Daniela Petrova

Reading the description for this book, one would be tempted to think of the plot to a Lifetime movie-one-of-the-week. Never fear, because the story and the characters are not one dimensional, and the mystery in this novel had me hooked to a point that I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. ⁣
I loved how each character was layered and realistic, not a caricature. Everyone had their strengths and their flaws, just like we all do. We all have known or have been a Katya, or a Lana. And unlike other mysteries that I loathe, where the protagonist solves the mystery on her own when they should go to the authorities, Lana does some of her own investigating, but also leaves a majority of it to the professionals. This was a gripping debut novel and I look forward to Daniela Petrova’s next work.… (mais)

4.5 stars.
Her Daughter's Mother by Daniela Petrova is a mesmerizing domestic mystery.

Lana Stone is a successful career woman who has been in a relationship with her partner, Professor Tyler Jones for eight years. For the past several years, they have been engulfed by infertility treatments and heartbreaking miscarriages. Having finally made the decision to use a donor egg, Lana is days away from her upcoming embryo transfer when Tyler leaves her. Despite a few qualms about going through with the procedure, Lana seizes this last chance at pregnancy.

Soon after learning she is pregnant, Lana recognizes their egg donor and decides to get to know her. Katya Dimitrova is a vivacious twenty-one year old college student from Bulgaria and Lana is dazzled by her refreshing honesty and effervescent personality. Needing a distraction from her personal life, Lana joins Katya for an evening of dining and dancing but later in the evening, she goes home early. Dismayed when she does not hear from Katya again, Lana is soon consumed by guilt when she discovers her new friend has gone missing. Determined to find out what happened to Katya, Lana is shocked by the information that soon comes to light. Unable to let go of her suspicions that someone harmed Katya, will Lana uncover the truth?

Anyone who has ever experienced infertility will emphasize with Lana's decision to go through with the embryo transfer. She does go through short-lived bouts of guilt over her choice, but ultimately, she easily pushes aside these momentary misgivings. Lana also knows she should not be hanging out with Katya, but her curiosity about her egg donor is insatiable. She is determined to learn more information about Katya's disappearance and Lana is unable to stop herself even when she knows she is endangering her future.

Chapters from Tyler's and Katya's perspectives fill in some the blanks about the months preceding the events unfolding in the present. Tyler is frustrated by Lana's inability to give up the infertility treatments. Instead of confronting her with his feelings, he begins making questionable decisions that eventually put him in a very difficult situation. Katya's chapters are very illuminating and provide valuable insight into her motivation for becoming an egg donor. They also reveal a very different picture of the happy go lucky young woman.

Her Daughter's Mother is an absolutely riveting mystery that is impossible to put down. The main characters are immensely flawed yet they are also easy to sympathize with as they blunder their way through life. The storyline is engrossing and each chapter builds the suspense and tension to a fever pitch. Daniela Petrova masterfully conceals the truth about what happened to Katya until the nerve-wracking but somewhat low-key conclusion. A very clever debut that fans of the genre are sure to love.… (mais)

I was browsing through a list of the best books of 2019, and this novel was featured as one of the best thrillers of the year. In it, an infertile woman catches sight of her egg donor on the NY subway. She manages to insert herself into Katya's life, only to find herself as a person of interest when Katya's body is found.

It's a wonderful premise, and Petrova adds depth by making Katya a Bulgarian graduate student at Columbia who is reckless and filled with guilt for her role in her brother's death. And Lana is a driven person, whose relentless pursuit of having a child drives away her husband. That drive is what pushes her to intrude first into Katya's life, and then into the lives of those who knew her.

The plot moves quickly, there aren't any unnecessary scenes and things keep happening, all of which make for a solid thriller. What made it less successful for me was that the three main characters, all of them Ivy League graduates and supposedly highly intelligent, did so many stupid things in order to keep the story moving and that the entire plot depended on poor communication between the characters. This book was fun and fast paced, but I wasn't able to get past the flaws in this one.… (mais)