Summer Reading Challenge: First Comes Love by Emily Giffin (Chrissy’s review)

First Comes Love
written by Emily Giffin
published by Ballantine Books, 2016

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble (Nook) (print), Amazon, iBooks, Book Depository, Goodreads

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Did I enjoy this book: You know that feeling when you love an author and all of her books, and you can’t wait for whatever new release she has coming out? And then, as you dive into the pages, the book just falls short of those wonderful expectations and high hopes? Yeah, that’s what happened here.

Don’t get me wrong, First Comes Love is a great story. It was interesting, it had me guessing in a few places, and it had me rooting for the characters. While I liked the characters and could understand what they were dealing with, I wanted them to get on with it. It just felt like the story dragged a bit. I never fully understood why Meredith became a lawyer. I kind of get it, but it wasn’t explained enough for me. I also don’t quite get the whole Josie, Pete, Gabe, Will thing. I get being hung up on an ex, but to go that far was a stretch. And the thing Josie wanted to do . . . what an, um, interesting story line.

However, it wasn’t quite interesting enough for me to read the last 20 pages immediately. I put the book down for at least 24 hours before I felt like finishing it. I guessed part of the end. It wasn’t that shocking or surprising. I was happy with the ending for Meredith. The ending for Josie was a bit too much for me. (And, yes, I’m being cryptic as not to give away the story.)

Would I recommend it: I would. If you are a fan of Ms. Giffin, you will want to read this book. It’s a good story, just not her best.

 

About the book – from Goodreads: In this dazzling new novel, Emily Giffin, the #1 New York Timesbestselling author of Something Borrowed, Where We Belong, andThe One & Only introduces a pair of sisters who find themselves at a crossroads.

Growing up, Josie and Meredith Garland shared a loving, if sometimes contentious relationship. Josie was impulsive, spirited, and outgoing; Meredith hardworking, thoughtful, and reserved. When tragedy strikes their family, their different responses to the event splinter their delicate bond.

Fifteen years later, Josie and Meredith are in their late thirties, following very different paths. Josie, a first grade teacher, is single—and this close to swearing off dating for good. What she wants more than the right guy, however, is to become a mother—a feeling that is heightened when her ex-boyfriend’s daughter ends up in her class. Determined to have the future she’s always wanted, Josie decides to take matters into her own hands.

On the outside, Meredith is the model daughter with the perfect life. A successful attorney, she’s married to a wonderful man, and together they’re raising a beautiful four-year-old daughter. Yet lately, Meredith feels dissatisfied and restless, secretly wondering if she chose the life that was expected of her rather than the one she truly desired.

As the anniversary of their tragedy looms and painful secrets from the past begin to surface, Josie and Meredith must not only confront the issues that divide them, but also come to terms with their own choices. In their journey toward understanding and forgiveness, both sisters discover they need each other more than they knew . . . and that in the recipe for true happiness, love always comes first.

Emotionally honest and utterly enthralling, First Comes Love is a story about family, friendship, and the courage to follow your own heart—wherever that may lead.