Book Review - Maybe Baby by Diana Star Helmer

“She pokes me and pokes me – I felt like a big cake that wasn’t done yet!”

Maybe Baby by Diana Star Helmer is an intriguing look into the life of Mia, a young, teenage woman, living in a futuristic world where most of the population is infertile. Children have all but disappeared and couples must come to grips with the harsh reality of never having any offspring of their own.

“She’d never been close to a baby before, not even in the same room or same store; parents were worried about baby-snatching because almost no one had kids.”

Mia does not seem special in any way. However, she soon finds her life turned upside down after a series of implausible events that change everything she thought she knew about herself, her friends and the world.

My thoughts:

I quite enjoyed reading Maybe Baby.

At first I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. After all, I hadn’t read any of the other books that Diana had released previously. But I was glad to find that the author’s writing style was very comfortable to read. With a story that is taking place in the future, the book simply begs you to discover the secrets of this new world. It would have been hard to keep me exploring if not for the nice flow of the writing.

The main character is easy enough to like, if maybe a little bit difficult to relate to for male readers. For a fairly short book, Mia is sufficiently fleshed out to keep you interested in her story, even though her character never really achieves true consistency of personality. Which is absolutely fine for a book of this length, where the main character is also a teenager who has to deal with the normal struggles of her age; as-well as the special circumstances surrounding her in the book.

“Mia still couldn’t believe this was true, that she’d done something that could affect their whole lives.”

The supporting cast has a nice variety of different individuals, some with interesting back-stories and well thought out motives. But because the story is told from Mia’s perspective, you never quite feel like you know what the supporting cast is really thinking. And that adds some very nice, suspenseful and puzzling moments.

“Mia couldn’t move. She just stared at the screen.
She knew she should leave, now, just–just–disappear”

The overall story is somewhat predictable, but not in a bad way. Despite having a rough idea of what might happen next, the story does boast numerous smaller twists and turns to keep you entertained and looking forwards to the conclusion.

“He looked like a stranger. He’d been the loveliest thing in the world, … , just an hour ago. And now, she didn’t know what to say to him.”

I also enjoyed the book’s use of humor, which acted as a nice counterweight to the otherwise bleak circumstances of this future world and its story. The author makes numerous allusions to topics that are relevant to us now, in the present, and it’s fun to listen to the characters in a futuristic world give their thoughts and opinions on them.

” “I know that it’s rude to say this, but it’s just–just–you’re old.”
“You think all the gay drains out over the years?” … “Or we just get so tired, we give up and go straight?” “

If I have any gripes about the book, it’s that the story leaves you wanting for more. The book builds up numerous interesting characters, a fascinating futuristic world, and a serious struggle for the main character to deal with. But it doesn’t really offer any conclusions. The story leaves the reader hanging. Almost nothing is resolved.

Clearly this book is meant as Part I of a bigger story that is yet to follow. But you really cannot fault the book for that; every story has to start somewhere.

All I know is that I feel like I must get my hands on the sequel.

Quality:

The book reads very well, and has no noticeable formatting or grammar issues. A few sentences here and there seem a bit clunky, but in general it is very comfortable to read.

Price:

At the time of this review, the price tag of $1.99 is an absolute steal for this book. At 182 Kindle pages, it will provide you with a couple of hours of good entertainment and plenty of thoughts to follow. A bargain.

“I guess you never know where something like that is going to turn up”

Conclusion:

A great short read for those looking for a story about a personal struggle that ties into the unique circumstances of a futuristic world. Interesting characters, good humor and lots of potential follow-up books.