Something Borrowed
by Emily Giffin
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Book Reviews of Something Borrowed
Book Review: There's always room for one more
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm a big fan of chick lit, and Emily Giffin's tale of a continual second-place girl striding to take first, captured my attention in the mass of broken romances and triangles that dominate this market.
Rachel is a thirty-year-old woman who has always played sidekick to her stunning, tactless, wunderkid best friend Darcy Rhone. Giving up everything from her dream backpack to her first crush to a chance with a stunning guy, Rachel finally has enough when Darcy's fiancee (the guy Rachel introduced to her friend seven years prior) Dex makes a pass for Rachel at her birthday.
Too many shots later, Dex & Rachel end up having sex - but the question remains - is it a one-shot fling to be forgotten? A full-blown affair to be developed? As Dex and Rachel reveal their feelings for one another, Rachel begins to wonder how on earth she'll land her man, save her friendship with Darcy, and have a happily ever after.
Truthfully, my engaged friend gave me this book after refusing to read it given the premise. I went in with mixed feelings - but ended up really liking the book. Not necessairly the characters (Rachel is too panicky and predictable, Darcy is painted with such an unrealistic brush of evilness) but the storyline is what compelled me to read ahead. The final twists were interesting, but not mind-blowing.
All in all, Giffin's premiere novel is a good one. Although I'm not a fan of making some couples seem so OBVIOUSLY wrong (as per Dex & Darcy) for the sake of the storyline, Giffin does a solid job of writing a good page-turner. A nice, easy read that keeps you guessing.
Book Review: Exceptional read!
Summary: 5 Stars
I must admit, I wasn't expecting something really great when I first picked up this book, which was recommended to me by a friend. Not to say I didn't believe my friend, but come on, it was "chick lit", wasn't it? Love, sex, and the NYC lifestyle seems to sum up every current chick lit novel out there right now.
How wrong I was.
Emily Giffin has given fresh perspective to the genre of what it means to be "chick lit", and has done it extremely well. She's gone deeper, and has written more profoundly than any other book I've read that falls into this genre. I found myself relating so closely with the heroine character Rachel, and despising everything about her "best" friend, Darcy.
Before I bought this book, I read the back cover, the first couple of introductory pages... everything.... in order to see if it really was as good as all the reviews claimed it was. I was VERY skeptical when I read that Rachel, the main character and narrative voice, slept with her best friend Darcy's fiance only a few months before the wedding. Why would I want to read and support her in this kind of affair?
But Giffin answered my skepticism on the first page in the first chapter.
I related to Rachel and found myself saying, "I know what she means!" more often than not. This is by far, one of the greatest novels I have ever read, and it's because of Giffin's ability to reveal human attributes that make her characters every bit.... human.
Very down-to-earth, and overall, a GREAT book! I recommend it to anyone and everyone. You will not be disappointed!
Book Review: Ehh
Summary: 3 Stars
This book is compelling and interesting enough to suck you in, but by the time I was finished I disliked all the characters. Personally I was never really rooting for the protagonists and never felt much animosity towards the antagonist.
Yes, Darcy, the antagonist was controlling and self-centered, but no one was forcing Rachel to be her friend. Rachel stuck by Darcy and continued to pretend to be her loyal companion, all while sleeping with Darcy's fiance, Dex. She legitimized her actions by picking apart Darcy's child like behavior; however, hardly ever did she have the courage to tell her friend how she felt or play any role in working out their issues. Additionally Rachel justified this infidelity with the notion the two were SO IN LOVE.
But Dex admitted to having feelings for Rachel for a longtime, so why couldn't he have confessed these feelings before his engagement? And if he thought his love with Darcy was strong enough to push away all his other feelings, why suddenly could he not live without Rachel? Additionally, why was Rachel so convinced of a guy's love when he continued to tell his fiancee the same thing while returning to her night after night? This whole relationship seemed fake and superficial to me. Many relationships have a passionate first couple of months, and that is all I saw portrayed in this one.
So if you are bored, want something light, and have this available to you, go for it. It will entertain you for a couple hours. However, if you want realistic relationships, likable character, and a satisfying ending, I don't see this as the way to go.
Book Review: Something Borrowed
Summary: 5 Stars
Nowadays, you can pretty much find the same predictable storylines in every chick-lit novel. The characters will consist of the same "beautiful people", their life-styles "uber-fabulous", and the men "extremely delicious". But no matter what, we just can't seem to get enough.
Fortunately for us chick-lit lovers, Emily Giffin comes along and gives us an incredible tale by way of SOMETHING BORROWED. It's the story of a woman who gets herself caught up in a dishonest relationship with her best friend's fiancé.
It may sound like your everyday run-of-the-mill plot, but in this treasure, the reader gets to hear the `other woman's' side straight, no chaser ...
Rachel, who uprooted herself from a small town in Indiana, is miserably employed in NYC as an associate at a law firm. Her best friend, Darcy, is engaged to marry one of Rachel's friends from law school. In everyone's eyes, Darcy is the perfect girl--pretty, vivacious, always getting what she wants, and at the same time VERY ill-tempered and demanding.
Just a few months before the wedding, Rachel has a one night stand with Darcy's fiancé. This one night stand develops into a full-blown love affair and suddenly Rachel and Dex can't stand being without one another. How is this going to pan out, when he isn't even able to break off his engagement with Darcy?
Giffin takes this sensitive topic and handles it with much deference and compassion - for all characters involved. So much so that you can't help but root for Rachel all the way.
Book Review: Easy, fun read but unlikeable main character
Summary: 4 Stars
I finished this book in a day, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I hated the main character Rachel and had to rant: what a whiny person. She blames everything that goes wrong in her life on her best friend, when she's too insecure to go after what she wants herself. Nevertheless, I did not want her to end up with a cheater, and if she did, I wanted him to cheat on her since that would be more realistic than them living happily ever after, particularly since in addition to cheating on romantic partners, he does not seem to hold friendship loyalty in high regard: he encourages Rachel to hurt her best friend, and he is furious with Hillary when she sticks up for Rachel. Two examples of moments when I hated Rachel: when she tells Dex that people get engaged so they can figure out if they want to get married (what?! isn't that what you do before proposing & accepting a proposal??) and when she and Claire are discussing Darcy's bachelorette party. Claire says something along the lines of "I guess we should do what Darcy wants," and Rachel thinks, "Because it's always about what Darcy wants" rather than acknowledging that they should do what Darcy wants because it's her bachelorette party. Even though I was sucked into this well-written book, every time Rachel rationalized for herself (yet did nothing to change her situation in life - her job or man situation), I liked Darcy more. So I'm thrilled that I get to read Darcy's point of view now, and I'm surprised that I enjoyed a book in which I did not like the main character or her romantic interest at all.