This was a hard book, very beautiful and written so well however it was difficult and times to read due to the nature of the content. A daughter travels to the Caribbean where her mother lives only to see her dementia has gotten worse since the last time she visited and she must make the hard decision to make her mother move to the UK with her for support.
It is a heartbreaking tale of a daughter’s realisation that her mother is now a different person. I loved this book well done to the author for tackling such a subject in a beautiful way

This was such a heartbreaking book. It deals with the relationship between mothers and daughters. It talks a lot about dementia and was very hard to read in places. So well written

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

Steffanie Edward's debut novel, My Mother's Gift, is a heartwarming and emotional story about a young woman's journey of self-discovery, love, and healing. The novel follows the life of the protagonist, Mia, as she navigates through the different phases of her life, from childhood to adulthood, and the challenges she faces along the way.

The story begins with Mia's childhood, where she lives with her mother and grandmother in a small town in Jamaica. Mia's mother is a strong and independent woman who works hard to provide for her family, but she also has a dark secret that she keeps hidden from Mia. As Mia grows up, she becomes more curious about her mother's past and the reason behind her mother's emotional distance.

The plot takes an unexpected turn when Mia's mother dies suddenly, leaving Mia devastated and lost. However, Mia discovers a box of letters that her mother had written to her before she died, which reveal the truth about her mother's past and the sacrifices she made for Mia. Through these letters, Mia learns to forgive and understand her mother's actions, and she finds the strength to move on and follow her dreams.

What makes this book special is the author's ability to capture the raw emotions and complexities of human relationships. Steffanie Edward's writing is vivid and descriptive, and her characters are well-developed and relatable. The themes of family, love, loss, and forgiveness are interwoven throughout the story, making it a poignant and uplifting read.

Overall, My Mother's Gift is a beautifully written novel that will tug at your heartstrings and leave you feeling inspired. It is a powerful reminder of the importance of family and the enduring bond between a mother and her child. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys heartwarming stories about the power of love and forgiveness.

I really enjoyed the story kind of this book. It definitely kept my attention the whole entire time. Highly recommended.

Compelling story of Erica returning to St Lucia to look after her mother who is suffering from Alzheimers, a difficult subject dealt with compassionately and interesting details of Erica returning to the place that she had always felt that she didn't belong. A good mother and daughter story of two people coming to terms with their past

My Thoughts: well this book was an eye opener and a page turner, I devoured it in just one sitting, I couldn’t put it down even if at times I wanted to because my heart was breaking.

I don’t know who I felt more sorry for, Ione or Erica. They’re both going through the same thing but from different perspectives and at times I didn’t know who was worse off, the daughter watching her mother slowly disappear before her eyes, or the mother who doesn’t really know what’s happening and no longer feels like herself.

I’ve never had to experience a family member with Dimentia/Alzheimer’sbut I have friends who have & this just made me realise how hard it must be for them.

At times I couldn’t turn the pages quick enough because my heart was in my mouth and I needed to know that everything was going to work out ok.

I laughed, I cried and I got angry at various characters. What an absolute rollercoaster of emotions this book took me on, but knowing all that would I do it again… absolutely.

highly highly recommend this book!

This book was just Ok to me.
I think it does a good job of telling you about Alzheimer and being a caretaker but doesn't do as well with character development. I never felt connected to the characters and never really felt invested in the book.
If you want a good book about Alzheimer's and the starts of it, Still Alice in my mind is a much better book.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me this book for my honest opinion.

What a beautiful cover My Mother's Gift by Steffanie Edward is and this book was an excellent read........but you will need tissues. and lots of these This book just took my breath away and was very close to my heart. My mum suffered from Alzheimer’s/Dementia and I remember going through so many things Erica went through. I had to be strong for my mum and the people around me.
Everyday I spent with my mum, a little piece of her was disappearing in front of my very eyes and there was nothing I could do bar reassure her, keep her warm, tell her I love her etc.

When Erica one of the main character's in this book; gets an urgent phone call from her Aunt who lives in St. Lucia, that her mum, has gotten worse with her illness of Alzheimer's. Erica world stops all around her and panic's on what to do as she now lives in England.
Erica grew up in St. Lucia but it's not her home and had a difficult relationship with her mum. She is now faced with one of the biggest decisions she will have to make whether to bring her mother back with her to England to get proper help & assistance, or changing her life and uproot everything and go back to St. Lucia to someone who may not know her.

But, how much time has her mum got?

Erica knows she has to sacrifice her life as it is now and go to her mum and help her aunt.

What does she do?

What will be the best for her mum?

Oh Boy! This was a hard book to read...........and bought back so many memories and questions I had to ask myself recently.

Steffanie Edward's has written a beautiful personal book who's own mother is suffering from this illness. Best wishes to you both. This book is a must read and helped me, as at the time I felt I was the only one going through this with my mum.

I highly recommend this book, a box of tissues and a box of your favourite chocolates at your side....You will need them.

Big Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture for this ARC.

A powerfully written tale of love, identity and belonging, My Mother’s Gift is a poignant and heart-wrenching page-turner from gifted storyteller Steffanie Edward.

When Erica receives the shocking news that her mother Ione is ill in St Lucia, she feels compelled to go and be with her – even if her mother’s homeland is not somewhere Erica feels she can call home. As she arrives in St Lucia, Erica is determined not to stick around longer than she has to. Despite the many familiar things she sees and hears, Erica still feels like an outsider, but with her mother deteriorating fast, she knows that she must do what she can for Ione in her final days.

Erica is shocked to her very core when she gets to her mother’s house and finds Ione’s once pristine home to be dirty and messy. Although Ione is fading fast, her stubborn mother is refusing help from anybody other than family making Erica realise that she might have to stick around in St Lucia far longer than she had anticipated. The shocks for Erica keep coming because her mother has got one final surprise for her. As long-buried secrets come to light Erica finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew about her family, her mother and herself…

Written with sensitivity and compassion, Steffanie Edward’s My Mother’s Gift is a thought-provoking, emotional and highly satisfying tale about the destructive power of secrets, the ties that bind and finding somewhere to belong that aims for the heart and will bring a tear to the eye of even the most jaded and cynical of readers.

Steffanie Edward writes vividly and beautifully about the places she describes and the rich inner lives of her multi-faceted and nuanced characters and in My Mother’s Gift has written an astute and absorbing tale readers will not forget in a hurry.

This book just totally consumed me from start to finish.

Erica is in a really difficult position. She’s torn between two cultures, and she’s torn between wanting to do the right thing for her mum, and having her own life and responsibilities in England.

I think the author has done a marvellous job of handling such a sensitive topic in a way that although heart-breaking and poignant, is both realistic and respectful. Her depiction of the mother daughter relationship is so well done.

Above all else, this is a beautiful book to read. It’s emotional and very thought provoking and it’s so beautifully written. I couldn’t put it down and I think that it will stay in my heart and my mind for a long time to come.

My Mother’s Gift is touching and realistic fiction that revolves around Erica returning to her mother’s hometown on Caribbean island to take care of her mother with Alzheimer’s disease. The story is about mother-daughter relationship, coping with Alzheimer’s disease, unresolved issues, grief, sascrifice, family, friendship, and love.

Writing is touching, resonating, and sobering. The story is written in first person narrative from Erica’s perspective. Her voice is heartfelt and moving. There are intermittent flashbacks that gave glimpse on how Erica’s relationship was with her mother and what brought unresolved issues between them. I liked the beautiful setting of St. Lucia, a Caribbean Island and life of islanders.

The story started with Erica, arriving back to her hometown, St. Lucia, from England after getting a frantic phone call from her 80 yrs old aunty Barbarbara about her mother- Ione’s dementia getting worse and it’s getting hard for her to look after her. Ione was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 4 yrs ago. Erica wanted her to stay with her in England where she has job and life but Ione insisted on living in her own home in St. Lucia making Erica employ a carer for her and visit as much as she can but now that her condition is getting worse, Ione has driven away all carers, and aunty is too old to take care of Ione, Erica has to make the decision to either put her mother in a care home- that is frowned by islander and her aunty- or taker her mother back to England with her where she can get proper help and assistance. But as she spends time with her mother and sees how difficult it is to take care of her mother, soon it becomes hard to make any decision that can either make her look selfish or sacrifice her life and career in England.

All characters are realistic and relatable. I rooted for Erica from the beginning. I could understand her dilemma, her struggles, and emotions. It was poignant to see difficulties she faced on the island that didn’t have proper care home or hospital facilities, where she didn’t know anyone except few old relatives, and above all her mother’s dementia making her hurt and fraying the lose ends she never get to resolve before the disease took her. I also get her frustration towards her mother constantly asking for his dead partner who never treated her well, cheated her, and didn’t even spare Erica. It sure isn’t easy to let go of hatred towards such man, accept her own mother put him above her even after knowing his intentions towards her own daughter, and remembers him even in the disease.

I didn’t like Ione for that. I still can’t believe she chose to live with that cheating man and never confronted him for his interest in Erica. She even closed her doors when Erica needed her most because of that man. How could a mother do that! I get she stayed for money and security but was it really more important than her own daughter! I’m on Erica’s side here and also agree with her that she could leave him, find job, or take him to court but she didn’t and it isn’t easy to forgive or forget such thing. I don’t blame Erica for not having patience when Ione said hurtful things in aggressiveness of disease, unaware what she is doing to her daughter.

I loved other characters, Aunty Barbara (Ione’s elder sister), cousin Headley, cousin Hanna, friendly neighbor who all were supportive and helpful to Erica, gave her company and helped in looking after Ione when needed.

Best part of the book is the theme and layers in the story and representation of Alzheimer’s, how people cope with Alzheimer’s, not just the one who is suffering from it but also loved one in care of the sufferer, difficulties come with the disease, no matter how prepared one is there are uncertainties with this cruel disease, the vulnerability of disease, how hard it is to accept it, and taking help when required. I also liked layer of choices people make for security, mother-daughter relationship, and parenting through the backstory of characters. There is so much to learn and empathize with.

End is great. I liked Erica’s decision and how she found life along with her responsibility. Author mentioning in notes how her own mother suffered from the disease makes the story even more realistic and sensitive.

Why 4 stars-

I couldn’t exactly say but I felt there was something missing. Maybe it’s the pace or I didn’t buy Ione’s reason for staying with Mr Frank, I didn’t like her for brushing off what he did so easily trying to blame it on Erica or wanting her to be grateful for his money.

Overall, My Mother’s Gift is heartfelt, sensitive, poignant, and realistic women’s fiction about dealing with Alzheimer’s.

I recommend this if you like,
relatable and realistic fiction
story about Alzheimer’s disease
theme of grief and sacrifice
ownvoice
Caribbean setting

I spotlighted My Mother's Gift by Steffanie Edward as book of the day and included it in my weekly and monthly roundups of new releases on my Black Fiction Addiction platforms. I also interviewed the author.

Mediocre writing, unfulfilled promises, lackluster story line, but I liked the characters. Honestly I'm not sure why I finished it I think I just kept hoping for a little more and it wasn't bad enough to be painful it just wasn't good enough to be enjoyable.

The main character, Erica, leads a busy and fulfilling life in London. She is the Deputy Head of her school, is good friends with her boss and knows she stands a good chance of being promoted to her post when she retires. Her daughter, Millie, is grown and independent, leading a good life of her own. Meanwhile her mother, Ione, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's type dementia and chose to return to the place of her birth, St Lucia. Erica travels to see her during school holidays, knowing that Ione's sister lives close by to keep an eye out for problems. It is the sort of smaller community where everyone knows everyone and it is where her mother considers to be home. However, inevitably dementia progresses and Aunt Betty phones Erica, so that she gets permission to fly out before the school holidays begin to try and sort out her mother's predicament.

Dementia is a cruel and challenging disease. Erica is faced with difficult situations and decisions, but she also has the opportunity to reflect on what matters most in her own life and what her future holds.

There is a strong sense of place in this book. I have never been fortunate enough to visit St Lucia, nor indeed the Caribbean, but Steffanie Edward paints a vivid picture of life on the island and it sounds glorious: the heat, the sea, the tropical fruits and flowers.

I really enjoyed reading this story and thought it balanced loss and hope superbly. An excellent read.

Excuse me, I’m still crying…🥺

Mother’s Gift by Steffanie Edward is absolutely gut wrenching. But… it’s also beautiful, raw, and real. I haven’t had a book pull at my heart this hard in quite a while and I give a lot of credit to this author to be able to pull off that kind of emotion in the writing.

Written in first person via Erica’s point of view, we get a deep understanding of who she is and what she’s experiencing. I think she is a fantastic main character and her journey through this book is very heartfelt.

Topics include Alzheimer’s Disease and the death of a child, which can be quite triggering for some. I did cry. A lot. So, obviously, if emotional stories are difficult, this may not be the best. But for me, this is why I read. I want real and this is a great example of that.

Overall, My Mother’s Gift is a compelling read that I definitely recommend.

Thank you to Bookouture for the free review copy. All opinions are my own and unbiased.

Thank you so much to the guys over at @bookouture for allowing me to be on this blog tour for this heartbreaking and hard hitting novel

Synopsis:
When Erica gets a phone call to say her mother, Ione, is ill in St Lucia, she knows she must go to her, even though their relationship has always been difficult. The island – the place of her mother’s birth – is somewhere that Erica has never called home. But stepping into her mother’s house, she is shocked by what she finds. Her mother’s memory is fading and she is having strange, erratic episodes. Erica knows the right thing to do is to stay with her, even if it means leaving everything in England behind.

Opinion:
As someone who has witnessed multiple family members suffer from dementia, this book I think captures the true essence and reality of what that is like. The book shows true depth and emotion of the main character and how upsetting it is for her to arrive home for her mother to have gotten significantly worse than when she last saw her. I would consider this to be quite a character focussed novel with flashbacks of the past highlighting their mother daughter relationship while in present day her mother sometimes thinks she’s a stranger.

Overall, this was a very hard hitting and heartbreaking novel outlining the distress that dementia brings on the family and how familial love is a precious thing

This was a heartbreaking read about a woman losing her mother to Alzheimer’s. She is also forced to confront painful truths from the past. As someone who had a parent and grandparent with dementia, I know that towards the end they live mostly in the past, and I know the pain of watching a parent forget you. The author lays this story out in a forthright way, without trying to sugarcoat the truth. Caring for a patient with Alzheimer’s/Dementia is incredibly tough, not very pretty, and you need help. Erica’s journey to get to the point where she accepts help, and the decision about what that is going to entail, is a big part of the story. It is also a journey of acceptance–acceptance of the past, and acceptance of a new future.

I found the descriptions of life in St. Lucia and the Caribbean culture interesting and I hope to learn more about it.

I received a free copy of this book from Bookouture via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

A phone call from her beloved Auntie sends Erica to St. Lucia as her mother Ione really needs help. Ione has Alzheimer’s and it has become unsafe for her to remain alone in her home. Quite naturally, Erica drops everything and leaves London to see how she can best care for her mother.

Her ultimate goal is to bring her mother back home to London with her, but before that would be even possible, she must navigate some very choppy waters. For starters, her mother is even worse than she could have imagined and Erica quickly realizes that Ione’s safety is a great concern.

Erica experiences role reversal with her mother as Ione’s periods of lucidity are quite limited. What is not limited is Erica's love for her mother. Seeing Ione in this condition is unbearably painful.

What a heartbreaking book! I often read books from cover-to-cover in one sitting. Not so with My Mother’s Gift. Although I don’t have any relatives with dementia nor have I ever met anyone with the devastating condition, Steffanie Edward penned this book in such a way to make me feel all the pain, all the sadness and all of the loss. She definitely hit the ball out of the park when it came to the sensitivities surrounding dementia in fact, this book made me think of Lisa Genova’s equally heartbreaking book, Still Alice.

Thank you Ms. Edward for handling such a sensitive topic by coming from a place of love, caring and respect.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

My Mother’s Gift is an emotional read, especially for those that have dealt with Alzheimer’s. For those of us who haven’t, the author presents an honest, heartfelt account of what that experience can be like.

I have to admit that I want blown away by this book. Honestly, I prefer books with lost of twists and turns. What this book is is an account of a certain period of time in two women’s lives. I wasn’t able to relate in any way to the characters, but I could appreciate the pain that they felt. I was also able to feel the love between the characters, and the emotion the author put into this story.

I also loved the setting of My Mother’s Gift. St. Lucia sounds like a wonderful place and the people and scenery there shed some light into the heavy lives of the characters.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'My Mother's Gift' by Steffanie Edward.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Steffanie Edward, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous.

Publication date 22nd March 2022.

This is the second book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'This Other Island' which was Steffanie's debut novel and a book I would recommend.

I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis. I am a fan of Steffanie and if this book is half as good as 'This Other Island' it is bound to be a great read. It also stated in the synopsis that this book is 'A captivating tale of grief, love, and what it means to find home, perfect for fans of Andrea Levy, Jojo Moyes and Amanda Prowse'. I am a huge fan of Jojo Moyes so am looking forward to see if it lives up to this. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 47 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in St Lucia 🇱🇨, the Caribbean x

This book is written in first person perspective with the main protagonist being Erica. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are, as long as they are well written, it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.

'My Mother's Gift' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Steffanie discusses/ includes Alzheimer's disease and death of a child.

This book is well written with vivid descriptions that places you on the scenes throughout. The cover, title and synopsis work well with the storyline.

The storyline itself is absolute emotional rollercoaster as we see Erica's life change dramatically after she goes over to St Lucia to go look after her mother believing it is temporary. It was extremely thought provoking and an emotional rollercoaster throughout and really makes you realose the impact Alzheimer's disease has not only on it's victim but in their family and friends. My Nan had dementia as does my Grandad and it is absolutely heartbreaking to watch them decline. The fact that Steffanie has experience with looking after someone with dementia absolutely shines through along with the fact that she has researched Kweyol. The dialect that it was written in really helped me feel like I was being spoken to in the characters accents which brings authenticity to the storyline and really does put you in St Lucia. The plot itself was devastatingly realistic and something thay thousands of people go through on a regular basis, this also helped me picture the scenes. It is a beautiful, eloquant novel which covers an extremely difficult and heartbreaking subject but Steffanie has woven it into the storyline perfectly. It is filled with love, heartbreak, compassion, frustration, grace, family and every emotion you can think of! Tissues are a must have before you pick this book up as you are about to embark on a rollercoaster of emotions.


It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.

The characters were strong and realistic and each had their own personalities. I became completely invested in and really felt for Erica on many occasions throughout the book. Steffanie really portrays her emotions and my heart absolutely broke for her. It also went out to her mum Ione for what she went through before and during her health decline. I also enjoyed meeting Headley, Millie, Claire, Hannah and Barbara and was pleased that Erica had so many supportive family and friends around her. I hope that she found the happiness that she thoroughly deserved. I could not stand Frank who was a complete chauvinistic pig. However, it would be boring if you got along with every character!! Each of the characters had their own unique personalities which all worked perfectly with the storyline.

Overall an emotionally charged novel that will keep you hooked throughout.

Genres covered in this book include Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction and Coming-of-age amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Andrea Levy, Jojo Moyes and Amanda Prowse.


298 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle or free on kindle unlimited via Amazon (at time of review) which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 4 /5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews

#MyMothersGift #Bookouture #SteffanieEdward #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour
@SteffanieEdward @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86

https://kcmw86.wixsite.com/bookworm86

https://m.facebook.com/Bookworm1986/?ref=bookmarks

https://m.facebook.com/Bookwork86/?__tn__=%2As-R