Lucy in the Sky

by Paige Toon

[Leah]

Lucy In The Sky is Paige Toon’s debut novel. It’s the story of Lucy who goes back to her native Australia for her best friends’, Molly and Sam, wedding. Just before her flight takes off, she gets a text message from her boyfriend James and her whole world comes crashing down…

Lucy In The Sky is one of my favourite books, along with Paige’s other novel Johnny Be Good (and others), and is a very impressive debut novel. The writing style is told in first-person so we hear all of Lucy’s thoughts about the text message, going back to Aussie and her dilemma between her boyfriends of four years, and Sam’s younger brother Nathan who she falls for while in Oz.

Lucy is a brilliant character, sure she has flaws, and did string along both Nathan and James in a way but she did it for reason. I think the fact that James was such a good liar made it easy for Lucy to believe she did love both him and Nathan. You’re with her every step of the way from the flight to Oz where she receives the text to the holiday and back to London and you just want to keep reading and reading and see what exactly happens next.

Nathan was an equally good character and I loved how he was pretty much there during the whole novel whether it be telling stupid jokes to Lucy or it just being Lucy thinking of him.

I loved Molly and Sam and while they were in Aussie for half the novel to Lucy’s being in London they were also present and I like that they didn’t fade away at all after the wedding.

James irritated me through-out. which I’m sure is what he was meant to do! – and I kept hoping Lucy would just dump him! I have to say though, Paige wrote James well so it was easy to believe that Lucy would believe everything he was saying.

I enjoyed all of the minor characters, Lucy’s work colleagues, her old friends from Uni and her old friends from Australia. Paige introduced us to some brilliant characters who all clicked together.

I also enjoyed how the novel was set in both Australia and London and how both were described really really well.

Oh and before I read Johnny Be Good I didn’t realise that Meg was in Lucy In The Sky until my re-read so it was nice to see her pop up before her novel was out!

Overall it was indeed an impressive debut. Paige just has an easy writing style to her that, one minute you could be on page 1 and the next you’re on 150 and halfway through the novel. An absolutely brilliant novel and one I highly recommend.

Rating: 5/5