Fiction Fridays: Something Blue

Last weekend I read the follow-up to Something Borrowed (read that review post first if you haven't yet) called Something Blue by Emily Giffin. Giffin takes an interesting approach to a sequel by jumping from the fiance-stealing (or rightfully recapturing?) best friend to the betrayed best friend. This book picks up where the last book left off, providing a few flashbacks to flesh out a few moments from the first novel.
I thought this book tied in seamlessly with the previous book, and it explores the "turning 30 life crisis" that seems to be a second coming-of-age for many adults. Darcy always flitted through life on her good looks and charm instead of worrying about her substance or morals. She wasn't a bad person necessarily, just a selfish, priveleged woman who was superfical and demanding. Not a treat by any means, but at the same time, not evil at her core.
Something Blue documents Darcy's struggle to become a better person after her life collapses around her. It takes an elementary school friend, Ethan, to tell her all her flaws and actually convince her to work on improving herself. He doesn't put up with her usual games and wiles, so she is forced to examine herself and figure out what she really wants in life.
What I enjoyed most about both of these books is that the main characters in each both realize that just because they have been on a certain path for so long doesn't mean that they have to stay on that path or continue being a boxed-in definition of themselves. They grow into stronger, better versions of themselves because they stop and take stock of their behaviors and desires--something we can all emulate.