Book Review: First Comes Love by Emily Giffin

First Comes Love by Emily Giffin

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine

This is the first book that I have read by Emily Giffin. It begins with the death of Daniel, the older brother and golden boy of the family that is ripped apart by his death. Flash forward to 15 years later and the two sisters are still dealing with unresolved grief.

Josie is the wild free spirited sister. Meredith is the goody-goody overachiever. Both have handled Daniel’s death in different ways and neither of them has ever turned to each other to cope. Josie feels that her life is empty and she looks to have a child to fill the hole in her heart. Meredith starts to doubt her life choices in regards to her career and her marriage. Josie suffers from survivor’s guilt among other things and Meredith has tried her whole life to be the glue that held the whole family together.

It was a compelling story told from both of their viewpoints. It was interesting to see how each woman made their decisions, faced the repercussions, and still managed to maintain their own identities. There were times that I yelled at my tablet and even a few moments where I grew teary eyed while reading. This is something to me that signifies that the writer has touched me.

This isn’t a happily ever after fairy tale. The ending doesn’t wrap everything up in a tidy little bow. The story, however, shows how tragedy affects a family. It can splinter or even shatter them but if they are strong enough they can make it through and reconnect and move to a happier future together. Love is definitely the central theme. This is the kind of book that makes you think and I enjoyed it.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Review: If You Left by Ashley Prentice Norton

If You Left by Ashley Prentice Norton

Advanced Reading Copy

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Mariner Books

I am going to be completely honest. I did not like this book at all. Normally, I can find at least one or two things about a book that I can say “Oh, well at least that part was good.” With this book there wasn’t a single redeeming quality.

It starts out with Althea Willow, a wealthy housewife with several mental illnesses. Being someone who is familiar with mental illness, that part did not bother me at all. The first chapter begins with a suicide attempt that  Althea survives even though she ends up in a mental hospital. This is not her first admission. She is soon released and goes home to her adulterous husband and their adopted 9 year old daughter whom she barely knows.

The whole book is basically about how much Althea does not know a thing about her daughter Clementine and her half-hearted attempts to bond with her. This woman literally has no desire whatsoever to be a mother. She goes through the motions in an attempt to placate her insensitive ass of a husband. He’s overly critical, treats her like a child, and hits on women right in front of her face.

Althea barely exists. She has a ton of money, a husband she once loved, a career she once enjoyed and a daughter who is dying for an ounce of affection from her. You want to feel bad for her or feel some sympathy for her but you simply can’t. There is not even one thing about her that is remotely endearing. She has no spine except for one scene where she has an incident with one of her husband’s mistresses.

The only person I felt anything for in this book was Clementine. She was clearly a smart, vibrant young girl who wants her mother’s love. Even when she begs for it, speaks the words out loud, Althea is incapable of doing anything for her.

Don’t get me started on the ending. If this had been a physical book instead of an e-book that I was reading on my tablet I would have thrown it against the wall. It was THAT bad. All in all, I would recommend one thing about this book. Avoid it.

I received and Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for my review.

As always if you have read this book and want to tell me how right or how wrong I am, please feel free to comment below.