Rachel is a transplant from Indiana, unhappily employed in NYC as an associate at a law firm. Her best friend, Darcy, is engaged to marry one of Rachel's friends from law school. Darcy is the perfect girl--pretty, vivacious, always gets what she wants, although somewhat petulant and demanding. Just a few months before the wedding, Rachel has a one night stand with Darcy's fiance that develops into a full fledged love affiar.

Emily Giffin treats what could be an awkward topic with respect and empathy for all the characters. Although Darcy is at times portrayed as a stereotype, most likely to be a better foil for Rachel's good girl persona, the reader is also treated to Darcy's sense of fun and loyalty. This is a remarkably well written first novel, and one that I highly recommend.


I honestly don't know which is more disturbing...   April 18, 2006
 14 out of 22 found this review helpful

the fact that this book was a New York Times Bestseller, or the fact that it currently has a rating of 4.5/5.0 stars on this website.
The thing that irks me the most about this book is not that it is about infidelity, but that it was a wasted opportunity. Had Darcy been an actual character rather than the stereotypical evil/beautiful friend... had Griffin acknowledged (and embraced) the selfishness and betrayal of Rachel and Dexter instead of making them out to be tragic heroes... this would have been a great read. Because the truth is, people can do horrible things. We aren't always as nice and sweet as we would like to think. The author could have played on this and given us something truly different and fresh. Now that would have been a conflict in every sense of the word!
But alas, what we have here instead is yet another volume of mindless chicklit fluff. Such fluff, in fact, that in the end the author writes a "surprise revelation" that is so predictable and lazy that I literally laughed while reading it. That tidbit served as nothing more than a snap justification for Rachel and Dexter's bahaviour, as if added on to say "See?! They aren't so bad! Look at what DARCY did!"
I recommend passing this one up. Too generic...


Wonderful   December 16, 2004
 12 out of 12 found this review helpful

I must admit, I was a bit skeptical when I read the back. How on earth was I going to like someone who sleeps with her best friend's fiancee? But I knew I wanted to read it and am so glad I did. The characters are wonderfully developed and once you realize what kind of person Darcy is, you can't help but root for Rachel. This is one of those books you don't want to end. It looks like Emily Giffin has a new book, "Something Blue", I hope it is a continuation of these characters! Even if it isn't a sequel, I can't wait till it comes out, since Giffin does an outstanding job of creating likeable and memorable characters. Highly recommended!


doesn't anyone get concerned when we applaud a woman who betrays her best friend by having an affair with her fiance??   January 31, 2007
 12 out of 26 found this review helpful

if you (1) hate your best friend, (2) believe that the end justifies the means (no matter how many rules you break), (3) think that being nice/good is more of a handicap than a virtue, (4) enjoy character-stereotypes that leave no room for the color gray (only black and white: good vs. evil), and (5) feel that believable dialogue and fun references to growing up in the 80's make for actual "literature", then this is the book for you! enjoy! :)