Book Journal: Emily Giffin's Love the One You're With

I started reading Love the One You're With last Friday and found I couldn't stop reading, so I finished it on Sunday afternoon.  Of course, I should have been writing!  Still, having been so focused on my own writing of late, reading has been on the back burner, and I was eager to just relax and read.  Here's what I want to mention:

• Whenever I read, I look for a Savory Sentence.  Alas, I couldn't find one here.  Please comment if you think I missed it.
• Having moved to the South myself from Toronto via Los Angeles, I share Ellen's observations about Southern phrases.  Bless her heart!  It really does come across as insincere to those of us from other regions of the country.  What, exactly, does it mean?!
• I loved so much about this book.  Mostly, I loved Leo.  With all his flaws and committment phobia, I found him to be the most authentic character in the story.  The most true to himself.  That he reminds me of an ex-boyfriend might have something to do with my affection for him.  I don't think I could be friends with Ellen; even now, I am not convinced that this is a woman who knows herself and what she really wants.  Having lost my own mother too soon, I could definitely relate to Ellen and her confusion. Losing a mother, or father, early in life leaves a void in so many ways.  Still, Ellen seems to have simply have taken the path of least resistance, instead of proactively creating her life.  Emily Giffin is a gifted author - this is the first book of hers that I have read and will not be the last.  Her pacing is excellent, her characterization spot on, and I was thoroughly entertained by her observations of society, friendships, and relationships.  I could have done without the occasional expletive.  In the end, the point of the book rings true ... love the one you're with.
• Would I recommend this book to a friend?  YES!