Baby Proof Review

I've been a big fan of the chick lit genre ever since I read "Bridget Jones' Diary" back in 1998.  I've been disappointed by many wannabe authors over the past several years but there have been some real gems along the way.  My sister lent me Emily Giffin's first two books "Something Borrowed" and "Something Blue" a couple of months ago and I thoroughly enjoyed them.  While walking through Target last week, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the author had a new paperback out: Baby Proof.  I eagerly snatched it up and threw it into my cart.  As soon as I got home, I immediately curled up on the couch and started to read... 

Baby Proof follows the story of Claudia and Ben--a married couple who began their relationship when they discovered that neither of them wanted children.  They have several happy years of marriage during which they enjoy their freedom with spontaneous vacations and dinners out at the newest NYC restaurants.  When their best friends have a baby, suddenly Ben realizes that he really does want to be a father.

He tries to convince Claudia that she'd be a wonderful mother, he'd do all of the work, their life would only improve, etc.  Claudia feels betrayed and refuses to reconsider her position on childbearing.  Eventually the huge difference in goals forces them to decide once and for all...

I did enjoy reading Baby Proof.  It was a very fast and easy read but it was totally different than what I expected.  After reading the back cover, I expected that the book would consist mostly of discussions and fights about the pros and cons of having children.  I was totally wrong.  After just five chapters a decision was made.  The rest of the 20+ chapters deals with the fallout from that decision.  It certainly was a different tale from the one that I expected.

In the grand scheme of "chick lit", Baby Proof is just okay.  It was kind of boring and the characters felt like they were recycled from Giffin's other books.  I was expecting a completely different storyline and I have to admit that the one that was provided was really reeeeally slow.  I wouldn't recommend buying this book to anyone.  Borrow it from the library or from me if you must.