Published by Aria on February 1, 2017
Just the Two of Us has a blurb that completely piqued my interest without giving too much away, which I really liked. I’m not too keen on blurbs which give away half the story, and so reading this book made for a refreshing change as I didn’t know too much of what to expect from it. It does make reviewing the book a bit more difficult as it’s hard to discuss it in any depth, but I can say what a thought-provoking and utterly captivating story I found Just the Two of Us to be.
At the beginning of the book we meet main character Lucy. Lucy is in her mid-thirties and single which is not a place she enjoys being. She has always dreamt of starting her own family and feels it will soon be too late for her dream to come true. Most of her friends are in relationships, some getting married, some having kids. Every scroll down her Facebook feed sees more people her age already happy and settled. Lucy wonders whether that will one day happen to her.
My feeling on Lucy changed throughout this book. Nearly every chapter I had a different opinion of her. She is desperate for a child. I felt for her at times because having a child was a thought that never left her mind and she was so concerned her time would run out. At the same time, though, I found the situation Lucy was in made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Often she seemed far more in love with the idea of marriage and kids than she did with any of her dates. I felt like sometimes she seemed prepared to settle down with somebody half decent if it meant she could start a family.
But then sometimes, I could totally relate to Lucy. Even in my early twenties my Facebook feed is full of people I know settling down, having families or getting engaged and married and I can understand the pressure some people feel when they're scrolling down their Facebook home page, like what they're doing at their point of life isn't right. Early on in the book I was willing Lucy to step away from Facebook and then I was thrilled for Lucy at that moment in the book where she realised she'd barely checked Facebook in ages, as I could definitely relate to the satisfying moment where there is life without comparing yourself to other people!
I found this book an easy one to get into and especially about two thirds through, I was absolutely hooked. I definitely enjoyed this part more, as I spent a lazy morning in bed with my Kindle in my hands, with no plans to stop until I had come to the end of the story, and I was really happy to see how it ended. I thought about the pace of this book quite a lot when I was reading it as things seemed to be unfolding really quickly. At times things felt too quick and at others things took longer to play out, at a more realistic pace, particularly when Lucy is considering the option of single parenthood. The book is set over a longer timeframe than it felt like when reading it though, and I felt there was depth added to the story throughout, just a bit quicker than I’m used to!
My favourite part of this book was the friendships Lucy had throughout. All of Lucy's friends, from best mates Tor and Claudia to her work colleagues added something to the story and to Lucy's life, always there for support and laughs and to share a few drinks with. I found this part to be really uplifting. Though Lucy's plans lead her down the route of becoming a single parent, it was heartwarming to see all the support she had from her friends and family.
Throughout the book, I often questioned Lucy’s choices but in a way this made me root for her more as in turn, I more enjoyed the moments where she seemed to be making the right choice for her, and not just living her life on a timeline with concern for leaving it too late to have a baby. I battled with my opinion on what Lucy was doing throughout, sometimes I agreed with her choices, sometimes I couldn't disagree more but I can say that the book left me with a smile on my face. Just the Two of Us is a heartfelt and moving tale of one woman who wants nothing more than to have a baby, but will they become part of a family of two, or a family of three?
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