BOOK REVIEW
Exciting, Pragmatic, Scandalous and Fun!! I saw the movie for Something Borrowed and after realizing it was a book, couldn’t not delve into it!
Something Borrowed follows Rachel navigating adult hood in Manhattan with work, dating and everything in between. Darcy (Rachel’s best friend) share a friendship that has withheld the testament of time. Darcy has always been the mean girl with a soft spot however one-night changes everything when sparks fly between Dex (Darcy’s fiancé) and Rachel. A tantalizing twist and turn of events ensure as the reality of life and human nature ensue.
Rachel’s character is real and relatable!! Her point of view is very girl next door and ties the insecurities and interests of young woman alike. The best way I could sum up Something Borrowed is a cross between Sex and the City with 13 Going on 30.
The writing style was fun and light-hearted. I did find it very tedious at times; Emily has a way of juxta-positioning the past with the present. Doing so by delving back into the past in the middle of current dialogue and events that is profusely unnecessary. An array of characters from Darcy & Rachel’s childhood are name dropped throughout the book and add very little insight to the current characters themselves. I was confused and just chose to ignore a lot of the names mentioned because they didn’t add any value to the novel. I felt too much time was spent replaying events of their childhood where progression in the current story would have been highly more beneficial.
I find Emily also skips over a lot of dialogue, changing from current time conversation to paraphrasing dialogue, which I felt was a shame. If less time had been made rehashing the past and more time was spent in current time, I felt the book would have been better portrayed.
I have a habit of looking at reviews before I start a book, particularly the bad ones! I read a lot of negative reviews about how it glamorises cheating and adultery. Which is a major plot line of this novel…Yes. Do I condone, agree or overlook it, DEFINIETLY NOT. Cheating is something I whole heartedly despise. HOWEVER books are commonly about things that are wrong or taboo for example mafia and criminals who murder and break the law on a daily basis are a plot line for many romance books. Which is hardly just and something people reading aren’t aspiring to find in a partner, but would you say those books glamorous criminals? They overlook wrong doings, Yes! But suffice to say….books are commonly about topics that are not admirable or feasible in everyday life and relationships. Soo I think it’s unfair to ostracize a book for a major plot line, in an unrealistic reality of a fictional world.
In saying that….for anyone who has been affected by cheating in a relationship. I can understand the trigger it may have on your emotions and strongly advise perhaps this one may not be to your liking!!
Overall it’s a book of finding love in the most unlikely of places, overcoming fear and the insecurities that can dictate and burden your life.
I found the story itself compelling and captivating, spending hours without even realizing it pass by, turning page after page.
Now if we are comparing the Movie to the Book!! I think the Movie was extremely well done; every major plotline nearly marries up (pun intended) to a tee with the book. You can’t help sympathizing and relating to Rachel and the movie ending is pretty much picture perfect to the book. The movie was one of my favourites and the book definitely does it justice. (I should probably be saying that the other way around – but it was a movie first scenario for me).
It is not the most amazingly written novel in my opinion, but a fun and lighthearted read!
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