Loved the insight to autism. My son is autistic and this taught me so much. Truly ever child is different neuro typical or not. A great book for anyone wanting to learn more about autism and for being a parent to a special needs child,

Thank you Netgalley & HTP Books for an eARC of Forever Boy by Kate Swenson. I’ve been following Kate’s blog Finding Cooper’s Voice for as long as I can remember. Having a very close child in my family with Autism, I was thrilled to see this book available on Netgalley. This is a truly inspiring story and memoir about motherhood and unconditional love.

Parents-to-be never anticipate their child having special needs. Autism is often late to be diagnosed, and difficult to get answers and services for - especially before the child turns 2 years old.

Kate’s memoir takes us through her emotions and feelings throughout her son’s diagnosis process and how she’s grown into an even stronger and more supportive mother to her son. For those who are and aren’t close to someone with Autism, this is a great book to educate and give you all of the feels.

Expectant mothers and fathers never dream of a special needs child. It makes it even more difficult when a complete diagnosis cannot be given until their child is at least two years old.

When author Kate Swenson gave birth to her first child, Cooper, she knew something was wrong. He made little noise, and as he never reached the milestones that other children did. Although she was convinced that something was horribly wrong, what she read on the internet did not align with what she knew.

Loving Cooper was easy. He was a sweet little boy, no trouble, with a head of golden hair. He did communicate, in his way.

Cooper was finally diagnosed with severe, non-verbal autism. Kate and her husband were immediately relived and scared. Relieved that they weren’t making things up. Now that they knew, they could work toward making Cooper’s life as fulfilling as possible. It just wouldn’t be in the ways they imagined during their pregnancy.

At first, I thought this might be a hard book to read, and in some ways it was. But as Karen “found joy,” in her son, she let go of all the negativity that she experienced. Turns out, having a child with severe special needs can be a blessing. A parent might have to look for it, look really, really, hard, but it can be found.

I found Karen and Cooper’s story uplifting. “Forever Boy: A Mother’s Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Given how closely relatable I am to Kate’s story, I found this to be very difficult to rate and review. Kate’s blog ‘Finding Coopers Voice’, and now her memoir Forever Boy is in response to her being a mother to an autistic son. When my now ten year old was two I discovered her blog and found it helpful to know that I wasn’t alone.

Her memoir describes her emotions and feelings on the diagnosis process to the disappointment and huge levity that was placed on her discovering her child would have special needs.
She turned those frustrations and frights into being a strong supportive mother who wouldn’t change a thing about her son.


Personal Thoughts:
I’m very proud Kate has found peace, joy and hope for her son. Most families have no idea what it’s like to raise a child of special needs; however, it’s like anything else. You will happily look at someone else trainwreck and not even try to find any understanding or empathy.
This was where I felt Kate’s memoir lacked. You can remove the Autism and replace it with anything else and it would be the same. Every mother who doesn’t go the distance for their children should be ashamed of themselves.
Plus, can someone show me “severe autism” in the DSM so we can ALL fully comprehend the difference of diagnosing someone with “SEVERE AUTISM” compared to “NONSEVRRE Autism”?? That’s right…It DOES NOT Exist!! Also, we are in 2022, its about time even Mom’s with Autistic children…STOP saying “My child with Autism”!

What do you call a child diagnosed with Diabetes? Most say they are diabetic, otherwise, it is sooo demeaning to that individual being put a label saying I’m one with. . .

NOTE; I’m speaking to those who read this book, hoping to get a better understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Please, the best place to find these answers is thru the #ActuallyAutistic community. We are the ones who have been born Autistic and provide you with the knowledge everyone needs. Even parents of Autistic kids.

Thank you @netgalley and @parkrow books for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was an amazing and heartfelt memoir. Being a parent is an impossible job, and this memoir highlights the lengths to which a mothers love is unconditional and unceasing. Just beautiful.

One of the best books I have read. It had me crying and laughing at the same time. I have never felt so seen before. I have never felt so connected to a story. I would absolutely recommend this book to anybody!

This book is an ode to motherhood. It highlights the good, bad, and ugly. It covers topics like marriage, parenting, education, and awareness for individuals with special needs. Kate reveals the journey that her life took when an unexpected detour happened. She gracefully shares the process of grieving, accepting, and advocating. She sits with her readers in the dark and gives them a glimpse of light as she acknowledges the joy as well. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to bring change to the world or whom may be feeling alone in this world.

Many years ago, I started following Kate's blog, Finding Coopers Voice on FB after I saw a video she posted about her son Cooper and Autism. The video she posted had gone viral, and to say it touched me is an understatement. You see, I understood exactly what she was saying. My son struggled in his early years, and there was a long time that I held close to me those same fears that Kate expressed in her video.

So when I saw her book on Netgalley, I requested it and when I saw the publisher was offering a review copy I jumped on it. Her story and Coopers story is wonderfully told in this book. Her struggles, his struggles, the family and their struggles as a whole, but also all those cherished and happy moments are all shared in such a touching way. I don't mind admitting that I cried thru most of this book, as I am right now while writing this review. I found myself yelling "Yes!! This is exactly how I felt!!"

This book is a wonderful testament to a mom who never gave up on her son. A mom who fought for her family and is still fighting today. 5⭐

In Forever Boy, Kate Swenson eloquently takes us with her on her journey into a joyful life with her son, Cooper. Cooper has autism. As a parent, Kate struggled to find the reality of who her son was and to not relinquish all the dreams she had for Cooper. Kate dealt with the heartbreak of not being able to communicate with Cooper and watching behaviors escalate, all the while grasping for any opportunity to turn Cooper's story around. Because Kate emerged into joy with the family intact that she dreamed of from early childhood, her message is meant for those who like her are isolated and feel no option but to believe the doomsday predictions for their child. Though I do not directly care for anyone on the autism spectrum my long-running interest in the journey such families take was born in part because of my experience as a pediatric nurse and due to my involvement with a close family member with a daughter with autism. I recommend this book as an excellent read for everyone because Kate's story grabs your heart and her desire to educate those of us on the sidelines is intense. Kate encourages me to reach out with a smile and a kind word and to set an example and interact with those whose behaviors we might not always understand. Whether you read Kate's story because you are traveling the same path or for more insight into the journey, you will come away uplifted. I would like to say thank you to Net Galley and Park Row books for making this copy available for me to enjoy.

If you want a better understanding of autism, I would highly recommend this book. Five our of five stars. And here's why...
As a parent of a son with autism, I found Kate's story real. Really real. It is peppered with humor and truth. I laughed out loud. I read in shock. I cried tears for her son, my son, her family, and ours. But most of all, I love that she wrapped it in hope.
Our family's autism journey is very similar, yet very different. But "Forever Boy" made me feel seen, understood, and not alone on our journey.
Parents of children with autism can read this book and be seen. Kate sits with you. You are not alone.
Teachers, family members, friends, caregivers, neighbors...um, anyone can read this book and have a better understanding of what autism can be like for parents, siblings, and families. If you think you don't know anyone with autism, you are probably wrong and you are missing out on a beautiful gift.

Kate tells a beautiful story of a family choosing hope and joy even in the face of the unexpected and oftentimes difficult. Kate doesn’t hide the hard parts of autism. Cooper is a beautiful boy and is changing the world in his story.

This book is exactly what my heart needed. I had the privilege of reading this book prior to its release on April 5th. Like many others who were also part of the launch team, it felt like Kate was telling our story. From feeling like it must be my fault that he was such a difficult baby and that I was bad at being a mom, to feeling alone because friends with similar aged kids were sleeping through the night and talking while we struggled with no sleep and screaming. To relating to people not being accepting of our son..looking at you church lady at the MMO program. That moment you point blank asked if my son had special needs because you likely couldn't accommodate him if so. I, too, sat up late at night quietly, secretly taking the MCHAT and manipulated answers to keep my fears from being our truth. The feeling of grief overtook me randomly at a friend's wedding years after our diagnosis when the mother/son dance started. My heart ached, knowing it wouldn't be my reality. I now have a sense of peace while continuing to navigate this unknown journey.

This book will be the light at the end of the tunnel it speaks of for so many families. This book would have given me so much more hope and helped me see the beauty to come during those dark times immediately after our son was diagnosed. It will be a lifesaver to so many. This book is a true gem. 💙

This book is a must read by everyone. It will open doors to compassion, understanding, love, and community support. It allows you into the hard but shows you the joy of autism.
There is so much love and rawness in these pages. Unapologetically truthful, letting you feel ALL the emotions. It's hard to put down. Some of the most beautiful and elegant writing I've had the joy to experience.

Beautifully written. As someone who doesn't have an autistic child but has family who do, I now have a much better understanding of the daily (and minute by minute) struggles that a family lives with. An insight into how difficult it was just to get diagnosed was very heartbreaking to me. A person with a different ability shouldn't have to wait years to get assistance! Hopefully this book will open eyes and hearts into the world of all those with different abilities.
Thank you, Kate for sharing your story. You are doing a wonderful job!

A beautiful memoir of a mother’s journey through her oldest son’s autism diagnosis. It explains the secret life of autism exceptionally well.

Amazing book that I encourage everyone to read.

For person who’s child was recently diagnosed, a parent going thru it, or someone who wants to learn more about Autism, Kate Swenson gives us a first hand experience about severe autism from the day Cooper was born, being diagnosed and present time.

A memoir of a woman whose oldest son was diagnosed with severe autism along with a few other diagnoses. This felt very surface-level - like a summary of her life - I was looking for some more introspection. There were moments of that, but it needed more to balance out.

As someone who has no personal experience with and limited knowledge of autism, I found this book to be informative, engaging and beautifully written. I feel it would appeal both to parents looking for guidance if this is something they are trying to navigate, as well as to those who would like to learn more about a subject they know little about. Many thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book.

Forever Boy is an amazing memoir of true grit and love of a family and especially a mother for their special needs autistic child Cooper. I loved her comment that a special needs child did not take a special person but a special needs child made a caretaker special., which is so true. Every person needs to read this book to try to learn and understand what challenges autism presents. I truly enjoyed and learned so much from this book.

I follow Kate’s page on Facebook and I’m so glad I was able to get an advanced copy of her book, thanks NetGalley! This was a great read, an important read. There are many people in our world who are like Cooper but they don’t have someone to fight with them and we need to hear more of their stories.