Something Borrowed

Something Borrowed (Darcy & Rachel #1)

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3.74 of 5 stars 3.74  ·  rating details  ·  227,536 ratings  ·  9,470 reviews
Rachel White is the consummate good girl. A hard-working attorney at a large Manhattan law firm and a diligent maid of honor to her charmed best friend Darcy, Rachel has always played by all the rules. Since grade school, she has watched Darcy shine, quietly accepting the sidekick role in their lopsided friendship. But that suddenly changes the night of her thirtieth birth...more
Kindle Edition, 354 pages
Published April 1st 2010 by St. Martin's Press (first published June 1st 2004)
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Megha

First-reads.

Ok, I tried. I am not going to read this tripe any further.

From the first 50-ish pages that I did read, this books sounds somewhat like the show 'Sex and the City'. Rachel is part-Miranada - a not so good looking lawyer, and part-Charolette - miss goody two shoes who wants to find a husband and settle down. Darcy is part-Samantha, part-Carrie, she has good looks and has always managed to make the guy she liked fall for her and is now engaged to a guy she wants to marry. And just like...more
Traci
I only acknowledge that I read this book so I can say how much I hated it. The two main characters are completely unlikable, one for being completely self-absorbed and selfish, and the other for being so spineless and whiny. So spineless, in fact, that the action of her sleeping with her friend's fiancé wasn't even a credible one. The further I got into it, the more I was disgusted with it. I also found it very difficult to believe that at 30, the two characters would continue to be friends. Usu...more
Bonnie
Aug 15, 2007 Bonnie rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: all my gal pals
I loved this book and have passed it on to other friends! Thanks to Kristi for turning me on to this author.

This is one of the best chick-lit books ever. The follow-up "Something Blue" was almost as good. The story focuses on two lifelong best friends, Rachel and Darcy. The first installment is told from Rachel's perspective; the second book is told from Darcy's perspective. Very clever.

Rachel is the single, plain, thirtysomething, always a responsible good girl attorney. Something I can totall...more
The Holy Terror
This book is the reason I haven't won a giveaway on here for over three years. *shakes fist* I never read it so I've never won another giveaway and now I probably will never win one again in the future.

I won this from Goodreads in one of the first giveaways I entered, back in 2009, I believe. I think they gave away over 1000 copies of this book, or something around that? Since then I've realized that unless you read the books they send you you're probably not going to win another giveaway. Oh we...more
Annalisa
May 14, 2011 Annalisa rated it 3 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommended to Annalisa by: Brynnly
Shelves: chick-lit, movies
Despite all my protests and misgivings about a book on infidelity, I was surprised that had the urge to get back to the story and find out what happened. For that, I wanted to give the book 4 stars, but I just couldn't because, well, it's a book about infidelity, and not just about infidelity, but the view point that there's nothing wrong with it since the couple isn't married yet.

The book starts with A LOT of backstory. It's eventually important to Rachel and Darcy's relationship, but it sure m...more
katie
It wasn't bad as chicklit goes, but I don't know how sympathetic I can be to characters who are betraying their fiancees and best friends. Plus, in order to make the cheating something "okay," a lot of energy is put into making Darcy really off-putting and Rachel really kind of pathetic. I liked Hilary and Ethan a lot (though in all other chick lit books Ethan would have been either gay or the guy Rachel actually ended up with), but the central relationships just left me cold.

Eh. Apparently I c...more
Kim
This book is not my favorite genre, but I did enjoy it. I passed it on to my sister who loved it and even read Emily Giffin's other books. If chick-lit is your thing, this would probably be a terrific choice!
Sarah
Feb 21, 2008 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Women on vacation who want a quick, predictable read
So here's my take on Something Borrowed, and "Chic-lit" in general - it's satisfying in the way watching an episode of The Hills is satisfying. You know EXACTLY what's going to happen from the first lines of the first chapter (which i guess can be nice since it makes you feel smart and gives a general sense of superiority); the characters are predictable, with a "heroine" that's just likable enough to continue reading but who you generally dislike/never fully sympathize with; it's pretty much so...more
Winna
I read this book in two sittings. I know it is a little controversial: some people adore Rachel for 'stealing' her best friend Darcy's fiance. And some others think it is just immoral.

Here goes my opinion. Rachel, who is a passive thirty years old woman, has lived in Darcy's shadow all her life. Darcy stole her first love Ethan (who now becomes Rach's best friend), her Notre Dame acceptance, her pride and even Rachel's own mother's sympathy. Darcy is not that evil, actually, she is self centered...more
Kim
Jun 12, 2007 Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: chick lit with heart lovers
Shelves: chick_lit, 2005
This is my absolute favourite in chick lit. The characters are very well written and real. And you can't help but to feel for the main girl. She may be sleeping with her best friend's fiancé. But that doesn't mean that she's completely cruel and doesn't deserve the other girl's friendship. Or your own. The way the author retells the girl's background. How they interacted as they grew up. And how one always used the other as a measuring stick for everything she did back then and still does. You c...more
Alison
Jun 10, 2009 Alison rated it 1 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition
Recommended to Alison by: Ladi
Well, this was my first, and now probably last, foray into "chick-lit." I found the characters to be totally unbelieveable. A "consummate good-girl" would never have an affair with her best friend's fiancee, despite Darcy's shortcomings as a friend. Some feel Rachel's behavior was justified because of Darcy's litany of slights, pulled from as far back as 5th grade. However that Rachel remained Darcy's friend in spite of her bitchiness, just proves Rachel's own weakness of character. And it was t...more
Allison
Sep 06, 2007 Allison rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: Chick Lit Lovers
You WANT to hate the main character - I mean, she's not only hooking up with an engaged man, but it's her best friend's fiance - but, Griffin did an amazing job of making Rachel someone you rooted for. So, congrats on that!

This was a great beach read. Quick and quirky.
Lady Valee
Aug 04, 2011 Lady Valee marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: cont-romance
I always wanted to read this book and I had no idea there would be a movie about it (other way I would have read it sooner), now I feel like a total loser because I watched the movie accidentally as I had no idea it would be about this book!

Loved it but I can't read this book now because I know what will happen. I will be reading book 2 right away though because I just need to know what will happen to Darcy.

What a great movie !



description
So hot! Loved all the actors they chose to play the characters from...more
Kelly
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Bree
Unlike a lot of "chick-lit", this one was semi-believable and I actually liked the main character (Rachel). She was a smart girl, not all obsessed with shopping and spending money...she just seemed like a normal person, someone I might hang out with. Darcy, on the other hand...irritated me SO bad (probably because the story was written from Rachel's point-of-view and you could see as the story went on how badly she was treated by Darcy). I liked that it got into the plot immediately, and it kept...more
Leslie
A beach read recommended by Mom and read on an airplane. This book is like a rom com drawn out into 6 to 8 hours of reading. It is not just any rom com, but one focused on girls who want to drink the bleach when they are not married in a cul-de-sac at 29. In terms of my personal enjoyment, it was not as bad as Just Like Heaven and not as good as Working Girl. It is fun, if sort of problematic, but we knew we were slathering ourselves in a bath full of marshmallow fluff and not nutrient-rich eart...more
Jackie
After seeing the movie, I was really eager to read the book! I felt really connected to the character of Rachel and in both the books and movie I could relate to her easily.

The story line is pretty scandalous. Lots and lots of messed up situations that interfere with friendship and love. I thought that the whole cheating thing, although created a good story, was pretty unnecessary. You want to side with Rachel so badly, because it is her true love, and Dex loves her back, but I can't help but t...more
Leah
Rachel White is the consummate good girl. A hard-working attorney at a large Manhattan law firm and a diligent maid of honor to her charmed best friend Darcy, Rachel has always played by all the rules. Since grade school, she has watched Darcy shine, quietly accepting the sidekick role in their lopsided friendship. But that suddenly changes the night of her thirtieth birthday when Rachel finally confesses her feelings to Darcy's fiance, and is both horrified and thrilled to discover that he feel...more
S.
This is a predictable read. I probably would have liked it more when I was younger. I have less patience for the characters behavior now. It's a quick read.

Rachel lives in the shadow of her best friend Darcy and has a pretty weak personality so far. She seems to resent her friend and yet, they both take each other for granted. Rachel doesn't seem to have confidence in herself and reacts to situations instead of acting on what she wants. Dex, Mr. Perfect, is also pretty weak. Why didn't he ask R...more
Sarah Null
The first time I read this book, I picked it up in Barnes & Noble one day while killing time between work and rehearsal. I ended up getting a coffee and reading the first quarter of it right there in the store. It really captured me. Though the main characters are involved in a moral dilemma, they are still sympathetic and likeable. I actually found myself rooting for them and realizing that things aren't always black and white. I decided to read it again when Giffin's third novel came out,...more
Regina
This is one of my favorite books. I have read, re-read and re-read again and again!!!
Jenny O.
I "read" Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed last year through my library's eaudiobook collection. All the books I really wanted to check out had ridiculously long wait lists and I needed to get a mountain of cleaning done because family was getting into town two days later. So, I halfheartedly downloaded the foofy-covered book and expected some mediocre hours of entertainment. It is, after all, chick-lit.

But this isn't a justification for chick-lit genre, whatever the term has come to mean over t...more
S.  Dixon, DTR
Let me start by saying that I will always remember this book, because I won it on goodreads. Yeah!

This book starts out with a story of a ten year old girl name Rachel, who moves to a cul de sac and becomes best friends with Darcy, the girl next door. Their friendship is built on sleepovers,phone calls, boys, and all the things that girls do together. One day while looking at a perpetual calendar, Rachel wondered what day her thirtieth birthday would fall on. She was happy that it fell on a Sunda...more
Lynai
Not the ending I expected but still made me interested enough to start its sequel, book:Something Blue|42155], right away. I would love to know about Darcy's POV this time. :)

***UPDATE!!!***

This is my first conscious foray into chic-lit (I know some would frown at my use of the term, chic-lit, but I just don’t see anything wrong with it). I say conscious because I deliberately chose to read the book not for the reason that I don’t have anything to read anymore, but for the reason that I want to...more
Sarah
Excerpt: Dinner will not be perfect, but I am learning that perfection isn't what matters. In fact, it's the very thing that can destroy you if you let it.

Love the book very much.

HEADS UP PEOPLE!!!

This is going to be made into a movie! Starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Kate Hudson and Colin Egglesfield.

Showing on May 2011 in the US. I wonder if it'll show here in the Phil.
Chanpreet
This my 1st Emily Giffin book. I know that's heresy in the chick lit world, but I was clueless until I saw trailers for the movie version that was just recently released. Movies are always adaptations, so I thought it best to read the book before I watched the movie.

There are so many things I loved about the book. I loved how you could empathize with every single character. It was harder with Darcy, but it wasn't impossible. I loved how the book was mostly a grey area as opposed to being black a...more
Laurel
It's been less than a week since I finished this book, and it's already fading from memory. In the end, I'm not sure what the point of it all was. Perhaps it was this:

It's okay to have an affair with your best-friend's fiance, just so long as:
1. You met him first
2. You were drunk the first time you slept with him
3. Your best friend can sometimes be pretty selfish and even a bit mean
4. (view spoiler)[ Spoiler: Turns out your best friend is also having an affair, and even got herself knocked up wi...more
Alex
At First Sight: Rachel and Darcy have been best friends since what feels like forever, going through every stage of life together but, on the night of Rachel's 30th birthday party, something happens and things start to unravel.

That night at the end of Spring, Rachel and Darcy's fiancé Dex are the last ones at the bar and decide to go out for one last drink, they share a surprising kiss on the cab back home and end up in bed together. Dex and Rachel also have a history together - they became good...more
Giselle
Controversial is what this book is, wooey!! I both loved and hated every character. Except Ethan. I just love Ethan! I also loved and hated every situation and possible conclusions of this story. Not in a - I hate this story - way. It's just a very no win situation for everybody. It's still a fun book for sure. A light and fun chick-lit to give you a break from changing diapers (or other similarly stimulating tasks that applies to you).

The plot is simple: Darcy and Rachel are BFFs, Darcy is eng...more
Gigi
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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topics  posts  views  last activity   
Critical American...: Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin 5 8 Jun 01, 2013 09:34am  
romance versus chick lit 11 272 Jan 15, 2013 06:45am  
the darcy's in our lives 5 130 Jul 24, 2012 03:44am  
*~Can't Stop Read...: something borrowed 1 24 May 14, 2012 07:21am  
Something Borrowed (Hardcover)
Something Borrowed (Darcy & Rachel, #1)
Something Borrowed (Kindle Edition)
Something Borrowed (ebook)
Something Borrowed (Mass Market Paperback)

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Emily Giffin is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia School of Law. After practicing litigation at a Manhattan firm for several years, she moved to London to write full time. The author of six New York Times bestselling novels, she now lives in Atlanta with her husband and three young children.

Emily's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/EmilyGiffinFans

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