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One True Loves: what to expect from the movie adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Casper Libero chapter.

Alert: this article contains spoilers!

One True Loves hit movie theaters in the United States in April, but it’s now arriving on Brazilian soil. Premiering May 18th, the movie is an adaptation of a novel from the best-seller, Taylor Jenkins Reid (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six). As we find out at the beginning of the movie, the story is about the difficult decision that haunts Emma Blair (Phillipa Soo), the daughter of booksellers that once was hooked by the idea of traveling the entire world especially her adventurous husband and high school sweetheart Jesse Lerner (Luke Bracey), until one day she receives a phone call with the news of the crash of a helicopter Jesse was in.

After months of searching, he is declared dead and Emma is forced to move on with her life, moving back to their hometown supported by her family. Years from that, Emma reunites with Sam Lee (Simu Liu), an old friend from school who always had a crush on her, and they fall in love. On the night of their engagement party, another phone call shakes up her entire world: it’s Jesse. He’s alive.

From this moment, hearts are meant to be crushed. Watching the scene of Jesse coming back overwhelmed and kissing Emma is just as heartbreaking as watching Sam agonize with the thought of losing his fiancé at the same time as he chooses to give her the space she needs to figure out what to do. It’s hard not to put yourself in Emma’s position, imagining what you would do if you were her. As time goes forward and back with flashbacks, we learn from Jesse and the time he was lost and Emma while she was healing and finding her way through love again.

The movie is filled with romantic cute moments, funny and silly jokes, and sad parts that will make you burst into tears. The mixture of anger by what happened, grief but also love and resilience brings the precept that we cannot control what happens around us. People change, and circumstances change, as much as we wanted them not to. And that, somehow, it’s what makes life livable. This movie is exactly what I’d go to on a Sunday night, eating pizza on my couch. And who will Emma choose? Well, you can find that out today in movie theaters all over Brazil.

🎥 Related: From Daisy Jones To Evelyn Hugo: What Can We Expect From Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Book Adaptations?

The article above was edited by Clarissa Palácio.

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Giulia Peruzzo

Casper Libero '26

Psychologist and future journalist. An aquarius looking forward to make a better world through my stories some day.