Initial Impressions 5/15/15: OHHHHH my gosh that was SO GOOD. I loved it from start to finish. Let's for one quick second get really picky here and say that I didn't like the little interlude chapters. They were awkward and could have easily been incorporated in the book. I also just really hate little kid voices (they highlighted the young past of Emmy & Oliver for those who haven't read yet) so it was just very blegh for me. Still sad about the interludes though for real. Take those away and this is SOLID five stars. I will take off a quarter star for those but who am I? A gymnastics judges at the Olympics? YOU GET FIVE STARS. 
 OKAY. SO. I was hooked from start to finish. Robin Benway has this magical writing, especially in this book, that incorporates so many tones and undertones all at once. As we know from the synopsis (and the very first pages of the book so this isn't a spoiler), Oliver gets kidnapped. The book is about what happens after his return so this isn't the lightest topic out there... But Robin Benway also incorporates the same humor that I loved in her ALSO KNOWN AS books, blending a perfect amount of emotional, reflection, and belly laughs. I went from laughing out loud to swooning to crying to more swooning to "HOW AM I UGLY CRYING RIGHT NOW". Ugh, this book. Ugh, my feels. I just loved it. 
 I want to put this book in everyone's hands... and yet I don't know if I want to give up my ARC. MINE. MUST KEEP FOR FEELS. (And pre-ordering my finished copy too.) 
 Full review as originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 6/10/15: EMMY & OLIVER was a truly magical book. I had expected to love it since I just adored the two previous Robin Benway novels I've read (ALSO KNOWN AS and its sequel GOING ROGUE) but since those two books were a bit more light and just plain fun, I wasn't sure what to really expect from a more serious novel. Long story short, it was absolutely fantastic in so many ways. 
 EMMY & OLIVER was a perfect blend of really just about everything. I had mentioned that I wasn't quite sure what the overall tone would be and that's still hard to answer after reading the book because it's honestly a mix and I think that's what I loved about it. The book just felt like real life. These characters had some pretty rough lows and also some fantastically amazing times. I went from laughing out loud to ugly crying. The range of emotions captured was truly impressive and really allowed me to get to know each character in depth. 
 The blend of action and character development was wonderful as well. I felt relief, suspense, tension, tenderness, swoony, happy, surprised... The general concept as well as the progression of the plot always kept me hooked, wondering where these characters would be when the book came to a close. Once I was halfway through, I just really couldn't put the book down! The characters had my heart aching and fluttering and racing. Emmy and Oliver had great chemistry and it was so incredibly interesting to see them reunite in this book and try to fill in the missing years. 
 The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the interlude chapters that give us an insight to Emmy & Oliver's past before he disappeared. I wouldn't have minded information in flashback form but these chapters switching POV (from first person to third) and were also from very young Emmy & Oliver's POV. It's not something I speak about often, but I have a very hard time with young voices in books (usually it's in the form of a character's sibling) because it always feels out of place and never quite seems realistic. I also think they disrupted the flow of the book and each time one reappeared, I was bummed out about it. I think that could have been incorporated into the dialogue somehow to avoid the flashbacks... but all of this is definitely more of a personal thing though so take it with a grain of salt! 
 I honestly can't say enough good things about this book and how it made me feel. Trying to put it into words seems near impossible because I'm pretty terrible at translating those thoughts into a review when a book has really captured my heart. I'm sure Robin Benway's fans will be picking this one up as soon as it hits the shelves (or before) but if you haven't read her books before, this is also an excellent place to start!