Full review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books 
 The One in My Heart is Sherry Thomas' first contemporary novel. I'm a huge fan of her historicals, and I've looked forward to her efforts in other genres. Recently she's been writing YA fantasy, and now we have a contemporary. I respect Thomas for trying out new styles, but this book was pretty uneven for me. 
 It was a bold move to kick off the book with an explicit sex scene, and it was my first hint that I was going to be out of my depth here, not because the sex was anything unusual but because I could never in a million years picture the scenario (it involves rain and tiramisu) actually taking place even though I am well aware that real people have casual sex all the time. It set a tone: these people are going to have great witty banter and great chemistry while totally failing to communicate what they actually want, and they will do all this in the kind of world in which a housekeeper makes tiramisu and then conveniently leaves. 
 I just do not know what to think of this book. For one thing, the plot swerved around a bit - I thought the book would involve more of Eva's struggles with Zelda, but after one incredibly written chapter, the matter was largely dropped. That may have been part of the point. Initially, Eva presents herself as having to behave a certain way in order to take care of Zelda, but as the book progresses it becomes clear that while Zelda has a very serious condition, Eva uses that condition as an excuse to avoid dealing with her own issues. The chapter in which Eva helps Zelda with a depressive episode by quoting Tolkien was one of the truest, saddest, warmest parts of the book, and if more of the book had been like that it would have been an A+ for sure. 
 Clearly this book didn't work for me - it left me mostly confused and kind of pissed off. And yet, I'm positive that someone out there is clutching this book to his or her bosom and saying, "But it's the BEST BOOK EVER!" And they aren't wrong to say that, because this seems to be laced with catnip -- just not my catnip. It's funny, it's full of romantic gestures, it features a great supporting cast of women of all ages, and it's sexy. Eva's friends are a diverse and wonderful group, and Eva also has older women friends and relations who have their own romantic lives. It has touching moments and important things to say about intimacy and trust. 
 But ultimately, this book fell apart for me because I simply could not understand the protagonists, particularly Eva. I'm incredibly curious about what other readers think. Did it confuse everybody? Am I the only person who was totally baffled by the heroine's increasingly bizarre behavior and also by her many hours off work? Am I the only person who was horrified by Bennett's teenaged romance with a woman twice his age? Or did other readers see in this a sensitive portrayal of challenging familial and romantic relationships, wrapped in a luxurious package? I did see that - I saw all of it - but ultimately my enjoyment of the sensitivity and the luxury was out-weighed by my vast frustration with the heroine and with certain aspects of the story. Despite loving Thomas' other books, perhaps I am just not the audience for this one. 
 - Carrie S.