjoyed the short, quick chapters and beautiful writing. A solid 4 stars from me! Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t really expecting to love this book, but I find that I did, and that’s always the best kind of book. The unexpected one that sucks you in and you get through with rapid speed only to realize what you’re doing and try to slow down to capture the experience only to then say to hell with it because you just want to finish.

You’ll see other people say that the plot isn’t original, and it’s not, but it’s not really about the story alone, it’s about the people and characters, and every character is lovely in this book. Which sounds like it could be boring, to not have anyone you dislike, but everyone comes with baggage and it’s Emmie’s journey of figuring that out that really made the book.

Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis is a charming read that contains far more emotional depth than I had initially expected based on the sweetly innocent cover and accompanying synopsis. What a pleasant surprise to find such a heartwarming story within, one that touches on the many relatable themes of loss, isolation, longing, unrequited love, and the search for that one person who will make your heart sing unlike any other.

Emmie Blue is a sad sixteen year old when she releases a red balloon into the sky from the grounds of her English school with only her name, email address and deepest secret contained within. The balloon is discovered by Lucas Moreau in France, and he responds to Emmie, thus beginning an intense friendship that will last for decades. When Lucas invites Emmie to meet, she is certain that her closest friend is ready to take the next step. Will her 'balloon boy' finally cement his place as the love of her life?

This is a story that draws the reader in with rich characterization, and it is certainly quite easy to empathize with the long suffering Emmie. This is a fresh take on a familiar premise and, as such, it will keep you guessing until the very end,

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.