Reviews tagging 'Death'

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

206 reviews

stacyaj's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

mari1532's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This is the first of Reid's books that I have read and I have to admit that I checked this audiobook out of the library because I saw the movie on sale on Apple TV and wanted to watch it, but I have this desire to read the book before seeing the movie/TV show.

Synopsis: In High School Emma Blair dreamed of a life as far away from her hometown as possible. And when she goes to a party in her junior year of high school she encounters the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with, Jesse. After almost a decade of dating and a single year of marriage though fate intervenes and the only man Emma has ever loved is gone forever. 

As Emma tries to put her life back together she has to challenge everything she thought she knew about herself. As she begins to forage a new identity for herself she also wants to love again and her high school friend Sam might be just the man to teach her that she can.   

Thoughts:

I was very invested in Emma as a character. My favourite part of the book was the growth in her relationship with her sister. It was a truly lovely arch throughout the narrative. I also appreciated the connection that Emma developed with her nieces although I do wish that had been explored a little more. 

I also wish that Sam had made more of an appearance in the story. Reid did an excellent job of conveying how much Emma loves and cares for Sam, but I would have liked to see them interact a little more throughout the story. 

I absolutely did not like Jesse at all. Start to finish. Did I feel bad for him because of the horrific things he endured, sure did. Did it make me like him any better? Sure didn't.

This is an interesting work of literature that held my attention and I was really invested in the outcome. Although it did feel that the cultural standards of domesticity were the driving force of some of Emma's decisions rather than a shifting of her priorities. Overall, not a bad read.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

Moderate: Toxic relationship

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

Emma describes a desire to not keep living but doesn't classify it as wanting to kill herself. It is more framed in terms of her grief. Also, I find the way that Jesse returns and expects Emma to be the same and meet his every demand a bit toxic. I do not think that it was written with the intention that it would feel toxic. Obviously, Jesse has trauma to work through, but he really did not seem to care about Emma's life while he was gone at all.

tannerlauren's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

katarinamh's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

lindasoderlundd's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcohol and Sexual content

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Cancer

plueschi77's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Gore

goldenholdencervone's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death

kaitlinlovesbooks's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity and Grief

Minor: Medical content, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Death

jaidenmarie11's review

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book is good, it’s great even! But this year I’m dead set on rating fiction books based on enjoyment and only giving them five stars when I genuinely had the best time. That being said good god this book made me furious. I understand her dilemma and the emotions all of that would come with and it wasn’t even the indecisiveness that made me angry it was going from one polar end to another. One moment she’s like “this is it I’m going to pick this character I can’t believe I was so stupid to think I would ever choose the other” to “oh man but I really love this other guy I’m actually gonna chose him instead” AND WHEN SHE

FUCKS JESSE RIGHT AFTER SHES DECIDED ON SAM LIKE SHE HAD TOLD JESSE SHE HAD CHOSEN SAM AND THEN PROCEEDED TO HAVE SEX WITH JESSE. Like please tell me how that makes any logical sense and if I were Sam and Emma come up to me with some “we went to the cabin together… alone” I’d say alright then bye! Like please have some self respect my man

anyways, she made the right decision imo but the way she went about it pissed me off. I actually cried a bit while reading because it was pretty well written but I am not the same as I was in 2020 and just because a book makes me cry does not mean it gets 5 stars! (I’ve done that an embarrassing amount of times) I really liked this book in the beginning despite feeling some gaps in the story. The grief was really well explored and I thought was handled in a tasteful way. Again the end just kind of soured the whole thing for me. And there’s some quotes that hit like they actually took me aback how much I liked them. But alas, it just really wasn’t my jam those last 130 pages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Sexual content

val_theburrowofstories's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Sexual content