Review: Babyville

Babyville by Jane Green

Pages: 464
Published: 2010
Genre: Fiction, Chick-lit

My rating: 4/5

Summary (from chapters.ca):

Julia and Mark are stuck in a loveless relationship. Julia thinks a baby will help, but perhaps that isn't the answer to her problems...

Maeve is totally allergic to commitment - she breaks out in a rash whenever she passes a buggy. A one-night stand results in an unwanted pregnancy, but just how unwanted is it?

Samantha is besotted with her baby. But how is Chris, her husband, coping with his suddenly unavailable wife, and is Samantha's obsession as healthy as it seems?

Review:

Everyone loves a good chick-lit book and Babyville by Jane Green does not disappoint. The book opens with Julia, our main character numero-uno, legs in the air, against the bedroom wall having just had sex in an attempt to make a baby... after nine-months of trying, she has begun taking a more creative approach to 'baby-dancing'. Having been there myself, I found this image not only familiar, but hilarious. Oh the steps one will take...

Jane Green seems to have hit the 'nail on the head' when writing about the connections between Julia, Maeve and Sam... our main characters. It was great to travel through the different stages of a woman's life when it comes to baby's... 1) Baby-making, 2) Pregnancy & Labour and 3) Being a new-mom. It was not only entertaining but very true to form. I could really relate to each of the women in this book and the stage in which they were in at any given time... I loved it.

While the book was overly predictable, so much so that I knew the end before getting there, it was enjoyable. I think that for a book that follows this journey, it was refreshing that it was, in fact, predictable. Having an unexpected twist in the plot would have brought the story into a direction that was unnecessary.

Overall, Babyville by Jane Green is a great book for just about anyone who enjoys a good 'chick-lit' story. Someone who has seen themselves on any one of the three journey's told within. You will laugh, cry and rejoice. A fun and fast read...