Review: One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Release Date: June 7th, 2016
Purchase: Amazon

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.

My Thoughts:
Rating clarification: 10 perfect stars

I think that perhaps everyone has a moment that splits their life in two. When you look back on your own timeline, there’s a sharp spike somewhere along the way, some event that changed you, changed your life, more than others. A moment that creates a “before” and an “after.”

Oh my… let me tell you the feels of this story was epic! I’ve been a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid since the first book I came across, but One True Loves has cemented my feelings about Reid being a gifted author. What an amazing story! I know it’s still early in the year, but I’m pretty confident One True Loves will be my favorite book of 2016. Without a doubt!

In this story, we meet Emma Blair at a time in her life when she’s finally found a way to move on from the death of her husband Jesse Lerner, who disappeared in a tragic helicopter accident in the Alaska. Having mourned Jesse’s lose for several years, Emma took a chance at love again and reconnected with her high school friend Sam Kemper. They have begun to build a life for themselves and Emma’s evolved into a whole new person… one that’s decided to return and stay in her hometown Boston and take over the family business. As Sam and Emma begin to plan their wedding, she receives a call that will throw her life into a tailspin.

Jesse is alive and headed back home…

Just when I thought love triangles had become cliché, Taylor Jenkins Reid puts a whole new spin on having two true loves. I’ve never been a fan of the “love triangle” technique used as the main plot device for a story, BUT let me tell you… TJR has redefined what love triangles should be and how they should be used. I was amazed with her story telling talent!! Reid created a tragic mess where I was torn apart wondering how in the hell she was going to fix the debacle she created. In the end, I just put my trust in her that she would bring me safely back to sanity.

I loved Emma Blair as the main character in this story. She narrated her journey with a voice filled with the perfect mix of confidence, fear, uncertainty, confusion and ultimately growth. It was clear how much Emma evolved from the beginning to the end of this story. Loved her!

I was as much conflicted between Jesse and Sam as Emma was! I’d like to consider myself a patient reader, but I could not even tell you how many times I was tempted to sneak a peek at the end to see how this would end! I loved them both.. in different ways.

I adored Jesse for driving Emma to be the wanderer she longed to be in her youth. With him, Emma traveled and explored exciting places around the world. Life with him was exciting!

At the same time, I fell head over heels for Sam. He reconnected with Emma at a time in her life when she needed security, a solid foundation and the sense of what home and family means to someone. He was a solid rock that promised a fulfilling future.

I don’t think true love means your only love. I thing true love means loving truly.

Both amazing characters that created the best told love triangle novel an author can ever imagine crafting for a reader like me that becomes vested in the characters and story like I do. Emotional!!

So yes... I will mark this down right now as my favorite book for 2016. I’m that confident another author will not move me as much as Taylor Jenkins Reid did with this epic experience! Love.love.love!!!

People aren’t stagnant. We evolve in reaction to our pleasure and our pains.

 5 snowflakes