Good story, good writing, good humor! The author takes what would be a very hard discovery, finding out his father wasn't his biological father, and turns it into a feel good story about the way families can grow and be inclusive.

Not as significant to the genre of memoirs as I would have liked. Sounded like many other memoirs of the same issues.

Well written story! Author was teased about being the milkman's son when he was growing up. Little did
he know that his beloved father was not his biological father.

3.5 stars

Quite an engaging read. Randy's Dad asks him to research their family tree. He gets so far and then gets stuck so thinks he'll try the DNA route to see if he can get help from aniother branch of the tree. Randy finds that his father is not his father and thus sets him on a journey to find his biological father. He tells poignantly the ridicule he gets from his siblings, who have always realised he didn't have the same father, thus the title of the book. The man who bought him up has no qualms, he has always thought of Randy as his son.

It's a lesson in being cautious with DNA testing but left me wondering: What is it about your maternal relationship which means you haven't asked your Mother!!

There was a lot of detail and I must admit I started to scan read towards the end of the book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

The Milkman's Son by Randy Lindsay is his personal experience with a DNA test surprise. It all starts when he sets out to do his family history, but he struggles to locate one particular ancestor's birthplace. After failing for months he decides to take a DNA test to help him narrow down what geographical areas to look into. That's when he learns that the father who raised him is not his biological father. What follows is his journey of self-doubt, discovery, realization and ultimately acceptance.
This was a very intriguing story, made even more so by the fact that it's real. I love that he included perspectives from both families, and how they came to accept and love him and the situation he found himself in. It resonated with me because I have 3 children who have a different mother. I love that he focused on love and how he didn't have to be raised with them to have a connection, also he had adopted two sons, so his story just continues to expand and affect more people.
If you are interested in true inspirational stories, family history, and good heartwarming reads, this is a wonderful book.

The writing style in the book was conversational, informal, like you were sitting down with the author and he was telling you his story.

I found the writing style enjoyable, and it kept me reading, but some details included in the book were odd choices. There was a huge focus on food, which is okay I guess, since food and family often go together. There were odd financial decisions, as well as Lindsay’s wife, as a very minor character in the book. Having his wife so sidelined seemed odd to me. Parts of the book seemed amateurish, but other areas were engaging.

The premise behind the book is one of those surprising things about life, how more connected to each other we are than we actually know. For the author and the emotional journey, this probably was a difficult book to write. I’m glad to have read the book and happy he shared his story with us as readers.

a touching story of how a man comes to realize that his family may not be limited to those he lives with. Many times a child will be called "the milkman's son" when they bear little resemblance or share family mannerisms with their siblings. In this case, the young man finds he truly did have a different biological father. As he expands his search, he will find that there is always room for more family in your heart.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!! I absolutely loved this book. I was hooked from the beginning. This is such a compelling story of life unfolding from a DNA test that brought so much mystery to someone who was just trying to complete a family tree NOT knowing what it would actually entail. A beautiful story that unfolds with much humor and feeling along the way. I would highly recommend this book to any reader. GREAT MEMOIR. Grab your copy and start reading you will not be disappointed.

I really enjoyed this book especially since it centered around three things that I really love: memoirs, family history/genealogy, and writing. I was fascinated by the family dynamics and the revelations about parentage through DNA. I love the message that family is built on love and forgiveness and that family sticks together regardless of whether you're related biologically, adopted, half, step, etc. On the flip side, I did get lost on the parts that detailed the genealogical research and findings. In my opinion, those details could have been edited down. Overall, I enjoyed the overarching story very much.

As someone who has recently dug a little deeper into my own family history, I found Randy’s story to be more interesting when he started to interact with his biological father and siblings. It's a little slow, but that is usual with most memoirs which are not a common goto genre for me. The little things like noticing how his mannerisms were the same as his half-siblings were interesting realizations. The book gives me the curiosity and strength to further my own biological history journey, it may have the same for you. Thank you, NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was hoping for more from this book... it was not quite what I expected. Not a bad review just not some thing that I enjoyed reading.

Let me say first off that I hated to rate this so low, because I know it was a labor of love. That being said, I also think this was is a story that would only have interest to those directly touched by the people at his heart.
A lot of us now have gone on Ancestry and other family tree websites, taken the DNA test and connected with family members both distant and close and a lot of us have made interesting discoveries, but I don't think they all need to be made into books for the general public.

I'm glad the author's discovery had such a happy outcome .

I was fascinated with this book! I am a fan of family skeleton's in the closet, so I loved the concept of finding a family secret within a DNA test. Told in such a compelling way, you will want to read to the very end. I highly recommend this book!

Being a memoir, this story is definitely not fast- paced and full of action, so it was easy for me to put the book down and come back to it a few days later.

I can't even imagine what it would be like to suddenly find out you've got an entire family that you never knew about. I can't help but wonder what kind of turmoil that would put me through... and my family too! I was really surprised at the reaction from the author's family - both of them, actually. Being overly curious as I am, I was wishing that the author would have gone into his mother's story - but at the same time, I can understand why he didn't go that way. I really loved how accepting and welcoming his newfound family was though.

The story kind of dragged on in parts - I think I could have done without quite so much internal dialogue - but I really enjoyed the interactions with both of his families.

I usually love memoirs and biographies because they can be written in such a personal way. In many way, this story was extremely personal, but there were a few things that kept me from fully enjoying this as a memoir.

First, I will say that Randy Lindsay is an incredibly talented writer. The way that he phrased different events and the words he used helped me to picture what was happening so much better. I could tell that his passion lies in writing fiction, and reading his memoir really made me consider adding some of his fiction books to my TBR.

On the other hand, this style made it hard for me to appreciate this story as a memoir. The pacing felt a little off, and it seemed like attention was given to such minor details that made me want speed the book up a bit. In a work of fiction, this is the exact thing I would love and appreciate. In a memoir, it can feel tedious.

Thank you for haring your story, Randy Lindsay. I hope that those who read it can connect and feel the importance of familial love.

***I was provided with an ARC of this book from Shadow Mountain Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions above are my own.***

I commend Randy Lindsay for his candidness in sharing his story. His discovery that he is not the biological child of the man that raised him is one that I believe we will see often with the advent of affordable DNA testing. Mr. Lindsay documents his research, sharing discoveries along the way. This book reads like a conversation with a friend and I appreciated that discussion. I think The Milkman's Son would make a great book discussion selection. I certainly wanted to discuss while and after reading.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

Thank you NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the uncorrected proof of The Milkman’s Son by Randy Lindsay. I received this book in exchange for a fair review.
When I first read the synopsis for The Milkman’s Son, I was intrigued immediately. My mother-in-law is a genealogy buff and has been working on her own family tree for many years. I was interested to see how Randy Lindsay navigated his own family tree and DNA search.
Randy Lindsay was approached by his father and asked to investigate his father’s family tree background. He took the task with gusto, and soon discovered that his father might have a brother he never knew about. After further investigation, however, Lindsay discovered that it wasn’t his father who had a long-lost brother—it was him. With that long-lost brother, came other siblings, and a biological father he never knew existed. Suddenly, the teasing he received from his siblings about not looking like anyone else in his family made sense. He really WAS the milkman’s son.
The first few chapters almost completely turned me off the book. It seemed less of a look back on how the genealogy led him to finding himself and more of a step-by-step on how to use family tree websites. I’m glad I stuck it out, however; the book ended up being very timely for me.
A little background: I was adopted as an older child but was in the foster system from birth. I, like Randy Lindsay, was able to connect with my birth family through a family tree website. Right before I read this book, I met much of my biological family in one day. To say that this book helped me navigate some of the feelings I have been having, would be an understatement. His trepidation prior to meeting his family was very similar to how I felt. Lindsay’s descriptions of the immediate bonds he felt with certain members of his biological family, despite having never met them before, lined up exactly with the bonds I feel with one of my biological aunts. The fear of hurting the family who raised you, the relief in knowing that they will support you no matter what—also my experience.

I would absolutely recommend this memoir to anyone with an interest in genealogy, a past in adoption, experiences with meeting new family late in life, or even if you just really enjoy a good mystery. 4/5 stars.

The Milkman’s Son is a memoir about the kind of rabbit holes one can fall down when one asks a genealogical question with a DNA sample without a full appreciation of the tangled webs families leave behind. With too much minutiae and too little global analysis, this book falls a little short of what it could have been. Still it is a pleasant tale that a little self-reflection would have avoided. A fat and healthy baby born only five months after the parents first met? Who couldn’t see that coming? The author. It all works out, but his surprise is the most surprising of all.

This was a very human look at the impacts of technology old (genealogical research) and new (DNA testing) on one man's idea of who he was and who his family was.

I'm actually pretty split on this memoir. I found the plot and the concept really engaging. Randy's journey with his old family and new family and the way he integrated them into his life (and vice versa) was really engaging. HIs emotional journey on the other hand fell flat to me. I felt a lot of empathy for his situation, but somehow his anxieties and worries took away from the story. It might just be me! I also really enjoyed the way that hidden or surprise family histories were present among many of the people in his extended families and communities. While his ended very positively, it was good to be reminded that sometimes discovering family secrets doesn't have a happy ending.

DNF at 30%

I think there have been too many memoirs I liked until now, getting my hopes up (even if I don't read them that often, I usually like them, a lot). This one seemed promising. Where you come from is kind of a big deal, right?

It didn't do it for me this time. Starting with the father asking Lindsay to find out their geneology, because of a dream, and the reaction was 'Oh well. 'Kay then,' to him finding the strange results, writing and repeating it must be a mistake. And then it wasn't, and he just told everyone and the reactions were (paraphrazed!) 'Cool,' 'I see, you have his lips. 'Kaybye.' etc. It all seemed so cold, especially for a subject like this.

Tis book might be interesting for others. I think my dad, who simply loves genealogy, would enjoy this book a lot, because he reads it from a different angle. It just wasn't for me.