Helpful Score: 7
I was so excited to read another Emily Giffin novel! Having met her on her Heart of the Matter book tour, I couldnt wait to devour her latest story. And devour I did, poolside on Memorial Day weekend.
With each Giffin novel Ive read, Ive always said each one is better than the last. (And they are all really good!) She never disappoints, introducing you to your new best friends and making it easy to feel compassion and empathy for the characters. I love how Heart of the Matter is told from two points of views (Tessa in first person and Valerie in third person). I love getting both sides to the story!
Without giving too much away, I can say that the twists and turns, the ups and downs, and the friendships developed will have you turning the pages as fast as you can! I couldnt put the book down and as I neared the end I was actually sad that it was almost over.
Emily Giffin novels remain some of my favorites and I love that they are not all too predictable. I like novels that keep you guessing. This one doesnt disappoint and I recommend it for your summer TBR list!
Giffins first novel, Something Borrowed, is currently being made into a movie and will release next summer. While reading Heart of the Matter, I could easily imagine which celebrities would be great for the roles. So heres hoping this ones a movie someday too so I can see how well I did!
With each Giffin novel Ive read, Ive always said each one is better than the last. (And they are all really good!) She never disappoints, introducing you to your new best friends and making it easy to feel compassion and empathy for the characters. I love how Heart of the Matter is told from two points of views (Tessa in first person and Valerie in third person). I love getting both sides to the story!
Without giving too much away, I can say that the twists and turns, the ups and downs, and the friendships developed will have you turning the pages as fast as you can! I couldnt put the book down and as I neared the end I was actually sad that it was almost over.
Emily Giffin novels remain some of my favorites and I love that they are not all too predictable. I like novels that keep you guessing. This one doesnt disappoint and I recommend it for your summer TBR list!
Giffins first novel, Something Borrowed, is currently being made into a movie and will release next summer. While reading Heart of the Matter, I could easily imagine which celebrities would be great for the roles. So heres hoping this ones a movie someday too so I can see how well I did!
Helpful Score: 5
I loved Something Borrowed and Something Blue and thought this would be similar. The previous books had complex issues but remained upbeat. This book was more serious and I felt bad for all the characters of the story. Seemed like no one really came out ahead in the story. I did enjoy the writing and character development though. I'll still be eager to read what she writes next.
Helpful Score: 4
Ugh! I hated the message of this book. If I didn't know better, I would think this was Christian Fiction. I felt like I was at some mass where the priest was giving a sermon on forgiveness. There wasn't any subtlety in how Griffin delivers her message. "Forgive them my children for they know not what they do." That's basically her answer for all the problems faced by the characters in the story.
I loved Emily Griffin's first book, Something Borrowed. I liked the books that followed. Heart of the Matter is awful. I can't recommend this book. If you're going to read it, get it from the library. I'm only glad I got it from someone. I wouldn't pay money for it. If this hadn't been an Emily Griffin book, I would not have finished it. The message in the book is ridiculous. It's setting back women to the 1950s. Mild spoilers ahead......................... Allow your cheating husband to beg forgiveness in one talk then take him back. The heroine and her husband resolved their issues far too soon to be believable. The heroine is incredibly passive and unlikable. She spends at least three chapters of the book suspecting the husband is in an affair, but doesn't do anything much even though she's shown to be a very gutsy woman when she was in her 20s. The husband is so sketchily drawn. He's caricature at best. He is an incredibly bright, tall, world famous pediatric surgeon with the looks of a male model. Other than that description, we don't know much about him. Even before the infidelity, he doesn't seem like much of a good husband. He's egotistical and extremely selfish. There really wasn't anything redeeming about him. At the end of the book, I didn't care anything about the three main characters at all. I know infidelity is a major theme in Griffin's books, and I don't have a problem reading about it, but this book just misses the mark. Because I like her so much as a writer, I wanted to like this book too, but couldn't.
I loved Emily Griffin's first book, Something Borrowed. I liked the books that followed. Heart of the Matter is awful. I can't recommend this book. If you're going to read it, get it from the library. I'm only glad I got it from someone. I wouldn't pay money for it. If this hadn't been an Emily Griffin book, I would not have finished it. The message in the book is ridiculous. It's setting back women to the 1950s. Mild spoilers ahead......................... Allow your cheating husband to beg forgiveness in one talk then take him back. The heroine and her husband resolved their issues far too soon to be believable. The heroine is incredibly passive and unlikable. She spends at least three chapters of the book suspecting the husband is in an affair, but doesn't do anything much even though she's shown to be a very gutsy woman when she was in her 20s. The husband is so sketchily drawn. He's caricature at best. He is an incredibly bright, tall, world famous pediatric surgeon with the looks of a male model. Other than that description, we don't know much about him. Even before the infidelity, he doesn't seem like much of a good husband. He's egotistical and extremely selfish. There really wasn't anything redeeming about him. At the end of the book, I didn't care anything about the three main characters at all. I know infidelity is a major theme in Griffin's books, and I don't have a problem reading about it, but this book just misses the mark. Because I like her so much as a writer, I wanted to like this book too, but couldn't.
Helpful Score: 3
I loved Emily Griffins first 3 books- Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and Baby Proof. I also liked Love the One Youre With. But Heart of the Matter quite frankly sucked. It was so slow. I did not like the storyline and I did not connect with any of the characters.
I didnt want to give up on the book and was just curious enough to see how things ended to finish the book, but I would not recommend wasting your time with this one. It is a controversial subject with the affair aspect and all, but not worth reading it for that.
I didnt want to give up on the book and was just curious enough to see how things ended to finish the book, but I would not recommend wasting your time with this one. It is a controversial subject with the affair aspect and all, but not worth reading it for that.
Helpful Score: 2
My favorite of Emily Giffin's five books so far, though I have loved each and every one of them! So well written and thought out perfectly. When I thought it was predictable in the beginning it through me for a loop then as the story built I genuinely was invested in the story. A wonderful book!
Helpful Score: 2
Liked _Something Borrowed_ and _Something Blue_ much better. But I do like Emily Giffin, and I did enjoy this book. I like Giffin for the lightheartedness of her writing, and this book is not that type of book.
Helpful Score: 2
I have to say that what I read was NOT what I expected when I picked this book up, but I really ended up loving it. Somewhere through the middle of the book I couldn't decide who I wanted to win out. Giffin, in her infinite author wisdom, really treated this topic with care and ended it perfectly. I definitely feel like this is up to her old standards! I was not disappointed.
Helpful Score: 2
I enjoyed this book as I've enjoyed all of Ms. Giffin's previous works. It seems that her last two books are less playful then the previous ones. Through the course of the story I came to like both women and their respective stories. What I found troubling was the speed with which the loose ends were tied up. It seemed like once the decisions were made, everything fell into place which was unlikely especially for Val.
Helpful Score: 1
AHHH MAZING! I have liked all of the previous Emily Giffin books I have read, but this one was bar none my favorite. I always read the flap or the back to get a quick synopsis. Well after reading the flap, this book went down a completely opposite road then I thought it would. I do not want to give my idea or the road it actually took away because it was so good that I want everyone to log onto their library pages and request it immediately or head to a bookstore and purchase it.
Told from the point of two different moms, alternating between each of their point of views, it kept the story moving without confusing the reader. These mom's worlds collide in a much different way then I was imagining. You don't know how small your world is, until it crashes down around you. I honestly can't say more or I will ruin this gem of a read. It was a quick and easy read with short chapters.
Too all my ladies of all ages, you will love the interesting turn this book takes. If you are interested in the road I thought it was headed down - leave a comment with your email address!
Told from the point of two different moms, alternating between each of their point of views, it kept the story moving without confusing the reader. These mom's worlds collide in a much different way then I was imagining. You don't know how small your world is, until it crashes down around you. I honestly can't say more or I will ruin this gem of a read. It was a quick and easy read with short chapters.
Too all my ladies of all ages, you will love the interesting turn this book takes. If you are interested in the road I thought it was headed down - leave a comment with your email address!
Another great book from Emily Giffin. A little more serious than her others I would say. Definitely worth reading...
Helpful Score: 1
Great beach read. As all of Emily Giffin's books, they are characters you can relate to. This book was quite different from all the others and I have to say, it made me feel many emotions all at once. This book made me wanting more and feel the story ended too soon. This would make a great chick flick.
Helpful Score: 1
I love emily giffin's books, but I did not care for the ending of this one. I really, really did not like Nick. He used both women and let the little boy become too emotionally involved.
I have really enjoyed each of Emily Giffin's novels that I have read and was excited to start another. This one took me a little while to get into and in the first 50 pages or so I thought that I was going to hate it (I sometimes have a hard time getting into a book when stories are told from alternating points of view). However before I knew it I was flying through the book and could not put it down. I was pleased with the resolution to both sides of the story.
Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin
Release Date: March 15th, 2011
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (MacMillan)
Page Count: 368
Source: Free copy provided by publisher for review
A POWERFUL, PROVOCATIVE NOVEL ABOUT MARRIAGE AND MOTHERHOOD, LOVE AND FORGIVENESS
Tessa Russo is a stay-at-home mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon. Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie a boy who has never known his father. Although both women live in the same Boston suburb, they are strangers to one another and have little in common, aside from a fierce love for their children. But one night, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge in ways no one could have imagined.
This is the moving, luminous story of good people caught in untenable circumstances. Each being tested in ways they never thought possible. Each questioning everything they once believed. And each ultimately discovering what truly matters most.
What Stephanie Thinks: I have always been an Emily Giffin fangirl. I've followed her from her first novel, Something Borrowed, to its sequel, Something Blue, to her other two books, Baby Proof and Love the One You're With, so I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with this one.
What I love most about Giffin is how she is able to write from any perspective, any set of eyes, and no matter what, the product is moving and real. Whether it be the wholesome young mother, the wronged woman, or the other woman that she portrays directly, she puts readers right into their shoes. It is almost as if she moulds each character's identity by pulling from the mind and heart of the reader of her words. Her keen musings are tinted with universality, and found in them, are heart-tugging anecdotes that are bound to impact anyone. Only she has the ability to make the development of an extramarital affair seem gratifying, and even justifiable. Only she is able to perfectly capture a mother's ceaseless love and two lovers' undying support. Her voice penetrates and is startlingly accurate, both tender and witty at the same time. Giffin's prowess of the pen is certainly one of the reasons Heart of the Matter is such a sparkling, compassionate read.
The characterization is also very strong. Tessa, Valerie, Tessa's husband, Nick, Valerie's son, Charlie, all of them all of them, I slowly fell in love with. Not in the way I swoon over alpha-male heros in penny-dreadful Harlequins, but as if they were each my own mother, my own sister, lover, husband, child this too, is what amazes me about Giffin.
As far as the story goes, the dialogue is rich, real, and often amusing. The plot flows rather slowly, but it's a smooth ride, though there are twists that spike my breathing every once in a while. My only serious complaint is the ending. I won't include any spoilers but will say I seriously was engrossed by the smooth-sailing sequence of events and glowing characters... until the final few chapters. I am sorely discontented by the characters in their concluding decisions. I would have liked to see better closure, something more satisfying, but I guess that's not my territory to breach.
As a whole, Emily Giffin does not disappoint. With consistently radiant characters and gorgeously-written prose, Heart of the Matter is the kind of book that makes you wish you were a part of its fictional progression, and, for the duration of 368 pages, you actually feel like you are.
Stephanie Loves: "His eyes are bright as bright as brown eyes can be but something in them tells her that he is here to break her heart."
Radical Rating: 8 hearts - An engaging read; highly recommended.
Release Date: March 15th, 2011
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (MacMillan)
Page Count: 368
Source: Free copy provided by publisher for review
A POWERFUL, PROVOCATIVE NOVEL ABOUT MARRIAGE AND MOTHERHOOD, LOVE AND FORGIVENESS
Tessa Russo is a stay-at-home mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon. Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie a boy who has never known his father. Although both women live in the same Boston suburb, they are strangers to one another and have little in common, aside from a fierce love for their children. But one night, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge in ways no one could have imagined.
This is the moving, luminous story of good people caught in untenable circumstances. Each being tested in ways they never thought possible. Each questioning everything they once believed. And each ultimately discovering what truly matters most.
What Stephanie Thinks: I have always been an Emily Giffin fangirl. I've followed her from her first novel, Something Borrowed, to its sequel, Something Blue, to her other two books, Baby Proof and Love the One You're With, so I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with this one.
What I love most about Giffin is how she is able to write from any perspective, any set of eyes, and no matter what, the product is moving and real. Whether it be the wholesome young mother, the wronged woman, or the other woman that she portrays directly, she puts readers right into their shoes. It is almost as if she moulds each character's identity by pulling from the mind and heart of the reader of her words. Her keen musings are tinted with universality, and found in them, are heart-tugging anecdotes that are bound to impact anyone. Only she has the ability to make the development of an extramarital affair seem gratifying, and even justifiable. Only she is able to perfectly capture a mother's ceaseless love and two lovers' undying support. Her voice penetrates and is startlingly accurate, both tender and witty at the same time. Giffin's prowess of the pen is certainly one of the reasons Heart of the Matter is such a sparkling, compassionate read.
The characterization is also very strong. Tessa, Valerie, Tessa's husband, Nick, Valerie's son, Charlie, all of them all of them, I slowly fell in love with. Not in the way I swoon over alpha-male heros in penny-dreadful Harlequins, but as if they were each my own mother, my own sister, lover, husband, child this too, is what amazes me about Giffin.
As far as the story goes, the dialogue is rich, real, and often amusing. The plot flows rather slowly, but it's a smooth ride, though there are twists that spike my breathing every once in a while. My only serious complaint is the ending. I won't include any spoilers but will say I seriously was engrossed by the smooth-sailing sequence of events and glowing characters... until the final few chapters. I am sorely discontented by the characters in their concluding decisions. I would have liked to see better closure, something more satisfying, but I guess that's not my territory to breach.
As a whole, Emily Giffin does not disappoint. With consistently radiant characters and gorgeously-written prose, Heart of the Matter is the kind of book that makes you wish you were a part of its fictional progression, and, for the duration of 368 pages, you actually feel like you are.
Stephanie Loves: "His eyes are bright as bright as brown eyes can be but something in them tells her that he is here to break her heart."
Radical Rating: 8 hearts - An engaging read; highly recommended.
Good read
This book is told by two women. Tessa is a new SAHM with two children under 5. She is married to a surgeon. She had a good career as a professor but decided to leave the job to be with her family. Valerie is a working single mom. She made mistakes when she was younger but has turned her life around. She worked hard to become a lawyer and give her son a very good life.
An accident brings their two paths together. Now if I told you how and why, you would guess where the book is going. It is such a good book and well written that I think it best you read it.
I usually pick one character and route for them through the book. I could not decide and ended up liking them both and hoping for the best for both knowing that was impossible.
An accident brings their two paths together. Now if I told you how and why, you would guess where the book is going. It is such a good book and well written that I think it best you read it.
I usually pick one character and route for them through the book. I could not decide and ended up liking them both and hoping for the best for both knowing that was impossible.
UPDATED:
The author's husband and personal assistant attacked a negative review of the book. The review itself was mild and not a personal attack on Emily Giffin. I've read more scathing reviews here on Goodreads. Ugh. That's it. I'm not reading another book of hers. Are we back in junior high? You need your husband and assistant to attack reviewers who don't sing praises about your book.
More info at this link.
http://mybookgoggles.blogspot.com/201...
Ugh! I hated the message of this book. If I didn't know better, I would think this was Christian Fiction. I felt like I was at some mass where the priest was giving a sermon on forgiveness. There wasn't any subtlety in how Griffin delivers her message. "Forgive them my children for they know not what they do." That's basically her answer for all the problems faced by the characters in the story.
I loved Emily Griffin's first book, Something Borrowed. I liked the books that followed. Heart of the Matter is awful. I can't recommend this book. If you're going to read it, get it from the library. I'm only glad I got it from someone. I wouldn't pay money for it. If this hadn't been an Emily Griffin book, I would not have finished it. The message in the book is ridiculous. It's setting back women to the 1950s. Mild spoilers ahead......................... Allow your cheating husband to beg forgiveness in one talk then take him back. The heroine and her husband resolved their issues far too soon to be believable. The heroine is incredibly passive and unlikable. She spends at least three chapters of the book suspecting the husband is in an affair, but doesn't do anything much even though she's shown to be a very gutsy woman when she was in her 20s. The husband is so sketchily drawn. He's caricature at best. He is an incredibly bright, tall, world famous pediatric surgeon with the looks of a male model. Other than that description, we don't know much about him. Even before the infidelity, he doesn't seem like much of a good husband. He's egotistical and extremely selfish. There really wasn't anything redeeming about him. At the end of the book, I didn't care anything about the three main characters at all. I know infidelity is a major theme in Griffin's books, and I don't have a problem reading about it, but this book just misses the mark. Because I like her so much as a writer, I wanted to like this book too, but couldn't.
The author's husband and personal assistant attacked a negative review of the book. The review itself was mild and not a personal attack on Emily Giffin. I've read more scathing reviews here on Goodreads. Ugh. That's it. I'm not reading another book of hers. Are we back in junior high? You need your husband and assistant to attack reviewers who don't sing praises about your book.
More info at this link.
http://mybookgoggles.blogspot.com/201...
Ugh! I hated the message of this book. If I didn't know better, I would think this was Christian Fiction. I felt like I was at some mass where the priest was giving a sermon on forgiveness. There wasn't any subtlety in how Griffin delivers her message. "Forgive them my children for they know not what they do." That's basically her answer for all the problems faced by the characters in the story.
I loved Emily Griffin's first book, Something Borrowed. I liked the books that followed. Heart of the Matter is awful. I can't recommend this book. If you're going to read it, get it from the library. I'm only glad I got it from someone. I wouldn't pay money for it. If this hadn't been an Emily Griffin book, I would not have finished it. The message in the book is ridiculous. It's setting back women to the 1950s. Mild spoilers ahead......................... Allow your cheating husband to beg forgiveness in one talk then take him back. The heroine and her husband resolved their issues far too soon to be believable. The heroine is incredibly passive and unlikable. She spends at least three chapters of the book suspecting the husband is in an affair, but doesn't do anything much even though she's shown to be a very gutsy woman when she was in her 20s. The husband is so sketchily drawn. He's caricature at best. He is an incredibly bright, tall, world famous pediatric surgeon with the looks of a male model. Other than that description, we don't know much about him. Even before the infidelity, he doesn't seem like much of a good husband. He's egotistical and extremely selfish. There really wasn't anything redeeming about him. At the end of the book, I didn't care anything about the three main characters at all. I know infidelity is a major theme in Griffin's books, and I don't have a problem reading about it, but this book just misses the mark. Because I like her so much as a writer, I wanted to like this book too, but couldn't.
Love this new found author!! Funny and witty.
It is hard to say I loved this book, because it's story line of deceit and infidelity is not something you can love, but I could not read this book fast enough, I was sure I knew what was going to happen, and I did, but the road to getting there was so good I could not put this book down and read it in one day. To me it was the best she has ever written. There was not as much comedy in this one (some one liners that made you laugh out loud) but how she made the story and the character think much like I think (and hopefully others even though we never want to admit it) was uncanny, it kept me so hooked!
I loved this book! This one is, by far, her best book yet.
I loved this book! Something Borrowed is my favorite from Emily Giffin, but Heart of the Matter is a very close second. She did not disappoint.
Emily Giffin is a wonderful writer, she fills her book with a variety of characters that can pull at your heartstrings with humor as well as sadness. this is a story about marriage. without giving anything away, it is a tear jerker, but you feel for everyone in the story. a great read that i would recomend.
This was a good book. It did not overwhelm me, but it is a perfect beach book, wait in the car for the kids book.
Another favorite author of mine. Easy read and keeps the flow of the book going and leaves you wanting more... Interesting subject matter and how hard life is for some. Great read!
Best read i've read this year. I've read over 30 books in 2010 and by far this has been the best.
Emily Giffin has another hit! Not her typical Chick Lit books, with that said it was better than expected.
Emily Giffin has another hit! Not her typical Chick Lit books, with that said it was better than expected.
I loved this book. Even though it was a more serious book for Emily Giffin, I thought it was very well written with great character development. I think she truly showed both sides of an affair. I had a hard time putting it down.
Predictable start to finish. I rushed through it just to be over it. A good story and interesting take on infidelity by juxtaposing the wife and other woman's stories, but definitely not Emily Giffin's best work.
A quick read. This one deals with the issue of infidelity and "what would you do?"
I love all of Emily Giffin's books! She never disappoints! They are all different and full of human emotion!
quick read. much like her other books...if you like her others you'll like this one.
Not as good as her other books
Really good story about betrayal in a marriage. Great author. Will look for more of her books.
I'm going to stop reading books by this author. I read Something Borrowed and didn't like or care about any of the characters. The same applies to this book. It's a shame the author's plots and characters don't appeal to me because her writing is beautiful and entertaining. Honestly, it was her writing style that kept me interested enough in the book to finish it. But in the end, I don't recommend this book. I would say probably if you like her other novels, you'll enjoy this one. But if you're like me and are on the fence about her after reading Something Borrowed, then pass this one up.
great book
::Spoiler Alert::
I love Emily Giffin. I have read just about every book she has written. This one, however, is nothing like her previous books. It's a more serious book. I was excited to know it was set in Boston where I live, and I love how she made each chapter the the point of view of the two women involved, switching back and fourth between the two.
When it came to the story, I very much disliked Valerie. Knowing Nick was married with two children of his own. It was like she cared more about getting Nick in the sack than she did about her own son's medical issues. Nick was a jerk and Tessa should never have taken him back in the end. It was sort of like the ending made it out to be all Tessa's faults and flaws that led her husband to want something more from someone else. It thought it was an overall good book, well written, just disliked how it ended.
I love Emily Giffin. I have read just about every book she has written. This one, however, is nothing like her previous books. It's a more serious book. I was excited to know it was set in Boston where I live, and I love how she made each chapter the the point of view of the two women involved, switching back and fourth between the two.
When it came to the story, I very much disliked Valerie. Knowing Nick was married with two children of his own. It was like she cared more about getting Nick in the sack than she did about her own son's medical issues. Nick was a jerk and Tessa should never have taken him back in the end. It was sort of like the ending made it out to be all Tessa's faults and flaws that led her husband to want something more from someone else. It thought it was an overall good book, well written, just disliked how it ended.
I always love reading Emily Giffin books, I consistently look forward to when another one is going to arrive on the shelves. This one, like all her others, did not disappoint.
Emily Giffin has written stories about dating, marriage, babies - where to next?
I don't want to give away the plot line, but I will say I was rooting for everyone to win. And yet, there was no way for everyone to come out a winner in this story.
I had no idea how the story could end - but the author did a very satisfying job.
I don't want to give away the plot line, but I will say I was rooting for everyone to win. And yet, there was no way for everyone to come out a winner in this story.
I had no idea how the story could end - but the author did a very satisfying job.
