One True Loves: A Novel Paperback – June 7, 2016

“I don’t think that true love means your only love. I think true love means loving truly. Loving purely. Loving wholly.”This is my first novel from Taylor Jenkins Reid and I’ll definitely be reading more of hers. This book surprised me, but in the best way possible.It starts off with Emma celebrating her dad’s birthday with her family and her fiancé when her husband calls. The way she wrote that first chapter immediately gets your attention.TJR is able to capture both of Emma’s relationships where you feel as if you're living in it.From her being enamored with Jesse, the moment they had while being detained, and the blissfulness of their marriage. They’re able to leave their hometown, travel for their careers, and have the life they have always wanted.Much to Emma’s dismay, Jesse agrees to go on a work trip on their first anniversary. His helicopter is found to have crashed and he is presumed dead.Emma’s grief is written so raw and real. She loses herself and questions on how to live her life without Jesse. Thankfully, she has an amazing family who support her. She decides to move back to her hometown and realises that she has to keep moving forward.Little by little is she able to create her own life when she unexpectedly runs into her friend, Sam.She has guilt in having feelings for Sam, but she pursues them. They proceed to have a wonderful relationship. The way Sam accepts and understands that she will always love Jesse, is so selfless. He is able to show her the beauty in the simple things in life, the very same things that she took for granted. Her relationship with Sam is the complete opposite with Jesse, but she couldn’t be happier. Sam proposes and she is looking forward to spending their lives together.Flash forward to the first chapter, Emma has to decide what her heart wants, Jesse or Sam. Time and grief have changed Emma and Jesse. The three of them have to navigate their new reality. This is not your traditional love triangle, you feel as if you're also torn between the two.This book redefines our interpretation of “true love”.I felt her sorrow, confusion, joy, and the love she has for both of them. I absolutely loved it and wish we could’ve seen more of their lives.

I have found that I really enjoy TJR’s style of writing so I’ve been trying to read through her list of books. This one doesn’t disappoint. It starts off telling you the story from a teenage point of view when she meets and falls in love with her eventual husband. Then you read about their marriage and how he eventually goes missing on a work trip. He’s gone for 3+ years and you hear a lot about her grief and how she tried to get through it. Eventually she takes a chance on an old dorky highschoool friend and ends up getting engaged to him. Then the husband miraculously comes back and she’s faced with deciding between the two.The good stuff:1. The writing about grief was excellent, even if you haven’t lived through a loved one dying or going missing, most people have experienced grief and the description was spot on.2. The love story of how she met her husband was sweet and it immediately transported me back to highschool crushes and best friends that you think matter more than family.3. The relationship with her parents was great - they were supportive even when they didn’t understand her choices and welcomed her back when she needed them.The not so good stuff:1. She had a strained relationship with her sister for seemingly no real reason which was a recurring theme but didn’t have much substance.2. The husbands survival story was so ridiculous and implausible it was comical. They also only discussed what he actually went through for like 1 paragraph…. This was the major pivotal moment… wish it had been better thought out and described. Wish we could have heard his point of view.3. The book focuses heavily on how a person can fundamentally change after a tragedy.. but I seriously doubt a girl who was desperate to travel the world, moved across the country, and married a trouble making jock, would suddenly decide she wants to move back home permanently, run a small family store, and marry the band geek from her highschool. That sounds like a rebound move while picking up the pieces… not how she would permanently shape the rest of her life.4. I personally think she picked the wrong guy in the end (don’t come for me on this). I think her decision will leave her unhappy and bored in the long run. To be fair, I think the best ending of all would have been her picking herself and starting her life fresh over going back to traveling and writing. I loved the sister telling her it wasn’t about the men, she had to figure out herself. Wish they had stuck to that theme!In sum, it’s the typical good read by TJR but I wish the ending had been better with the main tragedy better thought out and addressed. Maybe one day she will write a book from Jesse’s POV or Marie’s POV and I would love to read those!

This tropes is not new, but Reid did an amazing job bri gi g an authenticity that I have not see to the situation before. This was beautiful.

The book arrived in excellent condition, but the book itself was less than excellent.After reading several books by TJR, I think her writing style just skews too young for my liking. However, like most of her books it's an easy and occasionally enjoyable read.My main criticism is that the main character is unlikeable, other characters are poorly developed. The best part of the book is her dynamic with her family and descriptions of the town she calls home.

Taylor Jenkins Reid really knows how to grab your attention from the moment the book starts and with this story, it did exactly that. and I was not disappointed. I usually don’t like love triangles that much because I end up getting annoyed but this one did not bore me. Who Emma chose without giving it away for whoever hasn’t read this book yet I think was the right choice. If you want a story that will make you cry a little, make you kick your feet, laugh and smile, read this book!!!

I've loved everything I've ever read by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Daisy Jones is still probably my favorite... but this book was incredible. I love it so much and recommend it to everyone who appreciates a love story that isn't necessarily happily ever after.One True Loves won't leave you sobbing or anything, but it will leaving you thinking.

It was pretty good but kind of predictable for me. Not as great as the reviews indicated.

great book