All About - Paige Toon

I've finally made it through all of Paige Toon's books. And I'm totally in love and completely obsessed with her. I found my new girl crush and total idol. Yes, this is going to be one of those gush-worthy posts and you're going to need a cup of coffee for it. It's a long one..

Paige Toon is an author I first got into when I went on holiday a couple of years ago, I took a look and thought it'd made for easy holiday reading. I believe the first one I downloaded was Thirteen Weddings, as I'd just gotten engaged and thought it was quite fitting. What I didn't realise at the time was this was slap bang in the middle of a kind of series. I say kind of, because these books aren't a conventional series. Each book tends to link to another in a way, but they don't follow on as you would expect. You'll read about one character in one book, someone who seems like a secondary character or a side not, and then they'll pop up in other books or have their own written about them. And I love that. One of the other things I love about Paige's books in that although they are chick lit, the happy endings don't always come as easily as these types of books I've read about before. And the main character isn't as perfect as others. They make mistakes, they have flaws and their lives have hiccups. For me, this is what makes them much more relatable and real. I have this thing with books, all of Paige Toon's are on my kindle, but when I love a book, or a series, I want it on my real life book shelf. All of these have just made the "need to add to my bookshelf" list.

As I've made my way through each of them now, I really wanted to give you guys the run down of each book, in order, and also give you a heads up of what other books from Paige Toon they link to.

I will say at this point - I have NOT been paid to write this, or asked to. I just frigging love her books, and she has fast become one of the favourite authors.

Lucy in the Sky

This was Paige's debut novel and released in 2007. I really loved this book. I love the opening where Lucy get's a text saying her boyfriend has cheated on her - as she starts a 24 hour flight to Australia - and the way she handles it. I love the relationships she has with her friends, and family and I just loved her character. The story follows Lucy as she visits her home town in Australia for her best friends wedding and makes friends with the grooms little brother. It then follows her as she goes back to London, to her lawyer boyfriend, and adjusting back to life in the UK. It's funny, it's sad and it's heartwarming.

Where it overlaps:

• Meg who is dating Lucy's younger step-brother Tom, is Meg Stiles from Johnny Be Good
• Lucy, Nathan, Sam and Molly all feature in Pictures of Lily, as Lily is with Nathan's best friend Richard
• Nathan is Lachie's boss at the end of Thirteen Weddings

Johnny Be Good
I frigging love this series - this is a trilogy, that then leads into another triology. This book follows Meg Stiles as she becomes PA from rock star, Johnny Jefferson. Johnny has all the typical rock star issues - drink, drugs and girls - and Meg is your typical good girl. Then you thrown in Johnny's best friend Christian and you have a lot of fun. I love the chemistry between all three main characters, even from a book you can feel it, and I love the soft moments with Johnny when he's not being a rock star. The story is great, and you absolutely love Meg as well, and can really identify with her.

Where it overlaps:

• Meg used to date Lucy's step-brother in Lucy in the Sky
• Paola, Johnny's former PA, is Daisy from Chasing Daisy

Chasing Daisy
Now, Daisy was one of those characters that did annoy me slightly. I did like her, and her personality, but what bugged me was her attitude towards the guy she liked who was already taken. But - this is what I mean by Paige's characters not being perfect and making mistakes. Having said that, I do really like the story with this and found the F1 side of it really interesting. Daisy is a front of house girl for an F1 team, and works closely with both the teams drivers, falling for one of them. It has a lot of twists and turns, and it keeps you on the edge most of the way through with a big shock in the middle. But it's definitely worth a read.

Where it overlaps:

• Daisy was Johnny Jefferson's former PA, Paola.
• Will Trust's childhood girlfriend, Laura, is the main character in The Longest Holiday.
• You see both Daisy (as Paola) and Luis Castro in Baby Be Mine

Pictures of Lily
Now, I'm just going to say I think this may have been my least favourite out of all of them. It's not that it's bad, I think I just didn't identify or really empathise with Lily, the main character. You meet Lily when she's 16 and just moved to Australia from the UK. She's not too happy about it, but she starts helping out at a conservation park and falls with a man whose 12 years older than her, engaged and about to move to the UK. Fast forward and Lily get's engaged to Richard, but then Ben - the older gentleman - comes back into her life. For me, it just didn't grip me as much as the others, and I wasn't as invested in her as the other main characters. But, it's still a good easy read.

Where it overlaps:

• Richard is Nathan's best friend, from Lucy in the Sky
• Lily's almost step brother - Josh - is with one of Amber's best friends in The Sun in her Eyes
• Lily is mentioned in Thirteen Weddings when she takes a photo that Bronte wants in her mag
• Bronte from Thirteen Wedding's is mentioned, and Lily covers for her as an editorial assistant

Baby Be Mine
The second instalment of Meg and Johnny finds Meg in France, with a child who turns out to be Johnny's. When Johnny finds out he wants to be a part of their life, and it follows the little family through their adjustment, their friendship and back to LA where Johnny has a drug fuelled wild rock star girlfriend - who Meg hates. Obviously. It's a will they won't they rollercoaster, and although I want to slap Johnny through most of it, I'm still routing for the two of them to finally end up together. I love this series, I still love Meg and Barney is an absolute cuties.

Where it overlaps:

• Joseph Strike, the actor Meg dates, is Joe Strickwold from One Perfect Summer

One Perfect Summer

It's such a romantic book at it's heart, and really looks at how potent a first love can be, and how hard it can be to let go. Alice is 18, and about to go to University, but goes for one last summer holiday with her parents in Dorset first. Here she meets Joe, and they fall in love. But Joe's family create a bit of a problem, and they're torn apart and they continue with their lives. Alice goes to uni, and falls in love, but Joe comes back into her life in a major way and he's totally unobtainable. I may have ruined it with the bullet point above, so apologies there. It's heart warming, and lovely. BUT - I really don't get why Alice stays with her new boyfriend for so long, not a fan I have to say. Anyway - definitely give this one a whirl. Straight after this there is also a short story - One Perfect Christmas.

Where it overlaps:

• Joe is also Joseph Strike who appears in Baby Be Mine, and Johnny's Girl.
• Both Alice and Joe are mentioned in Thirteen Weddings when Lily takes a photo of them

The Longest Holiday

This is one of my favourites, I loved this book completely. Every emotion Laura went through I felt like I went through it with her, and I love the twist near the end where we see it from Leo's point of view. Laura goes off to Miami with her friends Marty and Bridget when she finds out her new husband has a baby on the way with a girl he slept with on his stag do. It's all around how she deals with it, mistakes she then makes along the way, and how it all comes together. I adore this book, I've read it so many times now I could probably recite it.

Where it overlaps:

• Bridget also appears in Thirteen Weddings, and gets her own story in The Last Piece of my Heart
• Marty also appears in The Last Piece of my Heart as Bridget's best friend
• Laura is the childhood sweetheart of Will Trust, the F1 driver Daisy falls for in Chasing Daisy

Johnny's Girl

This is a short story, that finishes off Meg's story, and kick starts the new series of Jessie Jefferson - Johnny's illegitimate teenage daughter. I won't go into too much detail as I feel it'll spoilt the first two books from Johnny and Meg's story, but it's a nice little filler story between the two series.

 

Thirteen Weddings

As I said before, this was the first one I read. To begin with I wasn't sure as it wasn't your usual everything is rosy and works out, everyone is happy etc etc. The main character isn't perfect, you don't want to be her and you don't agree with every decision she makes - and I think it's one of the first time's I've felt like that with a story. But, I also loved it. The story line was great, the characters hilarious and there were some real laugh out loud moments. It's a great read and you really do get into it.

Where it overlaps:

• Bridget, Bronte's flatmate, is also Laura's friend in The Longest Holiday, and has her own story The Last Piece of my Heart
• Lachie's new boss in Australia turns out to be Nathan, from Lucy in the Sky
• Lily is included as she takes photos of Joseph Strike that Bronte wants to publish

The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson

This follows on from Johnny's girl, and is from Jessie's perspective - a teenage girl who finds out she happens to be the daughter of a rock superstar. You go on a journey with Jessie to try and get to know her new family, whilst grieving her recently departed mother. It's the first Young Adult novel for Paige and I think she does a great job with it. The emotions Jessie goes through are poignant, and utterly relatable. It's also great to join Meg and Johnny again from a different point of view.

The Sun in her Eyes

I think this is a my second least favourite of them all, I think for me I just couldn't relate to the main character again and she just completely frustrated me. Amber, who is married to Ned, has to fly back to Australia when her Dad has a stroke. While she's there she catches up with all of her old friends, including her teenage love Ethan - who is now single following a divorce. There's also a little side story where the old lady who found Amber and her mother in a car crash is trying to find her to tell her what her mother said before she died - I felt like that side was a little week and didn't really need to be in there.

Where it overlaps:

• One of Amber's best friends is living with Lily's almost step-brother Josh
• Josie, one of her friends from home, is also the best friend of one of the triples in The One We Fell in Love With

I Knew You Were Trouble

This is the second instalment about Jessie Jefferson, and it's as good - if not better - than the first. The press is beginning to realise just who she is, and she's trying to figure out if she wants to be with her UK based, good boy boyfriend, or if she wants to go for the bad boy, man whore band mate. She's still trying to build a relationship with her new family as well, and is struggling with her teenage emotions. Being an adult, I love these as much as Paige's adult books, so I definitely think this series caters to all ages - especially those who loved the Johnny Jefferson books.

 

The One We Fell in Love With

I felt this one was a little bit different to the others as it's written from three different perspectives. This book follows the lives of triplets, Phoebe, Rose and Eliza. All of whom are completely different to the other, but all have feelings for the same boy. There's a massive shock twist in the middle of the book, and it's very emotional. The whole story pulls you in and makes you feel everything under the sun. I loved it more the second time I read it, but you can't help but fall in love with the characters and empathise with them. You route for each of them, and want them all to get what they want.

Where it overlaps:

• Phoebes best friend Josie is one of Amber's friends in The Sun in her Eyes
• When Rose stays with her uncle in Australia, she's joined by Sam, Molly, Lucy and Nathan

All About the Hype

The third instalment in the Jessie Jefferson series - Jessie is now in a cool new rock band, and has her super hot rock band boyfriend. But, they have to keep it all secret from their other band mates. As with the other two, very funny, a good story and you fall deeper in love with the Jefferson clan than ever before.

 

The Last Piece of my Heart

This is probably my favourite, up there with The Longest Holiday. Bridget finally gets her own story after being the bestie in a couple of others. I always loved Bridget as a character, so I was super happy when I saw this come out. Bridget is a travel writer, who has been writing her own blog about meeting ex boyfriends and asking them for their piece of her heart back. But, in the middle she gets asked to ghost write a sequel to a book, where the author had unfortunately passed away. Bridget goes down to Cornwall to work with the widower on trying to make sure the book is everything his wife would have wanted, and helps him grieve in the process. I love the characters, I love the chemistry, and I love the storyline. I couldn't be more in love with this book if I tried. It was absolutely magical. If you read nothing else from this list - read this one.

Where it overlaps:

• Bridget is also in The Longest Holiday and Thirteen Weddings
• Marty, her best friend, is also in The Longest Holiday as Laura's best friend

Now - I THINK that's all the overlaps. Or at least the ones I can remember and have found. Paige Toon - if you ever read this let me know if I've missed any!! I kind of what to do a mind map that connects everyone...

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know if you read any of these and how you got on - I'd love to know! Now I just need to get all the paperbacks to fit on my bookcase...

 

What's your favourite Paige Toon book?

Much love, Lisa May

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