I really enjoyed the first half of this book. The story moved along at a decent pace, the characters were great, it was a delightful read. However, I only gave this book four stars because I felt the second half of the book was just way too long. I felt like it could have been about a third of the length it was and we still would have gotten all the pertinent information.

Our characters are all very strong-willed women. One of them doesn’t seem as strong-willed, but she finds her way and finds her backbone along the way. I enjoyed the interactions between the women and between the men in their lives for the most part. I’m not big on conflict, so of course those pieces weren’t so fun, but strong-willed women make some of the best characters in the world because they know what they want and they go for it with no punches pulled and no holds barred.

The setting descriptions were enough that I was able to imagine the places where the story took place and weren’t too overdone. I’m not always easy to please in this area, so it was nice to see these done well.

As I said above, the pace in the first half of the book was great. We moved along steadily and yet we weren’t moving along so fast that we missed important details. However, I really felt like the second half of the book dragged on and on. I felt that the second half could’ve been cut down to even a third of its original size and we still would have had enough details about the custody struggle.

The overall writing style is good. The prose flows well from section to section, chapter to chapter. I still recommend this book for those who like to read women’s fiction. Perhaps your view on the second half of the book will vary from mine!

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Enjoyed. Family drama. People change. Liked Hawaiian culture ( )

The Swallow's Nest is a story of three women fighting to raise the child they've all grown to love. When home decor blogger Lilia Swallow throws a party to celebrate her husband Graham's remission after a year of lymphoma treatments, a woman arrives, thrusts a baby boy into Lilia's arms, claims he is Graham's son, and disappears. Lilia is completely unprepared for the betrayal that the child represents; however, she begins to love the baby once the shock subsides. Now this tiny baby changes her life, as well as that of Marina, who bore him and abandoned him only to change her mind later, and Ellen, Graham's mother, who sees him as a second chance to correct all the mistakes she made raising Graham. A custody battle ensues and all the drama unfolds.

Listening to this audiobook was quite a struggle for me, as I found it difficult to get attached to any of the characters, and most of the characters I actually found to be hateful and deceitful without many redeeming characteristics. I found the character development to be rather one-dimensional, and the only one that I could really envision very well was the little boy, Toby. I also thought the story was even more depressing than what I read in the synopsis. I did, however, find it really interesting when, at the beginning of each part of the book, the author compared the characters' situation to that of different species of swallow; for example, she compared their mating rituals and the way they raise their young to the characters' situation as it unfolded throughout the book.

Though I felt that this book would have been very suitable for audio adaptation, the narration, in my opinion, did not quite live up to my usual standards of listening. I felt like the narrator, Karen White, would have been more suited to non-fiction materials rather than this fictional story. While she did differentiate between genders well, I sometimes found it difficult to determine who was speaking, as a lot of the male voices sounded similar to each other, and likewise with the female voices. Also, there were a few characters with accents, and they seemed rather forced and unnatural in the narration.

While White stayed pretty consistently paced throughout the production, she read quite a bit too slowly for my taste. On the upside, I didn't notice any flaws or blatant edits in the audiobook.

I really struggled to read and finish this book, and I'm struggling to review it now. I felt like the story and the narration were both of less than average quality. Accents and character voices seemed forced, and I just had a lot of trouble getting attached to any of the characters. Glancing through at other reviews, I noticed that a lot of people really enjoyed this book, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Title: The Swallow's Nest
Author: Emilie Richards
Narrator: Karen White
Publisher: Blackstone Audio (2017; Unabridged)
Length of Production: 16 hrs. ( )

A wonderful story about 3 women who all want custody of the same baby, Toby, but for different reasons. I really wanted to hate Ellen, the grandmother, as she was only thinking of herself not the baby and his needs. I loved Lilia, who didn’t really want the baby since her husband had an affair that resulted in his birth, but eventually realized that Toby was all she wanted. Marina, the birth mother, had a hard upbringing, drops Toby off with Lilia and disappears for a year before deciding she might want Toby back - partially egged on by Ellen. It’s all about family, that’s the key theme in the story and I love Emilie’s books for that reason. Yet another story that I will read again and again!

This review is based on a galley copy from netgalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions are my own. ( )

4.5 stars.

The Swallow's Nest by Emilie Richards is an emotional novel of forgiveness, motherhood and second chances.

Lilia Swallow and her husband Graham Randolph’s lives were turned upside down by his cancer diagnosis. A year later, they have cause to celebrate after his cancer goes into remission following aggressive treatment. However, Lilia’s joy quickly turns to devastation when Graham's business associate Marina Tate shows up with a three month old baby boy named Toby. Marina hands Lilia the baby and delivers a stunning blow with her vindictive announcement that Toby is Graham’s son. Understandably upset and furious, Lilia leaves Graham and Toby to visit her family in Hawaii where she tries to figure out what to do next. Despite her anger and hurt, Lilia cannot bring herself to walk away from her marriage until they are out from under the massive debt from Graham’s medical expenses. Will Lilia's tangled emotions about the circumstances of Toby’s birth prevent her from loving the baby? Is there any possible way for their marriage to survive Graham’s betrayal?

Lilia’s decision to return to Graham is not arrived at easily nor does she know what the future holds for them as a couple. She cannot in good conscience walk away from him considering their staggering debt. Despite Graham’s remission, he is not psychically strong enough to work long hours and they are relying on Lilia’s income to help them recover financially. Needing to keep expenses to a minimum, she and Graham continue living under the same roof but they lead separate lives. Toby slowly but surely works his way into Lilia’s heart and without hesitation, she becomes his primary caregiver.

Marina’s abandonment of Toby is not for his well-being; it is completely self-serving and rather spiteful. While Graham’s decision to begin an affair with her is selfish and uncaring, she entered into the relationship with her eyes open and completely aware of his marriage. Marina is entirely self-absorbed and lacks any empathy for the impact his cancer diagnosis and treatment has on his life. She never regrets her decision to leave Toby in Lilia and Graham’s care and Marina feels nothing but relief that he is no longer her responsibility.

Just as Lilia, Graham and Toby are well on their way to becoming a family, tragedy strikes and Graham’s estranged mother, Ellen, sees her grandson as an opportunity to make up for her mistakes with her son. She sets in motion a plan without giving any thought to Toby’s well-being or her daughter-in-law’s feelings. Gaining Marina’s cooperation is instrumental to bringing the plan to fruition and after some consideration, Marina agrees to help Ellen. Will Ellen’s reprehensible scheme succeed?

The Swallow's Nest is a beautifully rendered novel that quite poignant yet ultimately uplifting. Emilie Richards tackles very difficult subject matter with ease and the resulting story tugs on readers’ heartstrings. Lilia and Toby are wonderfully developed characters who are easy to like and root for. The secondary characters are marvelously developed and provide a wonderful support system for Lilia. Marina and Ellen, however, are not likable or sympathetic but they do undergo a great deal of growth by novel’s end. A truly captivating story that I absolutely loved and highly recommend. ( )