I adore a book that keeps me clamoring for more and a storyline that helps me fall in love with the characters. The Farm by Joanne Ramos is just such a book. It is a storyline that could easily occur in our fast paced world driven by influence and commercialism, yet I felt relieved that it was fiction. Throughout the book each character has different motivations from greed to desperation to love. The Farm captivated me while also commenting on the disparity found in the amount of opportunities allotted to the upper class vs the lower class in the United States. I loved the originality of the story and the unique viewpoint that each character brought to the idea of wealth and surrogacy in today’s society. I sped through this one and admittedly I’m sad the story is over. It was a fantastic read. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book-finished it in 2 days, which is fast for me!I didn't give it 5 stars because of the ending.It felt like the author was just trying to wrap things up too quickly-I wanted more!

This wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I guess I was thinking it would be more along the lines of Handmaids Tale and it was so much sweeter. I fell in love with the characters and couldn't wait to see how they survived their decisions. I spent half my time silently screaming at them "Why would you do that?!?!" and the other half wondering if I would do the same given the situation.

This isn't anywhere near my normal genres but I really enjoyed the whole thing. Good stuff!

This was one of those books I knew was going to be good based on the synopsis. I was very excited to immerse myself onto the farm. Unfortunately, the writing fell flat. It didn't pull me into its world, but instead I felt like an outside reading a fictionalized story. The characters weren't fully developed, which can work in certain situations but here, you just didn't care to hear from their point of view again. I much prefer to feel as if I'm part of the setting and the overall world and not "feel" like I'm just reading a book.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was not what I was expecting at all. It was so slow and didn't make any sense in the context of the plot.

The Farm is a world that straddles those of The Handmaid's Tale, modern surrogacy, and big brother. Joanne Ramos explores what motivates these women to agree to spend nine months in a luxurious resort carrying the babies of the wealthy. What do they sacrifice? How do they change? I really became invested in the characters and their backstories. I was left with a few unanswered questions at the end, but all in all a very engrossing and enjoyable read.

The Farm is an incredible book that looks at what would happen if we ran pregnancy farms. The characters and the problems they faced were very well written. The ending was a perfect wrap up of the story. You will fall in love with the characters and the craziness that ensues in this look at our future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The Farm" is a surrogacy center called Golden Oaks located outside of New York City. Golden Oaks promises to help its wealthy clients have the perfect baby using surrogate hosts that are recruited from all over the world. The Farm alternates between the stories of Jane, Ate, Mae, and Reagan. Jane and Reagan are hosts, one Filipino and one white. Ate Jane's cousin. She shares the hosting opportunity with Jane and is charged with watching Jane's child while she's pregnant at Golden Oaks. Mae Yu is the founder and CEO of Golden Oaks. Her goal is to cater to her client's wishes and make money, which sometimes involves manipulating and punishing her hosts.

I expected The Farm to have a dystopian feel similar to Handmaid's Tale, but Golden Oaks feels like a place that already exists. Families are already employing wet nurses and nannies and using surrogates. It doesn't seem like that far of a reach to pay a center to care for your surrogate and make sure your fetus has all of the amenities needed to be born strong and healthy. This book raises some powerful questions around privilege when it comes to class, race, and gender. All of the characters felt human and well-developed, and their internal struggles felt real. I don't think I've read a book about the Filipino culture by a Filipino author (Ramos is originally from the Philippines), and it was definitely a privilege check as a white woman. The amount of microaggressions experienced by these characters along with the relationship between Jane and Lisa and Reagan made me think about my own journey to be a better ally to women of color.

There were several points where Ramos introduces a lot of characters at one time or had abrupt transitions that felt jarring as a reader. Some of the narrative and story felt like it could have been tightened up more, and there were parts I skimmed that didn't feel as relevant to the story.

Overall, I found The Farm to be an interesting, thought-provoking read that would be a great book club selection. 4/5 stars.

The Farm has an amazing premise but the actual execution underwhelmed me. The writing is okay but not great and I never connected with the characters, which made caring about them and what happens seem like something that's just out of reach. That's what all of The Farm felt like to me--it wants to/tries to be a compelling read but that spark that it needs is just not quite there.

I recently finished an advanced reader copy of The Farm by Joanne Ramos and WOW! I literally gasped out loud several times at some of the unexpected twists in the story. The events are told from the perspectives of several different women when their lives all intersect because of "the farm" or Golden Oaks. At "the farm" women are paid life changing sums to be surrogates for the uber wealthy - but at what cost? Nothing in this story is simply right or wrong, black or white, good or bad - everyone has a motive, something that is driving them- no matter the costs. I was hooked throughout most of the book. My only let down was I felt the end was a bit rushed with too many story lines that ended abruptly without any follow up or poor closure. Overall it's definitely a must read for 2019!

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41398025-the-farm" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Farm" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1546550883m/41398025.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41398025-the-farm">The Farm</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17865621.Joanne_Ramos">Joanne Ramos</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2622946340">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I recently finished an advanced reader copy of The Farm by Joanne Ramos and WOW! I literally gasped out loud several times at some of the unexpected twists in the story. The events are told from the perspectives of several different women when their lives all intersect because of "the farm" or Golden Oaks. At "the farm" women are paid life changing sums to be surrogates for the uber wealthy - but at what cost? Nothing in this story is simply right or wrong, black or white, good or bad - everyone has a motive, something that is driving them- no matter the costs. I was hooked throughout most of the book. My only let down was I felt the end was a bit rushed with too many story lines that ended abruptly without any follow up or poor closure. Overall it's definitely a must read for 2019!

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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/19017661-shelley-bauknight-davis">View all my reviews</a>

The Farm had me transfixed from the first word to the last. It is told through the POV’s of Jane, Ate and Mae. The character development is exceptional. I felt for each character, I understood their motivations and I wanted the best for all of them. Which at times seemed impossible given their actions and the consequences that followed. The commitment, love and resilience spoke volumes about their situations and the helplessness that filled the pages. The Farm skillfully tackles race, class, and power with an honesty that is too often hidden or passed over for platitudes. My chest tightened with worry, my heart broke, and in the end it was clear that no one is exempt from paying a steep price for choices made. It’s a testament to the writing that many times I found myself surprised and shocked by actions and outcomes. The Farm is a fascinating look at human behavior and should not be missed.

This book started out great - it has an interesting premise, the plot moves along well and the writing is crisp. I was disappointed by the ending.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a unbiased review.

The Farm tells the story of struggling women who agree to experience luxurious accommodations at a resort-like estate for nine months while they carry a baby for elite clientele. Utopia it would seem, but is anything truly utopia?

The characters engage you in their struggles on all sides of the business deal - the "hosts", their families, and the executives who run the operation. The dichotomy of these worlds comes together nicely as Joanne Ramos weaves their stories into a surprising page turning experience. While both loving and hating these characters and their choices, it reflects some hard-hitting truths about being human.

This story slowly hooks you, and about halfway through the book, you realize what an interesting aspect the whole premise for this book is. It's well done, and the writing flows nicely. It's one of those books that you can't wait to get back to reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Joanne Ramos' The Farm covers the lives of several women either participating in Golden Oaks or helping run it. I liked the wide array of women we got to hear from in this book, and the multiple perspectives helped us get a taste for a lot of the women in it. It's rare to have a book that almost exclusively features female characters. I really enjoyed that. This book also takes on the intersection between motherhood and class and race. The idea of the money-maker hosts, who are educated, healthy, and willing to have babies for The Farm, is a fascinating take on "designer surrogacy."

On the whole, I really liked this book and Joanne Ramos' writing. The only thing that frustrated me was the open-ish ending. I was looking for something a little more concrete.

3.5/5 stars

I’m very torn on this book. I think I would honestly rate it at a 3.5. It is a quick and enjoyable read and worth the time invested. The idea is fascinating — I was really wanting to read it as soon as I heard about the plot line. However, there were a few things that just left me a little underwhelmed.

The introduction was a bit confusing, but after a couple of chapters the book really picked up speed. There were a few things in the early pages that could be completely removed without any harm to the plot and a bit tighter construction here could make it a lot strong.

Once I got rolling, it was smooth sailing. I enjoyed the bulk of the narrative quite a bit and had a hard time putting the book down. The writing was good and the plot was intriguing. The characters had depth and very clear personalities. I very much enjoyed the central motive of the plot and felt that the author did a great job developing both the characters and her plot. The use of multiple protagonists and alternating chapters from different points of view is always challenging, but it is executed fantastically.

I wanted to love this book. However, I was let down by the ending. I’m not sure if it was meant to be somewhat open ended to allow for a follow up book or if it was one of those situations where the author expects the reader to form their own conclusions. Either way, I was left wanting.

This novel explores the lucrative business of designer babies. What makes the perfect host? The right pedigree? The college graduate? The The refugee just trying to make a life in a new country. A great story line with well developed characters.

I was SO excited to have received a copy of this title from Net Galley. This book is PERFECT for book clubs, but I have to be 100% honest: it was incredibly difficult to read this book as a new mama. Could I have done what Jane did? I can hardly imagine, but I come from so much privilege....oh my. But still, I found it heart-wrenching and I kept having to take long breaks despite the fact that I was dying to know what happened next. ANYWAY: Jane is living in a dorm with her baby (and a bunch of other Filipino women) after she left her boyfriend who was cheating on her. Her aunt gets sick and has to go to the hospital, and then she convinces/forces Jane to take over her baby nursing job because she cannot work. So Jane leaves her baby while her aunt watches her and recovers. After that ends, her aunt (who is always on the next get-rich-quick scheme) convinces her to take this amazing opportunity where she will live on "the farm" and act as a surrogate for rich women who don't want to/can't have babies...they are forced to get exercise/no stress/green juice/all the things good for pregnant ladies. Again, she leaves her baby with her aunt (HOW???? again that's my privilege talking and I know it's the opportunity to give her daughter a better life.). But things aren't as simple as it seems. Obviously, her aunt is not caring for her daughter as a mother could, and as time goes on, Jane is willing to jeopardize everything...but can she? So good.

A thought-provoking page turner! I enjoyed reading this book and trying to guess how it would all end. I was surprised that some important parts of the story seemed to be dropped and not wrapped up at the end of the book. We don't find out what happened to important side characters nor what Troy ends up doing - is he bought off?

There is something profoundly disturbing about this novel, but to its credit, I am not sure which of its elements bothers me the most. The story orbits around a Filipino woman who has to find a way to support herself and her infant daughter after her marriage breaks up. She is living with her aunt, who helps her find a variety of different jobs, culminating eventually in a position carrying the baby of a wealthy client who cannot have her own child. While pregnant, she lives at a facility called The Farm, where her health, her activities and her nutrition can be monitored to ensure the optimum environment for the fetus to develop. The facility offers a lifestyle better than she has ever known, and the pay for her surrogacy is enough to guarantee her a much better life than she could manage otherwise. However, she will not be allowed to see her daughter while she is on The Farm.

The chapters in the novel cycle through the POVs of different characters, and we perceive how each person’s background allow them to understand the morality of this process. At a point later in the novel, the main character discovers that her cousin is being paid for finding surrogacy candidates. At first she is extremely angry, but then she realizes that her aunt is simply doing what she can to best support her own (grown) children still living in the Philippines. It is this realization that is the heart of this book; each of the characters within the novel feel they are justified in what they are doing—the author really allows the reader to make up their own mind about which choices they condone and which to be appalled by.

I vacillated between giving this book three or four stars—I always appreciate a book that leaves me thinking about it long after I have finished it, but at the same time I was made very uncomfortable by it. But that said, I think it is definitely a thought-provoking book that leaves the reader questioning herself. And that is always a valuable thing, especially in the present time when empathy seems to be especially lacking.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an advanced reading copy.

This is a strong debut from a Filipino-American author, Joanne Ramos. “The Farm” is a gestational utopia, where surrogate mothers live in a pollution-free, stress-free environment, where perfect organic meals are prepared for them while they grow the perfect baby for the very rich. “Hosts” are carefully selected, and well compensated, so this is a win-win, right? Not exactly.

There is a lot to unpack in this book. At a time of growing wealth inequality, this is an interesting look at outsourcing pregnancy. Who is going to do the job wealthy Americans don’t want to do? Immigrants. In one case, it is a rich American whose father will only pay for business school, not art school. Same job, but different compensation than her Filipina counterpart.

The relationships between the women are complicated, unclear at times. When you are sure you hate one of them, the author shifts, as do your emotions. It is an exploration of what women will do for money, for their children, for each other. These women don’t have the same choices, nor the same motivations.

I am going to be thinking about this book for a long time. Fiction at its best makes you think and doesn’t always make you feel comfortable. The presentation is brilliantly (and annoyingly) neutral. Literarily satisfied, but emotionally confused. Good book.

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the arc of this book.