This book was very far fetched, sterotypical and the characters were annoying. I did not enjoy this at all, and would not recommend. 2 stars

I couldn't get through this title. It ended up not being for me, but I hope it finds a hope with other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Considering the mixed reviews, I did enjoy this one more than I was expecting. It's a heavy look at infertility issues and the ways the adoption process can go wrong. I definitely found it compelling enough to finish it, and I enjoyed the multiple POV. I agree with others who have said this book is clearly written by a man, and I wonder why the author felt compelled to tell this specific story, when the vast majority of voices in this book belong to fictional women. Gail, in particular, came off as shrewd and controlling to me, and there were a lot of stereotypical personalities in this book that didn't always seem fair.

Also, the husband of this book...woof. On multiple occasions, during moments of high stress, the male MC said "I sure wish I had my banjo." Thoughts and prayers, Gail.

All in all, I thought this was an interesting look at adoption, but I think a lot of the issues could've been fixed had a female author tackled this story instead.

This book shows a mother's love & what she is willing to do for her children! As a mother, this story is relatable. I enjoyed reading this & recommend it!

A story sure to leave you torn. It's heartbreaking to see all sides and know that whatever decision is made, for someone it will be earth shattering. An emotional look at the journey too many couples have to take and the choices that will put this young woman in a no win position.

This story seemed so real, and it was written so amazingly well, and unfortunately a story that is important to get out there because it happens frequently. A mother who gives up her child then changes her mind later. The adoption isn't finalized and all the battle begins. Is she wrong for going back on her word and wanting her baby? You feel for her. But this woman and her family have planned and opened not only their home but their hearts to this child. So who do you side with? It's heartbreaking and realistic and I loved every page. Couldn't put it down

Those who have not worked in or been involved with adoption close up tend to think of adoption as a happy way to create a family. Those who have been involved in adoption as either a birth parent, adoptee or adoptive parents know that it isn’t quite so simple. Adoption is a process that is fraught with loss (infertility, not raising a child one gave birth to, not knowing a birth parent) and one that should be entered into with eyes open.

Here is a fictional account of people so impacted by this huge decision. Carli is between the proverbial rock and a hard place, new parents Gail and Jon feel threatened and Maya is the baby whose life is dictated by other’s choices. What will happen to them?

This book offers an absorbing story as well as a look at what adoption can evoke. Highly recommended to fiction readers and those considering or affected by adoption.

Pub Date 06 Apr 2021

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this title. All opinions are my own.

DNF, this one wasn’t for me! I absolutely love the cover of the book though! I have read a lot of other reviews about this book and completely agree!

this was not my favorite story, I pushed through a lot and did not enjoy it becuase of that. parts were very interesting and others slow.

This one was definitely a slept on book for my patrons. I found the concept very interesting, and I look forward to more from the author

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were well-drawn and believable. The first part was interesting look into the lives of Gail and Jon—a young couple who suffer from childlessness and experience the suspense of waiting for an adoption to go thru. Things go terribly wrong for the young couple. Then the story really takes off with an unexpected twist—but I will refrain from any spoilers in this review. Suffice it to say that from that point the book was unputdownable and suspenseful to a satisfactory degree with a great ending to top it off.

This is a heartbreaker of a book. It really shows there are sometimes no winners and no losers in life and no one is all good and all bad. The question of adoption and especially open adoption can be a thorny one and this story shows all the pitfalls that can and probably do occur in real life. The different voices in the book provides the reader the opportunity to listen to and understand the different characters; which is helpful because there is no black and white in this story.

I really enjoyed this book. The story had a couple of twists that I was not expecting and when I thought I had things figured out, something completely different happened.

I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for providing a free copy of this book for review.

Other people’s children was recommended for me and I really enjoyed it. It touched on so many issues many have and can be relatable to a lot of readers. I’d recommend it to others, it wasn’t my favorite book but I did enjoy it.

After years of struggling with fertility and multiple miscarriages, the Durbins decide to pursue adoption. They are thrilled when they are selected by 18-year-old Carli to adopt her baby. After the baby is born, however, Carli’s mother who is determined to get her grand-daughter back manipulates Carli to try and change her mind.

This story is about the decision to adopt, the technical aspects of the adoption process and the raw emotion involved in this decision on both sides. You read about the emotion the birth mother experiences after the decision to adopt is made, as well as the emotion the adoptive parents encounter when they meet their baby for the first time. The story takes a surprising thriller-esque component that I was not expecting in the second half which made the story move faster. While I enjoyed the story, I never felt fully connected or invested in the characters.

Thank you Netgalley, Simon & Schuster, and Jeff Hoffman for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was too melodramatic. It lacked intrigue and excitement. I love books of this genre but everything and everyone was insufferable.

Gail and Jon yearn to start a family and decide to go the adoption route after three miscarriages. An 18-year-old named Carli chooses Gail and Jon to adopt her baby.

This book beautifully describes the lengths parents will go to for their children and what those who can't conceive would do to experience that. I was gripped by the story the whole time.

Although I found most of the characters unlikeable, I still loved this story. My one criticism is that I don't know why the author felt he had to define who could be a mother. As a male, perhaps he should have focused on the father character more. I felt Jon was left less developed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Reader Copy.

My first read by R.J. Hoffmann and I enjoyed it!

Other People’s Children was relatable as a mother and somewhat familiar as my brother was adopted. I did think the first half was a little slow but it picked up in the middle. I have to say Marla as a character was unnecessary, I think the story could have been done without her. When the story took on the thriller aspect I was a little surprised. I don’t think it was my favorite thing but overall the story was good.

I would recommend to my library and other readers. I will also be checking out more books by Hoffmann.

other people's children, a roller coaster of emotions, Gail is trying to have a baby and is dealing with many things that are not really helping her to be positive: miscarriage, infertility, adoption so many things at once that are not si pleasant not giving her the hope she needed but at the same time making her so nervous, questioning herself if she is doing the right thing.

Carli is a teenage pregnancy that is so scared that she feels like her life is ending she decides to give her child to the Durbin's but her mother is not so excited about that, Marla is not your typical kind character, she was always very harsh and constantly verbally abuse her daughter and even others, she was completely against her daughter wishes making things impossible and at times being very disrespectful.

This was a good book but not what I was expecting, it was hard to read at times, the idea of the story was good but somehow I felt lost at times, wanting to know more or have even more depth.

I recommend this book, give it a try and make your own conclusions.

This was very interesting story and provided readers with a lot to think about. However this story really was too slow for me. The ending also didn’t give readers a proper conclusion.

I think that this could be a very difficult read for those who may be affected personally by infertility or loss.