Jon and Gail have been dreaming of starting their family for years. After multiple miscarriages and several failed adoptions they finally get their chance until the birth mom decides to reclaim her baby.
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Other People’s Children had a strong hold on my heart strings. I felt the emotions that Jon and Gail were feeling every step of the way and unlike the social worker, Paige, I began to hold out hope for the Durbins. I took sides... but then everything changed. The last 50% did not mesh with the emotions that the first half brought on. I honestly felt like the second half of this book ruined what could have just been a beautiful story about a husband and wife finally having the opportunity to become a true family. I’ve heard of having a book hangover after a book was so undeniably good, but have you ever had a book hangover because you feel so entirely confused by how things turned out and by the behavior of the characters? It was a good book (the first half was at least) and was written well but in the end, it was not my cup of tea. Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and RJ Hoffmann for the eARC in return for an honest review.
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Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️(3)/5

Jon and Gail are very much in love and have everything they want but a child. After numerous miscarriages Gail contacts an adoption agency. To her surprise she soon gets a call that there is a young woman, Carli, who is interested in giving up her child. Gail is scared and excited. Jon is very pessimistic. He is afraid that they will be disappointed again.
This was a very suspenseful and heartbreaking account of the lengths a couple will go through to have a child.

3.5 stars
The sadness a couple feels when they are unable to have a child of their own is portrayed in this story. Gail has had a number of miscarriages and she and her husband, Jon, are devastated. They decide to go the route of adoption, and when their qualifications are accepted by a teenage girl, Carli, it sets in motion a series of events that bring consequences that probably were somewhat evident.

As we learn more of Cali, we find her living with her foul mouthed mother, Marla, who certainly did not ever seem to have the credentials of being a fit mother to her two daughters. It as no wonder that Cali sought to give up her child to Gail and Jon to try and protect her from what Cali's life had been.

There is a sensitive and understanding social worker who understands the stress and duress that all the parties are going through. As she waits for Cali to sign the final papers that will move the adoption to completion, there is soon to be trouble. The parties involved go through the various cycles of loss, grief, and anger. It's a tale that seems to have no viable conclusion where someone will walk away unscathed.

This sad tale, while it did express the anguish the people felt, seemed to handle particular elements of the story in a light handed manner that just didn't make sense. It tended to go around and around trying to delay the inevitable that this reader knew was coming.

However, the story, I am sure has played out many times in life, for a child, a wanted child, is the crux of what drives people at times.

Thank you to R.J. Hoffman, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this story due out April 6, 2021.

Other People's Children is an absorbing, though not an easy book to read. It felt very raw and thoughtful, and really made me feel for people dealing with fertility issues. I found this to be really moving. Recommended!

Other People’s Children is an emotional read. Gail is desperate for a child and her husband Jon is scared to be a dad. Carli decides on them to adopt her baby, but her mother decides something different. I couldn’t believe the decision Gail and Jon made since it would essentially ruin their lives. The only person I liked in the novel was Carli. I think she was the only honest person and just trying to do what was best. Area was a nightmare. It’s amazing to what extent some people will go to have a child and also being plain reckless.

After several years together, Gail and Jon make the decision to move to the suburbs and begin to build their family. After multiple lost pregnancies, they turn their focus on adoption. Carli, a teenage girl from a nearby town, finds herself single and pregnant as she prepares for her first year at the local community college. The way their lives intertwine is something none of them could have possibly imagined.
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RJ Hoffman writes a captivating story about the lengths that people are willing to go through for their children. He easily captures the joys of parenting while also paying tribute to the messiness that comes along with it. He writes of pregnancy loss, the adoption process, and grief and loss in a very powerful, yet delicate, way that it deserves. And, the difficult decisions that often go into parenting, along with the fear and anxiety of doing something wrong, are easily translated to paper by Hoffman.
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From the "picture perfect" couple to the mom of Carli who has been to (and graduated from) the school of hard knocks, Hoffman's cast of characters are reason alone to pick up this book. He does a great job of developing each character so that the reader has their own moral dilemma to grapple with while reading.
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A fantastic and powerful read that beautifully encapsulates the trials of parenthood in all shapes and forms.

What a masterpiece. I cried I got mad I loved this book. As a mother I found this story to be very relatable. Such a very emotional book.

I'm not even sure where to begin with this review.

Other People's Children is about what makes a family, the decisions we make to protect our families, and what it truly means to be a good mother. Gail and Jon, after suffering several miscarriages, begin the adoption process. Carli, a pregnant teenager, chooses them to be her child's parents. Carli's mother, Marla, however, has a different plan for her grandchild. The story mainly follows the three mothers as they navigate the adoption process and make some hard choices about how far they will go for their own idea of their family.

I found this to be a really nuanced look at the adoption process, and how difficult it can be for both parties. The writing was compelling, intense, and rich. I truly felt the desire, heartbreak, anxiety, and desperation from each of the characters. The narration switches also really worked for me - it was a great way to tell the same story from several different perspectives.

This book engrossed me - I was completely riveted. I did not want to put it down, and thought about it every second that I wasn't reading it. I found myself rooting for different characters at different moments, and empathizing with the excruciating decisions they each had to make. My allegiance changed every 5 pages, and I found that to be a testament to strong character development and exceptional writing.

I found the ending - while not entirely satisfying -- heartbreaking and hopeful. There were so many layers in this book, and I think I will be digesting them for quite a while.

I truly thought this was going to be a 5-star read for most of the book, but by the end it had gone off the rails a little bit. The narrative leaned a little too heavily on stereotypes when describing Carli and Marla -- especially Marla. I thought the story could have been just as strong without reducing her to a toxic cliche. I am ending up at 4-4.5 stars - I am still thinking about this book, and that says a lot for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy of this novel!

5 star read! I came into this book with little expectation since I haven't heard anything about this new book yet. I was intrigued by the description of this novel since it dealt with a young teen who decides to reclaim her baby after giving it up for adoption. Gail and Jon Durbin adopt baby Maya after 3 miscarriages and begin their new lives as a family. But then Maya's biological teenage mother, Carlie, decides to reclaim her back. I really liked Gail and Jon's characters, they so relateable as a married couple and new parents. Carlie was a great character too, she has a tough life, living with an abusive mother and getting pregnant from a boyfriend that gave zero support. I can understand why she felt this was the best choice for her unborn daughter. Carlie's mother, Marla, is a horrible mother- I felt so sad for Carlie. The book has some emotional and hard hitting themes dealing with miscarriage and abuse, it's hard to not feel attached to the Durbins and Carlie. Paige is an awesome character and I can't forget her. She really kept the story moving along and helped the characters out in a lot of ways. I highly recommend this book.

Other People’s Children by R.J. Hoffman is the story of Gail and Jon a couple who are desperate for a child. After suffering through several miscarriages they turn to adoption. Other’s People Children is also the story of Carli a pregnant teenager who has some very difficult choices to make for her baby and herself.

This book did a great job of showing desperation and want. I felt for all of the characters (well almost all of them) and could see both sides of this problem and wanted Gail and Jon and Carli to have what they each wanted. Every chapter was told from the point of view of a different character (I love when books do this) so with every point of view I was cheering for that character.

As someone who has experienced the pain and sadness of multiple miscarriages I could completely relate to Gail and the feeling of wanting nothing other than my pregnancy to stick. Hoffman did a great job showing how Gail and Jon planned for their life to go one way and the tough choices they had to make. This book was a great reminder that so many of say “I could never do that,” but once you are in that situation you really never know.

Wow! This was such a thrilling and memorable story!

Gail and Jon Durbin are struggling to have a child of their own and decide to adopt. Carli is a young woman who has a hard life and wants to give her child a better chance with a supportive adoptive family and she chooses Gail and Jon Durbin to be the adoptive parents. Carli’s manipulative mother Marla wants Carli to keep the child and ends up making Carli doubt her decision about adoption. Everyone ends up doing whatever it takes to keep the child whether it is legal or not.

This was a fast paced story that was really an emotional rollercoaster. R.J. Hoffmann does a great job telling the story of these characters in a way that makes you really understand each of them and what they feel they must do to keep the child. I had a really hard time putting this book down and my thoughts keep coming back to it even days after I’ve finished the book!

I loved this book! It was heartwarming and strong. It was exactly what I needed with everything going on in the world! A happy little escape!

Thoroughly enjoyed the first part of the book and the character development. As the story progressed, it seemed to lose a bit of the warm story of the struggles of Gail/Jon, Carli and their baby. Instead, it became this ‘on the run’ story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Publishing for an advanced reader copy of this novel.

This is an amazing debut novel about a couple whose dream of adopting a baby is continually shattered. It’s also the story of a teenage mother who wants the best life for her baby and isn’t sure if she is included in that life.

Told in alternating viewpoints, this story had me struggling to decide who was right. Who knows what is best for a child? How do you decide? What if no one agrees? I settled on the fact that sometimes there is no clear right or wrong. Real life is messy and happens in the gray areas.

This was a powerful and haunting debut. I envision this will be on so many “Best of 2021” lists—including my own.

Trigger Warnings: miscarriage, infant loss, abuse

This novel has a publication date of April 6.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow! What a powerful story this is! It is told from both sides of the most difficult decision a young mother could be faced with making. When Gail and Jon decide to adopt a baby they meet a pregnant teenage girl who is trying to find the best parents she can for her soon-to-be child. Carli’s life is one of difficulties and she is faced with many troubling dysfunctional family matters. Gail and Jon are thrilled because they have not been able to safely deliver a child of their own. The story deals with all the emotions on both sides and the reader aches for everyone. This is a beautifully written story that does not point fingers or pick villains, it just deals with problems. The question is just how far would you go to protect those you love?

R. J. Hoffman totally understands and relates the feelings from all points of view. You find yourself tangled in a very emotional setting. As a first time author R. J. blows it out of the water and I cannot wait to read his next book. I absolutely loved this one and highly recommend it.

This was really well-written! When the first big twist came around, my first thought was "No way, they can't do that," and then they DID! The characters were really well done, and I loved a few of them and absolutely hated others. I will recommend this book to anyone who wants a captivating read that makes you want to not put the book down until the very end.

How far would you go for your child? This extremely thought-provoking book is told in short chapters from multiple perspectives as it delves into adoption, biology, and parenthood in its many forms. Gail and Jon desperately want to raise a family but have been unable to carry a baby to term. Carli is a pregnant teenager who knows she is not ready to raise a child on her own. Marla is Carli's own mother who wants a chance at redemption through her grandchild. Paige is the conflicted social worker trying to assist both parties. The different points of view really gave the reader such poignant insight into the mindset of each side of the situation. This is a heartbreaking story of family, hard choices and unconditional love. Other People’s Children explores just how far a mother will go for her child.

Wow - this book opened my eyes to all the joyful and heartbreaking aspects of “pre-motherhood” - and just how many different ways “doing what’s best” can be defined. This book will be a must-read for those who enjoy family dramas, are supporting loved ones through their own parenting journeys, and anyone who wants their definition of dedication and empathy expanded.

This book was heavy and so, so heartbreaking. The dual perspectives made both sides of adoption really shine. This was spectacularly written. My heart was warmed and broken over and over again. I was completely hooked and invested in the story... until the end. Unfortunately the book took a turn for the unbelievable and reached epic proportions. Overall though, this was a beautiful book and made me look at adoption from both sides differently. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! It is a rare story where I find myself torn between which character I want to "side" with, but Hoffmann did such an excellent job that I truly identified with and understood the motivations of each and every one, and felt empathy for their mistakes and errors of judgment. Aside from the characters, the story line was interesting and fast-paced, enjoyable but gut wrenching. I would definitely recommend!