Contemporary and timely (what happens when the gulf between rich and poor extends to outsourcing pregnancy, stashing surrogates at a luxury prison?) but ultimately unsatisfying, with a forced ending that fizzles. While Ramos writes beautifully, her characters don't incite passion--everyone is both good and bad, and a little boxy in their roles. (Jane makes bad decisions! Reagan is kooky! Yu is driven! etc).

A good first effort with a promising premise.

A surrogacy farm for the very rich. A young immigrant from the Philippines, dedicating herself to producing a perfect child for some very rich people. Makes you think about how far people will go to take care of themselves and their loved ones. The story is told through the voices of people from different ethnic groups and classes. Thanks to the publisher, the author and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I was gifted an advanced copy of this book by Random House Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of ths book is interesting. At the root of the story is survival and the choices we make in order to survive.

It is a well written story told from multiple view points, It grabs you and doesn't really let go until the end.

Captivating story basically about how people react when they are "given everything" except free will. The characters mostly felt like people you could know. Easy to believe a situation like this could exist in our world today, though you hope that it doesn't. A nice change for me to read about Filipinos living in a very American society.

Wow, the premise of this book drew me in and I am so glad that netgalley gifted me the arc in exchange for an honest review. I liked this book the story is interesting and intriguing. The story draws you in and wont let you go.. pick this up and give it a try, my guess is you will recommend it to your friends.

This book was okay. I don't know if I would have enjoyed it more if I read it at a different time? There were parts of this book where I couldn't put it down, and other parts which seemed to drag. Overall I liked it, but I was slightly let down.

Golden Oaks--a beautiful "farm" where Clients and Hosts come together to expand families. Is it a blessing for the women who consent to be surrogates for the wealthy, or is it a nightmare where their every move is monitored and secrets are kept? Ramos deftly explores these issues as we meet Jane, Reagan, and Lisa, three Hosts who have been guaranteed a lovely environment and medical care for the nine months they are pregnant, before turning the infant over to the Client whose embryo they carry. But is everything above board or are there secrets lurking behind the master plan for Golden Oaks. This is a tender and moving story that examines motherhood, friendships, immigration, and the disparity between wealth and poverty. It is sure to make you think and will warm your heart as well!

The concept of surrogacy of women desperate to survive to have a life. Privileged people of wealth who wil pay for what they want.A multilayered literary novel that drew me in,Highly recommend.#netgalley #the Farm #randomhouse,

Surrogacy as BIG business, interesting premise.

Joanne Ramos has done a good job exploring the personal benefits and negative issues of the surrogate, and the complexities of a business model for surrogacy. The differences between the "haves' and have nots".
Sent me straight to Google to research surrogacy laws and regulations!

While it was. Interesting. An ok read, it just didn't quite work for me. I guess I wanted the book to have a stronger message, even if I didn't agree with it.

I was immediately intrigued by this, having worked in the birth industry both in mainstream healthcare in an OB/GYN clinic and as a doula on the patient side. My first inkling was OH MY LORD, THEY MADE A BOOK ABOUT THE FARM IN TENNESSEE AND INA MAY GASKIN! But it was so much better.

This comes full circle for me, and I loved every second of it! Surrogacy is a HUGE market that nobody talks about, and set in the future of an easily recognizable situation, this touches on all of the things that affect our social structure from women's bodies to immigration, racism, classism, infertility. It was just too good to put down.

I've been raving about this to all of my birth-worker friends, and I can't wait for this to come out so they can get a copy.

Thanks so much!

With nowhere else to turn, our protagonist sees what she feels is a way out and up—surrogacy. But circumstances and feelings change even when they’re supposed to be unchangeable. The story started off more promising that it ended. The story didn’t build in excitement for me, but rather just “played out”.

Welcome to The Farm. On the surface, it's a dream come true for the women who reside there. They are being paid big bucks to be surrogates for anonymous and wealthy donors, and are being "pampered" for the duration of their pregnancies -- free room and board, gourmet meals and snacks, massages, free health care -- what could go wrong?

But all is not what it seems. Soon they discover that the restrictions of The Farm far outweigh the benefits. Their every move is monitored and access to the outside world is almost non-existent. For Jane, it means she's unable to visit her own baby, who is left in the care of her cousin.

The themes of this book are fascinating -- it delves into not only surrogacy but also race, wealth inequality, and immigration. While it's a bit of a slow burn in some places, I very much enjoyed it. I found it compelling but also very thought-provoking.

This was an interesting idea that failed on execution. I was so excited to read this, but ultimately let down by a book that turned in to a chore.

This book will, no doubt, draw comparisons to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, due to the subject matter. However, this novel is less apocalyptic and more realistic and the take is more ambivalent. The farm is a resort like retreat/hospital/prison for women who rent their surrogacy services through an agency catering to families of the extreme wealthy. The world here is just a tick off from our current day, just a subtle shift which could make major changes in what might be tolerated. Its this parallel to the current political culture that makes this novel work so well. And, without giving anything away, the ending was pitch perfect. Would make a great read for book clubs.

The Farm
by Joanna Ramos
due May 2019
Random House

How much would you give up to have a new beginning-a fresh start? Golden Oaks Farm, ran by Ms. Yu can offer you a huge cash incentive towards that new start. Jane believes it could be just what she needs to start over again alone, with her baby Amaila, alone after she found her husband cheating and left. She applies to The Farm and easily passes the entrance exams. Ms Yu invites her to the Farm, Jane leaves Amalia with a cousin. Its only for a short time.
Golden Oaks Farm offers the highest quality and best of everything from food to clothing, and is free to all who become a Host. This farm impregnates you with the embryo of another couple, willing to pay for the service. If is comes full term, there is a bonus. One lucky Host is carrying the child of a billionaire but since the identity of the clients is not revealed to the Hosts, no one is sure who she is......there is an extra large bonus for the Host of this baby......
Everything will be done at no expense to you, as long as you follow the rules.....the rules made by Ms. Yu. Can you-should you trust her? What are her motivations? Is it worth risking that bonus to disobey her rules?
Chilling novel that takes the reader into The Farm. Joanna Ramos has written a novel that makes the story so plausible, so real, vibrant and convincing. Its about sacrifice, the future of pregnancy, immigrants chasing their American dreams and how our circumstances can sometimes play the hand of luck, depending where your cards fall.
Riveting and unforgettable
#netgalley. #TheFarm

This book seemed like it was going to build up to something nefarious happening at The Farm. I was expecting a book a la Robin Cook. Spoiler alert....nothing really happened.

The Farm gives you a glimpse into the surrogacy world, of what could possibly become a popular future option for our changing world.

The Farm is the nickname the "Hosts" (surrogates) call their living situation. The farm is a type of campus where young women go during their surrogacy process. The Farm is monitored 24/7, with a big brother feel. The selling features include healthy food, spa, gym, free classes, etc; but the girls quickly learn that it isn't what they were originally sold on. The novel follows multiples characters from different backgrounds, ethnicities and financial classes. I found it interesting to learn each woman's reasoning for taking on the "host" role.

Overall, a very interesting read!

Jane seems to have been dealt nothing but bad cards for most of her life, but it seems that grim opportunity comes knocking when she decides to puts aside her own needs - after a brutal, failed relationship - and agrees to be a surrogate mother on "The Farm". It seems that the rich and powerful can buy just about anything, including nine months of your life. Jane will never be the same after she agrees to barter her womb for a chance at better prospects. So much self-sacrifice is painful to see. Jane is exploited again and again and is practically imprisoned during her pregnancy, but somehow she manages to put a positive spin on things. Definitely an eye-opening read on the lengths someone will go to in order to survive and make a better life for her daughter.

The Farm is a futuristic novel taking us into a world easily imagined. It is also the story of immigrants leaving their homeland hoping a better future lays ahead for themselves and their loved ones left behind.

We meet Ate a Philippina working as a nanny for New York's elite, Jane her niece soon joins the ranks of nannies recommended by Ate, earning bonuses and travels to exotic places allows Jane some financial comfort, Ate however has even grander ideas for her niece.

Golden Oaks, a place were young women can augment their financial needs in luxury, a spa of sorts.
Ate arranges an interview for Jane with Miss Yu, the organiser of Golden Oaks. Jane readily signs a contract putting her trust in Ate.

Does Jane and the other young women at Golden Oaks fully understand what lies beyond carrying a rich woman's embryo? Will the the financial gain be worth the nine month stay at Golden Oaks? The silence each girl must keep, the monitored surveillance?

What could go wrong? Is Golden Oaks so far in the future....

I enjoyed this novel immensely, highly recommend

Thank you to Random House for this early arc
Thank you to NetGalley

I gave up on this after a few pages. It just didn't hold my attention.



(I have a problem with your 100 characters rule--the entire point of my reviews is that they are short.)