EMILY GIFFIN

I am constantly immersed in what is being referred to as "Chick Lit." So, I personally think I have become very picky. With the fiction/literature section of my local bookstore overflowing with the genre, there are numerous options but few extraordinary reads. I don't mind a mediocre story line and lackluster romance for an afternoon at the beach (any easy read with do), but most often I require much, much more. In 2005, I found a new author to look forward to. Welcome to my favorite list, Emily Giffin.

ROSTER:
Something Borrowed - 2005.
Something Blue - 2006.
Baby Proof - 2007.
Love the One You're With - 2008.

(emilygiffin.com)

SOMETHING BORROWED
"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."

-EmilyGiffin.com

The 5 trips I made to the bookstore after the release of Something Borrowed were part of a dance of indecision that revolved around this book. I picked it up and put it down over and over. I thought there was no way my heart would jump on the bandwagon of a cheating best friend. I thought I could never relate to this heroin, never feel for her or cheer for her; I thought it would be a waste of my time... but, at the same time, I was drawn to it. Finally, the praise on the front of the book won me over. It read, "You don't have to lust after your best friend's boyfriend to worship this book (trust me on this)..." -Lauren Weisberger. She was right. It may not have been a love story I longed to live out in my own life, but it was a love story that had me hook, line and sinker.

It's Emily's genuine and emotional writing that draws you in. When I read this book the rest of the world disappears. I become emotionally involved and invested in the outcome (even though I already know what the outcome is). Every time I read it I laugh and I cry and I love every minute of it. It may be romantic chick-lit on the surface, but deep within the pages, it's so much more than that. It's a story that delves not only into the complicated, beautiful mess of falling in love, but explores the boundaries of friendship and the endless struggle of learning how to really love yourself.