One man, two wives, all who want a family. Hannah is David’s second wife. David does not talk about Katherine, his first wife who passed away. David and Hannah want a family but it is not easy for them. If I were Hannah I don’t know how I would have responded to everything going on in her life. I enjoyed reading this story. I never knew what was going to happen next.

The burning question is just how much does Hannah want to be a mother? Feeling like she doesn’t measure up to David’s deceased first wife, Katherine, Hannah gets really bad news—her much desired baby won’t be from any of her eggs. But what about her husband’s dead wife’s fertilized embryos.
I knew I had to read this book. These types of predicaments are fascinating. Robinson has many surprises in store for the readers so buckle up for a bumpy baby ride.
What would you do?

What makes a Mother? What makes a family? In this story are different versions of what it means to be a Mother and to have a family and who makes up that family. Very sensitively told about how we choose that family
Wonderfully endearing!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

Hannah and David have everything they could want, a happy marriage, a lovely home and some very special friends, but one thing is missing, something they both desperately want and that's a family of their own, but Hannah has just been told her eggs aren't viable and even IVF won't work, then David drops a bombshell. His first wife Katherine, who tragically died in a car accident a few years earlier, was also having fertility issues and they had frozen some of her embryos for future use, now David is suggesting that they use them. Hannah is torn, she desperately wants a baby, but how would she feel giving life to a child that could look like Katherine? Since marrying David she has lived in his first wife's shadow, always wondering whether she lived up to this wonderful person who was just amazing in every way, according to Katherine's best friends, Lauren and Priya. To then be offered the chance to use her embryos must have been a daunting prospect, and one that she certainly couldn't take lightly.

To Be A Mother is a beautifully depicted piece of women's fiction told by Hannah and Katherine, with the story based on infertility. Every woman believes that it will be a given, should they want children, that it will happen, unfortunately it doesn't work that way and sadly, this was the case for Hannah. I found myself invested in Hannah's plight from the beginning, hoping and praying that she would come to a decision that was right for her, and fulfil her dream of becoming a mother. As with all this authors books, the topics she writes about are told with compassion and sensitivity and this one is no different. Robinson takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride of a read with this story, and just when you think you can put the tissues away, she comes at you again with both barrels. This is a fast paced read which I devoured in less than 24 hours and I highly recommend, but be prepared to have your emotions tested on this one!

I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Nothing at all like I expected; but so much better. It takes what is already a complex situation and adds so many nuances and twists and turns, it makes for truly gripping reading. Definitely an author I would read again and recommend

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘To Be A Mother’ by Emma Robinson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Hannah is David’s second wife, the first being Katherine who died in a road traffic accident. When David was married to Katherine they were undergoing fertility treatment and had five embryos collected, the first one they used but didn’t succeed. Hannah and David both want a family but when Hannah’s told she’s unlikely to conceive naturally they start thinking of their options. It’s only then that David tells her of Katherine’s four embryos that are still remaining and although she’s desperate to have a baby she isn’t sure if she can carry one belonging to her husband’s first wife.

‘To Be A Mother’ is the seventh novel I’ve read by this author and I’ve enjoyed every single one. It’s an incredible story written with empathy and sensitivity, that’s grabbed at the heartstrings and hasn’t let go until I’d reached the end. The characters are beautifully described showing the depth of love and true friendship, and I shared Hannah’s emotions during the most difficult decision she’ll ever have to make. This is a wonderfully moving story that has a perfect ending that’s left me feeling warm and happy and I can wholeheartedly recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read I enjoyed To Be a Mother for my review. this book is not the usual genre I read but it kept me entertained throughout, I would definitely read another of Emma Robinson's books.

I don’t know how Emma Robinson does it, but she has written another compelling, heartbreaking read that had me with a huge lump in my throat and reaching for my box of tissues more than once. Hannah and David are happy and in love. While it is David's second marriage, Hannah does not feel like she is playing second fiddle to his first wife, Katherine. In fact, her and David want to start a family.

However, they are forced to choose either IVF, or possibly adoption. After the IVF process has started, Hannah learns that her eggs would not be viable. So, the choice if they stay with IVF are donor eggs. Hannah is devastated as she has always wanted a child of her very own. David has another suggestion. As he and Katherine were also using IVF, she still had several donor eggs Will Hannah accept Katherine's eggs? That is the heart-wrenching decision that plagues Hannah.

Meanwhile, things about David and Katherine's marriage begin to come to light. This takes this already compelling story to another level, and that goes a long way when it comes to understanding the decisions of the characters. It does more than that. There is a strong sense of sadness in this story. Yet, Hannah, David and yes, the reader, are not left out in the cold. This remarkable story takes a striking turn, so much so that this story begins to be expertly infused with hope. This effective story reminds me of the intense way that Jodi Picoult writes. In like fashion, Emma Robinson has delivered a strong story with equally strong characters, and one that hits on a deep emotional level.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

A book with the name Emma Robinson on it always promises a few things.

A loveable main character that you relate to so much even if you never saw it coming. Check

A story that will break your heart but carefully and slowly put it back together the further in you get. Check

A book that you just can't put down and have to race to the finish to find out how everything is going to work out. Check.

Fierce female friendships that remind you how important it is to have good friends and to support each other. Check.

To be a mother is a book that took a turn to something else completely from what I expected. It was a pleasant surprise. I loved Hannah, and the signature best friendships between her and her friends. It made me envious of a book character which takes some doing.

As always Emma has touched my heart, broken it and then mended it back together with some super glue. Until the next time anyway

Definitely wiping a tear or two at the end.
Great having all the feels from a book.
About love, life, sickness and of course family.
Greatly told and held together with emotions
Loved this book

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

An absolute tear jerker!

Emma Robinson certainly knows how to pull on your heart strings and bind you up in emotional minefields!

To be a mother is obviously a story about the lengths someone would go to to become a mother…which is heart wrenching enough. But this is a whole other level of complex.

David has lost his first wife and married again. Hannah feels she is living in Katherine’s shadow when it comes to David’s friends at least. When David and Hannah need fertility treatment life gets suddenly complicated and the secrets keep on coming out of the woodwork.

It is impossible to say more without spoilers but just read this book. It will have your brain and heart fighting and the tears streaming!

This is my 3rd book by Emma Robinson so I was excited to be approved by NetGalley and the publisher for this latest book. Hanna and David are wanting to start a family but Hanna is having fertility issues. David's first wife Katherine died and Hanna constantly finds herself living in her shadow. Katherine had frozen some eggs before she died and now David and Hanna have to decide whether to use her eggs. This is a heartwarming story that will pull at your heartstrings. It's beautifully written.

This was the first book that I have read from this author and what a start! Such an enjoyable read from start to finish with a believable and detailed storyline that had me hooked from the first chapter!

Oh boy, I most certainly believe you should have yourself a couple of tissues handy when reading this book. It was a fantastic story but by the end, it broke me!

Following Hannah who for all intents and purposes was the main character (although by the ending I couldn’t help as think of her as an understudy for Katherine) in the nicest possible way.

Hannah met David 9 months after his late wife Katherine’s accident. Married and now trying to have a baby. David never talks about his late wife but as the journey into parenthood starts to become more and more complex Hannah has questions she needs answering, and when the truth is all revealed WOAH it’s a bit of a kick in the teeth.

This book is incredibly well written, it knows just how to tug at your heartstrings and how to make you smile.

The characters are so incredibly authentic that you can feel every pain, and happiness with them along the way.

To Be A Mother is set for release on October 11th – get your tissues ready and preorder your copy here http://To Be a Mother: A totally heartbreaking and uplifting story about life, loss and second chances https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B6GN7XYC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_FER7P4TZXF7WHSJZGH8X

What if your only chance to be a mother was to give birth to his first wife’s child? Hannah and David are married and they desperately want a child.....and it seems that's not on the cards for them, until David tells Hannah that he and his now-dead-wife, Katherine, have frozen embryos....something for them to consider?

I was so intrigued by this plot, that before I even knew what the book was really about, I was asking my husband what he'd do in this situation. It just gives one so much food for thought, so already I like that. When you read 10 books a month, it can be rare to find a book that offers something new....To Be a Mother was it for me.

Also, I think as a reader that usually gravitates towards thrillers, I was maybe a third through this book and I was trying to figure out, okay, where's the knife, who is the murderer??? I decided to read the synopsis and it hit me, oh....this a drama....not a deep, dark twisted thriller.... Though I must say, Emma's writing had me thinking that something really twisted could be coming, so I was predicting all sorts of plot twists while reading this.

Food for thought, a bit of a slower read, but once I got into the last half I was really turning the pages, because I found myself quite invested in Hannah, David and Katherine. I cried, I hoped, I was confused and angry at one character at a time.....their choices really didn't make sense to me, but their choices also really did make sense, though I think it kind of opened a whole other can of worms in the present storyline.....but let's ignore that and enjoy the book for what it was, a thought provoking family drama, that will have you feeling all the feels....as the young ones say :)

I have read all of Emma Robinson’s books, and I really liked this one.

Such an unusual topic to explore, but a situation that could easily arise in real life. It was told sensitively and explored the options that have available with frozen embryos. I am so glad that there was a happy ending, and it was really interesting to learn Catherine’s story also as the book developed. Recommended.

The only thing harder than being a mother is … not being one.

Just ask anyone who’s gone through fertility treatments, egg donation, or adoption.

Author Emma Robinson captures the emotional side of fertility treatments and opens our eyes to what it really takes to be a mother.

So here’s the question at the core of the book: Could you carry your husband’s first wife’s child if it was your only option?

My first response was a vehement ‘no’.

Then I was given a convincing argument to cause me to change my mind.

Then, my vociferous response waned.

I went back and forth for the entire novel.

Would it make a difference to you if you knew it was the first wife, not the ex-wife?

You’ll have to read this fantastic exploration into the moral/ethical implications as well as the psychological and emotional implications of making such a choice. It’s extremely well written, in alternating chapters, in third person with free direct style and a stream-of-consciousness style, making you walk right alongside the characters. It’s Emma Robinson at her best. You need this book.

I was gifted this copy by Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I really enjoyed TO BE A MOTHER, an intense work of women’s fiction about a couple experiencing infertility who considers an interesting dilemma—when the wife (Hannah’s) eggs are determined to be inviable for use in IVF, should they consider using previously frozen embryos that the husband (David) and his former wife (Katherine) froze while they were trying to get pregnant?

Needless to say, this book raised some interesting questions of envy in second marriages, of whether Hannah and David could raise Katherine and David’s biological child without a bunch of emotional complications. Their friend group has a lot of emotional loyalty to Katherine, and there were some great flashback scenes from Katherine’s point of view. I had some theories about what really happened to Katherine, but the twist surprised me! I liked the resolution of the novel and would definitely read more by this author. 5/5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from Bookouture and NetGalley for review purposes.

As soon as I started reading this book I was completely hooked and couldn't put it down. It was well written with a evocative and emotive storyline and well developed characters that I took to my heart. I loved it and finsihed it in a couple of hours on a train journey.

Another fantastic read from one of my favourite authors, she never disappoints me. This is a sad, thought provoking read, brilliantly written I just couldn't stop reading and all the characters were so well described.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC which I have no hesitation in recommending, well done Emma Robinson.