Book Review: The One and Only by Emily Giffin
It’s been so long since I’ve done a book review that it kind of feels awkward at this point, but I love hearing your thoughts and recommendations on recent reads so what the heck, I’m going for it anyway.
I’ve been a fan of Emily Giffin for years so when I saw she had a new book coming out I was really excited to pick up a copy. Her style of writing is typically easy and entertaining and I knew I could look forward to settling down each night with a few chapters before falling asleep.
Brief Summary
The One and Only is a story told from the perspective of Shea Rigsby, a thirty-three-year-old sports reporter born and raised in the small college town of Walker, Texas. Coming from a troubled childhood, Shea spent most of her time growing up with her best friend Lucy, whose father is the head coach of Walker’s beloved football team.
After the tragic death of Lucy’s mother, things change for everyone, including Shea, as she begins to question her path in life. Along the way she is forced to face some of her deepest desires which could cost her some of the most important relationships in her life.
My Review {Without Spoilers}
The beginning did a great job grabbing my attention and keeping me intrigued as I continued to read. Also, because it’s written in first-person and doesn’t jump around to different time periods or characters, it made it easy for me to stay focused and enjoy the story.
Throughout the book, there was a significant amount of time spent discussing the details of college football which might be a turn off for some women. I wasn’t bothered by it though and it actually made me feel like I was reading about College Station, where Brandon and I lived before moving to California. The parallels between Walker and CS are undeniable {for example, the strong dislike for the University of Texas} and I began to wonder if that’s where Emily drew some of her inspiration from.
As I reached the middle to end of the the story, the direction for the main character became clearly evident. Without spoiling any of the details, the realization of where the story was headed was off-putting for me. I found myself struggling to understand Shea’s feelings and lost any sort of connection I felt prior to that point. It even started to give me a little bit of the heebie-jeebies. {translation: it felt creepy and weird}
With that said, I respect the message that Giffin was trying to portray <following your heart is not always easy and sometimes it means hurting others along the way> but I don’t fully agree with the message or the storyline she used to convey it. Honestly, I was left with an empty feeling after I finished. I wouldn’t say it was a complete waste of time to read because she did hold my interest until the end but I can’t say that I would recommend it. Hopefully Emily’s got another good idea in her back pocket that will make up for this one because unfortunately, in my opinion, it was a miss.
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts on it?
Have you read anything good lately that you can recommend?
I’ve never read her books before, but I’m always looking for something new to read. I’m re-reading the Outlander series right now and it’s sooo good!
I’ve just started reading her books and really enjoying them, but maybe I’ll give this one a pass! I’ve been hearing less than stellar things about it.
Sorry to hear this one headed in a weird direction! I have an on-again/off-again relationship with Giffin . . . I absolutely loved Something Borrowed and Something Blue, but none of her later works lived up to those for me. I’ve seen this one and definitely think I’ll pick it up at some point, if only to continue my streak of reading all her novels, but won’t rush out to do so! :)
I loooove to read and am never without a book. The best novel I’ve finished lately is Maria Semple’s Where’d You Go, Bernadette, which was so quirky and funny and heartfelt and awesome. Definitely recommend!
I will definitely check that one out. Thank you for the recommendation, Meg! :)
I’ve enjoyed lots of Emily Griffin books in the past, but I keep hearing back things about this book. For easy, enjoyable books I really love Dina Silver. Super entertaining and I can never put them down.
I’ve never heard of Dina Silver but I’ll have to look into some of her work.
Oh, and I meant to tell you- I haven’t been able to find McFadden chardonnay yet but I did find two others that are really good. Round Hill chardonnay is awesome and the other one is Terra Savia which is also pretty good. I think my problem was that I was looking for sauvignon blanc before. Chardonnay seems to have more local/organic options to choose from.
I haven’t read a book by Giffin in -years-. I really enjoyed Something Borrowed and Something Blue, but the others didn’t really leave a lasting impression on me. I have to admit that I’m super curious about what this heebie-jeebie inducing twist was, though, so I might end up picking it up just to curb the curiosity :lol:
My mom just finished this book and wasn’t thrilled with it! I hate when a promising book ends up like this! Like one of your other commenters mentioned, the book ‘Where’d You Go, Bernadette’ was such a good read! I’d recommend it :)
Now I have to read that book!! :)
I’ve been wondering about this book because I’ve been seeing it everywhere. Good to know! A friend recommended Love The One You’re With so I’m currently reading that. So far, it’s not a page-turner really, but I have high hopes because I’ve heard such good things about Emily Griffin. Have you read that one?
I was ready to say that Where’d You Go, Bernadette should be next on your list and now it seems inevitable with so many putting in that recommendation! I read it last summer and really enjoyed it. I started reading The Goldfinch after graduation since it’s earned so much praise but it’s quite a commitment and taking me all summer to get through over 700 pages haha.
Yeah, I think that one’s next on the list. :)
The Goldfinch sounds really good but 700+ (especially when it’s a heavy read) is a big commitment. Hopefully it turns out to be worth it!
This reminds me how little I’ve been reading recently. I’m currently reading Good to Great because my boss told me I had to, hah. I love getting your recommendations, so keep the book reviews coming!
You know its kinda funny but a not-so-good book review can be just as enticing as a good one. i kinda want to read it just to see what the whole issue is and what her choice was when she followed her heart and all that. lol now im so curious!
I enjoyed reading your review. It was almost like hearing your sincere voice. It’s been a while since I read my last book, I should find time for novels soon.
I’ve been meaning to read this one but haven’t got to it yet, because 1.) I’m in the middle of reading 3 others books, and 2.) every time I have time to read, I wind up doing school work or blog stuff instead. Gosh, my reading time would increase so much if I didn’t have this little old thing called a J-O-B!
That’s disappointing to hear that you weren’t in love with it though, because I’ve read all of Emily Giffin’s previous books and they always had me totally drawn in. Knowing the ending way before it happens isn’t cool. The mystery of what was going to wind up happening is one of the reasons why I sped through her other books.
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Did you read the life list from Lori Nelson Spielman? It´s an easy read and I quite enjoyed it. At the moment I don´t have a lot of time to read which I regret a little bit. Hope all three of you are doing ok!
Hey Anne! I haven’t read that book but I always love to hear your suggestions. :)
I hope you get some down time to read more soon!
Glad to hear! The Rosie project from Don Tillman was also great, even if not really comparable to the life list. Hope so too :)
I meant from Graeme Simsion..don Tillman is the protagonist ;D
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desperate to tell someone NOT to start reading this book. While the author is talented in her writing style, the plot is vapid.
I agree, Michelle! It wasn’t worth the time!
I didn’t like this book at all. I agree, it felt creepy to me. Really wanted to see it head in a different direction.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt that way! :)
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I respectfully disagree. While the feeling you talked about were definitely a little strange and unorthodox, it made the story more real for me. I get bored of the same “perfect girl gets perfect guy” books where you can almost writems the correct 3ndimg before youv3 read it. This book colored outside the proverbial lines a little bit and made it so much more real to me. I know MANY relationships of this nature where the relationship “problem” is similar to this one and they are in fact living happily ever after. It was a breath of fresh air for me and I appreciate Emily’s writing style. That being said, I’d love to read more of her work. Highly suggest this book if you’re looking for something different :)
Thanks for your input, Jen! It seems like there are varying opinions of her book but I’m glad that you enjoyed it. I will certainly keep reading her new books because I love her style of writing. :)
I loved this book and I’m amazed by the terrible reviews I have been reading about it! I listened to it on audiobook and I couldn’t wait to get in my car so I could hear more.
The interviews I have read with Emily Giffin about this book tell of her wanting to explore the theme of unconventional love; that we often think of romantic love in a specific way and she wanted to break out of that. Commenters are often calling the story weird and creepy, but it doesn’t need to be. Shea is 33-years-old. I think this story paints a picture of how we all grow up. There comes a time in life where we stop being a child and become a peer. What a remarkable love story to find a relationship develop like this, especially when you share a history and are already part of each other’s families!
When I was young I looked at even teenagers as being so far above me. Now that I am in my 30s, I understand that no matter how old someone is, they are just themselves. Age brings physical changes, life changes, and wisdom. Yet, in our deepest heart we still see ourselves in our prime and we all experience the same emotions.
I greatly appreciate that there was nothing immoral about Coach Carr and Shea’s relationship. They did not cheat on anyone, they were considerate of the people around them, they didn’t even have sex in the story, and they respected Lucy’s feelings.
I can see how a relationship like this has all kinds of implications that have to be worked out, but we should all be so lucky to find someone who loves us so unconditionally, who has been part of our messes and accepts us anyway, and who treats us with such tenderness.
I am only on chapter 10 and am starting to get those heebie jeebies and I decided not to finish if it went that way. So thank you for saving me the time and I’ll stop now