Book review – Baby Be Mine by Paige Toon

‘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’m a huge fan of Paige Toon and have read all of her books so I’ve been both excitedly anticipating and slightly nervous about Baby Be Mine coming out ever since I heard that Paige’s next book would be a sequel to Johnny Be Good. For those who haven’t read Johnny, the book ended on a cliffhanger with lead character Meg wondering who was the father of her baby; was it rock god Johnny Jefferson or his best friend and Meg’s boyfriend Christian? Would the outcome be the one I wanted and what would that mean for the three main characters?

I’ve waited three years to find out the answers to my questions and, as you can see from the synopsis above, taken from the back cover of the new book; the answer to who baby Barney’s father is is revealed stright away in Baby Be Mine. But although as readers we know that baby Barney isn’t Christian’s son, the only person who knows the truth as the book opens is Meg and that’s how, true to form, Paige Toon gripped me from the start with her latest novel.

I love the way Paige writes; she uses a lot of dialogue and the story is told from Meg’s perspective in the first person – two factors that combine to make you feel like you are really in the middle of the drama. And there is plenty of drama in Baby be Mine; in addition to the main story of baby Barney’s paternity the plot includes a death and takes in both the glamorous and seedier side to the celebrity lifestyle. Moving between England, the South of France and LA taking in Barcelona along the way with some amazing locations, the book felt like a very summery read which balanced the dramas of the story nicely.

As Meg’s secret is revealed, her life changes dramatically but the big question throughout is who will she end up with? Paige Toon kept me guessing about the ending with Johnny, Christian and new man, film star Joseph all in the frame at one point and right up until the end of the book I was wondering would Meg end up with one of them or would she go it alone and dedicate herself to baby Barney? Of course I’m not going to tell you the outcome, but I will say that as with all of Paige’s books, the ending is brilliant and includes a surprise appearance from Paola and Luis from Chasing Daisy (Paige’s third novel). I was pleased to see that Paige has kept up the tradition of characters from earlier books making cameo appearances in later ones.

Although I’d highly recommend all of Paige’s books, you don’t need to have read Johnny Be Good to enjoy Baby be Mine as all the essentials are recapped as the story progresses but for those who have read Johnny Be Good I really enjoyed seeing how even the minor characters lives had moved on. I’m pleased to say that the wait for this sequel was well worth it and Paige is now firmly in place as one of my favourite chick lit authors. Baby Be Mine is a gripping read that will take you to another world and is perfect for packing in your suitcase this summer!

5/5

Baby Be Mine is released today and I’d like to thank Ally at Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy to review.

You can find out more about Paige Toon and her books at: http://www.paigetoon.com/ and also check out http://www.booksandthecity.co.uk/ for news and interviews with Paige as well as an extract from Baby Be Mine