Olive is at a crossroads, with many of her friends moving apart, with marriage and/or motherhood. This is a great look at a woman who chooses not to have children - and Olive's attempts at balancing life and work are entertaining. I didn't always like Olive, which reminded me of how well written these characters were.

Though I enjoyed the story overall and found the subject matter interesting, it took much too long to finish. I did not have any solid connection to the characters, so I had a difficult time mustering up any empathy for them. For the most part, they all come across as very self-centered and selfish, rather than embracing their life choices and being the supportive “best” friends that the reader is led to believe they are.

The decision to have children or not is a very personal choice and, for some, they are not given a choice, as one of the characters is dealing with infertility issues. Olive decides she does not want to have children but her three best friends, Bea, Cecily, and Isla all do, so it feels quite uneven as the lives of Olive’s best friends seem to take off in a different direction, which leaves Olive isolated. After she and her long-term boyfriend end their relationship, Olive does not feel she can talk to her friends about it because the break-up was because of Olive chooses child-free and Jacob wants to start a family.

The issue of whether to have children or not causes walls to go up between Olive and her friends as they all stand firm on their beliefs and choices, rightly so, but somehow a line has been drawn and there is an unspoken expectation that sides must be chosen. Most of the story centers around each character defending their choice and the resulting conflict and strain it brings into these friendships.

My Final Verdict: Life is not always a picnic, being an adult is not all it is cracked up to be and interpersonal relationships are a lot of work. I recommend this story to readers who enjoy stories that have realistic issues and conflict that the characters must face. Sometimes life is messy, sometimes it is amazing, and this story was a good reminder that nothing in life worth having ever comes easy.

I really appreciate this one and the child-free by choice movement. It felt really nice to have a character who wasn't motivated by having a kid, the struggles they have in society that is centered around marriage and children being the sole way to be happy and being complete. I did think Olive's friends were legitimately terrible and that she truly could use some more considerate friends who were less self-centered. Thankfully I don't have friends like that but I definitely could relate to some of the struggles that Olive faced as the story went on. This one really resonated with me and I would love to see more books focus on women who are child-free by choice rather than childless. Thank you to the publisher and NG for this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a 3.5⭐️ book. I did like it. The story was good and the characters were interesting, but it took me a long time to finally finish listening to the audiobook I got from Netgalley. I think it took me about a year to read it? Something like that.

Olive reminds me a little bit of myself when I was in my 20s. My high school and college friends were having kids or just drifting, while I had decided to join the Navy for a few years. Even in the Navy though it was hard to find friends who weren’t single, let alone without kids. Now I’m in my 40s and still single by choice & no kids. I’m the fun Auntie now.

So ya this book had me reflecting a little about my own choices in my 20s and 30s. I did really like the audiobook and the reader did a really nice job. The end of the book wrapped up nicely.

Would I read more by this author? Maybe. Emma Gannon is a good writer so if she has another fictions book out I’d read it. This book does feel more like an biography than a fictional character but it works because there’s a lot of issues of life that Olive and other characters go through.

So thanks Netgalley for the audiobook. I don’t think I’ll be keeping my copy though. Reading this once was enough for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this ARC

Good narration and premise. worth listening/reading

Olive tells the story of thirty-something Olive and her small circle of close-knit friends. Friendships are explored as well as fertility, marriage, singledom and career. It is full of brilliantly observed, witty and relatable characters. The story is told via the present day and flashbacks, enabling themes to be explored more deeply and creating more convincing characters. The structure did not feel disorientating at any point and was supported by the narrator's ability to create distinctive voices for each character. It was easy to listen to and the humour was brought brilliantly to life.

After the end of a nine year relationship Olive struggles to find where she fits in with her female friends as they all venture into their adult lives as wives and mothers. The biggest question she grapples with is what should a woman do when she does not desire children?

This novel is important for all women to read to understand that there is not one way to lead a fulfilling life. Not all women want children though many struggle to have children. Both of these women need respect and support from society, not judgment.

Women need to stop comparing themselves to each other and living the life that most fulfills them. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and recommend it.

I had a really hard time getting into this one. It just wasn’t for me. I’m not sure why I just couldnt get into it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook of OLIVE by Emma Gannon. This story follows a group of friends navigating the change from university to adulthood and all the ups and downs that come along with- friendship, relationships, parenthood, careers etc. I found the story engaging, funny, and relatable and I really enjoyed Olive and the cast of characters in her life. I would recommend this story in general, particularly to other young adults navigating this interesting, challenging time of life.

I kindly received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to netgalley.co.uk for giving me this audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was quite disappointed by this book, I'm not going to lie. I felt the main character, Olive was slotted into most adult fiction stereotypes. Although when it came to the whole children topic, I have admit I did relate with Olive on this. However, I could not like Olive (however, this is why I haven't given the book one star, I do like when an author can make me feel something about a character) although I just wasn't interested in the storyline and found myself skipping through the audiobook at times

I found Olive interesting, informative, funny and heartwarming.

It follows a friend group as they move from their days at university into adulthood and the changes that come with it.

A lot of it resonated with me. The changes that come with careers, long term relationships, mortgages, marriage, children and responsibility, and those inevitably cause shifts as everyone moves forward into the next chapter of their lives. But everyone's experience is very different, and those experiences are left unsaid for fear of not being ‘normal’.

The story explores the idea of women’s role in society: get married, have children, be happy, and how anything outside of that is seen as abnormal. The story is told from the perspective of Olive who is going through many things - a break up, loneliness as her friends' lives change whilst hers remains the same and her feelings of being left behind.

The story has two main themes for me:

What if you don’t want what society says women should do/be?
If on the surface it looks like someone is having the same or similar experiences, they certainly don’t feel the same as everyone else.


Olive doesn’t want the “normal” life, she doesn’t want children. But thanks to everyone's reactions, the fact that she’s constantly told she’s wrong, or she’ll change her mind, makes her believe there is something very wrong with her.

It also explores those who may want children but can’t have them and how conversations and expectations aren’t respectful of differing choices and situations.

Olive navigates these issues with varying degrees of success with her friend group, they fall out, they argue, they each retreat and hide. But ultimately they always have each other's back.

Olive was a great character, feisty, independent but vulnerable. Her friends are relatable and each well developed, their experiences as different from one to the other. At times some were more self absorbed than others but again I found this representative of being human.

Olive, is an honest look at womanhood in today’s society and how those expectations impact women’s lives. It’s a call to have more open and honest conversations with ourselves and with our friends, to be more aware, to respect our choices, that’s okay if you want kids, if you don’t want kids, that everyone is different.

A brilliant audiobook and one that has sparked many conversations already.

When I look around myself and see young women breaking stereotypes everywhere, refusing to fit in a box made of someone else's perception, it inspires me in ways I simply can't describe in mere words.
When I see women in their 30's, as unapologetic and bold as they can be, it stirs something in me.

Belonging to a middle class Indian family can restrict the way we perceive womanhood from a young age simply because the women in our families were raised with values that help the patriarchy more than it helps them. It's hard being a feminist when the values your mother instilled in your heart back when you were a mere child seeps through the cracks of your identity. It's a struggle to come to terms with who you are as an individual especially when your values are built on a foundation that puts you on a pedestal where every act of yours should be selfless.

Sometimes, I play into the stereotypes, act along with the charade because society expects me to. I think at some point we all do it. But at what cost, really? That's the question.

Olive by Emma Gannon seemed to promise the answer to my many questions and so I was intrigued. A woman in her thirties who doesn't want kids doesn't exactly sound ground breaking or out of the box because this topic has been a topic of many discussions so what difference can this book about just another woman make? To some, it can move mountains perhaps. To me, it failed to move even my heart.

I was expecting Olive to be a smart woman whose inner turmoil would tug at my heartstrings but she came off as whiny and irritating. The reason why she begins to question her choices is because her best friend who was walking the same path as her decides to settle down which is understandable. Peer pressure is real, no matter if you are thirteen or thirty but the bond between the main character and her best friend or any character really lacked depth and hence her reactions to her relationships felt shallow as well.

I was expecting a bold protagonist who overcomes her conflicts and a story that celebrates womanhood in all forms and does so while having beautiful prose and witty dialogues. Its safe to say, I didn't get any of those things. A very disappointing read.

This was a very enjoyable book, but very different from the light romance you might figure it to be. This book explores what it is like to not want children and how it affects your relationships with those around you. This is an important issue that needs to be explored more in a society where it is expected you should have children, and there is something wrong if you don’t want to.. I enjoyed the exploration of this theme and I feel it was very well written. I am happy to recommend the book,

This was the audiobook version of this book, and I feel the narrator did a really good job in narrating this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for providing a copy of this book for me, for an an open and honest review

I wasn't sure what to expect when reading Olive, however, I really enjoyed it. I think the narrator did a wonderful job, I would definitely recommend this book to adult contemporary fans.

A great look at one young woman's decision to live childfree by choice and how much kickback there is in modern day society against anyone who chooses not to have children. I loved that there are some really great books exploring this important way of life being published this year. For fans of Instant mom and The nine lives of Rose Napolitano. Great on audio. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance listening copy!

Being a mother of two, you would think I wouldn't relate to the main character, Olive, but that is so far from the truth. For the longest time, I didn't want children. I loved children, but never thought that was in the cards for me. I love how Gannon tackled this very sensitive topic. Some find it very hard to understand why a woman wouldn't want children. I think it's completely up to you as a woman; it's your life, your body, your choice. I loved the friendship dynamics between the four friends. Refreshing read and highly recommend!

*Thank you @netgalley and @andrewsmcneel for the ebook and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

I love when I can relate to characters in the books I read. In the case of Emma Gannon's debut novel Olive, the reason WHY I can relate has a tendency to raise some eyebrows. I, like the book's main character Olive, am a woman in my 30s who has decided that I do not want to have kids. As demonstrated in Gannon's book, women often receive pushback when they take this stance, and the feedback they get from family, friends, coworkers, and even virtual strangers can be quite harsh and critical ... rarely is it supportive or taking into consideration the reason why a woman might make this choice. Not that it matters. The choice IS solely hers. Which is why I am happy that Gannon has chosen this topic for her first novel. Women who choose to be child-free will find their lone voice being echoed in this reflective book about love, life, and friendship.

UK journalist Olive has found herself at a bit of a crossroads in her life. She has just broken up with her boyfriend of 9 years (the reason why is revealed early on in the novel, but no spoilers here) and she is having a hard go of it. Nevermind the fact that her best friends seem more and more distant lately as they try to juggle their own family responsibilities. Olive is feeling physically and emotionally alone - she has just lost the love of her life and she can't relate to her friends on certain levels because they want/have kids ... and she doesn't. Olive does not want children ... EVER. Which makes her feel rejected and ridiculed in a world that too often believes that a woman's main purpose on this Earth is to go forth and procreate. When she takes a writing assignment on why Millennial women are choosing not to have children, Olive gets to explore her own life choices in depth, and learns much about herself and where her life is headed over the course of this thought-provoking novel.

Emma Gannon's Olive is going to appeal to a certain type of reader. If you are part of Gen Y, AKA the Millennials, and are on the fence about having kids or have chosen not to have any, then you will find this novel affirming. On the other hand, women who HAVE chosen to have children may find Olive to be self-absorbed and tedious. That isn't the case in my opinion, but unfortunately, too often women who put themselves first are called selfish. Decisions about children aside, Olive also realistically portrays the heartache of a break-up and the difficulties that come with maintaining friendships while also trying to manage a family and home.

I was provided an audiobook ARC of this novel narrated by actress Sian Clifford, which I enjoyed immensely. I often find myself speeding up the playback rate of my audiobooks, but I left this one on the regular pace, even though Clifford has a tendency to read slower than many other narrators. I enjoyed the journey of this audiobook and found myself submerged in Olive's life due to Clifford's believable portrayal.

Fabulous, brilliant, beautiful womens fiction that I would highly recommend! Definitely one of my favourite reads for the year - light, easy, refreshing, but also heartfelt and beautiful. Can't wait to read more of what Emma Gannon has to offer.

This story certainly tackles a unique subject not often focused as a main point of the story and I think there is a reason for that. It had some redundancies. Olive was an interesting character and I was interested in continuing to read to find out more. Audiobook was well narrarated and was well produced.

I've seen this book a lot here, but the reviews were pretty mixed and I thought that I need to make my own opinion, so I started it. Even though I've read many reviews, I didn't expect that Olive will be so raw, undisguised, strong and powerful on a very delicate subject for most women, and that is 'wanting or not wanting to have children'

Olive is a 33 years old, with a brilliant career as a publisher at .Dot Magazine with a long term fantastic boyfriend for nine years and an engaging group of friends from university, but lately she feels like she is left behind since most of her friends started to have children and prioritise the domestic, stay-at-home-mom life

The bewitching themes surrounding this book are unpacking the importance of womanhood, acceptance, self-doubt, marriage, friendship, choices, toughness and agreement

In the beginning I felt very attached to Olive and her emotions regarding society's expectations, since everyone has assumptions about women and what they have to do with their bodies and when, referring here to the apropiate age of having your first child, to being asked the most common question 'so..? when do you want to have kids?', and if you are not doing it quick, you will be an old mom..like it's some kind of a race between all women, and ohh the worst part: The almighty JUDGMENT that comes after, whether you agree or not with the person

What I liked the most was Olive's true belief of what she wants and her power to stand up for her thoughts. But even the strongest female out there can be deceived into thinking there might be something wrong with her if her desires doesn't accommodate the majority

This book is not an easy read, it's an acknowledgement that everyone of us are different and we all want different things in life. Some women will dedicate their lives to become the best mother for their children, some women want a successful career, some women might want them both, and some might want to live alone and spend their lives in peace. All these women are doing it right, if what they seek is happiness!
⭐⭐⭐🌠/5

Many thanks to the publisher harpercollins and netgalley for a copy in exchange of an honest review