One True Loves: A Book Review
By: Mallory Johnson
My last book of 2021 was One True Loves by my favourite author Taylor Jenkins Reid, an adult literary fiction book that came out in 2016. The story begins as a woman, Emma Blair, is on a date with her fiancé when her husband calls. On their first wedding anniversary, the husband, Jesse, goes on a spontaneous trip to Alaska without his wife. He was riding in a helicopter when it crashed: he was incorrectly presumed dead. Three and a half years later, Emma is engaged to a man, Sam, she knew from high school and has to make the decision she never thought she would have to make: stay with Sam, or live the life she planned with Jesse? I am personally not a big fan of love triangles, but the classic trope is done well in this book! Before I go any further, SPOILER ALERT. Also, trigger warnings for: grief, death, depression, injury detail, a helicopter crash, animal death (for survival, non-graphic), abandonment, sexual content, cheating, an eating disorder, and medical content.
Taylor Jenkins Reid brilliantly explores Emma’s grief. You see her in all the stages, from when she was on her roof with binoculars because she was convinced that Jesse was lost at sea to her moving on with Sam. You see her unable to eat or feel any joy because she was so consumed by her grief. The story also discusses familial expectations and how much pressure they can put on people. Emma’s family owns a bookstore, Blair Books, and her parents expect her to own it one day, but she did not want to, and she feels guilty. Jesse was an excellent swimmer and his parents expected him to stick with swimming for his whole life. I enjoyed that the book jumped between past and present - it explored Emma meeting both men and their relationships. A quote from the story that I love is, “I think that perhaps everyone has a moment that splits their life in two. 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.” Another quote I love is, “It’s a scary thought, isn’t it? That every single person on this planet could lose their one true love and live to love again? It means the one you love could love again if they lost you.” These two quotes summarize the complexities of the grief and love in the story in a brilliant way.
Overall, I really loved this book and I loved the ending; I believe Emma made the best choice and loved how it was the small things that helped her choose. I give this book a strong 10/10 and cannot wait to read After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid, which is the only book of hers that I have not read yet!