Jodi Picoult wouldn't normally be an author I would choose to read, but having received a book from Father Christmas last year, I decided to take on holiday for some light pool side reading.

The outline of the story.....

The book focuses on two main characters - Paige and her husband Nicholas. Paige is brought up by her father when her mother runs away when she is five. At the age of 18, Paige runs away, and meets Nicholas in a cafe where she gets a job. Nicholas is, at the time, a medical student. They soon move in together and pretty quickly decide to get married. When they have a child of their own, Paige struggles to cope and puts this down to not knowing why her mother left her. The first part of the story is set in the future, so you kind of know what's going to happen straight away.

My opinion......

Overall, the storyline is fairly good, but could be so much better. It is told from the point of view of both Nicholas and Paige, and does jump around between the present day and childhood memories. It is quite sad in places as you realise what Paige had to go through when her mother left, always wondering what she had done wrong. Nicholas on the other hand, seems to have lead rather a charmed life with family money and ever present parents behind him. The two are totally different and obviously need very different things from each other. I couldn't understand the basis of their relationship as it all happened so quickly and did not seem to be about love at all.

I couldn't relate to either of the characters and found them both rather selfish although there was a vulnerable side to both which showed through. I found some of the aspects of the storyline quite unbelievable or just a little bit silly and a lot of the problems that they had all seemed to be overcome far too easily. I know it's hard to go into too much detail in a short book, but I just didn't buy in to the story or the characters completely - when I read I like to be totally absorbed but I wasn't in this book.

Due to the beginning of the book being about the end of it, I was just waiting for it all to happen - there was no intrigue or suspense.

It is easy reading, and would not put me off reading another of her books, but I am not sure I could recommend to anyone without telling them that I wasn't blown away by it and not to expect too much. I did finish reading it, but more because I cannot stand to start a book and not finish it, rather than for anything in the book compelling me on.

I am giving three stars as I believe that although there was something there, but it could have been so much more.

Available on Amazon for £4.95 with free delivery.

Thanks for reading.
Rachy