Book Review: One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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One True Loves
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Romance
Released: June 7th 2016
Review Source: Washington Square Press

From the author of Maybe in Another Life—named a People Magazine pick and a "Best Book of the Summer" by Glamour and USA Today—comes a breathtaking new love story about a woman unexpectedly forced to choose between the husband she has long thought dead and the fiancé who has finally brought her back to life.

In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.

On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.

Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.

That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.

Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?

Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying.

This is an Adult novel recommended for ages 18+ due to mature subject matter.

This is my first experience with Taylor Jenkins Reid and it will not be my last as I really enjoyed One True Loves. Not only did this story made me stop and think about Emma's choices and decisions, but it made me think about life. What would I do if I were in Emma's shoes? Emma faced a difficult situation and had to make decisions that made her stronger, even if she didn't see the outcome then. I loved her journey through all these difficulties and truly enjoyed this love story.

At a young age, Emma and her high-school-sweetheart-now-husband, Jesse, thought they knew they had it all. Maybe they didn't have money but they sure did enjoy their lives and jobs, which required them to travel. These two loved adventures and they were perfect for one another. They lived in the moment and life was wonderful... Until an unexpected situation occurred. Jesse was lost at sea and his body was never found. This torment broke Emma and she hide from life. But through her grief, Emma wrote one last letter to Jesse... A letter of hope. A letter to giving life a second chance... It was a heartbreaking letter that will warm many of you. I know it made my shed tears but it also placed a smile.

As Emma was learning how to live her life without Jesse, she encounters herself with a high school friend, Sam, and things ignite and little by little, she learns to love again. Only to come to terms her husband, Jesse, is not dead but alive. Boy, does things get complicated and Emma's heart will be tear once again. She'll have to make a decision and break a heart, but first she will need to open up and be true to herself.

One True Loves is a beautiful love story. We all think we know what our life will be in the future, but we don't. Sometimes change is good and rediscovering ourselves is what is needed to live life the way it is meant to be - to the fullest. And no, this is not a love triangle, because... well you will need to read it. Just know this, sometimes loving two people is not a sin, but a gift from life. And life is not about living the easy way but learning how to make difficult decisions and learning to live from them. As well as learning how to put the pieces back together when we are tore apart. Taylor captured all these in one piece and made an amazing story everyone should read.

One True Loves is captivating, beautifully written, and a story not to be missed. A story that will bring you many emotions but it will surely leave you satisfied at the end.