Heart of the Matter

Jul 07, 2010 Cooper rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The formula for HOTM:

Weak women characters + Cheating scandal + Blaming parents for the way they are + Forgiveness on the woman's part = $UCE$$. Let's review.

I am getting very frustrated with the cheating scandal that seems to plague all of her books. Haven't we seen this before?

The story begins with Tessa and Nick, a seemingly perfect couple who have it all. A high powered career, 2 beautiful children, rich friends, yet there are cracks in their foundation. BLAHHHHHHHHHHH. Give me something n...more The formula for HOTM:

Weak women characters + Cheating scandal + Blaming parents for the way they are + Forgiveness on the woman's part = $UCE$$. Let's review.

I am getting very frustrated with the cheating scandal that seems to plague all of her books. Haven't we seen this before?

The story begins with Tessa and Nick, a seemingly perfect couple who have it all. A high powered career, 2 beautiful children, rich friends, yet there are cracks in their foundation. BLAHHHHHHHHHHH. Give me something new here! Sounds like every single chick lit book I have ever read. (i.e anything by Lauren Weisberger, Plum Sykes, Candace Bushnell, etc).

Emily Giffin could have empowered women all over the world by saying NO to cheating husbands. Standing up for themselves and not what they perceive "love" Is it love if you cheat? Can you forgive someone who thinks with their dick and not their head or heart? The characters lacked substance therefore, it was not believable to me. I could not see Tessa and Nick forgiving each other. Now, I "liked" (meaning she was only okay) Tessa, but I hated how weak she was. In fact, she was so dull and blah, bananas have more character than she does. But the cheating scandal again.... WHY.

The other things that bothers me is the fact that Tessa placed a lot of the blame on herself. It was NOT Tessa's fault. What was she supposed to do? Provide 24/7 to a man? I think not. It does take two to ruin a marriage, but how is Tessa supposed to confront loser Nick? How was she supposed to make it work with an unavailable surgeon who thinks the sun shines only for him?

Nick was a loser, "falling" in love with loser Valerie and leaving her. WTF. You're a dumbass with once again NO character, no substance and NO guts. He was a dickhead who was bored with his fancy car, and his fancy life. Well, that's the life you chose and you did not choose to make it work. You don't love Tessa or Valerie. You love yourself. You chose to ruin your life for the thrill of the chase and stupid Tessa decided to take him back. C'MON. Some guy screwed another lady, hurt everyone in the process and is so dull its hard to believe that he actually cared about anyone. It didn't even seem like he was alive.

Also, Emily Giffin ruined Rachel for me. It seemed like Emily was mad at Rachel and made her into this mopey, housewife with the perfect relationship with Dex. Obviously, that was not the case, but it just seemed like Rachel was thrown into the book as a boring person. It was so odd the way she portrayed her. Also, the reason why I had to go back and talk about Valerie was because I completely forgot about her. She was as boring as Styrofoam peanuts and what was her sons name? Nothing comes to mind except for BORING. I usually don't forget characters, but really, who was Valerie again? What role did she play?

I am unhappy with this book, as I was extremely unhappy with Love the One You're With. I'd like to see characters with more depth and subtance, rather than the forumla that Ms. Giffin tends to use.

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Jun 15, 2011 Carol rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I found this book very predictable. It follows a similar plot line to Emily Giffin's other book, "Love The One You're With", where the main character is lead astray, but in the end picks their significant other. Unlike "Something Borrowed" where the cheating storyline allows the reader to see the complexities of the characters (which makes them more memorable/lovable), the adultery storyline of "Heart of the Matter" was unfulfilling. It did not give any insight into how the characters are feelin...more I found this book very predictable. It follows a similar plot line to Emily Giffin's other book, "Love The One You're With", where the main character is lead astray, but in the end picks their significant other. Unlike "Something Borrowed" where the cheating storyline allows the reader to see the complexities of the characters (which makes them more memorable/lovable), the adultery storyline of "Heart of the Matter" was unfulfilling. It did not give any insight into how the characters are feeling besides discontent with the way things are. The affair is all too typical and after such a long build up, the fall out is very short. The book ends with lackluster emotions and the typical happy ending where the wife forgives the husband and they start anew.

This is where main character Tessa falls flat. Not only did it seem like she did not care about her husband's affair, she constantly blames herself for her husband's actions. She is portrayed as weak throughout the entire book and lacks personality. What little personality she does have makes her come off snooty and unrelatable. In the end she forgives her husband after one short, intentionally placed encounter. Who cares if her husband knows how she likes her eggs? At least the other main character, Valerie, has a storyline with somewhat more depth. However her storyline ends as abruptly as her part of the affair ends. It seems like her character was just created to gain the readers' sympathy. The way Giffin portrays former characters Dex and Rachel is completely distasteful. Not only are they perceived as too perfect, they also come off boring and uninspired. This is the complete opposite of how they were initially portrayed in "Something Borrowed"(fun and exciting).

Overall I see nothing new in this book that has not already been included in Giffin's other books. The doctor, lawyer, stay at home mother and snobby friends characters have already been established in her other books, while the cheating storyline has already been covered in "Love The One You're With." I was left extremely dissatisfied with the ending and I did not like how Giffin reuses the element that made "Something Borrowed" so special and manipulated it in such a terrible, trite way.

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Oct 14, 2011 Kristilyn (Reading In Winter & Winter Distractions) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of Emily Giffin

Shelves: physical-book

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

[from my blog 'Reading in Winter']

Emily Giffin sure knows how to write a novel. When I first started reading Heart of the Matter, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Part of me thought that Giffin strayed from the usual love story to something more serious as the story begins mainly with Charlie, a young boy who gets severe burns after a sleepover incident. But then we meet Nick, Charlie’s plastic surgeon, and sparks fly between him and Charlie’s mom, Valerie.

Oh, but I should mention one thing – Nick

...more

[from my blog 'Reading in Winter']

Emily Giffin sure knows how to write a novel. When I first started reading Heart of the Matter, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Part of me thought that Giffin strayed from the usual love story to something more serious as the story begins mainly with Charlie, a young boy who gets severe burns after a sleepover incident. But then we meet Nick, Charlie’s plastic surgeon, and sparks fly between him and Charlie’s mom, Valerie.

Oh, but I should mention one thing – Nick is married with 2 children.

Valerie and Nick start out as friends, innocently enough. Talk always begins with Charlie and his progress, but eventually the two are texting and phoning each other daily with sentiments such as “I miss you” and the like. One night they end up making love and Nick admits that he’s falling for Valerie. The crazy thing is that I actually found myself rooting for Valerie and Nick to be together as the story went on (even though, in my heart I knew that he would ultimately end up with Tessa). I don’t know if it was intentional on Giffin’s part, but I found Tessa, Nick’s wife, to be annoying and unlikable. Part of the higher society, Tessa was friends with those “desperate housewife” type of women – Romy, the mother of Grayson, who’s sleepover Charlie was attending when the accident happened, seemed so high and mighty and actually brought a bottle of wine as an “I’m sorry” gift to Valerie in the hospital; and April, who is constantly gossiping about everyone.

However, this book didn’t turn out to be about love at all – well, at least it wasn’t right at the front burner. The novel turned out to be about forgiveness and forgiving just to forgive, not holding grudges, showing grace and courage when the time calls for it. What do you do when your son is burned at a party? Do you sue the parents who should have been watching the children in their care who are playing around the fire? Can you forgive the parents for what they’ve done? What do you do when your husband has an affair with a woman, not for sex, but for love – for wanting to be with her because it feels like it did in the beginning of your relationship? Can you forgive your husband? Can you forgive the woman?

So many questions are brought up and the book turns out to be more serious than I had expected. Even though part of me still kind of wishes that Nick and Valerie ended up together, the story ended up being more about the women than the guy. After Nick admits to his wife that he had an affair and she orders him to get out of the house, we lose Nick entirely. The reader is then left to see how Valerie and Charlie cope with the loss (which is hard for Charlie since he doesn’t have a father – Nick was a father-figure to him), and to see how Tessa reacts to this news of the affair.

While it ends well for all parties, the reader is left knowing that it’s not that simple – it’s not an “Oh, you cheated, but I still love you” kind of ending. It’s more of an “I know you cheated, and I may not be able to trust you again, but we can start over – we can work through this pain - it won’t be the same, but maybe we can make our life better” kind of ending. It’s leaving the reader wondering what does happen after the pages end – does Nick cheat again? Do him and Tessa realize that maybe they can’t make it work? Does Valerie manage to contact Lion, Charlie’s father? Are they able to move on?

My only complaint about this book is that we never really get into Nick’s head. I loved seeing him interact with Charlie, though it’s sad when Charlie realizes that Nick may not be coming back in the end. When Nick met up with Valerie to break off the affair, he told her he loved her and will always love her. Even Tessa said that he loves this other woman, but can’t be with her. It just amazes me that he can say that he loves Valerie and then go home and beg his wife for forgiveness and tell Tessa how much he loves her. However, he did tell Valerie that he has a family to think about and he doesn’t want to ruin what he has with them. I don’t know what to think – I did really like Nick in this book, but I think I enjoyed the surgeon Nick, rather than the groveling, down-on-bended-knee Nick. Though, I do wonder if my dislike for Nick is because of Giffin’s writing or because he is the adulterer, the one who is cheating on someone in this novel.

I’m sad that I devoured this book so quickly and now have to wait at least another year or so until Giffin releases her next effort. Though, I am happy to have found such a wonderful author who can have so many things going on in a novel – love, loss, pain, suffering, happiness, etc. - but still manages to get to the heart of the matter. That is, what really matters in life – having hope.

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Jun 01, 2013 Corey rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: amazon-vine, read-in-2010, badly-behaving-author

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 16, 2012 Virginia rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am mortified to have to spend precious reading-time on this junk which was inexplicably selected by my book club. Guess we let somebody slip this in without much vetting.

The characterization is lazy and boring.

The men in Tessa's family, though as beautiful as models, are somehow also in 'finance- Goldman Sachs' (oh cool, money) and 'the best pediatric surgeon in the world' (oh cool, money AND he loves children, calling George Clooney)-- and they live in regular suburbs like you & me! Gran...more

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Jun 02, 2011 Alexa Yupangco rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(Review was originally posted on Alexa Loves Books)

Heart of the Matter is written in Emily Giffin's style - a strong female perspective, matter of fact and brutally honest. This is what drew me to her book Something Borrowed in the first place, and what has kept me returning time and again despite the delicate subject matter she covers.

I was gripped by the subject matter of this book quite intensely. Kudos to Giffin for portraying the whole concept of adultery in a light that allows us to have b...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Machel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Although I did not agree with the overall story-line and the way it ended, I found myself reading this book without taking breaks, actually reading it in less than a day. I liked the narrative between the two characters, Tessa and Valerie. Honestly, I just wish there would have been more of a completion for Valerie's story. It implies she is going to contact the biological father, which I know will then be the 'real father figure' Charlie needs. I felt the depiction of the women in this novel wa...more

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Dec 27, 2010 Shani rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love the author's style of writing and would have given this book 5 stars if it had an alternate ending option.

*Spoilers* YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

Maybe it's just me, but I was unsatisfied with the way the story ended. It wasn't because the story didn't turn out for the characters the way I had hoped, but the fairytale ending was extremely predictable and bothersome. I know the theme of the story was forgiveness, but sometimes things just need to end. Who goes to a different city to get "tipsy" with...more I love the author's style of writing and would have given this book 5 stars if it had an alternate ending option.

*Spoilers* YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

Maybe it's just me, but I was unsatisfied with the way the story ended. It wasn't because the story didn't turn out for the characters the way I had hoped, but the fairytale ending was extremely predictable and bothersome. I know the theme of the story was forgiveness, but sometimes things just need to end. Who goes to a different city to get "tipsy" with their friends when they think their husband's on the "verge" of having an affair? Also, I hate how they made it seem as if Nick confessed the affair. Nick would have continued to see Valerie if his wife hadn't have came home. She pretty much new about it half of the book, she even asked him about Valerie. He got caught and he "confessed" because....he got caught! He wasn't happy in his marriage, he fell in love with someone else, the wife wasn't happy in general and in the real world they have reconciled only to end up divorced 2 years down the line anyway.

Then there was something that he told his wife on the last few pages that annoyed me, something along the lines of...

" Valerie never loved me, love is what we have..building a life and family together"....

Really? Is he a mind reader too? Building a life and family together equals love?? I thought that was called history! So, if I was married to my husband for 10 years, with 4 kids and he started beating me....we would still have love because we've built a life and family together? I thought everything the husband said at the end of the book was a bunch of baloney and would have preferred if the husband and wife would have forgiven each other and went their separate ways. I was team Charlie all the way and thought that Tessa deserved much better.

So, yeah. I thought the book was great up until the end, but that's just me. I'm sure others were perfectly fine with the ending. I hope the author writes a follow up book. I would love to see what happens with the Nick and Tessa's marriage and what happens with Valerie and Charlie. Maybe Valerie finding out she's pregnant after the man has once again walked out of her life and how everyone deals with it. ;D(less)

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Dec 29, 2012 Vy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Emily Giffin is easily one of my favorite authors. She is not boring and interjects pop culture. She dives into the characters as if she knows them. Giffin is incredibly talented as any fan knows. I read this book in several hours, because that's just how well her writing flows. THAT being said, here is my review of HOTM:

ANOTHER book on infidelity? How many ways can we spin it, folks? I know it is relevant and Giffin reveals the people involved and how it feels so anyone can relate, but it's the...more Emily Giffin is easily one of my favorite authors. She is not boring and interjects pop culture. She dives into the characters as if she knows them. Giffin is incredibly talented as any fan knows. I read this book in several hours, because that's just how well her writing flows. THAT being said, here is my review of HOTM:

ANOTHER book on infidelity? How many ways can we spin it, folks? I know it is relevant and Giffin reveals the people involved and how it feels so anyone can relate, but it's the theme of nearly all her books and I no longer want to read it. I get it and appreciate it. Especially because I've been in those shoes. But when you get to the bottom of it, really, how much sympathy can you feel for a cheater? I know it is rampant these days, but I am over it. I don't want to understand it anymore. I don't want to see it in her books anymore. Giffin is so talented, I would love to see it applied to another subject.

Another long running theme are the characters. Like I said, she develops them very well... but essentially, minus a few quirks, the characters are the same. The parents are meddlesome and imperfect, but always ending with good wisdom. The men are hunky and perfect, except(insert flaw). So hunky and perfect, they're forgivable. Everyone is wealthy (Except when they were in college, of course! nudge nudge) and there is always a clique of annoying housewives. It's quite depressing. Everyone is always perfect except for one thing.

I didn't like Tessa's submission to her gossipy friends and then always justifying it by being bored. I would like to see stronger women. Not strong women who are bitter with men (AKA, Tessa & Dex's mom), but actually strong women that stand up for themselves and go after their dreams. I hated that Tessa didn't end up going back to teaching job. (I know she could have later, but that is not how the book ended).

Valerie... she started out promising, but just later revealeded to be completely vulnerable and susceptible to peer pressure. Extreme low self-esteem. She was disguised as someone who knows better, but she really doesn't!

Charlie was a good character, but the other kids sucked! This whole book was a big justification of snobby rich people and the "hidden" intricacies of their lives. Like a soap opera.

I found myself so frustrated throughout the whole book! Over lack of development of the relationship with Tessa and Nick's kids. Rachel, who turned into the most boring thing alive after Something Borrowed. The typical snobby housewives, who I just cannot bring myself to like, EVER. The rich neighborhoods and Giffins obsession with over compensating everyone's perfection with little tiny flaws. Where are the real people with real problems? This is now three (four, if you count, Something Blue) books about infidelity and "dealing" with it. Out of 5 books!

I really did not get Nick's character at all. He didn't seem to really know what he wanted and for that reason alone, he shouldn't have ended up with either of the women. I kept waiting for the revelation that Frank and Ruby are not his kids, because they have blue eyes while he and Tessa have brown (A VERY rare trait)

I just found it very annoying that the book did not have more risk-takers. Just the same old doctor-lawyer-banker Ivy leaguers with 2.5 kids in big houses, gossip-y friends and another friend somewhere living the good single life. I would like more diversity in the characters.

Geez - such a good writer... I can't stand for another book like this. It is just like, "Love the One You're With". GAH!

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Feb 22, 2013 KarenH rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angst-level-heart-attack-zone, audiobook, audiobook-5-stars-plus, bittersweet-ending, cheating-hero, definitely-worth-your-while, disabled-sickness-addiction, doctor-patient, groveling, heart-wrenching, keep-the-kleenex-close-by, keepers, love-triangle, narrator-extraordinaire, other-woman, sexy-with-a-capital-s-hero, womens-fiction, worth-listening-to

I'm not sure why, in the spur of the moment, I chose to listen to this audiobook. I had learned enough about the book in the "cheating heroes" thread at Amazon to banish it to my "not in this lifetime" list. But with gloomy weather enhancing a melancholy mood, I decided to embrace depression completely.

Mission accomplished.

Tessa & Nick Russo, it would seem, have a life together that many aspire for yet few achieve. In their mid-30's and married 7 years, they are already enjoying an affluent...more

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Jun 18, 2010 Sarah Null rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Women

Shelves: owned

I remarked to someone over the weekend that all of Emily Giffin's books are about cheating. But they aren't. Not really. Just like cheating isn't usually the cause of a relationship breaking up; it's a symptom of a relationship that is already broken. Cheating is the plot of these books, but it isn't what the books are about. They're about choices. They're about growth. And here, the "heart of the matter" is forgiveness.

In this novel, Giffin skillfully tells the story about two women and the way...more

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Amos I agree Emily makes you feel. Which is why I hated this book so much. (I was really worried when I read Baby Proof too.) I feel like by the time Tessa...more
Jun 23, 2012 11:45pm

Monique I recently finished this book and before I started I found your review and love what you wrote; only increasing my interest! I agree with what you wro...more
Jan 01, 2013 07:25pm

Feb 15, 2013 Mk rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 13, 2011 Pamela Pickering rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club, chick-lit

Read for my April bookclub. First, I have to disclose that this is not my preferred genre and the only reason I read "Heart of the Matter" was because it was chosen by my book club. Now...why the three star rating? I couldn't put the book down but I absolutely hated it. What a weird paradox. Giffin sure writes well and she knows how to pull you into a story but I just found the main characters incredibly frustrating. Although they all had their good characteristics, Giffin surely highlighted the...more

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May 12, 2010 Tina Hayes rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vine

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 23, 2010 Kristi Vitale rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010, mindful-readers-book-club-selection

When I began reading this book, actually my first Giffin novel, I had not a clue what it was about. I refused to read reviews, allowing the book's jacket to be my only insight. A wise move since the anticipation simmering page by page and the unpredictability of what lay ahead in the pages of the first two-thirds of this book were terrific.

Therefore, I will do the same; I won't reveal the "heart" of this book. I will only say that Emily Giffin is a gifted writer, as you all knew and I now know,...more When I began reading this book, actually my first Giffin novel, I had not a clue what it was about. I refused to read reviews, allowing the book's jacket to be my only insight. A wise move since the anticipation simmering page by page and the unpredictability of what lay ahead in the pages of the first two-thirds of this book were terrific.

Therefore, I will do the same; I won't reveal the "heart" of this book. I will only say that Emily Giffin is a gifted writer, as you all knew and I now know, whose words flow seamlessly and beautifully on the pages.

I will say that Heart had me fooled at checkout. With its purple, heart-ribboned cover, I was sure I would soon be reading a lighthearted, uplifting story of family, love, and endings with a smile.

Instead, I will say that the journey of reading this novel slowly filled me with sadness and frustration. I was irked and annoyed by certain characters, while I was overjoyed with and adored others.

After finishing Heart of the Matter, I can easily give it 4 stars and honestly say I "really liked it." I liked the way the chapters moved. I liked being able to lose myself in Giffin's relatable writing elegance. I really liked a handful of souls in this novel.

I just didn't like the way I felt after reading it.

Maybe the quote that seared my "heart" the most just 28 pages into the book can explain why:

"It is a feeling that has never wavered. Life isn't always fun, and is almost never easy, I think, as I return to the kitchen in my trouble-shooting mode, ready for my second cup of coffee, but I am in love with my husband and he is in love with me. It is the constant in my life, and will continue to be so, as our children grow, my career changes, friends come and go. I am sure of this.

"But I still find myself reaching out and knocking twice on our wooden cutting board. Because you can never be too sure when it comes to the things that matter most."

Likewise, the above quote attests and the Mindful Readers agree: Heart of the Matter boils fear in the bellies of its women readers. A powerful novel.

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Kristi Vitale Thank you, friends. :)
Jun 10, 2010 11:45am

clio teixeira I like your review and agree a lot with you. I was a bit less generous than you and gave the book 3 stars bc I did enjoy Emily's prose. I had never re...more
Jul 11, 2010 08:49pm

Jun 06, 2012 Sarah rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had a really hard time with this book... for a couple of reasons.
Spoiler Alert:
First, I had a hard time accepting that Nick would have an affair without first discussing any marital problems he was having with his wife. I feel like even after, when he fessed up and asked for forgiveness, he still never really gave a valid reason - "you changed" doesn't really count.
While I completely feel for Tess throughout the story, and feel like she was completely and unfairly wronged - at times I had a di...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Dana Moore rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ordinary story of love marriage and forgiveness. Quick read/

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Aug 20, 2011 Aliyyah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So It wasn't until after I finished this book that I realized that I knew the characters of Dex and Rachel from Emily Giffin's first book, "Something Borrowed". That gave me some better context for this whole story, as it is Dex's sister's story, but reading Giffin's earlier book or books isn't needed to understand this one. First there is Tessa, the wife of surgeon Nick Russo and mother to Ruby and Frank. There is Nick, himself, a specialist in children's plastic surgery. And there is Valerie a...more So It wasn't until after I finished this book that I realized that I knew the characters of Dex and Rachel from Emily Giffin's first book, "Something Borrowed". That gave me some better context for this whole story, as it is Dex's sister's story, but reading Giffin's earlier book or books isn't needed to understand this one. First there is Tessa, the wife of surgeon Nick Russo and mother to Ruby and Frank. There is Nick, himself, a specialist in children's plastic surgery. And there is Valerie and her son Charlie, whose accident is the catalyst for what happens next. Told interesting enough in the first-person by Tessa and every-other chapter told in the third person with Valerie, this is a novel of cheating, of love, of affairs, and affairs of the heart. It is about two women, so different and yet so similiar, who for one fateful year have their lives intertwined. This book is about what it means to be in love and the fact that there are no easy answers, no pat solutions to the various problems of life. However it points out the shallowness of existence for some, the search for meaning where there is no meaning for others, and the generally bad impulses that lead to bad decisions and bad consequences for everyone. Of course if it weren't for the shallowness of their lives and the bad impulses, Emily Giffin wouldn't have a book. But I can't help but think that if Nick and Tessa had just once totally talked about how they were feeling and thinking, that some of what happened could have been averted. And if Valerie hadn't pushed so many people away in her life, she wouldn't have been so vulnerable.Yet it's hard not to empathize with them all, at one point or another. Yes Tessa could have been a little less whiny and resentful, Nick could have been more open about how he was feeling and more involved in his family's lives, but for the most part you could agonize with them and wonder "What would I do in this situation?". So if you're looking for a good read with dysfunctional characters this might be it. But be prepared to cry and to occasionally hate each character in their turn. Isn't that life anyways?(less)

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Aug 05, 2011 Karen added it · review of another edition

I was tremendously disappointed in Giffin's latest book. I am generally a huge fan, and have handed copies of Something Borrowed and Baby Proof to friends who want an entertaining, but realistic and well written novel. One of the most serious problems was the dual point of view. I never found Valerie to be a sympathetic or well-developed character, and thus was jarred whenever leaving Tessa's world. Perhaps Nick would have presented a more interesting point of view, but I found him to be a ciphe...more

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Jul 21, 2010 Michelle added it · review of another edition

Before I continue, I will confess that I did not read the synopsis very well before I purchased this book. This is one instance where marketing and buzz completely influenced my purchase. Had I been paying closer attention, this would have been a book for which I would have thought twice before paying money for it. I might have been willing to read it or listen to it for free, but even then, the topic is one about which I have very strong feelings, so I tend to avoid books with this theme of adu...more Before I continue, I will confess that I did not read the synopsis very well before I purchased this book. This is one instance where marketing and buzz completely influenced my purchase. Had I been paying closer attention, this would have been a book for which I would have thought twice before paying money for it. I might have been willing to read it or listen to it for free, but even then, the topic is one about which I have very strong feelings, so I tend to avoid books with this theme of adultery. I am not the target audience of this book and will most likely be in the minority for opinions and feedback.

To put it bluntly, I did not like this book at all. The narrator did not help. I adore Cynthia Nixon and have since she was the maid in Amadeus. She was one of the reasons why I chose this audio book over thousands of others. Imagine my disappointment when her voice grated on my nerves and she wrung emotion out of every single sentence, even where none existed. As a narrator, she had a way of trailing off at the ends of sentences, as if to soften the blow of the words, that quickly grew annoying. Had there been another narrator, one who could tell the story without adding extraneous emotion, this might have been a decent audio. Unfortunately, while Cynthia Nixon may be a decent actress, she is not meant to be a narrator for audio books.

Another large failure of the book was my reaction to Tessa, Valerie, and Nick. I felt no real sympathy for any of them and often found myself wanting to slap them upside the head for their inability to remove the blinders. I was particularly discouraged by Ms. Giffin's portrayal of Tessa as a stay-at-home mom and Valerie as a single mother. Both characters are presented as caricatures with dangerous messages. Tessa finds herself lost and unhappy as a stay-at-home mom and reflects on how much she enjoyed working. Valerie is so focused on her job and her son that she fails to establish healthy, normal relationships with other adults. Both of them support and feed into the social competition to attend the right school, have the best decorations, be the perfect mother, be the perfect hostess, and so forth. It is disconcerting to see this represented in print because it a) is not an accurate portrayal of a majority of society and b) involves social norms that do more harm than good.

I was completely disgusted by the selfishness of each character. Each acted according to his or her own wishes and failed to consider the consequences. However, each parent managed to scold his or her child(ren) at one point in the novel for the very same behavior. I often felt that the children acted more like adults than their parents did, as at least they were willing to take responsibility for their actions. The adults did not.

As for the adultery, this is what sent me through the roof. Hour after hour of justification, turning a blind eye, and other excuses for adultery literally turned my stomach. I felt that Ms. Giffin was putting the onus for the adultery on the wife, as if it was her fault her husband strayed. Maybe my picture of adultery is too black and white, but this was truly one area of the novel that upset me to my core. At one point in time, I questioned whether Ms. Giffin were actually defending adultery, and that is, unfortunately, my personal moral line in the sand. Call me naive, call me old-fashioned, but I cannot condone adultery, and this is why I had such issues with Heart of the Matter.

Thankfully, Heart of the Matter ended on a much better note than I expected. For myself, I cannot help being disappointed; I had such high hopes for the novel but feel like I am letting down Ms. Giffin for not having the "correct" reaction. All I can do is chalk this one up to a massive learning experience and move on from there.(less)

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Mar 23, 2013 Sutar Djohar rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

" Kekasih pujaan jiwaku, saat mencermati kata demi kata, bab demi bab hingga menyelesaikan novel karya Emily Griffin, betapa terharu, menilik kisah itu, namaun semua hanya sebuah gambaran dari penulis, Lebih indah dan lebih nyata saat menelaah jalan hidup seseorang yang mungkin hampir sama atau malah lebih dahsyat dibanding kisah ini"

Harapan dan cita-citaku, ingin rasanya mengembalikan sebuah kepercayaan, lebih pada sebuah ketulusan yang hakiki, kekasih puja jiwaku, biarlah semua berjalan seper...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really like Emily Giffin's writing style, which has much more depth and intelligence than a lot of chicklit out there (even if she does have occasional nagging problems with tense that would be resolved if she just picked one and stuck with it instead of swapping between past and present). I always find her books interesting while I'm reading them, but they often leave me feeling dissatisfied when I've finished them. She tends to write about the same issues over and over – e.g. infidelity and/...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Truly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://trulyrudiono.blogspot.com/2012...

Sudut Bumi, Desember 20xz

Cintaku,
Belahan jiwaku,
Pusat kehidupanku,

Bagaimana kabarmu disana?
Sudah berapa putaran waktu berlalu sejak pertemuan kita yang terakhir.
Sungguh, aku memang ingin kau berada di sisiku, tapi apa dayaku, secara hukum engkau adalah milik orang lain. Cinta memang hak semua orang, begitu juga dengan kita. Tapi kisah cinta kita terbelenggu oleh ikatanmu dengan perempuan lain.

Orang selalu menganggapku perempuan cerdas yang tegar dan mampu...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Rie_dominique rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: a-novel, ada-di-rak-gw, family, fiksi, love-the-cover, perselingkuhan

2.5* sebenarnya
(view spoiler)...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Alvina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

Sebelum menceritakan kembali isi buku ini, saya rasa nggak cocok kalau belum mbahas covernya. Awal melihat cover buku ini, saya suka dengan covernya yang berwarna hijau lembut yang sebenarnya langsung mengingatkan saya pada jubah operasi dokter di rumah sakit. Lalu tangan seorang wanita dengan setangkai bunga sederhana, oke, ini pasti tentang perselingkuhan, dan voila.. saya benar.

Berawal dari sebuah tragedi yang menimpa seorang anak lelaki bernama Charlie yang memiliki orang tua tunggal, Valer...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Melanie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I agree with some of the the other reviews regarding the whole cheating topic. I'm sick of reading about couples cheating on each other, especially after Something Borrowed and Something Blue.

Tessa, is a mother of two children who is married to a pediatric plastic surgeon, Nick, who is a hot tamale. Tessa has recently quit her job as an English professor to stay home with her children but finds that it is not all she thought it would be. Her mother, divorced because her husband cheated on her,...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Vicki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book takes you on a journey you don’t want to go on in real life. Betrayl, lies, cheating. I didn’t see anything so wrong with Tess and Nick’s marriage that he should have even thought for a second about cheating. And why why why choose Valerie? She and Tess couldn’t have been more different. Maybe that was why.

Nick ended up spending more time with Val and her son than he did with his wife and own kids. I really thought he was a jerk and I literally told him that a few times while reading t...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Dalimar rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yo le hubiera otorgado 2 estrellas y media,pero no me es posible.El libro esta bien narrado,bien descrito...pero esta autora debe buscarse un mejor argumento que la infidelidad.En la mayoria de sus libros esta presente y en este no es diferente.Debido a un terrible accidente que sufre su hijo no reconocido(lo digo xq la autora hace mucho incapie sobre esto,como si esto lo hiciera menos que otro niÑo)Valerie conoce al guapo cirujano que esta atendiendolo,que este es el esposo de Tessa,una mujer q...more Yo le hubiera otorgado 2 estrellas y media,pero no me es posible.El libro esta bien narrado,bien descrito...pero esta autora debe buscarse un mejor argumento que la infidelidad.En la mayoria de sus libros esta presente y en este no es diferente.Debido a un terrible accidente que sufre su hijo no reconocido(lo digo xq la autora hace mucho incapie sobre esto,como si esto lo hiciera menos que otro niÑo)Valerie conoce al guapo cirujano que esta atendiendolo,que este es el esposo de Tessa,una mujer que deja su trabajo para dedicarse en cuerpo y alma a su hogar y sus dos hijos.Algo que la madre de esta no aprueba pues piensa que eso la hace mas aburrida con su esposo y asi poco a poco llega a la rutina.Ella lo sabe por experiencia propia y aunque es metiche en serio tiene un poco la razon en como tessa esta llevando su matrimonio y arrastrandolo a la monotonia y a la rutina.Tessa es la hermana de Dex,y de hecho el junto a Rachel aparecen en este libro y en el podemos ver como fueron evolucionando los 4 fabulosos personajes que nos atraparon e los primers libros de Giffin.

Volviendo al libro,el cambio de comportamiento de Tessa hacen que su esposo caiga en brazos de Valerie,que aunque sabe que esta casado,ella siente que se merece esta oportunidad pues la vida le ha quitado mucho y su hijo va a perder mucho mas cosas y su romance viene a ser como un rayo de luz entre tanta oscuridad.Aunque en ningun momento justifico la infidelidad,si entiendo que Nick arrastrando tanto peso de su matrimonio y tanta rutina.Con los hijos que absorben el poco tiempo que les queda juntos y encontrarse con esta estampa de una abogada que es fuerte,luchadora,que no se ha dejado vencer ,que sigue hacia adelante con su hijo,que esta viendo como sufre y como su hija sufre con el incendio que desfiguro su rostro y el les da un poco de dicha y se siente valeroso,fuerte,necesitado y hasta en cierto puento siente lastima por Valerie y su hijo,pero tambien ve en ella lo que ya no encuentra en su casa cuando ve a Tessa,una mujer que dejo todo para ser tan aburrida y monotona.Que cree que tener sexo es solo para tener hijos y por obligacion.Que el chisme de los vecinos es mas importante que escuchar a su esposo.

Es un libro muy real,muy distinto a lo que Emily Giffin nos tiene acostumbrados.De verdad que no me identifique con ninguno de los personajes,pero son personajes y situaciones reales que lamentablemente les puede suceder a cualquiera.Con un final que no comparto la opinion de Tessa,pero es predecible.A lo largo del libro se veia venir este final y no se xq a la autora se le olvido Valerie y su hijo.Los hecho a un lado,con todo su dolor como vivimos intensamente con elllos a lo largo del libro y el final los hecho a un lado,olvidandolos y solo se convirtio en Tessa y Nick.Lo mejor del libro saber de Dex y compaÑia.(less)

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Aug 09, 2012 Tunechi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I can see that many people don't like Heart of the matter, and I can understand them. But I was absolutely blown away by this book.

I instantly knew that something will happen between Nick and Valerie and I was pissed off. Valerie kinda annoyed me because she is so closed and over caring for her son. I can understand that, but what I can't understand is why she let herself fall for Nick? Her son is number one for her and she should have known what damage she could cause to her son because of a re...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Tiffany rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Once again I'm underwhelmed by the characters Emily Giffin portrays in her books. Despite an excellent understanding of human nature and the ability to perfectly convey it in her writing, I have to say that I did not like the story that unfolded in this novel. Life is complicated. Marriages are complicated. People make horrible decisions that they can't take back. These are recurring themes in Ms. Giffin's books. I understand all of that but don't necessarily want to read about it in EVERY SINGL...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
What do you think was the main problem the couple had in their marriage (besides the infidelity)?	13	75	Feb 19, 2013 09:49am
SPOILERSAbout the ending: Does anybody else think Nick deserved neither of the women?	4	52	Aug 30, 2012 01:29pm

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