I've always wanted to read an Emily Giffin (Giffin, not Griffin, LOL) and so upon receipt (thank you), I enthusiastically leafed through this book first. The plot, especially the ending, is not exactly groundbreaking but perhaps, that's not such a bad thing. At the heart of this book are familiar themes that readers can relate to - stability vs. passion, past vs. present, the nice guy vs. the jerk, what is vs. what could have been. The book is also laden with enough internal monologues for any reader to say, OMG, this is all too familiar.
While the basic plot is nothing original, the writing was superb enough for the book to not come out as outrightly boring, in a tell-me-something-I-don't-already-know sorta way. Until the last chapter however (fine, maybe the last few *rolls eyes*), I was expecting a surreal twist that would make this book unforgettable, to no avail. And while I happen to agree with the book's ultimate lesson in principle, I can't help but wish it was injected in a fresher, more insightful manner.Of the characters, Margot was my favorite, she who you can't really fault for having a pristinely great life. She who also competently handled the conflicting role of being the best friend and the sister-in-law. Of course, Andy was also the ultimate good-on-paper guy and he didn't exactly score a zero in the passion category, which is probably why I am on that side of the fence that is actually peeved at Ellen for complaining about her marriage and her life.
The verdict? The book is a worthwhile time killer but not exactly anything extraordinary, although I'd probably recommend this book to anyone I know who is wasting their time complaining instead of being grateful for what they have (gee, how many names come to mind? :P). My ultimate disclaimer: I wasn't exactly in the best of moods while reading this book. :)
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