I can't seem to make myself interested enough to pick up this book after reading 25%. I find it quite confusing and the characters too uninteresting to care about.

. Overall, Dear Emmie Blue was too consistently predictable; I saw all of the twists coming from miles away. While I love romance's predictability, what makes them feel fresh is the little subversions of tropes and reader expectations, and there were no moments like that for me.

3.5 stars rounded up! Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Emmie Blue is a sweet, heartwarming story. I was immediately drawn to the premise. 16 year old Emmie releases a balloon with her biggest secret attached and her email address. A few weeks later, Lucas Moreau finds it and the two teens develop a deep friendship.

The story moved a bit too slow for my taste and I personally thought that the way the story went back and forth from past to present was slightly confusing (I had to double check the dates often).

Regardless, I am so glad that I kept reading the story until the end because it was very rewarding! I really enjoyed all of the characters and wanted to see them through. Dear Emmie Blue is definitely one of those books that you put down and say “awwww” with a big smile. I’m looking forward to reading Lia Louis’ next book.

3.5 Stars rounded up! This was such a sweet and delightful read. Lovable characters and an entertaining although predictable plot, I really enjoyed this one. Pick this one up if you love the movie My Best Friend’s Wedding.

I think my expectations got a bit too lofty for this one, but this had really strong smart undertones that really made it a powerful book. And there were some immensely adorable scenes. Loved all the family dynamics and especially Louise.

I fell completely in love with this book!
It has got to be the best book of 2020!
Thanks NetGalley Publisher and Author for this gifted copy!.

I didn't hate this one, but I didn't love this one either. Emmie frustrated me tremendously! I listened to the audiobook and didn't care for the narrator that much. I felt her voice gave the whole book a very depressing and sad feel. I enjoyed parts of the book though so this one gets 3 stars.

This book surprised me. It started off a little slow and I thought for sure I had it pegged right from the start but I didn’t and that made me really love this book. I loved that the characters grew and changed throughout the story so I was always waiting to see what was going to happen next.

4.25 stars / This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com today.

Emmie Blue’s life has never been normal. Her mom hasn’t been around much. Since Emmie was a young teen, her mom has been on the road traveling with festivals. Emmie doesn’t even know her father. All she knows is what her mom told her. He was a one night fling at a festival, a rock drummer. And then one night at a school dance, she had an experience no teen should have to suffer. It changed Emmie.

One day she tied a card to a balloon and let it go. Lucas found it, far away in France. He had just moved from England and was horribly homesick. He reached out to Emmie via email and a friendship was born. A lifelong friendship of two people who happen to share the same birthday. Kismet. Lucas had a very normal family and normal life and was happy to share it with Emmie. Best friends forever. Until Emmie realizes that maybe she wants more than just friendship from Lucas.

This was a really fun, heartfelt novel about friendship, dreams, broken promises, family and love. Life is messy, and Emmie’s may be messier than most. You’ll laugh and cry with Emmie as she finds herself and what she really wants in life. This was a hard to put down book. The entire cast of characters is so much fun. I’d read this again!!

Wow this book is such a great read. Don't let the sweet, pretty cover fool you because this book packs a punch. I love a character driven story and Emmie Blue was just that for me. I'm anticipating this being a wonderful movie that will make me laugh & cry just like this book did.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for this review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am in love with this book! The story was so beautiful. I laughed and cried and I got angry. It is everything you could want from a book.

I love Emmie. I want to hug her and tell her she is amazing.

I couldn't stop reading after I got to the half-way mark. This book is perfection. Highly recommend. 

I am so surprised that I haven't seen more about this book. The writing is incredible. And the character development is superb.

Seriously, read this book.

Thank you to Emily Bestler Books and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lonely and vulnerable following a traumatic event, sixteen-year-old Emmie Blue reaches out to her neglectful mother in the hopes of finding support and comfort. Her mother's response is harsh, critical and she ends up siding with everyone else on the issue. In an effort to rid of herself of this terrible secret, and hoping for a friend, Emmie lets a red balloon go with her secret and her email attached. Enter Lucas, who finds her balloon on a beach in France, and there begins a life-changing friendship.

Fourteen years later, Lucas has always been there for Emmie, and she is hopelessly in love with him. She has all but abandoned trying to connect with her mom, searching for her father, or developing relationships with others in her life. When Lucas tells Emmie he has something to ask her, something he can't do over the phone, she desperately hopes he is about to reveal his true feelings. What comes next shocks Emmie. Will her happily ever come true? Or will secrets lead her down a different path?

I couldn't help but fall in love with Emmie Blue! She felt so relatable, most likely because I too have felt alone and undeserving of happiness at times throughout my life. At various points throughout the book all I wanted to do was give her a hug. I thought Lia Louis did a wonderful job in creating a ensemble of characters, each very different from the other. My favourite relationship had to have been the one between Emmie and her landlady Louise. The transformation of their relationship from start to finish was heartwarming, and it drove home the notion that we don't always know what someone else has been through. The wit and humour provided by her friends Rosie and Fox was an added bonus. The narration involves flashbacks to different points throughout their friendship, and I thought it worked perfectly for this story in order to piece everything together. The writing flowed easily, and made for light reading.

An uplifting story of friendship, family, love, resilience, and learning that life doesn't always turn out the way we plan, Dear Emmie Blue is the perfect summer read. I will admit I was pleasantly surprised how much I ended up enjoying this book. It's perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, those looking for a light, heartwarming read, and anyone who likes a story of resilience.

Content Warnings: strained parental relationship, sexual assault

Oh, Emmie Blue! I LOVE THIS BOOK! Love that there are several layers to her story and this is not simply a romance novel - her heartbreakingly stupid parents, her struggle with the sexual assault when she was younger, how far she has to go/grow to realize her own worth.... Love her friendship with Fox and feisty Rosie. And even though I loved the Lucas thing at the beginning, I like how the author slowly lets you fall in love with Elliot. I want more! And now for a book hangover....

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an early review copy of Emmie Blue. Sadly, this one didn’t connect with me – at all. Perhaps it’s a generational thing, but the action of the characters was so far from the reality of life as I know it, that it simply wasn’t enjoyable.

Adding to that was the atrocious usage of the English language. Perhaps that was due to the draft nature of the review copy. This misuse of nominative and objective pronouns was not just in dialogue, but in text, as well.

And then there were the constant 4-letter words.

I certainly wish this new author well and applaud the unique idea of the balloon connection. It began as a cute, creative and heartwarming story. I’m glad so many early readers enjoyed it.

I quit at the 50% mark.

**3.5 stars**

Dear Emmie Blue is a cute, heartwarming story. I thought the plot was really creative and interesting. The romance in it was adorable. But, I had a lot of trouble connecting to these characters. Part of that was there was just so many different, hard issues to unpack for Emmie. It hits on sexual assault, victim blaming, loneliness, death, toxic parents and cheating. Yet, the pace was much slower than I preferred, especially at the beginning. I’m definitely in the minority, but I didn’t love this one as much as I had hoped.

I loved this book so much!! Even the cover was fantastic. This was so sweet and romantic. I cried at the end.

This was a cute light read by a debut author. The story of Emmie releasing a balloon and it being found by Lucas, beginning a long friendship/romance was a bit predictable, however, and built very slowly, I also found that the technique of telling the story going back and forth from past to present didn't hold my interest.

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me this advanced copy!

This was a really cute story. I found myself loving the relationships between all of the different characters. Each relationship had its own personality dependent upon who the people were. I found myself totally loving Rosie and Elliott.

This was sweet and had so many deep issues that were addressed. What I liked that the author did was she made it so you didn’t feel traumatized by the events. You felt sad and heartbroken, but you felt for Emmie rather than turn away.

I listened to this on audio as well and found it hard to follow the back and forth in time sometimes. But it was cute to see how Emmie and Lucas and Elliott got to where they are now. There were some unexpected twists along the way. I just wish there was more in the end! I wasn’t ready for it to be done.

Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis is about the power of friendship and the importance of having someone believe in you. One friendship of this book has elements of an unhealthy relationship - some of Lucas's choices and Emmy's dependence on him. Overall though, a story that starts off in a teenager's darkness ends up sweet and charming. The lasting impression... Everyone should have a friend like Balloon Boy in their life.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2020/03/dear-emmie-blue.html

Reviewed for NetGalley

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.