book of the month

This month's Book Club Bloggers Book of the Month was One Day. I really enjoyed this book and couldn't help but get pulled into the world of Em and Dex, Dex and Em.

*Spoiler Alert*

This was a very fast-paced, easy read. I even found myself literally laughing out loud at some parts! It was fun, smart and sexy but also profound and poignant. There were so many missed calls, unspoken thoughts, unsent letters, and missed opportunities over the years.

The sexual tension between Emma and Dexter really drove the story, making me wonder when they would get together, how they would get together, if they would together. But after awhile the tension wasn't there so much and the book focused more on growing up.

I'm the age that Emma and Dexter were when the book first started, a young 23 years old, so much life ahead of you, feeling your dreams are still possible and easily attainable. But One Day shows the cruel reality of how fast life can pass you by. You think you have all the time in the world, you're young with the world at your feet. One day you've graduated college and the next thing you know you're 30 years old and you haven't nearly lived the life you thought you would.

In this regard I related to Emma so much more than Dexter. She was a smart, promising young woman, lacking in self-confidence and completely unaware of how amazing she truly was. But she got stuck along the way, working in fast food for a few years, teaching for a few, but never getting around to actually writing. I sympathized with her, completely understanding how you can get stuck working a mediocre job.

For the most part I generally disliked Dexter. I felt that I couldn't relate to him in any way. But then he would go and think something or do something and I couldn't help but feel for the guy. He had a good heart and good intentions but then he would just get stupid.

Eventually, Emma and Dexter do end up together. They even end up married. They end up successful in both of their jobs. But there were three more years left before the end of the book. Which had me wondering if maybe the ending wasn't that they got together, but something else. What was it all heading towards? What was the true meaning of this one day, July 15th of each year?

And then it was heartbreaking. It literally took my breath away when Emma died. It really got to me for some reason, how she was just gone so instantly, when everything was finally working out for her. She was writing sequels for her successful book series, she was married to her best friend, she was beautiful and confident... And then...

I keep hearing in my head what Emma would say. Some flippant remark like, "Are you kidding me? I actually died? How tragic."

It would be easy to say that it was all for nothing. How could she just die after seventeen years of trying so hard? But it wasn't for nothing. It was for Dexter.