Darcy Rhone has made a career — and life — on her charisma and attractiveness. Coupled with the fact that she’s always been the hottest woman in any room and far more beautiful than her best friend since childhood, Rachel, Darcy’s existence has centered around her high-powered PR job, gorgeous (and paper-perfect) fiance Dex and their lavish lifestyle in New York City.

Until she discovers Dex has been cheating on her with plain ol’ Rachel — and until she begins sleeping with Marcus, one of her groomsmen in the upcoming wedding she’d planned with Dex, her boyfriend of seven years. And until she gets pregnant.

And then? Things get complicated.

Emily Giffin’s Something Blue, sequel to the mega-successful Something Borrowed, centers around Darcy’s life as she struggles to get over the ridiculous, over-the-top life she’s created for herself through a lifetime of selfish decisions — and struggles with impending motherhood and the idea of the “perfect man,” whomever he may be. (And chances are it just isn’t Marcus.)

If you’ve read Something Borrowed — and, before starting this one, you should — you’ll remember our dear Darcy as the spoiled, bratty and wholly unlikeable best friend of Rachel, our narrator in the first of Giffin’s novels. Despite the fact that I knew Dex and Rach’s tryst was wrong, it was so obvious that they were in love — not Dex and Darcy — that you couldn’t help but cheer for the star-crossed lovers. Basically, Darcy just sucked. And I didn’t really want her to be happy.

Well, Giffin once again proves her mastery in the fiction genre by taking someone I was predisposed to despise and making me cheer for her. For the first half of the book and then some, Darcy is up to her old tricks and nonsense, making terrible decisions and living in a dream world in which she’s not really pregnant. Marcus turns out to be a world-class jerk — no huge shock — but you can’t help but feel sorry for him as Darcy waxes on and on about whether Dex and Rachel are happy, badgering him to death about how Dex could have really chosen someone like Rachel over her.

But then things begin to change. After Darcy makes a decision to leave New York and stays with Ethan, a good friend since childhood, she’s forced to take a serious look at herself in a mirror: and doesn’t like what she sees, particularly reflected through Ethan’s eyes. And when Darcy decides enough is enough, I was right there with her, ready to see some serious changes and root for her through her pregnancy and love affairs. From the beginning of the novel, Darcy’s tone of voice indicates she’s reflecting back on a less flattering time of her life — and knowing that she would have to change kept me with her on the journey.

Even at her very worst, Something Blue is compulsively readable because of the commanding way in which we see the world through Darcy’s (skewed) lens. Giffin’s fast-paced, silky writing keeps readers moving quickly and, though I often wanted to punch Darcy for being so hopelessly shallow, it was easy to see that she was a product of her upbringing . . . and we can only hope things will change for the next generation.

Fans of chick lit are probably acquainted with Giffin already, but if not? Definitely pick up Something Borrowed and follow it up with this sequel, two of the “classics” in the women’s fiction genre.

4 out of 5!

ISBN: 0312323859 ♥ Purchase from Amazon ♥ Author Website
Personal copy purchased by Meg