Loved it. The blurb sets up this book perfectly. It’s 1970 and you’ve just been told your unborn child has a serious untreatable heart defect. Your husband was recently killed in the Vietnam war and this child is the last link you have to the love you once shared. When your brother in law suggests there may be a way to repair your child’s heart problem how can you not jump at the chance to save this baby.

I am strangely drawn to the concept of time travel. Each author has a different take on the mechanics and the impact moving between decades can have on historical events and the main players ability to handle their new (old) surroundings. Diane Chamberlain gets it right in The Dream Daughter. The book is told in alternating chapters from Carly (the mom to be) and Hunter’s (the brother in law) point of view. His knowledge and her desperate need makes for a compelling and memorable read. Prepare yourself for an emotional roller coaster ride.

If you’ve ever questioned to what lengths a mother will go to save her child this novel will suggest the answer is anything possible or impossible.

A terrific read I won’t soon forget. This is one book I would love to see turned into a movie.

ARC received with thanks from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for review.

This was a time-travel novel for readers who don't like fantasy. If you're a fan of Diane Chamberlain, you will enjoy this!

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of THE DREAM DAUGHTER by Diane Chamberlain in exchange for my honest review.***

4.5 STARS

I’ll admit, when Diane Chamberlain, one of my favorite writers, asked her Facebook fans what we thought a possible time travel book, I was one of the few who said “don’t do it.” Though unsurprised, my heart sank when he announced cross genre THE DREAM DAUGHTER. Chamberlain is one of the two writers (Heather Gudenkauf) who could get me to read time travel. I was so excited to receive the ARC earlier today and finished in one sitting.

When Caroline Sears learns her fetus has a heart defect, she travels from 1970 to 2001 for fetal surgery with plans to return once baby Joanna is born. Joanna, to be named after Carly’s husband Joe, who recently died in Vietnam. Unfortunately, time travel isn’t an exact science.

THE DREAM DAUGHTER made me laugh out loud at some of the cultural references Carly didn’t quite understand. Imagine to horror at discovering The Beatles broke up and John Lennon had been assassinated the confusion of phones no longer needing cords.

At its heart, THE DREAM DAUGHTER is about a mother’s boundless love for her daughter and her willingness to do anything to make sure she’s okay. At times Carly’s persistence, while understandable, borders on uncomfortable/stalker crossing boundaries, but never creepy lines. Carly is sympathetic.

I struggled between four and five stars for #THEDREAMDAUGHTER . Chamberlain told the story better than anyone could have, dotting all the Is and crossing all the Ts. Her research as always was impeccable. Carly wasn’t as dimensional as I would have liked, her most of character was Joanna’s mother and I never got a real feel for her personality. Minor characters all seemed to too easily buy into the time travel. Perhaps because as I reader I help out hope that Carly wasn’t really in different years, but mentally ill with a tangential hold on reality (which is probably my fault as a reader).

I enjoyed reading THE DREAM DAUGHTER, though probably not enough to reread. I usually reread all of Chamberlain’s books immediately upon finishing and I don’t feel that pull, so I settled for four stars.

Chamberlain’s fans shouldn’t hesitate to read THE DREAM DAUGHTER. There’s little time travel and no sci-fi. This is truly a women’s fiction story at heart. I hope Chamberlain doesn’t stick with time travel, but if she does, I’ll read it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Diane Chamberlain is a new author to me and while I understand this is not her normal type of book, I loved it! The plot had all these delicious twists and turns and you never knew where you were going to come out! I can't imagine how she came up with this plot, but it only shows how deep her writing talent runs. I was kept interested from the first sentence to the last, and It was a hard book to put down.
Her characters are so awesome!!! They are strong yet scared, determined yet unsure, strongly bonded by family ties yet ready to break those ties if need be. I loved all the characters in this book! I guarantee you will find yourself asking, "what would I do in that situation?"
I am honored to give The Dream Daughter a firm 5 stars and a you have to get this one!! Look for it October 2018

Spoiler Free Review!

I have come to love Diane Chamberlain's books for their beautiful writing, engrossing plots, relatable characters, and compassionate discussion of moral issues. This books contains all of these elements and more. I am absolutley blown away by the creativity and novelty of this book! It contains all of the elements that I have come to love and expect from Diane Chamberlain AND adds an incredible, new twist! I was completely surprised and loved the direction this book took! I found myself discussing the dilemma in this book and wondering how I would react in the same situation! Wonderful!

As a big fan of Diane Chamberlain; I read everything she writes and anticipate the next book with bated breath I was anxious to read THE DREAM DAUGHTER. When I realized it involved time travel I was hesitant to read it as time travel and anything remotely sci-fi turn me off.

But since Ms. Chamberlain wrote it, I knew I had to read it, albeit not my favorite of her books it accomplished what her books do for me. I was invested in the characters. I wanted to take their journey with them and spend time in their world.

The book is also a book of a mother's love and the lengths women will go to for their child. For me, Diane Chamberlain took a subject I would normally not even give a chance and made it an enjoyable read. This solidifies my belief if Ms. Chamberlain writes a cereal box I want to read it.

A great beach read; make this the book you read this summer while relaxing on the beach, perfect, easy to read and interesting.

This book was not my typical kind of book. I love Diane Chamberlain, so I have it a shot. And I am so glad I did. This book had everything you want in a family drama. It had drama, family, love and twists and turns. The characters were engaging and human, and you were rooting for them the whole way. I had to stop myself a few times from looking ahead to see what came next...I just couldn’t wait. For any fans of women’s fiction or family drama, this is your book.

Thank you Net Galley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
An emotional journey that will take you through time and space, with unbelievable twists and turns. All the characters are strong and believable and you find yourself thinking about them long after you have finished reading the book. I was on the end of my seat from start to finish trying to work out how to solve the problems that arise in the book it will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish!

Well, The Dream Daughter won't hit bookstores until October, but DC is one of my favorite authors and I have read every single one of her books. In this twenty sixth book DC walks on familiar territory by exploring the strength of the mother-daughter bond, adoption, and dealing with grief. But then she adds in a twist that is not a trademark of any of her previous books, which I am not going to reveal. Strangely, it managed to work for me and I enjoyed this slightly more than I anticipated that I would.In fact, I took the leap and immersed myself in the story.

I loved this book! I love that it is unpredictable! Caroline Sears proves that a mother will do anything to save her child, even something that absolutely terrifies her. I highly recommend this book.

This book was provided to me free by the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Chamberlain has written a story that will leave your head spinning and your heart in your mouth! Fast-paced, a remarkable plot that stretches credibility and at the same time had me hoping that it is possible. I don't want to give anything away, but I highly recommend this book.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story was a little slow at first and it's out of the realm of genres that I tend to read; however, the description was intriguing and I wanted to give it a chance.

I'm so glad that I did! I loved this book. The tale goes from 1970 to 2001 and a few other eras as well. I don't want to tell in detail as it will give some of the plot away.

Carly is pregnant with her first child; her husband Joe has been killed in the Vietnam War. She finds out that her baby is not healthy but seeing it is 1970 there is not much that can be done.

Enter her BIL, Hunter. He is a time traveler and can send her to the future to get the help that her baby needs. She is very skeptical at first but agrees to go. This is not an easy journey...there are many twists and turns along the way, and other characters come into play.

I would definitely recommend this book!

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Dream Daughter was both mystifying and captivating. The time travel possibilities were wonderfully mind boggling to contemplate. With plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing, I REALLY hated to put this one down. (This was the second novel I have read from this author--masterful at mind-bending storylines. I have also read the Stolen Marriage, which was also amazing.) I am now most decidedly a Diane Chamberlain fan for life! Thank you, NetGalley!

I've long loved Diane Chamberlain's books, THE DREAM DAUGHTER was a bit of a departure for her Instead of being set in two different time periods, this time she uses a "timeslip" plot to tell the story. The part set in the 1970s allows the reader to glimpse realistically or recall many fond memories and things. The parts set in the 21st C. we're compelling as well. Basically, without revealing spoilers, a recently widowed pregnant woman discovers her unborn child has a heart defect that's deadly within hours of birth. The woman's brother-in-law reveals to her that he is actually from the future and knows of surgery done in utero that could save her baby's life if she trusts him enough to slip into the future. It's absolutely unputdownable and highly recommended.

4.5 Stars Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I read this in one day. This was the third book I’ve read with a time travel theme but found it this an original and engrossing story I couldn’t put down.

(Thank you Netgalley for an early ready copy in exchange for my unbiased review!)

I loved this book. It a the story a love that traverses time and boundaries and seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and is unlike anything you have ever read!

Carly Sears is living with her sister and brother in law. She met her brother in law Hunter years before when she was a PT student, and he was an unresponsive patient. Somehow she was able to bring him out of his state, and introduced him to her sister, Now Carly is in need; her husband died in Viet Nam a short time before, and he never knew that Carly was expecting their baby. At an ultrasound, the baby is found to have a defect that will kill her, even should she survive birth. Hunter has a unique, even unbelievable proposition that can save the baby's life. Does Carly dare do what he suggests?

"The Dream Daughter" is the story of love and loss; of unexpected joys and heartrending decisions. It's a departure for Diane Chamberlain, and a hugely successful one. I couldn't put this book down.

Wow! I have read many of Diane Chamberlain's books in the past, and I requested this one without reading the description, so I was hugely surprised when I started reading it and discovered that two of the main characters are actually time traveling! It sounds crazy, I know... but I trust this author implicitly and so I chose to read on. I'm so glad I did. This is an amazing novel and every step of the way it was all totally heart-wrenching AND believable. I loved each character, and I give the author credit for making all the time changes seamless and not confusing. And I'm not saying any more, but I found the ending highly satisfying. Highly recommend!

I was able to read this book for free from NetGalley, and am grateful to the publisher and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

As another reviewer stated, the blurb for this book tells you everything you need to know without giving away the complete story.

I started reading this book apprehensively. You see, I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi books and time travel falls into that category. While the time travel aspect of this book is important to the plot, the book's more important questions center around a mother's love and decisions about doing what is best for someone you love even if it breaks your heart.

I've loved many of Chamerlain's other books and this was no exception! Highly, highly recommend!

An emotional journey that will take you through time and space. Strong, believable characters and a twisting, mind bending plot, will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish!

Time travel stories really have to be done right to pull it off and make the story believable. In The Dream Daughter, author Diane Chamberlain does just that.

The story begins in 1970 where we find Carly Sears pregnant with a sick baby. The doctors are unable to do anything to help the baby, who has a heart defect. Carly is alone, having lost her husband in the Vietnam War. She lives with her sister and her husband, Hunter. Fortunately for Carly and the baby, Hunter is a time traveler. He sends Carly to the year 2001, where she can have fetal surgery to repair the baby’s heart and save her life. However, the baby’s health is not good and Carly is forced to return to 1970 without her, in what she hopes is a temporary arrangement. When she tries to return to 2001 though, something goes terribly wrong.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The concept of time travel is one of those well-worn plot elements, but this author did it right. The story melded together very well and the plot was not too unbelievable. Carly’s experiences in a new decade were totally convincing. The time travel method is not overly complicated for a reader to understand either. The reasons for everything Carly does are solid too.

My one objection is that Hunter made such a glaring mistake. Anyone who lived in the era of 9/11 would remember it. It would be seared in their memory. So, I was upset when Hunter ‘forgot’ and accidentally sent Carly back on the morning of 9/11/2001. He should have known that any such large disturbance would affect the calculations. If even a wind could make a difference, then those events certainly would. I understand that it was integral to the plot that something throw off the calculations, but at the time when I read it, I was angry with Hunter for failing to take that into consideration. Good writing does that. It draws the reader into the story and they react to the characters as if they were real people. So, it did work the way it was supposed to. After all, if he’d been correct, then the rest of the events would never have happened and it would not have been as good a story. As a reader, you could predict what was coming though, if you counted the months between Carly’s arrival and her due date.

As it was, the story was quite good, with a big conflict around the decisions Carly has to make once she finds Joanna. It was emotionally painful to see that she lost her baby, but she did regain the relationship eventually. The hard part was knowing how many years would separate mother and child.

This book is one of my top 5 of the year so far. I enjoyed it that much. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good time travel tale.