The One & Only

The One & Only

by Emily Giffin

Genre: Chick Lit

Synopsis:  Thirty-three-year-old Shea Rigsby has spent her entire life in Walker, Texas-a small college town that lives and dies by football, a passion she unabashedly shares.  Raised alongside her best friend, Lucy, the daughter of Walker's legendary head coach, Clive Carr, Shea was too devoted to her hometown team to leave.  Instead she stayed in Walker for college, even taking a job in the university athletic department after graduation, where she has remained for more than a decade.

But when an unexpected tragedy strikes the tight-knit Walker community, Shea's comfortable world is upended, she begins to wonder if the life she's chosen is really enough for her.  As she finally gives up her safety net to set out on an unexpected path, Shea discovers unsettling truths about the people and things she has always trusted most-and is forced to confront her deepest desires, fears, and secrets.

from the book jacket

Review:  I had picked this book up multiple times at the library off the new fiction shelf and then put it back.  I finally decided to check it out since I was drawn to it.  I wish I had just put it back.  This book was just plain awkward.  In my opinion Shea's crush was just wrong and quite disturbing knowing the relationship that Shea and her crush had throughout her whole life.  I don't know why her crush would return her feelings wither considering he had just lost his wife.  He did virtually no grieving for his wife of 30 plus years.  I felt a little uncomfortable while reading this book and I'm not sure what made me keep reading.

My other problem with this book is football.  Shea lives, breathes and dies football, especially football in Texas.  I have zero interest in football and don't know much about the game and I felt like I really should have been somewhat interested in the sport to enjoy the book.  I'm not sure who the target audience for this book was.  Everyone in this book (well most everyone) takes football far too seriously and there was WAY too much football talk for me.

I would not spend your time reading this book as you will just walk away feeling grossed out by the story.  After the somewhat incestuous relationships started I read some spoilers and then skimmed the rest of the book just so I could finish it and count it as a finished book.

Rating: 2 stars