The book started off well with descriptive writing which I left
But then it just became very meh
There was a lot of filling and not enough meat

Wow, so here I am reading this family drama when I get hit by a massive emotional bombshell! (Que the tissues!!) First, imagine being a 14 yr old girl who lost her mother at 4 yrs old and can't get anyone to tell her about her mom, this huge gaping hole in her heart.

"All of us seemed to be trapped - trapped by missing her, by having lost her. By the huge hole she'd left in our lives when she disappeared"

Everyone seems to be frozen in place and all Dani wants is to know who her mom was, what she was like, even how she died. Yet her dad and aunt refuse to talk about her.

"The dead always want to tell us something, maybe something we would much prefer not to know. But they can't. They can't speak. It's only in a ghost story that we can find out what they're trying to say."

Dani finds her mother's diary and this is where the 'ghost story' begins. The story unfolds by alternating between current time with Dani and her mother's diary. And the journey that unravels leads to family secrets, lies, deceit, guilt, forgiveness, closure, love and a crazy emotional roller-coaster with many twists and turns and a splash of mystery.

This is a book I recommend and will definitely be checking out other books by this author.

My thanks to Ali Mercer, Bookouture and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As soon as I read the premise for MY MOTHER'S CHOICE, I was immediately intrigued. Anything that involves a secret diary elicits an expectation of some big reveals that will either shock or pull at the heartstrings. And even better, it is written in a dual timeline format (my favourite kind) with the secrets of the past unfolding through the said diary, whilst the present struggles to make sense of the past.

Dani is 14 and lives with her Aunt Carrie, her mother's sister, in the house in which the sisters grew up in the town of Kettlebridge. She sees her father every once in a while but more often than not, he's just someone who turns up sometimes with a gift or a few words of chastisement, usually at her aunt's beckoning.

But this is not a normal family. They are not demonstrative, emotive even remotely likeable. They just barely function. And Dani prefers to spend her time alone in her room building a fictional city with fictional people in SIMS. Most of the time her aunt generally doesn't know what to do with her. And that suits Dani just fine.

But no one talks about her mother. Not ever. All she was told was that she died when Dani was four years old.

Dani is not stupid. She knows there are things her aunt and her father aren't telling her. And now she is older she has questions. Why is her father so distant? Why is her aunt so aloof, cold even? And why does no one ever talk about her mother?

All Dani has of her mother is a photo of the two of them taken shortly before she died. She looked so happy and carefree as they traipsed through a canopy of cherry blossoms with an exuberant four year old Dani clasping her hand. her mother looks back over her shoulder with a shadow of a smile while only the back of Dani is visible. What was she happy about that day? What made her look back and smile at the photographer, presumably her dad? Particularly when the child in the photo was so intent on her destination? Or maybe it was the adventure she was wrapped up in?

Why is this the only photo she has of her mother? Surely, if she was as loved by both her dad and her aunt there are bound to be more photos? But not one exists on display in her aunt's home and there are definitely none in her father's cottage either. It's like they had both wiped away her memory, leaving only one photo for Dani. Why?

So when Dani begins voicing her thoughts to her friend Josie, her friend plants the seed that grows into an idea that maybe there is something of her mother hidden away. And the only place it could be is in the loft where aunt Carrie stores the things she doesn't want to think about. So with Josie's help, Dani climbs into the loft and searches for something...anything...that could shed any light on the mystery that is her mother. She comes across a notebook in an unfamiliar hand in an all but empty trunk and a quick peruse reveals it to be her mother's.

Armed with her mother's diary, Dani embarks on a journey into the past that she begins to read in the cover of darkness and learns a secret no one ever wanted her to know. Can she trust her aunt and her father again?

A story of a young girl trying to come to terms with her mother's death and this long hidden secret, it's no surprise that it all ended up in a tragedy that no one could have foreseen. Least of all Dani. But her search for answers lead her to a shocking truth she wasn't expecting. And suddenly, Dani doesn't know how she can ever trust or forgive her aunt or father again.

One confession...that's all it took to change the course of Dani's life. And then it's the secrecy that came with it; the fact nobody told you; kept it hidden; made you believe something else entirely.

A story about love, betrayal, secrets, regrets and forgiveness, MY MOTHER'S CHOICE is an emotional read but it didn't have me reaching for the tissues, despite the heartbreak. I think because Dani was such a capable and independent character for her age I sometimes felt I couldn't connect with her. Her aunt and father were even less relatable, given their distance and aloofness. And her mother, Laura, almost seemed like something surreal. A mysterious presence just out of reach (not in a paranormal way); more like an ideal rather than a memory or a reality.

I did enjoy this book but I didn't love it. I felt there was something missing that it too felt a little out of reach. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's there even if it's not. My least favourite part of the book was the ending. I felt like all that effort and for what? The hospital scene I expected something a little more left of field rather than what actually happened. It felt as if a connection had been missed that should have been made which would have made it more heartfelt and me possibly reaching for the tissues. As it were, it didn't. But I still enjoyed it...just not as much as I could have maybe.

Still a good read for fans of women's contemporary fiction that weave emotional tales such as Kerry Fisher and Amanda Prowse.

I would like to thank #AliMercer, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #MyMothersChoice in exchange for an honest review.

Dani, a thoughtful and intelligent teenager, wants to know more about her mother - the mother she has not seen since early childhood, who she has only fleeting memories of, and who nobody seems to want to talk about. But Dani has found a diary in the attic, and by reading it obtains the answer that others, in particular the cold, haughty aunt she lives with, won't give her. I found this to be an enjoyable, tender, sufficiently page-turney read. However, there was something perhaps slightly lacking, and I (subsequently) went looking for it in the author's earlier novels - and found it. So, my summarised view. A lovely, well-executed and warm-hearted read, but one that slightly misses the depth of her other work.

I really enjoyed My Mother's Choice. The cover is what got my attention but the story is wonderful. This is a family drama full of twists. Can't wait to read more from this author.

This was a very emotional read that follows the story of 14 year old Danni having lost her mother and living with her aunt. It also explores all of the emotions and heartbreak she has suffered growing up. This book was like picking up a Pandora’s box of secrets and watching as each one unfolds and the web of secrets and lies is exposed

An emotional, captivating read that grasps your attention from the start. The story is both heart-breaking and heart warming, and as the story progresses you are taken through a vast range of emotions.
The storyline is wonderful and so perfectly written, it is impossible to not find yourself completely and utterly lost within this book and the beautiful story that the author brings to life.
A definite must read.

My Mother's Choice by Ali Mercer is a book full of unhappy people. Some know why they are unhappy; some do not. Dani is 14 years old and lives with her aunt. Her father lives nearby and she sees him sporadically. None of them are affectionate, or even close. Her mother died when she was four. She doesn't really remember it. The only thing she knows about her mother is the picture, which sits on her window sill of a young and pretty woman smiling and holding the hand of a little girl; her. She really has not friends, just one girl who she protected from some bullies on day. This girl, Josie, pushes her into going up to the attic to see what she can find out about her mother. What she finds is astonishing: a diary. Well, more of a memoir, really, written in the week or so before her mother's death. It opens her eyes.

Dani is a 14-year-old with plenty of attitude, like many at that age. All she cares about is her computer and the bike her dad gave her for her birthday: they both spell freedom. Her aunt Carrie gave her few rules, but she broke one almost immediately, and then discovered why it had been given. It whetted her appetite for more so when Josie suggested the attic, she was all in. Josie is a shy girl, ripe for bullying but she has a pretty mom, who is so nice and makes such a nice home for Josie and her sister. Dani is kind of jealous. Dani discovers what happened to her mother, far more than she really wanted to know. It hurts. The situation hurts. The lies hurt. Her dad and her aunt have hurt both her and her mother. It is an interesting story, well-told. Lots of different personalities, many so unhappy. Mercer did a good job telling this story. One can only hope it's not true. I liked it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of My Mother's Choice by Netgalley. All opinions contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #mymotherschoice

Not a fan. I found this book very slow and boring... I couldn’t get into any of the characters or their plots. It ended ok... but just wasn’t for me.

I did enjoy this one but it was difficult to read in some parts and it is very emotional. Very well written.

I love family drama books, and this certainly fit the bill for that. This book was filled with drama, secrets, you name it. It kept me glued to the page, and I had to keep reading to find out what was next. This was my first novel by this author, and I look forward to checking out her other titles.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an early release of this book.

An enjoyable book, really picked towards the end with the big secret which was a shock. Great style of writing.

EXCERPT: Laura's Diary

Since leaving him I've found myself doing all kinds of things I wouldn't normally do. Coming here, for a start. I didn't even think twice about the drive - all those hours on the M4 with Dani in the back, the rain sheeting down when we got to the West Country, the tangle of lanes and bad signposts at the end.

But we made it.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Nobody talks about my mother. Absolutely nobody. I have no idea what she was like. I’d always thought they kept quiet about her because they were sad. But what if it was because they were guilty?

I watch them at the school gates, all the mothers with their daughters. I see the hugs and all those thoughtful little adjustments to scarves and ponytails. How their love seems to overflow, they have so much of it to give.

And then I walk home to my aunt’s cold house, where there are a hundred rules for me to follow and only a single photograph of my mother to look at.

She is never spoken about in this house. They tell me that it will be easier if I don’t think about her.

It is strange though, isn’t it? That I know nothing about my own mother?

But they don’t know about the diary I’ve found up in the loft. Maybe they even forgot it was there. It doesn’t matter anymore if they won’t tell me anything. Because within these pages is what I’ve waited fourteen years to find out. And maybe some things I wish I could forget.

All I wanted was to bring our family closer together, but could what I find tear us apart instead?

MY THOUGHTS: I wanted to like this book a whole lot more than I did..... it starts off well with an entry from Laura's diary revealing that she has left her husband Jon, taking their 4 year old daughter, Dani. She hints at something terrible that has happened that she cannot forgive, and that Jon is also unable to forgive himself.

There are beautiful descriptions of the Cornish coast and I felt that I was settling in for a grand read. Fast forward ten years and Dani is fourteen and living with her aunt Carrie and resenting it. The story is then told over two timelines, past and present, without a great deal being revealed. A lot is intimated, assumptions are made, but not a lot actually happens until Dani finds her mother's diary.

I felt that the revelation in the diary was anticlimactic and disappointing, although it certainly upset Dani. By this point I had largely lost interest and only kept reading because I thought that there had to be more to this story. And there was. But certainly not what I was expecting and not enough to redeem the book in my eyes. I felt that the author was trying to hide too much initially which didn't need to be hidden, and which would have given the story some backbone and focus.

This felt like an inordinately long read. There was a lot of 'filler' and not much meat. It certainly wasn't a 'heartbreaking' read, and nor did I become particularly emotional about it. For me, this was a mediocre read at best, the only redeeming feature being the wonderful descriptions of the Cornish countryside.

🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️.6

#MyMothersChoice #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Ali decided she wanted to be a writer early on and wrote her first novel when she was at primary school. She did an English degree and spent her early twenties working in various jobs in journalism, including as a reporter for the showbusiness newspaper The Stage. She started writing fiction in earnest after getting married, moving out of London to the Oxfordshire market town of Abingdon and starting a family. She has two children, a daughter and a son who is autistic and was diagnosed when he was four years old.
Ali is fascinated by families, their myths and secrets, and the forces that hold them together, split them up and (sometimes) bring them back together again. She always travels with tissues and a book and has been known to cry over a good story, but is also a big fan of the hopeful ending.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of My Mother's Choice by Ali Mercer for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

Having heard Ali Mercer discuss My Mother’s Choice on a Bookouture Live Facebook event, I knew this sounded my kind of read… Dani was only four years old when her mum, Laura, was lost in a mysterious accident. Now a teen, Dani is confused by the secrecy that surrounds her mum’s death and is determined to unearth the facts. The story begins in the present day, as Dani pieces together the puzzle of what led to her mum’s passing, flipping to a decade earlier, via extracts from Laura’s diary.

Part family drama, part mystery, the story begins slowly before the pace picks up, revealing several great twists. I found myself firmly on Dani’s side throughout, as she seemed a lonely, vulnerable, awkward teen who is desperate to learn more about her mum. Whilst the caring she shows her friend, Josie, felt both poignant and true.

The only character I didn’t warm to was Dani’s Aunt Carrie, as her coldness felt a touch overdone at times and I longed for her to change. Dani came across as a bright, well-adjusted young woman, who was perhaps wilful at times (a normal teen), and I wished Aunt Carrie would cut her some slack and show her real love. However, it was also Mercer’s skilled writing that meant I so wanted Dani to not only find peace but lasting happiness too. Described as one for fans of Kate Hewitt and Amanda Prowse, this was my first Ali Mercer novel and I look forward to reading more.

There are secrets galore in this book, and the reader is kept glued on each page, to try and catch the next one. This was an emotional read, and worth the read, recommended.

This is the story of Dani and her mum Laura, and how Dani didnt find out the truth about how and why her mother died until she found her mother's diary and went looking for answers. A good story but I felt that I missed the part of the story as to why Laura has left her husband.

You can just tell from the blurb of this book that it’s going to be a highly emotive read, that pulls on all of your heart strings, is likely going to make you cry and be difficult emotionally to read!

… I couldn’t have been more right! This has to be one of the most EMOTIONAL and heart-wrenching books that I have EVER read, but written in such a beautiful and sensitive and considerate way!

This is one where I can’t talk about the story line any more than what the blurb tells you without giving things away so I’m going to focus on a couple of the main points in the story that you can see on the blurb!

Firstly.. the loss of a child! Now if I had read this 5 years ago, before I was a mother myself, I don’t think it would have hit me quite as hard as it has now! This was so heart breaking to read, it literally had me in tears! The pain the grief the loss, how many people it effects! I just couldn’t imagine the pain and suffering people go through with the loss of a child and it was truely devastating to read!

Then to go on and fall pregnant again but to be told they have to choose Paiges life or the baby… how do you even make such a truely agonising and impossible decision? So many couples must go through this every year and I just cannot begin to imagine how they make that final decision!

What’s amazing about this book is how we switch between the couples POV so we switch between Paige and Nick! It shows the different views as to which is the right choice to make for them and the reasons! It’s so raw and feels incredibly honest and I found this whole book completely thought provoking… like how would I feel.. what would I do if I were in this position… and even right now I still couldn’t give you an answer! It shows how strong a mother’s love is and how deep it goes even for your unborn child! The connections you have with that baby that you carry is just purely instinctual! You would do whatever you could to protect them! This really hit so many hard emotions for me!

Now, Nick and Paige as a couple are just amazing, yes they have their tough times but their relationship through all of this is so incredible! Nick is so so sensitive and Paige just has so much faith through all those terribly hard times!

I really feel this author has written this book PERFECTLY, she’s been honest, and raw and yet so sensitive about such a hard hitting subject! There aren’t just heart breaking moments but heart warming ones to, and that’s just what makes this book such a beautiful read!

I’m so so happy to give this book 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ for such amazing writing, for such a thought provoking read and one that really hit all my emotions through such an emotional week for me!

I would really love to experience more from this author! So so beautiful, thank you for this whole emotional rollercoaster of a book!

This is an emotional family drama with so many secrets that aren't disclosed until the very end. Well worth a read

14 year old Dani lives with her Aunt after her mum died when she was four . Dani doesn't remember her . While searching the loft Dani finds a diary of her mother's . In it she finds revelations about her mum . This book is told by Dani and her mum through the diary. There is a lot of secrets ,!yes and turmoil but also quite heartbreaking.
Thanks NetGalley

Dani was four when her mother died and ever since she has lived with her Aunty Carrie, her dad comes to visit but she has no idea really why she does not live with him.

When she is 14 Dani finds a diary belonging to her mother and what she is about to read will change her life, and those around her forever.

This story is told from two perspectives, 14 year old Dani’s and her mum, Laura.

I found it difficult at first to read Dani’s part as I had to keep remembering that it was being written from a 14 year old’s point of view. Dani really got to me, I felt as though no one loved her and she had been handed a very raw deal not only being looked after by someone who came across as cold and unfeeling but by not having her dad around much.

In contrast, the story of Laura is at first filled with colour and light, but this gradually turns to darkness. Laura did not really endear herself to me as I felt she blew a lot of things out of proportion.

The book overall left a lasting impression.