Other People's Children

Aas someone who has dealt with fertility issues I loved this look into the stress and lives of people who have experienced this heartbreak. I loved how Carli was involved and we got an adoptive moms experience as well. I also loved the realistic problems this couple faced as well as the mother daughter struggles featured. I thought this was great!

I don’t have kids. I don’t want kids. I have never really wanted kids. But this book about how far parents will go for their children is an incredibly emotional read that even childfree readers will be moved by.

Gail and Jon Durbin are a married couple who desperately want a child. They’ve suffered multiple miscarriages and have been sending out their adoption book to no success. Finally, 18 year old Carli picks them to adopt her baby. Carli has a terrible home life, with an abusive mother and no real support system, so the decision to give up her baby wasn’t a hard one for her. But Carli’s mother Marla is against the adoption, and gives Carli an ultimatum before signing the final consent to give up her rights: reclaim the baby or find a new place to live. Meanwhile, Jon and Gail have fallen in love with the baby, and when they find out Carli intends to reclaim her daughter, they decide they will do whatever it takes to keep her... legal or not.

This is a heartbreaker of a book, and you’ll somehow be rooting for and against every character. The books that tend to hit me the hardest are ones with no real “bad guy,” and while there are certainly characters in this book that are more likeable than others, I found my allegiances changing every chapter based on who the focus was. I found the writing to be beautiful and the story to be perfectly paced. All of the characters were well developed, and I really loved learning their stories and how each of their lived experiences effected their decisions. I loved everything about this emotional and suspenseful book, and I’d definitely recommend it.