9780062398178
Play Sample

Emmy & Oliver audiobook

  • By: Robin Benway
  • Narrator: Phoebe Strole
  • Length: 8 hours 54 minutes
  • Publisher: HarperCollins
  • Publish date: June 23, 2015
  • Language: English
  • (19189 ratings)
(19189 ratings)
33% Cheaper than Audible
Get for $0.00
  • $9.99 per book vs $14.95 at Audible
    Good for any title to download and keep
  • Listen at up to 4.5x speed
    Good for any title to download and keep
  • Fall asleep to your favorite books
    Set a sleep timer while you listen
  • Unlimited listening to our Classics.
    Listen to thousands of classics for no extra cost. Ever
Loading ...
Regular Price: 27.99 USD

Emmy & Oliver Audiobook Summary

Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy’s soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles–impossible to fit together?

Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life. . . . She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach–go anywhere without her parents’ relentless worrying. But Emmy’s parents can’t seem to let her grow up–not since the day Oliver disappeared.

Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart. . . . He’d thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who had kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing, and his thoughts swirling.

Readers who love Sarah Dessen will devour these pages with hearts in throats as Emmy and Oliver struggle to face the messy, confusing consequences of Oliver’s father’s crime. Full of romance, coming-of-age emotion, and heartache, these two equally compelling characters create an unforgettable story.

Other Top Audiobooks

Emmy & Oliver Audiobook Narrator

Phoebe Strole is the narrator of Emmy & Oliver audiobook that was written by Robin Benway

ROBIN BENWAY is a National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of seven novels for young adults, including Audrey, Wait!; the AKA series; Emmy & Oliver; and Far From the Tree. Her books have received numerous awards and recognition, including a Blue Ribbon Award from the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, ALA Booklist’s Best Books for Young Adults, and ALA Booklist’s Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults. In addition, her novels have received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, ALA Booklist, and Publishers Weekly and have been published in more than twenty-five countries. Her previous book, Far From the Tree, won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and the PEN America award. Robin grew up in Orange County, California; attended NYU, where she was the recipient of the Seth Barkas Prize for Creative Writing; and is a graduate of UCLA. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

About the Author(s) of Emmy & Oliver

Robin Benway is the author of Emmy & Oliver

Emmy & Oliver Full Details

Narrator Phoebe Strole
Length 8 hours 54 minutes
Author Robin Benway
Publisher HarperCollins
Release date June 23, 2015
ISBN 9780062398178

Additional info

The publisher of the Emmy & Oliver is HarperCollins. The imprint is HarperCollins. It is supplied by HarperCollins. The ISBN-13 is 9780062398178.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Emily May

May 11, 2015

“Well, that’s growing up, isn’t it?” my dad said. “You don’t always have to know. And things aren’t always fair. You just have to keep moving forward. A step in one direction.” Yet another book that has me wondering just what is going on in the book marketing/design world. With a title like Emmy & Oliver and the heart-shaped finger prints on the cover, pretty much everyone will pick this book up thinking they know exactly what they're going to get - a cute romance. In reality, this book is not a romance. Maybe it's 25% romance at the very most. Rather, Emmy & Oliver is a coming-of-age story about friendships, family, growing up, life in a small town and learning to be something on your own, separate from your friends and family. To call this a romance would grossly oversimplify a quiet, moving and funny story about all these important things.Emmy and Oliver were childhood best friends until Oliver's father kidnapped him as a kid. The kidnapping shakes their entire small town and we see the lasting effect it has on everyone else - from the friends Oliver left behind to the parents who become extremely overprotective of their own kids. Then, ten years later, Oliver is found and returned home. Emmy is unsure whether she wants to rebuild what they once had, or even if it's possible, but she is curious about the person who has returned and how much of her old friend lingers beneath the surface.This is such a sensitive and thoughtful story about many different relationships. There's something about the way Benway handles her characterization that makes us care about every individual in this book. Forget Emmy and Oliver for a second, we also see Emmy's relationship with her two other friends - Caroline and Drew - through some of the best-written dialogue I've read in a long time. And we get a glimpse into the complex relationship Emmy has with her overprotective parents; both her love for them and her frustration with them.Honestly, I loved these characters and the dynamic between them. I think Emmy & Oliver is all the more powerful because it feels so real and honest. The people in this book feel both unique and universal at the same time. It is not cheesy, there are no sex gods or instaromances of any kind, it channels some feminist vibes, and friendship is put before anything else. Very highly recommended. “You’re just a weirdo,” he said. “That’s all.” Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr

Wendy Darling

May 13, 2015

Awwwww. I love absolutely everybody in this book.

Aimee

July 05, 2015

Have you been looking for a non-dramatic (but yes, I did shed some tears--emotional teenage girl right here) YA contemporary that'll make your face hurt from too much smiling? If you: a) nodded your head, b) screamed FUCK YES, c) gasped or d) did all of the above, then Emmy & Oliver is going to be your next favorite read!To be honest with you, I initially thought that this book was going to be full of drama llamas and "lyrical" writing (y'all know I hate those), and I've never been happier to have been proven wrong.Right off the bat, we're introduced to Emmy and her best friends. The bond between this group is so strong that you could feel how genuine it was right from the first chapter. What I especially love about them is that they have their ups and downs (there's this very realistic fight that happens somewhere towards the end of the book), but they still remain friends through thick and thin.Now, their group hasn't been complete since Oliver was "kidnapped" by his father. You might expect their reunion to have been one of the cheesy ones with big hugs and/or tears of joy, but it was so awkward and realistic and I just loved it.Robin Benway did a brilliant job depicting an honest teenager and her relationships with friends, family and lover. I really found myself empathizing with Emmy and was mentally giving her two thumbs up every time she did something I knew I would do myself.Plus hello, awesome romance! I may have been expecting some instalove since Emmy and Oliver already knew each other as children, but the romance was slow-burn and went through a lot of development. You're going to love watching their relationship turn from awkward acquaintances, to friends, and then to something more.Despite me making it sound like it's a light book--it's not. I can say this is a calm contemporary, but it isn't a light one. The characters (Oliver especially) have their own demons to face. Some scenes were heartbreaking and my throat closed up at some point because of all the crying I did. Luckily, they all have their friends and family (which was another strong point of the book) to support them and to be there for them.I highly recommend Emmy & Oliver to any young adult contemporary fan, or just anyone who's looking for a quick read with swoons, joy and tears.Deadly Darlings | The Social Potato | The Book Geek | Twitter | Instagram

jessica

September 08, 2018

‘he looked like a stranger, and then he met my glance, and it was like i had never stopped seeing him.’ oh, be still my heart! i swear this book was written specifically for me. it was as if robin benway had asked herself, ‘what would be jessicas ideal story? because im going to write it.’ and then she did! lucky me!i really dont know what to say, but i honestly could have read 300 more pages of this. there was just so much that i wanted more of. i thought the story itself was concluded nicely, everything wrapped up with no loose ends. but i really wanted more of oliver. something so tragically interesting happened to him and yet, we really only get to see the surface of what hes going through. i mean, the title of the book is ‘emmy AND oliver,’ if it would have been nice if we could have gotten a least half of the book from his perspective. i just felt like the main event of the book surrounded him, so it would have been more effective had we seen the story from his POV. but overall, i really, really loved this. it was fun, and entertaining, and unique, and warm, and touching, and interesting, and just your classic feel-good YA contemporary. i am one happy bookworm.

Christy

July 27, 2016

4 stars! “Sometimes love isn't something you say, it's something you do.” 
 Emmy & Oliver is a book I picked up because I loved the simplicity and beauty of the cover. I bought the audio before I even read the blurb, but I’m glad I did. I really enjoyed this one. YA book #15 for me this year! Only 10 more to go before I hit my personal challenge!Emmy & Oliver’s lives were both drastically changed when Oliver was kidnapped by his father as a child. Oliver was taken away from his mother, his friends his life. Emmy lost her best friend and her parents became extremely overprotective and driven by fear. This book has it’s sweet, fun and light moments, but it also has deeper moments. When Oliver comes home, things aren’t easy for him. Everything has changed. Everyone has changed. I love how accepting Emmy is of Oliver. She gets that he isn’t the same person he was when he left. She brings him into her group of friends. She becomes close to him once again. As Oliver goes through tough times reacquainting himself to this life, missing his dad and being mad at him at the same time, and just trying to find himself in his new, yet old life, Emmy is there for him 100%. I loved these two together. I loved the support they had for one another and how they were always on each others side. Their friendship was strong and so was the love between them. I listened to the audio and the narration was great. Overall, a fantastic YA book that will leave you with a smile on your face.

Aj the Ravenous Reader

September 18, 2016

"Well, that’s growing up, isn’t it? You don’t always have to know. And things aren’t always fair. You just have to keep moving forward. A step in one direction.” My eyes are still a bit moist from tears of both pain and joy after reading the last few chapters of the book. And Wow! Just…I totally didn’t expect to experience a whirl of emotions over this book. Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t a heavy, dramatic read. In fact, even though there ARE heavy and serious themes, the author managed to magically approach the entire story in such a lighthearted manner. It’s seriously impressive!And yet for me, it was still an emotion filled story which I was completely clueless about because check out that title, it’s just Emily & Oliver. What complicated emotion could possibly emanate from it?! Guess I’m wrong (as usual) because although the book does have romance, it isn’t really a romantic teen-flick as one might innocently deduce from the title, not at all. It’s about so many truthful, relatable things like realistic depictions of growing up, of losing someone you love, the feeling of alienation versus belongingness, the necessity of friendship in all stages of a person’s life and the process by which the smallest but most complex unit operates-I’m referring to family. It all felt so real and I was fully connected to the entire story and every single one of the character who are all completely fleshed out and very relatable. I also loved how Ms. Robin Benway put so much effort in making her writing not only appealing, current, very funny too, but also highly sensitive to various kinds of readers and I wholeheartedly recommend this to everyone. So yeah, onto stalking Ms. Benway’s profile now to check other books she’s already written because I’m an instant fan. ;)To one of the most wonderful people around Goodreads, someone I really look up to and someone who always inspires and motivates me, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Dearest Ate Tanya! May your special day bring you only the best memories!

emma

June 07, 2017

I’ve wanted to read this book for a long time. I used to obsessively add contemporaries to my TBR, and for whatever reason, this one stuck even when I removed most of them. And I’m glad it did.It was, socially, on point. Characters were against slut-shaming and the “not like other girls” trope, as I enthusiastically noted about an hour and a half ago. There were themes of acceptance and homosexuality and gender. It was sick.The characters themselves were pretty great. Emmy was actually funny sometimes (I find that a lot of supposedly-funny YA characters end up not being that way). Oliver was fairly cute, too. Caro was cool, and Drew, despite being a bit stereotypical, didn’t drive me crazy or anything.That’s one of my only complaints about this book, actually. Everything can feel a bit exaggerated. Both Emmy and Oliver’s parents are that cliché of being too strict so that they can have a big fight at the climax when their offspring scream at them, I’m not your little girl/boy/walking-talking-stereotype anymore! But it was a little too much. It made sense in Oliver’s case, because he’s just returned after being kidnapped by his dad. But in Emmy’s it was insane. She’s almost 18 and has a 9 p.m. curfew and 10 p.m. bedtime? She’s not allowed to go to college? I would have just spontaneously combusted if that was my senior year.My other complaint is the insta-love. It’s somewhat excusable because Emmy and Oliver were childhood friends, but they spend very little time catching up after a (very crucial) decade apart before they start mackin’ on each other. It’s not the worst I’ve ever read, just a bit grating.Bottom line: It's not perfect, but this contemporary is refreshing, cute and fun. Also I think I like surfing books now. Regardless, I recommend!

Melanie

January 04, 2016

See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads4.5 starsI'd firstly like to point out that Emmy & Oliver is a really misleading title. While the title screams a romance-dominated story, I would say it's anything but that. Sure, there is a hella adorable romance... but at it's core, Benway's story is one about friendship, growing up, making your own path in life, and more importantly, family. "Sometimes love isn't something you say, it's something you do."At it's surface, this book is about Oliver who is finally found 10 years later after being kidnapped by his father at the age of seven. And now he's trust back into his hometown and surrounded by these people that he has no recollection of, but everyone seems to remember him. And in particular, Emmy. Emmy and Oliver used to be the bestest of friends when they were younger - they share a birthday and are next-door neighbours, and while Emmy wants to go back to how they used to be, she isn't sure that's possible since they're both not the same people they were 10 years ago.I fell in love with Emmy almost instantly. She's grown up for the past 10 years with a leash held ever so tightly by her parents since Oliver disappeared. And all she wants to do is follow her own dreams and make up her own mind. Surf, go to the college of her choice... She's undeniably independent and also a wonderful friend. I loved how thoughtful she was, but also sarcastic and embarrassingly awkward at the same time. After 10 years of not seeing her childhood best friend, and the first thing that she does? Pokes her tongue out and crosses her eyes. Honestly... what's not to love?The world continues to spin even when we want it to stop, I thought. Especially then.I really appreciated how this book highlights the importance of friendship. Despite Oliver disappearing, Emmy has always had Caro (Caroline) and Drew. They're both wonderfully complex characters that are each explored with so much detail, I feel like I know them enough to be my best friends. I seriously ADORED their dynamic, and it's one I envy. No joke.I think this book deserves an award for just how brilliant family is portrayed here. And not just Emmy and Oliver's families. But also Drew's and Caroline's. Family is never going to be perfect, and that's why it is so special. I think it's about dealing with each other's shit, fighting and arguing but still caring for each other at the same time. I think it's about loving each other for the good and the bad and the worst parts. So thank you, Robin Benway, for such an honest reflection of what it can really be like."Mom," I groaned, covering my eyes with my hand. "People don't really date anymore, they just... I don't know, hang out together.""Is that the same as 'hooking up'?" my dad asked."Oh my God!" Now I covered my ears with both hands. "Am I grounded? Can you just ground me? Hearing you two talk about 'hooking up' is cruel and unusual punishment."Of course, I cannot finish this review without dedicating part of it to just fangirl over the cuteness that is Emmy and Oliver. Their romance takes the backseat in this one and reading it was like cotton candy. There's no instalove or stupid drama, thank God! Also, those flashbacks that were inserted every now and again? MY FEEEELS. I just felt like jumping into my kindle, to be honest.I did cry reading this book. Surprisingly, most of the time it was just because how  sweet and heartfelt  this book was. But also sometimes because it was truly heartbreaking.Emmy & Oliver is a highly important novel that zooms in on all the important things about growing-up, family, friendships and everything in between. It's incredibly bittersweet and honest , which is effortless in it's storytelling. And it's why I know it's a story I'll never forget. *hugs book* Cannot recommend this one highly enough, especially if you want to feel all the emotions.~Thanks HarperTeen for sending me this copy for review!~INITIAL REACTION:Two of my main reactions while reading this book:and This isn't just a romance book - Emmy & Oliver brings a lot of focus on family relationships, which I absolutely loved. And I totally cried at the end. Not even crying... just full on bawling. Full review to come.

Heather

November 09, 2017

4.5LOVED this book!!!

Anatea

June 07, 2020

This review is also posted on my blog, Anatea's Bookshelf. I really had no idea what book I was going to read next, and then Shannon from It Starts at Midnight suggested I read Emmy & Oliver next because she liked it a lot. So I did. I mean I had an arc copy and everything, so why not just read it now? It is also coming out, like tomorrow. So I did, read it. Emmy and Oliver have been friends from the day they were born - yes, they even share a birthday. Until one day Oliver was picked up from school by his dad, only to never come back. He was missing for 10 years. While everyone around Emmy was adjusting to Oliver being gone, nobody thought about the adjusting that will be necessary once Oliver returned home. Now that he's back, nothing is normal again, the question is will Emmy and Oliver be able to pick up from where they left?I expected this book to be a little heavier considering the subject it's dealing with, so I was really surprised to find out I liked this approach much better. It captured all the feels, all the wrongness, the pity, the doubt and so much more, all that while having a lighter approach to the subject. It showed us perfectly how every side dealt with the kidnapping and its aftermaths. From Oliver's mother to Emmy, her parents and friends, and Oliver. Oliver being abducted by his father at the age of 7 did not only affect his family but Emmy's too. It's every parent's worst nightmare having their child kidnapped and having it happen to someone you know may change the way you feel about things drastically. Emmy's parents went into the overprotective mode. They pretty much controlled every single aspect of her life, to the point she had to lie to them about surfing - because it was too dangerous - and numerous other little things. Since the book is told from Emmy's point of view, we only get to find out things about Oliver through her and their interactions. But it does nothing to make it easier for us. We still feel deeply for him. Being kidnapped by his dad at a young age and thinking all of those 10 years that his mother actually abandoned him and then finding out the truth, can't be easy for anyone. On the one hand, you have your mother who has always cared for you and wanted you back, on the other hand, there's your dad who pretty much raised you and also cared for you. It's this dilemma that makes it so real. If you decide to pick Emmy & Oliver up, I can assure you that you will most likely enjoy this book and you'll be wanting more.Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

Chelsea ✨Arielle’s Nebular Ally and Team Acrux✨

September 29, 2015

I guess the more you start to love someone, the more you ache when they're gone, and maybe it's that middle ground that hurts the most, when you can see them and still not feel like you're near enough. So close and yet so far. Absolutely too cute for words. Deep, heartfelt, unforgettable. Sometimes I could slap myself for being so shortsighted. And, just to warn you, I'll probably even say that on tomorrow's review....I just have this mental block that prevents me from taking a risk, taking chances that might help me find some of the best stories ever-and this is one I almost missed out on. It's pretty clear I poach all my ideas off Anna (well, 90% of them) and generally come out on top. I can tout and say it's because I'm picky...well, hey, I really am...but a lot of my choices wouldn't even exist without Anna saying, hey, check this one out (OR RATHER- 'OMG. [Insert boy name here]. OMG CHELSEA' And me saying 'Done.' Don't judge). So, you know, this is my way of saying that, while I say I'm creative...I'm really not. And this book?? It was absolute perfection. Sometimes there just aren't enough words to fill the crack in your heart. When I read the blurb for this, I passed it up multiple times I guess I didn't realize just how...difficult??...a story like this could be. It seemed simple enough-Boy gets taken by his father. Mother is devastated. Emmy and her friends are scarred for life, always waiting for him to return. Boy returns when he's 17. Emmy and Oliver fall in love. Simple...right? Wrong. Oliver looked up at me, his face solemn and pained, and I realized with a terrible rush we weren't playing anymore. "Colleen," he said, "coming home feels like being kidnapped all over again." If you were a kid and everything you knew was flipped around, your world titled on its axis, how would you react? Well, we don't technically know. He was gone, stolen away from all those he cherished and loved. One can assume that he was confused and missed his mother and friends, only to eventually fall into a rhythm with his dad and delve into his new life. So...I guess this leaves you wondering-If you were stripped of your life, everything you knew-not just once, but twice-how would you fare? And then Oliver blinked again and it was like a shutter went off in his own eyes so I could see the picture of the anger, the hurt, the embarrassment. It was a private viewing just for me, gone a second later when he blinked once more and his face smoothed back into its normal, passive shape. And I think that's the largest issue in this book-Finding your place, struggling to wrap your head around new people, leaving all you know behind..it's actually so sad when you think about it. And I think that's why I was so shocked-and yes, I was very shocked by the depth of this book. Even from page one, which hooked me instantly by the way, it seemed light and funny and sweet. And, even with the darkness that creeped into the story sometimes, there was no lack of heartfelt moments and hilarious banter. And hey! There was some cheese, I'll admit it. Wonderful, yummy, happy velveeta cheese-But only the best kind of cheese. "Those look painful," Oliver commented, trying to avoid Caro digging her heel into his shoulder. "Why does everything you do look like it hurts?""Because!" Caro huffed with a final shove. "You guys want us to look natural and there's nothing natural about looking natural."I could see the confusion cross Oliver's face and stifled my own smile."Those shoes don't look natural," Oliver pointed out."Yes, but they're three-inch heels, which make me look like I'm an average height of five five. See?" She explained. "Natural." Okay!! My favorite part-The relationship. Emmy was devastated by the disappearance of Oliver. She might have even taken it harder than most even realized. They were partners in crime, best friends...in like with one another. You know how kids are :P . So when he comes back with more height, a different head of hair, a new look to him, and a dark cloud hanging over his head...she realizes he's not the little boy that left all those years ago. "Oh, riiiiight," I said, knocking myself in the head and grinning like an idiot. "I'm sorry, I totally forgot.""That's okay," he replied. "Just adds to my rebel image. New guy in school, mysterious past, being held back a grade." He smiled at me. "Girls like it.""Really?""Oh yeah." He smiled wider. "That's why I'm eating lunch with all these people."I laughed despite myself and then he laughed, too, a familiar sound that I hadn't heard in years. His laugh was deeper now, but still Oliver's, as unique as a double helix. Or a fingerprint. Emmy starts to reach out to him, this kid who made national news and is now a social outcast because of it. Alone more often than not, he's feeling angry, dejected, depressed that he is being thrown back into a life everyone remembers but him-all his old friends, the inside jokes, the memories they shared. But as Emmy begins to integrate him into her life, and her two best friends' lives (they used to be a foursome), he starts to smile, laugh, joke, live...and he's beginning to ache for the ten years they all lost. "Quick question," Oliver said as he scanned the horizon. "What is the shark population like around here?"I blinked at him. "Are you being serious right now?""I don't know." He laughed nervously. "No. Yes. Maybe? Sharks?"I sighed. "There are no sharks here.""Do you mean 'here' as in the 'Pacific Ocean' or...?" I loved this cast of characters. They were so funny and realistic and you never felt like the conversations were fake or forced for the sake of being 'hip'. This author made an authentic story with real conversations and real situations. I never once rolled my eyes or thought it was trying too hard. The friendships, the drama, the fights...they were so palpable I wanted to reach out and swirl my hand in their tangible depths. And, even more than that, I wanted to hug my poor little Oliver, who always felt lost and alone.Tortured, lost, devastated, Oliver has never felt more alone. As he and Emmy become closer, we begin to see his playful side, his happy side-but he never quite knows what to do. His mom searched for him for years, and now she has him...in her new life. He doesn't know where he fits and feels like he's disrupting her-and everyone else's-life. We see the emotional turmoil he goes through trying to find his place...and trying to sort through his lingering emotions of missing his dad, even when he knows he did something horribly wrong. That's when I first learned about true frustration, that wrenching ache when the thing that matters most to you barely makes a ripple in other people's lives. This story is one that took me completely by surprise. It's not because I didn't think it would be good-from page one you could tell it would be fabulous-but I didn't realize just how many emotions I-or they-would feel. I started this book during a terrible week. And even at the worst of times, I'd pick this up and would immediately get butterflies, smile like a loon, and start laughing in the quiet of night-disturbing hubbs repeatedly. This book is wonderful, one to truly cherish and never forget. WHEN I get the hardback, I'm going to hug it close...and be all creepy and snuggle with it. Whoops. I only hope that others will give this fantastic book a chance. I swear it will make you feel as light as air.*Note: I have to say something I missed on the review: Oliver was always supportive for Emmy...no matter what. And he never got mad at her. He was so adorable and supportive. Anyway. Forgot that. Whoops again.For more of my reviews, please visit:

Karla

May 23, 2018

4 stars!I’ve actually been wanting to read this book for a while, but for whatever reason I always thought, not yet! But I’m glad I finally found the the right time to read it. When I started reading “Emmy & Oliver” I thought the beginning was slow because I had put in my head that the focus was gonna be Emmy/Oliver but it was so much more than the two of them. The ripple effect Oliver’s kidnapping by his father had affected not only his family but Emmy and the relationship with her parents. Ten years years later Oliver is finally home trying to get his old life back but soon he realizes nothing is the same. My heart broke for Oliver everything he went thorough emotionally with his parents how conflicted he was about his father’s actions. Oliver/Emmy were so sweet I loved seeing how they slowly found the connection they had since children. Those flashback from when they were kids were so adorable! This book just snuck up me! It ended up being so much more than what I thought it would be. Those last chapters had me in tears with so many emotions these characters were going through. A really beautiful book about not just first love not just friendship, but the unbreakable bound between a parent and a child. A mother who never lost hope and little girl who always waited for her Ollie. ♥️

Chelsea

March 11, 2016

I adored this. Robin Benway's contemporaries are seriously under-appreciated. If you're looking for something along the lines of Jenny Han or Huntley Fitzpatrick, look no further. So lovely.

Keertana

January 21, 2015

Emmy & Oliver is the type of best friend romance I would normally be clamoring head-over-heels for...only, it's a liiitle more complex than that. Emmy and Oliver are not only neighbors, they're best friends. They've grown up alongside one another and for the first seven years of their life, they have shared everything, including their birthdays. When Oliver's father arrives to pick him up after school one Friday afternoon, no one thinks much of it. After all, Oliver spends every weekend with his father. When he doesn't come back to school on Monday, however, that's when Emmy starts worrying. When he doesn't come back for ten years, it's a tragedy. At seven, Oliver is kidnapped by his father and, at seventeen, he is found in an apartment in New York City. To Oliver, his life has been a series of adventures; him and his father against the world. Oliver was led to believe that his mother abandoned him and, grief-stricken and confused, he never attempted to contact her. A curious Google search a decade later reveals that his mother has been searching for Oliver all her life. Oliver's absence has not only fractured his life, it has torn up the lives of their entire community. Emmy's parents, once carefree, have been strict, curfew-abiding jailers for much of Emmy's life. Their fear following Oliver's kidnapping has haunted Emmy her entire life and now, at seventeen, all Emmy wants is to surf and attend UCSD--dreams that will never be fulfilled as her parents have already planned that she will commute to college from home and instead of enroll her in dangerous sports like surfing, the most they have allowed her to do is have a car. When Oliver returns, Emmy doesn't know what to think. She and Oliver were best friends ten years ago but can they still be best friends now? Is Oliver even the same person? Although Oliver hasn't been maltreated by his father, Emmy cannot even begin to understand his life or emotional state. She, living in the same home and growing up with the same friends, Caroline and Drew, who also used to be friends with Oliver, is comfortable and happy where she is. But Oliver, who has traveled around the nation and is coming all the way from New York City...does he even want to live with his mother anymore? While Oliver's mother never stopped looking for him, she also refused to stop living. Now married with two twin girls who Emmy babysits every week, the world has gone forward despite the fact that Oliver has come back and the road ahead for Emmy, Oliver, and those closest to them is paved with hardships. It took me awhile to truly immerse myself in this tale, primarily because Benway has to set-up the backdrop of this novel and Oliver's story is a sad, depressing one. Though he doesn't suffer from trauma and has been treated like a son by his father, he doesn't go out of his way to befriend students and his arrival in high school isn't the easiest of transitions. Yet, Emmy is a laid-back, easy-going heroine and her willingness to draw Oliver back into her life is what truly made me invested in this love story. Emmy is frank and open about her life, showing Oliver her favorite spots to surf and immediately treating him as the friend he always was to her. The fact that Emmy accepts that Oliver was gone for ten years but acts as if he knows her is what enables him to leave his shell and slowly join her circle of friends. Emmy and Caro are the type of best friends you always read about or see on television but Benway makes them even more realistic than the classic portrayal. Caro is the youngest of five siblings and unlike Emmy, who is an only child and under the constant scrutiny of her parents, Caro's parents could hardly care less where she is or what she does. She shares a room with her messy older sister, Heather, and Caro dreams of sharing an apartment with Emmy and attending college with her. Drew, who has recently told his family that he is gay, struggles with the fact that his parents still love him and yet are disappointed in him. Their trio is a tight one and while Emmy grows and changes due to Oliver's presence in her life, her friends do too. They each have their own issues and the fact that they became so alive, despite remaining secondary characters, is a testament to Benway's skill. Emmy and Oliver's own romance is sweet and slow to develop. You're almost not certain if they'll choose to remain friends but it's so very obvious that their feelings for one another run deeper than mere friendship and the support they give one another is incredible to watch. Emmy and Oliver have one another's backs and when they find it difficult to speak with their parents or other friends, they somehow have the right words to coax the truth from one another. Reading about their relationship is heart-warming and swoon-worthy in all the right ways. Especially because, first and foremost, they will always be friends. I really enjoyed how this novel focused so deeply on family units and parental relationships. Whether it be the relationship Emmy sustains with her parents where she is forced to hide parts of her personality to please them or the one between Oliver and his mother where he feels unable to confide in her, Benway captures both the difficulties and joys of family. Emmy & Oliver is being marketed as a love story but, truly, I felt as if the romance was secondary to the growth both Oliver and Emmy undergo over the course of this novel and, what's more, their friendship and relationships with others--from their parents to their friends to the one between Oliver and his father--is what is at the crux of this novel. Sure, there's a love story too--a sweet, sweet one--but Emmy & Oliver is about so much more than that mere label. Benway writes in a manner that makes even the darkest of subjects accessible and her trademark humor, combined with the easy sarcastic dialogue she imbibes within her characters, makes her novels fly by. I just can't put one of her books down and Emmy & Oliver, with an older cast on the cusp of transitioning into college, brings forth a variety of themes and concepts that I love to see in YA. Benway explores the idea of freedom in college, not to mention the harsh reality of leaving behind your high school friends, with such aplomb that I hope she returns to this older YA age group and explores more of those ideas in greater depth. Having read her entire backlist at this point, I cannot wait to see what she has up her sleeve next (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for another Also Known As novel). Whatever it is, though, it'll be worth the wait.

Frequently asked questions

Listening to audiobooks not only easy, it is also very convenient. You can listen to audiobooks on almost every device. From your laptop to your smart phone or even a smart speaker like Apple HomePod or even Alexa. Here’s how you can get started listening to audiobooks.

  • 1. Download your favorite audiobook app such as Speechify.
  • 2. Sign up for an account.
  • 3. Browse the library for the best audiobooks and select the first one for free
  • 4. Download the audiobook file to your device
  • 5. Open the Speechify audiobook app and select the audiobook you want to listen to.
  • 6. Adjust the playback speed and other settings to your preference.
  • 7. Press play and enjoy!

While you can listen to the bestsellers on almost any device, and preferences may vary, generally smart phones are offer the most convenience factor. You could be working out, grocery shopping, or even watching your dog in the dog park on a Saturday morning.
However, most audiobook apps work across multiple devices so you can pick up that riveting new Stephen King book you started at the dog park, back on your laptop when you get back home.

Speechify is one of the best apps for audiobooks. The pricing structure is the most competitive in the market and the app is easy to use. It features the best sellers and award winning authors. Listen to your favorite books or discover new ones and listen to real voice actors read to you. Getting started is easy, the first book is free.

Research showcasing the brain health benefits of reading on a regular basis is wide-ranging and undeniable. However, research comparing the benefits of reading vs listening is much more sparse. According to professor of psychology and author Dr. Kristen Willeumier, though, there is good reason to believe that the reading experience provided by audiobooks offers many of the same brain benefits as reading a physical book.

Audiobooks are recordings of books that are read aloud by a professional voice actor. The recordings are typically available for purchase and download in digital formats such as MP3, WMA, or AAC. They can also be streamed from online services like Speechify, Audible, AppleBooks, or Spotify.
You simply download the app onto your smart phone, create your account, and in Speechify, you can choose your first book, from our vast library of best-sellers and classics, to read for free.

Audiobooks, like real books can add up over time. Here’s where you can listen to audiobooks for free. Speechify let’s you read your first best seller for free. Apart from that, we have a vast selection of free audiobooks that you can enjoy. Get the same rich experience no matter if the book was free or not.

It depends. Yes, there are free audiobooks and paid audiobooks. Speechify offers a blend of both!

It varies. The easiest way depends on a few things. The app and service you use, which device, and platform. Speechify is the easiest way to listen to audiobooks. Downloading the app is quick. It is not a large app and does not eat up space on your iPhone or Android device.
Listening to audiobooks on your smart phone, with Speechify, is the easiest way to listen to audiobooks.

footer-waves