Book Review: The One & Only by Emily Giffin

Reviewer: Samantha

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

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.

Review:

I’m of course a big fan of Emily Giffin, and eagerly awaited this release. I was excited about this book because I am a huge football fan, and football plays a huge role in this book. I kinda came away with mixed feelings. One, because the book was pretty long, and at one point I found myself zoning out while reading, which is rare for me in a Giffin book. Football kind of dominates the book, and I think because of that the actual plot seemed drug on. It’s an interesting concept and I really liked a lot of the characters. The love angle is a little strange, but I feel it is realistic. Truth is stranger fiction. A few times I felt a little weirded out about Shea and Coach’s relationship, just because he seemed like a father figure to her so it was a little odd, but I get it. I think. Shea was a fun character to read about as she tries to figure out her life, her career, and her family, but I was really interested in her friendship with Lucy. Shea has to make a huge decision in the book, and I was really impressed and relieved with the route she took. While I wasn’t totally blown away with the book I still enjoyed it and would recommend. Will look forward to the next Giffin read!

 4 stars

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