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A review by thegrandmadiaries
Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Emily Giffin’s Love the One You’re With presents an intriguing premise that delves deeply into the controversial topic of infidelity. The novel focuses heavily on this theme, leading to complex emotions towards the main character, Ellen. At times, I found myself hating Ellen as we delved into her conflicted feelings. However, this emotional reaction is a testament to Giffin’s skill writing.
Giffin does an excellent job of portraying Ellen’s character. She adeptly illustrates Ellen’s tendency to blame everyone but herself, which ironically, adds realness and depth to her personality. I thought all other supporting characters (her husband, sister and bestfriend) all lacked development. Considering the book’s premise, I didn’t mind that as much thought more depth in these secondary characters would definitely enrich the story. What impacted me more was the over idealistic ending, which detracted from the otherwise nuanced exploration of infidelity and its consequences.
The novel explores a realistic and under-discussed theme - the lingering impact of the “one that got away”. Love the One You’re With is an okay read but it’s not recommended for those sensitive to themes of infidelity, as it can be frustrating.
Giffin does an excellent job of portraying Ellen’s character. She adeptly illustrates Ellen’s tendency to blame everyone but herself, which ironically, adds realness and depth to her personality. I thought all other supporting characters (her husband, sister and bestfriend) all lacked development. Considering the book’s premise, I didn’t mind that as much thought more depth in these secondary characters would definitely enrich the story. What impacted me more was the over idealistic ending, which detracted from the otherwise nuanced exploration of infidelity and its consequences.
The novel explores a realistic and under-discussed theme - the lingering impact of the “one that got away”. Love the One You’re With is an okay read but it’s not recommended for those sensitive to themes of infidelity, as it can be frustrating.