Audiobook Review – One True Loves

Title: One True Loves

Author: Taylor Jenkins Read

Genre: Romance

Goodreads Rating: 4.09

My Rating:

Source: Audiobook

Synopsis:

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. But who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?

My Review:

After reading and loving Evelyn Hugo I made it my mission to read TJR’s back log of books. So far I have listened to Malibu Rising and I have Daisy Jones and Maybe In Another Life on my shelf ready to go. When this one popped up on audio I knew i had to give it a go.

I demolished this audio in one day and in pretty much one sitting. TJR is slowly but surely becoming one of my favourite authors and it makes me even more excited to read her other material. The story starts when Emma receives the phones call she never thought she would get. Her husband, who has been presumed dead after disappearing at sea is alive and coming home! The only problem is Emma is now engaged to someone else. What follows is a heart breaking story of love and loss. What will Emma choose? Where does her heart truly lie and whose heart will she break in the process?

I couldn’t help but sympathise with Emma throughout the story. I loved the tale of her teen romance with Jessie and how easily they seemed to fit together. I felt her loss when Jessie disappeared and it had me questioning how I would feel if I were in her shoes. I could understand her need to move on and the letter she wrote to Jessie broke my heart.

The relationship between her and Sam was absolutely adorable. How they found each other and the ease between them was pure joy. I was so pleased that she found someone who loved her as much as Jessie but also in a different way, if that makes sense? When we finally catch up with the present day I felt just as torn as Emma. How could she choose between these two men? The one she thought she had lost and loved with every part of her and the one who came into her life just when she was ready for love again? I did not envy the decision process at all.

This is a book you can completely immerse yourself in. The story and the characters are loveable and have you rooting for them from the start. Ultimately I was happy with the choice Emma made and strangely enough I felt that I drew to the same conclusion as her and got her reasoning. It didn’t make the choice any easier but heart break is never easy.