Emotional, touching, and a bit suspenseful. A birth mother and her husband are thrilled with their baby girl after multiple tries at IVF. However, there may have been a mix-up at the fertility clinic and another woman may have been the egg donor, instead of the birth mother. She also has tried IVF many times and her last try has taken place.

The suspense of both sets of parents, the uncertainty of what happened, why it happened, and what the final outcome may be pull the reader through the pages. Who will the reader side with? I chose sides.

The last pages of the book provide an unexpected twist. I found the ending appropriate and satisfying.

Unique story, very well written and engaging. You feel for everyone involved.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

"Hold My Girl" by Charlene Carr is an entertaining and thought-provoking novel. It's the perfect beach read, if you enjoy a little more substance. Life is altered forever for two women who discover that their eggs were switched during the process of IVF; one child survives and the other does not. This book explores the topic of what it means to be a woman, especially in relation to motherhood. The author deals with with the triggering subject matter with grace and sensitivity. I wish the author would have delved more deeply into the court case, as well as the moral and ethical issues the characters faced. I also would have liked to know more about what was going on inside the father's head; he really seemed like a superficial side character just included to move the story along when, in reality, he was very important to the story.

Fans of Jodi Picoult will love this book and it would make a great book club pick . Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy of this book.

In order for this story to work, the two lead characters had to be likable and cause the reader to feel the emotions of both of them. The author did this and more. She not only let the personalities of the women shine through, but also their flaws and the outside influences that helped to shape them and/or their decisions.

The plot kept the reader questioning themselves as to what they would do. There were a couple of surprises, and at times, I did feel the author went a bit over the top with some of the events. The story was told through Tess and Katherine’s eyes which kept the story interesting and moving.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

Hold My Girl is the story of Katherine and Tess, and a baby girl named Rose. Katherine, and her husband Patrick, struggled through years of trying to become pregnant before the birth of their daughter, Rose. While Katherine is overjoyed with her baby, she's had the nagging fear that something might have gone wrong in the IVF process.
Tess was a patient at the same fertility clinic as Katherine, back when she was married. Her struggle was also long, and had very different results than Katherine. Her life now is also quite different from Katherine's and she's struggling to make ends meet and move her life forward.
The common denominator: Rose.
Their story is told primarily between alternating chapters from Katherine and Tess, and you're able to develop an understanding of both women, although it wasn't as deep as I would have liked. My favorite relationship in the book was actually that of Tess and her brother, Mikolai. This seemed to be the most fully developed and genuine.
There are a lot of secrets in this book. Along with that are twists and turns, many of which were predictable (although there were a few surprises).
The concept of Hold My Girl was born from the author's own experience (and fears) with her fertility treatments and that led an additional depth to the core of the story. With the growing use of fertility treatments, the legal and emotional challenges presented in the book are a real issue that aren't often addressed in literature. The book is set in Canada, and I'm curious about how the situation depicted might have been handled in the court/family services systems in the US.
Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read Hold My Girl in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 rating, rounded up to 4 stars.

Such an amazing book about fertility/infertility, need to sit with this a bit before I write a full review

I enthusiastically recommend this book. This is the type of story that draws you in and doesn’t let go. Two mothers with both personal issues as well as fertility problems going through IVF. Katherine finally gets the baby she has longed for while Tess does not. A nightmare unfolds as both moms get a call from the fertility clinic stating the eggs were switched. Rose is the baby that both moms now claim as theirs. This great novel delves not only delves into the fertility issues but also the mind set of both moms and the dad as they go to court to determine the fate of little Rose. #HoldMyGirl #CharleneCarr #NetGalley

This was a beautifully written, moving story, and one I've enjoyed immensely. The story is ripe for discussion and would be a fantastic pick for book clubs. It's deep in the IVF world, which may not resonate with all readers. Still, it's a gripping novel with an impossible choice, and it's certainly worth a read.

Katherine and Patrick have a daughter, Rose, that they conceived using IVF after trying for years to get pregnant. Katherine gets a message from the clinic asking for her to call due to an urgent matter. She initially ignores it. Meanwhile, Tess had a daughter who was stillborn, and receives a similar message. It turns out, the eggs were switched and Tess is Rose’s biological mother.

I have some complicated feelings towards this book. It’s an impossible situation, especially since one of the children involved did not live past birth. It reminded me a lot of the show Switched at Birth and an old episode of SVU I watched.

Overall - the book was very well written and it did what it was supposed to do - made me feel and think. I empathized with each character - they all had problems, secrets, and good parts. I would definitely recommend reading it, though be sure to check trigger warnings.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Both Katherine and Tess were desperate for the one thing their body refused to give them…a child. After many rounds of IVF both end up pregnant, but Tess’s baby is stillborn, while Katherine goes on to have a healthy baby Rose, whose complexion is very light for her Black mother. When a nurse admits to switching two patients eggs before they were made into embryos, the clinic calls both women to let them know. Now Katherine knows that while she carried, and spent countless nights soothing and feeding her, she is not Rose’s mom, but her husband is Rose’s father, and Tess her mother. what follows is the two women both fighting for the baby girl they worked so hard for.

WHEW. Ok…you know those books where you start off rooting for character A and then switch to character B but the back to A, and back to B and ABABABABA? This book was that. Holy god I cannot imagine being in the position of either Tess or Katherine in this book. How do you possibly decide who has the right to the child in this case? There are so many things I want to discuss but I don’t want to spoil anything so seriously if you have read this I need you to dm me because I NEED TO CHAT! This book was heartbreakingly fabulous and I highly recommend everyone read it! I also recommend listening to The Retrievals podcast. Not the same story, but also about IVF and someone that does harm to the vulnerable women that just want what is “supposed” to be easy…to have a child. I think the two would pair really well together, but both will also make you angry at those that do harm.

I would rate this 3 and a half stars. It's very good, but there are a few things that prevent it from being a true 4 star read. Overall, it's an easy quick read & a compelling story. I think this would be a good book club pick.

Hold My Girl is a perfect read for book club gatherings. Many topics of discussion concerning IVF, infertility, marriage, family, and what makes a perfect mother will ensue.
I especially loved the characters in this story. Both women are struggling to be the most deserving mother to a daughter caught in a court battle over custody. They make mistakes and second guess themselves throughout the book. The story felt real. Being adopted I understand how it feels to love two mothers flaws and all. I enjoyed this book and felt the author captured the situation well. I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Having recently finished “Hold My Girl” by Charlene Carr, I am happy to have had the chance for the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy; thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark!

Katherine and Tess. Tess and Katherine. AND then there's Rose.

This story was filled with page after page of loss and betrayal and LOVE. Love for a sweet and innocent child who is the center of an unprecedented custody battle.
The struggles and emotional backstory leading up to the climactic courtroom scene are written so that I felt I knew these characters, even though I may not have understood their actions.

I searched YouTube for interviews with the author and followed the link to her website. That is always a great indication a story has taken hold of my heart; when I want to learn more and hear the author share her writing process. These words were personal for Ms. Carr; a novel that was obviously written straight from her mama bear heart.

I don’t have any children right now, but I’ve been in the “role” of a mother a few times and just those glimpses were enough to let me know how intense those feelings can be. And this book asks one important and almost unanswerable questions — what really makes someone a mother?

It delves into the painful, shattering realities of loss and parenthood, but also into identity, race, family, the expectations women face and the countless parts of a person that make them feel they belong and it’s all done in such a thoughtful and delicate way that it still felt warm and reassuring despite the deeply emotional content and suffocating intensity at times.

Our two narrators were women who’d been through hell and back — and whilst at times their behaviour is erratic, aggressive and chaotic it’s clear how they’ve reached this breaking point. Katherine seems superficial at first, cold and clinical but slowly opens up to us and Tess feels in a daze, haphazard but as we get to know them both we see there’s so much more and bond with them both in their own way.

The story moves a slow but steady pace, letting both narrators share their sides of the story and giving us a look into their lives before it all goes wrong. I can’t say I “enjoyed” reading this per se, but it definitely left an impression that will stay with me for some time from a powerful voice.

HOLD MY GIRL by Charlene Carr.
I can only describe this as a mothers worst nightmare. With that being said, Carr’s writing is beautiful and poetic. Two women, Tess and Katherine are both dealing with the overwhelming heartache of infertility when they both decide to try IVF. When Tess loses the baby, her pain is insurmountable and heartbreaking. Katherine’s IVF was a success and her dream has finally come true when she holds her baby girl in her arms. Then the night are begins. It is revealed that there was a mistake made at the lab and their eggs were mixed up which means the baby Katherine is holding belongs to Tess. We then go through the custody battle that poses the question “what makes a mother?” This book may trigger women who have dealt with infertility and miscarriage. But, Carr deals with these issues through her writing with grace and sensitivity. I felt every emotion these women went through. This is a powerful read that will make you think, break your heart a little, make you hug your kids a little tighter, and honor motherhood.
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the honor of reading an advanced copy of this book.

What would you do if the child you birthed turns out to be not yours?
This is the premise (in a nutshell) of Charlene Charr’s novel Hold My Girl. Tess and Katherine, both struggling with infertility, seek IVF in their pursuits of getting pregnant. Tess loses the baby, while Katherine births a beautiful baby girl. But then it is revealed that the eggs were switched even before the IVF procedure took place and Katherine’s daughter is actually Tess’.
What ensues next is a custody battle like no other and a deep dive into both of the women’s live with revelations and twists I could not have seen coming.

Hold My Girl reminded me of the Judgement of Solomon, where two women claimed the living baby was theirs. The writing of Charr resembled Jodi Picoult’s style for me and reminded me of the social dilemma of Clare Mackintosh’s After the End.
The story is set in Canada, where Charr is also from.

Hold My Girl is full of hard topics, but handles these sensitive subject matters beautifully and intricate.

Hold My Girl is set tp be published on October 10, 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the Advanced Copy of this book.

HOLD MY GIRL is an emotional read and, at times, the story is heart wrenching. I admire how the author approaches a very sensitive topic with poise and grace. Ultimately, the novel explores what it means to be a mother. Obviously, content warnings abound so reader, know thyself. For readers looking to explore a moral (and legal) dilemma, this novel will make you think-- and it might make you cry as well.

I received a complimentary e-galley from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review; all opinions are my own.

This book is just lovely. It's, beautifully written, sensitive, and looks at all sides of a very complicated issue. After a deliberate "mix-up" at a fertility clinic, Katherine finds out that she's not her well-loved daughters biological mother. Tess, who has lost the child she gave birth to and whose life is not going well is. The story gets more complicated as it goes on as there are secrets and challenges on both sides. As an adoptive mother of an adult-child, I highly recommend this book. It is perfect for a book club discussion.

Wow. An impossible situation and a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I honestly found one of the main characters to be infuriating and stupid. They made some of the worst decisions. I would have liked the story to end differently, but I get the authors purpose in the ending they chose. I really enjoyed the story and felt each emotion that both FMCs experienced. Overall I enjoyed the story and look forward to more from this author.

Stories about families are fascinating but not always well done, this novel was superb. It was nuanced and emotional. A real rear jerker at times. A very well written piece.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.