Josie and Meredith are sisters but they are completely different: Josie is outgoing, spontaneous and self-centred while Meredith is introvert but controlling. Josie is a first-grade teacher who is trying to get over the fact that her ex-boyfriend’s daughter is in her class and is looking for the man who will give her a baby of her own. Meredith is an acting student turned part-time lawyer and part-time mother whose marriage is not so perfect. The only thing they have in common is how their brother’s death 15 years earlier still has consequences in their lives. Guilt and secrets have influenced their last 15 years and they are now coming to light. It’s mostly a story of “what if”, wondering what their lives would be like if their brother hadn’t died. It’s also a story of family, love, marriage and motherhood. And it’s a story of friendship. My favourite character is Gabe, Josie’s best friend. I loved his witty remarks and his loyalty to Josie. The narrative is from Josie and Meredith’s points of view and I couldn’t put the book down as I switched from one perspective to the other. Emily Giffin has again included characters from a previous novel - Meredith’s friends Ellen and Andy were from Love The One You’re With and I was happy to read how their story continued. I have read and loved all Emily Giffin’s books and this one is no different. A brilliant, captivating and humorous read.(NP)
First Comes Love, by Emily Giffin, centres around a pair of sisters who find themselves at a crossroads. The summary says: "Growing up, Josie and Meredith Garland shared a loving, if sometimes contentious relationship. Josie was impulsive, spirited, and outgoing; Meredith hardworking, thoughtful, and reserved. When tragedy strikes their family, their different responses to the event splinter their delicate bond.
Fifteen years later, Josie and Meredith are in their late thirties, following very different paths. Josie, a first grade teacher, is single - and this close to swearing off dating for good. What she wants more than the right guy, however, is to become a mother - a feeling that is heightened when her ex-boyfriend's daughter ends up in her class. Determined to have the future she's always wanted, Josie decides to take matters into her own hands.
On the outside, Meredith is the model daughter with the perfect life. A successful attorney, she's married to a wonderful man, and together they're raising a beautiful four-year-old daughter. Yet lately, Meredith feels dissatisfied and restless, secretly wondering if she chose the life that was expected of her rather than the one she truly desired.
As the anniversary of their tragedy looms and painful secrets from the past begin to surface, Josie and Meredith must not only confront the issues that divide them, but also come to terms with their own choices. In their journey toward understanding and forgiveness, both sisters discover they need each other more than they knew . . . and that in the recipe for true happiness, love always comes first." First Comes Love is out in June 2016.