Title: Something Borrowed
Author: Emily Giffin
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: June, 2004
Hardcover: 322 pages
Genre: Chick-Lit
Rating: 8/10
Description: Meet Rachel White, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy’s fiancé. Although she wakes up determined to put the one night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. In her wildest dreams (or worst nightmare?) this is the last thing on earth Rachel could ever have imagined happening.
As the September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren’t always neat and sometimes you have to risk all to win true happiness.
My Thoughts: The plot device I hate above all others when I read is infidelity. I put off reading this book for a very long time because of that. When I began reading the book, I was prepared to hate Rachel on sight and judge her as selfish and slutty. What kind of woman would sleep with her best friend’s fiancé? Especially when that woman is also the maiden of honor in the wedding? So, filled with my self-righteous anger and indignation, I began reading this book. And did a complete 180.
Kudos to Ms. Giffin for taking a very difficult situation for anyone to be in and making the perpetrators sympathetic. The story is told completely from Rachel’s point of view. I found myself sympathizing with Rachel; the situation she finds her self in, struggling with trying to make the right decisions, and not wanting to hurt Darcy, though Darcy comes off as a very spoiled and manipulative brat.
Rachel and Dex are very likeable characters. They have known each other since law school and Rachel is the one who introduced Dex to Darcy. They don’t plan on sleeping together and afterward try to make the best of an awkward situation. They don’t plan on falling in love and with the wedding looming over their heads, I was in constant suspense as to what Dex was going to do. Rachel’s anxiety over the situation was very believable and well written. I was on the edge of my seat hoping that Dex wouldn’t turn out to be someone just looking to score before taking the leap. Rachel is someone who has lived in Darcy’s shadow since they were children and I had to admire her strength of spirit in wanting to hold on with both hands the unexpected love she has found with Dex.
With each trip down memory lane, my loyalty and sympathy for Rachel increased as we are shown how spoiled and calculating Darcy has been. Various supporting characters from their past and present also enriched the story for me.
I especially enjoyed the final showdown, for lack of a better term. It was well written and filled with nail biting tension and major surprises. I’m still not liking the infidelity plot device, but I can understand that, as in all things in life, it’s not all black or white. I’m looking forward to the follow-up, Something Blue, to see if Darcy has any redeeming qualities at all.
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