I really enjoyed this book which follows a scenario that not all of us are familiar with and how different people can react to their perceptions of others views.

Olive is a fun, light, and quick read, with some interesting and positive messages, but it fell a bit short for me. I’ve read several commercial fiction novels recently, and all seemed to have the same issues: a meandering and limited plot; a cast of main characters that feel very archetypal; and subplots/issues that are tied up far too neatly and easily (here, by new, perfect partners sweeping in to save the day). For me, Gannon didn’t go deep enough into any of the characters - even Olive herself. There was a lot of apologising for no apparent reason, with the characters not having either understood, addressed, or resolved the problem. The result was a somewhat frustrating read, that I wanted to enjoy much more than I actually did - particularly because Gannon’s mission (to further open up the conversation around women who choose not to have children) is an important one.

Perhaps controversially, I always like to conduct a little research into an author before I read their novels. Gannon’s impressive journalistic repertoire left me hoping that some witty insight would carry itself over to Olive, and in many ways, I was not disappointed. Gannon writes sharply and knowledgeably within the confines of the field she knows, as the novel acquaints us with the story of Olive in the contemporary day: a writer and editor for the online women’s celebrity and gossip magazine ‘.dot’.

We meet Olive as an ambitious and strong-minded career woman, flying up the ranks of her dream job where a commitment to her professional life is yielding every success she could have wished for. Olive is surefooted in authoring articles about others’ personal lives, but when it comes to her own, she is struggling to find her footing in society as a woman entering her thirties, navigating the breakdown of her long-term relationship and who is, crucially, grappling with her decision to live a ‘child free’ life. This is, above all, a story written by a woman about women. It is speckled with instances of relatability and it is almost impossible to not consider your own thoughts, decisions, and experiences in response to the personal journey Olive takes us on. It is certainly unique to anything I have come across in literature, and now that I’ve read Olive, I can’t believe I haven’t read more widely on the topic given that I know MANY people who have made the same choice as Olive. It really does pose the question that Emma interrogates: are women in 2020 still anxious or concerned about expressing their views on becoming a mother?

RELATABLE was the word that continually laced my thoughts whilst reading this book. I think one of the particular joys of this novel is the excellent depiction of friendship and all the messy and complicated emotions that accompany close-knit groups of girls as they inevitably forge their own life paths. We are aware from early on in the prose that the stories of Olive’s three best friends, Bea, Cecily and Isla will offer alternate perspectives to our protagonist’s narration and brooding introspection. The friendship’s dynamics intertwine and diverge exceptionally, and it was an absolute pleasure to read the outplay of lifestyle choices and how a woman can experience feeling ‘left behind’ in the wake of her friends. Through an exploration of Bea’s hectic family life, Cecily’s first pregnancy and Isla’s unsuccessful IVF treatments, the novel glimpses sensitively at adulthood, with Olive’s unconventional quandary of wanting to live a child free life becoming increasingly difficult to approach her friends with. I believe such a topical issue was executed brilliantly through an examination of female friendship, and will most definitely resonate with many women in light of this novel. Thank you for this necessary writing, Emma!

I did have some mild qualms surrounding Olive as a protagonist, hence the four rather than five star rating, and this is why I am thrilled Gannon chose to supplement Olive’s sometimes confusing and irritable behaviour with alternative perspectives to consider. I appreciated Olive’s overriding loyalty, stubborn qualities and frank communications, but found it challenging to relate to some of her outbursts or behaviours that didn’t always seem realistic to me. I’m hesitant to share that opinion since I feel almost unqualified to judge how a person in Olive’s shoes is feeling; I’m only twenty-one and barely beginning to consider the magnitude of such personal decisions but can sympathise with the frustration of not having your voice heard. The snippets of quotes extrapolated from social media, conversations or elsewhere in people’s personal lives were nonetheless eye-opening as they rounded off each chapter. Simply put, bold and profound, these were the most notable reminders in the novel that this is a very REAL decision that women around the world are facing every day. Not to mention, the sentiments of guilt and ignorant responses they are met with by people at all ends of the ‘maternal spectrum’. I can only hope this book reaches someone who is feeling overwhelmed by the very same thoughts, because it will undoubtedly welcome them into a community where they are not alone and will certainly not be made to feel ashamed of their decision.

This was an delightful, enjoyable and insightful read that I flew through. I would have absolutely no hesitations in recommending Olive for it’s emotional resonance, witty humour and interesting journey’s of personal growth; not least, learning to become content with oneself.

Olive is one of the most anticipated books of 2020. One thing I admire and have to praise it for is the author will clearly of had a set mission when she set out. She wanted to write about a character who is unsure about motherhood. From there comes the whole premise of the novel. She did not feel the need to clunk it over with a multitude of stories and hide the message. There are of course other things going on but ultimately the be all and end all is about Olive and that decision. Different characters and their perspectives come through and I am sure people will be able to resonate with a different character in her own way. It may have been a tick box exercise at points but it was always one dictated by the author, and with it being her book I was happy to go a long with it. This reviewer wont face this predicament placed in this book but it dealt with things eloquently and with good humour and grace as well. I do think it will strike a cord with people and coming back to the initial point, the author most defiantly had a mission when writing this novel and the end unquestionably meets that. I look forward to seeing what the author writes next, now this has been released. There was clearly an urge to write, a feeling like this voice had not been heard before. If she heads into uncharted territory in the future, I think the mystery will only lead to a more compelling story and I look forward to reading that.

A somewhat uncovered subject matter, with the style of writing that lends itself to a beach reach - not sure if that worked or not. I enjoyed that the chapters alternated between past and present tense as this allowed for a lot of context in Olive's life although I didn't really understand why the past tense chapters were jumbled, and even noticed a few factual errors in some of these.

I thought the group dynamics of Olive's friends added a different spin on the issues although it seemed unnecessary to me that all of Olive's friends seemed to be going through something dramatic, like the author was trying really hard to make a point. While I appreciate the sentiment that we all have our 'stuff' going on, it felt a bit unrealistic and forced. The ending of the book felt really rushed to me, we jumped from Olive going on a single date to her suddenly being in a relationship and becoming a stepmother figure pretty quickly. I think it would have been really interesting for the author to have spent more time on the development of the new relationship, especially given Olive had been with Jacob for so long, as had been pointed out several times during the book. A quick, straight forward read but nothing ground-breaking unfortunately and it was all tied up a bit neatly at the end for my liking.

This lovely little read covers a topic I haven't come across in fiction before, although knowing plenty of people who have made the same choice. It navigates through Olive's decision whether or not to have a baby, and the complexities of remaining 'child free' with warmth and light comedy too. It's also interlaced with the friends situations of pregnancy, and IVF
This book stood out to me as being very 'current' too - references of Netflix & What app made me ponder the amount of new title fiction that disregard even a mention of a mobile phones 🤔
The focus on female friendship also and the support they have for each other is another stand out to this book, very relatable - Thanks Netgalley - I'll happily recommend this when I'm back in the shop!

There is an interesting theme to this book as it is based on a young woman called Olive who does not want children. This topic is handled sensitively and realistically but with quite a light touch. Olive is a successful magazine editor and in her eyes, to some extent, has it all. She has good friends, a nice place to live and a man she loves. Things start to unwind when it becomes clear that the people in her life don’t feel the same way. Of her friends Bea already has children, Cec is having a baby and Isla is desperate for children of her own and is undergoing fertility treatment. The four of them have a very strong bond having been friends since childhood but this bond is put under a lot of strain because of their diverse situations and lifestyle choices. Lastly, Olive’s long-standing partner wants children and this is causing tensions between the two of them. All these things turn Olive’s life upside down but she is determined to stand her ground. I wanted Olive’s story to have a happy ending and it does in a sort of unpredictable way. This is an easy to read book and although there are a number of topical issues covered it never feels too heavy. The characters are likeable and easy to relate to and I am sure the question of having children and fertility will resonate with many women. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me and ARC copy of this book.

Olive has been best friends with Bea, Isla, and Cecily since school. The four of them have always been close.
However, now in their early 30s, Olive can't shake the feeling that they're heading down different paths.
Bea is married with three children.
Cec is pregnant with her first child.
Isla is currently going through IVF.
Olive is pretty certain she never wants to have children - a choice which causes her to question whether she’s being “left behind.”

This book takes a sensitive look at adulthood, milestone decisions, and the ‘taboo’ about remaining “childfree.”

Have you ever noticed that once we reach a certain age (somewhere between mid-to-late-20s) small talk always leads to the same questions...
“So, are you married?”
“Do you have kids?”
It’s hard to ignore how society puts this pressure on us to “settle down.” And if life leads you down a less traditional path, does that mean you’re “failing” at being an adult?

Ever since I was a teenager I’ve been certain that I never want to have children. Over the years I’ve listened as friends and family insisted that I’ll change my mind once I’m older. It’s not that I dislike kids, I’ve just never felt that maternal instinct. Olive’s thoughts echoed my own so closely.

Even if you don’t share Olive’s view, her character is written in such a way that you can easily empathise with her. The supporting characters are also well-developed, and I felt like I was reading about a real group of friends.

This is one of the best books I've read all year. Warm, thoughtful and honest. I cannot recommend it enough!

🍃 Olive By Emma Gannon🍃
I was very lucky to be approved to read this book in return for a review on NetGalley. This is the first book I’ve ever read through net galley and I was a little worried I would have to review a book I wasn’t sure of.
But Alas this book was AMAZING! It’s underlying theme of pregnancy and the choice whether or not to have children really resonated with me. The fact we are all on different journeys and time frames in life, and how we should always be sensitive to one another.
I loved the writing style @emmagannonuk uses and I need to look into some more of her novels! I really recommend that you grab this book when it’s released.

Olive doesn’t want children and this becomes a problem for her as her friends all either have or are trying to have babies.
Olive explores all the pro’s and con’s, questioning the motives of those who do and choose not to have them.
There was no real story or a thorough discussion of the issues.

After a couple of hefty reads that explored worlds quite different to mine, I was excited for Emma Gannon’s novel, following the story of Olive, a magazine writer and editor who is grappling with the decision of whether or not to have a baby.

I always enjoy sinking into books written by women who understand women. Olive and her closest three female friends have traversed life together since their teens and have that lovely, messy relationship that women can have that’s somehow both complicated and simple at the same time. Despite (or perhaps because of) always having attended all girls schools until university, I struggled when I was younger to create those bonds with women, often opting for what I felt was an easier, less emotionally convoluted friendship with boys. (Yeah, sorry, I was one of those girls.) Somewhere along the way towards growing up though, perhaps as the intricacies of life differed depending on gender, I realised that the majority of my closest relationships these days are with women and that I now crave that female presence in my life in a way I never used to. So really these books that were once aspirational are now cosily familiar and reassuring to read.

Olive is an excellent and pretty relatable protagonist as she’s a wonderful mix of impressive and irritating qualities! She seems to know her own mind pretty well, she’s loyal, ambitious and successful. She’s also an over-thinker, anxious, a little bit stubborn and not aways a great communicator. Splitting between past memories and the present, the novel follows Olive as she interrogates her feelings about having children in the wake of a break-up and all her friends becoming baby oriented. I’m in that exact point in my life now where there’s a small chasm opening up between those with children, those planning to have children and those anticipating staying baby free so it was easy to enter the world of the book.

Gannon doesn’t simply fixate on Olive’s confused state of mind about her own decision to have children but also follows the experiences of her friends who are having different experiences, some already have a handful of kids while one is undergoing round after round of IVF. For me, the most interesting aspect of the book is this interplay between the wants, needs and pain of the four women. Trying to navigate a friend’s inability to get pregnant while still joyfully celebrating the birth of your own child must be a horrible situation to be in and one that many women I know experience. I constantly see well-meaning people sniping at each other for complaining about not having children, having children that are annoying them, accidentally getting pregnant, not being able to get pregnant etc. It’s human nature to be angry at people for not appreciating what you wish you had.

I struggled to connect with the broader discussions of the decisions to not have children. I know that these exist, that people constantly tell women that they’ll change their mind or disagree with their decision to stay childfree, and some of the examples in the books were eye-opening. The book is peppered with quotes from people - both famous and not about their experiences about the decision to be childfree - which worked really well to underline this. These things are irritating and of course should be challenged but I felt that the career-centric, creative world that Olive inhabited (outside of her friendship group) would actually counter this with the positive aspects of being childfree. However I really connected with Olive’s relationship with Jacob as an emotional catalyst for the entire situation. The decision to have children is a very personal one, but to have somehow ended up in a relationship where you’re on opposite ends of the spectrum is heartbreaking. To have her decision making process impacted by such a large potential loss raised the stakes hugely.

Despite loving both Olive and the friendships that underpin the book I became exasperated with some of the behaviour exhibited that didn’t quite ring true for me. While it’s true that life can tear previously inseparable people apart and that everyone can retreat into their own worlds a little bit, I did feel that Olive behaved quite strangely towards her friends and their children. I think her struggle to accept the changes that her friends had made in their lives is understandable but I became infuriated by how childishly she sometimes responded to this, getting drunk at baby showers and withholding important information about her life from her friends. In turn I also felt that, within my own friendship groups, I’ve witnessed a much warmer dynamic. I’ve seen friends with no interest in having children make adaptations to their own lives so friends who do have kids can join in and relationships broaden as new personalities bloom. Of course there’s the aspects where social lives do have to diverge a bit and where situations have been more complicated, but my overwhelming feeling was that Olive made very few concessions towards her friends with kids - making catty comments and rarely showing much interest in these people who were so important to her friends.

These are minor gripes though and the more I read the book, the more I felt like nuanced explorations of the concept of having children came forth. I loved the addition of Olive’s neighbour Dorothy, her sister Zeta and the friend who drunkenly confessed she regretted having a child. I would have loved to learn a bit more about Isla as her backstory and complexities made her fascinating to me. I think this book will really speak to modern women wrestling with a decision that’s still a relatively novel one for the majority of us to be able to make.

Loved this story. Beautiful use of language and I thought the characters were really believable. Will definitely be recommending this one when it comes out in July. Thank you for sharing this review copy!

Often the sign of a good book is how you feel about the characters and the author when reading it and this was perfect! I was reading with anxiety from worrying that the author would turn cliché and change the very idea of Olive. Olive doesn’t want children, she is ‘childfree by choice’ and she has never wanted them and my biggest dread was that when reading similar books, authors often end on the fact that it was a phase and they have a child and live happily ever after… not so in this book and so refreshing to see (sorry for the spoiler there too!). Emma Ganon has done a great job of sticking to the theme and carrying it through showing the differing thoughts and feeling and how lost Olive feels in this world that seems to different to everyone else’s.

Olive is, predictably, our main character and she is struggling with her place in the world, is she wrong to not want children? We follow along with Olive’s friends, one beginning their family, one who has been bringing up her boisterous family for a while and one who is struggling desperately to conceive. We see their differing life struggles from their discussions and Olive’s perspective.

The flashbacks make the most of showing how these friends have come together and the strength of their relationships, definitely, something most would love. They have been together for a long time and support each other through ups and downs, not always in the best way, but they are always ultimately supportive and there for one another. This shows the great strength of female friendships as well as exploring Olive’s child-free life and thoughts.

I found this to be a quick read that I really enjoyed. I’d love to hear more from Olive and her friends in future too!

I really enjoyed this book! It's sweet, tender, and made up of the kinds of characters you can imagine encountering in everyday life. I imagine a lot of women will feel so seen and safe reading Olive's story.

I enjoyed this book even though I could guess what would happen in the end.
The main character Olive is struggling with her decision not to have children and this affects her friendships relationships and even work. I guess this is a modern dilemma and one that might resonate with younger readers.
I think that the book could have been more realistic in some ways there are a lot of cliches throughout but overall I enjoyed it.
I look forward to seeing what the author writes next.

Fast read, relatable as someone who is childfree. Really enjoyed the different characters lives around having children, showing you how each life is a with other without.

I’d recommend this read to all! Easy to pick up and down. Short chapters and characters everyone women can connect with.

***Spoiler alert****

I think it's incredibly refreshing to read a book that tackles a young woman's desire not to have children and her experience of this, as it's not one I've seen much literature about. It was an easy read and the author has a nice style of writing that lends itself to a beach reach. I enjoyed that the chapters alternated between past and present tense as this allowed for a lot of context in Olive's life although I didn't really understand why the past tense chapters were jumbled, darting from 2018, back to 2016. I thought the group dynamics of Olive's friends were really interesting and relatable at times although it seemed unnecessary to me that all of Olive's friends seemed to be going through something dramatic, like the author was trying really hard to make a point. While I appreciate the sentiment that we all have our 'stuff' going on, it felt a bit unrealistic and forced. The ending of the book felt really rushed to me, we jumped from Olive going on a single date to her suddenly being in a relationship and becoming a stepmother figure pretty quickly. I think it would have been really interesting for the author to have spent more time on the development of the new relationship, especially given Olive had been with Jacob for so long, as had been pointed out several times during the book. A quick, straight forward read but nothing ground-breaking unfortunately and it was all tied up a bit neatly at the end for my liking.

Thanks NetGalley for my ARC of this book.

I had no doubt I’d like Emma Gannon’s debut novel but I loved every minute of ‘Olive’. It’s the perfect of example of a book where I didn’t personally relate to the main characters struggles but could still empathise. I found Olive’s struggle of no wanting to have children when it’s all her best friends can talk about such a compelling read. It kept me wanting to pick up constantly so I read it in just over a week and would happily recommend it to everyone. I think it really challenges the way women can feel about having children and how the people around them react. Maybe the ending was a little cliched but I love a happy ending so it was perfect for me.

Emma Gannon tells the story of Olive Stone, a journalist in her early 30’s living in present day London and is based around her active decision to not have children. A controversial topic in that it is still considered ‘other’ for a women to not want children. Olive’s long serving friend group of Bea, Cecily and Isla, cleverly all fall into completely different groups when it comes to having children. Bea started early and now has a well established herd, Cecily is a new mother in a good financial position, having chosen to have a career before starting her family and Isla is embroiled in a long battle with IVF, desperate for a baby. Olive, being surrounded by these varying but pro baby positions, feels somewhat of an outcast.

I think the choice to make Olive a journalist was a wise one, it allows her to ask questions throughout the story although the lines between professional and personal are blurred, she spends the majority of the time researching other women who are CFBC (Child Free By Choice) as part of her work but also for her obvious personal reasons.


I did struggle to warm to Olive initially, finding her a bit petulant at times and despite her own view, quite closed minded. The further into the story I got, I put that down to a deliberate move by the writer to show that she was going through something, the Olive at the end of the story is very different from the Olive at the beginning. The other characters in the book really helped to even out the story, Olive’s friends all felt familiar and realistic, as did her colleagues.

I’ve seen other reviews suggesting that being CFBC is perhaps a bit of a non issue but as a married gay man in my mid 30’s, surrounded by friends either starting or adding to their families, I can relate to Olive’s plight. Choosing not to have children is of course a completely different issue for women and men aren’t questioned nearly as much, but I was able to sympathise with her feeling different.

Despite the heavy sounding nature described above, this book is a light and easy read, funny and charming.I enjoyed the various pop culture references, being a similar age to the characters, they all felt relevant. I also enjoyed going backwards and forwards in time, which is helpful to help understand what motivates a character.

I have already recommended it to many friends, as I think it will be a perfect Summer read and will also offer some perspective and understanding on a subject that they haven’t been exposed to before.

A lot of things are billed as being the last taboo, but a woman’s choice about whether to have children or not is definitely one of them. Women who don’t want children are branded as selfish, confused, not aware of what joy the little ones can bring.
Olive, the protagonist of Emma Gannon’s new novel by the same name is independent, loyal, and knows her own mind. She’s trying to figure life out, and doing it with the support of her three friends from university. But then their paths start to diverge, as they choose marriage and motherhood, and Olive wonders whether her choices are the right ones. Life according to Olive looks different.
Olive is a pacy novel that explores our own explorations – how we approach life, and what it means to live a good one. The journalist and author has long been praised for acute commentary on society and life, and weaves in her observations subtley. Olive is a journalist, which means she can ask questions as a character, allowing us to see more than just her own life.
At times I worried that the cliché of Olive being a bit of a party girl undermined her decision not to have children. A woman can be child free without being irrational or hysterical, without loving wine more than they love family, or being an obsessive career woman.
Whatever path you choose to take, it’s always worth being mindful of the fact that there are other options out there. Even if your life is a good life, it doesn’t mean that someone else’s is bad. You do you. Olive does Olive.