I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley.com.

This novel tells the story of Rowan, a woman adopted by a White couple from Korea as a baby. The novel deals with Rowan’s struggle to come to terms with her feelings of not being good enough — not for her biomom who gave her up, not for the adopted mother who wanted to conceive a biological child, and not for the different men who have moved in and out of her life. The story is inspired by Lauren Sharkley’s own experience being transracially adopted, which undoubtedly contributes to how powerfully and devastatingly Rowan’s experience is portrayed. Sharkley brilliantly captures the complexity of mother-daughter relationships. The relationship between Rowan and her mother speaks to the experiences of many women, adopted or not, but provides the specific point of view of an Asian girl adopted into a White family, that many readers have not experienced nor have read about before.

The first person narrative makes the book a quick read and keeps the reader’s engagement high. It also allows the reader to get attached to Rowan’s emotions and makes it easy to see things through her eyes. I had a strong emotional connection to Rowan and her story.

I liked how the novel was arranged, traveling back and forth through periods of Rowan’s life. It captured the ways in which each of Rowan’s choices was connected to what had happened to her previously. However, it was not perfectly executed. It was sometimes difficult to situate moments into Rowan’s history. There were also some moments that were repeated without offering anything to expand on them. One other issue was that some little details did not seem to fit into the narrative and I wondered if these were real events that Sharkely wanted to include. Further, some events were glossed over although they were made to be prominent in the lead up to them. Fleshing out some of these areas would have made the novel stronger.

I was disappointed in the ending. For a novel that seemed so real throughout, I thought the ending seemed unrealistic. The ending felt rushed, and I wanted more.

Overall, this book was a solid 3 for me. However, it is a quick read and I recommend it for those who want insight into being adopted transracially or the complex dynamics of mother-daughter relationships generally.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kaylie Jones Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WOW. This book is tough to read at times, but it is fabulously written! I loved the way the book was organized, flipping back and forth between Rowan's present and her upbringing. Definitely a powerful read.