Went into this book not knowing what to expect, and wow! Even though I do not have children, but hopefully will in the future, I was drawn to this story and the characters. I haven't read many, if any, books about this topic and it was a unique and compelling story. Thank you Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for granting me a digital ARC of this amazing debut novel by R.J. Hoffman - 5 stars!

Gail is desperate for a child. After suffering multiple miscarriages, her and her husband, Jon, are trying to adopt a baby. Gail is obsessive with making lists - trying to control things that she really has no control over. Jon had a difficult childhood with a mother who suffered from mental illness and eventually was raised by an aunt and uncle. He's more terrified of having a child and worried that he will fail his child as he was failed. The couple is finally picked by Carli, a pregnant teenager, to adopt her baby girl after its birth. Carli wants only the best for her baby and knows that she can't support her. Carli's mother, Marla, is furious at Carli for giving up her baby and tries to take matters into her own hands. These three mothers are all doing what they feel is right.

Told in various points of view from all three women and Jon, you will find yourself empathizing with the feelings of everyone involved. This is one of those Sampson-type decisions where there are no real winners or losers. This book is beautifully written and the emotions, characters and situations felt so very real. I read it with my heart in my throat and couldn't stop reading until I was finished. Bravo for a fabulous debut - looking forward to more from this author.

You have to really be in the right mood for this book. I don’t think I was . The entire time I spent reading it I couldn’t help thinking how depressing it was. Sure, the subject of infertility and adoption are tense and touchy subjects. If you know anyone who has gone through any of it, you do know that. The story was a back and forth between people who all started in the right place. OK, almost all. And then it devolved into a mess that was never going to be good.

Carli, Gail, Jon, Paige...they are all stuck in their roles. It’s hard to see the story through all of their eyes, but we do. And the author does it wonderfully, with care and understanding of what they are going through. Almost every character can be understood. You can feel empathy and sympathy for what they are going through. That being said, I was dissatisfied with the end for reasons I can’t say without giving it away.

I was drawn to this book because I am an adoptive mother and I am always fascinated by the path others take to motherhood. We adopted our son internationally and a big reason for that was because I have seen/heard of so many domestic adoptions that go wrong for the adoptive family when the biological family decides they want the child.

In this story Gail and Jon have been trying for a baby for a long time. When Carli chooses them to be the parents of her unborn baby, they are thrilled beyond words. When Carli’s mother gets involved after the birth, things soon spin out of control. I felt for both sides...I can’t imagine what either mother must have been feeling and both loved the baby so very much. I enjoyed this book a great deal and will recommend it to others.

A teenage girl, Carli, upon discovering that she is pregnant, decides to give her baby up for adoption. The adoptive family has experienced the heartache of multiple miscarriages and finds adoption the solution for them. All goes well until Carli changes her mind and decides to reclaim her baby just before the final papers are signed. This sets into motion a series of events prompted by the extreme emotions and childhood backgrounds of each character.
I enjoyed this book so much that I read it in 2 days. When I wasn’t reading I was constantly thinking about it. I will look forward to more from this author. I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read this excellent book.

Captivating and compelling. A dramatic story of love, loss, and family. Told from multiple points of view with rich, complex characters and excellent pacing. I could not put this book down, engaging and immersive from page one with a fantastic twist at the end. A satisfying read you do not want to miss.

Wow. What an incredible book. I picked it up with very few expectations and I was sucked in and finished it in the same day. It was everything that Little Fires and Kindest Lie failed to deliver. It was filled with questionable characters who had you flipping from rooting for and against them. I was worried about a male author writing about pregnancy/ motherhood but it was done exceptionally. I can’t wait for this book to come out so I have more people to discuss with!

Wow. This book, it was heavy, it was heartbreaking, and it was wonderful.

I couldn’t put this one down. I loved how it showed that parents will honestly do just about anything for the children they love. It was a rollercoaster of emotions and most of the time I wasn’t sure what the right thing really was. This book was very well written and I look forward to more by this author in the future.

✨Book Review✨

Other People’s Children by R.J. Hoffmann

Themes:
✨Family
✨Love and sacrifice
✨Independence

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This story starts by giving us an inside look at Jon and Gail’s marriage. The couple have tried multiple times to get pregnant, only for each time to end in miscarriage. Gail is the type A, list-writing, obsessive list-writing half of the partnership while Jon is the more laid-lack, nonchalant, guitar playing half.

When they are selected to become the adoptive parents of pregnant teenager Carli’s baby, Gail and Jon’s marriage turns around. The couple are closer than ever, the prospect of their new baby bringing Gail and Jon back together.

Raised under similar circumstances to the birth mother, Carli, Jon is motivated to give their new baby, Maya, the life he should’ve had. Three days after bringing Maya home from the hospital, they are struck with the reality that Carli has yet to sign the last paper finalizing the adoption.

👉🏼THIS IS WHEN THINGS GET CRAZY!👈🏼

This book takes a wild turn that I did not expect, but I’m not going to spoil it. Read this debut novel by R.J. Hoffmann

This was a book that makes you feel all the feels. Carli is a pregnant teenager who thinks putting her baby up for adoption. Gail and Jon are married and are trying to start a family but Gail keeps having miscarriages. Gail and Jon want to adopt Carli's baby but Carli's mom Marla has other plans. This book is told from multiple points of view which I enjoyed. You feel what each character is feeling. This is an emotional roller coaster which I did enjoy but know you will need tissues!!! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

In this multi-character narration, Hoffman gives us a glimpse into the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of the major characters (of which I'm a fan!), but he also gives us glimpses into a story of infertility, adoption, parenting, and the lengths people will go to in what they believe are dire situations. Early on my heart broke in the way Gail felt at wanting to become a mother so bad, but continually being unable to become one. Between miscarriages and failed adoptions, she hides and distracts herself through her obsessive list-making habit. Her unhappiness and her husband, Jon, being unable to actively help put a subtle, but real strain on their marraige.

Until Carli, a pregnant teenager with bigger plans to better herself, chooses Gail & Jon to adopt her unborn child. Carli is fine with it and gives up her baby without wanting to even look at her beforehand, and Jon & Gail are instantly in love. Everyone ends with what they want right? Not really, since Marla—Carli's mom—essentially wants a do-over. Claiming she didn't get a chance to be the mother she wanted to Carli and her sister, Marla burns the final adoption paper and gives Carli an ultimatum—keep the baby or find a new home.

UGH. My heart crapped its pants with every chapter.

Other People's Children was an emotional roller coaster. Written from the perspective of alternating characters per chapter, the reader has the opportunity to feel what each character feels.

Gail and Jon Durbin wanted nothing more to be parents. Their opportunity finally arrives when teen mom Carli goes into labor and gives them Maya. All goes well until Carli decides to reclaim her baby. In the heat of complete desperation, the Durbins take flight.

While I wanted a little more for the ending of this book, the emotions are visceral. Well done RJ Hoffman. Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I tried several times to get into this book. It had a really promising premise, but the slow beginning just kept me from getting invested in the characters. I'm sure a lot of people would enjoy this book, but it wasn't for me.

I received this book "Other People's Children" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I did like reading this book. I wanted to see what was going to happen to the baby. Some of the events were crazy but who knows what people will do to get what they want? Where will Maya end up? You will have to read to the end to find out.

An emotionally-charged read about love, belonging, and what makes a family. This book captured my attention immediately and I had a difficult time putting it down, reading late into the night. I read very little fiction and/or books by male authors, Hoffman was different, though. His well-written descriptions of the characters made me think and feel for them. A well-written work that I recommend.

Oh this book...crushingly sad throughout. Yet, I loved this novel from start to end. It is authentic and a true treasure for those who are looking for more than just a good story. It is maybe one of the most no-nonsense novels I've ever read. And every woman who's ever had a miscarriage will identify and sympathise with Gail, yet I ended up being very angry with her....then learned to forgive her with all my heart. I mean the ride of emotions from this book and the tense situation towards the end nearly gave me a heart attack.

The characters emotions were penned beautifully, I really felt for all of them, what heartbreakingly sad decisions all around. I would call this book an couples journey...with so many ups and downs and it was described in a way that one can relate to with all the feels. Simply unbelievably dense, yet fantastically well written with a lovely, natural flow to it. All. The. Stars.

This story was excellent. A couple desperately wants a child and after many failed pregnancies, they go through an adoption agency to start a family. They get chosen to be the adoptive parents of a soon-to-be newborn however, once the baby is in their hands, the biological mother changes her mind.
The author did a great job showcasing the story from different character’s perspectives and giving you perspective for the reasoning of their actions. I will be thinking about this book for a while.

R. J. Hoffmann’s upcoming debut truly embodies why I love literary fiction so much. Other People’s Children is about Jon and Gail—a husband and wife who are desperate for a baby after multiple miscarriages and begin pursuing adoption. When they are finally chosen by a teen mother named Carli, they can hardly believe their dreams of parenthood are coming true and know their life, as well as their marriage, has changed for the better. When Carli‘s mother has different plans for her grandbaby, Jon and Gail must decide what extremes they will go to for their new baby.
This one is definitely a slow build at first but once it hit the halfway point, I could not put it down. My favorite part about books like this are the tough questions I’m left asking myself. I will be thinking about this story for a long time. This subject matter can be difficult for some to read about but I highly recommend picking this one up when it comes out!

Gail is desperate to become a mother. After years of trying to adopt, she and her husband Jon finally meet Carli, a rudderless 18 year old with a baby bump and an abusive mother. Ready to be parents at long last, Carli gives birth and Gail and Jon take home their new baby Maya. But Carli's mother pressures her to reclaim the newborn before the adoption finalizes. Then, chaos. Maya becomes the eye of a hurricane of jealousy, pain, and desperate love.

Other People’s Children wastes no time getting to the real story. The reader does not have to wait long for the baby to arrive and then when she does, the story kicks into high gear. What could have become a drawn-out tale of courtroom tragedy becomes a breakneck thriller as the three mothers demand the family they believe is rightfully theirs: Maya.

Every mother, from Gail to Carli all the way to Gail's critical mother and Jon's Aunt Carol, embodies maternal love -- they just have different ways of showing it. I loved that Gail was all show and no substance while Carli was the picture of emotional maturity in the face of adversity. I do wish we could have met Marla before she and Jon had their waiting-room confrontation; I’m sure she could have been as dimensional as the other mother. Even Paige, the social worker, offers a nuanced perspective of what it means to be a parent.

There is plenty of foreshadowing for the story ahead, which makes it fun to watch the story play out in its entirety later on. Frankly, I did not expect this book about the meaning of motherhood to be such a page-turner. Other People’s Children started as a family drama, then turned on a dime into a heart-racing thriller. This debut novel is a whirlwind, to say the least.

CW: abuse

Ups. Downs. Twists. Turns. That’s just your emotions. If you’ve ever been through pregnancy and conception issues this might be a hard read, just a warning.