I’ve never read anything by A. L. Michael before and I must admit when I got an email off Jenny about being part of the blog tour for this book, I was a bit sceptical. It’s not one of the books I normally choose to read but I thought I’d take a bit of a risk and read something outside of my comfort zone for once. I’m led to believe that Be My Baby is the third book in a trilogy that follows a small group of friends: Be My Baby focuses its attention on Mollie and her young daughter, Esme.
I’m going to be truthful: I
got off to a bit of a rough start with this book. It seemed way too happy go
lucky for my liking and there were a few phrases and choice words that made me
feel a bit weird. I put it down for a few days, read something a little more
psychological and then picked it back up again with an open mind and a lot more
perseverance.
I am very glad I did. The book
IS incredibly cutesy but in an almost charming way. It’s not a very long book
and that most definitely works in its favour. Mollie is an ambitious, single
mother forced to bring up her daughter after the love of her (teenage) life
pulled a fast one on her whilst she was pregnant with their child. Or, so she
thinks. Jamie, aforementioned love of her life, is back on the scene and
blissfully unaware of the child he left behind. The relationship between Mollie
and her daughter is an envious one and definitely leads the book in the right
direction. With her daughter, her multiple friendships and her up and coming
business venture, it raises the question of whether she has time to invest time
in a man who is, needless to say, just as handsome as he was when she met him.
She finds herself having to fight the feelings she has for this man who she
cannot bear to forgive.
As I’ve not read any of the
previous books in the series, I have a pretty unbiased perspective of the
characters. I absolutely loved the friendship between Mollie, Evie and Chelsie
and their respective partners. I found myself disliking Ruby and her legacy, in
spite of the positive things she had clearly brought to the trio’s lives. I
love the way the story ends and how everything comes together and makes sense
to a new audience.
It’s fair to say that I’m
really glad that I put aside my initial thoughts and got stuck into reading it.
I actually ended up finishing it in one sitting which is a rare occurrence
these days in my incredibly hectic, work filled life. Thanks very much to Jenny for the opportunity to be a part of this little tour!
4/5
