Synopsis: At sixteen, Emmie Blue stood in the fields of her school and released a red balloon into the sky. Attached was her name, her email address…and a secret she desperately wanted to be free of. Weeks later, on a beach in France, Lucas Moreau discovered the balloon and immediately emailed the attached address, sparking an intense friendship between the two teens.

Now, fourteen years later, Emmie is hiding the fact that she’s desperately in love with Lucas. She has pinned all her hopes on him and waits patiently for him to finally admit that she’s the one for him. So dedicated to her love for Lucas, Emmie has all but neglected her life outside of this relationship—she’s given up the search for her absentee father, no longer tries to build bridges with her distant mother, and lives as a lodger to an old lady she barely knows after being laid off from her job. And when Lucas tells Emmie he has a big question to ask her, she’s convinced this is the moment he’ll reveal his feelings for her. But nothing in life ever quite goes as planned, does it?

Emmie Blue is about to learn everything she thinks she knows about life (and love) is just that: what she thinks she knows. Is there such a thing as meant to be? Or is it true when they say that life is what happens when you are busy making other plans? A story filled with heart and humor, Dear Emmie Blue is perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Evvie Drake Starts Over. 

Dear Emmie Blue, you have stolen my heart! This book was nowhere on my radar, but when I was invited to read it from the publisher—and I saw those first few glowing reviews—I jumped at the chance to read it. I’m a sucker for romance and serendipity, and Emmie Blue did not disappoint.

“It’s weird, but in moments like this…. our cheeks aching from laughing, with nothing to do but to make up silly games to pass the time, with cold lemonades at our feet, the sun in the sky, and nothing but lovely plans for the next few days, it feels almost risky to be this happy. It feels like I am goading all the things that could go wrong, to happen.”

Lia Louis, Dear Emmie Blue

Emmie has had a hard start at life. Her story slowly unfolds, gradually enveloping the reader until you can’t stop reading. Even though I’ve read similar stories, this one was different and refreshing. I wanted to find out what happened but I also didn’t want it to end. 

While the premise of this one—finding a balloon with a note on the beach—may sound juvenile, it wasn’t at all. It worked, and left me with all kinds of feelings. I laughed and cried along with Emmie. I wanted only the best for her.