Oh my. A brilliant concept but how could this story ever have a happy ending? Quinn has obsessively devoted the last five years of her life to her quest of becoming a mother. She and her husband James are in last chance saloon when they discover that a terrible mistake has been made and their embryo has been implanted in somebody else. For the last four years their little girl has called another woman mummy. What would you do? This novel throws up so many ethical and moral dilemmas. Does being biological parents trump giving birth and loving a child for four years? What is in the best interests of the child? Staying with the only mother she has ever known and loved or being given to the strangers who share your genes?

The way the story is written brilliantly shines a spot light on both sides of the argument. You feel for Quinn and her terrible loss but what about Nora who gave birth to and has loved little Emily all her life. As previously mentioned, there can be no happy ending here but I had to keep reading to find out who would win and who would lose, if you can even describe what is at stake here as a winner and a loser. This would make a great book club choice, although, like some other reviewers I found the epilogue a bit contrived. Plenty of room for discussion though.

Heartfelt And Intriguing Tale That You Still Want To Throw Out The Nearest Window. This is truly a heartfelt and intriguing tale that explores the ethics, legalities, and emotions of both sides of an issue that is close enough to being all-too-real as to be scary. In this era of IVF, frozen eggs/ embryos, surrogate parents, and similar and related concepts, the central premise here of a lab screw up resulting in one couples' embryo being implanted into nd successfully borne by a complete stranger... is truly scarily plausible, at minimum. Wiesner does a truly phenomenal job throughout this tale of showing the very real questions and emotions of such an issue from nearly every (female) angle - emotional, legal, ethical, relational, etc. The male characters... are a bit more one dimensional and lacking. They work well enough for the purposes of this story, but they're never given the thought or care that the female characters are.

And yet, that isn't what actually makes you want to throw this book out the nearest window. *That* comes from just how desperate both of these women are to have kids, that they'll put themselves and everyone around them through such trauma and drama. I understand the perils of the childless, to a point. But as someone who is happily child *free* (yes, there is a difference - the "less" are those such as the women here that can never let go of the desire to have children, the "free" are those who have chosen to not have kids or who have embraced and celebrate that they will never have kids)... I admit that I'll never understand the childless crowd. There is so *much* to be said about being childfree and how satisfying and fulfilling the childfree life can be, and Wiesner's tale here shows just how fraught and horrifying the childless life can be.

But that last paragraph was a bit of a digression. Seriously, Wiesner does a phenomenal job here with the tale she has chosen to tell, to the level that it is abundantly clear that she herself is somewhere in the less/ free space or is *close* to someone who is. Very much recommended.

I love this author! She is always great with writing a beautiful story that intrigues and still pulls on heartstrings. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Our Stolen Child by Melissa Wiesner that I read and reviewed.
This book was a very good book that takes the reader on an emotional ride from the start to the finish. I can honestly say I really disliked the husband in the book and I wanted to slap him more then once. He was a total jerk and I really wanted him gone. This couple was going through so much and he was not invested in his wife like he should have been at all. But, I loved how the author ended this book. I was crying like a baby.
Our Stolen Child gets five out of five stars from me.

Our Stolen Child was a very interesting storyline. Overall it held my attention, and was an enjoyable-if slightly farfetched read. I appreciate the opportunity to read an ARC!

💫 Our Stolen Child 💫
By Melissa Wiesner
Publisher: Bookouture (Sept 13.2022)
Genre: Fiction

What would you do if the embryo you and your husband had frozen mistakingly was transferred into someone else? What if that little miracle baby is now a little girl of 4 yrs old? How do you sift through the emotional part of knowing you have a biological child out there and not one in your arms?

Quinn’s obsession with pregnancy and the details with ivf are bang on. The complicated, emotional waves of frustration, hope, anger, desperation and jealousy come like waves in the book which are identical to a lot of women facing infertility battles. It’s a roller coaster of emotions that play out on these pages. So without needing to say more, this book is one to pick up knowing that some may find themselves within the pages and some may be shocked. The reality is that we can learn from both lens: feeling like you’re not alone and understanding the level of pain are both important.

It’s got every flippant comment that someone says, it’s got the arguments between spouses and the gulf that comes between the person trying to conceive and … well… everyone else.
Either the author experienced these emotions or someone close to her did because they’re bang on

This is not a book for everyone. My own lens of opinion was shaped by my IVF journey so if you pick it up, be mindful of the emotional charge and rawness of what is a compelling and complicated storyline.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Our Stolen Child’ written by Melissa Wiesner in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Quinn and James Marcello have been using IVF and hoping to conceive a child of their own. When they arrive at the clinic for a last attempt they’re told that their final embryo was mistakenly given five years ago to another woman, Nora Robinson, who went on to give birth to a healthy daughter Emily. There’s no doubt that Quinn is the little girl’s biological mother as they look identical so Quinn and James employ a lawyer to fight for sole custody. But things have a habit of not working to plan.

‘Our Stolen Child’ is a beautifully written family drama of a little girl that’s wanted by two families who are ready to fight in a Court of Law to win custody of her. This is a novel that I read in a day, that’s easy to read but impossible to put down. The characters are perfectly described, the story thought-provoking as it deals with sensitive issues that are handled with empathy and compassion. I was affected by both women, their hopes and fears, and the uncertainly that what they’re doing is fair to the other. This is an exceptional story that twists and turns until the wonderful conclusion is reached, and although the first I’ve read by this author it definitely won’t be the last.

All Quinn ever wanted was to be a mother. So when Quinn and her husband James enter their last round of IVF, she finds out that there was a mix up at the fertility clinic. Quinn is absolutely devastated. How could this have happened, They find out their daughter, Emily is being raise by another woman who lives nearby.

The book was impossible to put down. It has everything in it, court drama, 2 women battling over a well loved child. Without giving a spoiler, I won't say anything more, except, I truly loved this book. It was written with raw emotion.

I really like books with dual POV's. I couldn't out this down.

I loved this book. Brilliant storyline and very well written. It's one of those books that is so easy to read and so hard to put down. I flew through it wanting to find out how it finished. Highly recommend.

This is a sensational family drama with twists and turns you will not see coming. Heartfelt and emotional, it was everything a great read should be. Looking forward to adding this new-to-me author to my favorites!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

Quinn wants nothing more than to be a mother. However, it has taken multiple rounds of IVF and still, Quinn and James remain childless. At their recent appointment for the implantation of their last embryo, a devasting event is recounted. Their embryo is missing, and later discovered to have been implanted into another woman. Quinn and James do have a child, a little girl, (Emily) being raised by another mother, Emily. If you knew that your child was being raised by another mother, what would you do? This book was impossible to put down. Quinn’s pain was clearly felt throughout the story. She wanted nothing more than to be a mother, but would she be given the chance? Nora is unwilling to give up her little girl, and the decision as to where Emily would live, is being left up to the courts. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

the story of James and Quinn who's frozen embryo is given to someone else, I couldn't put the book down, read in two days.

The premise of Our Stolen Child might be a little sensitive of some readers.
The courts can determine parental rights. A parent, however, is responsible for making the right choices for their child. The story follows Quinn and Nora’s struggles with infertility and their respective role as a biological parent vs a gestational parent. Our Stolen Child is thought provoking, quick read. I was intrigued from the first chapter.
Thank You to Bookouture, NetGalley and Melissa Wiesner for the opportunity to enjoy this ARC.

A beautifully written and emotive read that was gripping right from the start. I found myself tearing up at the relatable characters and their stories in this book. I coudn't put it down.

Beautifully written, with tenderness and a real sense of the issues.handled sensitively and totally hooked me. I really enjoyed it.

I love a book that after a few pages you are totally hooked and can’t put it down and this one is definitely one of those books. It’s a storyline you can totally identify with even if it’s something that you haven’t or never will experience yourself. The storyline and pace flowed perfectly and it’s written in such a way you can feel the feels with the characters. I loved Quinn and Liam as characters and I also loved how the story played out. This one definitely hits differently and I really enjoyed it. Such a quick easy read (which is funny to say given the subject) but I had it devoured in a day.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read #OurStolenChild

A moving story that pulls on the heart strings. I related to both women in this story that centres around motherhood and the rights over who should parent four year old Emily. Nora has been raising young Emily since giving birth to her following IVF treatment. When Quinn and James go to use their last frozen embryo in their last cycle of IVF they are devastated to find out the clinic made an error four years ago and implanted it in another woman. The battle ensues as to who should parent young Emily . The author delves into what it is that makes a mother, the power and the desire to be a mother and the depths of a mothers love. A beautiful book that will stay with me for a long time.

Our stolen child was beautifully written, I love how Quinn and Nora are mothers but in their own special way. Quinn as biological and Nora as gestational. I wasn’t very into Nora’s character in the beginning cause she was just being unreasonable and unfair to Quinn. I do wish this book had dual POVS. So we could have been able to read Nora’s side and how she felt as well. But other then that this was a beautiful story and written amazingly, I loved the emotion that was put into this story, the hope, the grief, the joy, the love! I do recommend this book if you want to feel different kind of emotions all at once

Thank you to NetGalley and bookouture for my copy in exchange for an honest review

Our Stolen Child is a sweet, touchy-feely story of a couple, James and Quinn, who have tried desperately for years to have a child by IVF. After many failures, they just know their last frozen embryo is going to be the one to "take." Tragically, they learn that the embryo was given by mistake to another woman, and the result was a little girl, now four years old, who calls another woman "Mommy."

Through the drama and heartache of deciding whether to give up their dream of a child, or whether to fight for custody of a beautiful little girl who doesn't know them, but is their biological daughter, James and Quinn struggle with serious additional issues within their marriage.

This was a tender and well-written novel, although midway through the book, I already knew how it was going to play out. I could only hope at that point that there would be a weird twist that I couldn't predict, but it was not to be. I wasn't disappointed in the ending at all; I just saw it coming and wasn't surprised.

Along with figuring out the ending early on, one other thing bothered me. Quinn was just too good to be true. She was almost literally a saint. She was able to feel compassion, empathy, forgiveness, like no other. She was, in short, unbelievable.

Despite it all, I did enjoy the book for a light read that didn't make me have to think too hard.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3 stars

Book Title: Our Stolen Child
Author: Melissa Wiesner
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Chick Lit
Pub Date: September 13, 2022
My Rating: 3.6 Stars

Quinn and James Marcello have tried IVF without success many time are now down to their last saved embryo. However, their doctor reveals that there has been a terrible mistake; their last embryo—as accidentally given to someone else four years ago and they have a girl they name Emily.

A lawyer tells Quinn and James that there is a chance to get custody of Emily.

As the mother of two adopted daughters this story got my attention.
My husband and I when through an adoption agency and used a lawyer to finalize the adoption but have to admit there was always a worry that the biological mother would want back her daughter. We were told at the agency that typically mothers had a harder time giving up little girls.

Story was a quick read that kept me curious.

I thought the Epilogue was predictable and tied up too neatly with a big bow! ~ However, most readers as well as I were hoping for a Happy Ending.

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 13, 2022.