nomadreader

The backstory: I've read all of Emily Giffin's books, and I've enjoyed them. She's pigeonholed as chick lit, but she writes so well about human emotions and manages to give depth to what may be perceived as villains, that I don't think she gets enough literary credit. I was eagerly awaiting her newest novel, Heart of the Matter, which I pre-ordered on my Kindle. The basics: Heart of the Matter  is essentially the story of two Wellesley women: Tessa and Valerie. Their story is told in alternating chapters. Tessa is the wife of a plastic surgeon (the good kind). Valerie is the mother of a young child who was burned, and Tessa's husband Nick is her doctor.  My thoughts: There were good and bad things about this novel. For fans of Giffin, Tessa is Dex's sister. It was fun to see snippets of what Dex and Rachel are up to, but if you didn't already know their story, the quick reveal would seem awkward. It's always a difficult choice to write with new...

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine to spotlight an eagerly anticipated upcoming release. If you read this blog, you probably already know Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors. Last April (yes, April 2009), I got an email from her publisher inviting me to read the first chapter of her new novel Heart of the Matter   (It's still there, if you want to tempt yourself.) I read it, despite thinking it was a tad bit cruel to tease fans with the first chapter over a year before the book comes out. ( I blogged about my dilemma, of course. ) Now there is cover art and a release date, and my eagerness to read this novel has been renewed. Heart of the Matter  will be published May 11, 2010. Of course, you may pre-order it  from Amazon.com already. As soon as a Kindle version appears, I will, but I'm still holding out hope for an ARC, and clearly, I'm not afraid to tell anyone who might get the word to St. Martin's.

I'm a huge fan of Emily Giffin; she's one of my favorite authors. I keep a list of my favorite authors called "Read Every Word". Each month, I search Books in Print to see if any of them have new novels scheduled. Imagine my surprise when I got an email from Macmillan, Emily Giffin's publisher, offering me the chance to read the first chapter of her new novel. New novel?! She does have a new novel, Heart of Matter , coming out, but it comes out in May 2010. It's April 2009. Books in Print doesn't have it listed yet. Here's the hard part: do I read the chapter knowing I will have to wait a year to read the book? Is this marketing campaign even sensibly timed? The only semblance of logic I can imagine is that the paperback of Love the One You're With comes out next week. I know I'll cave and read it (the pdf is already open), but I may regret it later. I'm reading it, and I'm hoping for an ARC to find its way into my mailbox sooner ...

Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors, and Baby Proof is my favorite of her books. I had a sudden hankering to reread it, and once again, I read it in a single sitting. Baby Proof is the story of Claudia and Ben, the kind of blissfully happy couple I imagine everyone wants to be in. They have similar temperaments and agree on all of the important things. They both agreed they never wanted children, until Ben suddenly does. The fallout is brutal, as this disagreement is incredibly difficult to compromise on. Baby Proof is not nearly as heartbreaking as I remember, which is a testament to Giffin's storytelling. It's hopeful and honest. It's one of my favorite books, and I need to remember to reread it once a year. Rating: 4 stars (life- changingly good)

  Let me preface this review by confessing my undying adoration for Emily Giffin. I adored her first book, Something Borrowed . She made a woman who stole her best friend's fiance the one I rooted for. When Something Blue had the scorned former best friend as the narrator, I couldn't imagine Giffin could make her likable. She did. When Baby Proof came out, I sat on my couch and read it cover to cover, despite nomadreaderboy's sweet offer to do something interactive. When I was at the library to pick up a book I'd requested, I'm quite certain I literally squealed when I saw Love the One You're With had already come in too. Needless to say, I had ridiculously high expectations. As Giffin does so well, she hooked me with the first few sentences. I adored the first 100 pages. The characters were all flushed out beautifully. I knew trouble was coming, and I didn't imagine it would be tragedy. As Ellen made some poor choices, I started identifying less wi...