Tuesday, June 28, 2016

First Comes Love by Emily Giffin




What They Say....In this dazzling new novel, Emily Giffin, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Something Borrowed, Where We Belong, and The 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.



What I Say....I've been anxiously awaiting the end of June so I could finally read Emily Giffin's new book.  I put it off until right before the publishing date because I knew I would blow through it since I'm such a huge fan.

One of the things I like about Giffin's books are the complicated characters.  No one is a perfect heroine or a perfect villain.  Everyone is a little of both, just like in real life.

Meredith is a control freak who doesn't know how to relax,  Josie is irresponsible and self-centered.  But you also see the thoughts and feelings that are behind those shields that they have built around themselves after the tragic death of their brother, Daniel.

When the perfect guy seems to land on Josie's doorstep, she decides that this is the right time to pursue single motherhood with sperm donor.  Her best friend/roommate is skeptically supportive, but the new guy is all on board, willing to donate sperm, and only be as involved as Josie wants him to be.

Meredith has the perfect husband and child and doesn't seem to appreciate either one, and spends her days toiling as a lawyer, a job she hates.

Soon everything begins to bubble up as the anniversary of Daniel's death approaches.  Meredith leaves her family to try out New York again, Josie breaks off with her new boyfriend and starts discussing using her roommates sperm right as he finds a perfect new girlfriend.

Talk about being your own worst enemy!  This is a great book about the relationships that fester between siblings.  It would be great if we all had the picture perfect sibling relationships but that's not always the way real life is, and Giffin excels in writing damaged relationships.

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