Author: Lia Louis
Narrator: Katy Sobey
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: July 2020
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: 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. 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?
My Thoughts: This book surprised me in the best way. I expected an engaging story, but I did not expect it to pull so deeply on my emotions. The premise immediately drew me in: a young girl, carrying the weight of trauma and rejection from people she once trusted, releases a red balloon from her school with the hope that someone, somewhere, might find it and respond.
That simple act felt both vulnerable and brave—like casting her pain into the wind and waiting to see whether the world would answer. When the balloon is discovered hundreds of miles away in France by Lucas, the boy who becomes her best friend, the story gains a sense of wonder and possibility. Although these events happen before the novel begins, they are woven into the narrative through flashbacks and memories, giving Emmie’s present-day story greater emotional depth.
Fourteen years later, Emmie is hopelessly in love with Lucas and has become part of his family. They have shared birthdays, holidays, and countless meaningful moments together. At the same time, Emmie’s own family history remains painful: her mother has never been emotionally present, and Emmie has never known her father. I felt tremendous empathy for her, but I also held onto hope for what her future might become.
I loved the dynamic between Emmie, Lucas, and Lucas’s brother, Eliot. In many ways, they felt like the three musketeers: deeply connected, loyal, and bound by years of shared history. However, by the time the story begins, that bond has been damaged by events that took place when Emmie and Lucas were nineteen.
One of the things I appreciated most was the way the author gives equal attention to Emmie’s present and her past. Those shifts in time helped me understand not only what happened to her, but also why she sees herself, Lucas, and their friendship the way she does. The structure made Emmie feel more layered and allowed her emotional journey to unfold with honesty and care.
This book held so many surprises, and I loved every bit of it. It moved me to tears, made me laugh, and left me breathless more than once. I do not know how I missed Lia Louis before now, but after reading this story, I definitely want to explore more of her work.
I listened to the audiobook, and Katy Sobey’s performance was excellent. Her narration heightened the emotion of the story, captured the distinct personalities of the characters, and made them feel fully alive. She added warmth, nuance, and depth to an already moving novel.
My Final Verdict: Dear Emmie Blue is a heartfelt, beautifully layered story about friendship, longing, family, and learning to choose yourself. Lia Louis balances humor and tenderness with emotional honesty, creating characters who feel real and a journey that is both moving and hopeful. The audiobook narration by Katy Sobey adds even more warmth and depth, making the story especially immersive. This is an easy recommendation for readers who enjoy emotional women’s fiction, complicated friendships, found family, and romances that unfold with heart rather than predictability.
Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.
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