I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. It was slow and the writing wasn’t very compelling. I did appreciate the family saga of it all and thought the bones of the story were great.

Thank you Netgalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel M. Harper's "The Other Mother" is an emotionally charged and thought-provoking novel that delves deep into the complexities of motherhood, identity, and the fragile nature of human connections. With its gripping narrative, rich character development, and nuanced exploration of sensitive topics, Harper creates a compelling story that lingers in the minds of readers long after they have turned the final page.

Harper's writing is engaging, evocative, and poignant. She skillfully explores the emotional terrain of her characters, immersing readers in their joys, fears, and heartaches. Each chapter offers a glimpse into the minds of the different people in Jenry's life, allowing readers to develop a deep understanding of their individual struggles and motivations. The author's ability to navigate the intricacies of these characters' lives with empathy and authenticity is truly commendable.

Nevertheless, "The Other Mother" is an engrossing read that resonates with its readers on a deeply human level. Rachel M. Harper's ability to tackle complex issues with sensitivity and insight is a testament to her storytelling prowess. It is a book that sparks important conversations about motherhood, identity, and the bonds that connect us all.

This is a multigenerational family saga, told from multiple POV, about a young man in search of the family he's never known. Full of secrets, estranged relationships, betrayal, grief, and forgiveness. Somewhat slow-paced, especially in the beginning, it makes up for this with rich characters and a nuanced story that delves deep into the complexities of family trauma. I appreciated the non-traditional portrayals of motherhood as well as the motives behind family secrets. 4/5 stars.

Jenry thinking he's learning about his father who died years, only to find out that his mother was with a woman not a man. Now Jenry's on the hunt to find his other mother. I liked Jenry, I felt sorry for him. I liked hearing about Jenry's mother's background. I got lost listening to the background, it was so relaxing. This book was long but good. As much as I liked this book, I don't think I'll be reading anything else by this author.

Rachel M. Harper’s The Other Mother is a story of family relationships, racial and sexual identity, and loss. It follows a young man named Jenry, an up-and-coming pianist, as he begins to discover the truth of his past that has been kept from him by his single mother and his maternal grandparents. Jenry enters college and seeks out information about the man he has been told was his father. Once Jenry sets out to discover the truth about his parentage, the reader sees the story from the perspective of the other characters as well. We get to know each of Jenry’s parents and grandparents, their stories interwoven through past and present.

This book is intricate and complex. The reader is apprised to the truth long before characters within the book are. We learn about Jenry’s true parentage, and get to know his true family. There have been a lot of lies and secrets, and most of them are unraveled before the story ends.

Ultimately, I felt this book was about how we create our own family based on who we let in, who we keep out, and who we choose to be every day. This is a book that makes the reader consider what they would do if they were in each character’s shoes and consider a variety of perspectives on the same events.

Overall, I liked this book. It has well-written characters and a strong sense of time and place.

Jenry's mother Marisa has never talked to him about his father Jaspar. And there's something else she hasn't told him which is key to their story. This family saga is filled with secrets and lies all uncovered as Jenry, a freshman at Brown, meets his grandfather. It's not Jaspar, who is dead, that is the important family member but his sister Juliet, the other mother who has been unacknowledged by Marisa. This is told from the perspective of the people in Jenry's life. It's a sad story of missed chances and hidden lives. While it might have benefited from a trim here and there, it kept me reading. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I love the way this story is told in a chapter from each person in Jenry’s life. The novel is full of reflective thought underscored by love about what makes a family and how hurtful actions are taken in the name of love. It is a beautifully written book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Counterpoint Publishers for the ARC to read and review.

I’ll just say I didn’t enjoy this. The book is too long, too wordy, too much for such an empty story. Everyone in this book was lying to themselves and to everyone else in their life. Every single person. What a group of liars. In the end poor Jenry never even finds out his own truth, how is that ok? Everyone deserves to know their own history. Will Juliette and Noelle also keep this from their new addition?

This was a painful read, not in a good way. Not sad, just bad.

This was a book about family secrets and finding out more than you bargained for. A man looked for the father he never knew and even went to far as to attend the same college his mother attended to get more of a feel for them and instead ended up finding a mother he didn’t know existed because nothing he had been told about his past was true. There were a lot of layers and details here!

I read a brief synopsis of the book from social media and I knew that I had to read it. This book was very intricately written. When reading a book, I am mostly interested in one character over the rest. However, in this book, the writing was so compelling that I was interested in all of the characters. For some characters I disliked, I ended up liking them because the author showed their humanity through the storyline. I could not stop reading this novel. I loved how interconnected every character was throughout the book. The author truly showed the butterfly effect at play throughout the novel. Thank you for this ARC. I am now currently looking for more from this author

Fascinating plot and vivid characters scaffold this bold new novel by a wonderful writer. The characters make this novel, all complex, nuanced and fascinating.

Well, that certainly was different than what I normally read. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. This made me "wow" and "what?!" and "oh my gods" a few times, so there's that.

A beautifully written novel ,,a young man’s search for family for the truth about his long dead father.A book that takes a surprising turn when he discovers the man he thought of as a parent was nothing more then a sperm donor enabling the man’s sister and her love to have a child.The revelations of the true family he had his two mothers and all that reveals of his roots was eye opening emotional and immediately drew me inwanting to know so-much more.#netgalley #theothermother

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this story.
This was a very moving story about a young man in search of the father he never knew. When Jenry was two years old, his mother moved back wjth her parents, leaving his other family behind. As Jenry grew okder, he asked more questions about his father. He decided to apply to the same college his mother attended and where she met Jenry's father. What he found there was more questions, more lies and the other mother he didn't remember having.
All these secrets in the name of love.
I really cared about these characters. I understood their morives for keeping Jenry in the dark all iof those years, but that doesn't mean I think they were right. This story had many layers, many stories that needed to be heard.
The author did a wonderful job unravelling the past in order for Jenry to have a future. I give this book 4 out of 5.

The story of a family held together and torn apart by lies all, supposedly , in the name of doing good.

Marisa and Juliet have a child by donor, supposedly Juliet's gay brother who passes before the child's birth. The women break up, and Marisa (the birth mother) moves home to Miami and raises him with her Cuban parents.

One the boy is grown, he returns to his mothers' alma mater to hunt for his birth father. He discovers not his birth father, but his grandfather, Juliet's father. Many of the secrets of this family begin to unravel once he confronts his mothers and grandfather.

Many twists, and good dialogue.

The Other Mother by Rachel M. Harper is a thought-provoking novel with a riveting character arc. Ms. Harper moved back and forth in time seamlessly, and has drawn a compelling portrait of a man in search of connection. I enjoyed every page. Highly recommend!

Rachel Harper gives us an opportunity through The Other Mother to explore the questions of nature vs. nurture along with the possibilities of different cultures surviving and melding together, or not, while faced with personal obstacles of family, race, money, sexual orientation. A thought provoking story.