Helpful Score: 26
At good girl Rachel White's thirtieth birthday party, thrown by her longtime best friend Darcy Rhone, she gets a little too drunk and somehow ends up sleeping with Dex Thaler, Darcy's fiance. After one day of not having any regrets, Rachel feels incredibly guilty for what she's done to her best friend.
However, it's not like Darcy doesn't deserve some of it. Rachel has always played the loyal companion to Darcy's beautiful, popular, flirtatious, selfish self. Too many times since elementary school, Darcy has stepped over Rachel, made her feel inferior, made insensitive comments. Of course there have been moments when Darcy was loyal to Rachel in the face of mean classmates, but Rachel is slowly beginning to see that their friendship is far from being balanced and healthy.
Rachel feels caught between loyalty to Darcy and her growing love for Dex, who admits that she's the only girl for her. A part of her wants to retain her image as the passive good friend who always puts Darcy's interests ahead of her own, but a part of her realizes that she deserves happiness. What she decides to do may make her the happiest she's ever been, but she may also lose something precious as well.
The first good thing I noticed about this novel from the very first page was that it's written in a very accessible language, almost as if a close friend of yours is telling you her story. And it gets better from there. Emily Giffin writes with amazing skill and knowledge of humans and their relationships with themselves and others around them.
However, it's not like Darcy doesn't deserve some of it. Rachel has always played the loyal companion to Darcy's beautiful, popular, flirtatious, selfish self. Too many times since elementary school, Darcy has stepped over Rachel, made her feel inferior, made insensitive comments. Of course there have been moments when Darcy was loyal to Rachel in the face of mean classmates, but Rachel is slowly beginning to see that their friendship is far from being balanced and healthy.
Rachel feels caught between loyalty to Darcy and her growing love for Dex, who admits that she's the only girl for her. A part of her wants to retain her image as the passive good friend who always puts Darcy's interests ahead of her own, but a part of her realizes that she deserves happiness. What she decides to do may make her the happiest she's ever been, but she may also lose something precious as well.
The first good thing I noticed about this novel from the very first page was that it's written in a very accessible language, almost as if a close friend of yours is telling you her story. And it gets better from there. Emily Giffin writes with amazing skill and knowledge of humans and their relationships with themselves and others around them.
Helpful Score: 21
This book was entertaining, and I did enjoy it... but I just kept getting very irritated at Rachel for dragging it out so long. I also found it really hard to feel like I was on anybody's side in this book; I simply wanted everything to be out in the open so they could hurry up and resolve it all. But maybe it's just because I couldn't live with that kind of guilt for as long as Rachel did...
At any rate, while I'd recommend other books over this one, it wasn't bad.
At any rate, while I'd recommend other books over this one, it wasn't bad.
Helpful Score: 18
I liked the love story, and thought Rachel and Dex made a great couple. BUT, the fact that the main characters in this book ALL betrayed each other in some way, not only makes it a bit unbelievable, but is wrong to me on a moral level. I don't think someone like Rachel would ever have an affair with her best friends fiance. I may have added a star to my rating, but there was more bad language than I thought there needed to be. I also think that the book went on and on about Rachel's struggle with her conscience and friendship with Darcy VS her heart and relationship with Dex. I wasn't as interested in the story as much as I was interested in how it all would end up. Honestly, that was the best part. . .how do you make a "happily ever after" out of a plot of such betrayal? I think she did a pretty good job with the ending. It wasn't as far-fetched as some of the other points in the book. All in all - just OK, not something I would read over and over again.
Helpful Score: 9
I loved this book - I was not sure that I would feel sorry for Rachel (the one telling the story) due to the fact she was the "other woman" but I did!!!
Helpful Score: 9
This was a great book! The main character is completely likeable even though she's doing an awful thing. The flawed characters really make this an enjoyable read because you can sometimes relate - these are "real life" emotions and situations instead of being something out of a fairy tale. This was a very quick read for me. This was the first book I've read from Emily Giffin and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more!
