First Comes Love: A Novel

Emily Giffin

Jun 2016 · Sold by Ballantine Books

About this ebook

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A pair of sisters find themselves at a crossroads in this dazzling new novel from the author of Something Borrowed, Where We Belong, and The One & Only. First Comes Love is a story about family, friendship, and the courage to follow your own heart—wherever that may lead.

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 delicate bond splinters.

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 is assigned to 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 that they need each other more than they knew—and that in the search for true happiness, love always comes first.

Praise for First Comes Love

“An engaging story of sisterly love . . . Illuminating and engrossing.”—People
 
“[Emily] Giffin delivers another emotionally honest work. . . . First Comes Love is a heart-stirring novel about the many layers of sibling rivalry.”—Associated Press
 
“First Comes Love brings [Giffin] back with a vengeance. Tales of sisters have been at the core of other great novels, but Giffin turns that relationship upside down and makes her view a fascinating one.”—Huffington Post

“Moving and complex, [First Comes Love] proves [that Emily Giffin is] still at the top of her game.”—Booklist

“Giffin juggles Josie’s quest for motherhood and Meredith’s internal conflicts deftly. . . . Giffin paints a realistic portrait of the troubled and complex relationship between a pair of sisters.”—Kirkus Reviews

“This is Giffin at her finest—a fantastic, memorable story.”—Publishers Weekly
  
“First Comes Love is an un-put-down-able, smart, and thoughtful novel that will make you think about the nature of family and how our past informs our present.”—PopSugar

“Giffin’s talent is pretty much unparalleled when it comes to the modern woman’s story about life, love and family.”—Redbook

“[A] well-written family drama.”—Real Simple

“Fans will be entertained by the author’s humor and satisfied by her storytelling”—Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Ratings and reviews

I absolutely hated the prologue. I got through it once and was so sick, I dropped the book. I came back eventually and skipped reading it again because ughhhh. Thank fuck the rest isn’t just like it. I never would’ve finished the first chapter let alone the book. The first chapter begins with Josie introducing herself to her class. She has a strong, distinct voice. I thought “This is more like it!” Quickly, it becomes readily apparent how severe these character’s issues are. Parts understandable, part irritating with dashes of stupidity, heated up with a lack of communication and tasteless missing common sense. Yet, I still finished it. I can’t say I’m happy with the ending or satisfied with the journey. It was like a car crash on the side of the road and slowing down to stare despite knowing better. I’ve never read a book by Emily Giffin before, so all I can really say is don’t start here unless you want a train wreck due to character personalities and neurosis.

This is a really great book- a charming and relatable page-turner...as long as you stop before the last 2 chapters. The ending ties everything together in a neat little bow, but it feels disappointing and unrealistic somehow. Just a little too cheesy of an ending to be believable. The rest of it was awesome.

Left me hanging.... Don't tell me there is a sequel? The ending was bad.

About the author

Emily Giffin is the author of eight internationally bestselling novels: Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Baby Proof, Love the One You’re With, Heart of the Matter, Where We Belong, The One & Only, and First Comes Love. A graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia School of Law, she lives in Atlanta with her husband and three children.