The One & Only by Emily Giffin Format: eARC
Published by Random House LLC on 2014-05-20
Pages: 432
Goodreads
Genres: Contemporary, Contemporary Women, Fiction, Literary, Romance
Emily Giffin, the beloved author of such New York Times bestselling novels as Something Borrowed and Where We Belong, returns with an extraordinary story of love and loyalty—and an unconventional heroine struggling to reconcile both.
Thirty-three-year-old Shea Rigsby has spent her entire life in Walker, Texas—a small college town that lives and dies by football, a passion she unabashedly shares. Raised alongside her best friend, Lucy, the daughter of Walker’s legendary head coach, Clive Carr, Shea was too devoted to her hometown team to leave. Instead she stayed in Walker for college, even taking a job in the university athletic department after graduation, where she has remained for more than a decade.
But when an unexpected tragedy strikes the tight-knit Walker community, Shea’s comfortable world is upended, and she begins to wonder if the life she’s chosen is really enough for her. As she finally gives up her safety net to set out on an unexpected path, Shea discovers unsettling truths about the people and things she has always trusted most—and is forced to confront her deepest desires, fears, and secrets.
Thoughtful, funny, and brilliantly observed, The One & Only is a luminous novel about finding your passion, following your heart, and, most of all, believing in something bigger than yourself . . . the one and only thing that truly makes life worth living.
Praise for Emily Giffin
“Emily Giffin ranks as a grand master. . . . She has traversed the slippery slopes of true love, lost love, marriage, motherhood, betrayal, forgiveness and redemption that have led her to be called ‘a modern-day Jane Austen.’ ”—Chicago Sun-Times
“Giffin’s writing is true, smart, and heartfelt.”—Entertainment Weekly “[Giffin] excels at creating complex characters and quick-to-read stories that ask us to explore what we really want from our lives.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“A dependably down-to-earth, girlfriendly storyteller.”—The New York Times
“Giffin’s talent lies in taking relatable situations and injecting enough wit and suspense to make them feel fresh.”—People
“When it comes to writing stories that resonate with real women, bestselling author Emily Giffin has hit her stride.”—San Francisco Chronicle From the Hardcover edition.
I received this book for free from publisher/pr firm in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I am a huge fan of Emily Giffin’s books and I was thrilled when I heard that she had The One & Only coming out so imagine my surprise when I was offered it to read before the release date?
I was thrilled and devoured this over the weekend. I literally had a hard time to put it down. That is how much I enjoyed the book. If you are a fan of Emily’s other books then you won’t be disappointed and I highly suggest you pick this one up to read asap.
The One & Only takes place in a small town in Texas called Walker and basically everyone sleeps, eats and breathes football. There is alot of football in the book but not enough to turn me off the book.
The main character in The One & Only is Shea. She is a huge foot ball fan and she is also a sports writer. Shea is a free spirit so to speak where she lives her life the way she thinks it should be and is almost content with it. I think Shea feels as though she doesn’t deserve to have the life like her friend Lucy has. Lucy is married with a child and runs her own clothing boutique. Its almost like she is settling for anything but the best.
Growing up Shea never really had a father figure in her life and I think this is where she looked up to Lucy’s dad, Coach Carr. Although Shea I have to admit has taken a little more of an interest in Coach Carr now that his wife has passed away. Throughout the book I literally kept saying no Shea don’t do anything you will regret. Does this go any further or is it just a crush?
Shea does have other love interests in the book and its not all about Coach Carr. When Shea was interacting with Miller I could see where her friends were saying she could do so much better because I honestly don’t think I could go out with someone like Miller. He is a jock and comes off like a dumb jock at times. Then when she hooks up with Ryan who happens to be in the NHL and is hot I was like Shea you so deserve someone like Ryan. He likes Shea because she is a go with the flow girl. Doesn’t question things, doesn’t ask about every detail and is not all into herself like others he has been with.
Will Ryan be able to get Coach Carr off of Shea’s mind? Will he be the one to change Shea’s life and give her all that she needs and deserves?
The One & Only is a perfect summer read in my opinion.
This is my second book of the Book Sparks Summer Reading Challenge and I have to see I feel as though this challenge is going pretty good so far for me considering I usually suck at doing them. Check back next week for my third book in the summer reading challenge.
Did you read this? What did you think? Do you plan on reading this?
I just want to give you a little heads up. All the books I will be reading and reviewing for BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge are all available in your favorite book stores.
Buy the book
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1fhEo7N
Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/1i9jQUR
About the author:
Emily Giffin is the author of six New York Times bestselling novels: Something Borrowed, Something
Blue, Baby Proof, Love the One You’re With, Heart of the Matter, and Where We Belong. A graduate of
Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia School of Law, she now lives in Atlanta lives with
her husband and three young children.
Connect with the author:
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/QB2sME
Twitter: http://bit.ly/RGqbwf
Website: http://www.emilygiffin.com/
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/QsQvJi