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
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.
