The First Husband by Laura DaveMy rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Goodreads: A savvy, page-turning novel about a woman torn between her husband and the man she thought she'd marry.
Annie Adams is days away from her thirty-second birthday and thinks she has finally found some happiness. She visits the world's most interesting places for her syndicated travel column and she's happily cohabiting with her movie director boyfriend Nick in Los Angeles. But when Nick comes home from a meeting with his therapist (aka "futures counselor") and announces that he's taking a break from their relationship so he can pursue a woman from his past, the place Annie had come to call home is shattered. Reeling, Annie stumbles into her neighborhood bar and finds Griffin-a grounded, charming chef who seems to be everything Annie didn't know she was looking for. Within three months, Griffin is Annie's husband and Annie finds herself trying to restart her life in rural Massachusetts.
A wry observer of modern love, Laura Dave "steers clear of easy answers to explore the romantic choices we make" (USA Today). Her third novel is packed with humor, empathy, and psychological insight about the power of love and home.
My thoughts: There are so many reasons why I liked this novel. I think the top reasons is that it gets into all the messy realities of marriage. The honeymoon is over when Annie and Griffin arrive at Griffin's (and now also Annie's) home and find Griffin's brother who is quirky, funny, cowardly, and insightful. In fact, Jesse is, perhaps, my favorite character for delivering witty yet deep truisms. Also present in the story is that the past might be past but the people are still present as Annie meets Griffin's ex-girlfriend and Nick makes a cameo or two. Annie's best friend is Nick's sister, after all. There are also the awkward mother-in-law moments, and the way life continues as before with work and work-related issues.
Without giving too much away, the author describes the angst of any young woman who makes a choice and marries. By choosing one way, she is closing doors but opening others. By choosing another way, the previous doors close but others open. Annie makes her choices and wonders if she was mistaken. There are some plot twists that are expected and some that are not. Yet my favorite part about the book is that the author captures the complexity of marriage and life.
*I received a free copy of this book from publishing company in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
3 comments:
This sounds really good. I'll have to check it out.
I like the sound of this one because I can definitely relate. I'm adding this one to my list.
This was a great review. Really made me want to read the book. Thanks so much for sharing!!
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