by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genres: Contemporary, Women's Fiction
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Publication Date: June 7th 2016
Source: ARC received for review
Rating: ★★★★
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From the author of Maybe in Another Life—named a People Magazine pick and a "Best Book of the Summer" by Glamour and USA Today—comes a breathtaking new love story about a woman unexpectedly forced to choose between the husband she has long thought dead and the fiancé who has finally brought her back to life.
In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.
On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.
Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.
That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.
Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?
Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying.
I think it's a true testament to an author's immense talent as a storyteller, when she can make you immerse yourself in books to the point of obsession, in books that you normally wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. Just look at the summary of One True Loves. Does it look like anything that I would remotely enjoy? The straightforward answer is "hell no", but yet, I found myself curled up in bed one evening while I was battling a fever reading straight through One True Loves, not being able to stop, not caring that I was weak - I just wanted to get to the end of the story. There's a beauty to the simplicity in Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing. It's the kind of writing that slowly creeps up on you, seeps into you and then punches you repeatedly with the emotions. In the end, you're left with an overwhelming amount of feelings and thoughts and a giant lump in your throat.
In One True Loves, Taylor Jenkins Reid explores a situation that no one should ever have to be in. Emma and Jesse fall into a whirlwind romance in high school, which eventually leads to an adventurous life and later on marriage. A year into their marriage, he goes missing when his helicopter crashes. Emma grieves, learns to accept her loss and moves on with Sam, a childhood friend who had a giant crush on her. A few months into their engagement, Emma receives a call that her husband is alive.
What do you even do in a situation like this? How do you do anything without destroying anyone? I tried hard to think about what I would do in her position, and honestly, I don't know. Emma sure as hell doesn't know either and the emotional turmoil that she goes through in this book was so palpable, and so real. I felt so much for her. I can't say that I approved all of her choices. She made decisions that didn't make me happy, but at the same time, the author made me understand who she was, where she was coming from and why she did what she did. As for the two guys, both Jesse and Sam were terrific and it hurt my soul that they were hurting. All three parties involved went through hell and more in this book and most importantly, neither of them were to blame for the circumstances that they found themselves in. Whatever decision Emma made would have hurt all three of them and she knew that.
I also want to briefly mention the secondary cast. Taylor Jenkins Reid's books are always family-oriented, a feat that I absolutely love. She shows how beautiful and utterly messy family and friendship can be. Here in One True Loves, I was pleased to see what a wonderful support system Emma's family was. They stood by her, allowed her to grieve, allowed her to stray away from their own dreams for her and supported her no matter what she decided for herself. Truly, the Blairs were incredible and I just wanted to hug them and be surrounded by their love.
One True Loves is a consuming and thought-provoking story that will take you on an emotionally-charged ride. It will shatter your heart and fix it right back again and then break it all over again. Read it, experience it and then come talk to me about it, whether you love it or not.
Author Biography
Taylor Jenkins Reid is an author and essayist from Acton, Massachusetts. She is the author of Forever, Interrupted, After I Do and Maybe In Another Life. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Alex, and her dog, Rabbit. You can follow her on Twitter @TJenkinsReidFIND TAYLOR ONLINE:
Website: www.taylorjenkinsreid.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taylorjenkinsreidbooks
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tjenkinsreid
Instagram: @tjenkinsreid
Giveaway
- 2 Complete Sets of Signed TJR Books
- 5 Signed Copies of One True Loves
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Do you have authors that you read no matter what themes they write? Have you read any books by Taylor Jenkins Reid?
Let me know in the comments below!
