Book Review : Lucy in the Sky by Paige Toon

Title : Lucy in the Sky
Author : Paige Toon
Publication date : 16th April 2007
Publisher : Pocket Books
Source : Gift from dear best friend!

Rating : Sky written 5/5!

Settling down for a 24-hour flight to Australia, Lucy finds a text message on her phone - not from her boyfriend James, as she fondly hopes, but from a woman claiming to have slept with him four times in the past month. Trapped on the plane, she questions everything about her relationship with James. She finally calls him and he reassures her: it was only his mates playing a silly joke.
James is a lawyer, persuasive and gorgeous and Lucy adores him. So why, at the wedding in Sydney of her best friend Molly, does she have niggling doubts, and find herself attracted to Molly's brother-in-law Nathan? The sooner she gets back to her regular life in London, the flat she shares with James, her job in PR, the better. Nathan is a happy-go-lucky surfer boy, with no prospects, no place to live, an almost-girlfriend in tow. And the other side of the world...
Lucy - a girl caught between two distant continents - and two very different men...

Okay, this is the fourth book I've read by the amazingly talented Paige Toon, another strong reason to love her books. I loved Johnny Be Good, Chasing Daisy and her latest delicious slice of chick lit, One Perfect Summer. So, I knew I had to have all her books. Luckily, I have a really thoughtful best friend who bought me Lucy in the Sky as an early birthday present! I started right after I Heart London, another fab book by my twinsie, Lindsey Kelk ;)

The story focuses on Lucy McCarthy, who works for Mandy Nim, who owns a very successful PR firm. I warmed up to Lucy immediately, as to all heroines written by Paige, they are all very down-to-earth and I could easily follow their stories. Lucy was a very good example of a chick lit heroine, she's very easy to relate to, warm and she had a very, very good sense of humour (depends on who she's joking with). The book is written from Lucy's point of view, so whatever she felt or thought could be understood well. As usual, I had "that" weird sense of imagining the characters I read as real life actors. And guess who was Lucy in my mind? A very pretty brunette Blake Lively, I know. I have issues.

Aside from the ever lovely Lucy, the cast of characters were really wonderful, there was Molly and Sam, Lucy's best friends back in Australia who were true friends, they greeted Lucy's return to Australia with open arms, such amazing people. Then there was Nathan, Sam's gorgeous, surfer brother who Lucy has a crush on but sadly James was in the way and he's younger. But hey, age is not a factor. I really enjoyed reading the parts where Lucy and Nathan spent together, for example, surfing, which they bonded over wetsuits and killer waves. Okay, I'm a sucker for a good romance, but their relationship really took some time before they became intimate with each other. Oh yes, there was bloody James. He did seem to be the perfect boyfriend, with his shit-hot job and expensive flat, but I never really liked him. He was much of a wanker (sorry!) to Lucy. I was clearly impressed with his "acting", honestly. Though who Lucy will end up with is a bit cliche and expected but it's the way they ended up together that was fun to read about!

The flow of the story was.. can I say flawless? It was upbeat and pacy, telling Lucy's story very smoothly as it pans out the events in the book. I loved the setting; Sydney and London. I went to Sydney on holiday in 2004 and I loved the beautiful city. Reading about Circular Quay, The Sydney Aquarium and the Opera House was somehow very nostalgic which makes me find the story very real. (Am I making any sense?) And then half the book was set in London, one of my favourite cities in the world. I love London. I do, I have an obsession with things related to the Union Jack, eg. my UJ tee, my ribbon case, my notebook.

Overall, I loved this book. It is classic, old-school chick lit at its best. I enjoyed every page of it. It was addictive, fun, witty and laugh-out-loud hilarious. I loved it. I really did, it was amazing. And, I accepted Paige's challenge - if I were to review ALL her books, she has to follow me back on Twitter. I think I'm on the winning side, eh? 4 down, 2 to go. Pictures of Lily will be arriving tomorrow. Better click on that follow button, Paige!