I love Amanda Eyre Ward’s writing and have never, ever been disappointed in a book that she has written. Never, ever. This one pulled me in and didn’t let me go until I was crying at the end.

Suzanne and Hyland Kendall have been married for 15 years. Suzanne is a noted heart surgeon and Hyland is an architect/artist. Hyland suprises Suzanne one day when he says he wants a child. They had discussed never having children because Suzanne is afraid of the mental illness her mother had and some issues of her own. She didn’t want this passed on to a child. Hyland says that a surrogate is the way to go and although Suzanne is hesitant, she agrees. They end up choosing Dorrie who is not your usual surrogate. She is young, has never had children before and wants the money to get out of the life she leads now. Dorrie does get pregnant right away but once she does, she realizes that she cannot part with her baby and disappears. The search for her takes almost two years until her mother appears at the Kendalls doorstep with a little girl who is sick. Suzanne and Hyland raise Eloise and life goes on until Eloise starts having some trouble and they send her to a boarding school. Eloise decides that she wants to find her birth mother and see if what she is feeling has something to do with her. Are they alike? And Dorrie has been keeping something else from the Kendalls all along.

The story is told in the voices of Suzanne, Dorrie, Eloise and even a bit by Hyland. This worked perfectly with the way it flowed because we got to see all the different sides. No one is right or wrong. I seem to be on a roll with books that have different characters’ perspectives lately. This is the second one and I am reading another one now. I absolutely loved this book. I loved the characters. I got the characters and where they were all coming from. And yes, I was crying at the end. “The mother is the one that stays in the room.” Love that line and it still gets me teary. Now I will wait patiently for Amanda Eyre Ward’s next book.

I happily received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of the book was very good. An affluent husband and wife choose a surrogate to carry a child to term and then hand the child over at birth. What happens when the surrogate decides that she wants to keep the baby? The story was told through different perspectives, which was fine. However, some parts seemed a bit unbelievable. I felt that the plot was a bit under-developed and some unnecessary parts were elaborated upon that could have been left out entirely. The "twist" was totally predictable.

3.5 stars. Last year, I read [book:The Same Sky|22716408] by Amanda Eyre Ward. I know I liked it, but it didn't leave a huge impression on me. I suspect this will be my long term reaction to The Nearness of You. It's a quick read and I felt engrossed while I read it, but I'm not sure it will stay with me. Suzette is a cardiac surgeon who carries the weight of her sad childhood in her past, and her husband Hyland also lives with the aftermath of a tragic childhood. Suzette and Hyland make a deal to have Dorie act as their surrogate. Dorrie is only 21 years old. Things don't work out as anyone planned. And I will say no more about the story to avoid spoilers. The story is told from a few points of view at different points in time. It's a bit of a page turner and it's hard not to get caught up in the characters' emotions. If there's a core theme it's the complexity of motherhood -- fierce love, self doubt, mistakes made out of love and the price paid by children who don't have mothers who are physically or emotionally present. I wouldn't say that there's a message but rather a constellation of complex circumstances and open questions about who could have done what differently. Again, I enjoyed it while I read. I didn't love any of the characters, but I appreciated that they weren't unidimensional. And I really wanted to know what happened at the end -- although I'll be curious to see what others think of the end. I can't end this review without mentioning that I love the gorgeous cover. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

Provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

This was a very interesting read. The main character is a woman who is at the pinnacle of her career, happily married and life seems to be perfect. Until her husband decides he wants children after all. A tale of madness, depression, loss, loneliness, surrogacy with moments of happiness and ultimately hope, this was a gripping read. I just didn't like the open ending.

The Nearness of You by Amanda Eyre Ward is my latest read. I can't get over the cover now after reading the book because I feel like the flowers each represent the characters. I see the top flower as Dorrie and the closed bud as Eloise. The fully open yellow flowers is Suze the to me. I love the colors on the cover and feel like it is intriguing enough that I would have bought this book if I didn't get an ARC.

So for starters, the book is about Hyland and Suzette Kendall, a middle aged couple who when faced with infertility, turn to Dorrie, a young potential surrogate who is more than eager to help. Dorothy 'Dorrie' Muscarello is young and broke but has a chance to change it around if she attends the University she has been accepted to. Just one issue. She can't afford tuition. Being a surrogate for the Kendall seems to be her one way ticket out and she takes it. Will Suzette be able to love a child that isn't hers biologically? And will she even be able to bond when she didn't even want kids to begin with? Will Dorrie be able to say goodbye when the baby is born and leaves with the Hylands? So many questions and with less than 250 pages, there is so little time. No worries thiugh, Amanda Eyre Ward does a good job of telling the story and of weaving in and out of each characters pov to get the reader attached to seeing where things go.

This book evokes so many emotions and questions. What does it take to be a mother? Is it possible to love a child that isn't biologically yours the same as you would a child that is yours?

I really enjoyed the way each chapter tells a different character pov. I especially liked Dorrie and feel like she made me feel so invested in seeing what happens.

My one complaint about this book is the ending. I felt like I had been on the ride of my life and the ending just left me dissatisfied and wanting more. It ended too abruptly for me. Overall I give this story 4/5 stars!

Thanks to Random Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before it's February 21st release date. I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Get your copy today, it's a good read! :)

The Nearness of You delves into the world of surrogacy, parenthood, marriage, secrets, and mental illness amongst others. However, I felt that there were some gaps and unrealistic sections. In addition, the big surprise had been hinted at when the surrogate gave birth. All in all it was interesting, if a bit flawed.

This is the first Ward book I've read, and unfortunately, while the writing and the premise were good, I felt like the book had too much tragedy for one group of characters, and ultimately I felt like there was too much going on plot-wise.

The Nearness of You By Amanda Eyre Ward

Suzette is a surgeon living in Houston with her husband Hyland who is an architect. When Suzette and Hyland got married they both agreed on having no children. Now suddenly Hyland has changed his mind, he now wants a child. Suzette has had a history of mental illness in her family and she is stabilized, regarding her own mental heath. They choose to use a surrogate.

Dorrie is the surrogate chosen by Hyland to be the one to deliver a new baby to Hyland and Suzette. When Dorie doesn't show up for the sonogram appointment, Hyland can't reach Dorie by telephone. Hyland drives to Dories house and finds a note from Dorie that she has left and she is never coming back. The woman at the fertility clinic says that the clinic is not responsible and it is well past time to close. On the way home Hyland pulls the vehicle over to the side of the road saying he doesn't feel well enough to drive, so Suzette drives.

The novel alternates between different character's points of view. It introduces a new character named Jayne. It is obvious that the story is taking a new direction. Amanda Eyre Ward is a capable storyteller. Who is Jayne and how does her character figure into the new direction the story is taking. I can't give anything more away or I will spoil the story for you. An engaging well written story.

Thank you to Net Galley, Amanda Eyre Ward and Ballantine Book

For a book that is only 240 pages, the characters in The Nearness of You by Amanda Eyre Ward certainly had a lot of ground to cover. Mental illness, surrogacy, drug addiction and family relationships are all prevalent themes in this short, but ambitious novel. The prologue hooked me immediately and once I discovered that the main character, Suzette, was a highly esteemed heart surgeon at St. Luke’s in Houston I was completely emotionally invested. St. Luke’s is the very hospital where my own father received his new heart almost three years ago. The surgeons and staff we encountered during our stay there were absolutely as brilliant as Suzette is described. The settings throughout the book (Houston, Galveston, Grand Isle, New Orleans) are all places that my family and myself regularly frequent so it was enjoyable to read a story where I was familiar with the surrounding environment. I also appreciated the nod to literary greats scattered throughout the book, (Kate Chopin, Steven King, F. Scott Fitzgerald) and I loved that several of the characters were written as avid readers.

So, the synopsis. The Nearness of You centers around Hyland and Suzette Kendall. Suzette is a dedicated and brilliant heart surgeon at the top of her field who is stunned when her husband Hyland tells her he wants to have a child. Children were never something that Suzette envisioned for herself due to the demanding hours of her job and her background of severe mental illness. Hyland convinces her that if they went the route of surrogacy, they would avoid passing on anything genetic to their child. Suzette reluctantly agrees to this and so they begin the process of finding the perfect surrogate for them. Enter Dorothy Muscarello, a young woman with high hopes and big dreams of leaving her past behind and making something of herself. She has been accepted to Rice University but is unable to afford the tuition on her own. When the offer of surrogacy comes her way she sees it as the opportunity she has been waiting for to get out from under her mother’s roof and fund her way through college. She meets with the Kendalls and everything is agreed upon. Things begin to unravel fairly quickly however, once Dorrie becomes pregnant and starts to question her choice and role as surrogate.

This book had all the makings of a 5 star read. There was a lot of heaviness packed into these short 240 pages and while several hard topics were briefly touched on, I did not feel that the author really delved in to the meat of the matter. This story is told from multiple points of view and it did not always flow seamlessly to me. Eloise went from a two year old child to a teenager in roughly a few chapters. The information we are given about her upbringing with the Kendalls comes in brief flashbacks as Suzette rushes home in a moment of family crisis. It is evident that Eloise is troubled and doesn’t feel like she belongs, but I wish there had been more back story to that part of the plot. I also didn’t feel like Jayne needed her own chapters… that threw me a bit. I wish we had been given more information about Suzette’s childhood. It was obvious from the little that was written that Suzette lived through hell and I was very interested in the specifics as to how she got from where she was to the esteemed doctor that she turned out to be. A LOT of time was spent describing Suzette performing operations. I was fascinated by this and enjoyed reading about the surgeries, but I think the only reason that was is due to my emotional tie to St. Luke’s hospital. These operations were not pertinent to the story itself, and I could see how it may distract from the main plot for some readers.

The ending was also a huge let down for me so that knocked down the star rating as well. I don’t always need to have everything wrapped up with a nice, neat bow but to end it the way it did was just completely disappointing to me. 3 out of 5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

A couple of years ago I had the privilege of reading The Same Sky by this author. I was a big fan of that book (see my review here), so was looking forward to another novel by this author. This one is another gem that I highly recommend. Ms. Ward has a way with characters that makes them leap off the page and you feel like you are immersed in their lives. Even though a couple of these characters were not even that likeable to me, the way they were written still had me feeling emotions and relating to their troubles. This book had me hooked following the lives of these characters. Perhaps because I've been involved in the adoption process, although not using a surrogate, I could relate so much to Suzette and her intense need to protect her child, even without that biological bond. There is even an interesting twist at the end that you can kind of see coming if you are paying close attention.

Despite the end being a bit too tidy and quickly wrapped up, this is definitely another winner from Amanda Eyre Ward. You will love these well written characters.

Suzette and Hyland have a happy marriage and a busy life when Hyland surprises his wife with the news that he really wants a child. Married fifteen years, children had always been off the table, as Suzette did not want to pass on the genes of her mother, a woman who gave Suzette a horrifying and unstable childhood and eventually wound up in a mental institution. But Hyland proposes a new solution: what if they use a surrogate, with his sperm and a surrogate's egg? Suzette, a busy and successful heart surgeon, reluctantly agrees. Even though there are some red flags, the couple eventually chooses young Dorrie, a woman who wants to use the surrogate fees to go to college. Dorrie and Hyland bond, and Suzette realizes she must get on board with the idea. But soon Dorrie will make some decisions that will affect everyone in this new trio.

I am a bit conflicted about this novel. Ward wrote The Same Sky, which is a beautiful novel and one everyone should read in this current political climate. It's hard not to compare others to that magical book, and this one did fall short. She does, however, have a way of weaving stories with her words, and while I wasn't nearly as attached to the characters in this novel, I still found myself reading the last half of the book somewhat compulsively.

The novel started out slow, but picked up about 1/4 through, with a twist in the plot. It's told from a shifting rotation of perspectives, including Suzette, Dorrie, and Hyland. There are some large shifts in time as the novel progresses, which did make it harder to attach to some of the characters. None of the plot twists are exactly surprise, as they are foreshadowed a bit in each character's description: this is more of a character-driven novel versus a shocking dramatic novel. Still, even though I tore through the last half of the novel, I just felt the book lacked something, and I felt a tad let down by a story and characters that weren't completely fully developed (the ending is a bit abrupt as well). I enjoyed the perspectives on motherhood that the novel offered, but felt there could be more. That's not to say the novel isn't worth reading; Ward is a wonderful writer, but I just felt a little perplexed and frustrated when this one ended. I had hoped for more.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!); it is available everywhere as of 02/21/2017.

This was a story that will really challenge your emotional and moral standards. A couple after 15 years of marriage decide to have a baby. Unfortunately, they cannot have one together. So they decide to use a surrogate which costs them $35,000. The surrogate after 9 months decides she's going to keep the child and runs away. Of course, the couple are stunned, lost, and grieving. After 2 years, the surrogate brings the child to them and says she can't keep it anymore and leaves.

What happens after that really makes you start to question this surrogate. (I'm not spoiling it any further!)

I found this book emotionally entertaining as it really touched several nerves. Okay, many nerves. I think that any book that can do that to me, is definitely worth reading. For me, that means the author has been able to impact me in such a way that those words weren't just words. They touched me.

Thanks to Random House - Ballantine for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I have read many books by Ward and have always enjoyed them. However, The Nearness of You just didn't do it for me. It is very disjointed and a large time jump that just doesn't seem to gel.

The idea of the story is very intriguing, I just would have liked to see it executed better. I do not have an issue with MPV and past/present novels, but there just didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to this and large chunks of time were spent describing Suzette's surgery's, which was completely unnecessary.

All in all, it fell flat and Ward never gave you a chance to connect with the characters, and the "twist" is entirely predictable.

Ultimately, I would not recommend this book.

4.5 stars
Suzette and her husband, Hyland, have always agreed that they didn't want any children(because she's worried about mental illness on her side of the family), so you can imagine how surprised she is to find out that he wants a baby. They agree to find a surrogate who doesn't turn out to be exactly what they expected. The story is told in alternating viewpoints, as Suzette, Hyland, and Dorrie, the surrogate, each tell their stories. Ultimately, a story of family and love. Highly Recommend.

Suzette and Hyland had been married for years, and were comfortable in their love. Suzette worked long hours as a heart surgeon, Hyland wandered from job to job, but they were always there for each other. Things were good, until Hyland reneged on their marriage agreement by asking for a child. Suzette had never wanted children because her mother was mentally ill, and she stood a chance of passing on the illness. Despite misgivings, Suzette agrees to allow Hyland to medically impregnate a surrogate but, shortly after learning she was pregnant with his child, the surrogate disappears.

Through multiple viewpoints, Ward tells the story of the young surrogate struggling to raise a child she thought she didn’t want, but loved all the same, contrasted with Suzette’s similar conflict and love. Readers are taken through their years of pain, adaptations and sacrifice, to arrive at the conclusion that love conquers all.

“The nearness of you” was a good read, although the medical jargon was very confusing. I think Ward could have portrayed Suzette’s job in a general manner without resorting to readers having to hunt down a medical dictionary to figure out what was happening.

Recommended for Adults.

A heartfelt story of an unconventional family and how past hurts can form who we become in such profound ways. I enjoyed all the unique characters and the unexpected turns the story took at times.

Suzette and Hyland have decided years ago not to have children. After living their lives for years, Hyland decides he does want a child. They interview surrogates and finally find a surrogate named Dorrie. She ends up pregnant and runs away as she decides she wants to keep the baby. Will Dorrie keep the baby? Will Suzette and Hyland ever meet and raise their daughter? There are so many twists and turns to this wonderful book. It is told by Suzette, Hyland, Dorrie, and the child Eloise. It is a story of family, family love, and just what makes a family. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

I'm not a parent, nor do I plan to be, but for some reason stories like this always hook me. It only helps that this book was written so well. I fell in love with the cast of characters and invested instantly in them. This was like a Lifetime movie on steroids...and what I mean by that, is that the subject sounds like something you'd see on a Lifetime movie, but the material was so well thought out and presented that it far surpassed any content you'd get in a film there. 5 stars-loved this one!

Excellent story! Looking forward to reading more by this author!

The Nearness of You starts with an intriguing promise. A couple, suzette and hyland, have agreed not to have children because suzette's mother suffered from a debilitating form of mental pain that caused suzette a difficult childhood. suzette is worried that she will pass down this predicament genetically.* Quite a few years into the marriage, though, hyland feels a strong desire to have children and suggests having a baby through surrogacy. the conversation around surrogacy and the steps (bureaucratic, interpersonal, emotional) that are required to make it happen is the most interesting part of this novel and also the best executed. As we learn at some point, it is apparently better to choose a woman who is married and has children of her own as the surrogate mother of your child. hyland though becomes somewhat smitten with a young woman whose only reason to become a surrogate mother is money (jealousy ensues). the novel only gestures at the complexity of all this. it is somewhat utopian I think to expect women to carry other people's children for the love of humanity and their fellow man, especially when (as in this case) they contribute the egg. i personally find this somewhat ideal, in the sense that it seems problematic to me that money should be involved in the creation (literally) of a child. practically, though, one cannot realistically ask a woman to carry a child for nine months for free, and since I find surrogacy a morally acceptable option i am more or less reconciled with the idea that money will be involved (are we still allowing the sale of blood? organs cannot be sold, which is evidence that that law does regulate the commerce of the body; if we stopped allowing that one be compensated for donating blood, then surrogacy would be the only case in which the utilization of the inside of one's body for others' benefit is remunerated; please correct me if i'm wrong).

the issue this novel analyzes and focuses on is not the ethical problems surrounding surrogacy but motherhood. in the scenario portrayed here (there are others), the surrogate mother is the biological mother, while the legal mother holds status that is similar to that of an adoptive mother -- she has no biological connection to her child. The fact that the father is biological as well may or may not complicate things. the novel focuses on what bonds a woman to her child, what doesn't, what it means to make a child and give her up, the planning and love that go into the making of a new human being, etc.

i will not spoil the plot. as I said, the best part is the part in which suzette, hyland, and the very young surrogate mother negotiate their relationship and their future. in this particular case, the surrogate mother agrees to disappear from the scene upon giving birth. i am not very knowledgeable about surrogacy but i do know that this is not always the case.

i found the rest of the novel, especially the exploration of motherhood, not as carefully thought out as the first part is. the rapport between the child and the mother(s) is difficult and complex, but this difficulty is not given enough room to breathe, enough depth to put down roots. the ending is intriguing, surprising, and surprisingly sweet, and leaves you with a sense of warmth the novel, i think, has not entirely earned.

i read this around the same time as i read My Name Is Lucy Barton and the juxtaposition of the two novels highlighted for me the tremendous achievement of Lucy Barton in portraying (with just about the same quantity of words as those used by The Nearness of You) a mother-daughter relationship so rich and well-rounded, it left me breathless.

thank you netgalley and ballantine books for an advance copy of this book.

* i will not use the phrase "mental illness" because there is simply no way for me to understand how the suffering of the heart and mind can ever be an "illness." but studies on the biological inheritability of predisposition to certain forms of human anguish seem to be pretty conclusive.