REVIEW: And Baby Makes Two by Dyan Sheldon

Review by Sue Barrow.

When 15 year old Lana Spiggs meets Les, the manager of the local Blockbuster, it's love at first sight  . . . for her anyway. All she has ever wanted is a husband and lots of children so when she finds herself unexpectedly pregnant she's well on her way to seeing her dreams come true. Or is she?

Lana wastes no time in planning her future with Les, except that her plans are all in her head and to her dismay she soon discovers that he is far from ready to become a dad. Les can't believe his luck - a girlfriend who makes few actual demands on his time leaving him free to live and even holiday as a single man! When the baby arrives unexpectedly early Lana discovers that there is only one person on hand to support her - her overbearing mum whom she can't stand! Lana learns the hard way that being a single mum at sixteen comes at a high price . . . even more so when she eventually finds out the truth about Les!

The only other book I've read about teenage pregnancy is Blue Moon by Julia Green and this one was very different. It was much harder to empathise with Lana's viewpoint for example and difficult to understand how she could keep convincing herself that Les was going to turn into the man of her dreams. The story is set in London but the author, Dyan Sheldon, is American and most of the characters (including the baby) have American-sounding names which didn't feel quite right in that setting. But her style is lively and engaging and the ending packs a real punch. And like Blue Moon it left me wanting to read a sequel if only to find out how the hapless Lana manages on her own.

Review by Sue Barrow, author of Keeping Secrets.

Comments

[Sophie]

I loved My Worst Best Friend so I'm definitely going to get myself a copy of this.

[Jean]

I've read this book as well, and quite enjoyed it. I agree with you on the Americanisation of it, which made it feel less English/less realistic. However I agree that the actual story was fun to read ^^