Babyville

In Bayville, you’ll meet Julia, a wildly successful television producer who appears to have the picture-perfect life. But beneath the surface, things are not as perfect as they seem. Stuck in a loveless relationship with her boyfriend, Mark, Julia thinks a baby is the answer.. but she may want a baby more than she wants her boyfriend. Maeve, on the other hand, is allergic to commitment. A feisty, red-haired, high-power career girl, she breaks out in a rash every time she passes a stroller. But when her no-strings-attached nightlife leads to an unexpected pregnancy, her reaction may be just as unexpected. And then there’s Samantha -- happily married and eager to be the perfect June-Cleaver mother. But baby George brings only exhaustion, extra pounds, and marital strife to her once tidy life. Is having an affair with a friend’s incredibly sexy husband the answer?

Personally, I think this book start a bit slow. But to get turn off by it and keep going, and soon you’ll find yourself not being able to put it down. Jane Green has a freaky talent of hypnotizing you with her simple yet amusing books. In this one, she opened the door for you to get glimpse of how 3 women trying to adjust and settle themselves into commitment and motherhood challenges. You get the idea how a baby, in person or in theory, could change how you think and your lifestyle completely.

I’m not going to be a spoiler and tell you everything about the book. But what I will tell you are this book has a good concept. Plus, the emotions that Babyville portrays simply worked their way through my heart and touched me. Don’t get me wrong though, Babyville isn’t depressing, it’s a light reading material that keeps your mind off everything else and more than often makes you laugh. Although, I do feel a little disappointed with Julia’s character, wishing that Jane Green would tell me more about her happy ending, certainly more than a phone call. Ooops, a little tiny spoiler there! Sorry!

I say, it’s a good book. How good? Hmm.. About a 3.5 stars good.

Swapping Lives

Vicky Townsley is single, solvent, and seriously successful. Features director of the hugely successful Poise! magazine, she has an amazing flat, good friends, a fantastic wardrobe. Pretty much, everything! Except the life she wants by all means, marriage, children, and a house in the country.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Amber Winslow has a stone mansion in Connecticut, two kids and a full-time nanny, the requisite golden retriever, and a busy charitable commitment for the local Women's League. But she hasn't quite found the fulfillment she had expected from being a wife and mother. When she spots an intriguing contest in Poise!, Amber never expects to be picked.

This is about story of 2 women, both thinking that the grass would be greener on the other side, which is what all of us always think to ourselves from time to time. And when Vicky and Amber swap life, both realize what they’ve been missing and learn about themselves in a way neither of them thought what they would.

In a light and easy way Jane Green manage to show us what happens when these two women swap life, walk in each other’s shoes and discover that their life wasn’t bad at all. I personally think that this book is a lovely book and it a must read. I must say, Jane Green captures my heart again and I will give her 4 out of 5 stars!

Bookends by Jane Green

Catherine Warner and Simon Nelson are best friends: total opposites, always together, and both unlucky in love. Cath is scatterbrained, messy, and–since she had her heart broken a few years back–emotionally closed off. Si is impossibly tidy, bitchy, and desperate for a man of his own. They live in London’s West Hampstead along with their lifelong friends, Josh and Lucy, who are happily married with a devil-spawn child and a terrifying Swedish nanny, Ingrid.

All is well until the sudden come back of a college friend–the stunningly beautiful Portia, who’s known for breaking hearts. Though they’ve grown up and grown apart from Portia, the four friends welcome her back into the fold. But does Portia have a hidden agenda or is she merely looking to reconnect with old friends? Her reappearance soon unleashes a rollicking series of events that tests the foursome’s friendships to the limit and leaves them wondering if a happy ending is in store.

Bookends basically is about friendship. The closeness of Cath and Si really touched my heart and brought a smile on my face. And I must say I really love Lucy’s character and I can’t help but wish I have a ‘Lucy’ in my life. Ingrid on the other hand is a really colorful character, a nightmare but still make you throw your head back and laugh!

All and all, I just love this book. It’s a really funny book and it easily transports you into it owns world and make you forget about anything else. It’s one of those books that is easy to read and really left something in my heart for quite sometimes. For this one, I’d give it 4.5 out of 5 stars!