The One You're With
Books | Fiction / Southern
4.1
Lauren K. Denton
Written in Lauren K. Denton's signature Southern style, The One You’re With tells the story of a seemingly perfect marriage rocked by secrets from the past.High-school sweethearts Mac and Edie Swan lead a seemingly picture-perfect life in the sleepy-sweet community of Oak Hill, near Mobile, Alabama. Edie is a respected interior designer, Mac is a beloved pediatrician, and they have two great kids and a historic home on tree-lined Linden Avenue. From the outside, the Swan family is the definition of “the good life.” And life is good—mostly. Until a young woman walks into Mac’s office one day. A young woman whose very existence threatens all Mac and Edie have built and all they think they know about each other.Nineteen years after a summer apart, with a family and established lives and careers, the past that Mac and Edie thought they left behind has come back to greet them. For the first time, constants in their lives are called into question: their roles as parents, their reputation as upstanding members of the community, and the very foundations of their marriage. As they wade through the upheaval in both their family and professional lives, they must each examine choices they made long ago and chart a new course for their future.Full-length Southern women’s fictionStand-alone novelBook length: 116,000 wordsIncludes discussion questions for book clubs
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More Details:
Author
Lauren K. Denton
Pages
368
Publisher
Thomas Nelson
Published Date
2021-07-06
ISBN
0785232621 9780785232629
Community ReviewsSee all
"This was a southern story about family and love. Told from two different timelines. Evie and Mac appear to be the perfect marriage with two kids. However, in 2000 they broke up for the summer. Mac was greeted by a grown pregnant woman that stated she was his daughter. Riley was conceived during that summer of their break. Evie also had a somewhat of a fling with Graham. <br/><br/>The choices you make can change the trajectory of your entire life. What could have happened if Evie and Mac never married?"
"Mac and Edie Swan lead a seemingly picture-perfect life in the sleepy-sweet community of Oak Hill, near Mobile, Alabama.
The story spans the time between 2000 and present day. Readers meet high-school sweethearts and best friends, Mac, Edie and Graham, discover the choices they made over 20 years ago and learn how they have affected their lives.. Mac and Edie’s marriage has changed through the years as their children have grown and their careers have become successful. Will they be able to overcome this most recent change or will their family fall apart?
I enjoyed "The One You're With", because of the "What if?" factor. What day goes by that we don't have many decisions to make? We all have those moments of decision. After one path has been decided and we find out where that path leads, we often wonder where the other path would have gone if it had been chosen instead.
There is sadness, struggle and acceptance. I appreciated journeying with the characters while they worked through choices and sacrifices as a married couple. The imagery from the Gulf coast which is near my home was also a huge hit!! This story grabbed me right from the start and stayed with me after finishing. There is so much substance in this story, that at times it felt real.
Definitely going to check out some more books by this author."