The Man You'll Marry

by Debbie Macomber, Kate Rudd (Narrator)

The First Man You Meet

Shelly Hansen was horrified when her great-aunt’s wedding dress arrived—because, according to family legend, she was destined to marry the next man she met. So when she tripped on an escalator and fell into Mark Brady’s arms, she told him—and herself—that she wasn’t interested in marriage. But then she started seeing him everywhere.… Coincidence?

Is The Man You’ll Marry

After her own wedding, Shelly sends her best friend, Jill Morrison, the dress—which is delivered to Jill’s hotel in Hawaii. But at least the man she sat beside on the plane—gorgeous grouch Jordan Wilcox—can’t be the man in question, can he? She met him before she got the dress!

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Audiobook, Anthologies

MP3 CD

First published April 1, 1992

About the author

Debbie Macomber is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers with more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. In her novels, Macomber brings to life compelling relationships that embrace family and enduring friendships, uplifting her readers with stories of connection and hope. Macomber’s novels have spent over 1,000 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Fifteen of these novels hit the number one spot.

In 2023, Macomber’s all-new hardcover publication includes Must Love Flowers (July). In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published three bestselling cookbooks, three adult coloring books, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books.

Celebrated as “the official storyteller of Christmas”, Macomber’s annual Christmas books are beloved and six have been crafted into original Hallmark Channel movies. Macomber is also the author of the bestselling Cedar Cove Series which the Hallmark Channel chose as the basis for its first dramatic scripted television series. Debuting in 2013, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was a ratings favorite for three seasons.

She serves on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, is a YFC National Ambassador, and is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington, the town which inspired the Cedar Cove series.

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

The “magic” wedding dress from the book The First Man You Meet strikes again. This time it’s Jill who becomes destined to marry Jordan whom she meets while on a plane to Hawaii, now that her best friend Shelly has sent the dress to her. A cute read with enjoyable characters that made a fun and fast read.

[Tammy Walton Grant · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know when you eat something really super sweet and it makes you want to spit, and spit and spit the yucky taste out of your mouth?



No more Debbie Macomber for me.

I can handle fluffy, happy, light or feel-good romances, but when you throw in saccharine sweet, cloying and silly writing, with no character development, a goofy story (where the most believable character is a magic wedding dress) and NO SEX I can't take it. The characters are bland, boring and forgettable, and the novellas were much the same.

I could stand the second story a little better than the first - there was at least a bit of conflict in it, but I could tell from about 5 pages in that this author is simply not for me.

1 star.

[Cecelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A magical wedding dress, two single women who are best friends, and two tense, hardworking men are thrown together in these two novellas. Shelly Hansen stunningly receives her great-aunt’s wedding dress.

The legend is, after she receives the dress, the first man she meets afterwards will be the man she marries. When she literally knocks over Mark Brady on a shopping-mall escalator, she knows that he’s NOT the man she’s going to marry. However, Mark and Shelly keep running into each other, and they can’t ignore their shared attraction. Is there truth to the magical wedding dress legend?

When Shelly passes the magical wedding dress onto her best friend, Jill Morrison, Jill is surprised. She receives the dress while on her Hawaii vacation. En route to Hawaii, she sits next to workaholic Jordan Wilcox. She’s attracted to Jordan, but, can’t let herself fall for him. After all, her father was a workaholic and his ways caused him to have an early death. She knows if she gets serious about her relationship with Jordan, she may become a widow way too early, just like her mom. Jordan is scared of failing. Can he learn to love Shelly and give up his workaholic ways? - See more at: http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/2015/09/...

[Ridley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring pair of whirlwind romances between unbelievable characters with unrealistic motivations. The magic wedding dress was one of the more believable elements in the book.

To be fair, I only bought it because Fictionwise was pretty much giving it away with a 100% rebate. I don't think Debbie Macomber is my kind of author. Far too chaste and precious for me.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just plain silly and stupid

[JJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Broke my own rule about not reading romance short stories. Yuck.

[Elena · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5*
The First Man You Meet

Ok, written in 1990 but mentions cell phones, dvds, laptops ?!? Did someone go back and just give this book a "face-lift"?!

Onto the plot and characters - The heroine is an idiot! Who tells a random guy she just met that she is not interested in marriage and not with him?!? Who asked you?!? She keeps making a fool of herself! Then the plot... what plot!? The whole novel consists of the hero and heroine "accidentally" bumping into each other !?! The mystical wedding dress is just a silly plot device... just thrown in there randomly.... Finally, the heroine REFUSES the hero for no apparent reason ... Just because she "doesn't want a relationship" ?! Who meets their dream guy in their adulthood and just refuses to be with him?! And why?! Again , a conflict created by the author just - because!

1.5*
The Man You'll Marry

The second story is even more ridiculous than the first - if that's even possible!! While it does try to have more depth - this plot is just RIDICULOUS!

The heroine tries to fight her attraction to the hero and fight the "magic" of the wedding dress. However, out of NOWHERE, after knowing him for a few days, she marries this guy just because HE said so (and her best friend) - she kept saying "no" but no one cared or listened. On her wedding day she says that she wishes she could back out - wtf??? Of course she can back out!! Who's forcing her?? On her wedding day, the idiot heroine thinks the following: "Unfortunately Jill shared little of her friend's confidence. She didnt expect that kind of happiness for her and Jordan" !!!! ON HER WEDDING DAY !!! She doesn't expect happiness?!?!

The main reason she did not want to be with the hero was because he reminded her of her father. Her father's story is completely bogus!!! He was a workaholic and then he died ! Ok... And now her mother and Jill are completely scarred for life - and avoid any man that works hard !?!?!?

Having said all this - our hero, Jordan, turns out to be a complete douche bag - immediately after getting married he proves the heroine right - and forgets he has a wife at home. He works day and night and never sees her... She never says anything direct, she just nags here and there and keeps hoping he will change - doesnt ever sit down to seriously talk to him about this huge issue of him ignoring her... Sure, she complains that he works too much but...

Finally - she leaves him not even two months into their marriage and , surely enough, he comes running after he SELLS his business! REally??!?! it's either work day and night or don't work at all?!?!?! Bah!!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story about a Romance and the problems that might arise from someone working too much, and the strain that puts on a Marriage...( and the special role that a Wedding Dress has in several different romances in the story )

[Милена · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story in which there is a magical thing - a wedding dress. This is the fun and weird part of the book. Otherwise, the story itself is very nicely written. After reading, thoughts remain about how important sharing and conversations between people are. When this is missing, there is a misunderstanding.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great read!!! I really enjoyed this fast reading book of 2 stories in one!!! 😍😍😍 Book about Love, marriage, and magic wedding dress. What could be better?

[AngieA Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Man You'll Marry is two previously published stories by Macomber. You can almost always tell exactly where she has added something to up date the story; some reference to technology that was not available when the stories were first published. I found that amusing, but it didn't detract from the stories at all.

The two stories revolve around a magic wedding dress that comes to Shelly Hanson from her great-aunt Milly. It is the dress made for Milly by a dress maker who felt the formal wear Milly ordered to wear to a party to further her career was not what the fabric was intended to be. The dress is wonderfully beautiful, but Aunt Milly has no intention of getting married. Until, of course, she receives the enchanted dress from the dress maker and her car breaks down. She meets mechanic John. The family legend then relates the tale of their whirlwind romance, elopement and happy, long marriage. Shelly has heard this story all her life and now the dress, along with a letter from Aunt Milly explaining why she has sent it to her, has arrived on her door step. Aunt Milly had a dream; a dream of Shelly marrying a tall, handsome man.

Shelly, like Aunt Milly, is intent on her career as a video producer and has no interest in getting married. None. But, on her way to meet her friend, Jill, for lunch, she literally falls into the arms of a tall, handsome stranger. You can guess the rest. This is a fun, light read worthy of Macomber. One thing I appreciate about Debbie is her treatment of her male characters. They are never so simple as Prince Charming, with little depth or flash of their own. She gives us a reason to like them, to root for them, to understand why our heroine should fall for them.

The second story is a sequel where the magic dress is passed on to Shelly's friend, Jill. This story has a little more substance. Jill is conflicted after she meets Jordan Wilcox. She met him on the plane to Hawaii, but didn't receive the dress until she checked into her hotel. She dismisses him as the object of the dress' enchantment for this reason, but can't help noticing how she runs into him everywhere. What makes her hesitate is his workaholic similarity to her own father. Her father was so wrapped up in work, he had no time for his family. Shelly is determined to not share her mother's fate. This story had some interesting conflict, but I couldn't help wondering why Shelly didn't just confess her concerns to Jordan; it was like she expected him to read her mind. Rather than just be straight forward with him, she told him parables about her own life and expected him to extrapolate them to their situation.

I enjoyed this book, as I have all the Macomber I have read. It's a great way to pass a snowy/rainy Saturday afternoon.

[Jo Guasque · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay. The modern day fairy tale I guess. This should be lined up with Cinderella. I mean there's magic involve which makes it suitable for girls who do believe in the power of love and magic. I must admit that I am one of those girls and so I did read it. I love the way that this book is less complicated than other books. It's straight to the point and doesn't involve too much plot which is well considered as a light read. I did finish this book in less than 24 hours simply because I refuse to put it down. I must admit that the scenes are exciting and very thrilling. I like the way that the story itself sounded silly and absurd. I mean it really bring out my hopeless romantic side. The events are very very impossible to happen but I really enjoyed thinking that those kinds of things still do exist.

Sally and Mark's love story is really exciting. I find it very very amusing that it all began with an accident. A typical impossible thing to happen but it definitely brings out the little hope inside of me that this things still happens. I love to believe that the strangers you meet may one day turn out to be your lifetime partner. Although completely predictable, this story will surely put a smile on everyones face.

Jill and Jordan is really interesting for me. First, because I already told everyone that I really like romance between CEOs and ordinary people. Jordan maybe a little bit of arrogant at first but he definitely is charming.:) I like everything about him especially his workaholic nature. I find it sexy whenever I see guys who are works a lot. Although, I can't seem to understand Jill's perspective and fears. I find it very irritating whenever she fears that she will end up like her own mom. I can't see the logic in all that. It is also absurd to totally divorce your husband just because he is busy. Man! I really think that if you marry someone who is often busy, you must live with it. I'm sure that if only she did wait, Jordan will find time for her and their family. When I learned that Jordan quit his job, I find it very sweet at the same time very irritating. Sweet because he did that for the love of her life and irritating because what the hell? Who will quit his job as a CEO just because of that? I mean, it's every man's dream eh?

This book is totally a must read for someone who loves to read fairy tales and who still believes that one day, prince charming will come to rescue her princess and they will live happily ever after.

[Tiffeny · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are actually two separate stories combined in this one book, so I feel that I should rate them separately. For the first story, The First Man You Meet, I only give it two stars. I really like some of Macomber's stuff, but some is just too silly for me, and this one falls into the latter category. I really loved the history of the wedding dress, and the idea that she was going to marry the first man she meets after recieving it was cute. I had high hopes for the story, but as I read, the characters and their actions were just too, well, silly. I skimmed the last 20 pages, axious to be finished. I did however, think there was one great quote by the main character, Shelly. " Marriage is one of the most important decisions in anyone's life, so it should be a deeply felt decision. It should feel inevitable." Inevitable. I loved that. Fingers crossed for the next story.

The second story was The Man You'll Marry. I enjoyed this quite a bit more than the first book, but still only three stars worth. The story of Jill and Jordan wasn't silly. It was a nice read most of the way through.

SPOILER ALERT: I've always said that I read or watch movies to escape from realy life. I don't necessarily want reality when I read. I want fantasy and romance and some cheese. What I don't want is stupidity, and that's what I felt Jill displayed when she marryied Jordan before working through all her issues and concerns. When she tells him she's leaving, she says, "I can't live like this. I just can't!" and he says, "This is a fine time for you to figure it all out." She hadn't just figured it out though! She knew that she couldn't live like that 2 months earlier when she married him. She knew it from the moment she met him. Just stupidity. Making women think that they can marry some idiot and expect him to change and he will. Jordan changed for Jill. What a crock!

That's what brought the book down for me.

[Shirlene]

Jill Morrison was on her way to Hawaii on vacation alone. She had planned on going with her best friend, Shelly Hansen, but Shelly's last name was Brady now that she'd married Mark.
Shelly had received a wedding dress in the mail from her Aunt Milly. The story of the dress was that after one tried it on, they would marry the next man they met. She had met Mark.
Shelly had put the dress in Jill's closet and Jill had tried it on too. Only Jill didn't want to believe the story of the dress. She was frightened that it might be true though. She wanted to meet and marry someone but she didn't think she was ready. Her mother had met and married her father but her father had worked himself to death when Jill was still young. Jill didn't remember much about him other than he worked all the time. He left her mother a bitter person who didn't believe much in love anymore.
Jill was traveling first class due to a mistake made by the airline with her reservation. Her seat mate was a man who didn't talk much. He was on his computer for the entire 5 hour flight. She made a few comments to him but didn't think they'd see each other after going their separate ways. She went to her room and saw him across the hotel balcony. His room was directly across from his. She waved when she noticed him and was surprised he waved back. She went downstairs to walk along the beach and he found her there. He asked her to accompany him to a company dinner to get a woman to lose interest in him. Jill didn't know why, but she agreed to gp.
They went to dinner and Jill met Suzi. She was much younger than Jill's 28 and was somewhat of a surprise. She understood that Suzi was too young for Jordan Wilcox. She appreciated the fact that he let Suzi down in the manner he did. She met the retired president of Howard Pharmaceuticals. The pharmacy she worked for carried many of their medications. They talked for during their long dinner.
Jordan took Jill back to the hotel and they walked along the beach. He asked Jill what she found to talk about with Andrew Howard. Jill had surprised him by talking so long with him. Jordan hadn't known that Andrew had a son that had died of cancer and he had known him for many years. Andrew had kept in touch with him since the death of Jordan's father. Jordan often used him as a sounding board for the investments he was considering. Jordon sought investors in projects like shopping malls. Once the projects were completed, he sold them for a large profit. He was now competing for the operations of a large company that Suzi's father owned. He was competing against the owner's son for the position. He could have won had he married Suzi. He wasn't in love with her and didn't want to marry anyone. Jordan's parents had divorced when he was young and Jordan was sent to a boarding school. His dad worked all the time and he was a reminder to both of them of the poor choice they had made in marrying each other. He hadn't had much love in his life.
Jill and Jordan were both invited to have dinner at Andrew Howard's house the evening after the dinner party and Jill learned about Jordan's childhood from Andrew. Andrew told Jill that Jordan needed him and that he wanted her to stick around and teach him what love was. Jill found that she was falling for Jordan. They kissed when her took her home that night and Jill was blown away with her feelings for him. She pulled away from Jordan and he didn't understand her comments about the dress. Jill was afraid the dress was working it's magic and Jordan reminded her of her father. He was constantly on the phone and didn't seem to have time for anything else. Jill tried to tell him to take a rest but Jordan seemed incapable.
They spent the next day together exploring Hawaii. Jill was still fighting her attraction to Jordan and she was still pulling back because she was frightened of her feelings for him. He left the next day to go back to Seattle and she found she missed him.
Jill went home and it was a couple of weeks before she saw Jordan again. She had seen in the papers that he had been successful once again in his venture to build a shopping mall in Hawaii. She had sent him a note and Jordan wanted an explanation for why. She couldn't explain it to him. They had dinner but she pulled away again. Jordan told her that he would see her soon.
Jill had another guy that she had dated casually but wasn't in love with. She had told her mother about Jordan and was warned to keep away from him. Jill met with Ralph and he thought she was going to break up with him but instead they became engaged. Shelly was furious when she found out what Jill had done and told her so.
Jordan came to see Jill the next day. He told Jill that he had felt something was wrong. He kissed and held Jill and she had to tell him that she was engaged to someone else. Jordan left abruptly.
Shelly had promised to not interfere but she called Jordan and he spoke to both Shelly and Mark. They explained the story of the dress and why Jill was frightened. They told him not to give up on her.
Jill went to see Ralph the next morning and broke off the engagement. He told her that he didn't expect to marry her and asked if he could sublet her apartment when she married. She agreed.
Jordan was at her apartment when she arrived. He told her that she was going to marry him and a few weeks later, they were married.
The honeymoon was great but he went right back to work after they arrived home. Nothing changed for the first couple of months. Jill didn't quit her job but Jordan was never around. He told her that it would only be like this for a week or so but it had gone on for months. Jill went to see Shelly to tell her that she was leaving Jordan. She was going back home to live with her mother.
Jill's mother had met Andrew at her wedding and they were now seeing each other. Shelly and Jill talked about the dress and had sent it to Shelly's mom.
Jill had been home a couple of weeks when Jill had a visitor. Suzi had come to tell her that Jordan had quit the company after their separation. Suzi was worried about him and suggested Jill go see him. Jill did and they made up. Jordan told Jill that his opinion of work had changed after they met and he had fallen in love with her. He didn't want to work all the time anymore. He told her that he planned to take a year off to spend time traveling and with her. He would find a new position once he had taken that year off. Jill was satisfied that things would work out between them now.

[Judine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the books that convinced me that Debbie Macomber is my new favorite author. I absolutely loved the premise, since it's a concept that makes magic work in a modern day setting. The book is comprised of two novellas; in novella one, Shelly receives her Aunt Milly's wedding dress. The catch? According to family legend, Aunt Milly married the first man she met after receiving the dress as a gift. The remainder of the story recounts Shelly's efforts to NOT follow family legend with some predictable and some funny consequences.

The second novella centers around Shelly's friend Jill, who receives the same dress in the mail from Shelly. It is an entirely different take on the same basic premise based on the fact that Shelly and Jill are two very different people. Jill's struggles are not so much with thwarting the fate predicted by the dress, but how to handle her workaholic husband. The deterioration of Jill's marriage was a bit too abrupt for my taste, which is why I docked a star from this otherwise heart-warming collection.

[Rayni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Debbie Macomber is an author I cannot easily pass up. When I saw this book on the exchange rack at the local library, I picked it up. I had gone in to return an audio book & promised myself I wouldn't get another book, especially since I have 7 books I'm reading at once. It wasn't my fault either. I would never have looked at the exchange rack except my former boss was looking at it & I stopped to speak to him. Then I saw this book & knew it had to come home with me. It was leaping off the rack, saying my name.

I loved this book. It was a cute, fun read. It's actually two books & I sat down & read each part in one sitting. I have to admit I read The Man You'll Marry first, staying up late to finish it. Then today I read The First Man You Meet, a quick read at only 102 pages. I'd already met Mark & Shelly, the couple in The First Man You Meet, in the main book.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute book. The premise is that Aunt Millie was given a wedding dress, and told that the first man she met after receiving the dress, would be the man she would marry. Her car promptly broke down, and she married the mechanic within 7 days. She has now passed the dress on to her great-niece, who is horrified to receive the legendary dress. On her way to meet a girlfriend for lunch, she falls backwards off of the escalator and into the arms of a man. She announces to him and the entire mall that she has no intention of marrying him. The story spirals out from there. The second book in this collection is when she sends the dress to her best friend. They are fun reading, but not great literature.

[Mamaang · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was interested in the story idea of a magic dress. Unfortunately, this story fell extremely flat. The dialogue between the characters was ridiculous. The characters shallow and annoying. Not being one to be able to just stop reading a book no matter how bad, I couldn't wait to finish this book and get it over with. Great concept but horrible delivery!

[Carole · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was so predictable I could not believe I was reading such rubbish. Debbie Macomber always makes the characters so endearing which probably helped me to get to the end, also the fact that as I was travelling had nothing else to read. Picked up the book at a secondhand book sale because it was small to fit in hand luggage.

[Linda Sanchez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not worth my time

This book was so ridiculous, totally unlike what I've come to expect from Macomber. After I read "For My Daughters", I became a follower of hers. This book was so disappointing. It will be a while before I buy another of her books.

[L. K. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yawn!

This was a waste of time, unbelievable characters, unbelievable plot, poor writing, grammatical errors, (which drive me nuts); nothing redeemable about this book. Take a hard pass, you'll thank me!

[Jann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast summer read. Very entertaining. Finished it in a day! Perfect summer reading.

[Gina]

Was a fast read. Didn't like as much as her series books, which are more involved in establishing relationships between the characters.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can’t believe women still write this crap.

[Jhenn Sanchez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started reading - too trite. Too Predictable.

[Connie N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very quick read, but I'll admit to plenty of frustration since this was a 1990's Harlequin-type romance. Which means the guy was authoritative and bossy, while the heroine was indecisive and annoyingly naive. We begin with Jill on a flight to Hawaii for a hard-earned vacation. She sits next to a grumpy guy (her name for him because he wouldn't chat with her; honestly I don't like to chat with strangers on planes either so I could relate). When her best friend sends a package to her while on vacation, she's shocked to discover that it's a wedding dress. No, it's a magic wedding dress, and the person who receives it will marry the next person they meet. Of course, Jill "meets" the grumpy guy from the plane and discovers he's a workaholic businessman. She has been raised to dislike this kind of guy since her father also was a workaholic who put his business above spending time with his family, then he died young, cheating her out of a relationship with him. She's got a huge chip on her shoulder about that and goes into a relationship with negative feelings. Of course, they have an innocent whirlwind romance in Hawaii, then he leaves early to go back to work. When her best friend confronts her, she demands to know about the guy she met after getting the wedding dress. (Do people really have--and want--demanding and intrusive friends like that? I found her to be completely in her business and "wanting details." I definitely couldn't handle her as a friend and disliked her intensely.) Jill admits she's "in love," but she runs scared and holds off until Jordan eventually uses his strong personality to overcome her misgivings. But do they have an immediate HEA? No, but they eventually work things out (as is expected in the romance genre, especially an older book like this). They still have to work through some conflicts, and I'll admit that I found myself getting involved in their story despite the fact that Jill kept sending mixed messages and always trying to justify her snap judgments because of her history with her father. All that being said, I was compelled to keep turning the pages and will still give this a 3-star rating, although I like Macomber's later books better.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! This is a novel with two stories in one, first a girl named Shelly, and then the second is about her friend named Jill. Both stores are a little cheesy, and even some of the same thoughts, ideas, and girls talking crazy happened in both stories, however I love cheesy romance! I’m particularly partial to romantic comedies, and while I’m insure if that’s really what Debbie Macomber was going for, I completely found myself laughing at so many different moments through the book. I am glad Jill’s story was a little longer, and had a little more depth than Shelly’s. I do however think that Jill should have had a heart to heart with Jordan from the beginning, to let him know about her father, instead of just saying the reason she was afraid to fall for him was too complicated. He was a smart man, and anyone with half a brain could understand her fear of marrying a workaholic like her father had been. There were also a couple times I found myself annoyed by Shelly and Jill because of their irrational behavior, and lack of communication skills. I found myself completely shocked by the fact that Mark, and Jordan were not only level headed, but so great at being understanding and open about how they felt. However I kept reminding myself that one, this book was written by a female, and so she of course knows what most women want to hear (especially when they are irrational), and second, that women can totally act completely nuts and be completely confusing when they are upset. I love that this book gave details of the romances, without going through a play by play of everything happening. I loved that both stories were connected in the way they were. I love the male characters Mark and Jordan, they were both smart, and open about their feelings. I also loved Shelly because of her enthusiasm and craziness. I loved Jill, despite her lack of communication skills, she had been through a hard childhood, but she never gave up hope for love. I cried for Jill because of her heartbreak, and I cried again at the end. What can I say I’m a hopeless romantic!

[Lali & Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a companion book to The First Man You Meet and was also published in 1992, but unlike it's companion, The Man You'll Marry really shows its age. Jill is flying off to Hawaii for her first vacation in years. The good news is that she has been upgraded to first class; the bad news is that the seat next to her is taken by a serious business type who can't be bothered to talk to her. And he keeps pulling out his calculator to "crunch the numbers." Later we learn he is the head of a major development company. Would the CEO of such a company be using a calculator? Anyway, it turns out that they are staying in the same hotel and he asks her to accompany him to a business dinner so the daughter of his business associate will have to leave him alone. Because he's irresistible and women will never take no for an answer.

After the dinner, Jill finds herself attracted to him although he is exactly the type of man she said she would never get involved with. Her father was a high-powered business man who worked himself to death after basically abandoning her mother and her in the process. But Jill's friend Shelly has sent her the magical wedding dress from the first book in the duology and it is inevitable that she will marry the first man she sees after receiving the dress. Spoiler: They get married. But only after she gets engaged to her previous boyfriend because he's an alternative to the man she shouldn't be with. Bleh. After their weeklong honeymoon, where "Her introduction to the physical aspect of their marriage had been incredible," he drops her off at his home and then goes to work. Where he stays for weeks, leaving early in the morning and not coming home until late at night. She was right! Businessmen can't be trusted to love you! Their work will always come first. She goes to her mother's and, in order to keep her, he allows his competitor to take over his business. It turns out he was working such long hours because he was trying to stave off a takeover bid. But now he gives it all up to hang out with her. And who cares that the competitor plans to let his son run the business and this will surely run it into the ground. But who cares about all his employees? He's in love!

[Adilee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both of these books were so cute and romantic. I enjoyed them immensely.


The Frist Man You'll Meet was so easy to read, so easy to get into. It's probably a 4 star read. It was humorous, the characters were likeable, and dang was it romantic. My only issue with it was Mark's relationship with another woman, who he wasn't in love with but shouldn't have been with if he was in love with another. I hate how cheating is normalized and justified. Like all he had to do was resist kissing Shelly until he broke up with the other gal. But if this detail is ignored, the book was wonderful.

The Man You'll Marry was, again, so cute. I enjoyed it so much. It definitely made me swoon because the romance was downright romantic. And it was very addicting, which is not surprising for a Debbie Macomber book. HOWEVER my rating is 4 stars. Honestly it probably should be 3, but it was too cute and addicting to rate it any lower. The star taken is solely due to the ✨️miscommunication✨️. There is nothing that will tick me off more than ADULT characters not talking to each other to solve their issues. Like the issue was understandable, and I saw where each character was coming from (particularly Jill, although I saw Jordan's side when things were ACTUALLY EXPLAINED), but clearly they should've waited on marriage until they were both mature enough to morph their lives together. All it took was ONE conversation. Oh, and I fear I must point something else out - it wasn't even Jordan who came to Jill to explain the situation. It was a random girl who had a crush on him. Bro??

Sooo, uh, yeah I hated that part! But the resolution was very adorable, as was the book itself, so 4 stars will do.

[Anne Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised that this book wasn’t as quirky, fruity, and out of date as the previous book, One Night, I read. Some of the reviews were telling me not to bother with the book, but it was short and a quick read.
While reading, I thought this story was on the same wavelength as 50 Shades of Grey, in that an ordinary girl, Jill Morrison, meets successful CEO, Jordan Wilcox on a plane to Hawaii. The twist, if you want to call it that, is there’s a wedding dress in the picture that supposedly if one receives it, the first man they meet they will marry. As a matter of fact, Jill’s friend Shelly married the first man she met. Shelly sends Jill the dress to her hotel room.
You guessed it, Jill and Jordan do marry, but wedding dress aside, they got married too quickly, and they don’t communicate enough. In order for Jordan to be successful, he works all the time. This reminds Jill of her father, who worked himself to having a heart attack and passing away, devastating Jill and her mother after all these years. So when Jill and Jordan marry, of course Jordan goes back to working crazy hours. Someone has to make the money to live this lifestyle! But instead of expressing to Jordan how she feels because of what happened to her father, she decides to leave him and stay with her mom. I guess she doesn’t care much for the extravagant lifestyle… how does she think Jordan got his beautiful condo and hired a cook? Working hard! Anyway, happy wife happy life, Jordan gives up his shares of the company and quits. Jill is happy for the time she’ll get with her husband with plans of traveling together, but it won’t be rainbows and lollipops once the money runs out.