Something Borrowed
by Emily Giffin
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Book Reviews of Something Borrowed
Book Review: Conflicted
Summary: 2 Stars
There were many aspects of this book I did not like, and I agree with most of the negative reviews. Rachel is not a heroine in any sense of the word. She was an incredibly unsympathetic character, as was Dexter. Cheating on his fiance, with her best friend, made me dislike him from the very beginning. The fact that he continues the relationship with Rachel, and got jealous when she was just kissing other people (never mind he's engaged to someone else!) made him seem very immature and manipulative. Rachel was a heroine that the reader never really gets to know. If anything, you feel pity for her because she is so pathetic.
The ending was not only predictable, but I felt cheated after reading it. I would have much preferred Rachel and Dexter ending up together and having to deal with the fact that their affair made them not-so-nice people and having Rachel realize that maybe she is the bad friend, not Darcy. I did not like that the author tried to prevent you from feeling any empathy for Darcy by making her the "worst" of the bunch with her own cheating. However, I did not feel bad for Rachel or Dexter after Darcy's revelation. Rachel seems very holier-than-thou since Darcy deceived her and Dexter, but I did not see any blameless party in the situation.
The only "bright spot" in the book that I found remotely realistic was the portrayal of toxic friendships that are so common in women today. I could relate to their high school days and even later in their friendship when it was always an unspoken competition. That aspect of the story was something I found real and interesting. However, that never excuses one for stealing someone's fiance. That proves that Rachel is the real frenemy, not Darcy.
Book Review: Something
Summary: 4 Stars
First this is a very engrossing book to read. Even though I do not agree with Rachel's thinking, I could not put it down.
Rachel and Darcy are best friends since grade school and as the story starts they are now reaching their 30th birthdays. Darcy is the popular, pretty one, while Rachel is the studious, quiet one. Darcy gets engaged to a handsome, rich man, Dex and Rachel is her maid of honor. Rachel was the one who introduced them when she and Dex were at law school because she felt she didn't have a chance with Dex and never even tried. After Darcy gets engaged to Dex, Rachel seems to start to have a mini-meltdown. Oh her life is boring, she has no boyfriend in the picture, she thought she would be married and have two kids by now. I thought that Darcy was a good friend by setting her up on dates which Rachel looked down her nose at. One night after a night of drinking Rachel and Dex sleep together. It turns into a torrid affair. As the affair progresses, Rachel starts seeing how "bad" of a person Darcy is and how she deserves Dex because of that. She justifies their affair throughout the book by systematically tearing her best friend's traits down, things she used to love about her suddenly become annoying or downright offensive to her. I felt that Rachel had no backbone and blamed Darcy for her pathetic life and the affair she chose to have. Even if it was true love, I felt that Dex should've broken off the engagement with Darcy before they decided to have the affair. I call it having your cake and eating it too.
I give this 4 out of 5 stars because I did get tired of Rachel's blame game about her life as Darcy's fault.
Book Review: Don't read before your wedding!
Summary: 4 Stars
"Since elementary school, Rachel and Darcy have been best friends, with Darcy always outshining Rachel. While single Rachel is the self-confessed good girl, an attorney trapped at a suffocating New York law firm, Darcy is the complete opposite, a stereotypical outgoing publicist, planning a wedding with the handsome Dex. After Rachel's 30th birthday party, she knocks back one drink too many and winds up in bed with Dex. Instead of feeling guilty about sleeping with her best friend's fiancé, Rachel realizes that Dex is the only man she's really loved, and that she's always resented manipulative Darcy. Rachel and Dex spend a few weekends in the city together "working" while Darcy's off with friends at a Hamptons beach share, but finally Rachel realizes she'll have to give Dex an ultimatum." ~ From Publishers Weekly
Admittedly, I should not have been reading this book the week before I left for my wedding, but oh well, I liked it anyway. I have had friends like Darcy who always make you feel about 6 inches tall and it was very satisfying to read about Rachel finally getting back at her toxic friend.
I have very few complaints about "Something Borrowed." While admittedly it was not a riveting story, it was still enjoyable in a chick flick sort of way. Giffin does tend to elaborate on feelings a little much as opposed to progressing her plot, but despite having to skim a few pages here and there the book is charming and has a real-life feel to it as opposed to a corny soap opera motif.
"Something Borrowed" is a fun, no strings attached beach read. I might just even pick up the sequel!
Four Stars.
Book Review: Easy read, keeps your attention from the start
Summary: 4 Stars
I saw Emily Giffin on The Today Show a couple weeks ago. I was immediately interested in reading her books because she's an attorney who became disillusioned with being an attorney and so am I. She cracked me up when she said that people go to law school because they're too afraid to do what they really want to do, which is so true. I liked her wit and personality and took a gamble that those things would shine through in her books. I was right. I've read three of her books in the past couple weeks: Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Love the One You're With. Even though I graduated from law school eight years ago, I am still scarred by the inhuman amounts of reading we had to do in a short period of time. I, like fellow lawyer friends, stayed away from reading for pleasure for a long time. Emily's books brought me back to my love of books because her novels pull you in from the start and keep you flipping pages, staying up late to finish "just one more chapter" as I found myself telling my husband. I borrowed the first three books from the library but have ordered Heart of the Matter from Amazon. These books would be great vacation reads. They're mindless (meaning you don't have to grapple with heavy philosophical theories to digest the story) and they're not soft porn like some novels of this genre. I guess you could say they have just the right amount of spice. I enjoy her novels very much and look forward to the arrival of her latest on my doorstep. I probably liked Love the One You're With the best so far. I'm happy to have found her as an author, and to know there just might be life for us unhappy lawyer sorts after all. :) Thanks for the great books Emily.Book Review: Was Unable to Put This Down
Summary: 5 Stars
Although you would expect a book where a woman sleeps with her best friend's fiance to possibly horrify you (after all, how awful!), this book is very well written with a lot of empathy towards all the characters. Yes, Darcy is a stereotypical, immature party girl with nothing better to do than more or less use her friends (and fiance, for that matter). And yes, Rachel definitely starts out as more or less a pushover who doesn't do much for herself. But that doesn't necessarily make them unlikeable - the way this book is written made me want to watch them develop and grow.
Darcy is a bit hard to deal with at times, due to her immaturity and and general selfishness. Of course, with Rachel you do occasionally wonder how she can't feel more guilty, but then, I've also never been in Rachel's shoes. For the most part, Rachel is a very sensible (other than this one leap in her life), down-to-earth person. This book really takes you through a lot of her struggles both with life in general, her best friend (Darcy), and her relationships. It does it in an entertaining way and is very hard to put down.
This book is a must-read to see just how well everything in it is handled. And then the second one, "Something Blue" is also a must read, as it allows you to see a continuation of everything from Darcy's standpoint, and gives you greater insight into her, ultimately allowing you to see her grow and change like we get to watch Rachel do in this book. I would definitely recommend reading both of these books, they're very enjoyable, and really make you think about friendships, relationships, and the way life goes.