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    Love the One You're With: A Novel
    Love the One You're With: A Novel
    Love the One You're With: A Novel
    Audiobook11 hours

    Love the One You're With: A Novel

    Written by Emily Giffin

    Narrated by Kathleen McInerney

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    How do you know if you've found the one? Can you really love the one you're with when you can't forget the one who got away?

    Emily Giffin, author of the New York Times bestselling novels Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and Baby Proof, poses these questions—and many more—with her highly anticipated, thought-provoking new audio novel Love the One You're With.

    Ellen and Andy's first year of marriage doesn't just seem perfect, it is perfect. There is no question how deep their devotion is, and how naturally they bring out the best in each other. But one fateful afternoon, Ellen runs into Leo for the first time in eight years. Leo, the one who brought out the worst in her. Leo, the one who left her heartbroken with no explanation. Leo, the one she could never quite forget. When his reappearance ignites long-dormant emotions, Ellen begins to question whether the life she's living is the one she's meant to live. At once heartbreaking and funny, Love the One You're With is a tale of lost loves and found fortunes—and will resonate with anyone who has ever wondered what if.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateMay 13, 2008
    ISBN9781427205599
    Love the One You're With: A Novel
    Author

    Emily Giffin

    Emily Giffin is the author of Something Borrowed, her smash-hit debut novel that was made into a major motion picture. She is also the author of Something Blue, Baby Proof, Love the One You’re With, and Heart of the Matter. Giffin is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia School of Law. After practicing litigation at a Manhattan firm for several years, she moved to London to write full time. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and children.

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    Reviews for Love the One You're With

    3.5/5

    55 ratings39 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Ellen Dempsey is married to the perfect guy, Andy and seems to have the perfect life, but does she??? Ellen runs into her haunting, handsome ex, Leo and the "what ifs?" begin. Did she marry the right guy? Does she really love Andy? A recent move from her beloved New York to Atlanta also complicates things, along with some family issues.I enjoyed Love the One You're With, it is a fun, light read. I got frustrated with Ellen...I mean, she has the perfect life, why screw it up with a loser? But, by the end of the story, I understood why she did what she did and really liked the ending. This was my first read by Giffin and I will definitely read some more of her books!
    • 3/5
      Not one of my favorites by Emily Giffin.
    • 4/5
      Loved the concept of this book. Towards the end, I found myself really curious how she would pick. Based on the title of the book, you know who Ellen will choose, but the process to get there was interesting.Definitely another good book by Giffin, and looking forward to more of her reads in the future.
    • 5/5
      Ellen Graham is happy. She's newly married to Andy, a successful photographer and has the love and support of her family. She doesn't question her life or the choices she has made that led her to her current life. That is until, one brief moment, she sees Leo. Just like that her past becomes an unwelcoming invasion in the present.Ellen quickly finds herself at a crossroad. The "what if" question quickly turns into an obsession as she finds herself constantly comparing her life with Andy to what she think life would be like with Leo. Despite the warnings her head tells her about starting a friendship with Leo, she accepts a photography assignment that he set up for her. Agreeing to the shoot, will force her to finally make a decision about her marriage and the woman she really is.I really liked this book. I have to admit, I put off reading it because so many people told me how disappointed they were with it because it wasn't as good as Something Borrowed and Something Blue. I have to say, I disagree. The reason I liked Ms. Giffin's early novels was it seemed as though the characters were telling me their stories instead of me reading them. This is how I felt while reading this book. I pictured Ellen and I catching up, over a long lunch, after not seeing each other for awhile and she wanted to inform me about her life. Ms. Giffin is very descriptive in her writing, which I thought only added to the richness of this novel.It is quite easy to judge Ellen and wonder why she makes the decisions she does. To her, it makes sense. She needed to confirm she made the right choice. She needed to move on. Love the One You're With is about walking down the path of "what if" when it unexpectedly comes your way, however, it's also about feeling secure that the decisions you made in the past were the best decisions for you.
    • 3/5
      I've read two of Emily Giffin's books before (Something Borrowed and Baby Proof) and enjoyed them, but this book felt completely different. The engaging writing style was gone, and I felt like I was slogging through this book at a snail's pace. I didn't like the main character, Ellen Dempsey-Graham, at all. She seemed like a spoiled little brat most of the time - woe is her, she married a wonderful man who was rich and whose family accepted her like she was one of their own, but she just wasn't happy because some dude who broke her heart a DECADE ago ran into her on the street. Get a grip. By the middle of the book, I was fervently hoping that she would end up alone.
    • 5/5
      The StoryEllen married the perfect man for her… Andy. In addition to being a successful attorney from a good family, Andy is her best friend, Margot’s, brother. After a long courtship, planning the perfect wedding, and sunning on Hawaiian beaches for their honeymoon, the newlyweds settle into a seemingly perfect life in New York City. There, Ellen is a professional photographer, building her own business while Andy is employed by a large, reputable law firm. In their new marriage and new home, the future seems nothing but bright. However, on one fateful afternoon, things changed for Ellen that would alter the course of her future and her marriage. That afternoon started like any other. As Ellen traveled through a cross-walk, she was confronted with the face of her past and was met with the eyes of her first true love, Leo. For Ellen, getting over Leo was a long journey filled with emotional hurdles. She was happy to be on the other side of the pain… married to Andy and living the life she’d always wanted. After Leo tracks her down at a nearby coffee shop, Ellen begins to question if she really is, in fact, over her feelings for Leo. Her love for him ran deep into her heart, mind, and soul. Was Leo, “The One That Got Away?” Ellen wasn’t sure. As Leo presses for a friendship to develop after their chance encounter, Ellen struggles with making the right decision, for her and for her family. The ReviewI became a fan of Giffin’s writing when I read Something Borrowed. I had high hopes that I would get to read Something Blue and Baby Proof, however no such luck. I just haven’t gotten around to picking up these two other books. I especially wanted to read Something Blue, as it was a sequel to Something Borrowed. Even though my goal was to read all of her novels, in succession, I just couldn’t pass up buying this book when I saw it in paperback at my local grocery store. Being an ultimate fan of ChickLit, I just couldn’t wait to get this book into my reading list!I could really personally relate to the heroine of this story. I, too, have had that great love of my life… and lost it. I tried to imagine meeting a wonderful man in my current life and getting committed to one another… and then running into HIM. You know… THE ONE. I’m going to be perfectly honest in saying that it would still shake me to the core. I believe that true love really never does die. It may dim or hibernate, but it never really leaves you. It becomes a part of the permanent memory of your soul. So, if HE were then to share with me that HE’s not over me… misses me… and wants to try again… well, let me tell you… that would have my head spinning! I’m not sure that I’d have the power and the strength to deny HIM and not at least consider it. And, that’s what Ellen must face in this story. Of course, Andy is the perfect new husband and nothing like Leo, the stormy, hot, sexy, passionate lover that stirred Ellen’s inner being. Andy’s “Mr. Dependable,” and is as reliable as the day is long. He’s loving, caring, considerate, financially secure and most of all committed to Ellen. He also shares his incredible family with Ellen. They love her and have accepted her into their hearts and homes. Logically speaking, Ellen would be a fool to walk away from Andy. Right? Right. But… Leo won’t give up so easily. Now that he’s found her again, he’s going to make his intentions known to her. And, Ellen isn’t exactly running from Leo.For those of you who have met your soul-mate and have been fortunate enough to build a lasting relationship with him/her, consider yourselves very lucky. Great love is hard to find, but even harder to keep. For the rest of us poor souls who keep our noses tucked in stories of romance and love… well, we’ll keep wishing!The RatingOn Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale,” in the genre of ChickLit, I am giving Love The One You’re With a rating of 8 out of 10. It made me think and it made me hope. And, you don’t know until the very end who Ellen will choose. If you’ve read it, I’d love to know who you think she should have chosen!
    • 4/5
      This book doesn't have the humour of her previous books but I still really enjoyed it.
    • 2/5
      An airport splurge--should have skipped it. Total fluff and not even enjoyable fluff at that. I expected better from her, as I did like a couple of her other books. Don't bother.
    • 4/5
      Good book. Quick read. It kept you guessing which guy she was going to end up with. Who she would choose. You almost wanted her to be with both. Some parts were predictable. Author moved the story along quickly. It almost read like a moive script though!!
    • 2/5
      My first book by Giffin. I thought this would be something I would love, but I found it very hard to get interested in. It moved slow for me. Now to decide if I should try another of Giffin's books or go on to another author.
    • 3/5
      It is never a good sign when I find myself rooting against a protagonist. About half way through this book Ellen Dempsey became so sour, embittered and self serving - all I could think was - PLEASE - let her end up ALONE. She is so unlikable she needs some serious karma to come around and shake her up.I just about lost it and tossed the book out the nearest window when she rhapsodized about how amazing her New York friends were for dressing their children in organic black tunics. Oh Lord. Spare me the teenage-like posturing. If I knew Ellen in real life - I would seriously make it my business to avoid her at all costs.I'd give this one a pass if I had to do it over. There are many nicer and more interesting characters to spend time with.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed reading Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin. It is about a woman who is happily married in a seemingly "perfect" marriage. However, one day, she runs into an ex-boyfriend, and her emotions go wild. Throughout the story, she wrestles between the roller coaster feelings she has for her ex-boyfriend and the pleasant life she lives with her husband who she really does love. The scenery changes from New York City to Atlanta, Georgia, and I loved the way the author compared and contrasted the two scenes. I also loved the family issues tied into the story with her mother dying a premature death (not during the book though) and her relationship with her sister along with her husband being the brother of her best friend. The only part of the book that I was not pleased with was the end. When I finished the book, I did not feel like there was complete closure, but for the most part, I enjoyed reading this book.
    • 3/5
      As you can probably tell from my other reviews of her work, I really enjoy reading Emily Giffin's novels. However, this one was a bit of a let down. It's a good read, but Love the One You're with falls short of Giffin's previous work in that it just doesn't push our preconceptions hard enough. The protagonist, Ellen, has to choose between Leo, an old lover, and Andy, her husband. She wrestles with the choice throughout the novel, and Giffin makes Ellen's uncertainty palpable. This girl just doesn't know what she wants.

      Giffin builds the novel to a startling moment, leaving Ellen in Leo's apartment, leaving her to make the choice. Now, suddenly, Giffin gives Ellen an easy out. She sees the detached behavior and the uncertainty that she hated about Leo. She sees the beauty of her comfortable life with Andy--all because of a painfully well-timed call from her sister, a call that warns her to walk away from Leo.

      Okay, I get it. True love conquers all. The spark doesn't last forever. But, I expected more than a pat answer from Giffin's work, and I feel like a pat answer is all that I got. Ellen's choice suddenly becomes clear and the best option miraculously emerges. In reality, the best option is rarely evident. Love is multi-faceted and tenuous at times. I expected Giffin to acknowledge this fact, which 90 percent of her book addresses, but in the end she shuts down speculation to give us a prettily wrapped ending. I wanted Giffin to demonstrate that exclusivity is not inherent in love, that it is a cultural value that we attach to affection, and that (while it may be worthwhile!) exclusivity is both difficult and a conscious choice. At the novel's end, Ellen claims to have learned this, but I just can't help feeling that by providing Ellen with "an out," Giffin diluted her message in order to show us how happy her star couple, Ellen and Andy, were going to be. So close but not quite there.
    • 4/5
      I really liked this book because I could identify with the main character. That is what I love about Emily Giffin books - I can always put myself in the shoes of her characters. Overall, I thought the story itself was okay - nothing too exciting and the ending seemed to wrap everything up a little too quickly. But overall a good book I could not put down!
    • 5/5
      I hvae read all of Emily Giffin's books but this was by far the best one I have read yet. It only took me a day and a half to finish. Ellen reminded me of myself when I was 19/20. It made me all the more want to finish the book and see who Ellen ended up with.Ellen is married to Andy,and has been friends with Andy's sister since college. Ellen is very close to Andy's family. Ellen and Andy have a good marriage . They live in NYC. One day Ellen runs into her old boyfriend, Leo, who she has not seen/talked to in over 8 years. This brings back deep seated memories for Ellen esp. how things ended between her and leo. Ellen starts to get question her life and marriage and nearly comes close to having an affair but just as Ellen is about to kiss Leo, her cell phone rings. It is her sister Suzanne calling with important news and saving Ellen from making a terrible mistake with Leo again. Sometimes thoings and the past is better left there. Appreciate what you have have and don't look or go back. " Instead, I hold that deep within myself, as a reminder that love is the sum of our choices, the strength of our commitments, the ties that bind us together". Page 342
    • 2/5
      This was a sweet book with a good lesson.
    • 4/5
      Love The One You're With by Emily Giffin is the story of Ellen, a woman who is a happily married newlywed, or so she thought, until she runs into her ex-boyfriend and can't get him out of her head. Ellen has to decide whether to choose to stay with her husband, a perfectly nice guy who is oblivious to her dilemma, and the one that got away, who is kind of a jerk. The story is meant be light hearted and funny, but, although I wanted Ellen to be happy, her problem had me frustrated with her and uncomfortable with her possibly choosing her ex over her sweet husband. I did enjoy the book and I am a big fan of Giffin's writing, I just was a little disappointed because I had been looking forward to reading the book for a while and felt slightly let down. It was a good book and I did enjoy it, I just didn't feel it was quite as good as Giffin's other books. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys chick lit or books written by Emily Giffin. 4 stars.
    • 3/5
      The main character (Ellen) is a realisitc, as she is a woman trying to establish herself as an individual, apart for her successful and rich husband and his family. Things spin out of control after a chance encounter with an old flame, a man who's difficult to completely let go of, for one reason or another. I liked the book overall, even though it was fairly predictable. However, I did find the ending very rushed. Ellen spends so much of the book completely conflicted and then everything seems to clear up in her head and in her heart in the last 15 pages of the book. I would have liked to see a more realistic resolution to the various relationships strained by Ellen's inner conflict.
    • 2/5
      We've all wondered what our lives would have been like IF ______?? IF I took that job? IF I went to that school? IF I didn't lose my first love? Ellen Dempsey wonders what her life would be like if she reunited with "the one that got away". After running into her ex-boyfriend, Ellen struggles to figure out if she "settled" when she got married because her one true love was unattainable or if she really loves her husband. This book was VERY predictable. It was so obvious what choices Ellen would make way before she made them. She tried too hard to justify her actions. Maybe I was so disappointed because I expected it to answer that age-old question?
    • 5/5
      I thought this was really well done. At first, I thought the plot -- ex-boyfriend v. husband -- was old and tired. But Giffin always brings a very nuanced eye to her books, and her character development (particularly with the female characters), was wonderful as always. You forget that they are not real people. I think she also did a great deal of research into photography to make the protagonist's career convincing.I won't give away the plot -- basically, Ellen is married to Andy, then runs into heartbreaker Leo, who starts e-mailing her -- but it yielded a number of interesting insights. The book was a great ride, and a return to form after the somewhat disappointing Baby Proof.
    • 4/5
      Ellen finds her newlywed world turning upside-down when she runs into an old boyfriend just before moving from New York to her husband's hometown of Atlanta.
    • 4/5
      After reading this book I was disapointed. Disapointed, only because that meant I no longer had an Emily Giffin book to read! It definately did not stray from typical Giffin fashion. It involved a classy woman, with the "perfect" life, who struggles with the idea of cheating. Just like Rachel's character in Something Borrowed, Ellen doesn't think she will start a romance with the man she does, but unlike Rachel, Ellen is married and the man she is romancing isn't her husband. While I love and devower every Giffin book, by this point I know what is going to happen once I have started. In her first book Something Borrowed it was more suspenseful and you weren't sure if she would choose to betray her friend or herself. In this book I could just since she would stay with her husband. Athough all her books have simiarities, Love the One You're With, I thought, had the most in common with Baby Proof. In both the main character struggles with her husband and the lifestyle that he wants to live and she doesnt. Then the main character gets to her breaking point and has to make a decision and she eventually decides to go back to her husband (or ex-husband in Baby Proof). While I love Emily's predictable style I found myself wishing she would have taken more twists and turns in this story. Overall if you are looking for a novel that is a step up from a trashy paperback, where you will fall in love with the characters, and is cheesy, this is your book! I liked it but like most Giffin books I felt the need to read something really complex and intellegent afterward.
    • 4/5
      Tired of reading of vampires and warewolves, this book was a breath of fresh air. I didn't think I'd like it as much as I did. Even though it was chicklit, I didn't know how it was going to end.
    • 5/5
      A cute, feel-good book. I loved the ending, but wished that there was more story to read after that.
    • 3/5
      Emily Giffin, you are always there for me when I need to escape into someone else's life and problems.I thought of her 4 books this one was my least favorite, but I still really liked it. I fell right in to the character and her struggle between choosing the life (and man) that is safe and secure and the hot rollercoaster of a romance with "the one that got away". The book is junk food, but it's delicious!Also, I LOVE how cute her books look on my bookshelf. I know I'm not supposed to judge a book by it's cover, but I almost gave it an extra star for design.
    • 3/5
      What would happen if a short time after you were married - happily - you ran into an old lover - a relationship that ended unsatisfactorily. You never really understood why things changed. And then he offers you phootgraphic work that you really want and you take it. Then the questions start. Do you tell you husband? Nothing has happened - yet. And to complicate things your best friend is your husband's sister. And as if that was not enough your husband has moved you from New York where you loved it to his home state and you are not fitting in there. These are the dilhemmas the main character in this book has to face and work through. A light read with to me predictable ending
    • 5/5
      While I felt the book started off kind of slow true to Giffin form by the 5th chapter I found myself wondering about the story line anytime I had to put the book down and do grownup obligations, lol! Another true to form Giffin guide lines I laughed, wrenched, felt sorry for all involved characters and lastly I CRIED WOW that is amazing that one truly gifted author can invoke all of those feelings! I defiantly say that this is yet again another must read by Emily Giffin! The characters while simple had complexity at every turn going through heart throws I think most of us have at the very least thought about, felt or went through! Ellen, a strong, independently yet kind of needy woman goes to college finds a lifelong friend Margot whom once graduating they move to New York (not surprising because Emily Giffin books generally are based in and a around areas she has lived which is a good thing because she paints a picture that makes you see everything playing our like you are there watching everything take place) and live together. Ellen finds love and then loses love only to find love again but this time with Margot’s brother Andy. During Ellen and Andy’s first year of marriage she bumps into her ex-boyfriend Leo whom she starts to miss and the book chronicles the fate and hard road to finding what true love is and how to go about making yourself happy! I hope I wasn’t too vague or to give too much away! ENJOY!
    • 3/5
      Completely predictable, but still enjoyable.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this, but not as much as Giffin's three earlier books. The premise of a happily-married woman running into her ex-boyfriend and re-evaluating her "perfect" life was certainly intriguing, but the characters weren't as compelling as I would have liked.
    • 3/5
      What can I say? I don't usually read chick lit, but the premise of this book appealed to me. Who doesn't love the intrigue of the one who got away? This is a typical girly book, full of sentiment and stereotypical characters. However, I appreciated the fact that the main character, Ellen, was not one of those materialistic, self-centred protagonists typical of chick lit. Overall, I would definitely recommend this quick read to lovers of chick lit, or someone who needs a light summer, looking to escape for a while.