First Comes Loves is a family drama examining the relationship of two sisters in the aftermath of their older brother's untimely death. The novel is written from the two sisters' alternating points of view: one chapter is from Meredith's perspective and the next one is from Josie's. The two sisters are quite different and, as is often the case among the closest family members, get on each other's nerves and disagree on pretty much everything. Both sisters are in their mid- to late thirties. Meredith is married and has a four-year older daughter; and Josie (the older of the two) is single and desperately aware of her biological clock ticking away. As both sisters re-examine their lives and priorities, it becomes clear that neither one has gotten over their brother Daniel's death. That tragic event of 15 years ago influenced many of the important decisions they made through the years and continues to hang over everything they do and say to each other. There are a couple of twists in the story and I will not go any further about the plot for fear of revealing anything. I do want to say that Giffin does a good job foreshadowing and building up the reader's expectations for a big reveal.
Overall, I liked this novel. I am rating it 4 out of 5 stars. I think Giffin made some good points about relationships and marriage and the choices we make in life. I also admired the two sisters for their bravery to pursue happiness despite having to make difficult decisions along the way. The only reason for docking a star is that the plot did drag a bit in a few places, and I felt like I was powering through those sections rather than simply enjoying them.
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