Dear Emmie Blue is a very cute, quirky, and lovely contemporary romance. The premise was unique and fun and added a good touch of whimsy. A twist on the old message in a bottle, the message tied to a balloon approach was what initially drew me to try it on. The story has good writing and moves with just the right pacing. I didn't want to set this one aside and wound up finishing it in just a couple of days.

The writing style moved incredibly well and sucked me into the story quite nicely. There was a good balance of description and movement and I felt I was able to see the characters with fairly honest and clear exposition. The use of dual timeline through flashback moments was well executed and I liked seeing the bits of history and how they wove into the present. I sped through my read and really came to adore the development of the majority of the characters. It was mildly predictable, but not overly so, and even those pieces that were predictable really didn't make me that upset.

Emmie is a charming character and the romantic setup of the book was fairly well done. It was very enjoyable to read about the friendship, which mostly felt read and well done. I will admit that Lucas's side of the relationship did grow a bit overly tarnished during the movement of the plot, with his own character coming into question in a bit of a heavy-handed way. He came off as selfish and a bit creepy, which I wish wouldn't have been the case as it would have added to the need for Emmie to fully explore her feelings without having external bias based on some crap actions.

The story does have a few conceptual flaws that need mentioning. The background plots for Emmie are problematic. Sexual assault is used as a bit of an overly tropey backstory and that storyline really isn't explored well enough or dealt with in a way that felt healthy. I think the impact of this storyline could have been better done with the use of a bullying backstory for Emmie's school days instead. As it was, this felt a bit too much. Additionally, Emmie's family issues felt somewhat tacked on as pieces to simply aid the movement of the plot rather than issues that were fully impactful and important.

Despite the inclusion of these questionable characters, not all was lost. The majority of the side characters were just genuinely wonderfully well-created. I loved Rosie and wanted her to have so much more of the story. She could easily star in her very own novel as I found her quite intriguing. I felt similarly about Louise. I would have loved more of Eliot's backstory, and even could have used a bit more of the awful Ana. I suppose I just wanted more of them for a fuller picture. It's always a good sign when you even appreciate the most awful of the characters though.

Overall, my feeling with Dear Emmie Blue was a good one. It was a quick read that kept me captivated and I did find myself fairly invested in the outcome. I enjoyed myself, would recommend it to other readers, and will look for more from this author as her writing talent continues to develop.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *