I had a really hard time with this book. I didn’t connect with any of the characters and was generally very underwhelmed. I did however love the narrator. I think it this had been a physical copy of the book, it would have been a DNF for me, but the narrator saved it.

I tried to like this book but had to DNF. I have no problem with people choosing to not have children. I know childless by choice people and like them. I did not like Olive or her friends. I don’t need to like the characters that I read about in books but I just couldn’t force myself to finish.

I gave the book 3 stars because I loved the narrator!

Review date: February 5, 2021
Expected US Release Date: March 9 , 2021
*Thanks to the author, Harper Collins & NetGalley for the advance audiobook copy

I started this as an ebook and wasn't sure I'd like it. Somehow I just couldn't find the right voice for the MC. Then it popped up on Netgalley as an audio book and I quickly downloaded it and started.

The narrator does a fabulous job. Honestly, for me, it saved the story. She has the perfect breezy tone of Olive but also the frustration when needed. She gave voice to the friends and their own struggles but also the apologies and tip-toeing they do at times with each other. This is the story of 4 women and their friendship - how it changes as they become adults and hit milestones (or don't) at different times. Female friendships can be tough, especially when society and friends have ideas of who we are and what we <i>should</i> be doing. It was great to read Olive's perspective in a story and I found it refreshing to give voice to people who just want to choose their life and how to live it.

I loved this story and I'm really glad I gave it a try.

Every chapter of this book was a delight. Clever, insightful and intimate, Olive tackles a taboo "issue" - the choice to have or not to have children.

I think what made this book so enjoyable for me was the main character, Olive. At 33, she is living a generally happy life, but is made to question her decision not to have children when everyone around her seems to venture towards parenthood. While I'm in my mid-twenties, I found Olive truly relatable, as though she could be my best friend. She is still figuring things out, which is almost universal at this age, but the society makes her feel inadequate because of where she's at and where she's not in her own journey. I could definitely relate to her feelings and frustrations.

But it is also an important discussion of friendship and fertility, which I found very thought-provoking, especially because I feel like (in)fertility isn't discussed in literature and public discourse nearly enough for how prevalent it is.

Finally, I especially enjoyed reading this novel with my new favorite mode of reading - an ebook and an audiobook simultaneously. As far as the latter is concerned, I thought the narration was superbly done with just enough emotion to make it an experience for me. Highly recommended.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio arc of this book, all opinions expressed here are my own.

Olive by Emma Gannon was an interesting read. It explores the different choices (and non-choices) life can throw our way in terms of motherhood.

Olive, Bea, Isla and Cecily have been friends forever, but their friendships are changing and struggling. Bea is a happy Mum of three in an unhappy marriage. Cecily is a new Mum struggling with all the postpartum emotions. Isla has health issues that are leading her down the IVF path. And Olive? She has broken up with her partner of 9 years as she becomes more and more aware that she doesn’t want children, so is CFBC (Child Free By Choice.)

Although I didn’t really feel a connection to any of the characters, I think this is an important book to have out there. As a Mum of three, and I was quite a young Mum, I hadn’t really thought about people not wanting kids. Life is, and should be, all about our choices no matter what they are. There is no right formula to life. We just need to do what is right for us.

Overall this was an enjoyable read. The narration was good. A solid 3 stars. The reason it’s not higher is due to Olive’s romantic choice later in the book. I felt that person was the wrong fit for how the rest of the book had been.