Wanting a child can really turn your life upside down, especially when you’ve exhausted many options. Seeing surrogacy from three unique perspectives, all focused on one thing - bringing a child into the world, was both captivating and emotional. It all felt so real, the characters, the situations, all of it. You’ll find yourself so wrapped up in their lives, that it feels strange to step away when you finish the final page.

It took me a while to read this book because I kept picking it up an then putting it down. In the end I enjoyed it, but some of the infertility aspects hit a bit close to home, making it difficult at times to keep reading. Overall I enjoyed the book, but I will probably not read it again.

Rats! This book was archived before I sent it to my kindle. I’ll look for a physical copy when it comes out.

I really enjoyed this book! It discusses a an Australian woman,Meg,Meg's deciding to use a surrogate from Thailand when IVF fails multiple times. What I found interesting was that surrogacy is somewhat looked down upon in some parts of the world. The surrogate, Mod,already has a son, but needs the surrogacy money to support herself,her mom,and her son. Mod struggles with carrying a baby that she will be giving away. Meg's sister,Anna, plays an important part because she becomes the go between her sister who is unable to travel to where Mod is and forms a bond with Mod which stirs jealousy in Meg. Anna is a kittle over bearing but it's only because she feels like she failed Meg in some ways as a sister. Anna goes so far as to terminate a pregnancy because she knows it would hurt Meg that she can't conceive but Anna unintentionally became pregnant. It was an honest look into how surrogacy affects families and makes women question their womanhood when they can't conceive (Meg) or choose not to (Anna) 3/5 stars

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book at all. I picked it up multiple times to try and read it but I simply couldn't get into it. I'm not sure what I was expecting but I simply couldn't get into it.

Mother of Pearl is a beautiful story about two sisters, Anna and Meg. Meg and her husband, Nate, have given up on trying to have a baby after trying various treatments for a decade. When Anna returns home to Melbourne from living in Thailand, Cambodia and Lao for years, Meg learns about surrogacy in Thailand from Anna's friends. Seeing a glimmer of hope, Meg embarks on the journey to have a child through a surrogacy agency in Bangkok. Anna decides to help her sister and meets Mod, the surrogate mother. What follows is a story of women coming together to help each other without knowing how much this baby means to each of them.

Ultimately, family means everything. Whether it is the desire to build a family by having a child, or to support the family that one already has by being a surrogate, or give priority to the happiness of one sister, Mother of Pearl does a great job of showing all perspectives. I found Anna and Mod to be powerful characters and the main storytellers. They offer support to each other that neither realizes that they needed.

Angela has done an amazing job researching Buddhism, Thai culture, surrogacy there as well as showing the pain that people go through, especially those who are trying to have a baby. The book is a powerful narrative on the ethical issues that one confronts in surrogacy, about the rights of the mother that bear the child, and the mother who keeps them. Anna is an amazing voice throughout the story, voicing her concerns and doing her best to give the best to all the parties involved.

I am grateful to the publisher and the author for making an advanced copy of this book available to be through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all readers who enjoy ethical discussions, are curious about other cultures as well as love reading about family and relationships.