BOOK REVIEW: The Surrogate by Toni Halleen

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My Takeaway: Multi-Dimensional Thriller With Thought-Provoking Story & Characters... ✨😎✨
Pages: 352
Genre: Thriller
Sub-Genre: Domestic Thriller
Time Period: Present Day
Location: Minnesota

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: Playing Nice by JP Delaney
Movie: Baby Mama

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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I flew through this one!! I enjoyed every minute of The Surrogate and would absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a book that will keep your attention throughout the entire story.

I mean wowwwwwww, I was so impressed with this book! I had a feeling it would be creepy in all the right ways... and I was correct! The writing style is fantastic and the characters really came to life with the suspense and storyline.

Right from the beginning, this was a gripping thriller. Cally is a surrogate for Ruth and Hal, but after having the baby, she changes her mind about wanting to give up her baby. It ends up being a cat and mouse and in the end the characters end up all colliding together. I ended up reading this book in just a few days!

Ruth and Hal are recently married and attempts to get pregnant haven’t been successful. The solution appears to be surrogacy and they decide to move forward (without an agency) with Cally. Cally’s only 19 and is essentially an orphan. Her mother deserted the family years ago and her father has died. She wants to move forward with her life, but misses being part of a family.
The story is told from alternating viewpoints and at different time periods and that structure worked smoothly. It seemed to me, however, that the author was doing everything she could to make Ruth and Hal less likable and steer the reader to rooting for Cally.
The first half of the book was compelling, while the second half wasn’t as much, got very messy at times, and had a somewhat predictable ending. Nonetheless, an impressive debut novel by Toni Halleen.
Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read The Surrogate in exchange for an honest review.

The Surrogate was a solid read for me. It was fast paced and definitely kept me turning the pages. The main characters all had enough flaws to make them realistic and allow you to connect with their perspective. As an adoptive mom, it definitely presented the complicated aspects related to families that are built through surrogacy, egg donation, sperm donation, and adoption. Although this story focused on surrogacy and egg donation, many of the complications of feelings that arise are present across all non-traditional means of building a family. I think it is intensely important to present the reality of the trauma and multi-faceted feelings involved and I think this novel did an excellent job of portraying that. I found the ending to be a bit unrealistic, but it was satisfying, so I will take it!

This was a pretty wild read, told from multiple perspectives, and honestly the only character I liked was the baby.
This book takes place in the early 00s, and centers around Cally, a 19 year old surrogate (gestational carrier and egg donor), the insanely type A intended mother, Ruth, the uninterested intended father, Hal, and sperm donor, and the surrogate’s ex boyfriend.
So from the book synopsis it seems pretty clear that Cally must be the villain, but as the story unfolds it’s not so cut and dry. Honestly, I hated Ruth more from her first sentence. The husband was like so detached, it was bizarre.
And the whole premise felt unbelievable, I mean maybe things were different back in the day but I am pretty sure that surrogates have to have had at least one pregnancy to be a candidate. I also kind of hated the message I got from the story. I don’t want to give any spoilers but the ending was just so ethically complicated.
However, the way everything unfolded was really well done and the writing was compelling.

Thank you to Harper Books for my gifted review copy.

One of the things I enjoy the most when consuming any kind of media, is when it covers the gray areas of life. Imperfect characters, storylines that make you a bit uncomfortable, and hearing someone else's story, even when it can feel hard to understand.

Amidst the discomfort, also brings the humanness of even the trickiest of subjects. I love looking at something from someone else's viewpoint and understanding, even just a little bit, where they might be coming from. And that is where The Surrogate by Toni Halleen comes in.

This book covers surrogacy and the many perspectives and feelings that can be involved. The storyline is fast paced, but the intricately crafted chapters also leaves you with so much to ponder about parenthood, and what makes a family.

The characters are not portrayed as good or bad, but instead are just like most everyone, humanly flawed. The ending isn't tied up in a perfect bow like I first assumed, and instead was complex, compelling and very much unexpected.

I love reading this one, and I also appreciated the takeaways just as much. This would make for great book club discussion and I can't wait to discuss it with my own book group.

This one just didn’t work for me. I found it too predictable and like something I’ve read before. I also didn’t love the way it portrayed surrogacy. This one was a no for me, unfortunately.

Ruth is a journalist that is desperate to have a baby, so she and her husband hire a surrogate. Shortly after birth, the surrogate takes the baby from the hospital.
This is a thrilling story of family, lost and found.
Thanks to Harper and NetGalley for this opportunity.

This book was so good!! The twists and turns left me guessing until the end. The ending was a little meh for me, but I loved the rest of it.

The writing style of The Surrogate was so easy to read and totally bingeable! I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable, but I was glued to the pages to see how everything played out. While I appreciated the thoughtful conclusion, the end was not my favorite.

It is told from the POVs of Hal, Ruth, Cally, and Digger - which provided many perspectives of a surrogacy situation. There are a lot of emotions and challenges each must face. Many interesting topics around surrogacy that are explored which would make for a great buddy read or book club discussion.

This book had a really slow start for me.
Not only does this book have multiple pics, the first part of the book switches time frames almost every chapter. While the beginning was hard to follow at times, I was hooked from the beginning.
There were so many twists and turns, it keeps the pages turning easily and leaves you wanting to know what's going to happen next.
The ending was wonderful and surprisingly touching.

Thank you NetGalley, and Toni Halleen for my gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth and Hal meet Cally after making the hard decision of hiring a surrogate to help them build the family they want. As the story goes on secrets are spilled and hard decisions are made.

I enjoyed this book overall. I liked seeing into the process of surrogacy and how it can affect everyone involved in different ways. The only thing I didn’t like about this book were the characters. None of them were really likable or relatable for me. This book did keep me wanting to know what was going to happen next and if everything would work out in the end. I wasn’t sure who I was routing for but I did like how it ended up ending.

Ruth and Hall are a newlywed older couple looking for a surrogate. They select Cally—a nineteen-year-old who dreams of going to college and needs the cash. At first, this seems like the perfect arrangement for everyone involved. However, once Cally finally holds her baby girl in her arms, she has a change of heart and flees the hospital with her.

Furious, Ruth tries to track them down and a legal custody battle ensues.

The Surrogate by Toni Halleen takes what should be a complex and emotionally-driven premise and ruins it with poor character writing.

The majority of the characters in the novel are one-dimensional caricatures with the exception of Cally. I understood why she wanted to keep her baby and I honestly found her the most compelling character of the bunch.

Ruth, on the other hand, I found insufferable. I think the author was trying to make her come across as hyper-controlling so we root for Cally. However, some of Ruth’s inner dialogue feels downright bizarre and unnatural and I found myself constantly scratching my head, asking, "Who on Earth would actually use that phrase? Who would actually think that?"

Unfortunately, I'm really disappointed in this one. This could have been a poignant examination of motherhood and the surrogacy process if the characters and their actions had felt more believable.

This book was really an eye-opener. Looking at the story through the eyes of someone who was unable to have a child and had to seek surrogacy, and the difficulties that this led to, was very interesting.
The story revolves around Cally, a young woman who is a surrogate for Ruth. Ruth had been unable to carry a child to her knowledge and along with her husband they decided to hire a surrogate. The story, however, takes a turn right off the bat when Cally decides that she wants the baby and escapes from the hospital, running to a cabin in the woods.
The story was simple but also compelling at times because the character arcs and the beautfiul development of these characters was so captivating. I felt myself feeling sympathy for all characters, but ultimately realizing that this happens fairly frequently and the legal recourse for these situations is often long and difficult, ending with the child being in foster care until it gets worked out.
Great book!

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have always been fascinated by surrogacy so I was intrigued by this book from the start! Ruth and Hal meet later in life. He has teenage sons, but this is the first marriage fir Ruth and she has no kids. She realizes soon that focusing on her career for so long might have been a mistake. When she has a hard time getting pregnant they decide to find a surrogate. Enter Cally. Cally has big plans for herself and the money earned from carting the baby is just what she needs to help her go to college and get a good job. But then the baby is born. She just can’t give her over so she flees with the baby with the help of her ex-boyfriend.
At the end of the day who does the baby belong with? The biological father. Hal and his wife? Or the biological mother, Cally? Things get complicated quickly and all the legally binding contracts in the wolld can’t fix things.
This is a gripping story that was hard to put down. I highly recommend it!

I wanted to love The Surrogate, but it just didn't work for me. It was too predictable (especially the ending), and I didn't connect with any characters.

Overall, it was a fast-paced read that gives the reader a lot to think about regarding surrogacy.

The Surrogate is a fast-paced read, full of drama and heart. I liked the premise a lot, and have always been fascinated by the ins-and-outs and emotional toll of surrogacy.

I didn't love all the narrators, Cally was my favorite, though. This is a story with a lot of ethical conflict, one that presents both sides really well.

There were a few turns that read more than a little convoluted, but overall, I liked The Surrogate.

FINALLY! An ARC that I thoroughly enjoyed. I can't remember the last time an ARC held my attention the way that "The Surrogate" did. I think outside of the interesting plot, the fact that the story was being told from four different point of views and (at times) two timelines, kept the book moving and kept me wanting to hear more from the next character. There are a few little nuggets in that led me to believe there was going to be a surprise ending and there most definitely was a surprise ending, just not the one that I had planned on. Ultimately, I loved this book. Be sure to pre-order or grab your copy on the November 2nd release date!