One True Loves

Written by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Published by Washington Square Press, June 7, 2016

My star rating: 4 stars

THE SYNOPSIS:

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. Find it on Goodreads

MY REVIEW:

I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by the same author a little while ago and I was totally blown away! The writing style, the characters, the emotions; it was all just so amazing! I couldn’t wait to get into more written by her! I had high hopes for this one and, for the most part, this book met those expectations.

Think of this as the movie Castaway but from the wife’s perspective. She is a day away from her first wedding anniversary and her husbands helicopter goes down in Alaska. He is presumed dead and she is obviously crushed. 2 years later she finally decides it’s time to pick up the pieces of her life, let go, and search for happiness. That’s when she begins dating the boy she worked with at her parents bookstore when she was in high school. Time passes and they are now engaged. She never stops loving her husband, but is able to find love again. And that’s when her husband calls to say that he’s coming home.

I can’t even imagine to be put in that situation!! The utter heartbreak to lose a husband alone is crushing. But to finally pick up your life and move on just to have it all crash back down on you is unimaginable! Then all of a sudden you’re faced with the decision between the two men you love. One you think you need to go back to out of obligation. The other you want to stay with out of obligation. The choice seems impossible.

Emma as a character was great and so real. We meet her when she’s a teenager and first meets her husband Jesse. The way she was as a teenager was totally different from how she is as an adult. We see her growth, the changes she makes, and why she makes them. I absolutely LOVE that part! The things I liked and the way I acted as a teenager was nowhere near what I am today. We also get her spectrum of emotions as she’s struggling with the decision of who to choose.

Jesse and Sam were also fantastic but in their own way. They both loved her so completely that it melted my heart! We see what both of these men offer her at different time in her life and why they make her better. Their relationships were how they worked together and what made them a good team. Each relationship was full of give and take and that to me is real.

There were two downfalls for me though. One, when we get to see Jesse again after his disappearance, we never really hear what happened! I totally understand that he went through an unspeakable trauma, and he didn’t want to relive the details. But for the sake of the story it let his end of the plot a little flat. Emma was understanding and didn’t push the issue, but I as a reader wanted to know every detail! I also felt that my emotions didn’t come to the surface as much as they did when I read Evelyn Hugo. Evelyn Hugo was just so raw and brutal. This one felt a little soft around the edges somehow. My emotions remained at arms length the whole time and I can’t really explain why.

Aside from that though, this was a well written and evenly paced book! And as a person who usually doesn’t like love triangles, this is one of the best i’ve read! Even though the situation was a little outlandish, it all made sense and I was able to immerse myself into the story.

Until next time, happy reading!