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    One True Loves: A Novel
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    One True Loves: A Novel
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    One True Loves: A Novel
    Ebook393 pages5 hours

    One True Loves: A Novel

    By Taylor Jenkins Reid

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

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    About this ebook

    From the New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

    Named a Best Book of Summer by Cosmopolitan * InStyle * Redbook * Us Weekly * PopSugar * Buzzfeed * Bustle * Brit+Co * Parade

    “No one does life and love better.” –InStyle
    “Earth-shaking…you will flip for this epic love story.” –Cosmopolitan
    “Reid's heartwrenching tale asks if it's possible to have multiple soul mates.” —Us Weekly

    From the author of Maybe in Another Life—named a People Magazine pick—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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWashington Square Press
    Release dateJun 7, 2016
    ISBN9781476776910
    Author

    Taylor Jenkins Reid

    Taylor Jenkins Reid is the New York Times bestselling author of seven novels, including Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones & The Six, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their daughter.

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      My year off was also interesting, in that I didn’t feel any less loved, or cherished, or wanted. Why? Because my life is already rich with soulmates, and I got the chance to behold that. You don’t have to shag someone for them to be a soulmate. We do

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    Reviews for One True Loves

    4/5

    449 ratings27 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I read this book in one sitting. Taylor Jenkins Reid is becoming a favorite author. Her stories are about the heart. In this, Emma is having dinner with her fiancee and her parents when she gets a call from her husband, who was in a helicopter crash and assumed dead two years earlier. Which one of her "One True Loves" does she choose? It's a compelling read and was easy for me to question how I would deal with the same situation. Not a tearjerker, but close.
    • 5/5
      This book was beautiful, messy, inspiring, and heart breaking. It left me with so many feels, it's really indescribable how utterly raw these words were. I don't cry easily, but this one left my heart in my throat. At one point I actually laid in bed sobbing at how wonderful and gut wrenching the whole experience was. How does one choose between two true loves? I seriously felt like I was in Emma's shoes. Two completely different men, both with such tender hearts and big love vibes. I won't lie, I wanted to slam the book shut a few times, but it was because of how messed up and sad the whole situation was... It was overwhelming and packed full of tragedy, emotions, and epic level love. I'm not sure how you get a happily ever after with such turmoil and indecision, but I promise that you do. Who wins her heart? Read to find out. There really is no wrong choice, but I will say that my personal favorite found happiness... This Author has a writing style that is so addictive and elegant. I've read two books by her and both had a way of cracking open my heart and gluing it back together. Yes, the ebooks are pricey, but it's so worth it!!
    • 5/5
      This is the first time that I have heard this author's name. When I first picked up this book I was in between other books and so it was not really my first choice. Not that I don't like a good contemporary story even now and again. So to my great surprised I not only digged this book but I was all about it. Although it was quickly easy to see how this story was going and how it would end. Which speaking of the end, I felt that Emma made the right choice in the end. I could feel the difference between the Emma of the past and Emma of the future. She was two different and grown up. To be honest, either way I was rooting for Sam. I felt like I barely really knew who Jesse was. His and Emma's love was more present when she wrote her letter to him then when they were together. Not like she and Sam. Now that I know what this author can bring to the table I will be checking out more books by this author. One True Loves is one of the best summer reads of 2016.
    • 4/5
      Very good book again by Taylor Jenkins Reid
      Enjoyed
    • 4/5
      Beautifully written, made me cry and smile and think. I'll never forget this book.
    • 5/5
      A beautiful story filled with complex characters whose emotional journey I felt invested in all around.
    • 5/5
      It’s Taylor Jenkins Reid so of course 5 stars. The main character annoyed the f out of me
    • 5/5
      Wow. That’s all I can really say. My throat aches and my 3yes are burning a bit while I try not to sob. Wonderful wonderful story. Beautifully written.
    • 5/5
      Soooo emotional! Makes me believe everyone deserves a second chance.
    • 5/5
      Amazing ! I just love Taylor writing.. I can’t get enough of her books !
    • 3/5
      3.0

      Maybe it is because I am just gal with an ice cold black heart (ha ha ha), but it is hard for me to find any type of contemporary romance I jive with. I chose this one because the plot seemed different from anything I had previously read, which had me interested.

      Although this was written well, I enjoyed and agreed with the message, it was a quick read, and I really connected with the characters, it was still too...over the top for me. I think a husband that was lost as a prisoner of war would have made more sense than lost at sea. Especially how that whole plot device was handled. I just wasn't a fan. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of Emma and who she was in her relationships with both Jesse and Sam. I could very much relate to the concept of how who you love can makes changes to who you are. I think Emma handled the situation she was put into very realistically, too.

      However (SPOILERS>>>SORT OF), the ending was a bit too unrealistic. There would have been way more damage control needed after that choice (which I saw a mile away) was made. I don't know. I did love Jenkins Reid's writing though, though and it held my interest enough that I will definitely continue reading her books. I am excited to read "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo."
    • 5/5
      What a lovely story of the love of family, relationships, and maturing through taking chances, responsibilities, and trusting. Knowing the plot line of the story doesn't take anything away from taking the the journey with the main character, Emma. It is perfect for a vacation or beach read or anytime you just want to sit down with story that will entertain, flow quickly, and leave you feeling satisfied.
    • 4/5
      Extraordinary all-encompassing love, Unimaginable grief, the kind that drives you to the edge of desperation and on the brink of madness,The climb back to some semblance of sanity and the slow walk to join the living,A different kind of love, another chance for the reticent,An impossible situation,Everyone is damaged, Each loses a bit of themselves,A decision
    • 4/5
      One True Lovesby Taylor Jenkins Reid2016Washington Square Press 4.0 / 5.0Emma and Jesse seem an unlikely couple. Until a party they both attend, where happenstance puts them together. They fall in love and get married. On their one year anniversary, Jesse disappears when a helicopter he was taking to the Aleutian Islands crashes and sinks. He is not heard from again and assumed dead. Emma is devastated but carry on. She runs into an old high school friend who always had feelings for her, Sam. He is a musical whiz, she runs into him st a music store. They eventually set a date....He like her more than she likes him....but she falls for him. 3 years later they are engaged.Until Emma hears from Jesse. He is alive, coming home. Emma is excited but unsure how to tell Sam. So much time has passed, so many feelings have happened in that 3 years, Emma is a different person. And so is Jesse.Jesse is her husband. She loves him but he has changed.Sam is her fiance, leaving him will break his heart.Emma has some decisions to make.Sam, Emma and Jesse are such endearing characters, I grew to like them all for different reasons. The pace of the book and relationships was perfect, I could not put this down. Reid is always an excellent read!
    • 5/5
      Emma’s husband Jesse dies in a helicopter crash. A few years later, while engaged to another man, her phone rings and it’s him! One woman, two loves, the result could be boring and predictable but the author fills the story with warmth. I loved the pacing of the book. She skimmed over months and years at times and then settled into a single evening with relish. I loved that the supporting characters had struggles and lives outside of their relationship to Emma. Sam and Jesse both felt easy to fall in love with in very different ways. There were so many quotable lines. Also loved the descriptions of New England. Her parents run a tiny bookstore and the descriptions of both it and Massachusetts were wonderful! The book explores both love and grief, growing up and finding what’s important to yourself. I loved it. “She put her arms around me and held me the way a mother holds a child, as if we were of the same body.”“When you look back on your own timeline, there’s a sharp spike somewhere along the way, some event that changed you, changed your life, more than the others. A moment that creates a ‘before’ and an ‘after’.”“We are two people who are madly in love with our old selves. And that is not the same as being in love.”“You’re supposed to be Penelope. You’re supposed to knit the shroud day in and day out and stay up every night unraveling it to keep the suitors at bay. You’re not supposed to have a life of your own, needs of your own. You’re not supposed to love again.”
    • 2/5
      The love stories were at first deep and touching, but the book was too predictable overall. The end was short and not well written. Loved the first part, but the way the end was presented (rushed) unfortunately ruined the whole book.
    • 5/5
      Really Loved it ^_^ Could not put the book down....
    • 1/5
      Terrible romance novel! Started out well but the end was rushed and just a great disappointment. If you’re a romantic like myself, don’t read this book it will just waste your time and break your heart!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Easy read with a good story: well written. A nice book with a happy ending.
    • 1/5
      I'm not really a romance novel fan, but read this with my book club. I found the premise unbelievable and didn't feel very drawn to the characters. It's a light read but still found it hard to push through to the end as I just could not get engaged with the story. It's not a book that will keep you thinking later; entirely forgettable.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      “I don’t know how I got so lucky to have both of you. My two true loves.”What would you do if you thought your husband was dead? Then, you find out he is not. It has been several years and you started to pick up the pieces of your life. You have moved on with a new love, and now you are faced with making a choice. I almost recommend not even reading the synopsis as I had no clue that this is what the story was about. Not knowing had me hooked right from the first chapter, as I had no clue what was going to happen.The first half of the book is broken down into Emma’s story and how she knows Jesse, and then her story with Sam. This is not your typical love triangle story, as most of the times you will have one good guy and one bad guy. You will be torn on if you love Jesse or Sam which made it for a more enjoyable read. I fell in love with the writing. It was such a quick read as it was fast paced. I wanted to know who Emma was going to choose and how this story ended. I could not put this down. My heart was breaking for all three characters.Top read of the year so far! I know it is only the second week, but this blew me away!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      When her presumed-dead husband returns, Emma must choose between him and her new fiancé. As Emma decides with which man to spend her future, I did like all three characters, and given the unusual circumstances, I do understand the choices she makes. Still, there’s something about this story’s overall commentary on love that isn’t sitting well with me—I’m still pondering it.
    • 3/5
      Happily engaged Emma learns that her husband didn’t actually die, he’s coming home to her, so if you’re a reader who isn’t into triangles One True Loves probably won’t be the best choice for you. This is the kind of triangle I prefer, where there isn’t one option that clearly outweighs the other. I liked both guys for Emma, one’s adventurous, one’s nerdy, each brought out a different side of who she is and the author firmly established the appeal of each relationship. I did crave a different structure for the story. Rather than immediately informing the reader that Jesse is alive, I wish we’d witnessed his harrowing journey simultaneous to Emma working through her grief and moving on then the two stories dovetale into the choice she has to make when he does show up alive. I just feel like there would have been more page-turning urgency and even more of an emotional investment in experiencing what both characters endured, especially if for a good portion of the novel the reader didn’t know whether Jesse would make it home until he actually does. I’m not opposed to the choices the characters ultimately made in the end, however, I had issues with how those choices unfolded over such a rushed time period and how easily and quickly Emma and her non-chosen guy segued from romantic partners to platonic. It just seemed like at least one of these characters if not all three could have used some therapy or at the very least a more reasonable amount of time to process everything before life-altering decisions were made, I don’t know, it just felt way too rash considering the circumstances. Until the last quarter of the novel I thought the author did tremendously well in taking an unlikely premise and mining it for authentic feelings. While ideally everyone could be all kumbaya in the immediate aftermath of a breakup, in reality I think life and emotions are generally much messier than that and I don’t know that there are that many actual humans who could box up their deep feelings as swiftly and tidily as these characters managed to do.
    • 5/5
      I had tears reading this. bloody hell I almost hate the author.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      If I came up with a list of my favorite current day authors, Taylor Jenkins Reid is on it for sure. Having read her recent books, I'm now working my way back in her catalog. While One True Loves has many of the elements I love about her writing, I do think her writing talent has grown from the time this book was first published. It was a good book and I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't put it in the awesome read category.The story kicks off with a terrific opening line. I didn't bother reading the publisher synopsis for this one ahead of time so I didn't have a heads up to the basic plot. Let's just say after reading the first sentence, my jaw dropped and then I smiled because I knew I was in for an interesting read. If you have enjoyed other books by this author, take a chance and go in blind.This book is probably best classified as a romance. Now here's the part of my review where you might think I'm crazy but by the time I finished the book I thought it had a similar type vibe to the television show, Grey's Anatomy. Now granted I have not watched that show in years, but I think both the book and show have moments that really touch your heart. But there's also some cheesy dialogue thrown in which you might cringe at but also kinda love at the same time. I think both serve their purpose well in giving you what you want. So yes, this book isn't a perfect read, but it didn't have to be in order for me to enjoy it.
    • 3/5
      Emma Blair and Jesse Lerner are high school sweethearts. They marry in their twenties, move to California, and leave their family and stifling Massachusetts hometown far behind. They travel the world together and seem destined for a long and happy life. But on their first wedding anniversary, Jesse's helicopter goes missing. Suddenly, Emma's happy life is torn apart. Jesse is gone, and she's not sure how to move on.

      So Emma moves back home. To her parents, her sister, and all the expectations that comes with them. She eventually picks herself up and starts to live life without Jesse. One day she runs into an old high school, friend, and they fall in love, eventually becoming engaged. It seems as if Emma is getting a second chance at the happiness she so dearly wanted, albeit in a very different form. But then she gets a call-- out of the blue. It's Jesse. He's alive and he's been attempting all these years to get back to his beloved Emma: his wife. Emma's world is turned upside down yet again. She's faced with a huge decision: who is her true love?

      I picked up this novel for a change of pace, and it was exactly that. It's not altogether light and fluffy: it deals with some deep themes, but it's no mystery or psychological women's fiction, either. It was an easy, fast read, which I read while on vacation, and it suited my needs to a tee. The plot was interesting, though completely far-fetched, and you just sort have to suspend disbelief going in if you want to enjoy it. Reid's writing is a little stilted (a lot of telling versus showing) but I grew to enjoy Emma, even if her dilemma was a bit insane. I won't spoil the plot, as basically the book revolves around Emma's choice, but it was certainly interesting and intriguing to watch Emma come to her conclusion. If you're looking for a quick read, say for a beach vacation or airplane diversion, this book is ideal.

      I received a copy of this novel from Edelweiss (thank you!); it is available everywhere as of 06/07/2016.
    • 5/5
      I wanted to read it again even before I had finished it. Loved every single word.