From the moment you pick up this book, you are immediately drawn to the main character Emma Blair. Emma is introduced as a 20 year old woman who lost her husband, Jesse in a plane crash. The two met in high school, fell in love and pushed each other to try new things such as traveling and entering careers they could only dream of. After Jesse’s sudden death, Emma mourns the loss of her husband for a while, after two years of suffrage, she runs into Sam, a high school friend who never interested her. Now, Emma knows she must finally let go of Jesse and look towards a new life with Sam. However, after Sam proposes, Emma gets a phone call from Jesse who was found on an island. Emma must now choose between her One true love Jesse or a new life with Sam.
Throughout this book, the reader will fall passionately in love with both male roles and may even second guess who Emma should be with. The book also takes a unique approach by sectioning off life before Jesse, after Jesse’s death, life with Sam and then life after Jesse is found. From a realistic standpoint, this would never happen, but the reader can assume that if it would we would feel just as confused as Emma is. How can someone choose between the person you thought was going to be your forever and the person who gave you a purpose to continue life?
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SPOILER:
One True Loves begins with a scene between Emma and her fiance sam at a family dinner. Sam is comfortable with her family by cracking jokes and making conversation while Emma explains her family. Emma’s parents own a bookstore whom they want to pass down to their children. The scene goes on with conversations about the business until it is time for the gang to disappear back to their houses. On the way home, Emma gets a phone call from her high school sweetheart and husband Jesse. We find out that Jesse was going on a trip when the plane suddenly crashed and the remains were nowhere to be found. After a few days of wrapping her head around this information, she tells Sam that she is going to see Jesse. Sam takes the news surprisingly well and tells her that he is here for her in anyway she needs him. At the airport Emma runs into her in-laws and she remembers how little she liked them. Everything changes when she sees Jesse step off the plane. All her feelings for sam exits her mind and she falls in love with Jesse all over again.
Jesse and Emma’s first conversation is about going on a date for which Emma agrees. When Emma goes back and forth for a few chapters between men. Sam has an emotional breakdown and lets her go saying, “I can’t share with you, you have to figure out who you want”. Emma and Jesse go on a romantic cabin trip and end up realizing that their years apart have made them grow into people that aren’t meant to be together. The ending of this book made my heart break. At one point Emma towards her focus to the reader by saying “don’t ever let anyone tell you the most romantic part of love is the beginning, the most romantic part is when you know it has to end”. After reading this book in a day, I thought of this quote and how the relationship ended during the rest of the week.
In the end, Emma ends up with Sam and on their wedding day Jesse calls Emma and says he found a love of his own. The two shared a beautiful moment about learning from each other how to love. Their story ends with them saying, “I am who I am because I loved you once”.
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