Member Reviews

So this book was...trippy. That's the best way I can think to describe it. There is time traveling, heart break, friendships, puppies, children, and hope. Honestly, it may be one of the best books I have read this year and absolutely recommend it. It isn't normally the type of book I read, but I really loved it and kept thinking "there is no way her baby isn't going to be with her."

Was this review helpful?

I don't like science fiction or fantasy at all, but other people said the same thing so I gave it a try. I actually loved the book. It was a very different story that grabbed you from the beginning. Kept my interest the whole way through. I would definitely recommend.

Was this review helpful?

I recieved an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley. I am a big fan of Diane Chamberlain. I have enjoyed many of her books and this is another one. I was particulary interested in this book because I do like a good time travel story. Favorites include The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger and 11/22/6311/22/63 by Stephen King.

This one took a different route by putting the time traveling character through some stressful complications and forcing her to make a very hard choice. It wove in the impact of historical events that occurred during her time traveling as well.

Like her other books I have read, this one held my interest as I felt for the difficulties the main character was going through and sympathized with the choices she had to make.

Was this review helpful?

I have read lots of books by Diane Chamberlain so her books are not new to me. She is one of the Authors I tend to watch for as I think she rocks. She didn't disappoint me in this book. I am loving it. Only have 1 chapter left. I would love it if we could really time travel. That is what this book is about. Carly lost her husband in one of the Vietnam War . In 1970. Right after he leaves she finds out she is with child. He dies ( so she thinks ) and she never got to let he know. Hunter came from future but has not reveled this YET . When he does he does because the baby girl will die as soon as she is born because of heart condition. In 2001 they can do fetal heart surgery. Hunter sends Carly to 2001 for surgery on the baby and to give birth.
Yes I recommend this book.

Was this review helpful?

A beautiful story demonstrating the depths that a mother will go to not only save her unborn child---but the unselfish acts that will allow that child to live her life. An incredible story that kept me turning the pages as quickly as I could read them---only to be disappointed when the book ended. Written with compassion, deep feeling and a bit of magic--this is a book that will stay with you long after the last page has been read. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to have read this book prior to publication---it is a keeper and a definite winner!

Was this review helpful?

I have never read a Diane Chamberlain but I can say I have a new author to follow. I really enjoyed The Dream Daughter. So good so good. Thank you for letting me read.

Was this review helpful?

Stunning! Intense! Powerful! Unique! So much more I could say but I want to leave most of it for the reader to experience. It is the story of Carly, who realises she is pregnant just after her husband dies. It is 1970 and she lives with her sister and brother-in-law in North Carolina. Carly discovers her baby has a serious heart defect, one she is unlikely to survive. Then her brother-in-law, Hunter, tells her something so unbelievable. He can send her through time to 2001 so that Carly can see a specialist in fetal surgery. She would then be able to come back to 1970, with her baby. Carly finds this so hard to believe, but she is desperate to save her baby and agrees to do it. What follows is a mesmerising story of love, courage and difficult decisions. You won’t be able to put this one down! This is one of my top ten books I read this year!

Was this review helpful?

It took me two days to read what is now considered one of my all-time favorite books. I’ve been a fan of Diane Chamberlain ever since I read The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes. I then went back and read all of her older books and have read all of her current books as soon as they’ve been released. I can honestly say that the description of this book didn’t sound like a Diane book, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect; I thought it might be slow reading. I’m thrilled to say I was completely wrong. It was AMAZING! The word that kept coming to mind as I was reading was riveting. I wanted to stay up all night to finish. A story about time travel? That’s not science fiction? Nah, not interesting to me. Carly didn’t believe in time travel either. Diane made us both believers.

Was this review helpful?

I cannot thank NetGalley enough for the opportunity to read The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain. I must admit that that I had not read the synopsis and when I started finding out that this book is about time travel, I was not sure that it was going to be for me. I decided to stick with the book since it was a Diane Chamberlain book. WOW!!! I LOVED LOVED LOVED The Dream Daughter. I could hardly put it down!! I cannot reccomend The Dream Daughter highly enough. It’s a must read!!

Was this review helpful?

4.5/5
I'm a huge Diane Chamberlain fan. She never disappoints me so I was thrilled to see this was a 'read now' on Netgalley and snatched it right up. Thank you Netgalley!

Now, I'm also someone who reads blind; I rarely read the synopsis. I trust certain authors and genres, the reviews of others, I follow the buzz and I love a good cover and this doesn't always work to my advantage as you can imagine. To say that I was blind-sided to find out that this book was about time travel is an understatement. I had no idea. I can't recall ever reading a book with time travel.

<blockquote>If I'd learned anything in the last day, it was that the love of a mother could make a hero out of an everyday woman.</blockquote>

When Caroline is told that her baby has a heart defect and won't live long outside of the womb she's devastated. She just lost her husband in Vietnam and this was baby was a piece of him, it would be cruel to lose them both. Her brother-in-law, Hunter, then tells her of a way but what he explains to her is unthinkable. Impossible.

It was a little mushy at times and I felt it stalled out once, which is ultimately what prevented me from giving it 5 stars but Diane Chamberlain is a master at story telling.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2288956141
https://sharn3960.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-dream-daughter.html
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/98938523049290519/

Was this review helpful?

I have mixed feelings about The Dream Daughter. Overall, my biggest problem was that the novel seemed to want to tackle too much for its length and therefore skimped a bit on the details. However, I did like the concept of the book, and as I approached the end, I kept turning the pages to see what would happen to Carly and her family.

Was this review helpful?

Intriguing concept. Chamberlain is a talented, well established author. While time travel novels aren't typically for me, this one was well done.

Was this review helpful?

A very ambitious choice for Diane Chamberlain, but she pulled it off. I really, really liked this novel, and highly recommend it for fans of her earlier work, or anyone that likes an emotional family drama. Also: time travel!

Was this review helpful?

Discovering she was pregnant after her husband Joe’s death in Vietnam was the only thing keeping Carly Sears going, but learning her baby had a serious heart defect, for which there was no remedy, was a devastating blow. Her sister Patti and brother-in-law Hunter were as supportive as possible; though Carly was not prepared for the solution Hunter offered. He proposed that she utilize his calculations and time travel to 2001, where Carly would be able to have surgery for baby Joanna, before she was born, to correct the heart defect in utero. After giving Carly some money, with appropriate dates on the bills, and ensuring she had his mother’s phone number and address, Hunter helped Carly “step off” the pier in Nags Head.

Joanna spent so much time in the NICU that Carly was concerned about missing her portal back to 1970, wanting nothing more than to take Joanna back with her. Finally Carly made the trip back alone, leaving Joanna in the hospital, in order to retrieve another set of coordinates from Hunter, planning that she would be gone no more than a day or so. Hunter quickly calculated several sets of coordinates, giving Joanna more time to heal if necessary. Unfortunately, Hunter didn’t remember clearly his time in 2001, and Carly’s return to Manhattan was scheduled for September 10, 2001.

I’ll freely admit that I’m a sucker for a good, solid time travel story, and this one did not disappoint. Carly’s desperation, first at losing Joe and then at the possibility of losing Joanna, gave her the incredible strength necessary to face the unknown. Hunter was well versed in time travel, and thought of almost every eventuality, especially the five-trip maximum, and since he had chosen to remain in 1970 with Patti, he would be unable to return had he gone to 2001 to look for Carly. This well-written, captivating story kept me engaged throughout.

Was this review helpful?

I love Diane Chamberlain, although this was not my favorite of her novels. I enjoyed the plot and characters and there were some unexpected twists. The time travel concept intrigued me and I thought it was well done and sequential so as not to confuse the reader!

Was this review helpful?

Diane Chamberlain is a wonderful author. She develops the characters so you feel you know them. This book is about time travel. It reminds me a bit of a Wrinkle In Time and the Time Traveler’s Wife. Make sure you like that genre before reading. The book is also about a mother’s love and what she would do for her child.

Was this review helpful?

Holy cow!!! Where do I begin??? This book had me from the very beginning!! It was so well written! A little different from what I would “normally” read, but Diane is simply amazing!!!! Get your tissues ready as you embark on this roller coaster!!!

Was this review helpful?

Once in a while you begin a book and you just know practically from the very first word that you are going to simply love a book. This book was that way for me! I had finally finished a book that seemed to take forever to finish because I simply did not like a single character within the book despite the plot being a fine idea and found myself just resisting spending a single moment to finish it. If I hadn’t committed to a fair and balanced review, I’d have tossed the book aside so I could go on to a better read.

This book is wonderful. A young pregnant widow learns that her brother in law is actually a time traveler from the future and when her baby needs life saving heart surgery in utero that doesn’t yet exist, her brother in law asks her to simply trust him...... it is a wonderful idea and reminds me of a book I read a lifetime ago called Replay by Ken Grimaldi. It is still a well loved book in my household with one of my sons currently reading it. While you have to overlook some of the flaws in the storyline, each character is well drawn, relatable, and you just want to keep reading because you come to really care what happens. Well done!! Be prepared to look at the clock and regretfully realize it is 2 AM and you really have to go to bed. It really is a wonderful, inventive story about people that start to feel like real friends and you really want to know what happens next.....as the story comes to an end, you just keep wishing there was more because it is a very special world.

Was this review helpful?

The subject matter is different than Diane Chamberlain's usual and it wasn't my usual genre, but she is such a gifted writer that she was able to pull it off beautifully.

The Dream Daughter weaves a tale of one mothers tough choice to do something drastic with the hope of saving her daughter.. As it got towards the end of the novel I was engrossed because I needed to know what happened to the baby. It was heartbreaking, bittersweet, and beautiful.

Was this review helpful?

Anything by Diane Chamberlain is worth the time. This book was no exception. I like reading about time travel as I am a history buff.
This story may have been incredible in many ways , however, I had a hard time putting it down. It will be difficult to start another book after this.

Was this review helpful?