The First Husband: A Novel

Lots of fun!

The First Husband is full of laughs and serves as a "peek inside" your own life.

Annie Adams, 31, leads an exciting life. As a writer for a syndicated travel column, she has the opportunity to visit exotic places and secret hide-a-ways in search of the perfect story. Upon her return from each adventure, she comes home to her live in boyfriend, Nick Campbell, who is a struggling movie director in Los Angeles. Annie seems to be living a dream life...an exciting and fullfilling career and the perfect relationship with the perfect and handsome guy..and then..

An announcement from this perfect guy that he needs to put their relationship on hold because he's not sure he's over an old flame, sends her to the closest bar to ease her pain. She meets Griffin, a chef with an overload of charm and charisma at a beachside restaurant. She learns her job is in potential danger since the paper has been taken over by a new owner.

Griffin needs to return to his home town in Massachusetts to open his own restaurant. Annie doesn't want to lose this connection so she takes a chance and goes with him, stopping by Las Vegas, first at a little wedding chapel and makes it official.

Upon their arrival, their love is put to the test with frenzied family drama. As the warts come out, the real Griffin is revealed. Annie starts to question whether her rash decision to marry a man she hardly knew was the right one. A lot more to come.Enjoy!

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommend The First Husband

Author Laura Dave first captured my attention with London Is the Best City in America, continued to enchant me with The Divorce Party, and has once again exceeded my high expectations with her latest novel, The First Husband. The story of Annie Adams, just shy of 32 and fresh off a breakup from her live-in boyfriend, could easily slip into cookie cutter territory, but Dave steers away from the predictable and embraces all the nitty-gritty, rough edges of relationships, exploring love and loss with reality-colored glasses on. Put simply, have you ever read a book and thought to yourself, "In the movie version of this, who can I see playing the protagonist/main character?" You proceed to check through a list of celebrities, then come as close as you can to casting perfection. Well, with The First Husband (as well as Dave's other amazing books), I can see myself as the main character-not in a narcissistic way, but in a relatable, real way. It's like Dave crawled inside my head and plucked out various thoughts and feelings I've had over the years regarding love, life, career and family. In short, Dave writes for her readers, not at them. In The First Husband, I adore Dave's ability to seamlessly reference Saved By The Bell while explaining a friendship's back story, her observation of the perils of the Internet ("Nowadays you've got to try not to get emotionally involved with someone else; you have to try not to reach out to an old fling and start shrieking about maybe we're meant to be."), how she ponders the advice: "be the opposite of you", her use of a Wilco concert as a major plot point, and the way she notes the use of Facebook "status" (as a way of proclaiming you're "over" someone else). Among the highlights of The First Husband: the intriguing "worst/best thing" question, which would have made my life much easier had I had it as my litmus test for men back when I was dating; an observation on breakups: "That's the brutality of a breakup, right? The people leaving think they did everything possible, the people left behind think what is possible hasn't even been tested yet"; an observation about the path we choose: "When you saw where the truth was, you wanted to get to it as quickly as you could, before you lost sight of it again"; and a gem about life in general, or whatever problem you're faced with: "When you're willing to do the work, it's amazing what can be saved." I can't imagine how Dave will top The First Husband, but I can't wait to find out!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Terribly cliche and poorly written.

I was very excited to read this because of all the wonderful reviews, however was dissapointed in the overall story. The plot lacked real depth and emotion and the character development was lacking. I think maybe I would have liked this book in my late teens or early twenties but I am now seeking something with a bit more uumph!
Read this if you need something light and mindless.

I really liked this book!

I really liked this book. I wish it were a bit longer though, I felt like there were parts that should have been expanded.

Definite chick lit read!

Review by Valerie:
If you're looking for a great chick lit book, this one's a definite read! What is chick lit, you might be wondering...One of the blogs I follow says that the chick lit genre is "writing told in a more confiding, personal tone. It's like having a best friend tell you about her life. Or watching various characters go through things that you have gone through yourself, or witnessed others going through. Humor is a strong point in chick lit, too." This book has it all, I was hooked from page one!

Annie has what others might consider the perfect job, really. She has a magazine column where she writes about places others might want to travel to giving them the good, the hidden, and the unexpected for each location. The job requires a lot of traveling, which in hindsight, means that she can sort of be there for her permanent boyfriend of five years - the man she will eventually marry - or is she really? While the thoughts circle around in her head, he makes an unexpected announcement. Well, was it totally unexpected? She had been watching her comfort movie, Roman Holiday, the classic. Each and every time she treated herself to the movie, during her entire life, something bad happened afterwards.

In some ways, I thought the story might be predictable and I am so glad I was wrong. I enjoyed Annie's attempt to be "the opposite" of what she felt she was and the outcome, a quickie marriage. I laughed aloud as she moves to a town so small that other people can't even get the name right and then deals with her new husband's family. But, as good chick lit does, I also felt incredibly sad when things come to a head and she has to make a decision regarding her need for freedom and her need to settle down. No spoilers here but it's a trip you'll enjoy making with her!

Sweet with great ending

Easy to read and relatable for anyone who has loved

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Excellent read

Annie Adams has spent her entire life moving around. It's no surprise when she lands a job traveling the world writing a syndicated travel column. She is living with good looking long term boyfriend, Nick and their dog. Nick's career as a film director is about to take off. They seem to have it all.or so Annie thought. Nick pulls the rug under her when he reveals he has reconnected with an old flame and needs to see where it leads. Reeling over his announcement, her best friend Jordan tells her to go have fun. He'll be back! Feeling as if she has no idea how to be fun, Jordan tells her to be the opposite of herself.and she does exactly that.
Three months later, Annie is living in a small Massachusetts town married to Griffin. She took her friends advice all right. Suddenly, Annie is in a world she has never known. Her brother-in-law and his twin sons live with them, her new mother-in-law appears to wish Griffin had chosen his once upon a time long term girlfriend that oops Griffin forgot to mention how long they dated! Could their marriage really just be a rebound relationship for both of them? Jordan thinks so and so does Nick who comes back to claim the women and the life he wants back.
All this sends Annie moving, the only thing that feels safe to her. She has to ask herself who is the man she is really meant to spend her life with.
The story itself was not all that different than other books I've read. But what this book has is the protagonist, Annie do some self exploring. She asked herself some tough questions and looked for real answers. She had a best friend giving her advice counter to what I would have said to her-something I can't say I've seen a lot of. Usually the best friend acts as an agent of the readers, I found this completely refreshing! This is a book that has everything a good book should have and more.
I have heard fabulous things about Laura Dave. This was my first Laura Dave book, and it did not disappoint. This was such a great book and I know I'm going to be reading Laura Dave's books from here on out. Not only am I going to recommend this book, but I'll go one further and say if you can't get your hands on a copy of this book read one of her others! This isn't just a good book this is a good author.

Highly Recommended - favorite book of the summer, favorite book of the year...

People Magazine called this one of the best books of summer - and for good reason. I cannot describe how much I loved The First Husband. Laura Dave's writing simply is unmatched. There is a wisdom and beauty to how she writes about love and family. And the fact that this novel is a page turner seems like the ultimate bonus.

The First Husband is a funny and moving story about a travel writer who learns to stop looking outside of herself to figure out what she needs. After a traumatic loss, she finds love in a surprising place -- and manages to find herself.

The First Husband made me reflect on my own life. I can't wait to share it with my book club when I get to pick our read for next month. I simply can't recommend this book highly enough.

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