Nancy's Review of Something Borrowed (Book & Movie)

Something Borrowed is about Rachel White, an attorney in Manhattan, and her childhood best friend, Darcy Rhone. Told from Rachel's point of view, the story begins when Darcy throws Rachel a 30th birthday party.

Rachel always plays by the rules. She always comes in second to Darcy and is quite accustomed to it, rarely speaking up for herself. She gives in to Darcy's demands, regardless of her true feelings. Darcy is engaged to Rachel's friend from law school, Dex. Rachel has been harboring a secret crush on Dex for years. When Darcy leaves Rachel's 30th birthday party early because she has had too much to drink, Dex takes her home. However, it isn't long before he is back at the party looking for Darcy's lost purse. He asks Rachel to go with him to another bar for one more drink. One thing leads to another and Rachel winds up in bed withe her best friend's fiance. Rachel's 30th birthday party is where her affair with Dex begins. They see each other secretly, making desperate attempts to keep their relationship hidden. Eventually, Rachel's co-worker and friend, Hillary, figures it out. Rachel then confides in her close friend, Ethan, who has been friends with Rachel and Darcy since they were kids, but likes Rachel much more than he likes Darcy. Hillary and Ethan are both rooting for Rachel's relationship with Dex because they don't want her to always be in Darcy's shadow. The whole situation becomes increasingly complicated as Rachel is forced to choose: friendship or true love?

THE BOOK by Emily Giffin

The friendship between Rachel and Darcy is definitely believable. The depiction of childhood best friends who have stuck together into adulthood, despite their differences, is beautifully depicted.
The flashbacks to different times in the Rachel and Darcy friendship are very important to understanding how they have gotten to where they are now.
Even though Darcy is a difficult friend to have around, most people have or have had a friend like her. Her actions will make readers cringe while relating to them. Readers will either be more like Rachel, more like Darcy, or a mixture of both. Bottom line: everyone can relate to these characters.
The relationship between Rachel and Dex is understandable. The details of their past make it easy to believe why they are risking everything for each other in the present. The intensity of their affair adds to the conflict and adds to the emotional impact of the overall story.
The ending is very realistic, including the character transformation that Rachel makes.

THE MOVIE

There are a couple of great scenes between Rachel and Darcy, showing the depth of their friendship.
Kate Hudson is fantastic as Darcy.
Hillary is not in the movie. Ethan is the only best friend to Rachel, besides Darcy.
John Krasinski, who plays Ethan, really steals the film. He gives a great performance that is a departure from his character on the popular NBC show The Office. It is great to see him step into other roles that broaden his career and show more of his acting skills.
The flashbacks are just as important in the movie. The black and white freeze on Rachel's face is a great way to transition to a flashback.
The on-screen chemistry between Ginnifer Goodwin (Rachel) and Colin Egglesfield (Dex) is lacking a bit. The Rachel and Dex relationship is much more compelling in the book. Ginnifer Goodwin has better on-screen chemistry with John Krasinski.
The way the movie ends is slightly different from how the book ends. The movie's ending is less satisfying and less realistic than the book's ending.

Overall, the book is better than the movie. However, the movie is well done. It is great to see the book's characters come to life on the big screen. Looking forward to reading the book's sequel, Something Blue. Hopefully, we'll get to see a film sequel as well.

Have you read Something Borrowed and/or seen the movie? What do you think?