Love the One You're With in Around the World in 80 Books

Jan 07, 2008 Sarah rated it liked it

Shelves: owned, junk-food

The thing I like about Emily Giffin is that she doesn't talk down to her readers. Nor does she assume that everyone who wants to read a light, fun, chick book gives two hoots about what brand of clothing the heroine wears. Her books aren't cerebral by any means, but they're smart.

This is a story about a happily married woman who runs into the One That Got Away. The encounter brings up a host of memories and feelings and is the catalyst to a series of events that will leave her wondering if the The thing I like about Emily Giffin is that she doesn't talk down to her readers. Nor does she assume that everyone who wants to read a light, fun, chick book gives two hoots about what brand of clothing the heroine wears. Her books aren't cerebral by any means, but they're smart.

This is a story about a happily married woman who runs into the One That Got Away. The encounter brings up a host of memories and feelings and is the catalyst to a series of events that will leave her wondering if the life she's chosen is the life she was meant to have.

I thought the character of Ellen was written very well. So well, in fact, that it makes me wonder if the author has been in this situation or if a close friend of hers has. I particularly thought the fact that Ellen had lost her mother at an early age was handled very well. This aspect of Ellen's life influenced many of her decisions and gave some insight into her psyche. In almost every chapter Ellen (who is also the narrator) mentioned how much she missed her mother, and while some readers might think it was too much, it felt real to me. I've had close friends lose a parent and I know that it is something they think about every single day.

I also thought Giffin perfectly captured the nuances of a new marriage - both its simple joys and its bumps in the road. It occurred to me that unmarried readers might not fully appreciate Ellen's feelings or motivations as marriage is something you can really only understand if you've experienced it.

While the character of Ellen was superbly developed, I thought all of the supporting cast - including the husband, the ex-boyfriend, the sister, and the best friend - were lacking. Although the book is written in the first person from Ellen's perspective, I thought more could be done to make these other characters come to life. This is particularly true of the character of Margot, Ellen's best friend and sister-in-law. I just didn't care about her.

Finally, reading this book made me ache to return to New York! It wasn't about the glamour and superficiality of New York like so many "chick lit" books I've read, but I thought it really captured the essence of what NY truly is: the burroughs, the culture, the pace. The feeling of being at the center of the world. ...more

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Aug 01, 2009 Kay Green rated it liked it

Another enjoyable summer read. Easy writing style - the kind of book you read in one day - perfect for the beach and airport

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Sep 18, 2009 Efe rated it it was ok

Shelves: chick-lit

As chick lit writers go, I tend to enjoy Emily Giffin's style a lot. I really enjoyed redaing Something Borrowed and Something Blue in tandem and thought Baby Proof was okay. Love the One You're With on the other hand just didn't really do much for me. The main character was pretty pathetic inmy opinion, and her dilemma never eemsed like that much of one. It made it quite difficult to buy the premise of the story. I would giv it 2.5 stars really. ...more

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