Something Borrowed
by Emily Giffin

List Price: $21.95
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 031232118X
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Something Borrowed tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl---until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy's fiancé. Although she wakes up determined to put the one-night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. As the September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren't always neat, and sometimes you have to risk all to win true happiness. Something Borrowed is a phenomenal debut novel that will have you laughing, crying, and calling your best friend.

top of the page

1. What do you think was the real impetus behind Rachel’s decision to sleep with Dex after her birthday party? Was it about her desire to break out of her good girl persona? Was it about a long-standing resentment toward Darcy? Or was it both?

2. How do you view Dex? How would you describe Dex and Rachel’s relationship? What drew them together? Did you root for them to be together? Do you think they have true love?

3. Is anything about Rachel and Darcy’s friendship genuine? Do you believe it has changed over time? Why does Rachel defend Darcy against attacks from Ethan and Hillary? Compare and contrast Rachel’s friendship with Hillary and Ethan to her friendship with Darcy.

4. Do you think Dex and Darcy would have married if it weren’t for Dex’s affair with Rachel? Why did he stay with Darcy for so long?

5. How did Rachel’s flawed self-image contribute to the dilemma that she faces? What do you see as her greatest weakness?

6. Was Rachel’s moral dilemma made easier because of Darcy’s personality? Would she have acted on her attraction to Dex if Darcy were a different kind of person and friend? If Rachel had fallen love with Julian, would she have pursued the same course of action? How does Rachel rationalize her affair with Dex?

7. What risks does Rachel take when she pursues her relationship with Dex? What is the biggest moment of risk for her? How does Rachel grow and change in the novel?

8. Disloyalty is a major theme in this novel. How differently do men and women view cheating on a friend? Why is Darcy so indignant when she catches Dex and Rachel together when she has been having an affair of her own?

9. Under what circumstances is it justified to choose love over friendship? How important is it for women to stick together? Have you ever been in a friendship like Darcy and Rachel’s?

10. This novel is told from Rachel’s perspective. How do you think Darcy would tell the same story? How do you think she would describe Rachel? How do you think she views their friendship?

top of the page

"Compelling, engrossing -- I absolutely loved this book and read it in two sittings because I could not put it down."

—Marian Keyes, author of Sushi for Beginners

"A luxurious page-turner...that marks the arrival of a tremendously bright, clever new voice."

—Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, author of The Dirty Girls Social Club

"A deftly written and convincing tale of friendship gone comically -- at at times poignantly -- awry."

—Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries

"A winner; it has rare emotional depth."

—Valerie Frankel, author of The Accidental Virgin