Olive by Emma Gannon was a book that I think was aimed at 20 or 30 something women who like Olive, may be struggling to decide whether or not they want to have children. I, as a mother of three, was interested to see why women make a decision like that, as it is so different from my own experience.

This book explored that theme through a few different plot devices, the CFBC ( Child free by choice) group, the myriad experiences of Olive’s friends, and a meeting with a homeopathy focused family planning counselor. At the end of the book, I had a greater understanding of why a woman would choose that path. Even though it was not the direction that I chose in life, I respect women who made that choice and I now know a little more about some reasons why they may have decided to not have children.

This book had an enjoyable cast of characters with sometimes laughable and sometimes heart wrenching side storylines. I enjoyed seeing how her friends grew and changed throughout the story. Her friends were true to life and reminded me of people I have known and loved. They all had satisfying character arcs, and were very well written.

Having or not having children is a difficult choice to make, and I feel that Emma Gannon did a good job of using several side characters and plot points to condense that theme into a lighthearted easy read.

I was provided a free advance reader copy from Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for my honest review from Net Galley. The opinions shared in this review are my own.