Olive

This book spoke to me in ways more personal than any book has in my entire life. I am a childfree woman at a point in my life where my friendships are also evolving as we all grow up a little more.I found exactly what I was looking for in "Olive", a book all about the seasons of life, changes in relationships, staying true to your inner desires, and how it all works out in the end. It was a light read that brought up a lot of validation and introspection for me personally, and I really love how it all came together to Olive's own happy ending. Definitely recommend this book!

Loved the overall theme of the book however, without absolutely spiking it for others: I didn't love what Olive ended up with. It Kind of diverted from the theme of the book to me.Nice read, mostly relatable as a CFBC adult.

I don't think I am the target audience for the story of 'Olive' by Emma Gannon, being married, aged 50 with two older teenage children. That said I do have a very close friend, who has been happily married for years, and who, like Olive chose to remain child-free, and who rails against those who would criticise her decision, challenge her lifestyle choice and question her reasons. Therefore, having seen both sides in all its real-life glory, I was intrigued to see how the author would portray the theme.As it turns out, the writing style bore a resemblance to chick-lit, but with a thirty-something cast living (nearly) adult lives. I've grown out of this genre as a rule.The story begins in 2008 with cast of four, Olive, Bea, Isla and Cec, moving out of their co-habiting lives, reliving their previous shared experiences and swearing to always make time for each other as they move on as individuals.Moving on to 2019, Olive has just broken up with Jacob, her boyfriend of nine years. He wanted children, she didn't. As Olive tries to come to terms with the break-up, and turns to her beloved friends for consolation, she begins to realise that they are all moving on too; Bea already has three children, Cec is heavily pregnant with her first, and Isla is battling with endometriosis and as we later discover, with trying to conceive.I actually found Olive a bit annoying and almost stopped reading the book at about the halfway mark. Olive was choosing her way of life...great, fair enough...but she was very unwilling to accept that her friends choices were different to hers and just as valid! They were moving on, but their moving on was different to hers.I did read to the end and was relieved that Olive seemed to accept that her way wasn't the only way, but in my personal (and very humble) opinion, it was a little tedious getting there!

Seriously, it's one of those books that I can't put down. The friendship between these girls is ride or die, the main character is very relatable and makes you feel valid in your own thoughts, and overall its a fantastic story. It's not for everyone, but man it was definitely for me!I've been on the fence about having kids myself and I've been reading a lot of non-fiction which gets boring after a while. Picking up this novel was exactly what I needed. My main takeaway from the book is perhaps you aren't meant to know, but just continue through life and it'll come to you. It's okay if you change your mind. It's okay if you don't. It's totally okay and you aren't abnormal for these thoughts. The decisions that you made in the past were right for you then at that moment.

I thank NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing me an ARC copy of this novel that I freely chose to review.I’ll try to be brief, as I think my review won’t be very relevant to a lot of people, because I am not a big reader of chick-lit, and I have no previous knowledge of the author, who is better known for her work as a podcaster, writer and editor in magazines, and non-fiction. I am sure both, fans of this genre and of the author, will enjoy the novel.This is a novel that reminded me of Sex and the City (there are four female friends whose lives have taken different directions but remain close) although set in London and more modest (and they are not as obsessed with shopping), and Bridget Jones’s Diary (yes, the London setting works well, and the many disasters the main character gets involved in also resonate). We have the four friends, who’ve known each other since they were children and shared an apartment in London while at university. We have a writer, writing for an online magazine (like the author of the book), a lawyer, an artist, and a therapist. The main events of the book take place at a particular point in their lives, and it is told, in the first person, through Olive’s (Olivia but she hates her name and most people call her Ol) point of view. Olive is at a point of crisis, as her long-term relationship (nine years) with Jacob has come to an end. He wanted to have children and she didn’t, and that became a deal breaker in the end. Olive is not the only one going through a crisis, and the rest of the women in the book are too. These crises centre on the issue of having or not having children (mostly) and how that can change a woman’s life. One of the friends is about to have a baby; one already has three kids and her relationship is not quite as good as it seems; one is desperately trying to get pregnant (on her second round of IVF), and then there is Olive. The story moves chronologically forward, but there are also interspersed fragments of the past (the year is clearly indicated) that help give us some background into the friends’ experiences together and how things have changed with time and their altered circumstances.What I liked about the book: I enjoyed the London references (not long descriptions but rather a feel for the locations and the atmosphere), the British-speech (specially the colloquialisms), the quotes from random women on the issue of being child-free at the end of each chapter, and some of the side characters (Olive’s old neighbour, Olive’s sister, and Colin, a work colleague, were among my favourites). I also enjoyed the insights into the workings of an online magazine (it’s evident the author knows what she is writing about), and some of the interactions between the friends (although for me, those set early on in their relationship and the ones where Olive is with only one of her friends worked better than the big events or the four women’s reunions). I also liked the final section of the book, around the last 10%, when Olive seems to finally grow up and gain some true insight into her situation and understanding of others’ circumstances, and is no longer so self-absorbed.What I disliked about the book: I am not sure how much I liked any of the main characters. I didn’t dislike them either, and I sympathised with some of them (especially Isla, although I can’t say I’ve ever felt like her), but they were as expected. Nothing particularly original, distinctive, or diverse about them. Upper to middle middle-class women, with no particular financial difficulties, fairly successful in their careers, whose only issues seemed to be their preoccupation with having children or not (and their relationship with their partners, but to a far lesser extent) and the fact that their friendship seemed to be deteriorating due to other aspects of their lives. I am not saying this is not important, but… I was intrigued by the main the topic, which is something not often discussed, but I am not sure the humorous tone of the book served it well. I felt at times frustrated by how slowly time seemed to move (Olive is set to attend a club meeting for child-free women early on in the novel, and it seems to take forever for that day to arrive), and I realised that it was in part because of the inserts of past episodes, and in part because the central character has not changed at all in her outlook or behaviour through the years. As I have said, this changes towards the end of the book, and I felt that made the book feel more realistic and interesting, but it was a bit too little too late for me.In sum, this is a light read about a serious topic that is not usually discussed in this genre. I recommend it to lovers of chick-lit, especially if they enjoy a London setting, and to readers who follow the author. Although the final message is a positive one, I think women struggling with the issue of childbearing might find some of the content upsetting and they should approach it with some caution.

This book touched my heart. It does a great job of feeling each POV around how we can choose to/might have to live our life around the topic of motherhood, friendship, and moving forward & uncovering who we want to be. Truly, I feel so understood. Also one of the few things that helped me get actual clarity on my confusion around not wanting children.

This book is well written and it makes you THINK! It’s definitely directed towards the 20’s demographic. The book talks about real and raw struggles of choosing to be child free.

All these characters are so well thought out and real. This read , I’ve been tiptoeing around for a while, came at the perfect time. Just in time for my 36th. I’m still unsure about motherhood, but I’m quite sure I’ll be fine with any outcome.

This cynical, thoughtful, soul searching book is a hoot to read. I highly suggest this book if you're a woman .. this might offens the feminist in you or highly fire it.Whatever the case this book will make you have some very strong opinions !

As a childfree young woman, this is the kind of book I've been looking for, for ages-this story proves that there is no right or wrong way of doing life at all, and every life choice deserves praise and support in spite of all the ups and downs along the way.I only hope that stories like this-both fictionalised, and real-life stories about childfree individuals-can go a long way in educating people who insist that a person who doesn't have children, doesn't have worth. Successes that don't involve marriage or children sphere deserve celebration, it's a hard enough world as it is and this story reminds us of the importance of supporting one another in spite of our own issues.It felt almost painfully close to home but in the best kind of way-I genuinely haven't felt this touched by a book in a long time and I'm so grateful it was the first book I've read at the start of what might inevitably be a difficult year for us all. You may change your mind about marriage and kids, you may change your mind about who you keep in your life, but I hope that this book also helps those pesky relatives from constantly bringing up the "so when are you planning on having children??" question. I really hope more people read books like this and realise motherhood, or fatherhood, isn't for everyone, and that you can find happiness and fulfilment each step of the way in spite of serious setbacks.I have no words to describe how validated and un-alone this book made me feel-I can't wait to read more content from Emma Gannon and Olive! Couldn't recommend this book enough to anyone-but especially to people who are childfree, who have had doubts about themselves or who've felt the need to hide themselves or change who they are to fit in.

This is Emma’s best book yet. With Olive, Emma managed to address not just one elephant in the room but several of them: from post-natal depression to IVF, to not actually wanting to have children or trying to figure out how to make family, relationship, and career work out simultaneously. I can highly recommend it to 30-something women who’re in the phase of asking themselves what they want from life.

Heartwarming, heartwrenching, thought-provoking and so incredibly real. I felt like I was reading about myself, that these were my friends, the themes and characters resonated so strongly. A real work of art - a beautiful novel I'll be recommending widely and rereading again.