Nothing Says Love Like Rock and Metal: Book Review of Something from Tiffany's

 

Something from Tiffany's by Melissa Hill
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you to Sourcebooks and GoodReads Giveaways for the review copy of Something from Tiffany’s by Melissa Hill, which I received in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The plot of Melissa Hill’s Something from Tiffany’s begins with a classic romantic mix-up--two bags from Tiffany’s--the famous jeweler--get switched. In one is a charm bracelet. In the other is an outrageously expensive engagement ring. Two women get the wrong presents and the two men get an even bigger surprise since they know what should have been in those little blue boxes.

Ethan is a widower with an eight-year-old daughter. He still misses his wife terribly and his daughter, Daisy, suffers from anxiety as a result of her mother’s death, but Ethan feels ready to move on with his girlfriend, Vanessa--with Daisy’s approval, of course. Together, Ethan and Daisy leave Tiffany’s on Christmas Eve, the ring safely in a bag. At the same time, Gary dips into Tiffany’s to buy a last-minute present for his girlfriend, looking for something affordable and lighting on the charm bracelet. In order to compensate for his tardiness, he runs into the street to catch a cab and is promptly taken down by one. Ethan and Daisy come to the rescue, calling an ambulance, giving first aid, and protecting his belongings. This is when the switch takes place.

When Ethan watches his girlfriend open the box the next morning and take out the bracelet, he is mystified, but does not say anything to her, ostensibly not wanting to spoil the surprise. When Gary sees his girlfriend take out the ring, after he gets out of the hospital, she is so excited, he decides not to say anything, claiming to himself, “finders keepers” and that he could do worse than Rachel. If only one of the two of them had chosen to tell the truth then! But alas, there would have been no story.

While the lies and coverups are necessary for the story, I found them quite off-putting. Deceit upon deceit does not really make someone attractive. Sometimes you have to tell those you care about hard truths, and that is one of the ways that you show you really love them--because you are brave enough to tell those hard truths. Not to ruin anyone’s fun by bringing in reality, but.

Aside from the lies, it is a fun plot and an intriguing question as to who will end up with whom. It is also a perhaps inadvertent discussion of the practice of gift giving as part of engagement, the outrageous costs of a wedding, and the expectations placed upon a marriage. A bit of light discussion, after all. A good deal of the plot rests upon the reaction that Rachel has in response to the ring. The size and obvious expense represent a fairy tale that she also associates with creating a family for herself, as she is an orphan. Rachel thinks that Gary loves her and will be a good mate and father. Even as she begins wedding planning and he repeatedly begs off and encourages her to take it all on herself, she still sees promise for their marriage. While the book does not argue that money equals love, it does make a connection between shelling out a lot of money being a sign of a good and loving guy and not spending a lot of money demonstrates a lack of love and an irresponsible guy.

Would I teach this book? Probably not. I wanted to see a bit more from the characters and a little more romance. Rachel’s excuses and apologies for Gary when he was being stinky were annoying and frustrating. The connection between love and money is an unexplored problem. And, you know, truth. If the characters were a little more self-aware and some of the complexities acknowledged, I would certainly consider it for a genre writing class.

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