Review: Where We Belong by Emily Giffin (Chrissy’s review)

Where We Belong
written by Emily Giffin
published by St. Martin’s Press

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Goodreads, iBooks

Why did I pick this book: I’m a fan of Emily Giffin and I have all of her books. When I saw she had a new one out, I had to buy it.

Did I enjoy this book: I did enjoy this book. I read every free chance I had until I finished it.

This review is very personal to me and, therefore, will be a bit different from my usual reviews. It is more of how I related to this book than just what I liked about it in general. 

I was a bit anxious and nervous going into this book. I am adopted and I have read some stories that I do not agree with and cannot even imagine about adoption. This book was so well written. I really related to some of the situations.

Like Kirby, I have always known that I was adopted. I was so happy to see that in this book. All too often, the story is that the adoptee doesn’t find out until he/she is older. If you always know, it isn’t that big of a deal. Kirby also never felt rejected or gave much thought to her biological parents. I never felt like I was missing something or that I didn’t know the “real me” just because I am adopted. Marian’s reaction – “anticipating the words I have imagined and feared, dreaded and dreamt” – resonated with me. I have wondered if my biological mother, or even all biological mothers who have given their child up for adoption, have felt or thought this.

My favorite thing about this book is that through everything, meeting her biological parents and relatives, Kirby knows who her “real” mom is…she is the woman that raised her since she was a baby, the woman who adopted her and loved her as if she were her own biological child. I too know who my “real” mom (and dad) is, she is the woman that raised me and loved me and taught me everything she knows.

One scene in Where We Belong that really stood out for me was the scene in Argo Tea between Conrad, Marian, and Kirby. I laughed out loud. This scene was written so well. I could see, feel, imagine everything that was happening.

And the ending was absolutely perfect. It could have been cliche or predictable. I loved it and I’m glad it went the way it did.

Would I recommend it: I would recommend this book.

Will I read it again: I may. It is not a read every year book, but I think I will read it again at some point down the road.

About the book – from Goodreads: Marian Caldwell is a thirty-six year old television producer, living her dream in New York City. With a fulfilling career and satisfying relationship, she has convinced everyone, including herself, that her life is just as she wants it to be. But one night, Marian answers a knock on the door . . . only to find Kirby Rose, an eighteen-year-old girl with a key to a past that Marian thought she had sealed off forever. From the moment Kirby appears on her doorstep, Marian’s perfectly constructed world—and her very identity—will be shaken to its core, resurrecting ghosts and memories of a passionate young love affair that threaten everything that has come to define her.
For the precocious and determined Kirby, the encounter will spur a process of discovery that ushers her across the threshold of adulthood, forcing her to re-evaluate her family and future in a wise and bittersweet light. As the two women embark on a journey to find the one thing missing in their lives, each will come to recognize that where we belong is often where we least expect to find ourselves—a place that we may have willed ourselves to forget, but that the heart remembers forever.