Interesting story on surrogacy, I really liked the unexpected twists and turns, they kept the book going, but I just could not manage to like many of these characters.
Adoptive mom Suzette, forget it, she is a workaholic bitch. I don't care what her reasons are. Hyland, the biological father, seems kind of wimpy and scattered. Then there's Dorrie, carrying mother. I thought she was fine, she gets a pass, but Eloise, the child, super bratty teenager. I couldn't evoke any sympathy for her.
This story had a strong ebb and flow though, just when I thought I was wasting my time on this book, it would perk up with something exciting. I could probably do a 3.5.

I am now a huge fan of Amanda Eyre Ward. She writes with a level of nuance and grace that is rarely found in such a fast-paced novel.

Surrogacy is a tough subject to cover and Amanda Eyre Ward does it well. Dorrie agrees to carry Suzette and Hyland’s baby without fully understanding what she is getting into which lends another layer to the plot that would not have been there otherwise. I liked the way Amanda Eyre Ward made me care for all the characters even when they are at odds. I empathized with Suzette. She had built a good life for herself when her husband decides they need a child. She goes along and finds her world torn apart. Dorrie is a young woman who wants a better life and thinks becoming a surrogate will help her get away from her mother and move forward. She didn’t think it would be so hard to give up the baby she carried. Jayne is a girl who is trying to find a better life as well and is willing to take a chance on Dorrie when she sees an opportunity.

My only quibble with this novel is all the female characters had awful mothers. I began to get confused about who’s terrible childhood some of the flashbacks were from. It would have been nice to have one of the women know what a healthy mother-daughter relationship felt like. That said, this is a minor criticism.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of the novel.