First Comes Love: A Novel

Two sisters go back and forth in the novel, telling their stories. Their brother Daniel has been killed 15 years earlier in a car accident, and basically we learn how his death has affected the sisters Josie and Meredith. The family lives in an upscale part of Atlanta and attends private schools that really exist. I can picture exactly how this family is and how they live, and from the beginning I really didn't care what happened to either sister. I was more invested in what would happen with Gabe and Pete, other characters in the story. Perhaps it was my own prejudices showing. Meredith whines way too much and is too distraught over something she needs to get over. A sperm donor baby with the help of a best friend while dating another guy? The book ends before we find out how that works out, but seriously??

Whiny people. Not a good or satisfying ending

Two sisters are forever changed one night when their brother dies in a car accident. Daniel, the perfect brother and perfect son is gone in a flash, and nothing is the same. Josie holds a secret for 15 years, and Meredith questions her relationship with her husband, Nolan, who was Daniel's best friend. Is Nolan also holding something back?
I have to say that I felt Meredith was a very unhappy, complaining person. Josie was never confident of herself, and was trying to find herself. I didn't like either sister very much. In fact, while I really enjoyed Emily Giffin's first few books, this book - First Comes Love - and her last one - The One and Only, were not favorites by a long stretch.

“But there is one constant, one thing you can always count on: that not only does love come first, but at the end, it is the only thing that remains.”

Giffin is one of my favorite authors and I think she is phenomenal. I always look forward to her new releases and enjoy her novels. Like many, I fell in love with her unputdownable first novels (Something Borrowed, and Something Blue). I feel her books have the right amount of wittiness, girlishness and drama. First Comes Love was entertaining and an easy breezy read. I liked most of the characters, but I am still not sure how I feel about Meredith…She was a bit annoying (perhaps that was Giffin’s intention?). If you have siblings, you will appreciate the storyline – especially if you are sisters. This novel reiterates how important and necessary a family is.

I've been a fan of Giffin's novels for quite some time and have managed to read all but 2 of them! What I love most about Giffin's writing is that she has the ability to tackle difficult subjects in such a way that you can't help but picture yourself in the same situation. I especially found this to be the case with First Comes Love.

Giffin tackles the complex relationship found between siblings and explores what could happen to the family dynamic if the unthinkable happened. Would your family draw together or would it break your family apart? Through the use of reflections on the part of the characters we see how each sister dealt with the death of their only brother and how that has, in turn, affected their whole lives. The characters were complex and very well-developed. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good chick-lit with substance and would especially recommend it to fans of Giffin. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks to Netgalley, this ARC was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Losing their brother many years ago still affects Josie's and Meredith's lives. While one suspects it to be the only glue to her marriage, the other does the best to deny it as a reason she hasn't been able to build a family. Above all, it certainly has been the friction to their fraternal ties.

The book is narrated in the present intercalating points of view from each sister, albeit a prologue from their mother's view telling about the time the brother died.

I have known Emily Giffin since Something Borrowed some years ago but I didn't read another book from her until this one. I was disappointed, for I expected a tone more similar to chick lit despite the tragic summary. My fault, I know. At the same time, I had been pleased with the prologue. Even though it stated I had been wrong when it came to the genre, it also proved me right when it came to the author. In the beginning, the story glistened to be heartwarming and with a tint of a mystery—we are not informed of Josie's whereabouts during the fateful night, and we know they matter.

Mostly, the prologue was the last of a 4-star—or even 5-star—deserving book. The characters never really did it for me. I thought Josie's parts fun to read but shallow, to a point I had to agree with Meredith. And Meredith's parts were so boring, never leading anywhere, I was angry any time I caught myself taking her side.

I feel this could have been a good story and, in hopes of the author having some explanation up her sleeve to that slow pacing, I endured. The ending was nice like a Hallmark movie, so at least Giffin didn't drive the book off a bridge. Still, to the end, the story, which seemed so emotional in the beginning, was hard to relate when you couldn't care less about the characters.

I do think certain questionings were valid. Overcoming a beloved one's loss is just the one on the surface. I feel the point really centered on finding a midterm between the pursuit of happiness and acting selfishly. Even if you have a happy marriage, don't you still own the right to be happy yourself? Do you really need others to be fulfilled? Friendship, family... those are some of the interesting topics upon which Giffin's story made me reflect.

Perhaps, I'm not the aimed audience, and older women will be able to better understand the conflicts. I don't think that, past age-oriented genres like young adult, a book should really have limitations on age, so my rating does not reflect this afterthought.

Beautiful story about love, not romantic happily ever after love, but the love within a family. The love that is constant.
The loss of a sibling is devastating; it shapes so many lives.

Arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm giving this book 2/5 and a "meh" rating as I've read this story before by Giffin who seems only capable of having the two same characters do similiar things except in different bodies and locations. She's also a big fan of alternating points of view of the same situation which gets tiresome when overly used which Giffin apparently is a fan of. The writing seems formulaic and tropey. I just couldn't get into the story or believe in it or even give an eff to what happens to them (or the conflict of the story).

I would not not recommend this book -- Giffin is popular with those who want a bit meatier chick lit because, and I will give her this, she tackles often difficult topics and puts them in palatable chunks, so obviously there is a need for her writing style. But, as I said in the beginning, the flaws on her part and the eye rolling on my part did not justify finishing this book.

Lovely story of how complicated family relationships can be in the wake of tragedy and grief. One of Emily Giffin's best! The realistic, strong and complex female protagonists showcase genuine emotions and flaws without becoming annoying or unsympathetic. Quick and engaging read!

Emily Giffin is one of my favorite chick-lit authors. When I found out she is hosting this year Bookspark's Summer Reading Challenge, I knew I have to participate in it. I was very disappointed in her last book but this book is not the same case.

At first I was really excited to find out the setting is in Atlanta, since I have lived here for more than half of life and I know Giffin lives here as well. It was awesome that there were some mentioning of the landmarks but it got dull. The word "Atlanta" was mentioned way too many times. The story would not change if the city was changed, so many times were unnecessary.

Overall, this book was not bad but not great. It was no doubt better than her last one. It might be a little hard for some to related if you have not experienced to lose someone you loved or do not have a sibling. However there's still some very interesting drama going, especially Josie.

4 out of 5 stars
Received a free copy from NetGalley and BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge in exchange for an honest review.

One of the things that I love about Emily Giffin's books is how realistically flawed her characters are. In First Comes Love, we spend a lot of time getting to know two very flawed sisters, Josie and Meredith. Josie and Meredith suffered a family tragedy many years ago. While on the surface they appear to have moved past it, it has clearly shaped their lives and their relationships, primarily the relationship they have with each other. The resentment and frustration they each have towards each other has finally reached a point where it can no longer be ignored, and the two sisters have some harsh truths to face. It was an emotional and revealing read, but also subtle and down to earth. If you like books about family relationships or have enjoyed Emily Giffin's previous books, be sure to read this one.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm always impressed with the amount of dialogue and perfection in the use of the English language, including Josie's corrections, in Giffin's books. This book flows, from sister to sister and scene to scene and you, as the reader, are right there invisibly IN the room with the conversation(s) taking place--delightful!

Meredith and Josie are sisters that couldn't be more different. One night, the unthinkable happened; their brother Daniel who is home for Christmas dies in an accident and that one event changed everything for them. And while in some families; the family would become closer, this wasn't the outcome for theirs.
It's now 15 years later. Meredith had married Daniel's best friend and now has a daughter she adores but is questioning everything in her life. She has a second choice job she doesn't even like and is wondering if she ever really loved Nolan or was that the biggest mistake of her life?
Josie is a first grade school teacher. She lives with her best friend Gabe who has been there for her always. With the arrival of her ex boyfriend Will's daughter Edie in her class, she hears the biological clock ticking and wants desperately to have a baby but doesn't have anyone to have one with. She decides artificial insemination is the way to go and goes on the hunt for a baby daddy.
The story is alternately narrated by Josie and Meredith which did work. The sisters are so different and getting a grasp of both of their perspectives and feelings gave a believable slant to the story. No one was portrayed as all good or all bad. We see the sisters as they are and We see both sides of every issue, and these sisters really did have issues. I saw a lot of reviews that people had a hard time liking the sisters and couldn't connect with them, but I found the way the story was told was more real. We saw them for who their really were, faults and all and it helped me to understand who they really were and why they were that way and it was easier to accept them as they were.
I would have liked the story to go a little further. I would like to have seen what was in store for Meredith and Nolan's relationship and whether or not Josie's whole plan would work out. I did think under the circumstances, Josie's whole plan was a little unrealistic. Without giving anything away, I could see problems galore ahead.
Nonetheless I really enjoyed this book. It's an easy read; I have always enjoyed this author's work. It's a bit fluffy in a good way but also had serious undertones and deals with a lot of issues; marriages and divorce, death, relationships of couples and siblings, parenthood and secrecy. I became engrossed in the life of this family and read the last half of the book in one sitting. Definitely recommend this one.

When I first picked up this book, I was intrigued by the premise - 2 teenage sisters who lose a brother and how that loss effects the relationship between them as well as their relationships with others.

However, like many other reviewers here - I didn't find the sisters likable so I had a hard time staying interested in their stories. I think it might have been better if their characters were fleshed out more and showed a little more maturity. Though both sisters exhibited some personal growth and were finally finding a way to deal with their past and move on by the end of the book I didn't find the ending as satisfying as it should have been.

Though I didn't find it as intriguing as I'd hoped, I was interested enough in the story to finish the book and find out how it ends. I'd be willing to try another book by this author to see if any of her other characters grab and keep my interest.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher, Random House Publishing group, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!

Emily Giffin has been one of my favorite authors since I read Something Borrowed many years ago. It was a light, fun read and I've read all of her novels since.

I didn't find First Comes Love as light and fun though. It dealt with a heavy subject (death) and sisters, Josie and Meredith, who were not likable. They were total opposites who were grieving the loss of their brilliant brother 15 years ago. Neither of them had come to terms with their loss and they took it out on each other. By the time I got a third of the way through this book, I was ready for them to reconcile because I was tired of all the bickering.

The novel has some other characters who were considerate and loving so that helped me cope with all the antagonism between Josie and Meredith. There were some interesting, very strange, relationships and side stories but there not enough for me to give it more than 3 Stars.

either Emily giffin has experienced grief or she is a good writer who can just write about it. I really liked her descriptive words. Her description of having a baby without a father, were very enlightening and quite interesting.
The different paths of the different sisters is not an unusual subject yet her take on this was quite good. I loved her words "Back home always unearther grief". True. Towards the end of the book, she also has an insight into the different kinds of marriages and how they can work...finding "a way to be happy in spite of what we don't have?" Good book. I will recommend it.

Fifteen years after his death the Garland family still mourns the loss of son and brother Daniel, who supposedly went out for a burger one night, was in a car accident and died. The parents divorced, Meredith, the younger sister, marries Daniel’s best friend Nolan, and Josie, the other daughter, is single, lives with her best friend Gabe and teaches 1st grade. I don’t think I have ever met any sisters like Josie and Meredith. As a former supervisor of mine would say, they are “one hot mess.” Meredith is the doting mother (too doting, in my opinion, if one can be) of Harper. She is an attorney who wanted to be an actress, married to Nolan who is a really good guy, although she’s not quite sure she ever loved him. Meredith is highly critical of Josie and everyone else for that matter, to the point where I truly disliked her. My opinion of her never wavered. Josie is a flake. She drinks too much, is self-centered and I’d never want her to teach my children. She’d rather have a child than a husband and that’s her main goal. Nothing is wrong with that, but she harps on it ad nauseam. Josie is a person that definitely suffers from TMI (too much information). In alternating chapters we listen to Meredith and Josie tell their stories and learn what happened on that night fifteen years ago. We see them come to terms with the past as well as their present. Emily Giffin’s novel, First Comes Love, is about love and happiness and I think, how we sometimes sacrifice both for what we think is “right.”

I adore Emily Giffin. She can really flesh out her characters and causes you to become sincerely and intensely engaged in their lives. In First Comes Love you are taken into a family that suffered a great loss. You see what happens to the family and how everyone copes...did they chose the right path? As, the anniversary of their brother's death approaches, many things start to build up and risk boiling over. Josie and Meredith could not be more different, but I was equally interested in both their lives. There is so much truth, heart break and second guessing going on. I love that it is a story about so much...love, life, loss, second chances and family. Another book I both wanted to read quickly and savor at the same time. 5 stars

Oh, I loved this book. Full of emotion. A quick and easy read. I tend to prefer slightly darker and more demented books, so this was quite an enjoyable break. A perfect summer read!

This was an fine read. I just did not feel the sorrow or strong family bond with Josie and Meredith's family. Although I did appreciate Josie and Meredith bond as sisters. Yet, I was more drawn towards Josie and her carefree personality. Even though their marriage was fractured, I was on Nolan's side. When things got difficult it seemed that Meredith would retreat into herself or lash out at Nolan. Out of the two sisters, Meredith appeared to be closer to her brother.

This book was long kind of like a tome more than a book, which would not have bothered me if I had shared a strong connection with the characters in this story. This may not have been one of my favorite books by this author but I will still read more books by this author.

There hasn't been a book by Emily Giffin that haven't loved and this is no exception!

First Comes Love tells the story of the Garland family beginning on the night that Daniel Garland, the only son of the family dies in a car accident. The narrative flips back and forth between the voices of his two sisters, Josie and Meredith. They are extremely different and yet yearn for the same basic things in life - love and family.

I read this entire book in two sittings and wish it hadn't ended!

I really enjoy Emily Giffin. I find her characters engaging and likeable even when they shouldn’t be, i.e. Dex and Rachel in Something Borrowed. But in this book I didn’t relate to the characters in anyway and I didn’t find myself rooting for anyone except the poor under appreciated husband who is more of a secondary character. The main characters are sisters and honestly they were both kind of whiney and selfish, which made them hard to like throughout the novel, but they did have their moments of redemption. Overall the book as a whole was enjoyable, if a little predictable; but not one of her best works.

I was lucky enough to win an Early Reviewers copy of this book. I couldn't wait for it to come out!

The prologue is amazing. It is only 7 pages, but worth picking up the whole book.

The rest of the book isn't bad, either. The story is told from the alternating perspectives of 2 sisters. They are both in their late 30s and still trying to deal with the death of their brother 15 years prior. With another author, this could have been lame, but Emily Giffin breathes life into the characters and their secrets are unexpected and interesting. The voices of the sisters are similar (a tad too similar because you have to keep looking back at which one is narrating), but their personalities are very different, and it is fascinating to see their relationship from each perspective. Even though they don't always get along and have very different opinions, you still wind up rooting for both of them.

Thank you librarything.com for the advanced copy of First Comes Love by Emily Giffin in return for my honest review.

First Comes Love was an entertaining read, but ultimately didn't hold my interest and had a lackluster ending. The novel centers on two sisters, Meredith and Josie, both suffering from the aftermath of a tragic accident. Chapters alternate between the two sisters' perspectives and they reveal how each has been profoundly affected by the accident.

This book is the perfect beach read. It is an easy, quick read with an interesting premise, but it's just not memorable. It could have been much more but fell short for this reader.

I've been a fan of Emily Giffin for a while and was very excited to read her newest book (even though her first series will probably always be my favorite of hers). I was very happy that I got this advanced copy from Early Reviewers.

I like Giffin's use of strong female characters and they are definitely present in First Comes Love. If you liked her early books, I think this book is more similar to them than most of her other books. The story focuses on the way sisters (and the rest of the family, but mostly the two women) deal with loss and love and the choices they've made over the years (some of which they think are tied exclusively to one event in their history).

The book was written from multiple perspectives, which allows you to see how the characters are handling each situation differently, which I always find interesting. I definitely recommend reading the latest by Emily Giffin and look forward to reading her next book, too.

This novel follows the trend of Giffin's last two books. She seems to have shifted to a more serious, emotional style. I preferred the more fun, gossipy style of Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and Love the One You're With. So if you like early Emily Giffin, this is probably not the book for you. The writing is competent, but it feels a bit phoned in. The subject matter in Something Borrowed and Something Blue felt more personal and immediate, closer to the author's heart.