What makes a family? There are so many different kinds of families and ways of making one. As we progress in technology and scientific abilities this question allows many families to begin but also allows lots of questions and moral/ethical dilemmas. This story is at once heartbreaking and heartwarming. Very well done!

This book had me go through every emotion possible.
Having children is most couples goal in life, unfortunately, Isla and Ben struggled to conceive, their best friends, Lucy and Nate had good careers and couldn’t see themselves wanting children and so they donated three embryos to them and the second embryo was a success, giving them a beautiful daughter Reese, a child Lucy and Nate never met as the friendship crumbled.
Now ten years later and one frosty left in the freezer awaiting its fate of being destroyed or used as soon as possible. Lucy and Nate were discussing having a baby, sadly before anything could be done about it a tragedy happens and Nate died. Lucy needs to have Nate’s child and wants the last embryo. Isla and Ben also want the embryo.
Told in Isla and Lucy’s points of view, this is a fight that neither thought would ever happen. It is raw with emotion, revelation, and rebuilding a friendship that should never have been lost.
I was in tears at some points and smiling at other points. Having been through the fertility journey, but also donating eggs myself I could see both ladies ' points of view. I felt torn, to begin with, was Lucy wanting this purely because Nate had gone? I felt for Isla, it was donated to her after all, and then I felt that Isla was being selfish. It really was a rollercoaster.
It was an amazing book, well written and true to life. Absolutely brilliant!

Deciding to have a baby is a life changer. Think about the broken nights, the dirty diapers, the freedom you have will not be the same anymore, but of course there are a lot of good things too. Think for example about the fun trying 😉 and the love you feel when you hold that little creature in your arms.
For a lot of people it’s quite easy to conceive, but for some it’s not so simple. They often need science to make the dream come true, but sometimes even that is not enough. That’s when you need a couple of angels in disguise.
Family is great when they stand by you and support you time after time. But sometimes family can let you down or interfere.
Some friends are like family and even if you had problems with a member of your family, always remember that blood is thicker than water…
This is a beautiful story about friendship, love, family and dreams come true. I loved it. It’s filled with emotions and I have to say I understood both points of view. I honestly don’t know how I would have reacted.
There was one sentence in the book that I had to reread a few times. I really could not believe my eyes. I never saw that coming.
Wonderful story, great book. 5 stars

Thank you, Vanessa Carnevale and Bookouture

I devoured this novel whole in one sitting. My God what a ride. I will preface this by saying that I’m really loving the amount of Australian women’s fiction at the moment, it’s a fresh perspective from the usual UK and USA novels and Vanessa Carnevale is right up there with Liane Moriarty and Nicole Trope. I’m thrilled to discover that this isn’t her first book so I’ve got all her others to buy now.
This story was beautiful, a love song about love in all its many forms for marriage, parents and best friends. I particularly liked how well drawn and real the mothers, Elinor and Shirley were. Both flawed but with enough redeeming features to make them relatable. As secondary characters to the story it was a refreshing change from many novels to find that they were so well drawn. In fact Carnevale’s biggest strength is her characterisation and her ability to translate her characters onto the page so that we can then see the three dimensional people they are just as she did. Nate in particular I felt I could reach out and touch. Sadly I saw the most important plot coming and it broke my heart.
While readers like myself may predict the ending I still rattled through the book desperate to see if I was right and when I was I cried and it takes a lot for a book to make me cry.
My only slight criticism is that for 9 the dialogue for Reece seemed a bit immature, more like a child of 6 or 7. I’m fairly sure at 9 all of mine even if they stumbled over the word ‘hypothesis’ they didn’t get it mixed up with other words and come out with the malapropisms that Reece did. But that is a tiny criticism and I am a fairly tough critic when it comes to books about children and families.
A definite must read novel for 2021

A Child of My Own is a book about motherhood and friendships, it is also a heartbreaking and emotional story. From the first chapter I couldn’t put this book down it is very well written. Thanks Netgalley for this arc.

Lucy and Isla has been best friends since they were children. They supported each other through their most difficult times. Even if they've not been very close for some years, Isla is the friend Lucy calls after the major loss of her life. And Isla is right beside her, even if it takes a huge effort for her. There are wounds that separated them years ago she's willing to heal. She needs her best friend back as well.
Although they'd have their separate lives, the ties between them are so strong that they'll have to confront the past and the future together. Will they have the strength to do it? Or, more importantly, will they have the power to forgive and construct?
This is a story that could have been a huge disappointment but turned out to be a great reading. The characters are very well developed, growing strong and beautiful; building the perfect pace supporting a great outcome. In a way, the book gets better and better as pages go by.
The characters stealing my heart? Innocent children.
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Isla and Lucy met as children and grew to become the closest of friends. So close, that when Isla and her husband, Ben, need an donor embryo in order to have a longed for child, Lucy immediately offers. She and her husband, Nate have spent their lives traveling the world and decided they didn't want children. So helping Isla and Ben was a no brainer for them.
Fast forward 10 years and Isla and Ben dote on their 9 year old daughter, Reese. However, Reese doesn't know about her conception and Lucy and Isla are no longer in touch due to a decision that Isla had made. The two friends haven't spoken in years, until tragedy strikes, and Lucy wants the one thing that Isla also wants.

I enjoyed this story. I loved Lucy and Nate. I didn’t care for Isla, especially in the beginning. After everything Isla did, Lucy still considers her feelings and doesn't want to hurt her. Isla never shares the same sentiment, she's only thinking of herself. Elinor was just horrible, no matter her justification. I felt the story wrapped up nicely and was a quick and easy read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book!

I was unfamiliar with this author’s writing when I discovered this gem of a book. I was engaged from the first chapter and didn’t want to put it down until I finished it. The author is extremely talented in developing characters that evoke strong emotional responses without being melodramatic. I thoroughly enjoyed following the storyline as it unfolded and reached a satisfying conclusion.

Lucy and Isla have been best friends since childhood. When Isla and her husband, Ben, realize that they are unable to have children of their own, Lucy and her husband, Nate, generously offer to serve as donors – a gift beyond most people’s wildest dreams. Unfortunately, Isla’s successful pregnancy drives a wedge between the couples, and in the ensuing ten years they have no contact.

Two events occur that change everything. First, Nate begins to reconsider his stance for a childless-by-choice marriage with Lucy. Tragically he dies in a skiing accident before the couple can finalize their decision to pursue parenthood. Now alone and grieving the loss of her husband, Lucy is certain she wants a child.

The second event is that Isla’s daughter, Reese, now nine years old, begins to ask questions related to a school project aimed at supporting the children to identify how they are special. Reece is a bit precocious and very interested in science; her questions delve into the area of genetically inherited traits, which threaten to shatter the secrecy surrounding the origins of her conception.

This book addresses the contemporary issue of infertility and options available to couples who are unable to conceive “naturally.” While some readers may be disturbed by the idea of children being cultivated in “petri dishes,” this topic and its moral, ethical and legal issues is handled with great sensitivity and grace. Above all, the storyline explores the deep bond of friendship between the two women and how fear-generated secrets over generations can be destructive rather than protective.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to the author’s next offering.

My thanks to the author, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing a digital ARC in exchange for an independent, honest review.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

Vanessa Carnevale’s, A Child of my Own, is a spectacular and emotional high stakes story about unconditional love.

I was nervous about reading this story as we didn’t have children and wondered if I’d be able to connect to the characters or if I’d be an emotional mess. What I soon discovered is that it’s really a story about the power of female friendship. Those of us who have forever friends know that there’s no limit (within legal limitations) to what we wouldn’t do for a friend. However, Carnevale will get you to question your limits. She’ll push those boundaries and present a situation so ‘out there’ that you’ll have to dig deep to see if you are truly ‘that’ selfless. I’ve always wondered about IVF, AI, surrogacy and egg freezing and the types of people who selflessly help others become a parent. Carnevale will answer all your questions in her dual perspective story and then wrap it up dealing with forgiveness, loss and enduring love. I was spellbound; Carnevale was instantly able to grab my attention and hold it for the entire plot! Her characters are so realistic you'll feel they are your friends, too, and that you are hanging out with them discussing choices and parenting strategies. I especially love the part where Lucy reads Kristin Hannah’s ‘The Nightingale’ while on holidays and tucks an important note between the pages. It’s echoed in the final pages with reference to another well-known book.

I love stories that make me question my understanding/beliefs about things. Carnevale had me soul searching to discover how altruistic I truly was, how I defined a family and if I had any regrets about being childless.
In a global pandemic where many of us are anxious and feeling the strain, emotionally and financially, the ripple effect of kindness can be prolific. We may not be in a position like Lucy, but we can still reach within us and offer something as simple as a smile, extend a helping hand, or buy a coffee/meal for someone in need. It may do more than brighten the recipient’s day. It may be a lifeline. We could help if we take our eyes off ourselves and put them on others. We see how it transformed Ben and Isla. Kindness. It ALWAYS matters. Especially now.

“Don’t let your past rob you of something potentially beautiful in your future.”

“Sometimes it’s our job to help happiness and love find other people.”

A Child of my Own is to be published March 05, 2021 and is a must-read!

Thank you to Vanessa Carnevale, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the gifted advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book grabbed me by the heart and wouldn't let go. For many couples one of life's greatest joys is having a baby and for many this is an easy thing to accomplish. However, for some having or trying to have a baby is fraught with anguish, disappointment, and sorrow.

Now through the marvels of science, there are many ways to achieve pregnancy and this story revolved around one procedure that proved to be successful for a couple.

Isa and Ben knowing they couldn't' conceive a child are devastated. Then a most precious wonderful thing happens. Isa's best friend, Lucy, and her beloved husband, Nate, decide to become egg donors for Ben and Isa, knowing that they(Lucy and Nate) never desired a child.

But the friendship that was solid between Isa and Lucy, falls apart and as the child, Reese grows to ten, she becomes fascinated with family and its traits thanks to a school project. Of course, her parents never shared with her the manner of her conception, so Reese is unaware of why her traits are different until a tragedy occurs. When she is made aware, she gradually comes to accept it through the fine way in which her parents' deal with it. She does meet with Lucy at Nate's funeral and later is eager to find the ties that bind her to heredity and now deceased birth father.


In those intervening ten years, Lucy and her husband, Nate, led a life that took them around the world to exotic locations without seemingly a care, never wanting children, so the three fertilized eggs donated to Isa are never near their thoughts until a horrible skiing accident happens and Nate tragically dies. In a show of compassion, Isa reconnects with Lucy after a span of ten years.

Unbeknownst to Isa, Lucy and Nate's feelings for having a child had changed recently and previous to his tragic death, they were considering the possibility of a child. Now, amidst sorrow and loss, when things seem the worst, there is one ray of light. For Lucy realizes that there remains one fertilized egg of Nate's and hers left and there is a chance for her to have their child. At the very same time, Isa and Ben have also decided to use that third egg and try for another child.

The legal, emotional, and social issues tied up with their decisions are enough to rock any friendship especially one that is trying very hard to rekindle the deep friendship that Isa and Lucy once had. Feelings fly and eventually both immediate families become embroiled in the struggle pulling the ladies in different directions.

It's complicated and heart breaking but, in the end, perhaps it is the friendship, strong as it once was, that will carry the ladies through the utter tumult they are going through. Definitely recommend this book for its emotional and passionate telling of the torment and anguish these women had to bear as well as the deep sorrow women experience when their need for a baby is not answered.
Thank you to Vanessa Carnavale, Bookouture, and NetGalley for a copy of this story due out March 6, 2021

Excellent read ! I really enjoyed this book. An insight into the lives of parents and donor parents and the connection between them. I loved reading the story of Isla and Lucy's friendship.

I had no clue what this story was about but the cover looked intriguing. I had started it and four chapters in I was having a very hard time following the characters as it was jumping from different storylines or maybe it was present to past but felt very choppy. I had a very hard time getting into it that I did not finish this one.

Wow keep the tissues handy for this one as it will make you cry. This novel tells the story of Lucy who is living the perfect life with Nate when he is tragically killed and she is left alone. As she reaches out to her old friend Isla for support they both struggle as many years ago both Lucy and Nate have Isla the beautiful baby she had always wanted. Now with Lucy back in her life she has to face the truth of her child’s parentage and whether to tell her the truth but then Lucy drops a bombshell that threatens to destroy all of her dreams. This book will make you laugh and cry but also just fill your heart with love and friendship