Olive

Written by Emma Gannon

Narrated by Sian Clifford

*The audiobook includes an exclusive interview between Emma Gannon and Dawn O’Porter* The debut novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author, Emma Gannon.

‘Thoughtful, funny, and honest’ Elizabeth Gilbert
‘Brilliantly observed’ Sophie Kinsella
‘It'll give a voice to countless women’ Marian Keyes

Olive and her friends have shared every milestone.

From first loves and first heartbreaks to flatshares and the first scary steps into the real world, they’ve been through it all – together.

But in the maze of life, through the winding paths that lead to different choices and different futures, will the bonds of friendship hold strong when Olive needs them most?

Moving, memorable and a mirror for anyone at a crossroads, OLIVE is a love letter to the life raft of female friendship and reminds us how, with a little courage, we can all follow our own paths.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jul 23, 2020
• ISBN: 9780008382704

Emma Gannon

Emma Gannon is an award-winning writer, speaker, Sunday Times columnist and podcaster. Her writing has been published everywhere from the Guardian to Glamour. She is the bestselling author of memoir Ctrl Alt Delete and The Multi-Hyphen Method, which became a Sunday Times bestseller. She is also the host of hit podcast series ‘Ctrl Alt Delete’, which has reached over 5 million downloads. Olive is Emma’s debut novel.

Reviews for Olive

[Jemima Adejo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was such a brilliant read. I loved how relatable the characters were and how it’s such an honest story.

[wealth inequality · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

loved it. The dilemma every woman faces and its incredibly and powerfully portrayed.

[Carmen Lai · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book! A great listen and totally relatable as a 30-something female myself going through similar stages of life and finding myself not fitting into the so-called expected “norm”. Excellently narrated. Highly recommend.

[Yousra Books · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book was okay. I liked the first part but I lost interest towards the end.

[Nicole Marie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book. There's a freedom in being who you are on either side of subjects Olive shares in this magnificent book. Give to every woman who is choosing to be herself.

[Jemima · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. The author beautifully brought the characters into life and you could see she took her time to understand each character's struggles, strengths and portrayed those in a very relatable manner. Loved it.

[Emily Smith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a refreshing and easy read, particularly for women! A lot of things to take away.

[Atrin Alihosseini · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing audiobook , enjoyed every second , totally recommend it.

[Gro · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

C'était une bonne histoire d’une thématique importante. Je le recommande.

[Dasha Chirita · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A beautiful reminder that there are as many ways to be happy as there are people. A very real book by a woman about women. Loved it!

[thewestwing-864351 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.5 stars - I really enjoyed this book. I see that from other reviews, some people really didn’t like the character of Olive, but I found her very relatable. I thought the story was a realistic look at adult friendships and the trials that can occur as people move into other seasons of life.

[bonnie_ferrante · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Olive is a thoughtful woman in her early 30s going through some major life changes. She has shared everything with her three best friends since they were tiny but they are becoming distant since she is walking a different path. In the 30s women must make their decision of whether to have children or not.One of her. friends has three children, one is pregnant, and one is undergoing expensive and painful procedures to try to conceive. Olive has never wanted children and society gives her the impression that something is wrong with her. Women without children are to be pitied or not trusted. If you don’t want them now you will later. There’s constant pressure to have a real family. To make matters worse, Olive's boyfriend of 10 years wants to have children and he’s shocked to find out she seriously is committed to being parentless. The book explores societal pressures on women to bear children, even pressuring each other. The book explores how life changes affect relationships as we watch the young women struggle with demands of their families, society, and their own needs. It is a thought-provoking book and will elicit a lot of great discussion for book clubs. I thought it odd though that twice in the book, out of nowhere, she takes shots at vegans. It seemed really out of place. It was a minor diversion though.She has a casual first person contemporary young voice. Easy to read, like listening to someone telling their own story. I recommend it for anyone who is pondering the idea of whether to be a parent or not, or wants to understand the dilemma of 30-year-olds trying to decide.