Stephanie is faced with the very best and worst news all in the same day. Her and James are finally expecting a baby but she also has cancer. Avoiding treatment could cost her life but would she ever get pregnant again? This was an emotional read and tissues will be needed!

This book just wasn’t for me. I felt like the pacing was a little too slow and I never found myself eager to pick the book back up. It wasn’t the writing that I didn’t care for but the development of the story.

What an emotional rollercoaster ride this was, reading it! Gosh, 5 stars for definite.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

great book wow. recommend having nothing else to do but read for a day or 2. the character development was great as as well as the plot.

A story that will really leave you divide as you can see both sides of each others opinions. A twist I did not see coming that left me felling so emotionally ugh (the only way to describe it!) a fantastic story that stays with you long after you finish it.

In a world where literature often takes us on remarkable journeys, [Book Title] stands out as an extraordinary tear jerker that touched the deepest corners of my heart. From the very first page, I was immersed in a rollercoaster of emotions that left me both emotionally drained and profoundly moved.

The author's storytelling prowess shines brilliantly as they craft a narrative that resonates with the rawness of human experiences. The characters are not just ink and paper; they're souls that come to life, each carrying their burdens, dreams, and vulnerabilities. I found myself celebrating their triumphs, sharing their pain, and shedding tears for their losses.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Anyone reading the synopsis for this book will recognise that it isn’t going to be an easy read and there are definite trigger warnings around dealing with infertility and cancer. That said, despite the difficult content, this is an incredible read and a stunning debut from the author.

Being based on personal experience means there is a really insightful perspective on how potentially life changing events can impact not only on individuals, but their relationships and friendships too.

I especially loved the way Steph”s job as a photographer was interwoven to show how imagery and memory can play such important parts in dealing with trauma. The theme of focusing on the finer details fits perfectly into the narrative, as does Steph’s belief that all the negative hands she has been dealt have been told ‘in fours’. This was really cleverly done.

The added tension in the plot created by James’ secrecy creates even more empathy in the reader for Steph.

This is an emotional, rollercoaster of a read but totally un-put-downable!

With thanks to the author, Rachel at Random Resources and Avon publishing for the opportunity to participate in the tour.

Prepare to be emotionally stunned by this gut-wrenching novel! This novel tackles so many difficult topics with the utmost care. The amount of grief in this novel will rip your heart out, but you will root for everyone involved, not just one person. You will be left gutted. Just know that going in.

James and Stephanie's dreams of having a family are finally coming true until one doctors appointment throws their entire world off its axis. It seems like their world will never be right after that appointment, and then tragedy strikes again. It leaves you grappling with questions about how much one family can endure? Can they move past all the secrets, the loss, the trauma? Can they piece their life back together while staying together, or will everything fall apart in the wake of their emotional turmoil?

My heart was completely shattered with all the grief and loss in this novel. It allowed me to release my own emotions that I didn't know I was still carrying.

Thank you, netgalley, for this e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

This Child of Mine is the story of Stephanie and James who have been trying to have a baby. At last Stephanie is pregnant and suddenly she's also facing health issues that could negatively impact the baby. At the same time James is going through his own changes and together they must decide what to do and live with the fall out of their choices. The story is a poignant one that caused me to empathize with them and the pain they faced.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’d like to thank Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘This Child Of Mine’ by Emma-Claire Wilson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

On the day Steph and James have their pregnancy confirmed they also learn that Steph has cancer and it’s recommended she have a termination so they can start treatment. Steph is determined to keep their baby but James thinks his wife’s life is more important. The more they disagree the wider the rift in their marriage becomes especially as Steph believes James is keeping secrets from her.

‘This Child Of Mine’ is one of the most heartbreaking stories I’ve read as it deals with the pain, loss and grief of something a couple shouldn’t have to experience and tells of how they deal with it. It’s an incredibly moving story that’s had me in tears from the beginning and those tears continued throughout the book. It’s such a powerful and realistic story that when I wasn’t reading I was thinking about this brave couple, and by the time I reached the final chapters I was still in tears but they were those of joy and thankfulness. My congratulations to Emma-Claire Wilson who’s written a wonderful novel about subjects that have been dealt with sensitively and with compassion, and will stay in my thoughts for a long time.

This is a Hard Hitting Women's Fiction. There is a lot in this book that could trigger a reader, so please look into triggers before putting up this book. This book took me on an emotional ride that I was totally pulled into the story. I felt so many different feelings while reading this book, and I love when a book does that. This book will break your heart, but then it will pick up your heart and put it back together. I love this story so much. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Avon) or author (Emma-Claire Wilson) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

My Review
I have been waiting for this blog tour since my very first glimpse of the cover of This Child of Mine. A debut novel from author Emma Claire Wilson and isn't this a very special moment for her. Imagine the nerves, the anticipation and the hope that everyone will love your story.
That everyone will take your characters into their hearts and love them as much as you do.
I cannot begin to tell you how much I loved This Child of Mine. I gathered from reading the blurb that it was going to be a tear jerker so I braced myself and took my time with it.
If I'm honest I wanted to enjoy every word of it.
Emma writes her story like someone with years of experience in what she is doing.
Her writing is superb, her words breathtaking so many times.
I reflected on my own life so often whilst reading and often found peace and comfort in her words.
We meet Stephanie and her husband James in this story. Both their lives are filled with tragedy and grief. A moment that should be the most exciting for a couple turns into a complete nightmare in a matter of moments.
I wondered how they would get through it. Would they find comfort in each other or would it be something that they couldn't quite agree on.
I was devastated for them, truly heartbroken at times as they struggled to understand, to listen and to share.
I don't know how I got to the end of the story but I did having cherished every word of it.
Author Emma Claire Wilson has found her place in the book world with this phenomenal story and I cannot wait to see what will come from her in the future.
Well worth your time...

This is a fantastically well written book. I was worried that with such a tragic storyline the story might feel depressing or be hard to read but in reality it was incredibly gripping. Whilst there is undeniably a sadness to the story it isn't portrayed in a macabre or voyeuristic way merely in a very real and relatable reaction to such a sad series of experiences. I found the characterisation fantastic and incredibly well portrayed along with the reactions and rationale for these. A thoroughly "enjoyable" read that I would recommend.

My Review: What a fabulous Debut. A totally emotional read. What do you decide when there is a choice to make and both choices mean loss or possible loss. Even more, it’s when all you have ever wanted hangs in the balance. Having lost her brother to Leukemia when he was 11, her mother walked out shortly after, loss is nothing new to Stephanie. Her husband James is also no one who knows loss well. What will they decide? The decision really isn’t his, it’s hers. Her best friend Julie, her father, all love and worry for her, and how she is managing. Even though it’s a hard topic, the way this story is written is engaging. I simply could not put it down, I needed to know what happens. It’s a true page turner. The topic matter could be a trigger to some. Highly recommended read.

I'm certainly not this book's typical reader. But it's wowed even me (4.5 stars rounded up)

I've said many times before that I'm a stereotypical middle-aged man. I can't take hints, don't remember birthdays, can't comprehend why anyone needs more than three pairs of shoes - or maybe five, if you include running shoes and Wellington boots - and have never understood the point of moisturiser. Romance? I'm not even sure what that means.

Recently, though, I've started to wonder whether even I have something of a hidden feminine side. I like outdoor swimming for a start, which is an activity that, for no reason that I can fathom, seems to be enjoyed mostly by women. It seems that most other people who read and subsequently write about books are female, as are most of my favourite authors (Ian Rankin and Peter James excepted). And I somehow seem to have requested an ARC of This Child of Mine from Netgalley, despite it being classed as "women's fiction" on that website and "romantic fiction" on another. I can't for the life of me remember how that came about.

I'm glad I did, though. Wow, I'm glad I did.

I've often said that the best pieces of psychological fiction are those that can draw you in to the mind of a character, to the extent that you share their thoughts, their emotions and their fears. Well, This Child of Mine does that with a vengeance from the very first page. After years of trying for a baby with her husband James, and more than one miscarriage, Stephanie is given the most wonderful, and almost the most awful news imaginable almost in the same breath.

She is pregnant. She has ovarian cancer. If she proceeds with treatment, her unborn baby will have to die. But if she sees the pregnancy through, it will almost certainly cost her her own life.

The book asks the simple question of its readers: what would you do? And perhaps it's the insensitive male thing coming through or maybe it's my not being a parent, but for me the answer was immediately clear. And it's the same one that James had: have the treatment. Don't risk something that you don't already have when the gamble is the near-certainty of losing what you already do. Stephanie, though, feels differently. And her thoughts are conveyed so powerfully and so clearly that even I could understand them. She's a mother. Her baby is alive inside her. And wouldn't a mother do anything to save her child?

This is wonderful, beautiful, powerful writing. And considering that it's the author's debut, it's astonishing. I felt for Stephanie. I felt for James. I also felt for Wendy's dad, because I think I can say that I'd also have done exactly what he did if I had been in his position. If I have a hidden feminine side, I wonder if Emma-Claire Wilson has a hidden masculine one, because she sure as heck got into my head.

I must also mention the ending of the book, which is a proper 'wow' and 'lump in throat' moment. After finishing the book I - to quote an often-used phrase in psychological fiction again - let out a breath that I hadn't realised I'd been holding.

And oh, how I wish I could end this review there. But I'm afraid that, for me, there was one problem. I'll try not to give away too many spoilers, but there is a side story featuring James and his own closely-guarded secret. I didn't think that this story needed to be included. At the beginning, it causes Stephanie to suspect James of having an affair, which dare I say felt a little bit cheap and distracted from the superb main story. And by the end, it seemed like one tragedy too many. I couldn't help but wonder if Emma-Claire would have done better to have kept this storyline back and used it as the plot for a whole new book.

It's for this reason that I reluctantly have to deduct a half-star from what would otherwise have been perhaps the easiest maximum rating that I've given so far this year. But I realise that this is subjective and just my opinion. Ultimately, it doesn't alter my main conclusion, which is that This Child of Mine is quite simply fabulous. It doesn't matter who you are or what you normally read: if you have a heart at all, this book will find it, break it and then heal it again. Congratulations, Emma-Claire.

My thanks to the author, Avon Books UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC of this book, which was published on 6th July 2023. I will post my review on Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram and Twitter.

📖BOOK REVIEW📖
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#ThisChildOfMine by #EmmaClaireWilson

⏩for synopsis

This was definitely a very emotive book read and won’t be suitable for everyone…

I found the book instantly immersive and main character Stephanie really stood out for me here - she felt as real as the page I was reading - did I agree with her? Would I have done the same? I still cannot answer those questions and I not sure it’s the book’s intention to facilitate these answers. I could really feel the pain and anguish clawing through the page the more I read. In saying this, I also think the book did a great job of balancing things here - yes there is a great deal of sadness throughout but there is also a lot of redemption and happiness to be found too.

I found the story to be overall a good one, a little drawn out perhaps, especially at the end, but easy to read, provoking and complete. The subject matter was handled with compassion and care and left you with the feeling of happiness can be found even in the darkest and hardest of circumstances. An interesting debut - I’m definitely keen to see what this authors does next!

With thanks to @avonbooksuk for sending us this copy for review!

RELEASING: July 6th

-Emily

@the_book_girls_1

Wow....... What a heart wrenching, tearjerker of a novel. I can you expect a mother to be to chose between her life and that of her unborn child. This book is so sensitively written while handling such a delicate subject. I won't say I loved this because its inappropriate for the subject matter. I do however feel this was a fantastic debut novel and the author was extremely brave to write about such a difficult decision many couples go through. I do recommend this book if you feel you won't be triggered though.

This Child of Mine by Emma-Claire Wilson

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

When Stephanie is told she’s pregnant and that she is sick on the same day, she faces an impossible choice… After trying for a baby for so long, finding out I was pregnant was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. But in the same breath as the news I had been waiting years to hear, the doctor told me I was seriously ill. If I carry my baby to term, I will almost certainly die. If I proceed with treatment, my baby will not live. My husband – the father of this child – is telling me to save myself. But with all the secrets I know he is keeping from me, I can’t trust him anymore. What would you do? 

My Opinion

This book starts with a trigger warning, be warned - it is a very emotional book. Given the topics in the book I don't feel like I can say that I enjoyed but it was very well-written, written in a very delicate way. This was one of those books that took a lot of energy to read, I finished this book and couldn't bring myself to write my review straight away - I needed time to recover.

If you are reading this, then I recommend you have some tissues on hand. Wilson, is not afraid to tug on those heartstrings. There was plenty of drama packed in.

Rating: 4/5

In the interests of transparency, I have to admit that Emma-Claire is a very good friend of mine and one of my writing tribe and I have shared closely in the publication journey of this book. I know exactly what this book means to her and how hard she has worked to get to this point and I so want it to be successful for her. It is always difficult for me to review books in these circumstances. I have this platform to share reviews of books so I obviously want to be able to use it to support my friends but I also am always honest about the books I review and I can’t compromise that for anything if I want my readers to trust me, so I always approach the reviewing of my friends’ books with some trepidation.

I knew this book was also going to be particularly difficult for me because of the subject matter. Having suffered from baby loss myself, it can be hard to read that as a storyline in a novel but I knew that Emma-Claire had come to it from a place of understanding and enlightenment and I share her view that this is a topic that is still shrouded in too much silence and misunderstanding and should be more widely discussed to lift the aura of taboo that surrounds it. This book is filled with honesty and a deep compassion which meant I was able to get through it without breaking down.

Steph and James are a couple deeply in love who just want a baby to complete their perfect family. Unfortunately, on the day that Steph finds out she is finally carrying their longed-for child, she also discovers she has a serious illness, the life-saving treatment for which will almost certainly end her pregnancy. They have an impossible decision to make.

This is a situation that no one ever wants to contemplate finding themselves in but is a tragic reality for some people and, once you sit down and consider what you might do in those circumstances, you realise how impossible the choice would be. Emma-Claire does a fantastic job of conveying just how hopeless trying to logically balance the pros and cons of the choice would be, and just how easily these circumstances can tear the strongest couple apart. How do you come to terms with sacrificing either your child or the person you love most in the world? How do you reconcile yourselves to such an insurmountable loss? No one who hasn’t been through such things can truly wrap their head around what it would be like to be faced with this scenario, but reading Emma-Claire’s depiction of this story might be the closest you will come, I hope. The pain and hopelessness bleeds off the page and into your heart until it feels like it is being ripped asunder, just as Steph’s is.

I will admit, I didn’t always understand Steph and her reasoning along the way. Sometimes she acted in a way that was very different to the way I think I would have and, at points I wanted to give her a little shake and explain why she was approaching things in the wrong way. I was a bit frustrated and afraid for her. But that is the genius of this book. How she was behaving, although frustrating, was totally believable and illustrative of just how impossible it is to make informed and rational decisions when faced with this situation. How people will react purely based on emotion in those moments, unable to look at the bigger picture and weigh up the evidence in a balanced way. It may look like insanity from the outside, but when you are in the middle of it, it seems like the only possible thing to be done. Understanding this, and reacting with love and patience to the people dealing with it, will go a long way to helping anyone going through this kind of trauma cope.

Whilst this book deals with a traumatic topic and will wring every emotion out of you along the way, it also manages to be uplifting and deliver a note of hope along the way. Baby loss is not the end, Emma-Claire and I are testament to that. Life goes on, and it can be a good life if you can find your way through. Books like this can offer a glimpse of that hope when all may seem hopeless, and I think this is really, really important. This book gets the balance just right, it is beautifully done and a tribute in itself to the strength and resilience and determination of couples, and particularly women, everywhere who has faced up to baby loss. To come out of the other side still standing, still living, is nothing short of heroic in my eyes and I cannot think of a better example of this fortitude and grace than this book and the person who so bravely and intelligently wrote it. It may not be an easy thing for some people to read but it is so important and so worthwhile, I truly hope everyone will do so.

So, on behalf of this mother of a child who never got to grow up, I think you, Emma-Claire, for portraying this experience with such skill and sympathy and making me feel a little less alone in the world and a little more seen and understood.