This is an emotional gripping story. I enjoyed the character development and felt this was a realistic situation! Raw at times with thought provoking topics this story pulled at my heart strings. Dani’s mother drowns when she is just 4 years old. Her family decided it’s in her best interest to try to move forward without discussing her mother’s past. Dani finds her mom’s diary and now deep secrets are no longer hidden. Will their lives ever be the same? I highly recommended this beautiful story. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
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My Mother's Choice by Ali Mercer is another beautifully written book by Ali. All her books are just superb and I so love reading them. It's not usually my gene to read. But, when I see a book by Ali, I have to find a space on my busy day renovating in my farmhouse and open my kindle to become apart of the story. I wasn't wrong with this latest book by Ali Mercer it was a Hit with me. Plus, you will need tissues when reading it, in my case it was my sleeve!! at the beginning before I went to get some tissues. So be warned you will need them handy!
Within in book there are so many secrets, with terrible betrayals and best of all lots of twists and turns, then OMG moments which make a great book for me!,
The cover to this book is just beautiful and goes well with my Mother's Choice.

I highly recommend this book and all Ali's books they are Just ..........brilliant.

Big Thank You to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Ali Mercer for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fascinating family mystery that I enjoyed reading. The book was very well written and the characters were believable. Highly recommended!

All Dani has to remember her mother is a photo. She lives with her aunt and occasionally sees her dad Jon. She is 14 and has so many questions about her mother's life and death but no one wants to talk about it. Is it the grief or is there a secret...?
Dani discovers her mother's journal and begins to search for the truth. The narrative in My Mother's Choice is divided between Dani's viewpoint and Laura's diary entries (although it reads as straight prose rather than having the personality I would expect from a personal journal, for example: people's speech is written out verbatim whereas I would expect a diary to summarise).
It becomes clear to Dani that her parents had a tense relationship at times due to family circumstances, his first wife and daughter, and her sister. I enjoyed reading about the developing relationship between her parents which raised suspicions about the circumstances of Laura's death but were actually red herrings (not telling you any more!) Jon is only ever seen through Dani and Laura's perspectives so we do not gain an insight into his actions and emotions.
Dani is a stereotypical teenager and redhead: impulsive, determined, tempestuous. She feels that she has been deliberately kept in the dark and doesn't trust the adults around her. Meanwhile, she is also a loyal and thoughtful friend, saving someone from being bullied.
I think the ending is emotional and tragic as the truth is revealed. The portrayal of mental confusion raises concern for me as to how we treat people that need care and actually really upset me. I felt that I wanted to know more about Dani's response to events and see how she processes and moves on with her life but instead this is left to the readers' imaginations.
The title My Mother's Choice is good for making us think about what choices we would make in the same situation as Laura. The book is an enjoyable read overall but will pull at the heartstrings.

My Mother’s Choice is the kind of heart-wrenching story that stays with you for a very long time.

How does a teenage girl who has almost no memory of her mother, living with an aunt who seems to barely tolerate her and a father who is hardly there, feel? Resentful. Angry. Frustrated. All of those things.

The only thing she has to hold on to is a single photograph of her mother and herself. She wonders why her mother is hardly ever spoken of. Nudged by a friend, she decides to look for more photographs to discover more about her Mom.

In the attic of her aunt’s home, she discovers her mother’s diary. And there begins her fresh quest to know more.

Did her father really love Laura, her mother? Does he even care about Dani? Is there a conspiracy of silence between her father and aunt? What are they hiding?

A teenage girl in search of answers to what, in a sense defines her, Dani sets off to find out more about her Mother’s life just before she drowned at sea.

What she uncovers is a lot more than she expected. Can she forgive? Can she move forward? Will she accept the way she was shielded and loved?

My Mother’s Choice shows us that love is expressed in so many different ways. And life is not always what we want it to be. Sometimes the people we love are trying to live and love in the way they think it’s best, and we have to make our peace with that.

Ali Mercer’s style of writing is very engaging and she constantly had me guessing about which way the story would go.

In many ways, this was a coming of age story. Dani has a fierce personality – a soft heart she hides behind a tough exterior – ready to stand up for her friends and finally being ready to accept the truth of her mother’s (and the other adults’) choice with grace and forgiveness.

I’m looking to read more of Ali Mercer’s books soon and would recommend this one to you.

Thanks to the author, and Bookoture for my kindle version of this wonderful, heartbreaking book in review for my own honest review. This story has it all, heartbreak, gripping, emotional and even had me crying! Dani lives with her aunt, her mother died when she was 4 years old, she doesnt remember much of what happened. Now as a young teenager she finds her mothers diary in the attic, and she doesnt know what secrets this holds, soon she learns the truth about her mothers death that has been kept from her after all the years, shes not sure who she can trust anymore, But when she starts finding out shocking family secrets, she wonders if she's done the right thing...... Then, she sets off to uncover the final bits to her story.  But by doing so, she discovers more than she could have ever imagined...... This book had me gripped from the first page to the last, between Dani and her mothers diary this kept me hooked. I felt sorry for Dani, as she finally learns the truth of her mothers death she realises that her Aunt and father are cold and distant.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. This book did not hold my interest enough for me to finish it. It just didn't pull me in at all and was very slow moving.

I thought the character development, especially of the main character, was realistic, and the plot was well-thought-out. I thought that Dani was the most mature character out of the three of them. I especially appreciated how the author treated her as a real person and not a “typical teen.” I understood the reasons for her aunt and dad to keep things from her, but I found it difficult to feel sorry for them. I got a definite “we know better” vibe, which just sat wrong with me for some reason. 3.5 stars for a slow start, but I would still recommend this book. For a full review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.

Dani has lived with her aunt since she was a small child. Her aunt is not a particularly woman who encourages emotion. Dani sees her father very occasionally & no-one ever mentions her mother. She has one picture of her where she looks happy & Dani naturally want s to know more about her. With the encouragement of the friend she unexpectedly made she investigates the attic & finds her mother's diary. his sends her on a trip to try & find the truth.

The story is told through the eyes of Dani & her mother, Laura's diary. I struggled with this book. I understood why Dani was the way she was but I still found it hard to warm to her. I didn't like Laura all that much either! All in all this was a disappointing read for me. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

My Mothers Choice by Ali Mercer is an emotional rollercoaster from beginning to end. Dani is fourteen and lives with her Aunt Carrie, has done for ten years since her mum died. Noone speaks of her mum really, Dani doesn't know a lot about how she died and noone seems willing to explain anything about her mum, but thats the way it's always been. One day her Aunt gives her a specific instruction and Dani disobeys and she then finds out a little bit more about her mums death, but for Dani, not enough.
Dani makes a new friend, Josie, and they talk about her mum and the mystery of why she has only one picture of her mum.Josie encourages her to go searching in the attic for any clues or items.Dani does and discovers her mums diary. She takes it and starts to read, discovering things that make her wonder has she actually done the right thing? she decides to set of on a journey to piece the puzzle together but this alone will change her life forever.
The story is written from Dani's perspective, then when she discovers the diary we have Laura's from the diary. Taking us back to when Dani was small and what Laura was doing at that time and why. The story unfolds piece by piece and the tension and suspense rides along, ramping up as we read along with Dani.I loved both Dani and Laura, poor Dani, my heart went out to her. A poor motherless child who didn't understand any of the adults in her life. I wanted to pick her up and give her the biggest hug ever.
An absolute tearjerker of a book, that is never boring and Ali Mercer has dealt with the whole subject with so much sensitivity that we never feel like Dani is "just being awkward to be awkward", but that she really is puzzled and really confused as to why her mum is a no go subject really. The ending, well, unexpected is one word! A great twist to the story. One I thoroughly enjoyed. My first Ali Mercer book and it certainly won't be my last.Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for my ARC to write this review.

Rating 4.5/5*

This is an emotive story, packed with drama and so moving!

Dani is fourteen years old and, for the last ten years, has been living with her Aunt Carrie. Her father, Jon, lives nearby and does see her irregularly but no one talks about her mother and the only memento of her that Dani has is a photograph of the two of them. Dani has few memories of her life before and is a somewhat resentful, rebellious teen, though mainly because she is missing having parents around. She does, however, stick up for those she feels are being bullied. That’s how she made a friend who she brought home. It is a conversation between the two friends that results in Dani climbing into the loft to look for anything pertaining to her Mum and that’s when she finds her Mum’s diary . . . . a diary that has revelations in it and gives Dani an insight into her Mum, her childhood, her family. However, this is a family mystery that Dani wants to solve and she sets out to do so without considering the consequences of the revelations for all concerned…..

The story is largely told from the points of view of Dani and her Mum. The diary provides flashbacks to life from her Mum’s perspective. The story is so full of emotional turmoil, lies, secrets, survivor’s guilt and surprises. It is a family drama with an ending that is simply superb, altogether a very powerful, different and heartbreaking read.

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book and this is my honest opinion after choosing to read it.

I was glued to My Mother’s Choice this from the very beginning and I had no idea where it would lead.
Throughout it was a huge rollercoaster of emotions, with teenage angst from Dani that feels unloved and distant from her family and just wants some answers and to know more about her mother. There were chapters of Laura, Dani’s mum’s diary entries before she died.
It was a heartbreaking and thought provoking read. Very well thought out and written I even cried at the end so get your tissues ready.

Dani was 4-years-old when she and her mother Laura took an impromptu trip to stay at a small cottage in Cornwell. Her father soon joined them and it was during a walk on the beach that both Dani and Laura were swept out in the water when a current grabbed them. Laura screamed for her husband to save Dani and by the time he got to Laura, she had drowned.

Ten Years Later

Dani is now 14 and lives with her mother’s sister, Aunt Carrie. Her father lives closeby but is busy running his gardening center. Dani rarely sees him. Carrie is single and does what she can for Dani. However, the woman shows her no affection and Dani can’t help but feel like she is a burden to her.

One day, Dani searches the attic and finds a diary in a trunk. It was written by her mother when they were in the cottage in Cornwell. It documented many things that happened over the years with her parents, Carrie, and her husband. Reading it, Dani is enlightened about her past and is angry at Carrie and her father for not telling her the truth.

When she sets out to learn more about their stay in Cornwell, her father catches up with her and the real truth comes out which shocks Dani. What had they kept this huge secret from her all these years?

I really found this book to drag and kept thinking that some huge revelation would be appearing, but the truth was not as shocking as I thought it would be. I felt sad for Dani that she had never been told the truth. Be honest with your children!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have read a couple of Ali's books to date and in each case I have found the books to be very emotional reading one way and another.  I read the synopsis for 'My Mother's Choice' and it certainly sounded like emotional stuff and I had a feeling that I might end up with leaky eyes.  I have to say that I did enjoy 'My Mother's Choice' but more about that in a bit.

It took me a little while to get into this book but that has more to do with the fact that I was tired when I started to read the book and finding it hard to concentrate and cannot be taken as a criticism of the book itself.   I was intrigued to see in which direction the author was going to take the story and of course I had to keep reading.  I found this book to be the sort of story that I couldn't binge read over the course of a single day, as I found it was affecting me too much.  I did manage to binge read the book over the course of a few days. 

'My Mother's Choice' is beautifully and sensitively written.  The author certainly grabs your attention pretty early on and then she draws you into the story.  Reading this book certainly felt like being on one hell of an emotional rollercoaster ride and then some- with all of the contrasting emotions going on.  I loved the way in which Ali has captured the sense that some families have secrets that they want to stay hidden forever more.  I felt as though I was part of the story myself and that's all down to Ali's very vivid and realistic storytelling.

In short and overall I did enjoy reading 'My Mother's Choice' and I would recommend it to other readers.  I will certainly be reading more of Ali's work in the future.  The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

This book is exactly what is written in the title, A utterly heartbreaking and emotional page-turner! I was deeply moved by this story. My emotions were all over the place, really angry at some characters, hurting for others and had sympathy for a couple. As the story evolved, I did not have the same feelings to the characters as I did originally. When the story unfolded, my feelings changed.

The story flowed pretty well, but at some point I did feel it dragged a bit, but that was probably my desire to know what was going to happen further in the book and the anxiety of what I thought was going to be revealed at the end. The story was very believable to me and I struggled to finish it through very teary eyes.

This is the first book I read by this author, Ali Mercer. I think she is an amazing author and look forward to reading her other books. It was very interesting to read her letter at the end of the book and understand where the idea of this plot came from.

I want to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me to read the Advance Reader Copy of this wonderful, emotional book. My review is my opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

First, I want to thank Ali Mercer, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may provide you with this review.

Ali Mercer has once again written another heart wrenching must read in her latest novel My Mother’s Choice. She will pull on all of your heart strings in every different direction. She has a gift for doing this in many of her books. Which is one of the reasons why I am such a fan of hers.

Immediately, I was drawn to this cover as it was so sweet. Later when reading the book did I understand the meaning of the cover and the title. The graphic artist was spot on with their idea behind this.

What made this book different than many I have read in the past was it was told in the voice of the 14 year old daughter Dani. It also had the voice of her mother Laura via her Diary from the past. Both aspects gave the story a very unique spin on it.

My heart ached deeply for Dani as there was always a mystery surrounding her Mother. Both her Dad and her Aunt Carrie were so cold and standoffish and always avoided the subject. I did not care for them as they didn’t show much emotion towards her.

There were so many secrets, terrible betrayals, lots of twists and turns, and shocking moments.

This was one book I never saw the ending coming at all and was totally shocked by it. However, the title totally fit when you thought about it. It was the Mother’s Choice. It just ripped my heart out! Yes, I admit I did tear up! Ali is good like that!

As someone who has uncovered family secrets this book was riveting. There were so many different twists that were completely unexpected. We all think we know exactly what happened and when only to discover that we only know what we think happened. Everybody has their own version and then there is the truth. Absolutely fascinating book. I love that Dani thinks she knows all at 14 since I was the same way. LOL! Your heart breaks for her so much that it's difficult to feel much sympathy for her dad and aunt Carrie. They are all victims of fate and are just trying to do the best they can. Very good story!
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.

I don't give very many books a 5-star rating, but this book deserved it! A beautiful story about a girl dealing with the death of her mother and what really happened that day! The author has a gift for being able to communicate how the characters are thinking, feeling, and processing the environment around them. It was so well written, I couldn’t bring myself to pick up another book for a few days in fear that I would be disappointed by what I was reading! It just proves that foul language and sensual love scenes are not necessary to have a wonderful reading experience. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to read more books by Ali Mercer! I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Bookouture in exchange for my honest review.

Fourteen year old Dani lives with her Aunt after her Mother died ten years ago, but she doesn't know much about her death.....nobody really speaks of her Mum.  After disobeying an instruction from her Aunt, Dani finds out more about her Mum's death - but still not enough.  Why won't her Dad or Aunt open up to her?

After talking about the loss of her Mum with her new friend, and the fact that she only has a single photograph of her Mum, Josie encourages her to go looking in the loft.  If there is anything left of her Mum, surely it would be up there, right? Correct - she finds her Mum's diary, and without telling anyone other than Josie, she takes it and reads it.  But when she starts finding out shocking family secrets, she wonders if she's done the right thing...... Then, she sets off to uncover the final bits to her story.  But by doing so, she discovers more than she could have ever imagined......

This is a fabulous and emotional read that had me reeled in.  I felt really sorry for Dani, although didn't find her to be the warmest character, but then she doesn't seem to have had much love from her surviving family as she's grown up.  With so many family secrets coming unravelled, it's hard for her to deal with.  Her Aunt Carrie is cold, and it frustrated me that she didn't seem to care much about her niece.  I think deep down she did, but just wasn't good at showing any emotions.  Her Dad, Jon is also frustrating.  Cold and distant, however this is mainly due to the secrets that have been hidden.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and the fact that the mystery keeps you wanting more.  Alternatively told from Dani's point of view and from her Mum Laura's diary, it unravels at just the right pace; allowing time for Dani or Laura to work through their particular emotions.

I did guess one of the secrets about 25% of the way through the book, but I had no clue whether I would be right or whether I was just speculating until near the end.  There were, however, some brilliant twists in here that I hadn't anticipated and they blew me away!

Overall, this is a fantastic read full of lies, deceit, betrayal, loss and heartbreak that will keep you turning the pages.  If you're looking for a good family drama with a brilliant mystery and plenty of shocking secrets, then you should check this out.  Recommended by me!  I'm looking forward to see what Mercer brings us next.

This book explores the disturbing role of enablers through this murder mystery. It has lots of twists and turns. The ending wasn't what I expected after the first few chapters. It's great when an author can pull that off. I enjoyed the sequence of the book, although not the type of person murdered at the beginning.