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drjoannehill's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Bridges Book Club
If the wife/girlfriend of Tom Hanks' character in 'Castaway' told her story, this is kind of it.
Rating is mainly that this is not my sort of book really. It's a very 'tell not show' sort of book - lots of dialogue and internal monologue unpacking all the ins and outs of the feelings that the characters have. I didn't feel like I saw enough of the two men to understand Emma's feelings for them, especially Jesse, who turned into a jerk later in the book and CWactually I was worried he was going to get violent. The only thing holding me in the book was, which one is she going to choose? Kind of a flimsy reason to read a story.
If the wife/girlfriend of Tom Hanks' character in 'Castaway' told her story, this is kind of it.
Rating is mainly that this is not my sort of book really. It's a very 'tell not show' sort of book - lots of dialogue and internal monologue unpacking all the ins and outs of the feelings that the characters have. I didn't feel like I saw enough of the two men to understand Emma's feelings for them, especially Jesse, who turned into a jerk later in the book and CW
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity and Suicidal thoughts
mrsalexisrjones's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The worst kind of love triangle.. your long lost husband and your new fiancé. Emma truly loves both of them but she has to pick not only who she wants to be with but who she wants to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Alcohol
giamarie's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
skilb's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
karinreadsalot's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Mild easy plot
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
graceybookster's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Audiobook 🎧
GOOSEBUMPS…This book literally gave me goosebumps!
This is the second book I’ve read by TJR and I was not disappointed. I love her writing style and how she has this incredible talent of making you really think about things and learn life lessons in such a profound way through her storytelling.
It gripped me, broke my heart, healed it, made me reminisce my own past and made me feel sooo many things. There was just one thing that the main character did which I didn’t agree with but overall I felt this had a wonderful message about life and love. Just wow…
*cries because it’s finished but happy to have read it at all*😭
P.S. #TeamSam <3
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
nicolecurlsuptoread's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ [5/5]
Feels 😭😭😭😭 [4/5]
📌 You’ll dig this if you like
» Second chances
» Friends to lovers
» Love triangles
Emma and Jesse were high school sweethearts, all the firsts! They build a life together away from their families and the day before their first wedding anniversary, Jesse takes a work trip and is assumed dead when his helicopter crashes in the Pacific.
Almost four years later, he calls Emma to tell her he’s alive and he’s coming home to her. Except, she’s engaged now to the guy who’s loved her since high school.
This book ruined me. I haven’t had a good book hangover in a while and One True Loves did it. It was devastating and tragic and beautiful and all the adjectives that can be used to describe a book that will stay with you.
The romance was secondary to the themes of loss, grief, and how to move forward. Then, how to choose between the loves of your life. What do you do when you’ve always believed in one true love, but you have two?
📌 What stood out
» I loved that the book is divided into aptly titled sections, but otherwise didn’t have chapter numbers.
» The chapter when Emma goes back home. Moving from the story being in the first person, then as if it’s being narrated from above, like an out of body experience, helped me connect to the grief piece. That’s what it feels like, and it was perfectly captured.
» In the prologue, Emma talks about everyone’s life having a moment that splits it into before and after, pre and post. The poignancy of that concept was visceral for me. I know my moment and can recall it with stunning clarity. I was hooked by and connected with One True Loves from page 6.
📌 Moments
» Emma and her sister Marie start out as enemies, or at least, not really having anything to do with each other as teenagers. They have a moment toward the end of the book that is balm for their hurt and misunderstood souls.
Let me leave you with this moral of the story quote:
"There is nothing more romantic than this. Holding the very person that you thought you lost, and knowing you'll never lose them again. I don't think that true love means your only love. I think true love means loving truly. Loving purely. Loving wholly."
🚫Contains some heavy themes. Please check warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
chelle22's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
datskira's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
It was a mostly enjoyable, easy read. At times, it veered on the boring side as there wasn't a lot of action. It was mostly angst slapped on angst, but it all resolved in a way I was pleased with.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Confinement, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail
tiffanymmf's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Gore, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts