Pictures of Lily - Paige Toon

Pictures of Lily - Paige Toon

Pages: 394
Publisher: Pocket Books/Simon and Schuster
Release Date: 7th July 2010

Other Titles by this Author: Lucy in the Sky; Johnny Be Good; Chasing Daisy

‘Will you marry me?’

I think of you, then. I think of you everyday. But usually in the quietest part of the morning, or the darkest part of the night. Not when my boyfriend of two years has just proposed.

I look up at Richard with his hopeful eyes.

‘Lily?’ he prompts.

It’s been ten years, but it feels like only yesterday that you left. How can I say yes to Richard with all my heart when most of it has always belonged to you? I take a deep breath and will myself to speak…

Ten years ago when Lily was just sixteen, she fell in love with someone she really shouldn’t have fallen in love with. Now, living in Sydney and engaged to another man, she can’t forget the one that got away. Then her past comes back to haunt her, and she has to make a decision that will break her heart - and the heart of at least one of the men who love her.

Paige Toon is my go-to author for a fun, touching, adult chick-lit book and Pictures of Lily did its job by making a long flight go much quicker. I loved every word of it!

Pictures of Lily, just like Paige Toon’s previous three novels, is written in such easy, fluid prose that is far too addictive for its own good. Paige Toon has the ability to hook you in with the very first sentence and suck you into the lives of her characters. And I was even more excited than usual when I met Lily as she is sixteen for just under half of the book! I was very surprised and very, very pleased. I’m hoping that this will encourage those of you who read YA exclusively to give my favourite adult author a chance.

One of my favourite elements of Pictures of Lily is the Australian setting. I’ve always wanted to go to Australia so seeing both rural Adelaide and buzzing Sydney through Lily’s eyes was a treat. I think I could even handle the 24-hour flight if I got to go to the wildlife sanctuary where Lily worked that summer or go past the Sydney Opera House on my way to work everyday. This setting also allowed Lucy and Nathan from Paige’s first novel, Lucy in the Sky, to be a constant presence in the second half of Pictures of Lily. All of the characters from her other novels also had mentions and cameos. I love it when authors do this!

The summary promises that Lily will fall in love with someone she shouldn’t: my very favourite kind of love story. And the second Ben was introduced, I knew it was going to be him. Ben works for Lily’s nearly-stepdad at the sanctuary, is teaching her how to drive and 12 years older than her. But they were perfect for each other. Even with the age gap, they seemed to be equals and so I was overjoyed when they were reunited ten years later. I was cheering them on all the way.

I urge every single one of you to run out and buy Pictures of Lily or another of Paige Toon’s books while I begin the agonising wait for her next one.

For my 2010 100+ Reading Challenge

Sophie