Love the One You're With

by Emily Giffin

'Giffin's talent lies in taking relatable situations and injecting with enough wit and suspense to make them feel fresh. The cat-and-mouse game between Ellen and Leo lights up these pages, their flirtation as dangerously addictive as a high-speed car chase' People

If you can't forget the one who got away, can you truly love the one you're with?

Ellen and Andy's first year of marriage doesn't just seem perfect, it IS perfect. There is no question how deep their devotion is, and how naturally they bring out the best in each other.

Then, one fateful afternoon, Ellen runs into Leo for the first time in eight years. Leo, the one who brought out the worst in her. Leo, the one who left her heartbroken with no explanation. Leo, the one she could never quite forget.

When his reappearance ignites long-dormant emotions, Ellen begins to question whether the life she's living is the one she's meant to live.

LOVE THE ONE YOU'RE WITH is a powerful story about one woman at the crossroads of true love and real life.

• ISBN10: 0752893599
• ISBN13: 9780752893594
• Publish Date: 4 August 2011 (first published 1 May 2008)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
• Imprint: Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Linda]

A very sweet and melancholy love story! Ellen is a confused, newly married woman who runs into her 'most important ex' by chance, and wonders about what could have been.

The story was so very real, with her love, her doubts, and her dreams. It was very well written, and so true it made my heart hurt for her!

I didn't really like the very last chapter though, and could truly have done without it. This was not really the kind of book that had to have the 'one year later' part.

[Leah]

I love Emily Giffin’s writing and rank Something Borrowed as one of my favourite chick-lit books ever. I also enjoyed Something Blue and Baby Proof and was excited when I finally saw Love the One You’re With at the second-hand bookswop I go to.

I quite liked the idea of the story: Ellen is married but after 100 days of marriage she bumps into her ex-boyfriend Leo. It seems she isn’t over him so the question is: who does she want to be with?

I just think the whole thing could have been explored a bit more. I still don’t think we really found out why Leo and Ellen broke up. It seemed, I don’t know, like a loose end that wasn’t tied up properly.

I also thought Ellen was a bit mean flitting between both men and trying to turn things around to make Andy look bad and justify all her actions to herself. I mean to be that obsessed with an ex after, what was it, 8 years and willing to dump and betray her husband at the first sign of trouble was a bit spiteful. Even at the end of the novel she still wasn’t 100% truthful with her husband even though Andy was a brilliant and nice character.

I loved all the minor characters: Margot, Suzanne and the Graham family kept the story bubbling along. I think it was a shame the relationship between Ellen and her father wasn’t explored as it seemed there were troubles there. It was also a shame the apparent OCD wasn’t explored more, we read of it at the beginning of the novel and once when she was in Atlanta.

I thought Ellen was never really sure of how to approach things. She said yes to Atlanta, got totally fed up with it and then didn’t say a thing until the huge argument with Andy.

Even at the end of the book she didn’t seem totally sure with who she chose. It was as if she chose who she chose because of what her sister said even though she said she was following her heart. I was glad with the ending though and would have been disappointed had it ended the other way.

I can’t really think of anything else to say about it. It wasn’t a book that provoked a lot of different questions, it was mainly who will Ellen choose and that was it. Full stop. End of.

I did, however love that Julian and Hillary (from Something Borrowed) made an appearance. I love how Emily does that, mentions the characters from her other novels or has them appear in some way.

For all that I’ve said for the book I did enjoy it and read it quite quickly it just seemed to lack something that Something Borrowed & Blue had. I loved the cover though, it is a beautiful book cover. I can’t wait for Emily’s next novel which is due out in 2010. I’ve read the first few pages from her publisher and it sounds great.

[Eve1972]

I have heard this author's books described as "chick-lit for smart girls" and I thought that was a pretty good description. This is another great one from Emily Giffin, a fast and emotional read (I admit it, I cried a couple times LOL) that really makes you think "what if". I found myself as conflicted as Ellen through the whole book, the author writes Leo in such an intense and hot way and Andy in a faithful old puppy dog kind of way, that I wasn't quite sure what I wanted her to do! If you are a fan of chick-lit I would definitely give this one a read.