Love You More

by Emily Giffin

A woman is newly engaged to a man she adores when she receives a call from her first love—with news that shatters her carefully ordered world—in this emotional, powerful novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Pact.

Billie has built the perfect life. Her practice as a doctor in New York City is thriving, and she’s finally found the right partner in Dean after years spent trying to move on from her high-school sweetheart, Mick. Their young love had been intense and true, but distance and ambition pulled them apart when she left Wisconsin for medical school.

Then one morning, just after accepting Dean’s romantic marriage proposal, Billie’s phone rings. It’s Mick—calling for the first time in nearly a decade. His news is urgent, and in a moment, everything changes.

As Billie boards a plane back to Wisconsin, the past comes rushing in—her friendships from home, the love she shared with Mick, and the choices that shaped them. What awaits her is a reckoning with what she’s lost, what she’s built, and what she still wants.

Gripping and deeply moving, Love You More is a story about the plot twists life throws at us—and how love, in all its forms, has the power to change everything.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Summer, Summer Reads

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 7, 2026

About the author

EMILY GIFFIN is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia School of Law. The #1 New York Times bestselling author of eleven novels, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Baby Proof, Love the One You're With, Heart of the Matter, Where We Belong, The One & Only, First Comes Love, All We Ever Wanted, The Lies That Bind, and the recently released Meant to Be, she currently lives in Atlanta with her family.

Website: www.emilygiffin.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EmilyGiffinFans

Twitter: https://twitter.com/emilygiffin

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/emilygiffina...

Reviews

[Shelley's Book Nook · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Reviews Can Also Be Found On:
The Book Review Crew Blog


⭐⭐
Love You More
Emily Giffin
Publication Date: June 30th, 2026
Penguin Random House Canada | Doubleday Canada
416 Pages
Amazon | Bookshop.org
Genre: General Fiction | Romance | Women's Fiction

This is another romance that deals with the "what-ifs." Billie is a doctor with a successful practice in New York. Her life is filled with work and her new fiancé, Dean. Right as Dean proposes, Billie's phone rings; it's her old boyfriend, Mick, whom she hasn't spoken to in ten years. She has to rush back home because of something urgent.

Billie rushes back home, and when she returns, she has to deal with the urgent matter and Mick. Her desire to go to medical school broke them up a long time ago, and she also left some friends behind. Now she's faced with what she lost and wonders if it's better than what she's gained.

The book was pretty fast-paced, and I enjoyed reading about a strong, smart woman dealing with the crossroads of life, BUT she is a freaking doctor who is getting married to another doctor. Like, who cares about someone you haven't seen in a decade? I usually enjoy domestic drama, but this was just silly to me. It didn't seem realistic at all.

The author was trying to force a fight between Billie's Midwestern roots and her life in the big city. There is no comparison between going to an Ivy League medical school and running your own practice, and a town full of cornfields. I know the author was going for an emotional tug at the heartstrings, but it didn't work on me.

I do enjoy Griffin's easy-to-read writing style, but I had a hard time believing any woman would be second-guessing herself over a high school romance and her current fiancé. Maybe Billie was just too immature, but then again, she's a doctor. I wish the author had focused more on the grief Billie is feeling than the mess of the romantic angle. It was just the same internal dilemmas over and over again, and it kind of slowed the momentum.

Billie was really passive at times, and it frustrated the hell out of me. I really wanted to feel for her and be invested in the outcome, but I didn't quite get there. It was a great premise that fell flat, and a missed opportunity for the grieving friend angle.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[emilybookedup · Rating 4 out of 5]

teetering between 4-4.5 stars, i really enjoyed this one!!! my fave release of hers in awhile—felt more like her older romance focused novels vs the heavier litfic, although this was still a good combo of the two.

this story FLIES by and grabs you immediately. it will be one you can binge on the beach in 1 day! especially once you get to the end of part 1… and then the end of part 2😳 cliffhangers galore! it was so hard to put down.

read if you like:
- second chance romance vibes
- characters forging their own path
- friendship storylines
- NYC meets small town Midwest settings
- right person wrong time/place vibes

i’m trying to choose my words carefully to not spoil things LOL just know this one is a really good blend of romance and a woman forging her own path and trying to do what’s best for her/follow her dreams even when her life may be screaming at her to take the easy ride and stay put. i really admired the strength of our MC in this one bc often times i see an author make the MC make “safe” choices and this was not the case at all. bravo for that!

TLDR: her best book in awhile—easy to binge, lots of good twists and turns along the way and loved the romance vibes too💖

thanks to RandomHouse for the gifted copy! this would be a perf at summer binge when it’s out in July!

[Maren’s Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a decades long Emily Giffin fan, and this book is the perfect example of why. Her ability to write relationships of all types, from mother-daughter to husband-wife to young lovers to best friends, is bar none. And this shines especially bright in Love You More, a story as much about platonic love and parental love as it is about romance.

From the moment we meet Billie and Mick, the instant connection is apparent. But as beautiful as it is to see their young love blossom from friendship to more, it’s equally heart wrenching to see it slip away as they face what young couples often do— the divergence of their dreams and the differing paths life has in store for them. But the real grittiness of the story comes from the in-between; in between one moment and the next; in between life and death, the love and the heartbreak. And that is the story that kept me completely immersed start to finish.

You’ll notice I am keeping this review rather vague as it’s a book that is best gone into somewhat blind. The journey will be well worth it. But please do check triggers as this story is rife with heavier topics including grief.

Read if you like:
▪️coming of age stories
▪️small town versus big city life
▪️friends-to-lovers
▪️friendship fiction
▪️second chances

Thank you to Ballantine for the advanced copy.

[Delaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt a little… half baked?

Emily Giffin has such an easy to read writing style always… but this one felt under-developed, flat, a smidge boring, & then rushed at the end. I didn’t really love any of our characters enough to care as deeply as I had hoped. Not a bad book by any means, just kinda there.

[Kailey (kmc_reads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars, I should’ve DNF

This felt so rushed and underdeveloped in terms of a second chance romance. Also, a storyline that feels very unoriginal and done before. Unimpressed- I usually love her novels. Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

[Lily Steeper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the advanced digital copy!

Love You More follows Billie, a woman who has finally crafted her perfect life after years of school and residency. She is a thriving doctor in New York City, newly engaged to another doctor, Dean. She is finally over her intense first love from Wisconsin, Mick, who broke up with her when she left for medical school.
But one morning, Mick calls her, not having spoken to each other in ten years. His news is urgent, upending her life and pulling her back to Wisconsin. Billie's best friend Erin died, and Billie and Mick are named as guardians of Erin's young daughter. Back in her hometown, she is forced to ask herself how she’s built compares to what she still wants.
The novel starts in the present with a phone call, then details Billie's journey through highschool, college, medical school, and residency. Though this backstory was brief, it might have been my favorite part. As a pre-med student myself, I loved this character development. She started her own practice in the city, no small feat. As I was reading, I never truly engaged with the romance element. I was simply more enamored with her decisions for her work as a doctor. This made me enjoy the first half more, finding myself a bit disappointed by the ending as the focus shifted away from her career.
The true bulk of the story is set in the present, as Billie returns to her hometown in Wisconsin. Largely, the focus builds around her caring for her best friend's daughter. As a whole, it did not truly seem like much of a romance. It was hard to root for either of the men; Dean seemed to have no faults and Mick never really caught any attention.
Despite how domestic this novel was, I flew through it. Usually, contemporary chick-lit is a hit or miss for me; I often feel like they fail to pique my interest. But something about this kept me hooked, perhaps because of how invested I was with Billie's path to being a doctor. I wish we saw more of this side to her. I'm always a bit disappointed when it seems a character gives up their livelihood for the sake of another. The book has a few twists thrown in, and was short in its entirety. Quick enough to stay interesting.

[zahraa · Rating 2 out of 5]

hated pretty much every moment of this book other than dean proposing

[Bianca | bookd_by_bee 🐝 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars ⭐️- NO SPOILERS

Thank you to NetGalley & Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, Emily….

You are literally one of my favorite authors and this would have been a 5 star read, but I CANNOT with this ending. WHYYYYYY?! I’m going to try VERY hard to write a spoiler-free review, but I HATED this ending. You can’t spell Mick without “ICK” and that is what the MMC gave me- YUCK.

BUT, I did like pretty much everything else. The plot of this book was perfect until the last 7 or so chapters and then it felt like a rushed conclusion. The pacing was great too. I love the way the story was set up from the very beginning and Emily always writes good, nuanced characters. I loved Billie’s chapters where she talked about growing up in Wisconsin and her budding relationship with Mick. I also enjoyed learning more about her years at University and medical school. I had my suspicions about some of the characters early on and I ignored them- TO MY PERIL (ok, I’m being dramatic, but I need it on the record that I KNEW something was off from the beginning 😤). It feels like this should have been a 2-part story similar to Something Borrowed and Something Blue. That’s honestly what I thought was going to happen, but then came a rushed conclusion that didn’t feel like a fair ending for Billie. This story deserved more. I LOVE the premise, but it felt like the author ran out of steam at the end.

This COULD have been a 5 star read. I enjoyed (most of) the story A LOT and it was a pleasant read. I will read anything Emily Giffin writes though, even if it pisses me off at the end 🥲. I would recommend that you go into this book not expecting a conventional romance. Similar to some of Abby Jimenez’s books, this has some pretty heavy themes and feels more like fiction with romantic themes. Overall it is very well written and is a good read.

[Rachel | rachelturnsthepage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally a book that got me out of my reading slump!!

I really enjoyed this one. It has all the things I love: fast pacing, childhood friends-to-lovers-to-strangers, coming of age, and a few twists.

really stood out to me, though, is that this isn’t just about choosing between two men, it’s about choosing between two versions of yourself. I think a lot of women will find that relatable, especially the tug between moving home and heading to a bigger city with more opportunities. It would spark so much “what if” discussion and make a great pick for a romance book club.

I do wish I had eyeball read this one because I didn’t love the narrator, but I still really enjoyed it!

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Thank you PRH audio for the free book 🫶🏼

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanna preface this by saying I love Emily Giffin, I have been a huge fan of her work for a long time. So I was very excited to read this, but I have to say this book for me. It was not it at all. I don't want to spoil the story. And explain my complete feelings. Because I would have to explain the spoilers, but it comes down to Billie left her small town and Wisconsin.)That somehow has a high school that 8 different middle school feeds-.So I'm not even going to begin to understand how that happens --- I don't know how we're measuring things in cornfields. In this book and talking sm small towns, if you come from an area that has 8 middle schools that converge into one big high school. That was big problem I had with this book in the very beginning. - i live in a a larger than average Minnesota city that has 3 elementary schools that feeds into one middle school. And then one high school, so if you're talking 8 middle schools to one high school, that's not a small town. I just can't let go of that anyway, sorry off my soap box) Billy and Mick meet in ninth grade math class - they are friends for most of high school. And become a couple end of high school beginning of college, she gives up her dream of going to Yale. To stay in college with mick and go to Madison, but she can't do it when it comes to med school. She's always wanted to be a doctor and she chooses to go to Columbia.In new york - they make it about 2 years and they break up because of the distance and obviously how hard it is to be.a doctor in training - that's their backstory when we meet Billy, who still calls NYC home this entire time (now 37) she is just getting engaged to her boyfriend. Dean, who's also a doctor, she now runs a fertility clinic with her 2 best friends. And then she gets some awful news from back home when Mick calls that changes a lot of things, she obviously goes home to Wisconsin to deal with it and then begins the story of the book, however I don't buy the story. I think it's absolutely ridiculous. The way that Mick and Billy handle it, I think no rational human being would respondthis way, . I don't want to spoil anything for anybody, as nothing is explained in the synopsis, just that it 's shattering news from the past-- I just think it's so far-fetched, and so unrealistic. I'm so disappointed because I do adore this author but this book is just not it. The only reason I'm giving it to stars is. I like the dogs.

Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

[Kelly (eclectikollection) Abrams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the advanced digital copy.

First off, I love Emily Giffin—this rating doesn’t mean I won’t continue to read and support her work, but wow…this one was a major miss.

The writing/structure felt choppy and almost monotone, lacking the emotion and depth I usually expect from her. There was a lot of back-and-forth dialogue that felt unnecessary, and because of that, I never fully connected with the story or any of the characters, which made it hard to stay invested. By the third part, I found myself skimming just to get through it.

The story itself felt underdeveloped in several aspects, and then extremely rushed toward the end. It was also pretty predictable, and honestly I was a little relieved it was under 300 pages because I’m not sure I could’ve stuck with it much longer.

Also—and I’ll stay spoiler-free—but when books have women giving up or reshaping major, defining moments of their lives for a man…ugh. Major ick. Cue Lauren Conrad from The Hills—iykyk.

Overall, this one just didn't do it for me.

[Corinne Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

First love & a recent engagement come crashing down for Billie when she receives a phone call from her ex-boyfriend after a decade of being apart. What could he possibly want? And why is he calling her now when her life is so perfect with her new fiancé and a medical career she is very proud of? This one phone call changes everything, and Billie is forced to make major decisions that can change the whole trajectory of her life. Twists & turns abound in this story about love, ambition & close friendships.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

[Zoe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not to be a hater but this was genuinely such a bad book and I’m convinced ChatGPT wrote it.

[Natalie Mazzanti · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I did. The premise had potential, and I genuinely wanted to know what happened next. Unfortunately, I never felt emotionally connected to the story or its characters.

Billie and Mick are clearly positioned as the great love story, but I never believed it. Their relationship starts in the friend zone but you know they feel romantic towards each other. They finally get together after they each have a stand-in relationship, but I never felt the chemistry. Then Billie declines Yale undergrad ( 🙄 ) to go to state school with Mick, but then goes to medical school in New York (good for her!) while Mick stays behind in Wisconsin. Honestly, I thought Billie handled the long-distance relationship pretty well. If anyone should have uprooted their life, it was Mick. We later learn he felt insecure and didn’t want to hold her back, but by then I had already found him frustrating.

Then came the moment that completely lost me: Erin’s death. Billie gets the phone call, and… nothing. No emotional devastation. No gut punch. The story simply moves on. The same thing happens when Billie learns she and Mick have essentially been given custody of Erin’s daughter. This should have been a life-altering moment. Instead, it felt like checking another item off a to-do list.

Dean, meanwhile, was an absolute saint. Every time Billie came home with another bombshell, she calmly sat him down, told him the news, and Dean responded with nothing but patience, support, and understanding. Erin died? He was supportive. Surprise, we’re raising her daughter? Still supportive. I have to move to Wisconsin for six months? He was literally willing to uproot his life. The one time he finally admitted maybe this situation was becoming too much, I thought, “Finally. A reasonable human reaction.”

Honestly, I was rooting for Dean by the end. I thought it would have been a refreshing twist if Billie ended up with him in New York while raising Erin’s daughter. Instead, Dean gets pushed aside, Billie and Mick reunite (again, with no chemistry), and then—after everything keeping Mick in Wisconsin—they end up moving to New York anyway. Which left me wondering… why didn’t they do that years ago?

The biggest flaw wasn’t the plot. It was the lack of emotional depth. Every major revelation was delivered with the same tone, every conversation felt transactional, and I never got to sit with the emotions before the story marched on to the next event. Maybe the audiobook narration amplified that feeling, but I finished the book surprisingly indifferent.

Justice for Dean.

[Allix Caron · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was ridiculously unrealistic. Major life decisions and plot points were glossed over, and everything felt rushed and underdeveloped. A quick read, but so disappointing.

[Emily (emsalwaysreading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book #59 of 2026!

Thank you to NetGalley & Ballantine Books for the advanced readers copy. This publishes July 7th.

4.5-5 stars?

What to expect in this book:

-Contemporary fiction/romance
-Friendship and first love
-Doctor FMC
-Singular POV
-Genre-bending
-Unexpected twists
-Bingeable read

Thoughts

I have read every single Emily Giffin book and I can say that I have never devoured one of her books more. I read this book in 24 hours! Billie is a reproductive endocrinologist living in New York City and currently engaged and happier than ever. Until she receives a phone call from her first love that rattles her entire world. This book is told in three distinct parts: the past and the present. The pacing is fast and entertaining and there are immensely deep themes of friendship, first love, grief, heartbreak, and found family. I would recommend going into this book blind, but not expecting your traditional romance.

I truly loved this book from beginning to end. The pacing kept me engaged the entire time and there were several parts that were unexpected and surprising to me. I am having a hard time fully committing on my rating of this book because I am also left with a few questions. But I think I can overlook these questions due to how much I loved the characters, the themes, and the subplots throughout. I loved Billie and her tribe so much. Her friendships over the decades were fun to watch and the evolvement of her relationship with Phoebe was heartwarming as well. I loved how the story was split into several parts and how we learned about the characters' relationships from beginning to present. I also, surprisingly, loved reading about Billie's entrance into medical school and becoming a doctor. Usually I do not love health related content in books, but loved it here.

Overall, this was a book that will stick with me for a long time and one that I would recommend to anyone that loves stories of friendship, family, and the enduring power of love.

[Jennifer ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to start off by saying this author is usually an automatic read for me. I have loved many of her books in the past. I was excited and grateful to find I was chosen to read an ARC of her newest work.

I liked how this book started out, and found it really easy to read. Billie appealed to me because I saw my younger self in the high school version of her character. Complete with the boyfriend I was madly in love with and never wanted to leave. Billie and Mick seem perfect for each other but as we all know, it’s hard to make that last past graduation and heading off to college.

Billie is now a grown woman, a doctor, and part of a successful practice while being newly engaged to a man that sounds perfect on paper (but also seems perfect in real life, too). Life is good. That is, until a phone call from her ex pulls her into a dizzying reality. Now she has to go back to her hometown to figure some things out.

It is hard to continue here as explaining how I feel would lead to giving away what happens. But in reality I’m sure anyone could guess. I am very tired of reading about women who give up amazing opportunities for a man who wouldn’t return the sentiment given the chance. And someone in this book gets completely shafted, which actually pisses me off because so much stringing along happens before the inevitable.

Ultimately, I disagreed with a lot of the decisions made by the main character. I wanted her to do something, ANYTHING other than the obvious. But at least I was compelled to read until the end.

I do think she was lucky to have some great friends, but I think they should have given her better advice. Ugh.

Thank you to #netgalley and #ballantinebooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Ballantine Books and PRH Audio for the gifted advance copies. All opinions are my own.

Let me start by saying I’m an Emily Giffin fan from waaaaay back to the SOMETHING BORROWED days. I’ve gobbled up each new release and found something to love in every book. She is an autobuy, autoread, comfort author for me. Her newest novel, LOVE YOU MORE, gave me lots to love.

The FMC is a reproductive endocrinologist who grew up in Wisconsin and moved to NYC to pursue her career. (Me: grew up in NYC and moved to Wisconsin and walked the painful infertility journey) Billie left behind her first love and is now engaged and loving her successful big city life until a phone call brings her back to her small town roots and makes her question everything she has, everything she values, and everything she wants.

Giffin takes the reader on an exploration of timing, second chances, friendship, and what it means to be family. And the best part? She does it all in my backyard. I got positively giddy when I realized that much of the book takes place in southeastern Wisconsin. It is chock full of local references that felt like a gift. I kicked my feet every time a reference was made (My running list totals twenty-five familiar mentions including the name of the small town where I lived, worked, and raised my family!) and it connected me deeply to the story.

Giffin employs a trope that is not usually my favorite, but she does it in such a way that none of the characters is portrayed as a villain. The emotions, reactions, and decisions are genuine, respectful, and human. I was able to empathize with each character as they processed the challenges and choices they faced.

My only issue is that the resolution felt a bit abrupt and a smidge too tidy, but that did not detract from my overall enjoyment. If you are a Giffin fan, this book will not disappoint. It brings her trademark messy, complex, and authentically flawed characters and you’ll be rooting for them the entire way.

[Chris C - A Midlife Wife · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! Now this is a second chance romance with so many twists and tears. Review to come

[Audrey Doiron · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 stars ⭐️ Je pense que c'est l'un des plus bon livre de romance que j'ai lu. J'ai aimé qu'il y avait de la romance mais l'histoire de tournais pas qu'autour de sa, je veux pas en dire plus pour ne rien gâcher si vous pensez le lire! Face-paced et tellement bien écrit, juste wow. 🩺🏙️🪽🤍

[Sara Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from Netgalley

I’m honestly conflicted about how to rate this book. I usually enjoy her books, which made this one all the more frustrating.
The story follows Billie, she is a doctor with her our own practice and Just got engaged to Dean, her most amazing boyfriend. She receives a tragic phone call from her ex boyfriend Mick. This phone call totally changes the course of her life. (Well, she does, not the call itself)

The first part of the book completely drew me in. I loved learning about the characters’ history together, and their backstory was sweet, emotional, and easy to become invested in. Unfortunately, once the story moved into the present timeline, my enjoyment started to fade. Billie frustrated me to no end. The entire time I found myself thinking, “But why?” and “Oh no, you didn’t!” Her decisions felt selfish and made at the expense of other people’s feelings. Because of that, I struggled to root for the romance, which is never a good in a love story.
And then there’s Dean. My heart absolutely broke for him. He was kind, loyal, supportive, and genuinely seemed like a fantastic guy. If you know a Dean, please send him my way!

It’s difficult to fully explain my feelings without spoiling the plot, but I often felt like this was less a story about a second chance at love and more a story about good people getting the short end of the stick.

There was a twist that I suspected fairly early on, and while it added some interest, it wasn’t enough to change my overall feelings and I think if the twist would have happened earlier, the story could have spent more time exploring its impact. By the way what happened to Lena?
The ending was probably my biggest disappointment. It felt rushed and underdeveloped, with emotional moments being told rather than shown. I didn't even care for the ending to be honest, I wish the author would have done something different with it, rather than the obvious choice.

What makes this review difficult to write is that I can see the potential this book had. The themes of first love, nostalgia, and second chances are compelling, but I never fully bought into the romance I was supposed to be cheering for. Instead, I found myself frustrated by the choices being made and feeling far more invested in the people left behind. This could have been so much better.

A big Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for gifted ARC. All opinions are mine.

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[cyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. This might have a few light spoilers so if you want to go in completely blind maybe skip this one. This book was so entertaining to read and I had a lot of fun. That being said for this being a romance novel it fell super flat. This book works better if you look at it from more of a woman’s fiction novel instead of a second chance romance. There was no point in this book where I was rooting for the fmc and the mmc to get back together. He really came off as a bit selfish and we didn’t get to see enough of them together in the present timeline to make me believe they were soulmates. The fmc had a perfect fiancé and I honestly groaned when the romance started progressing. That being said I feel like the romance isn’t a huge part of the book. My dislike of it didn’t ruin my experience as it didn’t become super relevant until the last 20%. I was drawn in by the story and I just really wanted to know what would happen. The plot twist towards the end was super predictable in my opinion and I honestly could have done without it. I did enjoy this though and I would recommend it.

[Angie Miale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes the greatest love story isn’t about finding the right person—it’s about understanding the moments that quietly changed your life forever.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5/5)

If you’re picking up Love You More expecting a swoony, second-chance romance, you may want to adjust your expectations. Yes, romance is woven throughout the story, but at its heart this is a decades-spanning work of contemporary women’s fiction about growing up, grieving, making impossible choices, and recognizing the pivotal moments that quietly reshape the course of our lives.

Billie is a physician living in Manhattan, engaged to fellow doctor Dean, when an unexpected late-night phone call from someone she never thought she’d hear from again sends her back to her Wisconsin hometown. From there, Emily Giffin unfolds a story in three distinct parts that follows Billie across decades, revealing how love, family, loss, and timing intertwine in ways that aren’t always obvious until years later.

My favorite aspect of this novel was its ambitious structure. Rather than focusing on a single romance, Giffin allows the story to breathe across different seasons of Billie’s life, showing how one decision can echo for years. I loved the reflective quality of the narrative and the reminder that the biggest turning points in our lives often don’t feel monumental while we’re living them.

The Wisconsin setting was another highlight. Mick’s family’s apple orchard gives the novel a cozy, almost Hallmark-like backdrop, but don’t mistake that for a light, predictable romance. This story reaches for something much bigger emotionally.

I know some readers have found the pacing too quick or wished the romance had taken center stage. Ironically, those were the very qualities that worked for me. I appreciated that Giffin prioritized the evolution of Billie’s life over traditional romantic beats. The third act took the story in a direction I wasn’t entirely expecting, and while it wasn’t my favorite narrative choice, it ultimately felt true to the themes the novel was exploring.

Longtime Emily Giffin fans will find plenty to love here. For me, this felt like classic Emily Giffin—emotionally resonant, deeply readable, and impossible to put down. It’s a thoughtful summer read that lingers long after the final page.

If you enjoy the emotional storytelling of Carley Fortune or the character-driven warmth of Annabel Monaghan, I think this one deserves a spot on your summer reading list.

Thank you to Ballantine Books for the finished copy and beautiful marketing package.

[Anna (annasbookstacks)]

this was a 5 star read basically the whole way through but the ending felt sooo rushed. need to sit on my rating

[Cel · Rating 5 out of 5]

People say it was cheesy! But I adore this book!

[Lacy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I cannot believe the day has come that I am giving my favorite author of all time a ONE star rating. But I must be honest: I hate this book.

Emily’s writing style has completely changed. Her character development is flatter than an opened can of warm soda that’s sat out all weekend long. And if you’re going to have a controversial ending to a story, can you PLEASE give me a little more of the feels or freaking drama?!? I just wasn’t sold on the results. It felt so bland and rushed and predictable and wrong. 😑

I’ve gotta go, BYE.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Girls who didn't go: Lauren to Paris, Andrea to Yale...our protagonist, Billie, also to Yale.

When we meet Billie, she is a successful fertility doctor working in Manhattan, so at least we know her decision did not negatively impact her career. She's also engaged to fellow doctor Dean and a partner in a thriving practice. So what could possibly bring Billie back to Wisconsin?

Mick.

When Billie receives a call from her ex-boyfriend, we are propelled back to her high school and college days. Billie's long time high school crush finally notices her, so she decides to go to Wisconsin with him instead of Yale. We skip through Mick and Billie's college days, maybe a little too quickly; the writing is choppy and I do not find myself invested in their love story.

Billie finally chooses herself when she chooses Columbia for medical school, and she and Mick inevitably grow apart.

The backbone of the book is really Billie's life-long friendship with Erin, now a successful single mom still living in Wisconsin. So when Erin dies in a car accident, Billie rushes home, where a surprise awaits. Joan - Erin's mom, now suffering from Alzheimer's - tells Billie that Erin wanted her and Mick to raise her 11 year old daughter, Phoebe.

Minus a star for the fact that Erin apparently DID NOT HAVE A WILL. A woman with a successful marketing career and a CHILD, whose mother was suffering from Alzheimer's DID NOT HAVE A WILL.

Everything else unravels from this point on, and I will avoid spoilers and let readers come to their own conclusion. As a long time fan of Emily Giffin, this one was far from a favorite.

[Amber (amberreadsitall) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Women’s Fiction
Format:📱Ebook

Billie is a newly engaged, successful New York City doctor, whose life is upended by a phone call from her ex boyfriend, Mick.

The phone call results in Billie having
to confront her past and return home to Wisconsin. There, she must decide if she wants to continue on her current path or follow her heart back home.

This novel explores the power of first love, the complexities of relationships, grief, identity, and second chances. While I felt the ending was a bit rushed, overall, I enjoyed this story.

Read this story if you enjoy these themes and troupes:

🩷second chance romance
🩷found family
🩷complex relationships
🩷books that deal with grief
🩷self-discovery
🩷moving forward

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the advance copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

[kelly 🤖 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 — I loved the pacing, and I love the drama, but I did not feel any chemistry between Billie and Mick. There was nothing for me to grasp onto to root for their second chance romance. Most of the relationships in the book were a bit weak because there wasn't enough time to build them up. The book follows the trend of TELLING you about the relationships rather than letting you experience it. I'm giving it 3 stars because I was really intrigued for a while and couldn’t put the book down.

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read every one of Emily Giffin’s novels, & there are quite a few that I really love starting with Something Borrowed. This novel is her writing at it’s absolute BEST!!! It was hard to put down, & twice I fell asleep reading, even waking up one night & trying ever so hard to finish the chapter just to fall back asleep again & drop my kindle on the floor over & over that night. I don’t have many books that I can say I want to definitely read again at a later date, but this is definitely one of them!!