(46)The One & Only by Emily Giffin

The One & Only

by Emily Giffin

@emilygiffin

Pages: 432

Publisher: Random House Publishing

Publication Date: May 20, 2014

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Shea Rigsby has devoted most of her thirty-three years to her love of football.  Finding a woman in Texas who loves football isn't all that unusual, but Shea is not just like any other woman.  She grew up on the knee of a beloved college coach, Coach Clive Carr, because his daughter, Lucy, is her best friend.  She learned everything she knows about football from Coach Carr.  She went to college at Walker, where he coaches, and now she works in the PR department at Walker where she works closely with Coach on a daily basis.  There is a shift in their dynamics, though, when the Coach's wife and Shea's second mother passes away after a battle with cancer.    As the days, weeks, and months pass with Shea looking after Coach, her school-girl crush starts to turn into something more.  But is Shea willing to risk everything to pursue a relationship with a man twenty years her senior? And her best friend's dad to boot?  What will happen to her relationship with Lucy if she finds out Shea has a crush on her dad?  And what about Shea's star quarterback of a boyfriend, where does he fit into all of this? But most importantly, will Walker finally win the biggest game of all?

One thing you may not know about me is that I am a die hard football fan. I grew up with five brothers in the shadow of Lincoln, Nebraska so it was only natural for me to grow up loving football.  I was excited to hear that one of my favorite authors was going to be writing about football, but I wasn't sure what to expect from a Chick Lit author.  Well guess what, The One & Only was AWESOME!!  Obviously the football aspect of the story was pretty awesome, but it is really not necessary to be a football fan to enjoy this book.  The relationship between Shea and Coach is one that slowly shifts over the course of the book and it is interesting that the reader's opinion of their relationship also shifts over the course of the book.  I wasn't sure that I liked the idea of Shea pursuing her crush (and her hesitation over the matter is quite evident) , but the flow of the story works rather nicely.  Her hero-worship of Coach is even put to the test a few times and that just makes it all seem so real.  I will say that by the end I was crying like a baby and just wanted Shea to be happy whether that be with or without Coach.

Bottom line, in the world of Chick Lit Emily Giffin is a star quarterback in her own-right.  We have been waiting two long years for her new novel and she does not disappoint with The One & Only. If you are looking for a good beach read you must add The One & Only to the list.