2005

I really like Emily Giffin's books, but I hated this. Being a sequel of 'Something borrowed', I expected a lot more. 'Something Blue' talked about Darcy and her life after Rachel and Dex, but I couldn't quite get into the book.

I believe that this book meant for Darcy to redeem herself in the end, but I don't feel that . I don't feel that she has matured much, and in my (very humble) opinion, I don't believe she deserves Ethan. I think for me, 'Something Blue' would have received a better review from me if Darcy did not end up with Ethan in the end.

Her worst book to date, I believe. It's a good thing I only read this after I finished her other 3 books, otherwise I might be put off for life. ( )

This is the sequel to Something Borrowed, and brings Darcy centre stage. From the first book, we know that she is self absorbed, selfish, fairly deluded and expects perfect things to happen to her. I must admit, I was more reluctant to pick up this book having come down firmly on the side of Rachel in the first novel, but Giffin's writing pulled me in and I found myself completely entranced by the story of Darcy.

The book is almost split into two parts. The first deals with Darcy's life immediately after she finds out of the betrayal by Rachel and Dex. We watch as she tries to make a new life with Marcus, but she soon realises that she was suffering very much from a 'grass is greener' attitude and that Dex might have been the better option. We suffer through a toe-curlingly embarrassing scene as Darcy tries to win Dex back. Her lying and insufferable attitude to relationships and imminent motherhood create the Darcy we loved to hate from Something Borrowed.

However, in the second part of the book Darcy moves to London to try and make a new life, and moves in with Ethan, her childhood friend. It takes an explosive scene between Darcy and Ethan to make her realise that she is about to become a mother and needs to make some changes to her life.

I loved the fact that Darcy really changed over the course of this book, and learnt that appearances really aren't everything. She was still the Darcy who loved luxurious things, and the Darcy who would explode in a temper, but she mellowed hugely and became a true mother.

Sure, there are a number of imperfections in the book. It does provide a fairytale ending, and Giffin clearly wasn't concerned with the accuracies of moving to a different country to live, but I feel these are minor gripes. The course of the book deals with maturity, motherhood and coming to terms with a new life. The main character had a true epiphany and became a better person for it.

When all is said and done, it's still a chick lit book, but definitely more honest and revealing than most. It says a lot that, having read both Something Borrowed and Something Blue, I am now going out to pick up the other books written by this author. Quality work. ( )

Something Blue is the sequel to Emily Giffin's other book, Something Borrowed. Here is a description of Something Blue from Amazon:

"Selfish but beautiful Darcy is reeling from the betrayal of her best friend, Rachel, and her fiance, Dex, even though she cheated on Dex with his friend Marcus. Darcy is carrying Marcus' child, so she assumes he'll take care of her. After all, she's always gotten everything she's ever wanted. But when Marcus dumps her, she finds herself pregnant and alone. Always the opportunist, Darcy contacts her childhood friend Ethan, now a writer living in London, and gets him to agree to let her visit for awhile. She jets off to the UK envisioning a charmed life where a handsome, rich Englishman will sweep her off her feet. The reality isn't so blissful--Ethan is critical of her selfish behavior and she finds herself incredibly lonely and unprepared for motherhood. After a confrontation with Ethan, she decides it's time for radical change."

At first it was very weird to be reading a book from Darcy's point of view. I couldn't stand her in Something Borrowed! Now, though, I like Darcy more than I like Rachel. She changed so much about herself when it didn't seem like it would be possible. I definitely liked this book better than the first. I was almost crying at the end. It was great reading about London, because I recognized a lot of the street names and landmarks since I lived there one summer. It definitely made me want to go back. Anyway, I loved this book and I'm so glad I got it from the library very quickly! ( )

I liked hearing Darcy's side, but it was harder to get into than Something Borrowed. I am glad she redeemed herself in the end, but I have to say I liked Rachel better as a main character. ( )