Don’t Change the Map, Change the Path: #DearEmmieBlue by Lia Louis @LisforLia @TrapezeBooks

Title: Dear Emmie Blue
Author: Lia Louis
Publisher: Trapeze
Date of Publication: August 2020
Genre: General fiction
Format reviewed: e-ARC
Source: Publisher via NG

Emmie Blue has a secret…

A long time ago, Emmie Blue released a red balloon with a secret message hidden inside – and against all odds, across hundreds of miles of ocean, it was found on a beach in France by a boy called Lucas.

Fourteen years later, on the eve of her thirtieth birthday, Emmie hopes that Lucas is finally about to kiss her. She never expected him to announce that he was marrying someone else!

Suddenly Emmie’s dreams are shattered and the one person in her life she can rely on is slipping through her fingers. But what if Lucas isn’t her forever? What if her love story is only just beginning…

Emmie Blue, you are one of a kind, and yet so familiar.

This book holds a special place in my heart for different reasons. First, I read it at the right moment. I’ll be jumping into my thirties soon and I have been thinking back on what I have learned, what I have seen and experienced, and what I think I know. It is both weird and exciting. The main character is standing at the same threshold.

The second reason is the setting. I was born and raised in Boulogne sur mer, in the north of France, near Calais, Le Touquet, and the roads travelled by the characters in this novel. I never thought an author could make me miss my hometown so much, or even make it sound so lovely and exotic! But it is a wonderful region, and I am delighted readers get to discover this part of France in such a beautiful novel.

Dear Emmie Blue is about the choices we make, what we prioritize, and what we don’t see. What life has in store, and what we think we want. Emmie Blue is madly in love with the boy who found the balloon she set free when she was sixteen. And as she’s about to turn thirty, the balloon of their relationship explodes, and with it, Emmie Blue’s life. Everything she had planned is going in flames. Emmie Blue must find a new path, and new horizons…

The emotions in this novel are intense, and relatable. I was moved more than once, and I smile a lot. Many details make this read warm and utterly enjoyable.

A good read!

I would like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I apologize for the delay in posting. WordPress found it funny to make my post invisible!

Grab your copy here!