”I know I don’t want any,” I say, and then open my birth control packet at the bathroom sink.

Ben furrows his brow and says, “How about you stop taking those things? Can’t we just see what happens? See if it’s meant to be?”

I tell him that this plan of his sounds akin to the Christian Scientist approach to modern medicine.

He gives me a blank stare.

”I have a better idea,” I say. “Let’s hold hands and jump out the window and see if we’re meant to die.”

Then I take my pill. (page 17-18)

This is another ‘chick lit’ book. I picked up this one specifically because of the theme: a woman struggles with her relationship because she does not want children. Since I’ve never wanted kids, don’t have kids and yes, I’ve been pressured to have kids in a relationship, I was intrigued. The author is a mother of two; even more intriguing.

Claudia, our child-free heroine, is thrilled when she meets Ben, the perfect man and her soulmate. When they first marry, Ben has no interest in children but he soon changes his mind and Claudia is faced with an agonizing choice: procreate or seperate. They divorce and move on with their lives.

I’ve just summed up the best part of the book and it happens in the first few chapters. The rest of the book limps along, with Claudia in a rebound relationship, Claudia cyber-stalking Ben, Claudia coping with a friend’s pregnancy, Claudia wanting Ben back.

This is where it all falls apart and I really don’t think the author really ‘gets it.’ I think the ‘child-as-identity’ characters in this book really need to meet the ‘child-as-fashion-accessory’ characters in ‘The Nanny Diaries’ because no one seems to grasp the idea that these are little people and a lifetime committment we’re talking about.

In other words, deciding to compromise on children is a far, far cry from deciding to compromise on which DVD you’re going to rent this weekend.

The ending was stupid. The book was a solid ‘mediocre.’

One of Emily Giffin’s earlier books caught my eye once… it was either Something Borrowed or Something Blue, I can’t remember. I remember feeling very much wanting to read it, but somehow I haven’t gotten my hands on a copy.

Then I came across this one on my colleague’s desk – and I felt like I just had to read her. I started out wishing, “Oh God, much as I can identify a little with the feeling of not wanting to have kids, I sure hope the protagonist will not be a total self-centred ass,” but I’m glad at how this book turned out. It was a real page-turner, and moved me to tears several times. Maybe I was just a sappy mood, but if you love chick-lit, you should really read this.