This is way more then a romance. This book covers a lot of hard hitting types (Trying to get pregnant, miscarries, death and donors), and I think this book was so well done. I really loved this book...and wow... It had me pulled in by so fast. I was so sad to finish this book because I really wanted to keep reading about this characters. I really loved all the characters. I would say this is a clean romance in the since that there is no cursing, violence or a lot of bedroom adult times in this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Berkley) or author (Robin Wells) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review about how I feel about this book, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

This book pulled me right in. Quinn’s best friend dies, leaving a daughter, Lily, for Quinn to raise. Because Lily was conceived using a sperm donor, she hasn’t had a father figure.
Even though Quinn is fine with helping raise the little girl, her grandmother, Margaret, is determined to find a “blood relative,” and she accomplishes her goal.
When Zack is contacted, he is both happy and worried at the same time. He and his wife, Jessica, have been dealing with infertility issues.
A complicated situation indeed, but Wells masters the plot well.

I didn't realize I was looking for a story like this.. It was messy, complicated, real, hopeful, and just gave ma a happy feeling. I ordered this book for my sisters.

Interesting storyline. Engaging characters. Lots of family dynamics...including what makes a family. Drama. Angst. This story has it all. It's not my usual type of book to read, but I enjoyed it overall.

I won a copy of this book in a contest sponsored by the publisher, and fulfilled via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.

I really waffled about the rating for this book. The premise was wonderful, a single mother, Brooke, who has a three year old, Lily, by a sperm donor. When she dies suddenly her best friend Quinn is co-guardian with Brooke's elderly grandmother. Grandmother Mary contacts the sperm bank and the father,Zack, responds. His wife Jessica has fiddled with his records trying to find out information about his past. These four characters narrate chapters telling this story from 4 very different points of view. I'm still trying to decide if I liked some of these people. In the end, Lily becomes the primary focus of all involved which is a good thing. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Title: She Gets That From Me

Author: Robin Wells

Publisher: Berkley

Format: e-book, paperback, 425 pages

Published on: Sept. 22, 2020

Read an Excerpt: here

Buy It: Amazon Barnes

Quinn Langston owns a retail home furnishings shop in New Orleans to promote her design business. As Godmother to her best friend’s daughter, she’s more than happy to babysit when her friend, Brooke, goes on a business trip.

When Brooke dies unexpectedly, Brooke’s grandmother, Margaret, and Quinn have to care for Lily because Brooke was a single mother and the father was a sperm donor. Zach knows nothing about his daughter’s existence, but when Brooke died Margaret felt it was important that Lily’s father be a part of her life. Margaret contacts the donor registry and hopes for the best. She had no idea the donor’s wife was curious to see if he had any children as the chance for them to become parents was unlikely without an egg donor.

Little did his wife know that Zach would turn up at Brooke’s house hoping to meet the child. He believed the child was older and eager to meet him. Lily is only three. To make things even more complicated, Brooke encouraged Quinn to use the rest of the sperm donation frozen years ago. So Quinn is pregnant with Lily’s half brother or sister.

While Zach’s wife, Jessica, is trying to make a new life for them in Seattle, Zach has second thoughts. Their marriage lacks intimacy and the prime focus is Jessica getting pregnant. He’s frustrated and really doesn’t want to be around her. He finds himself naturally drawn to Lily and Quinn and not simply because of obligation. He’s proud to be Lily’s father and is falling in love with Quinn.

When Margaret is no longer able to be the main guardian, Quinn immediately assumes the role of both their caregivers. Then Quinn and Zach find themselves at a turning point in their lives.

I give Robin Wells a sincere applause for writing about a very complicated subject. She handled it well. She presented quite a few of their POVs so you knew exactly how they felt about the experience. Each was done with realistic emotions and behaviors. I loved Lily and felt terrible for her. A child at that age would be unable to grasp that a parent would be gone forever. Having an aunt and father who loved her kept her on a positive path. As for Jack’s wife having to deal with her husband being the father of two children and she is having difficulty getting pregnant, that had to be so frustrating. But fate saw the path to bring happiness to all concerned. I definitely will be reading more novels by Robin Wells.

I did receive the free e-book from NetGalley, but bought the book. I will always be a print book lover first.

five daddies out of five

Denise Fleischer (Netera@aol.com)

gottawritenetwork.wordpress.com

November 1, 2020

Currently reading: Haunted Homicide by Lucy Ness and North and Central by Bob Hartley. I do have a TBR list, but always interested in romance, cozy mysteries, paranormal and women’s fiction. Print books over e-books. Know that I take my time reading your book. I don’t believe in speed reading a novel.

Hopeful and heartwarming. Complicated and messy. Sweet and satisfying. Robin Wells masterfully leaves together this story of family, friendship, and love. Quinn’s Best friend has tragically passed away leaving her the legal guardian of three-year-old Lily. Quinn is more than willing to raise adorable and precocious Lily as her own, but it’s complicated. Lilies great grandmother Margaret is convinced that blood is thicker than water and that Lily needs a blood relative. But lilies father is a sperm donor, someone who did not sign up to be a parent, but that does not stop Margaret. When Zack finds out he has a child he is conflicted and his wife Jessica is livid. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Zack and Jessica have been dealing with infertility issues and have been unable to have their own child. Life is messy, family is complicated, and love is abundant.

What a great book! Quinn was such an amazing character I really wanted everything to work out for her. Lily was beyond adorable. I thought she acted a little older than three, but it worked. Grandma Margaret was frustrating, but as the book progressed I understood her reasons. Zack and Jessica definitely threw a wrench into this happy family. I felt for them because this was such a complicated situation to navigate. The ending was predictable, but it was exactly what I wanted. The perfect little pick me up during these crazy times.

This book in emojis 🍨 👩‍👧 🎂 🧬 🧸 🐱

*** Big thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

Hj Top Pick!

She Gets That From Me by Robin Wells: From beginning to end, She Gets That from Me, is a sensational read that taps into the nature of love, whether blood is thicker than water, and whether we really do have the opportunity to choose who we consider to be our family.

Throughout, the complications of modern day marriage, fertility, and of course love, are unpacked craftily and with a certain realism that enabled every character to be entirely sympathetic. Very rarely do you find a narrative with such heart felt sincerity that it’s too tricky to determine an antagonist, or at least someone who fits the ‘bad guy’ bill. In this instance however, each character is shaped with such sensitivity, that subtext and motivations are incredibly plausible and understandable. Delivered from the perspective of each character, we travel through the lives and loves of Zack, Jessica, Quinn, Brooke and Margaret, whose relationships become entangled in a complicated and at times heart wrenching way.

Zack, who is like some sort of contemporary prince, is an honourable man, who values his word and who also happened to donate sperm when he was 19 as a way of supporting himself through university. Brooke, beautiful and intelligent, chooses Quinn as her ‘sister’ after being raised by her grandmother Margaret as a consequence of a tragic accident that killed her parents and brother.

Being the self-aware woman she is, Brooke decides to use a sperm donor and indeed her gorgeous daughter Lilly is of course the progeny of Zach who donated over 15 years earlier. Quinn, our central protagonist, who also grew up by and large family-less given a messy divorce and parents who treated who either as a pawn or as a mistake is also contemplating her parenthood choices. Thus, Quinn also chooses to go down the assisted pregnancy pathway, sharing the same donation as Brooke with the idea that their two future children will bring them even closer together, shaping the family neither woman had. And finally Jessica, afraid of her own imperfections, and who struggles to come to terms with her infertility, unintentionally jeopardises her marriage to Zack with a significant breach of his trust. Apart from the betrayals, which are completely human, Jessica, who would potentially be cast as the villain, actually isn’t and in this sticky middle-class mess, all of the characters struggles are made all the more honest and poignant as a result.

Wells demonstrates deep insight into the legislation and complications surrounding sperm donation and the choice to both donate and then, indeed, use one. In many ways, Wells reveals that assisted fertility is kind of like 21st Century adoption, in the sense that the same general rules apply and with it comes the same level of complexity and very real human fears. Mixed parenthood, single parenthood, multi-generational parenthood, donor parenthood and even lack of parenthood are all unpacked with delicacy and an inherent thematic intent that no matter what shape, form or size a family comes in, the only thing that truly matters is love.

In many ways, this was a true song of the resilient nature of love and family. Undoubtedly, the overarching tones of hope, and patience will move any avid reader who is looking for a contemporary love story whose hearty rhythm beats like classic chamber music. Summarily, I highly recommend readers take stock of this one and listen closely to the beautifully honest and tragically human notes within as it is certain to sing to any soul.

What an amazing story! It challenges the definition of custody of parental rights and of the definition of family and how families are created.

Quinn Langston may not be Brooke's biological sister but she has always seen herself as an aunt to her child that she had via a sperm donor and has always promised to look after her if something happened to Brooke and when something does she must uphold that promise. What she doesn't expect is the sperm donor to walk through the door and possibly interrupt the plans she had for Lily and herself.

Although motherhood isn't in the plans for me, I can appreciate a story where a woman finds motherhood the way she wants to and decides to define family the way she cares to. Even though I hated how the sperm donor was brought into the book, I loved the journey that Zack and Quinn have and all the ups and downs they had to figure out what would eventually work for them and for Lily.

If you like true women's fiction with great plot and relatable characters then this is just the right book for you.

Thank you to Berkley Pub and NetGalley for a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I haven't really been in the mood for women's fiction lately but this heartwarming novel really sucked me in! It's told from the various perspectives and, for me, that really added to the emotional connection to this story. I loved that it celebrated the various ways you can form a family but at the same time highlighted the struggles and impact infertility can have on a marriage/relationship. I loved all the characters except for Jessica - I felt for her but her actions/words felt so selfish to me.

Overall, I thought it was a little too long with too much back story on some of the characters but I still really enjoyed it.

TW - infertility, miscarriage, loss of a loved one

I can't fully express how much I loved this book. The idea of this story being so close to someones reality made it even more intriguing to read. This story does not just focus on two main characters but on others that are just as important. Brooke is Lily's mom, Margaret is Brooke's grand-grandmother, Quinn is Brooke's long time best friend, Zack is Lily's "donor" and Jessica is Zack's wife.

Brooke's sudden death leaves Quinn and Margaret as guardians to an adorably sassy three year old Lily, who was conceived through an anonymous sperm donor. Being the last blood relative to the little girl, Margaret goes searching for the donor in hopes that Lily would be raised by him.

Zack and Jessica have been married for the past three years and who have been going through infertility with no success. Knowing of her husband's past decision to be a sperm donor, Jessica can't help but go behind his back to find if he has a child.

The story takes off when Zack finds out off his wife's deception, leaving him wide open to the realization that he actually has a child, which brings him to Brooks front door!

The dynamic as a whole of these characters and what they each individual go through throughout the book is life changing. I don't want to say a lot of what happens in this story because I went into it blind and loved every single part of it. But what I can say is that this story has so much to offer its reader, Robin Wells's writing and her ability to keep the connection between these characters throughout the book is absolutely incredible. I couldn't help but love and understand each and every character. Even at their selfish moments! This story truly made me feel emotions in all its aspect

Told from the point of view of multiple characters, this book delves into the world of parenting, infertility, miscarriages and sperm donors and questions if blood family is always the right choice for raising a child. I enjoyed this book.

This book was received as an ARC from Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I really enjoyed reading this book and loved the sentiment behind it. Even though it's not your typical romance story and the foundation is completely out of left field. The bond between Quinn and Lily was so heartwarming that I could not stop smiling and feeling my heart warm up. Also, the background of Zack and how he never gets close to any of his creations then he meets Lily was alarming at first but once their relationship started to blossom, I had a new appreciation of his intentions. Even though this is not your typical romance novel, it will still warm the heart and leave smiles on all of our patron's faces.

We will consider adding this title to our Adult Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Brooke has the most amazing 3 year old daughter Lily and a wonderful best friend by her side in Quinn. When Brooke unexpectedly passes, her Grandmother decides it’s time to find Lily’s dad. Even though he was only a sperm donor, she fully believes blood is thicker than water and he should be in Lily’s life. Zack is shocked when his wife Jessica finds out he has a child. He didn’t ask for this, but it seems he is a part of it now. He knows he wants to be a part of Lily’s life, but he and Jessica were just about to move to Seattle. How invested does he want to get?

I really enjoyed this book! It was a bit predictable, but sometimes that kind of book just really hits the spot. It was exactly what I needed right now! Quinn was such an amazing parent to Lily, it just gave me all the feels. Zack also really stepped up to the plate from day one. Overall this was a feel good, happy story that hits you in all the feels. It comes out September 22, so if you need a break before October thrillers take over I highly recommend it!

I loved this book. There are so many mixed emotions. When each character is telling their story, you felt what they felt. There are so many issues that are faced in the story and the outcome keeps you guessing. I loved the way we got to feel each characters. Such a delightful read.

This was such a sweet, sad, and heartwarming book! I loved this story and enjoyed an array of emotions from it. While predictable and a bit too convenient, the characters were likable and the story moved along nicely. However, I did not like that the romance plot lines involved married people. I found it tacky and I had a hard time cheering for a romance outside of the marriage. Had this couple just been boyfriend/girlfriend, I would have been able to connect to it more and root for the characters differently. Aside from that, this was a lovely book. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

There are many ways to start a family. Brooke, a single woman, opts for a sperm donor and with the help of her best friend Quinn, brings adorable Lily into the world. Brooke’s sudden fatal aneurysm abruptly places Lily, age 3, with great-grandmother Margaret with Quinn as a backup guardian. When a fall leaves Margaret disabled, Lily comes to live with her beloved Auntie Quinn, transforming their lives as each person copes with grief and navigates an unexpected future.

The anonymous, now married sperm donor is revealed to be Zack when Margaret submits an inquiry and his wife responds. Now he is in love with precocious Lily to his wife’s dismay as she agonizes over infertility concerns. Zack is a wonderful dad and friend, but now his marriage falters as he finds himself drawn to this new impromptu family. With a touch of Southern flair and the practical support of Quinn’s strongly supportive parenting group, each person grapples with their responsibilities and longings.

This sympathetically and accessibly presents many sides to matters of infertility, grief and ways families are chosen. This tender love story exudes warmth and hope.

When the unthinkable happens to Quinn’s best friend she steps in to care for 3 year old Lily(who was conceived via donor from a fertility center) and her great-grandmother Margaret. Around this time Zack and his wife Jessica are going through their own infertility heartbreak. I won’t spoil how all the principals are drawn together but at one point I highlighted this passage:

‘ “Good Lord – sounds like an episode of Maury Povich just happened in here,” the aide whispers to the therapist.’ – (location 4145)

That was definitely the vibe I was getting while reading but I also think author Robin Wells wrote with heart and empathy. No matter how selfishly I believe Jessica acted Wells still let me find some sympathy for her situation.

The subject of infertility could be a trigger for some readers and that’s what this novel is about. It got a bit soapy at times but if you like to read novels about all kinds of families you’ll want to add She Gets That From Me to your list. I’m glad I had the chance to discover Robin Wells and will be interested to see what she writes next.

Lots going on here, but this author manages to pull it all together and make it work! It is hard to put this one down. Quinn's dearest friend, Brooke, has unexpectedly died, leaving an adorable toddler, Lily. Miss Margaret, Lily's grandmother, will care for Lily, but she is almost 80 years old and has a debilitating accident early on in the story. So, Quinn takes over Lily's care. Lily's father , Zack, s a sperm donor, until now anonymous. But his wife, Jessica, distraught over not being able to have a child of her own, "outs" him as a donor, as does Miss Margaret. Yes, lots going on here! There are more surprises, but this becomes the story of Quinn and Zack falling in love in a pretty complicated landscape! Really enjoyed this story.

An excellent portrayal of how strong, loving families can be made. She Gets That from Me by Robin Wells will truly make you appreciate your family.