
Published by Thomas NelsonDate Published: 6 July, 2021
Pages: 368
Genres: Women's Fiction
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Purchase: Amazon
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Written in Lauren K. Denton’s signature Southern style, The One You’re With tells a story of marriage, choices, and what a good life really looks like.
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.
“In The One You're With, author Lauren K. Denton dives headfirst into a complicated, tangled situation that shakes the foundation of one family's life as they're forced to reckon with both the past and the future. Denton asks the tough questions, and with great sensitivity and intuitiveness, she unfurls an insightful, emotional story of the impact of the decisions a husband and wife in the present day made two decades earlier. A complex, compelling, powerful story about the roads not taken, the seismic shifts that can happen in an instant, and the way that sometimes, the decisions of the past shape the future in ways we couldn't have imagined.” —Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Lost Names and The Forest of Vanishing Stars
“Lauren Denton is a master not only of Southern fiction, but at capturing the nuance of complicated, messy relationships. This is one of those rare books that I devoured in less than 24 hours, yet didn't want to end.” —Colleen Oakley, USA TODAYbestselling author of You Were There Too
“Reading a Lauren K. Denton book is like spending time with treasured friends. With her warmhearted Southern voice, she expertly guides readers along the achingly emotional path of a marriage in trouble in The One You’re With. This poignant story touches on how the choices we make can shape a lifetime, for better or for worse, and serves as a reminder to never take love for granted. Fix yourself a tall glass of iced tea and settle in, because you’ll have a hard time putting down this lovely, heartfelt novel.” —Heather Webber, USA TODAY bestselling author of Midnight at the Blackbird Café
Full-length Southern women’s fictionStand-alone novelBook length: 116,000 wordsIncludes discussion questions for book clubs
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Author/Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.
My Thoughts
I have to confess. After not liking Denton’s very first novel that well and steering clear of the others, I was a little on edge about what to expect for this one. I didn’t know if my feelings would be the same as the first novel or if I would like it, so I was a little nervous in the beginning of this one. However, once I pushed through and kept on, I was glad that I did!
Reading as a clean fiction, this novel is filled with secrets, and a couple that will stay with you long after you close the book. Mac and Edie truly came to live for me. I followed their story on pins and needles, alternating between the past, the present, and what could be for the future. I stayed up long into the night trying to hang on, feeling their emotions, asking the questions that asked, and feeling the unsureness of it all.
Beautifully written, this story is poignant and truly captivating. This women’s fiction novel will not soon be forgotten and I think I will go back and give the other books that Denton has written a try. Definitely a great 4 star read!
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