(64) Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner

Tuesday, August 11, 2015


Rachel Blum and Andy Landis come from two different worlds.  Rachel lives a comfortable life in Florida with her parents, even though she has a congenital heart defect, she still leads a pretty easy life and even is a bit spoiled.   Andy Landis is the only child of a single woman who struggle to make ends meet.  Growing up on the streets of Philadelphia, Andy has led a pretty solitary life, his only friend is an older man.  The two meet as eight year-old kids in the emergency room of a Florida hospital.  That chance meeting sets the tone for the rest their lives.  They meet again by random happenstance when they are teenagers and that starts a romance that will eventually span decades.   It is in college though that their vastly different backgrounds cause problems for the two young lovers.  Andy got a full ride athletic scholarship for track and Rachel is deeply entrenched in the Greek system at a posh private university. When Andy visits Rachel for a formal he realizes that Rachel lives in a privileged world that he is likely never going to know.  Will the two be able to get past their differences to live a "happily ever after" life together?

Who Do You Love is a love-story that spans decades.  Their story is told by both Andy and Rachel.  You get inside the heads of both of these characters and learn what they are thinking, feeling, hoping, and dreaming.  I really felt that I knew both characters intimately and that added to my investment in their happiness. The author did an amazing job at character development for both Rachel and Andy.  Especially Rachel, who went from a spoiled sorority girl to working as a social worker in one of the toughest cities in the world.  It was great to watch her grow and realize that there is more to life than her own world view.    One thing I loved about their relationship was that there were times they weren't "together" , but they were still very much on the other person's mind.  Like when Rachel was in Manhattan on 9/11 or Andy found out the truth about his dad. Whenever something major happened in their lives it was the other person they thought about.  It just showed how their bond was so strong.   Things didn't go exactly as I thought they  would, but the end was satisfying and even a bit enjoyable.

Bottom line -  Who Do You Love is an enchanting tale about true love, destiny, and the bonds that can develop between two people from a young age.  Definitely a heartwarming read that will once again have you believing in true love.

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