In her eagerly awaited new novel, beloved New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin returns with an extraordinary story of love and loyalty—and an unconventional heroine struggling to reconcile both.
Thirty-three-year-old Shea Rigsby has spent her entire life in Walker, Texas—a small college town that lives and dies by football, a passion she unabashedly shares. Raised alongside her best friend, Lucy, the daughter of Walker’s legendary head coach, Clive Carr, Shea was too devoted to her hometown team to leave. Instead she stayed in Walker for college, even taking a job in the university athletic department after graduation, where she has remained for more than a decade.
But when an unexpected tragedy strikes the tight-knit Walker community, Shea’s comfortable world is upended, and she begins to wonder if the life she’s chosen is really enough for her. As she finally gives up her safety net to set out on an unexpected path, Shea discovers unsettling truths about the people and things she has always trusted most—and is forced to confront her deepest desires, fears, and secrets.
Thoughtful, funny, and brilliantly observed, The One and Only is a luminous novel about finding your passion, following your heart, and, most of all, believing in something bigger than yourself . . . the one and only thing that truly makes life worth living.
PRAISE FROM THE MEDIA
“Giffin scores again by bringing her discerning understanding of matters of the heart to The One & Only, in which Shea Rigsby must stop living her life on the sidelines.”—Family Circle
“Deep, beautifully written… as with many of her novels [Giffin’s] latest focuses on a forbidden love of sorts, but in a new setting: a fictional small college town in Texas.”—Marie Claire
“Brace yourself for a tearjerker: A tale of friendship and loyalty in a small, football-crazed Texas town shows how quickly things can change when tragedy challenges all that the characters hold dear. [A] page-turner.” —InStyle
"Each and every page of this story is entertaining… Giffin is a talented writer who always comes up with a plot that is just a bit different than anything others are writing about… Find a shady spot; get a cool drink, and just luxuriate in the joy of a book well written." —The Huffington Post
"A poignant, entertaining novel." —People
"Giffin has scored another bestseller with this newest contemporary novel …which centers on a woman… who suddenly begins to doubt her life and the choices she made after a tragedy occurs."—Christian Science Monitor
"Addictive… Try The One & Only if you heart rom-coms and football." —Brides
"With an Emily Giffin book it’s pretty much a guarantee you will be hypnotically engrossed in its fictional world within seconds… Giffin fans are familiar with binge reading her books: once again they will be sorry when this one comes to an end." —Woodbury
"Cliches are in short supply in Giffin’s work. Sure, some might mistakenly attempt to slap a ‘chick lit’ label on her runaway bestseller novels… But while her books protagonists happen to be women with relationship ‘issues’ they’re just as likely to wrestle with what it means to be a good friend, family member, or co-worker to people of both sexes as to try to find love. They also live full, interesting lives outside the purely personal realm—no more so than Shea Rigsby, the funny, flawed but sympathetic central character in the The One & Only." —Atlanta Journal Constitution
"Giffin is known for telling a good love story. Whether it’s about falling for a best friend’s fiancé in Something Borrowed or the gnawing feeling of wondering ‘what if’ about someone you let go long ago in Love the One You’re With, Giffin has made a career of exploring the complications of love and lust. Her new book is no exception." —Metro
"The One & Only is one to read…Giffin’s specialty is writing about relationships, especially when they are messy and complicated. In her bestsellers she has tackled themes such as betrayal, adultery and heartbreak while keeping her characters relatable, albeit flawed….The One & Only follows Shea Rigsby, who begins to question her path in life, and admits truths she never allowed herself to see. It’s not uncommon to ask yourself when reading Giffin’s books: ‘How would I handle this?’ What would I do?’" —Associated Press
"To fill your Friday Night Lights void: A tale of die-hard love in a die-hard Texas football town from the bestselling author of Something Borrowed." —Cosmopolitan
"Giffin knows a thing or two about writing a page turner." —Southern Living
"The One & Only is a fast, enjoyable read, the rare novel that gives insight into an NCAA program and how its coach operates." —The State
"As with Giffin's previous books, The One & Only will make the readers feel as if they're living the protagonist's challenges themselves, asking 'How would I handle this? What would I do?'" —The Week
"It is Giffin’s trademark honesty that makes the reader relate to and root for Shea and the rest of her female characters…The One & Only is a poignant story about growing up and into your own skin."—BookPage
"In Giffin’s well-paced 432-page novel, which cautiously unpacks the Elektra complex at its core, nothing is cut-and-dried...Giffin has a polished writing style that maintains its light touch even when the subject dips into dark territory; she has a knack for drawing readers into her stories and depicting unappealing, even sordid, situations with...depth and emotion." —Memphis Commercial Appeal
