I had read a lot of good things about this book and I was lucky to score a digital copy in Advance from Netgalley.

The setup: Women, mostly from immigrant backgrounds, are paid to be surrogates and they live in a posh, controlled facility. They are promised huge sums of money in exchange for successful delivery of the baby.


This book hooked me in from the very beginning and it was a very fast paced read. I found it hard to put down and I devoured in a few days- damn work gets in the way of my reading!


It was a very thought-provoking book. If you love secrets, lies, and behind-the-scenes manipulation, you will love this book. It reminded me a lot of Liane Moriarty's "Nine Perfect Strangers."

"Maybe because the baby she is now carrying is a stranger's, the child of someone who invents cures for cancer, or someone who gives more money away then Jane will ever see in her lifetime."

What would it take for you to be a surrogate? Would you feel fulfilled knowing you made someone's dreams come true? What if it was possibly the only financially feasible option for you to provide a better future for your own child? Now, imagine a sanctuary where the surrogates to the super rich are able to receive the absolute best care during their pregnancies...but best care for whom? Do you think this center would be concerned with the mother's mental and physical health beyond how these factors affected the fetus? Add in the layers of class systems, immigration, race, and technology and the already complicated arrangements of surrogacy are taken to the next level in Joanne Ramos' The Farm.

Is this a science-fiction or futuristic novel? I don't think so. Ask yourself: Is it so much of a stretch to think there aren't "Farms" in our world full of human trafficking, sweat shops, and cheap labor? While we obsess (rightly so) about the loss of reproductive rights in the myriad feminist dystopian novels that flooded the market in the last few years, take a moment to consider the other end of the spectrum where women capitalized on their reproductive power.

This book had a few flaws within storylines, but I am beyond willing to overlook them for the total story. Loved this one and lots of food for thought!

This book is full of different view points to give the reader ideas to really think about and consider. What would you do in this situation? The characters come from all different backgrounds and handle their time at The Farm differently, and even have different advantages/disadvantages while there. Would you put away your morals and control over your body for nine months in exchange for money? Would you as a person of faith let others dictate what they do to you and your body, despite your beliefs, all because the client whose baby you carry decides they want something done that you would never want to do for your own child? Full review will be posted on my blog sometime between 4/26-4/28

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Grabbed this from Netgalley off the science fiction section. A few chapters in I realized this is not sci fi but liked it anyway. Really enjoyed the story and how the writer went back and forth between characters.

Story is basically about immigrants and mass surrogacy. Pretty good stuff.

I enjoyed THE FARM. It's thought-provoking and an interesting book about motherhood and the current state of parenthood and what one is willing to do to sacrifice and balance work and raising a child. I also enjoyed the immigrant storyline. I thought the book was a bit sadder than expected and the ending was a little soft. Overall, I would probably recommend this book. Thanks for the advanced copy.

Jane, a Philippine immigrant, is broke. She is recruited to be a surrogate mother at Golden Oaks - a type of baby farm where surrogate mothers live while they are waiting to give birth. Jane is forced to leave her young daughter behind with Ate, an older family member.

I'm not sure what the hype about this book was. There was no real antagonist and no real overarching story conflict. The characters were not really flushed out, they were pretty bland and stereotypical. Overall, a bust.

The idea of this novel, a company that provides a high-end surrogacy service via a controlled facility, feels both disturbing and not very far away from our current society. The premise and the introduction to the cast of characters sucked me right in, and the author created even more intrigue throughout the story. I genuinely felt something for these characters and my mind was full of the many questions it asked about the ethics and future of surrogacy. However, I felt disappointed by the ending, as I felt like it wrapped everything up a little too neatly and didn't seem to match the previous tone of the book. Overall, I enjoyed this story and will read more by Joanne Ramos!

Jane has a young daughter and very few prospects. When acting as nursemaid for a wealthy couple ends in abject failure, she goes one step further and becomes a surrogate mother. Golden Oaks is paradisaical: luxurious facilities, a whopping paycheck, and her only obligation is to remain as healthy as possible for nine months. On the other hand, a bunch of women of color selling their bodies and undergoing constant surveillance is just as horrifying as it sounds. Jane just misses her daughter. The slowly building tension deflates abruptly at the end, but before that the book gets in several solid hits about privilege and women's roles.

I received an advanced copy of the book from NetGalley. I liked the premise of the novel about a company that takes care of surrogate mothers for wearily clients. The character development was well done and I liked seeing the story through three different character’s eyes. I thought the book was going to be more dystopian and found that the plot fell flat towards the end.

***I received an e-copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review

Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines, is a young mom, who has left her cheating husband and is staying in a dormitory full of other immigrants. Her cousin, Ate, is a baby nurse and after one disastrous attempt at Jane being one as well, she tells Jane about an opportunity that sounds too good to be true. Hiding away in New York’s Hudson Valley is a "luxury retreat" where you get daily massages, personal fitness trainers, delicious healthy meals, and much more. The catch.... you must sign a contract agreeing to be a surrogate (or Host as they call it) for a wealthy family, you may not leave there for the next 9 months, no visits from friends or family, and your every move is monitored.. in exchange, besides living in luxury and being pampered for the entire pregnancy, you are paid an exorbitant sum of money.... enough that it would make a huge difference in Jane's life and the life she can give her daughter Amalia.
This book was really good. The storyline was reminiscent of "The Circle" in the way their every move was monitored. The book was a little slow taking off, and for several chapters I was confused because the story was nothing like the blurb about the book. But once the backstory meshed into the current story it made sense and from then on I was entranced. I went from intrigued and happy to enraged on the Hosts' behalf and disgusted with all the deception going on. Then the book abruptly stopped and the epilogue was 3 years later. I ended the book feeling dissatisfied with the ending, and like there was more story that should have been told. Overall, it was a very good book and I urge you to check it out.

This is one of my highly anticipated reads this year, partly because I am Filipina and it’s always a pleasure to read about Filipino communities in books. First thing I would like to point out to anyone who is planning to read this: this is not The Handmaid’s Tale. The similarity ends with the surrogacy theme. I wouldn’t even call it dystopia, at least not the kind of post-apocalyptic scenario we are all used to when we talk about dystopian novels. This felt to me like more of a contemporary drama/women’s fiction featuring diverse female characters from different backgrounds and with contrasting motivations in life. I honestly expected a kind of intense mystery/dystopian thriller at first, but this is more a character-driven story. I just feel I need to mention this because it can ruin the experience when you’re expecting something else from what you’re going to get.

So moving on: The Farm is a luxury home for surrogate moms (mostly immigrants or persons of color), meant to provide high quality service for the optimum care of the babies of the wealthy. The whole book is actually very effective in discussing economic disparity and the classism and exploitations of the rich.

The fascinating thing about this read is that it takes us to where things really start gearing towards dystopia. This is more like the in-between, or what happens when a really good product meant for the best of intentions are abused by those in control all for the sake of earning more money and power. The overall injustice in a dystopian society begins with dehumanization and with the commodification of humans without the power and resources.

The book is also a meditation on what it means to be a woman and a mother, and of the sacrifices a pregnancy entails. It is a tribute to the nannies, baby nurses and house helpers who choose to take care of other people’s children just to earn money for the future of a family they left at home. It perfectly captures the essence of the combined hopelessness and strength of this kind of love.

This book captured my interest because of the unusual premise of a “baby farm” and the interesting characters from varied backgrounds that come together in the story. The baby farm supports very rich clients who choose not to go through the demands of pregnancy or cannot become pregnant. Instead, they pay for a “host” or surrogate to have their baby in an extremely controlled environment with the best food, healthcare, and facilities money can buy.

The hosts come from a different world then the clients, most of them are immigrants and all contract to be a surrogate for needed financial gain. Initially, they love the luxurious surroundings and care at the farm but overtime the isolation and control exerted on them as well as discovering previously unknown policies at the farm change their minds.

The executive in charge of the farm is a key character and represents the ultimate business women focused on the bottom line and advancing in the company. Though she is portrayed as financially focused and very manipulative, there are openings in her armor as she becomes more involved with some of the hosts and their challenges in life.

Issues about how the rich treat their nanny’s, immigration, income inequality and life challenges for the poor are themes woven throughout the book.

The Farm is a very unique novel. It discusses how far someone is willing to go for money, even leaving their own child. At the same time it trashes the mega rich and their expectations in a life where money can buy anything, even babies. My favorite storyline was the friendship between Jane and Reagan. What an unlikely pair but they were good for each other. Overall, the content of this story really disturbed me and I hope it never becomes reality.

Based on the synopsis, I was really excited to read this, but it seems to be more about playing off of the hype of Handmaid's Tale than actually creating an entertaining space in and of itself.

Very interesting premise. I enjoyed reading from several characters' perspectives. I was hooked at the beginning. I felt like it began to unravel toward the end though, which kept me from loving this one.

Imagine getting paid to spend your pregnancy at a luxury retreat with all the benefits of an all-inclusive spa without a worry in the world - the only catch is that the baby you're carrying isn't yours.

The concept behind The Farm is so intriguing and disturbing at the same time. The idea of a surrogacy farm seems so farfetched but absolutely something I can imagine happening within the next decade. I really enjoyed reading from each character's perspective - it was just the right amount to connect with them and not too many characters to make it overwhelming. While the concept and storyline was enticing, I felt there were many opportunities to expand but was not taken. Overall, Joanne Ramos married the potential future of surrogacy and the difference in thinking among people from different classes very well but fell flat towards the end.

I received an ARC courtesy of @randomhouse @netgalley for a honest review.

I will be posting my review to Instagram sometime between April 19 and 22 as well as posting on it on it's publishing day.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

The Farm has potential as far as the ideas and the writing style goes. You are following many different women throughout this story: Jane, a mother to Amalia who she leaves to work at Golden Oaks, Mae the only female head at Golden Oaks, and Reagan, whose mother has been losing her mind since she was a teen. You also get a glimpse into the life of Ate or Evelyn Arroyo, Jane's cousin, who is much too old to carry a child. She did make a great nanny though. Jane is an immigrant and cannot work anywhere that needs proof she is legal. This is where Golden Oaks comes into play. Golden Oaks is a gestational retreat where women go to be surrogate mothers. The only catch is that they cannot leave for nine months. They are monitored, and cannot even see their families unless given permission. That seems like a terrible nightmare, right?

The ideas were fantastic, but the execution was sub-par. Ramos had me hooked at the beginning. The main issue was the last 15% of the book. I just got a little bored with the story. I didn't understand what the ending had to do with anything else in the novel. It seemed disconnected from the rest of the book. I didn't like that it focused so much on Jane either. It deeply upset me that she left her daughter to be a surrogate mother. It probably wasn't the smartest idea on her part.

I loved the author's writing and ideas. I would pick up anything she writes in the future. This book was entertaining for the most part, and I would love to see what the author has in mind for any future books. I still recommend this book, because even though it wasn't totally for me, it is bound to be a favorite for someone else.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The farm is a luxurious resort for women who are contracted to be “Hosts”, or surrogates, to fetuses of women who choose not to, or cannot, carry their own fetuses. The story is a dystopian perspective on choosing to become parents without the inconvenience of pregnancy. Like most dystopia, the story unnerved me since it’s likely that a place like The Farm exists. The women who are hosts are visible minorities, and the Clients are privileged. The story explores difficult realities; unfortunately the ending is too easy, and abandons the uncomfortable issues raised throughout.

It's not too hard to imagine a world like Joanne Ramos' The Farm where parents will pay top dollar to give their offspring any advantage possible, starting at conception. The Farm is broken up into the "haves" like the parents to be and the "have-nots" like the hosts, who are surrogates on steroids - living at Golden Oaks for the duration of the pregnancy almost entirely cut-off from the outside world, with their sole focus being on following the many rules to have the healthiest baby possible.

The Farm constantly challenges the reader to think "how far is too far?", while also dealing with how race and class come into play in a world not too different than our current one. This book was a quick read, often switching view points from the hosts to their family back home to the head of the Farm herself. The subject matter brings to mind The Handmaid's Tale, but Ramos has a different, almost too realistic, take on it all.

A definite recommend, especially for anyone looking for a good book discussion.

A single mother desperate for work, Jane is ecstatic to be accepted as a host at the Farm - a surrogacy center for extremely wealthy individuals. For more money than she ever dreamed of earning, Jane leaves her young daughter with family and agrees to a hyper-controlled life as a surrogate. In her novel, Joanne Ramos forces you to ponder the ethics of such business like these. Are they preying on immigrants like Jane or giving them a life-changing opportunity? And where does the ethical boundary lie when there is a conflict between what is best for the client and what is best for the host. The Farm was one of the May 2019 book releases I was lucky enough to review in advance, and I found the story solid. I don't see it being anyone's favorite book, but it was definitely a respectable 3 stars from me.