"Love The One You're With" by Emily Giffin
I was really hoping Love The One You’re With was going to be a balls out book about cheating and the decisions people make once married. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this attempt. On an unrelated note, I have always hated the CSNY song that shares the same title. What a crappy way to live knowing that you are unhappy but you just go with the flow. I digress. This novel starts off very slowly, which was a detriment in my opinion. Usually Giffin grabs the reader in the first chapter and barely let’s go. In this installment of “when good chicks make bad decisions,” Ellen is a happily newlywed to the ever-perfect lawyer husband, Andy. Andy happens to be Ellen’s best friend’s brother, so there is a bit more of a family dichotomy in this book. Ellen seems like she is a big loser in my opinion, so I had a hard time relating to her character. Also, the main crux of Ellen’s past is that her mother died when she was young. I can’t relate to a horrible event like that, but that simple truth is what drives Ellen to make most of her decisions. (Why? I have no idea.) Ellen has to deal with Andy’s proper Southern family so much that I wanted to barf.
Anyway, the story begins with Ellen walking in downtown NYC (of course) and spotting her ex-flame, Leo on the street. Leo is a writer to Ellen’s photographer, and they grab a quickie lunch. In a twist of fate, Leo gets Ellen a fantastic opportunity to photograph a major celebrity to help heighten her career. Needless to say, Ellen manages to get in a tizzy since she has the opportunity to play with fire or “get closure” on her failed past relationship. Haven’t we all fantasized just a smidge on “the one that got away?” I felt as if the author could have dived more into those types of nostalgic emotions that we all sometimes feel. I guarantee if I ran into my ex on a street corner, I would be a hot mess. Wouldn’t we all?
In a nutshell, this book was incredibly repetitive and dull. I was super disappointed. Of course the ending was a perfect ending as if a freshly wrapped present had a lovely fitting bow on the top. Come on, Giffin! Make a saucy ending for crying out loud! She has written one other book, which I probably won’t pick up for a while.
Jen's Rating: **