Jacqueline Friedland (1)

As a young mother of a toddler Maggie dreams of being a teacher and financial stability. When she finds an ad in the paper offering thousands of dollars for women to willingly gestate other people's babies at first she finds this to be silly! But she can't help but think of all the ways that money would improve her life. After deciding to go for it, it's not long before she is chosen to carry for a married couple from New York Chip and Donovan Rigsdale.

It has been ten years since she gave birth to twins! She has gotten her degree and has built a family of her own. She has everything that she wanted! So why is the fertility clinic asking her for a follow up DNA test?

What really makes a family?

This was a very engaging and thought provoking read! Told from Maggie and Donovans point of view from the present and the past you get a unique view to both sides of the story but also it makes it easier to connect with the characters! It is definitely an emotional read about family unconditional love but also the sacrifices that we make for our loved ones! You really can't help but feel for the characters and become involved with them! But as a mother the twins are the ones that hit me the hardest! This will be one of those books that will have you thinking long after you've finished! Happy reading everyone!

… (mais)

Sigh... This novel had so much potential, but I struggled to get through it. I really wrestled with the characterization of the secondary female characters - Gracie and Cora Rae, both of whom felt like two-dimensional clichés. I kept wondering why they didn't have more to do with their lives than to scheme and plot to marry particular men. I would have liked more of the book to have been about Clover, the pregnant woman who escapes slavery with a little help from the hero Douglas, but she mostly disappears midway through. The central romance between Douglas and Abby dominates the plot, but I was more intrigued by Douglas's activities connected to the Underground Railroad and wished more of the story had focused on that. Overall, I found this book a bit disappointing, mostly because I thought the story had the potential to be so much more.… (mais)

That’s Not a Thing by Jacqueline Friedland

What a story! Talk about a roller coaster ride of emotions that at times made me feel that the characters were dealing with the roller coaster car about to careen off the rails. This book was filled with feels and had me thinking about what I would have done if in the position of Meredith but also of Aaron, Wesley and some of the supporting characters. This book will definitely stay with me for awhile.

The story beings in 2017 but flips back to a period between 2008 and 2012 to fill in the backstory of why what is happening in the present has the impact it does. I have to say it did make me go back in time to think about the men in my past and wonder about what it would be like if they were to show up again...okay...that would NOT happen now but if I had been Meredith’s age and it had happened...I wonder what my reaction would have been and how I would have handled it. Hmm…

Anyway...

What I liked:
* It was real...I could see this happening so easily
* Meredith: intelligent woman with some baggage from her past that clings in the present even though she is pretty much sitting in clover with her new fiance. She is a giver and fixer but has trouble fixing her own life sometimes even though she has a big caring heart
* Aaron: a jock with brains that is a man among men. He appeals to both men and women and seems to have it all
* The parents: They were worthy of their children and I really liked them all
* The educational aspect related to ALS, cancer and pro bono legal work
* The idea that light that shines from us is created by being happy and not by who we might or might not be with
* The insights that one can pick up if they really embrace the story…
* The writing and plot and story
* That I could relate to it in so many ways: woman, nurse, through past experiences, and more
* All of it except…

What I did not like:
* ASL – it is a nasty disease
* Cancer – another nasty disease
* Wondering how the future unfolds for everyone – I have a good idea but still will spend some time wondering.

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more books by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and SparkPress for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars… (mais)

Trouble the Water takes place in Charleston, SC during the 1840's. It follows Abigail Milton who is sent from England to stay with Douglas Elling - an old friend of her fathers - after their family encounters some hard times. Suffice it to say Abigail's first impression of Douglas is not the best.
He is not what she expected and it's obvious from the get-go that he's hiding something.
Over time she begins to warm up to him but it isn't until she accidentally overhears a private conversation that she realizes he isn't the man she thought he was.

I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. the middle was a bit slow going and I began losing interest about halfway through. I was hoping there would be more involvement with the Underground Railroad and I could have done without the added drama from the Cunningham sisters - one of which was Abigail's friend.

*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.… (mais)