Love the One You're With
by Emily Giffin
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Book Reviews of Love the One You're With
Book Review: Her worst to date
Summary: 2 Stars
I loved all three of Emily Giffin's previous books but this one left a lot to be desired. I couldn't stand Ellen, who was the main character. She was annoying, immature and so obsessed with what everyone else had. She constantly compared herself to others, especially her best friend Margot. It became nauseating.
I didn't like the way this book was written. It seemed to mostly take place in Ellen's head with very little dialect from the other characters, and the characters were DEFINITELY UNDER DEVELOPED. This book felt rushed.
The ending was very abrupt and extremely unrealistic. I wont ruin it for you but it was pretty bad. I was a little angry at the end of Something Borrowed- not at the ending itself but because that was the emotion it evoked. I cried at the end of Something Blue because that book really displayed how much Darcy changed. There was definitely complete character development. I even got a little choked up at the end of Baby Proof, BUT at the end of this book I felt NOTHING. I was annoyed. I thought it was unrealistic and it felt incomplete.
If I were you I'd read this book but don't set your expectations too high. It is a light easy read. You are left wondering, "what is going to happen next?" but the ending doesn't do the book any justice.
Book Review: love the one you're with?
Summary: 5 Stars
that's the question, and i thought that this book tackled it with a lot of honesty and insightfulness. in fact, i thought that this book was very similar in theme to emily giffin's first book, something borrowed. only, the conflicts the character is dealing with in this book involve (arguably) much higher stakes in that her marriage, surrogate family and adopted lifestyle are put on the line, along with her own sense of morality and identity. one of the things i really found interesting about this book is that it showed just how certain people in our past can transform us back into who we were when we knew them, despite whatever successes and growth we might have achieved since. like meeting up with people from high school and all of the sudden feeling like that insecure 16 year old again. anyway, that's how i likened the dilemma in this book and could really relate to what was happening as a result.
this is the closest character that emily giffin has written to rachel from something borrowed. she is hesitant and maddeningly overthinks almost everything but yet she is also endearing and someone you really want to root for, to hope that she is able to figure it all out in the end. her inner monologue carries this story and i thought she was a witty and thoughtful narrator.
Book Review: Frustrating character but a satisfying book
Summary: 5 Stars
Ellen is an incredibly frustrating character in this book - she is impulsive and illogical and often makes incredibly self-serving decisions. But yet, something about how she thinks and how she acts when running into her ex really rang true with me. Maybe it's because I know that I'm not always making the best decisions either, in spite of myself. I liked that she wasn't a goody-goody and really explored the darker sides of what she was feeling, even if it was almost completely self-destructive.
There's something kind of subversive about this book. It's very chick-lit in most ways, and then almost anti-chick-lit in the way it describes how this woman thinks and acts, as if it wants to tell us how dangerous it is to believe in an all-consuming, sweep you off your feet fairy tale. As when Ellen moves to Atlanta and tries to embrace her "perfect" life and "perfect" new family...sometimes, you really have to watch out for what you wish for.
Ultimately, I really liked this book. It has a very satisfying ending, and I loved the character's twisting journey to figure out what she really wants out of her life. The ending left me happy, though I do wonder if she will someday come to question her choices yet again. But maybe that's the message of the book after all.
Book Review: Life is about the choices we make
Summary: 3 Stars
Like Giffin's first three books, Love the One You're With is about the life choices we make. Ellen's choice here is somewhat predictable, but the journey she makes toward that decision is poignant. In this novel, Ellen has the greatest sexual chemistry with Leo, and its easy to see why she was attracted to him in the first place. Her relationship with Andy, however, seems a little out in left field. In addition, Ellen herself got on my nerves, because she kept posturing herself as better than her husband's family (despite the fact that they look on her as one of their own). I also thought Giffin's depiction of Pittsburghers didn't ring true--its almost as though she's never even met someone from there, much less been there; many Pittsburghers I know are rabid Steelers fans and say "y'uns." It's more working class than the eastern part of Pennsylvania, for sure, but I thought this depiction of Pittsburgh was way too stereotypical for my taste.
On the other hand, I think that Ellen's situation is relatable. We've all run into an ex here and there, and we've all had to make the kinds of decisions that Ellen makes here. Emily Giffin's books are always thought-provoking and "intelligent" chick lit. That said, however, I definitely preferred Something Borrowed to this book.
Book Review: Not so much.....
Summary: 3 Stars
I was counting the days until Emily Giffin's latest was released...and was sorely disapointed! Like many other reviewers, I read the book within the day I bought it. It was a very easy read, but did not share the fun and quirkiness the last three of her novels did. Ellie was the most underdeveloped heroine Emily has ever written about and it was because of that, I could really care less about her! I was suprised to see how many steller reviews this book recieved based on these reasons--The focus of this book, though titled "Love The One You're With", was really about Ellie's career in photography. With all the boring details given it almost felt like Emily herself might want a career change! I anticipated the book to really dive in and focus on Ellie and Leo, and it seemed to come up short on that end.
Also, Ellie was far to middle of road for my taste. She was not free spirited or traditional, not totally inlove with Andy, her husband but not repelled by him either. She had a decent relationship with her sister and her father, not great or terrible.
The end was too neat for the situation. This book was a like a really great looking piece of cake that tasted like cardboard...I only gave it 3 stars out of respect for the author, who I usually really enjoy.