Pictures of Lily - Paige Toon

At 16 Lily was uprooted from her life in England and flown half way round the world to Adelaide so her Mum could move in with her latest boyfriend Richard.  Adding in drop dead gorgeous 'half brother' Josh and handsome but 10 years older Ben, Lily's life was full of potential along with her summer job at the conservation park.  Lily learns she loves photography and animals- especially the koala's.  Fast forward ten years- Lily's Mum has left Richard and now lives in Bondi and Lily lives in Sydney. Lily's boyfriend of two years Richard has asked her to marry him, Lily says yes but all she can think of is her lost unrequited love from 10 years ago. Can Lily ever be truly happy with Richard, or will the past she can't stop thinking about present her with an opportunity she always hoped for. 

This is the first Paige Toon book I have read and it definitely won't be the last, I was hooked from the first few pages and just had to find out what happened.  The first third of the book takes you back 10 years to when Lily and her Mum first arrive in Adelaide, the relationships Lily develops that will impact on the rest of her life and how her heart is shattered when the man she loves turns and walks away. 

What I like about this book is how Paige's writing sucks you in but you have no idea where the story will go, old characters reappear years later and news ones are introduced but it is all very seamless and pertinent to the story. 

I cannot wait to read another of Paige Toon's books so watch this space, I'm sure I'll be reviewing another one soon. 

9.5/10

Always on my Mind - Colette Caddle

Molly is blissfully in love with Declan, their wedding is only a few weeks away and being organised by older sister Laura, Molly's best friend Ellen is about to become a single mother and then Declan gets a fantastic new job but it takes him to Japan for weeks, meaning the wedding must be postponed.  This leaves Molly wondering if she does really want to marry Declan and as she is dropping him off at the airport she sees Luke, her childhood sweetheart.  Luke suddenly left the country when they were both eighteen, with Declan out of the country for weeks this gives Molly an opportunity to revisit her past, unsure of what her future will be. 

It took me a while to get through this book, to begin with it seemed things took a while to get going, but when they did it was an enjoyable read, there are many different angles to this story- why Molly's older sister Laura is the way she is, how a family can pull together when needed and probably my favourite is Molly's developing relationship with her niece and nephew Ash and Adam. 

I liked the way all the characters intertwined with each other along the way and how each showed their qualities at different times, I also found myself understanding the unbreakable bond between Molly and Luke but at different times rooting for him but then also Declan to win Molly's heart!

I felt the end was fairly predictable but it wasn't a dead cert until the very end- did Molly want to be with Declan, or did she want to be with Luke, or did either of them want to be with her? 

7/10