Thanks to NetGalley and Kaylie Jones books for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. Inconvenient Daughter is a beautiful and heatbreaking book that keeps you on your toes til the end. The book covers a strong female lead as she grapples with identity and belonging. It tugs on your heartstrings. Beautifully written book!

Good but I want to go back and reread later I am in a bit of a lighter fiction kick at the moment. I want to go back to this when I have more headspace for this.

This book definitely had a haunting quality to it. We follow the main character Rowan who struggles heavily with her identity and finding her place in the world. Her Korean mother gave her up when she was just a newborn which meant she has been adopted by a middle-class American family not long after. Rowan faces problems as any teenager with navigating relationships and discovering who she is. This is all made extra harder for her because of adoption, cultural differences and feelings in general that she has towards her biological mom and her adoptive family. The situation escalates and after she transitions into University/College life we see Rowan's life drastically shift.

I was really intrigued when I read the description of this book. I thought it would be interesting to hear about the perspective of an adopted person, particularly as they grew into an adult. In regards to an interesting story, the author didn't disappoint. Not being an adoptee myself, I can't speak for the realism personally, but it certainly seemed authentic. I really felt for Rowan, even as I was wishing she would make different decisions. While I wasn't unhappy with the ending, it did seem a bit abrupt. I finished the book wishing that there had been more included about Rowan's life at present and how she moved forward from her moment of self-realization. But overall, I enjoyed the book and would be interested in reading more from this author.

Inconvenient Daughter tells the story of Rowan's young life and flips back and forth between her past and present day. She has a typical American childhood in many ways - a struggle for independence and figuring out her own identity. As an internationally adopted child, Rowan is dealing with questions that many adoptees wonder about - Why did my birth mother give me up? Am I a consolation prize for my adopted mother because she could not have kids of her own? As she tries to ask her mother these difficult questions, her mother shuts down, pushing Rowan to look for answers on her own. Much of this book is about Rowan's perception that she was not wanted, not enough for her mother, but seeing in hindsight that her mother has always looked out for her and tried her best. When she gets trapped in an abusive relationship, she begins her downward spiral, alienating her family and friends, and allowing the persistent violence to occur in her tumultuous relationship. Only through all of these hardships does she realize the level of love that her mother has always had for her.

In the book, she does jump timelines often, and because the time periods are close to each other, it can be hard to pinpoint where we are right away. The ending is also fairly abrupt, and I wish that more time had been spent on the relationship of Rowan and her mother, and how they are going to move forward.

I was invited to read an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I would give this book a 4.5 stars if possible, but it's not quite a five star book and so I've settled for four stars. Inconvenient Daughter is Lauren J Sharkey's debut novel, loosely based on her own experiences of being a trans-racial adoptee. The main character, Rowan, is based on the author. My review will contain spoilers so please read ahead at your own discretion.
At first, I found the writing format of this book a little all over the place, although, this was mainly down to me reading it as a manuscript through the Kindle App. This meant that paragraphs, page breaks and chapters were smushed together and a little all over the place. There were some thigns that could be a little confusing that was down to the writing however, such as the narrator flashing through memories at varying ages. First you'll be in the present at age 24, then it's age 6, then age 3, then age 14, and so on. This can be a little confusing at first, but you get used to it once you get into the book.
This book is extremely thought provoking. The main subjects discussed are trans-racial adoption, 'promiscous' sex, domestic violence, and family matters such as parenting. Whilst I myself have thought about transracial adoption, the characters parents went about this completely the wrong way. It was frsutrating to read at points- I so often wanted to advise the mother on what she needed to do to help Rowan develop and be comfortable in her own skin. For example, Rowan is not taught about her biological culture at all, she is simply thrown into the culture of a irish-catholic household. When there is culture day at school, Rowan in given irish soda bread to take when this is the perfect opportunity to teach Rowan about her biological culture. I know it can be hard for adoptive parents to do this, as they try not to see their adopted child as a different race, as anything different to them. But you can see in this book how much being separated from her culture and how much the microaggressions of racism effected Rowan growing up- even if she tried to deny it. Some microagressions I noticed were things like the Nurse saying she always wanted to adopt an asian child so she could dress her up like Boo from Monsters Inc (As if a child is a toy) or when people would believe Rowan was chinese because she was asian (also asking why she didn't bring cookies to culture day).
Catholiscism was fairly forced onto Rowan, although the mother eventually stops making Rowan go to church. She does have a crucifix hung in her room and is forbidden from saying the word athiest. She has to go to catholic school even though she'd much rather go to public school. The mother's excuse is that Rowan would never last a day in the local public school, which is an awful thing to say. The doubt that Rowan's mother has in her causes Rowan to often doubt herself, her capability, her worth.
I found that the parenting aspect of the book was one of the most thought provoking parts of the book. At first, I considered if Rowan's relationship with her mother was emotionally abusive, but I don't believe it was- however, it was a very toxic relationship. As a teenager, Rowan's behaviour could often be ridiculous (as teenage behaviour often is) but at the same time you felt on her side. Her mother was very controlling but at the same time, emotionally absent. She didn't know how to show her love for Rowan, how to behave around her or talk to her. It felt like all their relationship was was rules and punishment. The relationship between Rowan and her mother is discussed from the very beginning, at all ages and is woven into every chapter. You can tell the the mother loves Rowan deeply, she just doesn't have the emotional intelligence, control or experience to effectively show it. It's almsot like she shows her love through control.
You begin to see character development in the narrator as Rowan matures, it happens naturally even though the narrator is talking from present tense, years in the future. Rowan begins to understand where her mother is coming from, considering other people's points of view, and is generally less ego-centric. The author has perfectly written so that you're on Rowan's side as a teenager, even if she's in the wrong- it took me back to my teenage years of sneaking out and misbehaving. And then gradually, you begin to understand other people's points of view, as if you yourself are maturing as you read the book.
You should be warned that there is domestic violence in this book. When Rowan goes to college, she meets Hunter, who becomes her bofriend. He isolates her, verbally abuses her, and eventually physcically abuses her. The physical abuse is severe and comes on fairly suddenly, so readers should be aware before reading as it's not mentioned in the blurb/description.
I'm fairly strict with my ratings of books. If it's five stars, then it's a favourite of mine. This is not one of my favourite books but I found it thought-provoking and easy to read. I loved getting inside Rowan's head and found her a relatable character. It's a book I would enjoy re-reading again in the future. I read it in two days- it's not that long a read and it's easy to sit and read it for hours without realising.

This book was a little scattered for me. It jumped around in time in a way that didn't really make sense. In the first half, the adoption was a huge part of the storyline, but closer to the end, it seemed like a plot device to explain the narrator’s bad decisions. SPOILERS The hospital storyline really upset me and I feel like it's dangerous to put this print. Letting hospital staff assume you've been raped is not acceptable. Ever. Under any circumstance. She had consensual sex and regretted it. That's the exact thing victim-blames throw at survivors of actual sexual assault

I received an arc from NetGelley in exchange with an honest review.

I had no idea what to expect going into this, and in many ways I liked it better that way! I really liked the story of this girl that truly feels like the "inconvenient daughter" both to her adoptive mum and her biomum, and seeing her story progress.

My only 'critique' would be that at times it felt like the plot didn't have time to breathe and just be. Other than that a great read, definitely recommend!

This is a beautifully written story with a dual timeline that gives you information in different ways. Loved it but it was a bit tough to read at times.

3 out of 5.

As always, I am grateful for the opportunity to read what someone else has penned down, it's a gift.

Now, this is the third book I've read in a row dealing with childbirth, adoption, and parenting.
I love that this book tells a different side of the story, the inner workings, and feelings of a child adopted. One would think that being adopted from babyhood removes the chance of trauma but this book reveals it is not necessarily the case. My ratings go to the unearthing of all these and the readability of the book. It is the second book in a row interweaving a present and future narration, which makes reading a bit more exciting.
There were moments of humour sprinkled through the book and keen reflections like these;

Rowan - "You are Asian to the people around you, but not to yourself....I didn't know what it meant to be Asian, but it seemed everyone else did"

Sister Joan - "Intercourse is meant to be an act of love. Genesis tells us, A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. Intercourse symbolizes two people becoming one in the hopes of having a child they may raise in God's image and likeness. This is why it is sinful to have relations before marriage"
It is the violation of this truth that brought about Rowan's situation sadly, the good news is, it didn't end there.

The downside of the book for me were the scenes that just went on for quite a bit and added nothing to the overall story. The development of the young lady into a punchbag blindsided me, it feels like there was something missing (I wanted her to get justice too). Unfortunately, I found it hard to like Rowan or anyone else in the book, which I feel really sad about.

The story breaks my heart as I know reality might even be worse than this, it makes me want to scream, People be careful with children, be careful with people!! but there was a glimpse of hope at the end.

Tiny Detail I liked (TDIL): The mum and I also share a 'fear' of water bodies (mine, oceans/seas) because of Jaws. haha.

This is a debut novel by Lauren J. Sharkey, loosely based on her own experience being adopted by white parents from South Korea as a wee one. It includes a lot of typical parent-child situations, but often magnified by a feeling of loss or rejection that follows her into college and beyond.

TW for dating violence that comes up pretty suddenly and I definitely wasn't expecting the turn it took. The premise behind the violence is that Rowan is setting "out to prove that she can be someone’s first choice" but it's a pretty rough road.

This book is real, and it's honest. A story of trying to find where you belong, when, from a young age, you are told and made feel like you are out of place. From the traumas of being adopted, being asked if you've ever sought out your "real mom," and in search of someone who wants you, this book details it all.

It is heartbreaking; this book shares experiences of mental health, sexual assault, physical abuse, and mental abuse. Inconvenient Daughter explores the journey to self-acceptance, and how strong of a power parental affection can be.

“He wasn’t afraid that I would belong to someone else—he was afraid that I would belong to myself.”

Inconvenient Daughter tells the story of Rowan, a Korean transracial adoptee who struggles with her perceived rejection from her bio mom, the troubled relationship she has with her adopted mom, who is looking for love in all the wrong places and is desperately suffering from poor self-esteem.

Written in a heartbreaking stream of consciousness style that was hard to follow at times, but was ultimately effective for this book that left me feeling hopeful in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me this ARC!

Wow. Just wow.

I don't know what I was expecting when I requested Inconvenient Daughter, but it certainly wasn't anything like what I got, which was a surprisingly powerful and beautifully written book that deals with many hard-hitting and hot-button issues while relating the story of a Korean girl named Rowan, who struggles with several issues that all seem to stem from her unresolved feelings surrounding her adoption by white American parents. It is told from the first-person perspective in stream-of-consciousness style, detailing the events that ultimately led to Rowan's hospitalization.

If you ask me, the new adult classification is definitely deceiving, as I almost exclusively associate the genre with romances that have explicit sex scenes and not with the kind of gritty fiction that deals with delicate issues such as interracial adoption, identity, self-esteem, controlling and abusive relationships, and infertility. Needless to say, I got a lot more than I bargained for with Inconvenient Daughter. And I'm happy I did, even though the story was a hell of a lot sadder than I expected.

Inconvenient Daughter is a hard book to read but, at the same time, impossible to put down. It is heartbreaking and sad, but it also leaves the door open to hope and the possibility of redemption. I highly recommend this story.

Really enjoyed Lauren Sharkeys writing style. Very easy to follow and read. This story was about Rowan, a transracial adoptee, who is struggling with being given up by her birth mother when she was an infant. This internal struggle leads to abusive relationships which were really hard to read about. I know these kind of relationships really happens everyday but it is so hard for me to comprehend. I was rooting for Rowan and anxious to get to the end to see how it would all turn out.

Wow! I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting, but this book was surprising. Rowan is a girl adopted from South Korea who seems to never really fit into her Long Island home. This sense of not-belonging haunts her, resulting in a young adulthood full of trauma.

I was hooked on the narrative structure, Rowan’s development of her relationship with her mother, and the parental dynamic. Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

Spoilers contained: Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC in return for a honest review. This was a quick read for me due to the way the author wrote it in the first person for the main character Rowan. I was interested in her story at the beginning as she was born in Korea and then adopted by American parents residing in Long Island. I wish the story was more focused on this issue. The problem was I did not like Rowan as a character or person. She seemed very disrespectful of her mother and unwilling to care about anything other than what she wanted. Rowan goes to college and then everything goes off the rails when she meets Hunter who she falls in love with and drops her family for despite his being both verbally and physically abusive. She gets dismissed from school as she loses her scholarship and winds up back home with her parents who seem to really care about her and love her despite her poor attitude. She continues to pick men who are bad for her and willfully degrades herself. I see the connection was trying to be made that she was cast out by her biomom, men, school. But her parents don't get the credit they deserve as they wanted her when they adopted her. At times the story goes back to present day when Rowan is going to a rape treatment center for help although it does not seem that she was raped but rather just finally going for help of some kind. I am glad she redeemed herself somewhat at the end but overall this book was just a mess. I see it has gotten good reviews so hopefully it will be reviewed better by other readers.

Inconvenient Daughter by Lauren J. Sharkey is a debut fiction novel based on her experiences as a transracial adoptee. Lauren is a Korean American writer from Long Island, New York. At three months of age, Lauren was adopted by an Irish Catholic couple and used her experiences to create the story of the family in her novel.

Lauren’s novel is a coming of age story about an adoptee named Rowan Kelly. From her early childhood Rowan knows that her family is different from the others. As pointed out by her classmates in elementary, she looks nothing like her mother. Her dark and straight hair is the opposite of her mothers thick curls. Her facial features are not the same as her peers in school, which they remind her of constantly by pulling the corners of their eyes and making hurtful jokes. All of which are hard for Rowan to understand because she doesn’t know any other home than Long Island, and she doesn’t know any other family than her adoptive one.

As Rowan matures she has to face the obstacles most American teenagers face like friendships and heartbreak, school exams and college applications, Sadie Hawkin’s and prom. In addition to the normal hardships of adolescence, Rowan has to make sense of her place in a world where she feels unwanted by her BioMom (biological mother) and her adoptive mother who she believes doesn’t care for her truly. For Rowan, fitting in and finding herself is hard enough but the added ache of never being anyone’s first choice is too much to bear. Her journey of accepting herself, not who her inner voice guilts her into believing she has become, is a revelation of a unique journey in life that we can all benefit from reading.

Inconvenient Daughter is a story that breaks the stereotypical reading of adoptive children that reconnect with their biological family and live happily ever after. Rowan Kelly experiences real life, and real hardship due to choices she makes that all stem from her desire to truly belong. A note of warning is absolutely necessary before reading this novel. Rowan experiences abuse and sexual assault from a relationship. It’s heartbreaking, but eye opening to the potential dangers that others could be facing within their lives. Lauren does a phenomenal job detailing Rowan’s thoughts and beliefs in some of the darkest and most trying moments of the novel that are important to understanding Rowan and her struggle to find her place in a world where she feels unwanted and unloved.

I had never heard of this author or story, but I was HOOKED on the description alone... and it did not disappoint! A wonderful debut novel from Lauren Sharkey, the Inconvenient Daugther follows Rowan's life and the emotional struggles she goes through as a result of her adoption. Struggling through identify problems, I enjoyed following Rowan on her journey to find her sense of belonging.

This story gives insight into life as an adopted daughter. Rowan recalls her first day of school in sharp clear detail. Her first kiss, stolen in moments with her first real boyfriend. She learns as we all do when to draw attention and when to observe.

Rowan only knows life living in suburban Long Island, but everyone seems to identify her as Korean. She was adopted from Korea by her Catholic parents and knows nothing of Korea. She worries that she’s never been wanted, and like a teenager doesn’t know how to deal with that other than by isolating herself from those who care about her. The first-person narrative does an excellent job in portraying roan’s loneliness and search for identity. It seems a little uneven and that is distracting.