Baby Proof Book

I have mixed feelings about this book.

I had picked this up as the third novel by Ms. Giffin, having already read her first two ( Something Borrowed, Something Blue). All the characters in her books seem to be somewhat interrelated, and the back cover looked interesting, especially since I, like the heroine, am a thirty-something woman exceedingly tired of being asked when I will have children. Like Katherine Hepburn, I suspect I am just far too selfish to make a decent mother, and I think it should reflect WELL on me that I know this and don't have kids, not POORLY on me that I am actualized enough to realise this before they were born.

I was very happy with the beginning of the book. Boy and Girl Meet, Boy and Girl Don't Want Kids, Boy and Girl Get Married, Have Lovely No Kid Life. I was thrilled to finally have a literary heroine. But then, for me, the book took a disappointing turn.

*Spoiler Alert*

I realise in real life that many times people make the decision that the love of their life is more important, or that some women do decide later that they want children. But for those of us who purchased the book thrilled that a woman was finally taking a stand and saying "I don't want kids and I refuse to make excuses or be embarrassed by it", it was a great disappointment at the end of the book that she took her husband back and seemed to be waffling on the baby issue. There are some things I don't think one SHOULD compromise on, and for once I would really like to have seen the heroine take the hardline stance, whether she got the husband back or not.

Since one of the fundamental reasons I purchased the book was defeated through an overly cautious plot choice by the author, I need to knock stars off (you can't do half stars, this would be 3.5). However, the writing is up to Giffin's normal standards, and it's a fast, easy, engaging read.