(59)First Comes Love by Emily Giffin

Sunday, July 3, 2016


Josie and Meredith are not the kind of sisters who share clothes, finish each other's sentences, or even like each other.  Over time their relationship has only gotten worse.  Their teen years were marred by the tragic car accident that killed their older brother and here it is fifteen years later are no closer than they were then.

Meredith is a high-powered lawyer in Atlanta.  She married her brother's best friend and has an adorable little girl.  Even though her life looks perfect on paper, Meredith is struggling to be happy. She is questioning her marriage, her career, and everything she has done in her life. Did she take this path because it was easy and what her parents expected? Or is she really happy?

Josie is the youngest and has always been the wild child of the Garland family.  She never really dealt with her brother's death and what role she played in the tragic accident that took her brother from them.  She is a grad-school teacher wandering through life going from one date to the next.  The only constant in her life is her best friend, Gabe.  But now that Josie has her ex-boyfriend's daughter in class, Josie starts thinking about everything she has missed out on and thinks that she might be ready for more.  She wants a family and doesn't want to wait for "Mr. Right" to come along and, and despite her family's disapproval, she starts to investigate alternative methods.   But first, Josie has to come to grips with the past.  Will the truths she uncovers shatter her family beyond repair?

In First Comes Love Emily Giffin explores the sister relationship way that I think many can relate with quite easily.  Josie and Meredith are polar opposites and to say their relationship is contentious is a great understatement.   I struggled with liking both of them, but I felt the author did a great job of presenting both sides of the story. The chapters alternate from each side,   Meredith is incredibly judgmental and frankly quite bitchy to her sister, which is infuriating considering how her own life is falling apart.  Josie is no angel herself, I am not denying that, but hey - she has a respectable job and pays her bills, so as far as I am concerned she isn't that bad.  However, I did feel for her when the truth was revealed about the car accident.   CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS

Bottom line - First Comes Love is an intimate look at the relationship of two sisters and one tragic even that defined their lives.   There is a lot of food for thought with this one and could make for great book club discussions.

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