This book doesn’t start how I thought it would, at the farm. For the first few chapters I thought I was reading a different book.
Amazing idea but the execution is a bit lacking. I’m not sure I like or connect to any of the characters. Something is missing but I can’t put my finger on what.
This story could have been awesome but it just didn’t get there. The ending kind of soured me. The middle is great though.
3.5 stars.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Farm is a unique premise, and a book written by a very talented author. This story of a place where surrogate mothers for wealthy clients is a terrific, engaging story that I could not stop reading!

There was so much about this story that I enjoyed. The characters were developed so well that I felt as if I really knew them. While some characters may have had some unlikable actions, I truly felt for their reasoning. I think that can be really difficult to convey and the author did so marvelously.

The beginning of story was slow and almost made me lose interest but I understand the need to build the background of Jane and the situation that she is in that forces her to make the decisions she makes. Some of the chapters were also incredibly long and I felt as if there were some things that could have been shortened or eliminated to keep the story fluent and continually engaging.

While I enjoyed the ending, I was hoping for more of a gripping and thrilling type of ending. There was quite a bit of a build up and then things sort of fizzled out. However, I am content with the ending but I would have enjoyed it much better if there was more oomph. It just left me thinking to myself, "Okay..." while shrugging my shoulders.

This novel focus on surrogacy, specifically on a company who hires and tends to poor and often immigrant surrogates carrying babies for extremely wealthy clients who physically can't (or prefer not to) carry to term. Many issues explored about race and class in society and as the title implies the "farming" of humans much like the breeding of other animals (albeit a nicer environment). Interesting exploration, does not end the way you might expect (and I wish it had ended a bit differently!) and overall an enjoyable read. This is not a 'Handmaids Tale" dystopian novel, and in some ways leaves you feeling that this setup is a little too possible (as in questioning if a company such as Golden Oaks may already be up and running!) but does elicit ponderings on what is ethical in today's society. I enjoyed it!

The Farm was okay for me but it fell flat and could've been better. It is centered around a place where women go and act as surrogates for the wealthy and essentially have every move monitored during their time there. A lot of important themes are touched on throughout the story such as inequality and race. A lot of people will enjoy this one but it just wasn't one that I connected with and was eager to finish.

I am really conflicted about this book. The premise was intriguing and had a lot of promise. The characters are well written, and the book starts out well. However, I didn't think that switching characters as narrators did this one any favors. I think the book would have been better suited from one person's perspective, and perhaps later books could have someone else's perspective. Anyway. The description is good. However, the plot really drags. And the end is the absolute worst.. not spoiling anything.. it was as if the author had no idea how to end it so it just petered out. So much wasted potential here.

The Farm has such an intriguing premise; I wasn’t sure what to expect - maybe a touch of dystopia, some rich people drama - and I went into it with an open mind. There were several elements of this novel that I really enjoyed: learning more about Filipino culture, exploring the lengths to which some may go (and this all seemed way too realistic, by the way!) to make childbearing and childcare much more convenient. I think the execution of the story could have been a little more succinct, and I have some issues with the ending, but I’m really glad I read this one!

New author for me but pleasantly surprised. Thank you for the approval and look forward to a book relationship with other reads in the future,

I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews on this one. I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of this book - I thought it was really original! This just wasn't believable for me. I expected it to read more like a dystopian novel than it really did.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is dystopic, but also not far from an imaginable situation - a "farm" where disadvantaged women are surrogate mothers for wealthy families. The hosts' behavior is tightly controlled and surveilled, and they are manipulated by the system. The Farm is a very readable novel, and I was caught up in the stories of the main characters almost right away. There's a strong critique here of inequality, the nannying industry, and the ways in which immigrant labor (both physical and emotional) is exploited.

My main dissatisfaction with this book comes with the ending. I don't want to give anything away, but I felt like there was a lost opportunity in terms of the social critique.

In straightforward prose, Joanne Ramos tells a truly frightening story about a farm where surrogates give birth to babies for rich entitled clients. The author tells the story though several diverse characters with varying points of view. The characters are a bit stereotypical, but it's an enjoyable read. It explores many current issues: immigration, privilege, a woman's right to her own body. The most frightening aspect of the novel is how close to reality it comes. All in all, it's an easy read for a serious subject. It has somewhat of a "fairy tale" ending, but worth reading. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read the book.

Joanne Ramos's novel The Farm tells the intertwining stories of four women and their relationship to a fictional surrogacy "Farm" where women are consensually employed to host the babies of rich clients in a controlled spa-like environment. Jane, a Filipino single mother, is encouraged by her cousin, Ate, to sign a contract to host a baby at Golden Oaks to give her own biological baby a leg up in life through the generous delivery bonus. Jane soon learns that the majority of the Hosts are other immigrants of color desperate for work. Other perspectives come from Mae, the facility's ambitious director, and Reagan, a sensitive millennial host from a privileged white background looking for meaning in life.

While the premise is fascinating and the book has been compared to Atwood's much scarier The Handmaid's Tale, this book never quite crosses into thriller territory. The story moved at a slow pace, only picking up toward the very last bit of the book. The themes seem especially timely with current events pertaining to women's rights over their own bodies and fertility, as well as the role of capitalism, race, and privilege. However, I never quite felt that Ramos took a stance on any of these topics.

Despite these shortcomings, I think this book would be perfect for book clubs and is an easy summer pool-side read.

(Note: Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the advanced readers copy)

I stopped reading 20% in. I couldn’t get past the boring nanny and baby talk in the beginning. I thought this book would be something different.

I loved reading the farm. Part Handmaids Tale (without the dystopian future), part commentary on socioeconomic division, fully engrossing novel. I’ve been recommending this one to my friends!

I received this a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. Thanks!

The premise of The Farm drew me in, and in this aspect it definitely did not disappoint. This book touches on class, immigration, gender, and the wild world of reproduction, reproductive rights, and the woman’s place in all of this.

I found the characters to be interesting, but I had a hard time connecting to them on a personal level. They are certainly designed to reflect certain stereotypes or archetypes, and because of that I found them less nuanced than I would have preferred.

I was not expecting the twists and turns that this novel provided. It was an interesting read that I’ll probably think about for awhile, but I felt a little cold about it - it just didn’t have that draw of an excellent book.

Golden Oaks seems to offer a wonderful opportunity to young, healthy women who need money. The review process is extensive but if you’re lucky enough to be chosen to enter its gates, you’ll have great health care, organic food, massages every day and wonderful fitness equipment. Plus regular pay checks and a huge bonus at the end of your stay. And all you have to do is deliver a healthy baby for someone else.

Jane is from the Philippines. She has a little girl she is willing to do anything for and wants to give her a better life. Jane is one of the lucky ladies accepted into Golden Oaks. But she soon learns that there is a heavy price to pay in return for the promises made to her.

I enjoyed this story of these women and their stay at Golden Oaks. Some of the women, like Jane, were looking for a better life for their loved ones. Some were hoping to give women unable to bear children of their own what they so longed for – a healthy baby. Some were just looking to make what they thought would be an easy buck. However, as with anything involving money, greed pokes its head into their plans. This is a slow book. This is not a thriller as some reviewers have mentioned though there are suspenseful moments. It’s more of a look into the hearts of these women who are being used to produce what wealthier people want. I did not care for the ending at all but I can understand how it was plausible. This is a well-written, thought-provoking novel about women and class.

Recommended.

I enjoyed this book but it wasn't what I expected at all - I thought it was going to be dystopian because I saw some descriptions that used that term and I expected some Handmaid's Tale type vibe but it wasn't the case at all. It felt very realistic and it's scary to think I wouldn't be surprised if this place really existed somewhere! The book is about a luxury retreat complex where surrogate mothers stay for the entirety of their pregnancy and are monitored (and pampered) for the sake of the unborn child. The interesting thing is how compensation and ownership is navigated through the stories of the women at The Farm. There are a lot of socio-economic issues that are tackled as well as what is considered "premium" in terms of Host mothers (eek even the term creeps me out). I really enjoyed the writing as well as the story - it was captivating. The only issue I had was the ending! It was wrapped up too neatly and I just didn't buy it or honestly, like it. But overall, it was still an interesting and page-turning read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with the ARC of The Farm!

When I heard the premise of this book, I knew I had to read it. I have had three babies myself and I love reading about all things pregnancy and babies. The Farm in the title, which is officially called "Golden Oaks," is a "resort" where women who are down on their luck and need to make money act as surrogates and have to stay at the Farm during their entire pregnancy, where everything they eat, do and even hear is monitored (for example, the hosts have to put headphones over their bellies for set amounts of time each day, and the intended parents pick what their future children listen to). The women really seem to be seen as second class citizens compared to the children they are carrying for the ultra wealthy.

The book is told from multiple perspectives. One is the perspective of Jane, a young immigrant who is trying to provide for her one year old daughter, and who decides signing up to be a "host" is her best option. The story is also told from the perspective of Mae, the director of Golden Oaks, who did not win any personality awards with me. There are other characters in the story who occasionally tell part of their story as well. One of these perspectives is from Ate, Jane's "aunt" who sold Jane on the idea of being a host at the Farm, and whose motives are not pure.

The book is basically about the lengths that people will go to, to first, have children if they want to, and second, to provide for the children they do have. The story is frightening because I could see something similar to this happening in the future, as fertility rates decline. The Farm is basically taking surrogacy, which is currently heavily regulated, to its natural conclusion when you add in capitalism and take away all regulations. The hosts are manipulated and at times outright controlled when the managers at the Farm decide it is necessary to protect their bottom line. This book definitely gave me a lot to think about. With all that being said, I felt distanced from the characters in a way that kind of bothered me as the story went on. It kept me from feeling empathetic with the hosts. I am not sure if that was the result of the writing style, or if the author was trying to create distance to stay true to the characters, who must ignore their emotions to survive being at the Farm.

**Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for this honest review!**

The uber-wealthy can’t be bothered with the constraints of pregnancy. They have businesses to run, benefits to attend, and, of course, a figure to maintain. Which is how “The Farm,” located in the Hudson Valley region of New York, was started. Why carry your own baby, when you can pay another less-fortunate woman to do it for you?

The Farm nurtures its “Hosts” with the optimal baby-incubating environment. Only the most nutritious foods, enriching activities, and top-notch healthcare is available to the Hosts. Or so they proclaim. See, there is some unrest within the walls of The Farm, where the Hosts, mainly down-trodden minority women and immigrants, feel they are living in a prison rather than a luxury resort. Joanne Ramos examines The Farm from both sides of the table - through the eyes of the women serving as Hosts, and those scheming behind-the-scenes to make The Farm more lucrative than ever - in her debut novel by the same name.

The Farm instantly grabs your attention, pulling you into worlds that are often hidden from the eyes of the average American - that of the struggling immigrant and that of the extremely wealthy. “Baby farms” and the women working for them are not something that is on the radar of most Jane Does, which is what makes this novel so fascinating. It begins by following another Jane - an immigrant from the Philippines who is struggling to raise her child in New York City after a failed marriage left her a penniless young mother. After a doomed attempt to become a nanny to a wealthy family, Jane joins The Farm with its promises of wealth and prosperity, where she is stripped of her daughter and impregnated with a wealthy client’s baby. She is recruited by Ms. Yu, a rising star in the business world, who has her eye solely on the prize - expanding The Farm and becoming rich beyond her wildest dreams. There Jane meets Reagan, a privileged young women who hopes that The Farm will help her find meaning and purpose in her life. The novel follows these three women through their struggles and triumphs as they strive to follow their very different dreams.

While the setting of The Farm is mesmerizing and at times, horrifying, this novel is at heart about women struggling to balance their lives in a world that too often pigeonholes them into a single role. Where do we draw the line as women, between what is expected of us by our families and what is expected of us by the world? How does one balance being a good mother with being a sole provider for one’s family? Ramos raises some thought-provoking questions in her novel, and her examination of women of varying backgrounds shows the disparities that exist in our world.

The Farm is a fresh literary read with great substance and style. Readers who enjoy being both challenged and entertained by their book choices will delight in Ramos’ seductive tale of money, power, and privilege ... and those who have none of it. Read this book if you like to walk in the shoes of those whose lives are vastly different from your own. Consider what you would do if this was your life, your choices.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Farm by Joanne Ramos is an adult science fiction, dystopian novel. The story within this one is told from multiple points of view throughout by giving a different voice for each chapter with Jane the central character to the story.

Jane is an immigrant from the Philippines who needs a way out and into a better life for herself and her own child. Jane learns of a retreat that takes in young women like herself to “hire” them to carry the babies of rich clients. For Jane this will mean leaving her daughter behind for the nine months.

I’ve seen The Farm by Joanne Ramos compared to a more modern day version of the Handmaid’s Tale and I suppose I should have run away seeing that one is not a favorite of mine. While to me they aren’t very similar they were alike in the fact I was not a big fan of this one either rating it at 2 1/2 stars. The biggest downside to me was way too much telling and not showing which makes it crawl along but I didn’t find the story overly compelling either, just not my cup of tea.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.