The First Husband

by Laura Dave

A savvy, page-turning novel about a woman torn between her husband and the man she thought she'd marry.

Annie Adams is days away from her thirty-second birthday and thinks she has finally found some happiness. She visits the world's most interesting places for her syndicated travel column and she's happily cohabiting with her movie director boyfriend Nick in Los Angeles. But when Nick comes home from a meeting with his therapist (aka "futures counselor") and announces that he's taking a break from their relationship so he can pursue a woman from his past, the place Annie had come to call home is shattered. Reeling, Annie stumbles into her neighborhood bar and finds Griffin-a grounded, charming chef who seems to be everything Annie didn't know she was looking for. Within three months, Griffin is Annie's husband and Annie finds herself trying to restart her life in rural Massachusetts.

A wry observer of modern love, Laura Dave "steers clear of easy answers to explore the romantic choices we make" ( USA Today ). Her third novel is packed with humor, empathy, and psychological insight about the power of love and home.

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

246 pages, Hardcover

First published April 19, 2011

About the author

Laura Dave is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several novels including The Last Thing He Told Me and Eight Hundred Grapes. Her novels have sold more than six million copies and have been translated into thirty-eight languages. She resides in Santa Monica, California.

Her new novel, The First Time I Saw Him, will be released in January 2026

Website:www.lauradave.com

Instagram:www.instagram.com/lauradaveauthor

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you don’t know it. What you have been waiting your whole life for. You don’t know it until it is happening.

An intrinsically witty tale of love, marriage and self-discovery that reiterates the best things in life can often be found in the unexpected.

For this reader, The First Husband presented itself as one of those rarities—an assuming novel that managed to capture my heart and leave a lasting mark. The dynamic storytelling, relatable bouts of self-reflection, and endearing characters made succumbing to Laura Dave’s words an effortless undertaking. Twice.

Last year, an organic introduction to Dave’s writing induced a full-fledged binge. From Eight Hundred Grapes to Hello, Sunshine, followed-up with the creme de la creme, The First Husband. The latter, such an engaging read, I had to come back for a second serving.

Annie’s journey starts on a bit of a whimsical note. Secure in her 5-year relationship with her film director boyfriend, Nick, and her popular travel column Checking Out, Annie queues up her comfort movie, Roman Holiday. Tempting superstition by watching the one movie that tends to shake up her world post-viewing. Coincidence or not, any screen time with Princess Anne and Joe Bradley spells negative consequences for Annie. And this time proves no different.

When Nick confesses to Annie that he wants to end their relationship, that she’s never around, it forces her to reevaluate things a bit. To approach life differently than ever before. A mindset that finds her in Griffin’s kitchen, sharing a pan of lobster and scrambled eggs.

What ensues between Annie and Griffin can only be described as a whirlwind romance riddled with cute banter. In mere months, Annie is living a vastly different life on the opposite side of the country. Balancing her new marriage, awkward encounters with Griffin’s family, and weighing career options.

There’s little doubt, this storyline in the hands of many other writers would have conjured that dreaded word, instalove. Instead, there’s a nuance to Dave’s writing, her words allowing the reader to share in Annie’s self-doubts and the confrontation of a myriad of life lessons. And ultimately, the acknowledgment that life is messy and complicated, but taking a chance on the unknown can prove worthwhile.

If you're a lover of love, such as myself, I highly recommend checking out any and all of Dave's work.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Spoiler)

This book felt like it just followed a formula: girl and boy in love; live together; move towards marriage; boy dumps girl for another; girl meets new boy within weeks of being dumped; girl marries new boy; old boy re-enters her life; and wants her back. This all leads Annie to re-evaluate her life, her career and her choice in men.

Even though entertaining, I didn't find anything special about it. None of the characters had any depth or background or insight as to who they really are which might have made the story much more interesting.

All in all, if you need something simple to read at the beach, pick this one up. One thing, I do not recommend purchasing this book. Go to your local library.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Paint by the numbers tale inside a bunch of half put together thoughts inside a set of structures the author seems to have changed her mind about a number of times, populated by puppets of characters that dance around the main character and strike poses and say lines as appropriate to the pantomime of hackery they are unlucky enough to have been created to take part in. I bet it'll become a movie.

[Nette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this author had a lovely, deft writing style, but I found it impossible to care about the romantic troubles of a hot travel writer with two hot men battling over her and a hot best friend (with a hot toddler!) who gladly drops everything to jet across the planet to be by her side. Her "problems" would be unattainable daydreams for 99.9999999% of the rest of humanity, with that .0000001 consisting of Heidi Klum, Ryan Gosling, and the Pekingese that just won Best In Show.

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever read a romance where you were intrigued yet rolling your eyes in exasperation? Impressed yet cautious? The First Husband was a compelling social drama that was thought-provoking. At other moments, it felt like an onslaught of complex emotions. It was about relationships and the right -or wrong- words: a meaningful discussion, an intimation, rumors, advice or silence. It was about careers and choices. I believe most readers will sit on only one side of the literary seesaw. You will either like it or you won't.

The Recipe

In a large bowl, add:

1 1/2 cups of Kristan Higgans for family drama
3/4 cup of Jennifer Crusie for relationship dynamics
1/2 cup of Sophie Kinsella for connections and rapport
1 cup of Sally Thorne for the heroine's POV
2/3 cup of Theresa Weir for trust issues and angst

Stir.

Gently fold in:

3 tablespoons of Sarah Addison Allen for beta males
3 tablespoons of Betty Neels for lack of communication
2 tablespoons of Laura Leone for dirty laundry
2 teaspoons of Lizbeth Selvig for second chances

Pour in a greased pan and set in a 350 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Read while it is warm.

[Trista · Rating 2 out of 5]

2+ I didn't ever feel like there was a real relationship. She had a more developed relationship with the brother.

[Jayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a vegan and this book was going "cheesy" on me!

This familiar tale of "guy dumps gal, gal moves on, guy returns" shouldn't feel old, but it did here.

Although the book was well written and had an easy and consistent flow, I had a difficult time identifying with the book's self-absorbed protagonist Annie.

POSSIBLE SPOILER:
Also, I had a hard time believing that Annie would quickly marry the first guy she met on a rebound after dating her former boyfriend for five years.

And, finally, the excessive time Annie spent vacillating over everyday decisions negatively impacted the likeability I had for a newlywed who rarely expressed gratitude and never seemed to realize how lucky she was.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was superb and saved the book for me.

"The First Husband" was my first Laura Dave book.

If the author's future novels are "cheesy-free", this vegan will be eager to give this talented author another try.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annie Adams is a successful travel writer and her boyfriend Nick is an up and coming film director. Together they live in California in a beautiful house with their dog. When Nick reveals that he wants to take a break from their five year relationship, Annie is devastated. Her best friend Jordan who is also Nick's sister, tries to console her but can do little to cheer Annie up. It is when she is feeling at her lowest, does she meet Griffin one night at a bar. They instantly connect on an emotional level, never going into detail about past relationships. Annie only knows that Griffin's ex has a matching tattoo on her wrist. Three months after they meet, they are engaged and marry in Las Vegas shortly after. Griffin and Annie move to Williamsburg, Massachusetts, where Griffin plans on opening a new restaurant. Annie is uprooted from her life and transplanted into Griffin's hometown where she meets his brother Jesse and her two twin nephews. She soon learns that the house she and Griffin live in is the house he shared with his ex of thirteen years, Gia. Gia still lives in town and Annie encounters her early on, initially unaware of how long Griffin and Gia were together. As Griffin's past starts to reveal itself, Annie questions whether or not she made the right decision. When Nick shows up at the restaurant's opening day, intending to win Annie back, she is torn between her old life and her new life. She then decides to move to London where she gets a job offer to be a prestigious travel reporter. It is only in London where she realizes what she really wants out of life. Her decision to return to Griffin coincides with a tragedy at home and Annie rushes back to Massachusetts. She finds Griffin in a hospital room after having suffered a severe asthma attack. Annie sees his newly named restaurant called Home which Griffin decorated with the many photos of houses Annie took during her years of traveling. Once Griffin has recovered, they go home to their lives, content with what the future holds. A fast and heartwarming read.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The First Husband was an okay kind of book. It was super cliche and everything but in the end it was all meh?

In this book, you will meet Annie Adams and learn about her love life. First she meets Nick and later falls in love with them. They are engaged until he suddenly ends it because he wants to pursue someone from his past. Now before I carry on talking more about this book... WTF NICK? Who does that? I hated him at that point because I'm thinking WTF and she is probably thinking WTF. Heck the whole world is probably thinking WTF MAN?!?

Back to this book, well after that shit show happened she ended up meeting Griffin. He was everything that she needed at that point and they ended up quickly falling in love and becoming a married couple. Yep, after three months with this guy she ended up married to him. Some people might think that's sudden and all (like me) but who cares?!? Well, the asshole from before (aka NICK) shows back up into her claiming that he still loves her and he wants her to be his again.



Then this bitch, AKA ANNIE, starts to re-evaluate her life because of Nick coming back into her life. This leads me to confusion because 1) why the fuck should he matter when she has griffin? 2) why does Nick, who broke her heart to go be with another girl matter?, and 3) WHY THE FUCK DOES NICK EVEN MATTER GUYS?

Spoiler alert: he doesn't and shouldn't matter to her or anyone at this point. #HARSHAF

Now this book was a bit entertaining but the whole looking at her choice of men in her life was a bit annoying. I didn't want her to end up with Nick again because I loved Griffin. In the end, it was still an okay book. I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to buy it or re-read it again but I'm also glad that I dove into it on my own. It was nice to meet Annie, Nick, and Griffin but I also didn't really connect with the characters in this book either. Again, they were just okay - just like this book was okay.

[Colleen Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first reviewed this book for the blog luxuryreading.com!

When The First Husband opens we find Annie Adams completely content in her life: she gets to tour the world writing her rather successful travel column; her long term boyfriend, Nick, is beginning to taste success as a film director; her much-loved dog, Mila, is keeping her feet warm. What could go wrong? In the next breath her world begins to unravel: Nick announces he is leaving her for the possibility of a better life with a better woman, taking her beloved Mila with him; she learns her job is potentially in danger since the paper has been taken over by a new owner; the once comforting home she shared with Nick becomes filled with the memories of what they had and what will no longer be.

With the push of her best friend, Jordan (Nick’s sister), Annie decides to thrust herself back into life to see if it will stick. She finds herself in a beachside restaurant after hours, where she meets Griffin who is highlighting as Executive chef until the permanent chef returns and he goes home to small town Massachusetts to open his own restaurant. Annie instantly feels connected to Griffin and decides that he might be the new lease on life she was looking for, her way to be someone new and improved. As they get to know each other the time dwindles until Griffin must go back to the life he had only temporarily put on hold…with one new addition: Annie.

Annie takes a leap and accepts Griffin’s impromptu wedding proposal, traveling to Massachusetts, by way of Las Vegas and a little wedding chapel, ready to begin anew. What she doesn’t expect when they arrive is Griffin’s brother, Jesse, waiting at their home with his two rambunctious and sticky twin boys, declaring he and his wife are separated. She doesn’t expect the ex girlfriend who spent thirteen years with Griffin and doesn’t seem able to fully let go, or the icy mother in law that dotes on Griffin’s ex as the daughter in law she wished she had. She doesn’t expect to feel trapped by the small town life or the total immersion into a past she doesn’t share with Griffin. Most of all, she doesn’t expect the feelings that keep creeping into her thoughts: did I make a mistake rushing into this?

When Nick shows up at the opening of Griffin’s new restaurant and declares he is ready to give Annie everything she wanted from him she has to make a decision: does she go back and begin again the life she thought she always wanted, or does she live this new life she never knew was missing?

I loved this book! It isn’t often you find a book that can literally make you laugh out loud and then turn around and make you want to call your husband and tell him how much you love him, with tears in your voice. What makes the book perfect for me is that each of the characters are flawed in their own way and that much more realistic because of it. The First Husband will have you questioning the choices you have made in your own life and, hopefully, will reaffirm for you that real love is not worth compromising.

[Nicholas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dave's novel feels just a little too formulaic for my liking. While the writing is good at times, it's also rife with typos. And contains at least a few glaring errors that seem to exist to tie things up at the end (newly minted PhDs are not offered associate professorships, ever, especially when they don't seem to have applied for the job in the first place). But more than all that, however, I just couldn't understand what was motivating Annie Adams, the protagonist. I know Dave was trying to be profound about her motivations and the great epiphanies she was prone to having about why she felt as she did (about her job, her ex-boyfriend, her new job, her husband), but I didn't really buy any of them as being nearly so insightful or profound as she clearly was attempting for them to be. The revelations just didn't seem particularly revelatory and thus I had a hard time understanding why she was doing what she was doing. All in all, pretty lite and trite.

[Chrissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Books about troubled, indecisive relationships can usually take one of two paths, it seems. Either they're gritty and realistic -- portraying a candid glance into an easily-relatable scenario that lets the reader feel oddly comforted that she is not alone in her own screwed-up relationships of life. Or, they decide instead to be cutesy and optimistic -- presenting fables of pink wisdom, spurring the reader to decide that she too may triumph on the other side of this yellow-brick path.

Now, if I tell you which way THE FIRST HUSBAND turns at the fork of the road, that would spoil the fun -- wouldn't it?

But, to give a taste of the storyline, we should at least get started with the basic gist of things here. THE FIRST HUSBAND is the story of Annie, a travel columnist who has recently been dumped by her long-term Romeo -- the man who she suspected should have been the one to fulfill her personal happily-ever-after. So, when things went south, she did what any level-headed woman in that situation would do, right?

She married another man.

As things progress in life, work, and love, Annie finds herself torn between current desires and past regrets. And, when her ex-boyfriend decides he made a mistake in moving on without her, Annie is forced to examine herself and her relationships before making decisions that will certainly alter the path of her life forever.

And, okay, I guess I can't deny it here -- THE FIRST HUSBAND just didn't stand out for me at all. I mean, I feel like this has been done before -- so there was nothing new to embrace with any of the characters. Nothing made Annie or either of her potential love interests remarkable or relateable, and I felt no investment in Annie's motivations or actions towards either man.

So yes, I admit it -- I'm more a fan of something that feels real and raw to me, rather than something that hints at a rainbow at the end of the tunnel. At times, I found Annie to be more immature and selfish than self-examining and confused. And her grand lesson learned at the end? I'm not buying it. At all.

This is not to say that THEN FIRST HUSBAND is not a worthy read. It is. It's cute and warm and it may give you the touchy-feelies with a dash of Aesop in the end.

If that's your cup of tea, I highly recommend this book to you.

If, however, you're an overly-critical underly-emotional rationalizer like myself -- I'd hold out for something else.

I'll let you know when I find it.


**I was provided with an e-book copy of this novel for review. As always, my opinions are my own, completely unbiased by the (lack of) price-tag**

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

“With Nick, you had freedom.” Freedom. There was that word again. I had organized my life to hold on to it, hadn’t I? Everyone seemed to think so. Everyone—myself included—seemed to think I needed the possibility of going anywhere at any time, of infinite openness. But I was starting to wonder if maybe I had missed what freedom really looked like. Maybe it had less to do with always having a way out. Maybe it had something more to do with finding the way deeper in.

Wow. This was a really good book. It is about a young travel writer who gets dumped by her longtime boyfriend, Nick, and marries a guy, Griffin, on the rebound. Or did she pick…right? They move back east so he can fulfill his dream of opening his own restaurant. The worldly big city California girl is a fish out of water in his unsophisticated backwater Massachusetts town. On top of her getting to know her new husband she has to deal with a hostile mother-in-law, a jealous “perfect” ex-girlfriend, An irresponsible genius brother-in-law with two unruly twin boys who move in with them, losing her job, I’ll stop there. In the midst of all this, her ex’s sister and her best friend show up to stir the pot swiftly followed by her ex who has “seen the light” and wants her back. She is confused.
This is a love story with doses of humor, crises, and insights into the nature of love and learning who you really are and what you really want. It’s too short and the two twin boys are a nightmare. **4 1/2 stars**

https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely

I really, really enjoyed this one. Dave is becoming one of my favorite authors! This is a heartwarming story where love wins.

[Eleanor · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was incredibly predictable. The heroine was so unlikable that I really didn't care about the ending at all. She never said what she thought and never spoke up for herself. But then we're meant to imagine that she's an incredibly successful journalist? She just let things happen to her and never stood her ground. I think those kind of characteristics are what bother me the most in chick lit.

[Eva Gavilli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inaspettato...dopo aver letto L'ultima cosa che mi ha detto, mi aspettavo che anche Il primo marito fosse un thriller psicologico immerso in un bel mistero, invece ho trovato una commedia romantica: bella storia, a tratti divertente e a tratti riflessiva, personaggi simpatici, qualcuno che sfiora l'inverosimile, ma tutti ben descritti. Se proprio vogliamo trovarci un difetto, succede tutto un pò troppo di fretta, magari qualche capitolo in più non avrebbe guastato.
***
Unexpected ... after have reading The Last Thing He Told Me, I expected The First Husband to be also a psychological thriller immersed in a beautiful mystery, instead I found a romantic comedy: a good story, sometimes funny and sometimes reflective, nice characters, someone quite weird and improbable, but all well described. If we really want to find a fault in this novel, everything happens a little too quickly, maybe a few more chapters would have helped the whole story.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird book. I felt sorry for the random character in all the life drama that she had to put up with. It was recommended this book is obviously something I didn’t enjoy.

[Sarah | Kerosene.Lit · Rating 3 out of 5]

The synopsis of this one screams angst, so I had to pick it up!

After a devastating breakup, Annie seems to have found her happiness in Griffin, leading them to quickly marry and live their happily-ever-after in the small town of Williamsburg. But is it what she truly wants? What happens when the one that got away returns?

I’m admittedly a sucker for a love triangle. But with so many mini time jumps, I never felt attached to either Nick or Griffin. As the reader, it seemed more time was spent with Annie merely reflecting on each romance. I wanted to experience them more in the moment with her.

Am I happy with Annie's choice in the end? Yes! But overall her relationship(s) felt somewhat surface level, making it hard for me to connect to the torment she was clearly experiencing between the two.

All that said, the writing was so easy to escape into! And I loved the personal growth Annie experiences after feeling lost in her life for so long. I’d definitely try more from this author. I know The Last Thing He Told Me is a popular one!

(heat level: closed door)

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

My thoughts: There are so many reasons why I liked this novel. I think the top reasons is that it gets into all the messy realities of marriage. The honeymoon is over when Annie and Griffin arrive at Griffin's (and now also Annie's) home and find Griffin's brother who is quirky, funny, cowardly, and insightful. In fact, Jesse is, perhaps, my favorite character for delivering witty yet deep truisms. Also present in the story is that the past might be past but the people are still present as Annie meets Griffin's ex-girlfriend and Nick makes a cameo or two. Annie's best friend is Nick's sister, after all. There are also the awkward mother-in-law moments, and the way life continues as before with work and work-related issues.

Without giving too much away, the author describes the angst of any young woman who makes a choice and marries. By choosing one way, she is closing doors but opening others. By choosing another way, the previous doors close but others open. Annie makes her choices and wonders if she was mistaken. There are some plot twists that are expected and some that are not. Yet my favorite part about the book is that the author captures the complexity of marriage and life.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First Husband by Laura Dave is a funny, romantic adventure that follows travel writer Annie Adams. This woman seems to have it all: an exciting job, a great boyfriend, and a faithful dog named Mila. But when an unexpected turn in her relationship comes up, Annie is lost, but quickly finds comfort in the arms of a chef named Griffin.

Anyone that loves romantic comedies will absolutely be absorbed in this book. This was a very quick read for me, not because of the page count, but because I simply could not put it down. Not only was Annie's adventures in love fascinating, the story was also peppered throughout with humorous moments added by Annie's friend Jordan and Griffin's brother Jesse. Jesse, by far, was the best comic relief for some of the most tense moments in the book.

This would make a great beach read... definitely something you could finish (and be satisfied with) in a long afternoon.

*Reviewer received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I loved 800 Grapes! But then a friend read it, hated it, and asked me if I only liked it because of the winery. I wasn't sure. I did go on a Pinot noir kick after reading it. I actually didn't remember anything about the plot except the wine. So. I started this book hoping that I would like it, even with no wine as the plot. I did not. It was fine. I felt like the men were fairly flat characters. I didn't really like any of the characters. Everyone behaved badly. I was happy when it was over. It did move quickly and was decently interesting.

[Sharon :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kept you guessing unlike most romance, that made it interesting!

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 411 by Maria:

I am not at all surprised that this book was picked up for movie rights by Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. As someone who has very little time to read and usually takes a week to read a book, this was done in 1.5 days.

You like Annie from page 1. She is blindsided by her boyfriend who suddenly decides they need a break. Forcing herself to go out one night and break her depression she meets Griffin, who you will also like immediately.

Annie finds herself suddenly happily married until Nick resurfaces and asks for a second chance. Decisions, decisions, what's a girl to do?

Personally, I love how Laura creates likeable characters. Not every story needs villians. There doesn't need to be a big, nasty breakup for us to root for the new guy. The characters are very real and the situations very believable.

My favorite character is Griffins brother Jesse. He is funny, witty and sarcastic, plus it isn't often that the main female character gets to befriend a male friend, have him be her sounding board, a person she can laugh and get drunk with, while being there for him too, without it turning into something sexual. Kudos to the author for that one.

I also enjoyed the many references to Roman Holiday, we are all romantics in a way even if we say we aren't and it was fun to see Annie's connection to this movie which she believe to be a catalyst to her "bad luck".


Great book! ***** (5 stars)

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't waste your time reading this...the main character is very wishy-washy and indecisive in which direction she wants her life to take and the book was overall very anticlimactic. I skimmed A LOT of it!

[Linda Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always reading and have a TBR list a mile long. But sometimes, it is so much fun to pick up a book like this one and just enjoy the hell out of it. It's not a Pulitzer Prize winner, and I don't care, because it makes me feel good. That makes it worthy of five stars.

IG: @bookbimbo

[Meredith Schorr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book surprisingly unpredictable. I really wasn't sure which direction the author would take until the end. (I was pleased with the ending!) Laura Dave is a great writer with an easy, breezy writing style that I enjoy. This was my second book and won't be my last.

[Brandie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! It had a main character I could relate to. It had romance and humor. It was impossible to put down. Going on my favorites list. Wonderful book.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I waited almost 3 months on Libby for yhis book but I wasnt dissapointed. I read the posts in the subreddit, ' Waiting to Wed' and the fmc in the book reminds me of a majority of the posters to that group. Shes in her 30s , been with her boyfriend for 5 years. They live together and live pretty seperate lives as he's an actor and she travels all over the world with her job. Yet she wants to settle down. She wants to be married, she wants to have children and settle down. Her bf clearly isnt ready and breaks up with her..moves out. Shes devastated but she doesn't dwell on a man who cant commit..she meets someone new. They fall for eacgother fast..then..

Boom they get married and all of a sudden she finds herself as a fish out of water..moving to a small town in Massachusetts..living in a place where everyone knows eachother. It turns out she wasnt the only one waiting for a proposal ..she meets her new husband's ex girl friend..and finds out they dated for 23 years before he broke up with her.

Drama ensues and Mr. Commitment-phobe shows up and finally proposes..after shes already married. She has to choose between her new life and her old life when a job opportunity pops up in London where her ex is.

This is a relatively short book but dragged in some places. Plus I wish there was slightly more chemistry between the fmc and the husband. Their relationship was sweet though and I was rooting for them.

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I agree with other reviewers that this book is just a little dull. This is the typical story of boy dumps girl, girl moves on, boy comes back but instead of dating relationships these are marriages. I didn’t feel like I ever really got to know our main character so then the chemistry and investment in the couples was missing as well. I was happy with the ending but more because I knew I should be, not because I felt a connection.

SPOILERS AHEAD: Annies husband dumps her so then she finds another guy who is a chef. They jump in to a quick marriage and then she finds out he just broke up with his girlfriend of 14 years. We see his brother and nephews and I think it was meant to endear us to his family and his life but there was just something missing. Her first husband comes back but it’s no contest. She ends up not taking a job in order to be with the 2nd guy.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Laura Dave's writing style is catchy and enjoyable, but her story-line is lacking depth, research and a believable ending. Too childish indecisions and too much anguish over "what should be or have should have been" for this pragmatic reader.

Annie's brother-in-law couldn't possibly have achieved his PhD. in the six weeks allotted (even from the women who was his advisor pulled strings). Additionally, there isn't any new PhD. who is EVER offered a full professorship anywhere . . . ever!!

Most annoying was the lack of a good editor and copy reader to correct the many mistakes and typos.

The premise of this book could have been a sweet, summer read but in reality, this was simply a boring novel which will be forgotten as soon as it's returned to the library later today.