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A review by shamelesslyintroverted
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
3.0
There’s just something about TJR’s stories that break through reading slumps. She’s quickly becoming one of my favorite authors of all time. I adore her writing style and Julia Whelan’s narration is just *chef’s kiss.*
To be honest, I was terrified to read this book since it hits really close to home, but it’ll be seven years this year and I no longer identify as a widow. I identify as a wife. I figured it was safe.
If you want to know what it’s like to be a young widow who finds love again, read One True Loves. I’ve never felt so seen. The grief, how it felt to go on a first date… all of it was more accurate than I was expecting.
The story is split into before and after and it’s clear what the fault line is: before Jesse died/came back and after Jesse came back. You’re given all of this information up front and then pulled back to the past to meet Jesse and discover how they fell in love. And then how she lost him.
We also get to see her grief, growth, and how she fell in love with Sam.
I took some time before going into the after because I didn’t want to see Emma’s world implode.
Once I finally turned the page, I had some… conflicting emotions.
There was this one quote on pages 268-269 that I think summed up the entire book and served as the crux of the theme: “I nod but what I want to do is tell him about what Marie said, that she told me this isn’t about who I love but rather who I am. I want to tell him that I’ve been asking myself that question over and over and it’s starting to seem glaringly obvious that I am different from the person Jesse loves. I am not her. Not anymore.”
Emma realizes that she belongs with Sam because grief shaped her into a different person. I can relate to this because I am not the same puppet that John was used to puppeteering. He wouldn’t like who I’ve become because he wouldn’t be able to control me or make me feel inferior enough to manipulate me.
And then the very next page solidified why I'm not a huge Jesse fan. They have a huge argument because Jesse can’t see Emma’s side of things at all. I get that he’s been through a trauma, but so has she. They’ve both changed and he expects her to drop everything, all the progress she’s made and changes she’s gone through, to be with him.
He’s so stubborn and stuck in his own head that he’s angry with her for moving on because she should’ve waited. WTF?! Meanwhile, Sam over here is taking a huge hit, but cares enough about her to let her process. He’s putting her needs over his own and Jesse is being a selfish child. He’s immature (driving without a license and banging on the kitchen counter). It seems like her attraction to him is grounded in nostalgia and lust, but she's much more attracted to Sam because he’s willing to meet her where she’s at.
She even outlines what she wants from him after she says that she plays the piano, and it’s so simple that it’s sad that he doesn’t say these things. She simply wants him to show an interest, to get to know the woman she’s become… but instead he takes it defensively and asked what playing the piano proves. Like. After all of that, if she chooses Jesse… I’m going to scream.
Thankfully they both came to that conclusion. They’re not the same people and he desperately needs therapy. I don’t mean that in a bad way! He’s been through some SHIT and would benefit from processing it with a professional.
That being said, I am thankful that he came around and that they had this very adult conversation about their future and what it would look like. I also loved that she emphasized the reasoning here. It’s not Sam versus Jesse, but rather would her and Jesse even still work? Does she want it to?
When she realized that she loves both men and that it's okay, she allowed herself to fully fall for Sam and accept that the life she had with Jesse was in the past. She doesn’t want the life that Jesse wants and she misses Sam desperately.
They say goodbye to each other (in an unhealthy way in my opinion—they shouldn’t have had goodbye sex, but whatever) and they head home.
Sam shows up in the parking lot of her store as she was about to go chase him down and he wants to fight for her. He’s not in high school anymore and he’s ready. Luckily, it’s not necessary and they get married.
Jump to 8 months later and Jesse calls. He’s met someone and he gets it now. How she could love him, but still love Sam. Loving someone doesn’t erase the loves you’ve had in the past. A true love doesn’t have to be forever. 😭
As a side note on craft:
To be honest, I was terrified to read this book since it hits really close to home, but it’ll be seven years this year and I no longer identify as a widow. I identify as a wife. I figured it was safe.
If you want to know what it’s like to be a young widow who finds love again, read One True Loves. I’ve never felt so seen. The grief, how it felt to go on a first date… all of it was more accurate than I was expecting.
The story is split into before and after and it’s clear what the fault line is: before Jesse died/came back and after Jesse came back. You’re given all of this information up front and then pulled back to the past to meet Jesse and discover how they fell in love. And then how she lost him.
We also get to see her grief, growth, and how she fell in love with Sam.
I took some time before going into the after because I didn’t want to see Emma’s world implode.
Once I finally turned the page, I had some… conflicting emotions.
Emma realizes that she belongs with Sam because grief shaped her into a different person. I can relate to this because I am not the same puppet that John was used to puppeteering. He wouldn’t like who I’ve become because he wouldn’t be able to control me or make me feel inferior enough to manipulate me.
And then the very next page solidified why I'm not a huge Jesse fan. They have a huge argument because Jesse can’t see Emma’s side of things at all. I get that he’s been through a trauma, but so has she. They’ve both changed and he expects her to drop everything, all the progress she’s made and changes she’s gone through, to be with him.
He’s so stubborn and stuck in his own head that he’s angry with her for moving on because she should’ve waited. WTF?! Meanwhile, Sam over here is taking a huge hit, but cares enough about her to let her process. He’s putting her needs over his own and Jesse is being a selfish child. He’s immature (driving without a license and banging on the kitchen counter). It seems like her attraction to him is grounded in nostalgia and lust, but she's much more attracted to Sam because he’s willing to meet her where she’s at.
She even outlines what she wants from him after she says that she plays the piano, and it’s so simple that it’s sad that he doesn’t say these things. She simply wants him to show an interest, to get to know the woman she’s become… but instead he takes it defensively and asked what playing the piano proves. Like. After all of that, if she chooses Jesse… I’m going to scream.
Thankfully they both came to that conclusion. They’re not the same people and he desperately needs therapy. I don’t mean that in a bad way! He’s been through some SHIT and would benefit from processing it with a professional.
That being said, I am thankful that he came around and that they had this very adult conversation about their future and what it would look like. I also loved that she emphasized the reasoning here. It’s not Sam versus Jesse, but rather would her and Jesse even still work? Does she want it to?
When she realized that she loves both men and that it's okay, she allowed herself to fully fall for Sam and accept that the life she had with Jesse was in the past. She doesn’t want the life that Jesse wants and she misses Sam desperately.
They say goodbye to each other (in an unhealthy way in my opinion—they shouldn’t have had goodbye sex, but whatever) and they head home.
Sam shows up in the parking lot of her store as she was about to go chase him down and he wants to fight for her. He’s not in high school anymore and he’s ready. Luckily, it’s not necessary and they get married.
Jump to 8 months later and Jesse calls. He’s met someone and he gets it now. How she could love him, but still love Sam. Loving someone doesn’t erase the loves you’ve had in the past. A true love doesn’t have to be forever. 😭
As a side note on craft:
The chapter after Emma and Sam, pages 85-93, the one where we go through Emma’s life as she takes over the bookstore and settles into a routine that her parents would be proud of, is such a great written example of a montage. I want to dissect it as a writer, is that weird?
It was well written, and the message was beautiful, but it was hard for me to read and not a fun time. This was not a situation I wanted to escape into.
I did love how it ended, which I was worried about, so I’m giving it a solid three stars because, fundamentally, this is a good book.
Would I recommend it? Not really.
Oh and not a super summery book. The cover is deceiving!