This was my first book by Genevieve Gannon. After reading the premise, I was looking forward to reading the book. I didn't really connect with the characters very well and felt like the first quarter of the book was a little too dragged out. Once the "drama" kicked in, I kept wanting to read to figure out what was going to happen. Overall I thought it was an interesting read.

Although my typical genre is thrillers, I was absolutely enthralled with the story of The Mothers. I couldn’t stop reading as I just had to know what happened next as the stories of the two women desperate to be a mother and the doctor who worked in the clinic to make that happen. I loved the alternating chapters between the three women as they agonized over decisions and deciding what was right morally and emotionally.
I’ll definitely be looking for this author again!

When I was a child in the 90s, I watched a TV film, Switched at Birth, based on the true story of Kimberly Mays and Arlena Twigg, who were swapped at the hospital when they were born and went home with parents who were not biologically their own. I was horrified by this turn of events, and shocked that doctors and nurses could make such a grave mistake, delivering to the parents the wrong child.

Genevieve Gannon explores a similar concept for the modern age in her new novel The Mothers, in which a mix-up at a fertility clinic results in the wrong embryos being implanted in two hopeful mothers' wombs. Only one of the pregnancies takes, and neither mother is any the wiser to the swap until the child is born looking strikingly different from its alleged parents. When the biological mother of the child decides to pursue custody, the courts are left to make a monumental decision - what makes a parent? Is it simply genetics, or does the love and care a person provides a child play a part in how parenthood is defined?

The Mothers is a thought-provoking story of two couples who want a child more than anything else in the world, and who are faced with a devastating situation and choice in the light of a terrible clinical mistake. This novel is likely to be quite divisive, and will call up readers' emotions and personal beliefs as they grapple with what they would do in a similar situation. Well-written and engaging, The Mothers shows the human side of the unbelievable types of stories we hear about in the news; the ones that make you glad that fate didn't deal you that heartbreaking blow.

Recommended to fans of mainstream fiction that focuses on real life issues.

I really enjoyed this book. It feels new and fresh with a theme of IVF which continues to create challenges for families who use the service. Set in Australia, this book took me to another world and shared a story that is a window to how some couples make families. So much of the novel I was thinking how I would react in this situation which means the author did a great job making us see everyone's point of view and their desire to fight. If you like this novel, you'll also like Playing Nice by J P Delaney.

I. Am. Destroyed. Gutted. Eviscerated.

Are there even words to describe how this book ravaged me?

The Mothers is a book that will consume you, devastate you, lay you to waste, and leave you in ruins. You will never be the same.

It’s a story of longing. It’s a story of desperation. It’s a story of motherhood. It’s a story of loss.

Once in a while a book comes around that you know will never leave you. It breaks you in ways from which you will never recover.

This is that book.

I cried, I sobbed. I was angry, I was heartbroken.

Genevieve Gannon has an incredible ability to make you see yourself in her characters, to experience their emotions, to hurt and rage and break.

This was my first novel by her, but I will read every word she ever writes.

Easily the best book I’ve read all year.

5/5 ✨ hauntingly perfect.


Thank you for the lovely copy!

Grace and Dan Arden, age 40, are seeing Dr. Ashley Li at the Empona Fertility Clinic. The place is very popular and it takes time just to get an appointment. They have been trying for a long time to have a baby but their IVF efforts have failed. Grace is now going for her 6th round of treatment.

Priya and Nick Archer have an appointment at the Empona Clinic with Dr. Carmichael to begin IVF treatment. At the same time, Priya is suspicious that Nick is cheating on her.

As time passes, one of these mothers finally becomes pregnant but it’s not her embryo. A huge mistake has been made by someone at this very busy and, possibly understaffed clinic. That one time when checks and cross-checks are not done as they should be results in a heart-breaking situation for two mothers.

The angst, pain, frustration, longing, and sadness are clearly defined by this very talented author. I was pleased with how much research she put into this story that educates all readers. This disaster just reinforces the need for there to be numerous checks to ensure that things like this do not happen again. This was a good book that really tugs at the heart strings. My heart hurt for both mothers.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Wow! This was such an emotional read, and it had me hooked from the very beginning. It was such a well written story, about what most would consider a worst nightmare. This is one you’ll definitely want to read and stick around to find out the ending.

“Two couples, one baby, an unimaginable choice”

Two couples struggling with fertility decide to try IVF treatments. The author did an excellent job developing these characters and their relationships.

The first couple the author introduces is Grace and Dan, a well to do couple in their 40s whose lives literally revolve around Grace's ability to get pregnant. Grace is obsessed with having a baby - she knows that she is nearing the age where the opportunities for successful pregnancies are virtually nonexistent. Dan is a doting and sensitive husband who yearns for nothing more than his wife's happiness.

The second couple introduced are Priya and Nick. A beautiful couple who met in college and have been married several years without a successful pregnancy. They decide to take a more aggressive approach and try IVF. Their marriage feels like it is somewhat tenuous. Things have happened in the past that cause them to be cautious with each other. There is always a sliver of doubt in the air where their relationship is concerned.

Both couples are likable and relatable. They both visit doctors at the Empona Fertility Clinic. One couple becomes pregnant. Fast forward to one of the female's labor and delivery. She is so happy, even as her labor is intensive. They deliver a perfectly healthy baby. There are some items regarding their baby that cause them doubt, but they file it away. Meanwhile, the other couple has had no luck getting pregnant and endure marital problems. Information is found proving that there was a mix-up at the Fertility clinic and the successful pregnancy resulted from the implantation of an egg that did not belong to the Mother. It is really hard to describe more about this story, because it gives too much away.

Suffice it to say, this book had me captivated. I could not put it down. I voraciously read while watching the story go in a direction where there would be no winners. But alas, I had to see how the author was going to have it play out. There were so many directions the ending could have gone. There was a pivotal part that made me gasp and tears definitely fell. This would be such an excellent book club read for the discussion possibilities. What alternative endings could there be? How would one be more correct than another?

I felt there was one aspect of the ending that was a little too convenient and that is the only reason I considered this a 4.5 star read instead of a 5 star - but I rounded up based on my feelings about the book in its entirety. I devoured it and highly recommend it!

Warning - this book may be a trigger for someone that has dealt with fertility issues.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow/Custom House for gifting me an advance copy to read and review. Pub date: May 11, 2021.

This book was every mother’s worst nightmare. Unknowingly giving birth to someone else child seems like a far stretch but not entirely impossible.

Grace and Dan are in their forties and have had several failed attempts with IVF since they got married. Priya and Nick visited the same fertility clinic, and while they are not as time constrained as Grace and Dan, they are facing their own problems. Both women just so happened to visit the clinic on the same day, and one became pregnant after an embryo implantation.

It wasn’t until the baby was born that one of the mother’s noticed there was something different about the child. Not only was she told the child was supposed to be a girl, but there was obvious difference in appearance compared to the parents. When the boy was a few months old, the real mother discovered what had happened and soon a battle for custody began.

I couldn’t imagine being in a situation like this, and I felt awful for both women, especially since they both struggled to get pregnant in the first place. I was happy with the way the story ended, though. It might not have been the most ideal outcome, but I was glad both women were able to move forward with their lives and find happiness despite having gone through a horrible situation.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3962911343

This book is a culmination of all my worst fears. Truly this book hits different and is just written so well. I felt connected to every person in the story in their own way. Genevieve Gannon has mastered the craft.

Holy poo this book was emotional def some pregnancy/IVF/loss triggers!
This story was crazy and totally felt like it could be ripped from the headlines. Two families going through IVF at the same clinic stuff can go wrong, mistakes could be made and then you add mom’s who want a child at any cost...... this was a gut wrenching story that kept the tissues next to me as I was glued to my kindle.

This is a book that tells what can happen now that science has moved further ahead of the ethics that go with it. But this book not only deals with the possibility of creating a baby in a petri dish, but it deals with the aftermath of a mistake and the fallout from it. Although I think the book was a little long before the conception and contains some information that we probably don't need to know such as the incident feeding the poor and the disappearing students, but after the baby was born the reader keeps reading, knowing that disaster is going to hit at any minute.--and it did. I honestly could not believe the judge's decision (yes, I know it is only a fiction book) and was so happy at the end, when it seemed everything had worked out.

WOW! This book was so emotionally driven. I couldn't put it down even though my heart was breaking.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is an emotional, heartfelt story about two mothers who want a baby at almost any cost.
When pregnancy does not happen for Grace and her husband, they attempt IVF. Time is of the essence as Grace is in her forties.
Priya and her husband also want a baby. She is at the clinic to attempt to get pregnant through IVF as well.
But- what neither realizes, is that mistakes can happen and "you don't always get what you wish for".
It is truly a story of love, family, devastation, and hope.
Well written and definitely a great novel!

I absolutely loved reading The Mothers. I’ve read other books that involve IVF mix-up, but The Mothers was written so well ,with enough twists to make it original. I love the way it’s written from 2 perspectives. The ending was great, making this book better than I anticipated!

This is a very well written book. It makes you examine your own existence and what mothers will go through to have a child of their own. This is a heartbreaking story of two different families and the doctor who decided to play god with their lives. I could not put this book down, I absolutely loved it very emotional read. I think it will make one examine their own life and what is important and what is not.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest opinion.

A heart wrenching novel about a couple who, through a terrible mix-up at a fertility clinic, give birth to another couple’s child. This was well-done and a quick read. The ending seemed a little too convenient, but overall enjoyed this one.

<i>The Mothers</i> is poignant and heart wrenching novel about what makes someone a mother - a biological link or someone who loves you and cares for you as if you’re their own.

Grace and Dan have been trying to get pregnant via IVF for over 7 cycles, each one ending in heartbreak. Their last shot is their one remaining embryo, a girl.

Priya and her husband Nick were in the process of IVF while their marriage crumbled around them. She had two embryos.

What would you do if you gave birth to a baby that clearly wasn’t yours? One that you begged for, carried for 9 months—felt every kick, saw their little face on every ultrasound, and spent 26 hours in labor to see that sweet face at the end. One that looked nothing like you?

<i>The Mothers</i> is well written and at times, heartbreaking. You don’t have to be a mother to feel the grief of these two women (and their partners). Gannon paints a perfect picture of what it would be like to truly face the hardship of giving up your child - to their mother.