By: Emma Robinson
Narrator: Helen Duff
Hachette UK - Bookouture
ISBN: 9781837908769
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: 03/26/2024
Format: e-book
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
The first time I hear the miraculous thud of my baby’s heartbeat, I’m clutching my sister’s hand.
I was so happy when she offered to be our surrogate. But then I see the look on her face and I’m flooded with fear. This precious baby girl might be my child, but my sister is carrying her. Will she really be able to give her up?
All I’ve ever wanted is to be a mother. To have a child to take care of, to complete the family Mark and I are so desperate for. But after years of trying, my grandmother’s lovingly restored crib still lies empty. My dream is out of reach and Mark is more distant than ever. Until my impulsive sister Sophia suddenly offers me the greatest gift of all…
Her surrogacy will give me the baby I’ve prayed for. And there are so many painful memories from our broken childhood: could it even bring us closer as sisters? But as Sophia blooms with our miracle baby, Mark’s secretive behaviour has me questioning our marriage. And as I watch my sister’s face when the baby kicks, I wonder… why did she really offer to carry my child?
As Sophia gets closer to the birth, the hurtful secrets that forced us apart all those years ago come to light. And it’s terrifyingly clear that history is going to repeat itself, my innocent baby stuck in the middle. Because despite everything I thought I knew, how far can I really trust my sister with my baby…?
An utterly compelling and totally emotional tale about secrets within families, and how far you can really trust the people closest to you. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Jojo Moyes and Kate Hewitt.
My Review
Master storyteller Emma Robinson returns following Please Take My Baby with SHE HAS MY CHILD —an astonishing novel— two sisters, a baby, a pandemic, secrets, a family torn apart with powerful and emotional choices that could alter the lives of more than one.
Bittersweet and emotionally intense novel. Heartbreaking, compelling, captivating, and moving! A powerful page-turner of motherhood, sisters, self-discovery, and family.
Megan and Mark are married, and Megan desperately wants a child, preferring to have a biological child rather than adopt. She is unable to conceive due to her past illness.
Her big sister, Sophia, agrees to be the surrogate. To carry her baby for her. Two days after their mom's funeral, when Megan's world had become dark, Sophia had been the light, the hope, the lifeline she needed.
Mark had reservations, and Megan was uncertain that Sophia would stay true to her word and come through for them. Megan has never forgiven her sister for leaving her and her mother as a teen. She has not heard from her in over twenty years. Does she really know her sister, and can she trust her?
At age twelve, Megan had a severe eating disorder as a way to cope with her sister leaving. They were seven years apart. However, things were not as they appeared.
Sophia is pregnant and carrying Megan's baby. Everything is planned and thought out. Megan is very detailed and likes things controlled. However, when COVID surfaced, the world turned upside down. What did the lockdown mean for Sophia and the baby?
Megan had been led to believe Sophia had abandoned her but it turns out there was a reason her mother had kept from them. This changes everything. Now Sophia is trying to make amends by carrying her child, giving her the most precious thing in her life - motherhood. She could help bring her the happiness she deserved. Now, they are torn apart once again.
Told from POVs Sophia and Megan, we hear both sides of the story. Their well-laid plans become a nightmare when the world shuts down amid a pandemic with heart-pounding decisions. Now they are apart. Sophia and Megan are forced to reevaluate events from the past and through each other's eyes.
Megan is distraught as she cannot be there for her baby's birth as planned. Plus, she risks Sophia getting too close, emotionally invested, to the baby.
Due to the stress of the two sisters and baby being apart and another disaster happening in Megan's life that rocks her world and stability, Sophie is worried her sister will spiral out of control with her eating disorder. Will she be able to cope?
All the while, Sophia is bonding and falling in love with the baby, and her partner, Richard, does not want to be tied to a child. Megan is now worried her sister will keep her baby. What rights does she have? Her world is falling apart. She had begged her sister not to return to Italy so she could be here, but now they cannot travel.
Sophia, was angry at being called selfish when she was carrying her sister's child but filled with guilt that she left. Megan has to find a way to get to Italy and bring her baby home. How will this saga end with Millie, Sophia, and Megan?
SHE HAS MY CHILD is an utterly heart-wrenching, devastating, but ultimately uplifting, intense family drama with an unexpected plot twist at the book's conclusion. I hoped for this conclusion, and the author delivered a powerhouse ending! However, you cannot imagine how the characters would arrive there.
The author brilliantly captures the raw emotions of both sisters and the difficult decisions they are forced to make, handled with sympathy and sensitivity. The pandemic restriction added another level to the engaging story with another crisis level.
SHE HAS MY CHILD is part tear-jerker, part celebration of motherhood, sisterhood, and family. This one will tug at your heartstrings, a beautiful novel of courage, resilience, and love in the face of sorrow and uncertainty.
Character-driven, thought-provoking, and gripping, SHE HAS MY CHILD is my favorite book by the author! You will be glued to the pages with richly layered characters and a gripping dilemma. (loved Alex)
Piercing and uplifting, a genuinely engaging read of resilience, the bonds of sisters, secrets, and motherhood with deep characters and a multi-layered storyline. In addition, there are strong themes of self-discovery and second chances—an ideal book club pick!
For fans of Sally Hepworth, Diane Chamberlin, Suzanne Redfearn, Colleen Hoover, Rochelle Weinstein, and Jodi Picoult
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital advanced reading copy.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: March 26, 2024
About the Author
Emma Robinson is a USA Today Bestseller with a passion for stories which explore the power of family and friendship in the most challenging circumstances. Whilst her early novels are humorous; her recent work focuses on emotional themes and these novels are both heart-breaking and life affirming.
Emma currently lives in Essex, England with a husband, two children and a small black dog.
Website: www.emmarobinsonwrites.com
Facebook: facebook.com/motherhoodforslackers
Twitter: @emmarobinsonuk
Instagram: emmarobinsonuk
