Love You More by Emily Giffin
Love You More
A Novel
by Emily Giffin
| Genre: | Romance / Women’s Fiction |
| Published: | July 7, 2026 |
| Publisher: | Ballantine Books |
| Setting: | New York City & Wisconsin |
| GR Rating: | ⭐ 4.2/5 Stars |
| Format: | Hardcover, Kindle & Audiobook |
| My Rating: | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 |
Buy on Amazon →
5 out of 5 — Emily Giffin’s Most Emotionally Powerful Novel Yet!
Getting Away with Murder by Shari Lapena
What do you do when one phone call from your past threatens to destroy the perfect future you have built? Love You More by Emily Giffin is the most emotionally powerful, deeply human, and utterly compulsive novel of summer 2026 — and it will keep you up all night turning pages.
Love You More is about how the past — including our friendships, first loves and losses — shapes the choices we make later in life. It is a story of ambition, identity and belonging, but above all, it is about love in its many forms and the courage it takes to claim the life we truly want — in the words of Emily Giffin herself. Published by Ballantine Books on July 7, 2026, this is the twelfth novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Something Borrowed — and it is being called her best work yet.
About the Author — Emily Giffin
Emily Giffin is the author of twelve internationally bestselling novels including Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Baby Proof, Love the One You’re With, Heart of the Matter, Where We Belong, The One & Only, First Comes Love, All We Ever Wanted, The Lies That Bind, Meant to Be, and The Summer Pact. She lives in Atlanta with her family and two dogs.
Giffin made her literary debut in 2004 with Something Borrowed — which was adapted into a hit 2011 romantic comedy movie starring Kate Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin. She has since built one of the most devoted readerships in contemporary women’s fiction. The New York Times calls her work juicy, page-turning escapism, while Marie Claire says if Giffin is writing it, I’m going to be reading it.
“Giffin knows how to do drama, and she ratchets up the stakes with every page. The nostalgia-filled ride is full of twists and turns that will keep readers flipping the pages. A deliciously dramatic look at how one woman’s past influences her future.” — Kirkus Reviews
Book Summary — What is Love You More About?
Billie has built the perfect life. Her medical practice in New York City is thriving, and she has finally found the right partner in Dean after years spent trying to move on from her high-school sweetheart, Mick. Their young love had been intense and true, but distance and ambition pulled them apart when she left Wisconsin for medical school.
Then one morning, just after she has accepted Dean’s romantic marriage proposal, Billie’s phone rings. It is Mick — calling for the first time in nearly a decade. His news is urgent and in a moment, everything changes. As Billie boards a plane back to Wisconsin, her past comes rushing in — her hometown friendships, the love she and Mick shared, and the choices that shaped them all.
One phone call from the true love of her past changes the trajectory of Billie’s life forever, the day after saying yes to marry the man she has fallen in love with and committed to spending her future with. Billie’s world is rocked, her life upended, and the tension never stops from there.
Gripping and deeply moving, Love You More is a story about the plot twists life throws at us — and how love, in all its forms, has the power to change everything. This is the kind of novel that makes you question your own past choices — the roads not taken, the loves left behind, and the courage it takes to truly know your own heart.
Main Characters
Billie — The Doctor
A New York physician who has worked hard to build the perfect life — thriving medical practice, loving fiancé, and a future full of promise. Billie is one of Emily Giffin’s most richly drawn heroines — deeply relatable in her ambition, her loyalty, and her terrifying inability to simply let go of the past. Her internal conflict between the life she has built and the love she left behind is absolutely devastating.
Dean — The Perfect Fiancé
The man Billie adores — reliable, loving, and everything she thought she wanted. Dean represents the safe, certain future that Billie has carefully built for herself. His very perfection makes Billie’s conflict all the more agonizing — this is not a story about a bad relationship, but about whether the right relationship is necessarily the one your heart cannot forget.
Mick — The First Love
Billie’s high school sweetheart from Wisconsin whose phone call shatters her carefully ordered world. Mick represents everything Billie left behind — first love, small-town roots, and the version of herself that existed before ambition took over. His urgent news, withheld from readers until exactly the right moment, is the engine that drives the entire emotional plot.
5 Reasons Love You More is a Must Read
1. The Most Emotionally Honest Love Story of 2026
Giffin does not offer easy answers — she simply asks the hardest questions. What do we owe the people we love? Can we ever truly move on from a first love? And what does it mean to choose the life you want rather than the life you feel you deserve? This is emotional fiction of the highest order.
2. Non-Stop Tension from Page One
Giffin is a truly gifted writer, and her character development shines with such force in this book. Her prose is just as beautiful as ever and reminds us why she swept us away with her remarkable debut novel, Something Borrowed, more than twenty years ago. The tension literally never stops from the moment that phone call arrives.
3.New York City + Wisconsin Contrast
The contrast between Billie’s sophisticated New York life and the small-town Wisconsin world she left behind creates a rich, nostalgic backdrop that mirrors her internal conflict perfectly. Giffin uses setting with extraordinary skill — the two worlds feel completely alive and completely different.
4. Beautiful Prose and Character Depth
This was such a refreshing read. Emily Giffin always paints the most beautiful picture with fresh characters you can always root for. The unique and original writing style that she always puts on display. Billie feels like a real person — not a fictional character — and that is the mark of a truly great novelist.
5. The Perfect Summer 2026 Read
This will be such a hit this summer — highly recommended if you are looking for something to relax, enjoy, and have a good time! Love You More is exactly the kind of book you want in your hands on a summer afternoon — emotionally engaging, beautifully written, and impossible to put down.
What I Loved & What Could Be Better
What I Loved
- Billie — deeply relatable heroine
- Mick and Dean both feel real
- Beautiful, nostalgic prose
- Tension from page one
- NYC & Wisconsin contrast
- Honest emotional storytelling
Minor Issues
- Ending feels slightly rushed
- Epilogue wraps up too quickly
- Some readers want more depth
Who Should Read Love You More?
- Longtime fans of Emily Giffin
- Readers who loved Something Borrowed
- Anyone who enjoys emotionally powerful women’s fiction
- Fans of first love and second chance romance stories
- Readers looking for the perfect summer 2026 read
- Anyone who has ever wondered about the road not taken
My Final Rating
5 out of 5 — Emily Giffin’s most emotionally powerful novel in years. A perfect summer read that will break your heart in the best way.
Final Verdict — Is Love You More Worth Reading?
Without any question — yes. Love You More is Emily Giffin at her very best — deeply emotional, beautifully written, and completely impossible to put down. Giffin is a truly gifted writer, and her character development shines with such force in this book.
Billie’s impossible situation — caught between the perfect future and the unforgettable past — is one that will resonate deeply with anyone who has ever loved and lost, chosen ambition over love, or wondered what their life might have looked like if they had made a different choice at a crucial moment. This is the kind of story that makes you think about your own life long after you finish reading it.
Whether you have read all of Emily Giffin’s previous novels or are discovering her for the very first time, Love You More is the perfect place to fall in love with her writing. Pick it up this summer — you will not regret it!
Ready to Read Love You More?
Get your copy of Emily Giffin’s most powerful novel yet — available July 7, 2026 on Amazon.
Pingback: The Secrets We Hide: A North Falls Thriller – The Next North Falls Thriller From Karin Slaughter Where a Brutal Attack Shatters a Small Town's Peace by Karin Slaughter - novelspub.com