Something Borrowed

By: Emily Giffin

Narrated by: Jennifer Wiltsie

Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Rachel has always been a good girl--until her 30th 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 Dex. Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for Dex. She prays for fate to intervene, but when she makes a choice she discovers that the lines between right and wrong are blurry, endings aren't always neat, and you have to risk all to win true happiness.

©2004 Emily Giffin (P)2009 Macmillan Audio

If you like weak minded heroines then is for you.

What did you like best about Something Borrowed? What did you like least?

I liked that Rachel finally took a stand for herself, but I didn't like how weak she was really throughout the entire book. She's an intelligent and accomplished woman, but all she seems to think about is her best friend being a bitch to her since they met and her yearning for her fiance. I understand it's difficult to stand up against your friends especially when you're so used to their behavior, but in my opinion I don't like that she went behind her back and continued the affair. I think she should have been upfront with Dax from the beginning instead of allowing herself to be his mistress until he decided it was time. I thought this would be a cute romantic dramedy, but it just annoyed me, I'm glad I held off on purchasing the sequel.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Game of Thrones book 2

What does Jennifer Wiltsie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I think she did a great job of conveying the emotions of the characters.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I actually so the movie first, but never saw the last 20 minutes so I figured it would be nice to read the book since I liked the film...I was wrong. The movie changed a lot, but I'm glad that it cut Rachel and Dax's relationship to only a few stolen moments, but I didn't like how they changed the Ethan and Rachel's relationship and cut out Hillary.

Any additional comments?

Honestly I don't know what woman would read this and think it's so amazing. Emily Griffin is a good writer, but if her female characters are all like Rachel I'd prefer to steer clear.

One of my favorites

wasn't my time reading this, so I bought the audio. The performance was very good. Did not disappoint.

Great!

Such a wonderful book. A bit different from the movie here and there. I always enjoy them both. Excellent narrator as well.

Love, friendship, betrayal and guilt

Thoroughly enjoyed the entertaining story --- I actually looked forward to my hour-long commute so I could listen to it. On top of that, the reader, Jennifer Wiltsie, was terrific --- great job with all the voices.

I'm looking forward to the sequel, Something Blue, but just wish I could find the unabridged version so I can listen to the entire story.

A realistic look at female friendships

A lot of chick lit involves wacky misadventures with larger-than-life heroines. "Something Borrowed" could have very easily followed suit (I'm picturing Rachel and Dex hiding behind planters to avoid Darcy.) Thankfully, wacky misadventures are not Giffin's style and it's one of the reasons why she's the best chick lit author writing today. That's not to say there's anything wrong with madcap plots and bold heroines (I'm looking at you, Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series.) But there's something to be said about the serious way Giffin approaches the topic. Rachel is jeopardizing her lifelong friendship with Darcy by sleeping with Dex. But as she analyzes her friendship with Darcy, Rachel sees that maybe things aren't as cut-and-dry as one might imagine. I thought their friendship - for better or for worse - was incredibly realistic. And yes, the ending was a bit predictable but there were still a few surprises along the way.

I loved the writing. Giffin doesn't get bogged down in extraneous details and as a listener, there's nothing that causes me to lose focus on a story faster than a long-winded description of a room or someone's outfit.

I also loved the narration. Jennifer Wiltsie does an excellent job of capturing the different characters' voices. When Rachel speaks about Darcy, you can hear the barely contained jealousy in her voice. Darcy is loud, brash, and a little whiny, just as I imagined.

If you loved this as much as I did, you'll definitely want to listen to "Something Blue" and the rest of Emily Giffin's novels. She worked cameos of characters from "Something Borrowed" into "Baby Proof", "Love the One You're With", and "Heart of the Matter" that give you a glimpse into their futures. It's one of my favorite things about any given Giffin book!

Good listen

I listened to the successor "Something Blue" first. But there's no order required: Both books are stand-alone novels. I enjoyed this one as well: It has everything you expect from this genre. Darcy wouldn't be my best friend and Dex is a bit too perfect, yet, if you're looking for some distraction from reality I can recommend it.
Narration good but at times a bit imposing.

Simple but entertaining

It's a nice easy listen. If you are in the mood for something mindless, this is a great listen.

Better than I expected

I was all set up to hate this book and think it was cheesy, but I was pleasantly surprised. It isn't the best book I've ever read, or even the best chick lit, but it was solid and enjoyable and entertaining. I will read the other books in this series. I would recommend.

Great book!

I loved this book! I cannot wait to read Darcy's version in Something Blue even though I am not a big fan of her character. This was a great chick lit and made working out a lot more easier since I had to finish this book! I wish something blue was not an abridged version! I highly recommend this book!

Love love love

Great narrator and loved the story. Also the movie sticks to the book way better than I expected.