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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Once again Paige Toon doesn’t disappoint! Not one have her books haven’t failed me yet. I remember Paige talking about this particular book, her debut novel, when I saw her and Lindsey Kelk at a book talk in Cardiff a couple of years ago, and I knew I had to read it. It’s taken me a while but I’ve finally done it, and I loved it!
Lucy is just about to turn off her phone for her 24 hour flight to Sydney where she’s staying for two weeks, when she gets a text from her boyfriends phone, but actually from a woman who claims she’s been sleeping with him for the past month. Imagine being stuck on a plane with those thoughts running through your head, knowing you can’t get a hold of him. When she finally speaks to him, he reassures her that it was just his friends pulling a prank. But it makes her question her whole relationship with James. When she gets to Australia, she’s reunited with her two friends for their wedding, and finds herself attracted not only to Australia, but to Nathan, her friend’s brother in law. An Australian surfer with no job, he couldn’t be more different to her English lawyer boyfriend. Lucy finds herself torn between two very different countries and men.
I love Paige’s style of writing, and there’s not a protagonist of hers that I don’t love and connect with, and this one is no exception. This book takes you on an emotional rollercoaster alongside Lucy. I really felt the torment that Lucy was going through on that plane journey, and agonised over the torment dilemmas with her. I loved the relationship Lucy had with her friends who help her through tough times. The only thing I can complain about this book is that I need to know more after that ending!
Lucy is just about to turn off her phone for her 24 hour flight to Sydney where she’s staying for two weeks, when she gets a text from her boyfriends phone, but actually from a woman who claims she’s been sleeping with him for the past month. Imagine being stuck on a plane with those thoughts running through your head, knowing you can’t get a hold of him. When she finally speaks to him, he reassures her that it was just his friends pulling a prank. But it makes her question her whole relationship with James. When she gets to Australia, she’s reunited with her two friends for their wedding, and finds herself attracted not only to Australia, but to Nathan, her friend’s brother in law. An Australian surfer with no job, he couldn’t be more different to her English lawyer boyfriend. Lucy finds herself torn between two very different countries and men.
I love Paige’s style of writing, and there’s not a protagonist of hers that I don’t love and connect with, and this one is no exception. This book takes you on an emotional rollercoaster alongside Lucy. I really felt the torment that Lucy was going through on that plane journey, and agonised over the torment dilemmas with her. I loved the relationship Lucy had with her friends who help her through tough times. The only thing I can complain about this book is that I need to know more after that ending!
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I do have really mixed feelings about this story. I quite enjoyed the first part of the book that takes part in Sydney and really wished the whole book had taken place there. The setting truly felt like a holiday and Molly and Sam were just adorable. The middle part back in London felt a bit too long. And I have to say I really didn't like Lucy all that much, she was kind of a hypocrite and a bit whiny.. Overall I liked the story and felt entertained most of the time, but sometimes I also felt very frustrated with Lucy and the constant back and forth.
But nevertheless, this was a debut novel and for that, I thought it was pretty good and I really look forward to her other books.
But nevertheless, this was a debut novel and for that, I thought it was pretty good and I really look forward to her other books.
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2021 REREAD
I decided to lower my rating from four to three stars because I just didn't enjoy Lucy in the Sky as much as I did five years ago. I still think that it's a fun and quick read (just like all of Paige Toon's books) but I wasn't as much of a fan of the writing anymore. You can definitely tell how much her writing style has evolved over the years if you read some of her more recent novels. I also once again wasn't a big fan of the ending, even though I now know what's happened because I've read all of her other books.
***
I loved the book, I really did. It was a perfect summer read and also very gripping. The book made me laugh out loud at some points and I now want to really have my own Nathan please!!!
I really liked Paige Toon's writing style especially because it was so British. (Let me just tell you that this book is definitely nothing for you if you have a problem with swear words :D)
It also caused extreme wanderlust and now I really want to go to Australia or just back to London!! I'm really glad I decided to get this book even though I'd never heard of it before. The only thing I actually didn't like was the end because I felt like it was a little too abrupt and I didn't really understand what was actually going on now.
But besides that it was a lovely book and I would definitely recommend it!!
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I decided to lower my rating from four to three stars because I just didn't enjoy Lucy in the Sky as much as I did five years ago. I still think that it's a fun and quick read (just like all of Paige Toon's books) but I wasn't as much of a fan of the writing anymore. You can definitely tell how much her writing style has evolved over the years if you read some of her more recent novels. I also once again wasn't a big fan of the ending, even though I now know what's happened because I've read all of her other books.
***
I loved the book, I really did. It was a perfect summer read and also very gripping. The book made me laugh out loud at some points and I now want to really have my own Nathan please!!!
I really liked Paige Toon's writing style especially because it was so British. (Let me just tell you that this book is definitely nothing for you if you have a problem with swear words :D)
It also caused extreme wanderlust and now I really want to go to Australia or just back to London!! I'm really glad I decided to get this book even though I'd never heard of it before. The only thing I actually didn't like was the end because I felt like it was a little too abrupt and I didn't really understand what was actually going on now.
But besides that it was a lovely book and I would definitely recommend it!!
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lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have SO MANY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK that I cannot express without some (hopefully minor) spoilers, so buckle up and read at your own risk.
First of all, I could tell James was a cheating gaslighter from the get go, when he asked Lucy to apologise for accusing him of cheating when someone sent HER a text from HIS phone about it. But I guess at first she could’ve been excused for wanting it to not be true and not seeing his true personality, but even when she did see this I can’t believe she stuck with him!
The first part in Sydney was really good, I enjoyed it and I could understand her wondering if developing feelings for Nathan were a result of the text message or if they were true. I liked the characters and the dynamic between them, and Lucy’s inner monologue was bearable in terms of pining over Nathan when she had a boyfriend.
But, oh my god, did it get far more annoying and frustrating once she got back to London. She was constantly angry at James for possibly cheating but she had thoughts and feelings for someone else, too. She kept saying how she didn’t trust James but then would NOT break up with him. I do understand how that situation is hard for someone in it but I think it was drawn out too long in the book and by the end I was just frustrated over being able to empathise with Lucy. I would have liked her take the plunge, leave him earlier in the book and live on her own to figure out what she wants that way, instead of thinking she either HAS to settle for James or go back to Australia with Nathan.
Lucy was always calling Nathan “my Nathan” even though SHE was the one in a relationship she didn’t want to leave, which was really frustrating, and she didn’t really have the self awareness to realise how annoying that was. She ended up becoming quite entitled, pining over two guys and stringing them both along and expecting them to both just hang around for it. I don’t mind reading characters with flaws and that are imperfect and frustrating, but I think it got too much by the end of the book and it would’ve been nice to see a bit of development in her character to become self-aware about how she was the one who put herself in this situation.
There were quite a few moments that obviously dated the book back to 2007. The subtle fat shaming through the prologue gave me the ick, but I will give Paige Toon the benefit of the doubt and put it down to the fact that it was more normalised in 2007 (unfortunately). Also, the fact that YouTube had to be prefaced with the descriptor “infamous internet site” then called “the YouTube website” in the next line was absolutely hilarious.
The ending was a bit lacklustre for me. I would’ve liked to see what she decided to do, even if it was just a summary paragraph or something at the end, or a longer epilogue. I assume the epilogue suggested they got engaged and moved back to Australia, but it wasn’t all that clear. After the amount of pining I read, I should have at least gotten a clear and epic ending!
The writing style was easy to read but I think parts were over-explained for no reason. It didn’t really impact the reading experience too much but I sometimes found myself wondering what the point of some descriptions were, such as where Mosman is relative to Manly or in-depth descriptions of clothes and make up looks that span multiple sentences.
In the end, I did enjoy reading the majority of this book. There’s definitely ways it could have been made better but I was intrigued and invested enough that I think it warrants 3 out of 5 stars.
EDIT: I wrote this review immediately after finishing the book but I honestly thought about this book for DAYS after finishing it, both in frustration and admiration. Therefore, for the sole fact this book stayed with me for days after, I’ve decided to up my rating to 3.5 stars. This book made me feel something and I enjoy those sorts of books, even if half the time that feeling was frustration.
First of all, I could tell James was a cheating gaslighter from the get go, when he asked Lucy to apologise for accusing him of cheating when someone sent HER a text from HIS phone about it. But I guess at first she could’ve been excused for wanting it to not be true and not seeing his true personality, but even when she did see this I can’t believe she stuck with him!
The first part in Sydney was really good, I enjoyed it and I could understand her wondering if developing feelings for Nathan were a result of the text message or if they were true. I liked the characters and the dynamic between them, and Lucy’s inner monologue was bearable in terms of pining over Nathan when she had a boyfriend.
But, oh my god, did it get far more annoying and frustrating once she got back to London. She was constantly angry at James for possibly cheating but she had thoughts and feelings for someone else, too. She kept saying how she didn’t trust James but then would NOT break up with him. I do understand how that situation is hard for someone in it but I think it was drawn out too long in the book and by the end I was just frustrated over being able to empathise with Lucy. I would have liked her take the plunge, leave him earlier in the book and live on her own to figure out what she wants that way, instead of thinking she either HAS to settle for James or go back to Australia with Nathan.
Lucy was always calling Nathan “my Nathan” even though SHE was the one in a relationship she didn’t want to leave, which was really frustrating, and she didn’t really have the self awareness to realise how annoying that was. She ended up becoming quite entitled, pining over two guys and stringing them both along and expecting them to both just hang around for it. I don’t mind reading characters with flaws and that are imperfect and frustrating, but I think it got too much by the end of the book and it would’ve been nice to see a bit of development in her character to become self-aware about how she was the one who put herself in this situation.
There were quite a few moments that obviously dated the book back to 2007. The subtle fat shaming through the prologue gave me the ick, but I will give Paige Toon the benefit of the doubt and put it down to the fact that it was more normalised in 2007 (unfortunately). Also, the fact that YouTube had to be prefaced with the descriptor “infamous internet site” then called “the YouTube website” in the next line was absolutely hilarious.
The ending was a bit lacklustre for me. I would’ve liked to see what she decided to do, even if it was just a summary paragraph or something at the end, or a longer epilogue. I assume the epilogue suggested they got engaged and moved back to Australia, but it wasn’t all that clear. After the amount of pining I read, I should have at least gotten a clear and epic ending!
The writing style was easy to read but I think parts were over-explained for no reason. It didn’t really impact the reading experience too much but I sometimes found myself wondering what the point of some descriptions were, such as where Mosman is relative to Manly or in-depth descriptions of clothes and make up looks that span multiple sentences.
In the end, I did enjoy reading the majority of this book. There’s definitely ways it could have been made better but I was intrigued and invested enough that I think it warrants 3 out of 5 stars.
EDIT: I wrote this review immediately after finishing the book but I honestly thought about this book for DAYS after finishing it, both in frustration and admiration. Therefore, for the sole fact this book stayed with me for days after, I’ve decided to up my rating to 3.5 stars. This book made me feel something and I enjoy those sorts of books, even if half the time that feeling was frustration.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
This was a very cute book loveeeeed the parts based in Australia has such a cute dynamic the bits thag followed dragged a little but overall very cute book but I want to know what happens next!!!