BOOK REVIEW: Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin

Reviewed by Deborah Riccio

The ultimate ‘What If?’ story.

What if, after 100 days of being married to the gorgeous, charming, rich, kind, sensitive, hell - perfect - Andy, you literally happen to run into the enigmatic, wildly exciting, passionate, nerve-tinglingly handsome Leo with whom you shared some, shall we say, positively highly charged months of your life?

Gulp.

Would you have the nerve to speak to him?  Would you have the strength of mind to pretend that this encounter (some might call fate or destiny) means nothing and that you’ve moved on quite nicely without him, thank you very much?  Or would you just put this sighting down to pure chance and get on with your life, ignoring the fact that he probably doesn’t want any more to do with you now than he did when he unceremoniously left you cold all those years ago without a decent explanation as to why? Well?

Ellen does all of the above. She literally swings from one conflicting decision and emotional resolution to another – and at a breathtakingly beautiful pace.  I became Ellen’s only confidante – frustratedly mute – which kept me positively giddy with the thrill of not knowing which way she was going to turn next.

‘Love The One You’re With’ is a poignant, charming, utterly captivating account of what happens when you’re not sure the decisions you made once were the right ones and you’re still not sure you trusted the right people – even if some of them now form part of your family.   It certainly doesn’t help that when you got married, your best friend became your sister-in-law. Which makes it even more difficult to question their - and your – motives for the life you now find yourself in.

A heady rush of conflicting impulses to the eternal ‘What If?’ conundrum which everyone can identify with, written with such humour and warmth that it will have you immediately ordering the back catalogue of everything Emily Giffin’s ever written – unless you were already a massive fan.  Which you will be after reading this.

Oh, and the ending?  Didn’t see it coming and caught my breath – a truly wonderful book – one that is already on the re-read list.

Comments

[Stella]

I love Emily Giffin- I've been looking forward to this.

[Diane]

You've inspired me to dig out the copy that's been on my bookshelf for almost a year and get stuck in, thank you! (So far, so good...)

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