Review of Just the Two of Us by After the Rain

Just The Two Of Us, a debut novel by Georgie Capron, could so easily have been my own life story, which is probably why I found it hard to put down.

The main character, Lucy, is the “wrong side of 30”, single and her biological clock is ticking loudly.

She longs for a baby but, as another relationship comes crashing to an end, she starts to wonder if she really needs a partner to make that happen.

While my life eventually took a different route, I definitely remember wondering in my early 30s whether I could raise a baby on my own.

And I know from my friends that I wasn’t the only one considering becoming a single mother by choice.

Georgie’s novel certainly seems to tap into the spirit of the age.

Here’s the blurb, which is what hooked me in the first place:

Lucy is the wrong side of thirty and tormented daily by the idyllic family pictures cluttering up her Facebook newsfeed. All of her friends seem to be getting married and having babies, and yet here she is, resolutely single, and no prospect of creating the perfect family she’s always dreamt of.

How she longs for it to be her turn.

But finding love is complicated, and as time passes she wonders if there might just be another way to make her dreams come true. Is she brave enough to go it alone, or is the fantasy of ‘baby makes three’ just too precious to give up on?

It’s a well-written, engaging story with a cast of lively and likeable characters who help move the plot along. Georgie has clearly done her research on this subject and it seems like an honest account rather than a fairytale. She makes it clear that Lucy has thought long and hard about it and is fully aware of the challenges that lay ahead. It is highly emotional at times but also full of warmth and laughter.

I don’t want to give any more away but I’m pretty sure I would have read it in one sitting, if time had allowed, just to find out what happens.

According to Twitter, Georgie has signed a three-book deal with Aria so I will be looking out for her next release with interest.

My rating: Four stars.