Customer Reviews

Pictures of Lily

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I was lucky enough to receive all four of Toon's novels through a contest on a website, and they were sent to me from the publisher. I finally sat down and read through Pictures of Lily on the FIFTH day after starting Toon's first novel, Lucy in the Sky. her books are just THAT addicting and readable. These characters that she has brought to life; i feel like i know them. I feel like they're real, and it just pains me that i finished the last book already, and will probably have to wait another year before getting a chance to read her next one. Now i know how her fans who were lucky enough to discover her earlier feel.

First off, i just want to comment that i LOVE the cover of this book. I think it's my favorite by far.

We meet Lily in the prologue who is being proposed to by her boyfriend Richard (who in true Toon fashion, we have met in a previous novel) and with the question, comes reservations and a flashback that leads to those reservations. When Lily was a teenager, forced to move to AUstralia with her mother from London, she falls in love with Ben. Ben is an animal keeper at a conservation park, who is 12 years her senior. yikes... i know what you're thinking. I know what I was thinking! the whole time i was reading the flashback i kept thinking, there's NO way that Toon can pull this off. SUrprise, surprise... of course she does. It may seem odd to you, but honestly, the whole thing just exuded romance. Ahh... unrequited love. The one that got away. THAT is what this book is about. ANd it will steal your heart away.

The thing about chicklit is that it tends to be over the top fluff, as you blissfully read your way towards the end that you pretty much know is coming. With Toon, that never seems to be the case. You THINK it will end one way, but then you second guess yourself and think that she might just surprise you in the end. I loved RIchard in this novel too. He was absolutely wonderful. He was sweet and kind and adoring. Whichever way Lily chose, i knew that my heart was going to break with her, and with the guy who she didn't choose. ANd i know that in my heart, i didn't know if Lily was going to pick Richard or Ben... or maybe Josh?
I loved all the characters in this book. sidenote... i REALLY liked Josh! mmm. I wish he had more time in the book! I'm hoping that someone will let Toon know and maybe make him into a leading man in a future book. oh Josh.... =)

i adored this book. I read it from the afternoon and finished it after dinner. This book is not one to miss.

It was about a year ago when I first discovered Paige Toon, and since then I've devoured all of her books. They're fun, fresh, and completely unpredictable. A far cry from simple chick lit, they give the reader something to think about long after the last page is turned. Thankfully, Pictures of Lily, her newest release, is just the same.

When Lily was 16 years old, she fell in love with someone she shouldn't have fallen in love with. Now, 10 years later, she's engaged to her boyfriend and although she should be happy, she can't get her first love out of her head. When her past comes back, she has a serious decision to make.

Once again, Toon fills a book with beautiful visuals (the natural side of Australia) and deep, personal drama. Written from Lily's perspective, Toon does an excellent job balancing inner monologue with action. While there is much contemplation, it never gets to be too much. Lily is a terrific narrator; her voice is strong and although unsure, it always has a hint of what she really wants. It's extremely honest.

Like her other books, Toon introduces us to memorable characters. Both male counterparts (I don't want to give away too much, as the dynamics are quite interesting) are extremely likable, which makes Lily's decision that much harder. And when she finally makes it in the end, you're relieved, and a bit worried for the one who doesn't get her. He's part of you - you don't want to see him hurt. (Interestingly enough, I cheered on the guy she didn't' chose, although I understood why she went the other way. It made sense, but I love that I was so conflicted. I actually debated it in my mind - embarrassingly often).

The writing is beautiful and addictive. Like her other books, I devoured this one in three days, hardly ever putting it down. The story is relatable, and extremely entertaining - never a dull spot, and full of ongoing leaps. It pushes the boundaries and makes you wonder what, exactly, you would do given the situation?

Like Lucy in the Sky, this one takes place in Australia, and the beautiful outback and city becomes a character in itself. If it wasn't so expensive, I'd fly there right now, just to see the koalas and Opera house. And hopefully the characters.

My absolute favorite part is that, once again, there are many references to her previous books. If you haven't read them, it won't matter, but if you have, you'll enjoy the re-appearance of Lucy and Nathan (Lucy in the Sky), Johnny Jefferson (Johnny Be Good), and Daisy and Luis (Chasing Daisy). I love that they're brought back - it's as if their stories haven't ended; they're still going on at the same time.

Pictures of Lily is a fantastic read, one that takes you on a journey through 10 years. You see the characters age and change - they become someone new, and yet sometimes, quite the same. If you haven't read any of Toon's books yet, definitely check this one out.

I absolutely loved Pictures of Lily- the perfect summer holiday read! Paige keeps raising the bar in her writing and manages to get the reader hooked from the very start! I was so addicted I didn't want my tube journey to end!
Some of the scenes in Paige's books are set in Australia, for those that have been, it will bring back memories; those who haven't - you'll want to be booking your ticket to Sydney (or Adelaide) tomorrow! - it's incredible how you can truly imagine the characters and surroundings.. like all Paige's books, this will captivate you from page 1.
Enjoy!!!
Pictures of Lily

I love Paige Toon. After reading Chasing Daisy (still my favorite!) I have read all her books. This story is sad and elating at the same time. From all her different leading characters, these two almost feel like the deepest soulmates through their forbidden love. I love how she keeps updating us on her other characters from the other books (like Lucy from Lucy in the Sky).

Can't wait for her next book!

Paige Toon is one of my favorite authors. That's why I shouldn't have been surprised I was unable to put the book down once I read the first chapter before going to sleep, as I had planned. Instead I read the book in its entirety.

Paige has this way of writing that has you hooked from the moment you read the first page and keeps you hooked throughout the entire book. I was so torn between Ben and Richard. I really felt Lily had a really tough decision to make and I felt sorry for her too, to have to make such a choice. But in the end I think she made the right one, for the right reasons. There were lots of surprises along the way and the book never fell into the tried and tested traps in most chick-lit/women's lit books.

Once again Ms.Toon has rendered another wonderful book!

I loved Paige Toon's first book 'Lucy in the Sky' and enjoyed 'Johnny be Good' as well. When I picked up 'Pictures of Lily', I expected that same type of romantic and light-hearted read. I was so disappointed. I couldn't stop cringing while reading about Lily's infatuation with Ben. The storyline was immature, unbelievable and ridiculous. Seriously? A 28-year-old falling head over heels with a 16-year-old is such a stretch. It's not so much the age difference that bothers me but the age itself. If Lily was 20 when she fell in love with Ben, that would have been more sound.

And the bychance 'bumping' into Ben again at the Zoo was too coincidental. Sadly, one of Paige's worst work so far. I'll definitely think twice before buying another book by her.

`Pictures of Lily' is the fourth book from contemporary romance author, Paige Toon.

Lily came to Australia when she was fifteen. She and her mum moved halfway around the world (and took a 24-hour plane trip!) to come and live in Adelaide with her mum's new fella she met on the internet.

Lily was initially reluctant. Not even her sexy quasi-stepbrother, Josh, could sweeten the deal . . . and then she met the kangaroos, and koalas. Lily's sort-of-stepfather, Michael, worked at a local conservation park, and Lily found herself enthralled. She discovered a love for nature photography, and developed a special bond with a joey koala. And then Lily met Ben. A fellow ranger at the conservation park, Lily and Ben soon became good friends. It didn't matter that he was 28 to her 16. They connected, and Lily soon fell in love . . . and then Ben admitted to having a fiancée. A fiancée who lived in England, where he soon moved.

Ten years passed, with Lily constantly pining for what could have been. But she eventually, slowly, moved on. Moved on to Richard, her lovely boyfriend (née, fiancée). Moved on to Sydney and forgetting about Ben.

Until the day he reappears to turn her life upside down.

If `Pictures of Lily' was a packet of chips, it would be plain flavour. Never have I read a more scintillating blurb (underage romance and love triangles!) with a more tepid execution.

I'm not sure what readership Toon is aiming for, whether adult or young adult? The romance is so PG13 that it reads like a thirteen-year-olds diary entry for all the "his arm brushed against mine, his eyes are blue like water" prostrating that Lily keeps up (even into her late twenties). The romance is so innocently dull that I was somewhat disturbed by Ben's interest in sixteen-year-old Lily. It would have been one thing if Lily had acted older than she was - if she and Ben had partaken of some canoodling or serious flirting - but Lily is so innocent, and she reads so much into the most nonsensical gestures that she does come across as very naive.

The believability of Ben and Lily's love affair is further hampered by the quick time-frame - from Lily's arrival in Adelaide to Ben's leaving for England, the entirety of their `romance' spans a few weeks. It's not nearly enough time (and nothing really actually happens . . . outside of Lily's imagining) to warrant her ten-year-pining for the man who supposedly broke her heart.

Even if I didn't love Lily and Ben's `older man, younger woman' love affair, I kept reading. I do appreciate a good love triangle, and I wanted to at least see if Toon could turn up the heat when a third wheel was added into the mix.

Sadly, no.

I slogged through 172-pages of Lily's girlish infatuation in the hopes that her twenty-six-year-old self would be a bit more scintillating. Skip ahead ten years and Lily is engaged to Richard, a fairly nice bloke who is unaware of the affection Lily still carries for the one who got away. Poor Richard is even more clueless when Lily bumps into Ben (now divorced, how convenient!) and starts an affair that will end in tears for all three.

I'm really amazed that between an older-man/younger-woman storyline and a love triangle, `Pictures of Lily' remains determinedly tepid throughout. I could have handled the lukewarm romances if Lily at least had a bit of charisma to carry the narrative. Once again, sadly not. Lily is as tedious as her love life. She's not funny - though Toon had plenty of opportunity for funny stories about a Pom assimilating across the pond.

I guess the majority of my frustration stems from the ambiguousness of the target audience for `Pictures of Lily'. If it's meant to be a young adult read, then that explains the PG13 romance, but not why the novel skips ahead to twenty-six-year-old Lily coping with an adulterous affair? If this is meant to be for older readers, then why the kid-gloves with the romance?

It feels like `Pictures of Lily' is two different books, mashed together. And as a result, the young-adult half feels unfinished while the adult second-half feels like it was holding back. And what a shame, because the bones of each storyline was scintillating and interesting enough.