The One & Only

A Novel

By: Emily Giffin

Narrated by: Sofia Willingham

Length: 14 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

In her eagerly awaited new novel, beloved New York Times best-selling author Emily Giffin returns with an extraordinary story of love and loyalty - and an unconventional heroine struggling to reconcile both.

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, and 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.

Thoughtful, funny, and brilliantly observed, The One & Only is a luminous novel about finding your passion, following your heart, and, most of all, believing in something bigger than yourself...the one and only thing that truly makes life worth living.

©2014 Emily Giffin (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Giffin's writing is true, smart, and heartfelt." ( Entertainment Weekly)

"A dependably down-to-earth, girl-friendly storyteller." ( The New York Times)

"When it comes to writing stories that resonate with real women, best-selling author Emily Giffin has hit her stride." ( San Francisco Chronicle)

Not as good as her usual books

Having finished this book I wonder if there’s going to be a follow-up book written from Lucy’s point of view, as with Something Borrowed, which I loved. I was really looking forward to this book but I have to say it didn’t grab me like the others did & felt a little slow. It was a good ending tho, and as usual Ms Griffin’s descriptive writing was excellent. Maybe I wasn’t in the mood for it but it felt like the story could’ve been told in half the time. The narrator was great, if I was on the fence about listening to something in the future she’d definitely tip the scales.

Great story

A grey story. Must enjoy sports. Loved and cried at ending. Not a book for narrow minded people. Enjoy it.

Pleasantly Surprised

I love all of Emily Giffin’s books. I’ll be honest it took me a few chapters to get into this one (the other books immediately grabbed me). However, I’m glad I kept reading this book. It was really really good. I thought Ms. Willingham did a great job as well. Another win for my favorite author!!

So sweet!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I loved this book! Such a sweet story of an unlikely couple!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Shae was my favorite!

Have you listened to any of Sofia Willingham’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first, but she is my favorite narrorator! I have searched for other books with her as the narrorator also!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I don't want to give anything away 😊

Hmmmm

Its been a long time since I have listened to an Emily Giffin book. I remember the books being better. At any rate, the writing was poor and the story creeped me out. I think I may be done with Ms. Giffin.

The narrator mispronounced "Giffin"

What does Sofia Willingham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She mispronounced "Giffin" as "Griffin" as she was introducing the book. I also had a hard time getting pass her awful "Texas" southern drawl.

The One & Only book I did not like by Emily Giffin

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Not really, its not one of my favorites. The story although solid is muttled by over emphasizing things. In the beginning of the book the main character Shay is obvious in the direction she is headed. And at that point the book remained obvious and the plot remained obvious.

If you’ve listened to books by Emily Giffin before, how does this one compare?

This book was not one of my favorite Emily Giffin books and it was not one of my favorite books period. The story line was solid to a point but the direction of the book and the constant way she swooned over one of the characters was not realistic in some ways. And as a girl who cheered for a Big 10 school and knows Big 10 Football, it was tiring the over use of football lingo.

What does Sofia Willingham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

As a southern person I could relate to her southern accent. She honestly did a good job with what she was given.

What would have made this romance irresistible?

If the character had not been so infatuated with the other character from the onset and if they had just formed a friendship based on the fact he worked with her and spent time with her and had just lost his wife. If it wasn't beat into the ground that she initially had this overwhelming crush on this man, that made it unbelievable and predictable. If the story had taken a similar route, removing the over saturated infatuation for the coach and keeping her relationship with the pro football player and bringing them together from those circumstances instead of over emphasizing her infatuation for Coach Carr. It would have made me feel more sympathetic for both characters.

Any additional comments?

The story line is solid but the direction Emily Giffin chose to take on the storyline made the book hard to believe and difficult to enjoy. There were also other factors within the book that made it unrealistic and like a tree filled with sap, messy.

Perfect Ending!

Any additional comments?

This story was beautiful. It weaved together love between parents and children, love between friends, forbidden love, and love of a game. It had wonderful character progression and by the end I felt so close to them (even had teary eyes!). I know some may not like the ending, and think that it's abrupt. But truly, this story ends on about the highest note possible. I love a story that gives me the ending I hoped for (specifically who ended up with who) but leaves room for my imagination. I felt I didn't need to know each little detail of how it happened. Since I finished the story the characters have been on my mind, and that's how I like it!

Disappointing

Would you try another book from Emily Giffin and/or Sofia Willingham?

I've read and enjoyed Emily Griffin before and would try again. The narrator was fine.

Any additional comments?

The two main female characters were childish. Supposed to be in their 30's the dialogue and thought process sounded more like middle school. The plot was too fairytale and predictable. Definitely not her best work.

Usually a fan of Emily Giffin but...

This book feel short of my expectations. It was too much football talk and I found myself rooting for the the various love interests only to be disappointed. The book leads you on various paths and the one in the end just feel yucky on multiple levels.