Emily Giffin has a series of books including the novel,“Something Borrowed." I have read her series of books several times, and it has now become familiar and comfortable in a way that makes it ideal reading on vacation or a rainy day. Emily Giffin has an easy writing style, and plot lines that engage without requiring too much thought. Her series of books are, essentially, perfect “read for pleasure” novels. Giffin utilizes many of the same characters throughout her books, which allows her to continue plot lines throughout her series.
"Something Borrowed" is Emily Giffin’s first book, and by far my favorite of the series. The story line is predictable, but tried and true: an average girl falls in love with her beautiful best friend’s fiancé. Giffin finds a way, however, to integrate new freshness into a tired plot line. Her characters are relatable, and the situations are believable. The plot is set in Manhattan, and warning…you WILL want to visit and/or live in NYC after reading this book.
Given the book’s success as a New York Times Best Seller, it was no surprise to me when I learned nearly a year ago that they planned to make this book into a movie. "Something Borrowed," the movie, was released this weekend, and it has once again brought me to question why Hollywood insists on making best sellers into movies. Newsflash: Just because it is a great book, does NOT mean it will translate well onto the big screen. To say the producers took liberties with the plot would be an understatement. There were whole characters missing, and they completely glossed over subtle nuances and details in Giffin’s book. They did get a few things right: For example, their choice of actors/actresses for the characters of Dexter and Ethan were perfect, as was the overall “look” of the settings. However, for the most part, the movie was really nothing like the book.
The movie was not only predictable, but tired and overdone. The acting was atrocious, and the whole movie really resembled a Lifetime movie.
My recommendation: I highly recommend the book if you like light-hearted, love story novels, but save your money on the movie. If you read the book, do it over a vacation or long weekend…you won’t want to put it down.
Overall Book Rating: 9
Overall Movie Rating: 3
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