If you read my blog at all, it’s pretty documented that I adore Judy Blume. Simply adore her. While I have many favorite characters, Vix and Caitlin from Summer Sisters are the ones we’ll discuss today.

On the surface, they don’t really have many things in common. Different types of families, different up-bringings- but yet they became summer sisters. And for the most part- the bond remained un-broken.

On the other hand, 2 other characters I like from Emily Giffin’s Something Borrowed are interesting characters in the best friend category- Rachel and Darcy.

Rachel and Vix and Caitlin and Darcy have more in common with each other than the best friend pairings. Vix and Rachel basically do what’s expected of them, both are smart, and both let the brighter part of the duo take center stage.

Caitlin and Darcy- both of them are “takers”, center-stage characters, selfish (but still have some loveable qualities).

Best friends are great characters to write about- usually so much history to explore- the book can be taken in a million different ways. I also think these type of books are great for book-club discussions. The allure of “best friends” s that usually you can see yourself in one of the characters- which makes for a more personal experience.

If you’ve read Something Borrowed and Summer Sisters, can you see the correlation between Caitlin and Darcy? Vix and Rachel? Which set of characters would you rather be in real life? Speaking of the betrayals in both books- which would be the one that is more real? If you could pick which betrayal to experience, which one would it be? And lastly, the endings in both books- which one was more satisfying? Believable?

If you haven’t read either of these books, both are highly recommended by me. Great summer reads!