by Emily Giffin
For whatever reason, I liked this book so much more than Something Borrowed. Perhaps because it wasn’t about someone supposedly perfect who had a bit of a fall from grace. I think there’s something more redeeming and interesting about someone trying to improve themselves than someone feeling justified in her wrongdoing. In Something Borrowed, Rachel kind of felt justified because she had been a doormat her whole life and she was sick of it. But in reality, if you’re a doormat, it’s really your fault for letting people treat you that way without ever saying anything about it. You can’t justify awful behavior based on how you’ve been treated.
I liked Darcy’s fall from grace and the true friendship she had with Ethan. Only a true friend will tell you your faults, because only through confrontation can you ever really become a better person. Rachel never tried to help Darcy become a better person, maybe she just felt good being treated badly so she could feel more saintly. Maybe, maybe not. But I liked how Darcy and Ethan’s relationship evolved and how they were able to find happiness by being open, honest and willing to change.
by Emily Giffin
I picked the book up because I’m looking forward to the movie (which won’t be out for another few months). And all I can really do is hope that the movie is better than the book. It looks like it will be. It has a good cast and seems to be funny in all the right places (trailer style), but more I just hope it brings a little bit more to the story, makes the characters a bit more likable and people I can empathize with.
Because honestly, in the end I didn’t like any of the characters. I don’t think any of them were victims, I don’t think any of them were heroes. In the end, I thought they were all a little ugly. I got really tired of Rachel’s self-pity and how she’s the constant victim of Darcy’s selfishness. Yes, Darcy is selfish and self-centered, but Rachel never stood up for herself, she never had the courage to do anything. She really led a life of a coward and just used Darcy as a scapegoat for all her past wrongs. Darcy was bitchy and used people and so I never really felt that sorry for her, especially when you find out that she cheated as well and is going to have a baby with another guy. And Dex, he was such a coward as well. Just kind of went with the flow, but never really put himself out there till the end. I guess I’m glad they all kind of made it right in the end.
Yet, somehow I’m intrigued enough to want to read the follow up, Something Blue. I guess there are always two sides to every story and I’d like to hear Darcy’s. Because has evil as she seems in Something Borrowed, I don’t really believe that she is the ultimate bitch.
by Ann Brashares
I thought this book was great. I almost immediately got drawn in and I devoured it. But the ending left me feeling sad. Daniel was a sucker for repeating the past. He would leave ‘Sophia’ or whatever reincarnation she was and he’d go and do what’s ‘right’. He did it to her as Sophia and he did it again when she was Lucy. And I can’t help but feel a little sad, like he’s the one who keeps making it impossible for them to be together. And she’s left in the meantime waiting. She must have spent the majority of her lives (the ones that overlapped with Daniel) waiting for him to come back.
In fact, I have to say, I hated this ending. I felt like she kind of just lost some wind at the end and couldn’t write another word. She ended it with a letter? What the hell does that mean? And, yeah, it was pretty predictable that Lucy was going to get pregnant. A lot went unexplained. Is there going to be a sequel, cause Brashares sure left a lot of pot holes within the last three chapters. What was the point of not drowning? If they wanted to face him, why not have done it on the beach?
by Nicholas Sparks
Pretty decent book. Storyline is predictable, but good enough. I’m not really sure why I keep reading his books. I always hide the cover because I’m embarrassed. But, like I said, his stories are pretty good. I wonder how much hurt and pain he’s lived through (you can get a bit of it in his book Three Weeks with My Brother), but does he have a thing for the love that hurts? And in almost every book, someone dies or is sacrificed.
by Nicholas Sparks
I’ve been a bit on a Sparks kick. I think I asked for like every book he’s written from the library. They’re good stories, a bit idealistic and romanticized versions of small town life. But I still like them anyway. I didn’t find this story overly compelling or even that interesting. I liked the way the story bounced back and forth between Missy’s killer and the third person narration. But other than that, it was pretty predictable and it didn’t take long to figure out how everyone was linked together.
by Nicholas Sparks
I like his books, but I find they really come to life when they’re played on the silver screen. All the nuances of living are fully expressed through the actors and the interactions between people seem real, while Sparks doesn’t really speak of the subtle actions that make life unforgettable. While movies based on his stories can make me cry, his books leave me feeling very little in comparison. So, I’ll be looking forward to watching this movie and am curious how Miley Cyprus will do.
by Nicholas Sparks
Sparks is so good at what he does. And I can see why they make such good Hollywood movies. Simple stories about finding yourself, finding love, that have a touch of magic to them. A touch of something extraordinary. And maybe that’s in a way what life is about, believing in something and making it real. The picture was lucky because Drake, Logan and Victor believed it was. The power of Law of Attraction? Maybe a little too happy ending, but I enjoyed it.
by Alice Sebold
This book was very different than I imagined. And somehow everyone came to peace with never knowing what happened. That there are mysteries in life that we’ll never be able to solve, but that whether you know the means or not, the end doesn’t change. They never found her, yet, somehow they all found peace. I hope that if I ever get the chance to live again, that I choose to live, like Suzie. To live rather than chase hate or pain or sorrow. Maybe I should do more of that now, here, alive.
It makes me wonder what my heaven will be like. Will I see my mother? Will I be bored? Will the mystery of my adoption, my birth parents come to light? It’s not something that I linger on in life, but my version of heaven would be all knowing. I think as long as I could find G, I’d be in heaven.
I’m excited for this movie. I think the visual illustration of Suzie’s heaven will be amazing. The previews look so good, yet I wonder if they’ll only focus on her death, or if they’ll focus on the life that resumes around her void. I wonder if they’ll manufacture a ‘as happy an ending as possible’ or end it like Sebold does.
