Although this book was a little slow for me, I enjoyed the story & the characters. The setting was perfect for the story.

Every summer, Jessie and Emma leave their suburban home in the Central Valley and fly north to Baymont. Nestled among Mendocino's golden hills, with ponies to love and endless acres to explore, Baymont should be a child's paradise. But Baymont belongs to Laurel, the girls' birth mother, whose heedless parenting and tainted judgement cast a long shadow over the sisters' summers---and their lives.

Caught in a web of allegiances, the girls learn again and again that every loyalty has its price, and that even forgiveness can take unexpected turns.

Luminous and poignant, Give is the story of one family's troubled quest to redeem the mistakes of the past and a stirring testament to the bonds of sisterhood.

I enjoyed this book so much! I was in a book rut, and Give drew me out of it completely, refreshing my palate. So beautifully written, and I cannot recommend it enough!

This was not a book that I fell greatly in love with. It actually took me a while (for me) to get through the book. It seemed like the family dynamics in the novel were ones that are current (even though the book was not always taking place in this time) but I just did not find the enjoyment. The ending did get better, but it was not worth a high rating for me.

I want to thank Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.
I am undecided if I liked the way the lives of the characters go about,from birth ,to adulthood. The book grasped my attention however,I read it in one day.
The unconditional love of a mother brings for daughters. One mother's cry for love herself . Laura, a selfish mother that didnt seem like the adult and yet tried to act like one. Her character made me want to put the book down at times but I was so engrossed in the little girls lives and had to keep reading of their outcomes growing up into adulthood. I wouldve changed their personalities and given good choices because thats what they deserved for everything they endured in their life.
This novel is an emotional perception of what real life can give if bad choices are taken and innocent lives making the best from a bad.
Len,the girls father fighting to keep the girls safe from their emotionally distraught mother who never grew up.
Sarah shouldve walked away,I wont say much about her part in this gripping story and her part in it.
The book seems to prolong too much into new events and Im glad there were timelines or I wouldve gotten lost.
As much as I wanted to give up on the book halfways, I couldnt.The author keeps you hanging wanting to hope someone has a better outcome. The characters roles changing took me by surprise .

Give, a Novel by Erica C. Witsell was one of those novels that just sticks with you after you read it. As the story unfolds I realized the meaning of the title was evolving as each of the characters evolved.

Witsell writes with an amazing clarity of voice and offers the reader characters who feel more than lifelike. Main characters Len, Laurel and their two daughters, Jessie and Emma are complex characters and each carries with them their own humanness. As the story unfolds over the pages of this debut novel each character shares their strengths and weaknesses.

Sisterly bonds, mother/daughter complexities, love and disappointment all come into the story . The complexities of relationships, the shortcomings and strengths of each character is deftly fleshed out by author Witsell.

This was an easy book to read and I found myself staying up late to finish it. As the story is spread out over many years it is interesting to see how the author continues to develop each character and personality as they grow older.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of Give, A Novel for my honest review. I believe author Erica C. Witsell has a gift for story telling and am looking forward to more books from her in the future.

Thank you to BQB Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
"In geometry, two points made a line, but three- that was a plane, a whole shelf of possibility, extending infinitely in every direction".
Give is a story of a failed marriage that unfurls a ripple of consequences that echoes for years in the lives of their children. Give narrates the revolution of lives around the tapestry of family weaved with threads of love, trust and respect, and the threads that have come loose.
After Laurel's reckless attempts at parenting, Len decides to divorce her and take custody of their girls Jessie and Emma. Sarah, their stepmother loves the girls like her own, giving all she could of motherhood. The girls spend every summer at Laurel's house, Baymont in the idyllic countryside of Mendocino. While at Baymont, although the girls share the love for the mountains, horses and serenity, they differ in the acceptance of their biological mother.  To Jessie summers at Baymont opens an opportunity to be herself, to be independent and take charge of her life, a life she detested at Bakersfield where she was bullied at school. To Emma the door of forgiving Laurel was closed and she chooses to accept Sarah as her mother over Laurel. This difference in perceptions leads to the girls taking decisions to prove their allegiances and loyalties towards their family. And they discover that true love need not be a display of overwhelming emotions and soothing words but a subtlety of unconditional giving.
The story is narrated from every character's perception and aptly suits the title as in Laurel giving children to Len to save their marriage, in Len giving safety to the girls, in Sarah giving mother's love to the girls, in Jessie giving Laurel a chance at daughter's love and in Emma giving Sarah the title of mother. Although it is easy to point Laurel as the center of disintegration of their family, we cannot ignore her epiphany of her wrongs and the desperation to redo her life as a mother. 
Give is a remarkable narration of sisterhood, motherhood and above all familial relationship with raw and genuine moments, emotions, flaws, choices and the tangle of complications the characters were caught in their journey.I loved this story and I think I will be wondering about the sensitive and natural undertone of this story for days. This story deserves to be read with utmost attention. The writing is impeccable. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from the author.

This book was given to me via NetGalley and BQB publishing in exchange for my honest review.

Give tells the story of a family. And not just a typical family. Len and Laurel begin the narration as the new parents of Jessie. Their marriage has been rocky since day one and they are on the verge of separating when Laurel learns she is pregnant with Emma. Emma comes along but the marriage doesn’t. All Len wants is his daughters and he is surprised Laurel gives them to him without a fight. The story goes on from there switching in the voices of Laurel and Len and eventually Jessie and Emma. Len’s second wife also narrates as well. The book covers 20+ years and the drama is heavy throughout. Laurel never quite figures out motherhood and Jessie and Emma struggle with love and family in their own ways. The novel attempts to answer the questions of what does a mother look like? How much does biology really matter? And can you really ever love your children enough?

This was a debut novel and while it was very well written and captivating, I didn’t love it. I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. I found myself reading quickly to find out what happened and to be able to move on from that person’s narration. The author did really hit the nail on the head with the scenes of what having 2 babies is like though! I felt my heart racing thinking of those early days for myself with my two girls. I appreciated the raw reality she gave of this stage. As I said the writing was excellent and quite addicting! I look forward to more novels by this author.

This novel had me like a fish on the line, I was hooked and couldn't shake free! What a wonderful story with beautifully drawn characters. Some I loved and one, Laurel, for whom I couldn't muster a positive feeling if I was forced. To say she was a train wreck is an understatement of monumental proportions. She was a multitude of train wrecks. In all my reading years never have I felt such compelling revulsion for a fictional character. She should never had one child, much less two. Jessie and Emma were never a priority in her life, she was consumed with her own self-interest. She was simply a horrible mother and person. Strong feeling, strong words, I know, but those feelings make for a "grab you and hold you" sort of book. This was definitely one of those.

I particularly liked the way in which the story moved through time and from person to person. The movement was clearly defined, never leaving you wondering where or with whom you were currently. This attention to detail is important to me and I believe a lot of readers. No confusion, therefore no need to page back and try to pick up the threads.

This was an outstanding debut novel. I am looking forward to more from Ms. Witsell. I am grateful to Net Galley and BQB Books for the opportunity to read and offer my review.

R E V I E W ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

QOTD: What's your love language?

AOTD: Apparently mine is acts of service. 😏

When I finished this book I began to think about who the most giving person in the book was. But I couldn't pick just one person because as I began to think about the ways they gave, I realised they all gave so much in different ways...

Spanning over 29 years, Give takes us deep into the lives of Len, Laurel and their two daughters, Jessie and Emma. We are there for Len and Laurel when their marriage begins to break down. We are there for Jessie and Emma when they are torn between their parents, when their loyalties are questioned, when their love is judged.

What I loved about this book was the complexity and depth to which we knew each character. I loved that we saw them at their greatest moments and at their weakest and sometimes most desperate. I loved how each character showed their love in different ways but of course, if that wasn't the recipient's love language, it wasn't always recognised. This often led to misunderstandings and hurt feelings which we can all relate to. This is what led me to think about the title; Give, and how much each person gave of themselves because of love.

This is a beautifully slow and poignant look into the heartbreak that follows a divorce, the hurt that arises time and time again, the forgiveness that comes with it and the growth and light that comes through it all because one constant throughout life's uncertainty is that the sun will always rise.

Thank you @netgalley for this arc.

Give, by Erica C Witsell is an interesting and compelling novel. Starting in the 1970s, it didn't take long for me to become engrossed by this novel. Honestly, I truly became consumed by this book.

Laurel is struggling under the weight of motherhood and the reader immediately sees how selfish she is. Len, meanwhile, is immediately a likable and sympathetic character.

Honestly though, I find the book description to be deceptive. It doesn't convey how much of this story is about Jessie and Emma's childhood. The first part of the book is about Laurel and Len, and how they end up separated, with the girls not knowing Laurel for years. After that, the point of views transition into that of the girls as they go through adolescence followed by adulthood. The next part follows snippets through the years, as they grow up.

This book hit me on so many levels; as a mother, as a wife, and as a daughter.
This story heavily delves into motherhood, and the different ways people can show love.

It's as multi-layered as it gets, covering many years and many events. It includes divorce, step-parents, egg donorship, motherhood in general. It conveys the pain that stems from the rejection of a parent, the different things that truly make a mother, and heavily explores the meaning of biological parents in one's life. It covers alcoholism, polyamory, and more.

The author takes the reader through many different povs, including that of the children. This is one hell of a multi-layered read that to me, this would make an interesting book club read.

Give, A Novel is a terrific read. This Erica C Witsell book is a deep, thought-provoking family novel and coming of age story. It certainly doesn't fall easily into any one category. Personally, I consider it an amazing women's fiction read. But book stores list it as LGBT family fiction. Whatever it is, it's well worth a read.

Enjoyed this book very much I would recommend this read to all. Thank you Erica C. Wilsell for this wonderful book.

Sisters Emma and Jessie spend every summer in Mendocino County. But their birth mother, Laurel, complicates things messily and in her own inimitable style, definitely not always to the good. Heart wrenching and honest, a very well written novel.

I love a good family saga and this book is one of the best sagas that i have read this year. A very enjoyable book with so many different emotions. A very well written book and to think this is a debut book. I am not going to write what the story is about as i prefer one to read the book for themselves, but it do highly recommend.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, freely given.

I was really drawn to the story in this book. Laurel is the mother of two little girls and decides to leave them with their father and to move away. The father remarries to their babysitter and she becomes their mom. Laurel returns and thus begins the backward and forward pull from place to place. I loved how this book was told from multiple perspectives and that it goes forward into time. This is the first I have read from this author, but will not be the last.

I love family saga’s especially ones that change perspectives between characters or that follow one family through different time periods. This novel has both! We see the family, as they navigate through their relationships from the 1970’s up to the early 2000’s. There are two characters we see the most of, as they cope with tension and their complex relationships with one another as well as other members of their family. We also see what family means to the characters and how they deal with relatable issues every person faces as they grow older and trying to discover who they are.

I was instantly drawn into the book and Witsell’s characters, especially how she writes the females of the family. Witsell has a beautiful way of writing and creating complex characters. I’ve grown tired of the typical female characters in other books and appreciated Witsell giving us females who we could relate to but also be messy, imperfect humans! There were times when I cheered both for and against a character’s decisions, but it made them so much better when you realize, “people mess up and make mistakes, even the fictional ones!” There are also characters I tried to empathize with and I ended up loving to hate them. They reminded me of people from my own life at times, which made me want to try to understand them better.

Give is one of my new favorite books for this year!

Thank you NetGallery and BQB publishing for the eARC in exchange of an honest review.

This is a debut novel by Erica C Witsell. And I must say I was amazed! The story is so poignant and beautifully written. It has joy, pain, grief, sadness and everything bonded together. It’s a family saga, a complex relationship within the family. It’s about two sisters, and their journey along their lives.

The characters have been beautifully sketched. As one progresses with the story, it feels as if the story comes to life. They are complex within themselves. There is so much going on.

To be honest, at some part I felt it was a bit dragging but I guess it was all worth it. The ending was so good! I was literally in tears.

I found myself much more invested than I had imagined myself to be. I wanted them characters to reach a solid satisfactory place.

I loved this book and would surely recommend!

This book is about two sisters who are caught between living with their biological father and his wife or their biological mother. They grow up with their dad and stepmother who is very close with them until they become teenagers. They spend summers with their mom who has not always been the best role model. When she eventually filed for custody the girls had to decide who they wanted to live with. The story is very well written and has believable characters. I definitely would recommend this book.

Thank you to BQB Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This debut novel showcases the complex relationships within one family, focusing on two sisters and their path from infancy through life. Joy, sadness, pain and growth - the story is poignant and beautifully written. The characters come to life and I found myself more invested than I thought, in wanting them to reach a place of resolution and contentment.

I loved this book, and highly recommend it!

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Give by Erica C Witsell is a book about family, divorce, and making the best of difficult situations. I enjoyed the story until 2/3 of the way through when a lesbian theme took over. Lost interest. Sorry.