Thank you to NetGalley and Harper for an ARC of this book. I was interested in the title and curious how the story would unfold. This was a quick and easy read. I found all the characters likable and I imagine there are people who could relate to some of the storyline. It was easy to follow and enjoyable and had a good ending where it all came together. Thank you again I will recommend this one.

This is an interesting tale of surrogacy that ends in a surprising way. You get each character’s POV as they try to decide how to move forward now that the baby has arrived in the world, while also getting memories from the past that show you how we have come to this moment. Cally and Ruth are both strong women who are just trying to do their best with circumstances neither could have ever imagined.

Expertly “conceived” and flawlessly written! I was pulled in from the first page and simply could not put this book down! Toni Halleen masterfully assumes each character’s strengths, foibles, emotions, and passion in a tale of four people-each brought into highly intensive situations that intertwine their lives in surprising and touching ways. What an AMAZING debut novel. I can’t wait for Toni’s next book!

The Surrogate by Toni Halleen took me by surprise. I went into it ready to read a contemporary story about motherhood and surrogacy, but instead found myself reading an unputdownable suspense novel that kept me on the edge with its strong beginning, short chapters and constant drama and action.

The multiple POV worked perfectly for the story and helped the readers understand the characters more, illuminating their strengths and flaws, making them appear human and relatable. It was difficult taking sides because the readers could sort of get the "why" of the actions and decisions. I was totally unsure how things would pan out.

And even though the conclusion was extremely unpredictable and frankly, a bit too neat for my liking, all in all I found the story, characterization and everything in between marvelously done.

However, I will not recommend this book to readers with infertility, surrogacy and pregnancy triggers, but if you're just looking for a decent suspense story and are not bothered by the above three, it's a good quick thriller to pick up.

I really wanted to like this book. It was just an OK read for me. The plot line was something right up my alley and interesting but I did not really care for the characters and felt there was quite a bit of fluff throughout the whole book. I would have liked a little more suspense or some more character development to really make things a little more interesting.

This book is about a newly married couple who is desperate to start a family so they hire Cally to be their surrogate. What could go wrong- Cally is young and healthy. Hey hints go horribly wrong when Cally changes her mind and runs off with the baby . This book really brings all of the headlines forward with what is right and wrong and who is patient in the end when a child is in the middle. Very interesting and good read.

I loved the multiple POV and the first person perspective! I loved the dates being in the chapter titles. I was so fascinated by the story as it played out and it kept me captive the entire book! Fascinating ending…

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this book and ended up having to DNF about 40% into the book. I did enjoy the author's writing style, but the story itself wasn't for me. I found the characters to be a tiny bit obnoxious and hard to handle. I might consider picking it up again depending on the mood that I am in. I do think other's will enjoy reading this title and I encourage them to pick it up!

This was a trip! What a ride. The short chapters kept the pace moving quickly. The characters are flawed and you want to dislike them because you disagree with their choices but it’s hard not to like them (one character excluded). This book was hard to put down!

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. The Surrogate was not what I was expecting! What started out as a basic couple that wants a baby and hires a surrogate, turns into a psychological thriller when the surrogate jumps out the hospital window with the baby in the duffle bag. I appreciate that Halleen set the book in the early 2000's for the cell phone and lack of internet prevalence.

Good story!

Description
“The Surrogate is a thrilling, high-stakes debut centering on a vulnerable newborn and two women who will do almost anything to claim her as their daughter. With a collection of vividly rendered characters, this twisty tale will leave you thinking about the true meaning of motherhood long after you turn the last page. I loved it!”—Patry Francis, bestselling author of All the Children Are Home

Ruth is a no-nonsense fortysomething journalist from the Midwest, desperate for a child with her new husband, Hal. Their hope rests with Cally, a nineteen-year- old who wants to go to college—but doesn’t have the cash. The arrangement seems perfect for everyone.

But within a day of the baby’s birth, Cally has a change of heart—and engineers a harrowing escape from the hospital with the newborn. When Ruth and Hal discover that Cally and their daughter are gone, a whole series of doubts and secrets is revealed, and the difference between right and wrong is no longer clear.

Set in the vast, sparsely populated upper reaches of northern Minnesota in the middle of winter, The Surrogate follows Ruth, Hal, Cally, through a maze of thought-provoking questions about the nature of family, love, and relationships: What would you do for your partner, when the going gets tough? How much is a pregnancy “worth”? And who, if anyone, “deserves” to be a mother?

Modern problems have led to unbelievable solutions. Surrogacy that contract between a couple longing for a child and a young woman of child bearing age, seems simple on paper,but often underestimate the emotional equation. A forty year Ruth and her husband Hal believe they have a sensible solution to their want of a family. Callie young, in need of money is willing to give her body and womb to them for a price. What was simple in a lawyers office , becomes a desparate race to keep the one love this young woman realizes she needs. A race to find and bring their baby home forces open old hurts for Ruth, and cold truths for Hal. A modern problem with a soul searching solution.

2 star. It was ok and I won’t recommend to others.

Ruth’s name should have been Karen because that’s what she is. There was nothing likable about her.

I started to feel bad for Cally but she made so many ignorant decisions I had a hard time rooting for her.

Hal was made out to be the dumb man.

The poor baby was just an object. Ruth just gave it up when things got hard?? it’s a baby! It’s gonna be hard? Nobody to give baby Raymond to when he is hard.

Fake out that the baby was Digger’s and then wasn’t plus Ruth’s pregnancy were predictable and cliche.

I struggled with the “out of date”-ness of everything. Faxing? Calling your voicemail at home from away? Calling card long distance?? I don’t think this old timeframe added anything to the story, and it could have very easily been updated to modern day with the same storyline.

3,5 stars. Stories about surrogacy are always complex with the different relationships and the sadness and trials that lead to the decision to use a surrogate. This book was realistic in showcasing the feelings that both parties felt in this situation however I felt specific parts of the story to be unrealistic. Overall it was definitely a page turner.

Ruth desperately wants to have a baby. Her husband Hal, who has children from his first marriage, is happy to give that to Ruth. When they hire 19 year old Cally to be their surrogate they think they're getting everything they could ever want. But when the baby is born, Cally changes her mind and takes the baby. Once Ruth and Hal discover Cally and their newborn baby are gone, they begin to discover everything may not always be as it seems.

A thrilling and page turning novel that anyone would enjoy that leaves you questioning.

This is a compelling, character driven thriller about the power of maternal love and connection. I was riveted as I came along for the journey with Ruth and Cally. My feelings changed about each character as the story unfolded. This is a twisty, thought provoking debut. I look forward to reading more books by Toni Halleen. Thank you NetGalley and Harper for my copy.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of The Surrogate by Toni Halleen.
I loved the premise of this book and the concept of being a surrogate; however, the book fell flat. There were too many points of view, and none of the characters were fully developed. The characters were too stereotyped. The story started strong but by the middle of the book it felt too much like a soap opera. The many twists were too much and created an unrealistic feel. Too many coincidences that took away from what could have been a great story. Also, the timeline jumped around too much and often left me wondering about the timeline of events.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Cally is looking for a change - to escape being broke and would like to return to college to get her degree.
Ruth and Hal are a couple who cannot get pregnant and would like to have a child together. They explore the world of surrogacy and place an ad. Cally answers the ad and thus starts their journey together.

The Surrogate is a book written from several prospectives; going back and forth in time, providing a backstory and coming forward to give the current situation. There are many secrets going on, along with the family dynamics of Hal's children with his first wife and dealing with her.

While I did enjoy the book, I felt there were some places that left me feeling meh. I also felt like the ending was speed up so that it could end with a bow on it. Maybe that is just me.

I really have no idea what to categorize The Surrogate by Toni Halleen as. It didn't really come across as a thriller to me, but it's also not quite women's fiction in my mind either. I guess we can just say this is a genre-bending novel that I did not want to put down! The story alternates between multiple viewpoints and I loved that the audiobook had a full cast of characters to match this. Clearly, I decided to listen to it, and I was very impressed with the entire cast, which is Stacey Glemboski, Laurie Catherine Winkel, Andrew Eiden, George Newbern & Lisa Flanagan. Eiden is one of my favorite male narrators, but each of them did an excellent job and I was happy I decided to go the audio route. I really enjoyed that this book is set in Minnesota which is my home state and where I was while reading it, and I always love reading books set in places I am familiar with.

I really liked every single one of the viewpoints in the book, but the most interesting to me was definitely Ruth and Cally. I especially liked being able to hear Ruth's backstory with Hal throughout, and I loved how Halleen unraveled their story as a couple. At first, I was a little confused when we were getting flashbacks from Ruth's character, but once I figured out what was happening, I was good to go. The pacing was very steady and there was just something about her writing that made me not want to put The Surrogate down for a second. This is actually a debut novel as well and based on how much I enjoyed it; I really can't wait to see where Halleen goes with her next book. There's only so much I can say about The Surrogate without spoilers, so my advice is to pick it up if you like a mix of genres in one book and if the synopsis sounds good to you!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.