Book Review : Baby Be Mine by Paige Toon

Title : Baby Be Mine

Author : Paige Toon

Publication date : 21st July 2011

Publisher : Simon & Schuster UK

Source : Purchased

'He's not mine, is he?'

That's the question I fear the most. You see, I have a secret. My son is not fathered by my boyfriend, but by one of the most famous rock stars that ever lived. And he doesn't even know it.

One-time celebrity personal assistant to wild boy of rock Johnny Jefferson, Meg Stiles is now settled and living in the south of France with her doting boyfriend Christian and their son Barney. But they're living a lie - a lie that will turn their lives upside down and inside out - because as Barney reaches his first birthday, Meg can no longer deny that her son is growing to look more and more like his rock star father every day, and less and less like Christian, and sooner or later, the world is going to realise ..."

I am a huge fan of Paige Toon's book. I LOVED (capitalised) all her books and after reading Baby Be Mine, I am proud to announce that I have read and own every single book by Paige Toon! What an achievement, huh? Sorry, I need to shut up, but I'm so chuffed that I've read all of Paige's books, they are amazing!

I've started reading Paige's books this year, I know I know *smacks forehead* and I have to say this: Paige is one of my favourite chick lit authors now. As of the moment I put down Baby Be Mine, Paige Toon is indeed one of my favourites. Baby Be Mine is the sequel to Paige's previous title, Johnny Be Good. I read and loved it so I was really excited when I got myself a copy of its sequel and get this, it didn't disappoint!

Baby Be Mine picks off 2 years after the events of Johnny Be Good (Meg reveals that she is pregnant), where Meg's beautiful baby boy, Barney has just turned one. In a happy relationship with her writer boyfriend and also Johnny's best friend, Christian, everything in her life seems rosy. But which each passing day, Barney seems to look more like Johnny than Christian. The one thing that intrigued me so much was: how would Meg cope with her being the mother of a rock star's child?

Just like in Johnny Be Good, Meg Stiles was such a lovely character, she's caring and sweet to those around her. Headstrong and determined (when she finds herself back in LA), basically, what every mother should be. I often wonder, did Paige channel some of her motherly traits into Meg? If so, we all know what a wonderful, loving mother Paige is, because the thing is, Baby Be Mine was the complete opposite of what I thought it would be. I thought Meg would be a mum, with more responsibilities and less sparkle in her personality, but no way Paige would let us read that! Once again, Paige made me love her characters, Meg was just as lovable as her other heroines, eg. Lucy, Lily, Daisy, etc.

Reading Baby Be Mine was such a fun ride, it was like meeting old friends after a while and catching up with what's going on their lives. That was the feeling I got when I read Baby Be Mine, 6 months after reading Johnny Be Good. The thing about Paige's books is that, despite the gorgeous playful covers and the immensely wonderful plots, it sort of gives you a feeling of togetherness when you read them. Oh, if you're not familiar with this, every character in Paige's books are indirectly linked to another. For example, in Baby Be Mine, Luis and Daisy/Paola will make a cameo appearance.

As the saying goes, "do not judge a book by its cover", however seems true when it comes to Baby Be Mine. I was disappointed when I first saw the cover of Baby Be Mine. Confession: I am a cover whore (a person, particularly an enthusiastic reader who is not only drawn to the plots of the book, but also strongly attracted by the gorgeous, beautiful cover). Let's be realistic, if the design are testing for readership and readers' loyalty, they've got it! Despite its tacky (sorry!) cover, what matters most is the content, am I right?

All in all, it was a fabulous book and what a spectacular way to end the story of Meg and Johnny! It was absolutely addictive, from the moment Meg sang Barney his Birthday song to the moment she wanders off to the sunset with her happy ever after in tow, I devoured the poor book. I loved it.

Rating : 5/5