I've long loved Diane Chamberlain's books, THE DREAM DAUGHTER was a bit of a departure for her Instead of being set in two different time periods, this time she uses a "timeslip" plot to tell the story. The part set in the 1970s allows the reader to glimpse realistically or recall many fond memories and things. The parts set in the 21st C. we're compelling as well. Basically, without revealing spoilers, a recently widowed pregnant woman discovers her unborn child has a heart defect that's deadly within hours of birth. The woman's brother-in-law reveals to her that he is actually from the future and knows of surgery done in utero that could save her baby's life if she trusts him enough to slip into the future. It's absolutely unputdownable and highly recommended.

4.5 Stars Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I read this in one day. This was the third book I’ve read with a time travel theme but found it this an original and engrossing story I couldn’t put down.

(Thank you Netgalley for an early ready copy in exchange for my unbiased review!)

I loved this book. It a the story a love that traverses time and boundaries and seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and is unlike anything you have ever read!

Carly Sears is living with her sister and brother in law. She met her brother in law Hunter years before when she was a PT student, and he was an unresponsive patient. Somehow she was able to bring him out of his state, and introduced him to her sister, Now Carly is in need; her husband died in Viet Nam a short time before, and he never knew that Carly was expecting their baby. At an ultrasound, the baby is found to have a defect that will kill her, even should she survive birth. Hunter has a unique, even unbelievable proposition that can save the baby's life. Does Carly dare do what he suggests?

"The Dream Daughter" is the story of love and loss; of unexpected joys and heartrending decisions. It's a departure for Diane Chamberlain, and a hugely successful one. I couldn't put this book down.

Wow! I have read many of Diane Chamberlain's books in the past, and I requested this one without reading the description, so I was hugely surprised when I started reading it and discovered that two of the main characters are actually time traveling! It sounds crazy, I know... but I trust this author implicitly and so I chose to read on. I'm so glad I did. This is an amazing novel and every step of the way it was all totally heart-wrenching AND believable. I loved each character, and I give the author credit for making all the time changes seamless and not confusing. And I'm not saying any more, but I found the ending highly satisfying. Highly recommend!

I was able to read this book for free from NetGalley, and am grateful to the publisher and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Time travel stories really have to be done right to pull it off and make the story believable. In The Dream Daughter, author Diane Chamberlain does just that.

The story begins in 1970 where we find Carly Sears pregnant with a sick baby. The doctors are unable to do anything to help the baby, who has a heart defect. Carly is alone, having lost her husband in the Vietnam War. She lives with her sister and her husband, Hunter. Fortunately for Carly and the baby, Hunter is a time traveler. He sends Carly to the year 2001, where she can have fetal surgery to repair the baby’s heart and save her life. However, the baby’s health is not good and Carly is forced to return to 1970 without her, in what she hopes is a temporary arrangement. When she tries to return to 2001 though, something goes terribly wrong.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The concept of time travel is one of those well-worn plot elements, but this author did it right. The story melded together very well and the plot was not too unbelievable. Carly’s experiences in a new decade were totally convincing. The time travel method is not overly complicated for a reader to understand either. The reasons for everything Carly does are solid too.

My one objection is that Hunter made such a glaring mistake. Anyone who lived in the era of 9/11 would remember it. It would be seared in their memory. So, I was upset when Hunter ‘forgot’ and accidentally sent Carly back on the morning of 9/11/2001. He should have known that any such large disturbance would affect the calculations. If even a wind could make a difference, then those events certainly would. I understand that it was integral to the plot that something throw off the calculations, but at the time when I read it, I was angry with Hunter for failing to take that into consideration. Good writing does that. It draws the reader into the story and they react to the characters as if they were real people. So, it did work the way it was supposed to. After all, if he’d been correct, then the rest of the events would never have happened and it would not have been as good a story. As a reader, you could predict what was coming though, if you counted the months between Carly’s arrival and her due date.

As it was, the story was quite good, with a big conflict around the decisions Carly has to make once she finds Joanna. It was emotionally painful to see that she lost her baby, but she did regain the relationship eventually. The hard part was knowing how many years would separate mother and child.

This book is one of my top 5 of the year so far. I enjoyed it that much. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good time travel tale.

At first I was thrown by the time travel aspect and the writing felt a bit immature. But as I got into reading it, I started to enjoy the book more and didn’t want to put it down. Having it told in part during recent times made it feel more real to me, and even tho the ending made my head hurt a little (time travel can be so confusing), I have to say I enjoyed it. 3.5 stars.

I loved this book!! This has some new elements for Diane Chamberlain, but the story and writing is exactly what you have come to know and love about her books. I loved the characters in this book so much. My heart broke for them and I was so worried about what was going to happen to them. Carly is brave and strong and just a beautiful soul. Hunter was a fun character. I was curious about him and was a little surprised by his secret. There is so much love and hope with this novel. I couldn't put it down even while biting my nails worried about what is going to happen. I loved the ending and I couldn't stop thinking about this story once I finished.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. Thank you to both.

A very interesting and intriguing story. Time travel from 1970's to 2001 and back. A pregnant woman with a baby with a heart problem that can't be fixed in uterus in 1970 but can in 2001. What do you do? What are the challenges. Hard to put this story down even though I am not a fan of time travel stories. Read this one.

I love Diane Chamberlain and was so excited for this novel. It was slow going in the beginning, and I wasn’t sure if I bought the time travel. But then with a few plot twists, the anxiety set and I found myself yelling out loud to the characters. Just like some of her earlier novels, I could not put this down and felt like I was holding my breath the second half of the book. A fantastic read!

I was so excited to read Diane Chamberlain's new book - The Dream Daughter. I picked it solely for the fact it was a Diane Chamberlain book. I tried not to read too much about it before diving into the story. It was a great story and it had a different premise from her other books. I don't want to give too much away but I was a little surprised when I started reading and figured out there was a little sci-fi to it. To me all of Diane Chamberlain books are great stories but they are all also very unique. This is why I love reading her books. This one did not disappoint. All of the characters area likable and the determination of a mother is hard to beat. I also loved the different parts in history that this book touches on throughout the story. This is a hard book to put down once you start reading it.

Genre: Women’s FictionThe Dream Daughter
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub. Date: Oct. 2, 2018

Mini-Review

Just what would you do to save your child? This is the question that is presented to the reader. The author, Diane Chamberlain, is a hit or miss author for me. I think if I was reading this book on the beach it would have been a hit. Since I wasn’t, it was more of a miss. Think the movie, “Back to The Future” meets the book, “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” The humor in the book reminds me of the movie with someone from the past trying desperately to fit into the future without sticking out like a sore thumb. While it also reads similar to “Traveler’s Wife,” making the reader wonder did the magic of the complicated plot take away from the realism of the characters? Like most women’s fiction “Daughter” has enough drama to pull heartstrings. I did think the book ended too nicely, it could have been wrapped up with a bow. All though this style of writing bothers me; this reviewer admits I was anxious to learn how it would end. If you are a fan of this genre, I suspect you will gobble this one up.

Diane Chamberlain novels are more melodramatic than they are suspenseful for me, but I thought I would give Dream Daughter a chance. I was right it was very sappy and dramatic but it was a nice change of pace from my usual taste.very sweet book.

Diane chamberlain has pieces together a magical story that includes love, loss and the ultimate sacrifice.

I started this book last night and I literally read it in one sitting. The story line drew me in from the very first chapter. I laughed and I cried. This was my first exposure to this author and I want to read so much more.

I really appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book. Please make this a series.

I always love Chamberlain's books and was so excited to get this preview. However, when the topic of time travel came up in the story, I will admit that I rolled my eyes, groaned a little, and figured this book was not going to be one that I would enjoy. But, I ended up loving it! The book kept my mind working the whole time and I like the science behind some of the story as well. This wasn't a predictable story for me and that is why I also really enjoyed this book.

Diane Chamberlain is by far one of my most favorite authors. Her books have yet to leave me wanting and every new novel I devour in a matter of a day or so. The Dream Daughter is no different. From the first chapter I was swept up in Carly and Hunter's story and dang, what a story it was. Beautifully written, engaging characters and a wee bit of reality based magic. It's just a splendid read!

I did NOT read any of the backstory to this novel. I read it just because I love Diane's work and I didn't need to know anymore. Imagine my surprise when it's a total departure from her typical novels. If you want to also go in blind, stop reading here.

This novel is a departure for Diane because it deals with time travel, which to be honest is one of my most favorite topics in books. It's fascinating to me - maybe due to a young love of Back to the Future? Or maybe because one of the first novels I loved reading was "See You Later" by Christopher Pike? I don't know why but all time travel books tend to just grab me and The Dream Daughter is no different.

I love how every author has their own spin on how TT works and I think Diane's take on it and the rules surrounding it are quite creative. A little bit Outlander, a little bit 11/22/63, and a final dash of creativity and it's a recipe for success. If you liked either of those novels, I think you'll enjoy this!

Mostly though, I really enjoyed the depth of detail within these pages. There was SO much detail that I never felt bumped out of the story due to inaccuracies or oddness which happens a lot in TT books. This was a smoothly written engaging story that I can't wait to recommended to friends and family to add to their must read lists.

If you are into time travel books, a wee bit techy or just love an engrossing story I highly recommend picking up this novel! Suspend your disbelief just a bit and you'll be swept away immediately like I was.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC copy for me to review.

Diane Chamberlain does it again! I think she writes brave books, and they always leave me with lots to ponder and think about, which I love. She is one of the best.

This is truly an interesting, engaging and captivating book. I was completely drawn into the story of a woman willing to try something daring and possibly dangerous in order to save the life of her unborn daughter. With the guidance and assistance of her brother-in-law (who has his own story to tell), she travels forward through time to a place in the future with the technology to operate in utero. Of course, a myriad of things go wrong creating a series of situations and decisions she must make, none of them easy or painless. The beauty of the story unfolds as she makes the difficult decisions and as the story progresses from the choices she makes.
The book is a departure from other offerings from Ms. Chamberlain but does not lose the flavor, essence or high degree of writing that mark all of her books.

Read it!! Ms. Chamberlain did not disappoint in this book. I found this to be a great, awesome story. I have read several of her books and I was wondering about the time travel thing, but the way she portrayed the events, blended in so well and really did not seem all that farfetched, I know, sounds silly doesn’t it.
She really pegged some of the major changes you would experience if you traveled decades ahead or back in time. I was drawn in to all the characters of the story, and cared about them. The buildup to the ending was good and the actual ending was even better. I did have to really think about some of the dates the characters came in, went out and then maybe came back and I did not see several of the happenings she brought in, coming at the end. Every once in a while I felt Carly repeated herself but it certainly did not take away from the story.
I would highly recommend for any reader, especially Chamberlain fans. Giving this a big high 5*****
I do thank Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this book for my honest review.

It's 1970 and the Vietnam War is raging. Carly is expecting a child and has suffered through the loss of her beloved husband in the war. She can't wait to have this child that was conceived in so much love until she finds out that the child has a heart problem. This medical issue will not be able to be treated by doctors and Carly is told that there is no hope. Amid the devastation that Carly feels, her brother-in-law gives her an option that she never could imagine. At this point, I really don't want to give away any more of the plot. I first began to read the book thinking that it was going to be a story of the 1970's and the Vietnam War. I was blown away by the rest of the story! Diane Chamberlain is such a gifted writer who takes the reader anywhere or to any time that she writes about. As a mother, I was so empathetic toward Carly.....someone who would do ANYTHING to save her child. But, the real question is "How far would you go?" I highly recommend this amazing book!

The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain will be published October 2, 2018 by St. Martin's Press. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

The Dream Daughter is an amazing read! The characters are complex with real life emotions. The whole premise of time travel is intriguing and kept me guessing how things might turn out. I enjoyed remembering the various times and how they affected my life. The Dream Daughter is a book that I want to share!