generally enjoy books that have ghost stories and this one originally did not disappoint. I really liked the alternating timelines and felt the character development was fantastic, specifically with Isabelle and Ana.
However, the ending was too abrupt. I was looking at the page count and could not believe that the book was going to be done within 10-15 pages. This book would have easily been a four or five star if the ending would have been more drawn out; however, it felt almost wasteful to read an entire book and have it end so quickly.

I had my eye on this book for quite a while, so I went into it with kind of high expectations. I enjoyed most of this book, while other parts kind of lost me. Overall I enjoyed this book, and I thought the concept was very unique and captivating.

I enjoyed parts of this book more than others. But what stands out for me is the letters back and forth between Ana and Isabelle. Their love story was heartbreaking all the way through. And to see how their story line connected with Essie and Sanjay was done well.

Essie and Sanjay are an ambitious couple who end up getting pregnant unexpectedly. The women in Essie’s family have been haunted by a curse for generations, and now that she is pregnant she is dreading how this will impact her and her unborn child.

This book was a slow burn, kept me interested, and I enjoyed the alternating POV as I learned about the women involved and where the curse originated. I did think that the ending was a bit rushed and left me feeling unsatisfied. I would be happy to read more of this author’s work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this Advanced Reader Copy.

Wow, I am so impressed with this book. It was a slow burn for me; when I first picked it up I really didn't understand how the two story lines were connected. As I began to learn more about the characters in each, I didn't want to put it down. Essie's storyline gave me the creeps in the best way, and Isabel and Ana's storyline had me holding my breath through Essie's chapter. I gave this one 4.75 stars on Storygraph. In the absence of 1/4 stars on Netgalley, I'm rounding this up to 5 stars. Well worth the read.

This is a ghost story about a family curse that will keep you guessing who y who and how it all started. I loved the loves stories inside the main story and the most of the characters as well. Some I did not like but I not trying to bias no one so I´m keeping that to myself. Specially since the book is really good so its worth the reading despite the few dis likeable characters.

I would have loved to know more about the darkness thing and I think i did´t got something at the end because I think it was to easy but I might have missed something. Still a nice ghost story that its worth the reading

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read this book

Many thanks to NetGalley and Nichelle Giraldes for allowing me to preview this book.

I usually like my books with a little more thrills and horror when I read this genre, but I was really drawn to this cover and description and wasn’t disappointed.

Essie is a successful and hard working young woman who is married to the love of her life and is just starting to really get to start her career after supporting her husband through school when their world changes.

That change involves something she never wanted at all. That is until a family curse and two ghostly women threaten to take it all away, including the live of her life.

Over all a very enjoyable book!

I truly would rate this book 3.5 🌟 and I enjoyed the ending. The story was interesting and different, I enjoyed the main character Essie. I believe the author showed the dynamic of being excited to meet your baby but loathing pregnancy.
I also really enjoyed the surprising sapphic love story that tore my heart apart.
While this book offered a thriller and dark themes, I believe the romance and doing anything for your soulmate was a nice addition. I was thrilled by the ending as well. It’s not often you leave a book in this genre with a happy ending.
I do wish the author would have dug deeper into the scary horror theme, it would have made a hell of a book if it was just a bit scarier but a little more depth. It’s *almost* there, just missing something.
Overall, enjoyed the read and would suggest to fellow readers.
Thank you to the publishers at Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this e-ARC of No Child of Mine.

I enjoyed the different POV in this book. The story flowed well and have some genuinely creepy moments. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys psychological suspense and horror.

First of all thank you to Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story had a lot of potential but unfortunately I felt like it dragged on quite a bit and then the ending was very sudden and felt rushed. I found Essie incredibly irritating overall and really didn't enjoy how much of the book focused on her pregnancy and symptoms, though this could just be down to me not enjoying pregnancy tropes in general.

All together I don't think this is bad for a debut novel and would be interested to read more of the authors work in the future.

Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Nichelle Giraldes for letting me read “No Child of Mine” in exchange for an honest review.

This is a brilliant read. There is no other way to describe it.
It is extremely well written. Essie's character is so relatable that while reading I felt like I was Essie. I didn't imagine a character, I basically imagined myself moving through endless hallways, suspecting something is off but unsure, trying to balance work and personal life with fear and jump scares in between.
This one's spooky. Watch out. It is also a slow plot, not filled with many twists and turns. However, even though it is not action packed, it draws you in from the very first page. It is one suspense plotline that follows the main character throughout the book and keeps you on your toes, quickly flipping between chapters.
This book impressed me. It's very unique. Nichelle Giraldes, you're a genius. I will keep my eye on you from now on!!

Essie Kahr has defined herself by her ambitions, a fiercely independent woman,whose only soft spot is her husband Sanja, She never imagined she'd be a mother it was never part of the plan,but then she finds out she's pregnant. As her pregnancy transforms her body and life into something she barely recognizes,her husband spends his nights pacing in the attic,slowly becoming a stranger,and the house begins to whisper.As her pregnancy progresses both their lives are warped by a curse that has haunted her family for years.When she's put on bedrest she realises she's not alone there's something here that means to take everything from her.
This was a slow burner for me that just never picked up pace but then the ending was very rushed.I was underwhelmed with this book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Poisioned Pen Press for the ARC.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Overall, I enjoyed this one; the best parts for me were the alternating timelines and ultimate connection between the female main characters. I loved the gothic elements of the book, and wish that were was more of that. The day-to-day of the pregnancy did feel a bit mundane; I wish there had been less of that and more descriptions of the shadows and Sanjay’s strange actions. The ending was a bit of letdown; it felt anti-climactic after so much build-up. Would recommend and would read another book by the author in the future.

Wow, what a ride this one was! I’m glad that I did finish this as I was so excited for it and really enjoyed it. with all that being said I will say this one was a slow burn which did have me putting it down a little longer then I would like.i would definitely recommend this one if you enjoy a good twist! I’m giving this a three star mostly because it was A little harder to completely get into.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

I love a good horror and was drawn to this novel by the cover and compelling concept.

The story is told from three points of view in dual timelines, but it takes a while before their connection makes sense. I found it disorienting and wanted to know much sooner why the disparate storylines were part of the same novel. I normally dislike novels with dream sequences, but I didn't mind them here. Maybe because the dreams were creepy and helped tie the two timelines together.

The biggest issue I had was that the main character, Essie, is really unlikeable. I can get on board with an unlikeable character or villain, but Essie isn’t even interesting. She is dull, immature, and selfish. She says that she loves the baby growing inside her and wants to be a mom but spends 90% of her time resenting the sacrifices required of her. It became very grating. Her husband, Sanjay, is a good man, but it's hard to understand what he sees in her. The many scenes of Essie's morning sickness became redundant, and she didn’t do anything about it other than whine and refuse to take medication.

Overall, I was hoping the horror would be pushed further. Still, I enjoyed the writing style and found myself dreading the conclusion. I look forward to more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Press for this ARC. No Child of Mine is a slow burn novel that unfortunately missed the mark for me. I went into this book thinking it would be horror, but it felt more like a thriller, because nothing too shocking happens. I did enjoy how the story comes together throughout and they were parts that creeped me out. I also think some parts could have been left out and the ending felt rushed to me. All that being said, I did enjoy this read! It was a unique plot that kept me interested to continue reading.

This is a debut novel that I felt was written well and it was very creepy/atmospheric at times. I enjoyed a lot of the themes used and I would be open to reading more from this author in the future.

Special thanks to Poison Pen Press and NetGalley for an e-arc of this novel.

The story is very good. Its classified as horror, but I would say very light horror.

My only issue with the book, was the constant mentioning of throwing up throughout the book as it is one of my triggers, other than that a very good story, well thought out and well developed characters.

I feel like pregnant bodies and haunted houses are very much the same thing. I have been on bedrest for a pregnancy and it was a yellow wallpaper situation for me. So I related to this fully and completely.
The story was lovely and I liked the ending. This is a wonderful book.

Wow. This was so unique and a really thrilling take on a family curse. I absolutely loved this, there's so much suspense with the mix of supernatural elements and also domestic with Essie and Sanjay having marriage struggles and also Essie's problematic pregnancy - I felt that this complemented perfectly and the dual POV's were really interesting adding to the suspense. This was a really great thriller and different from anything I've read before so I highly recommend.

(I received this book from the editor and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

Essie Kaur never wanted to be a mother, but when she finds she is pregnant, she starts loving her unborn daughter right away. She does not need a doctor to know she will be a girl, because hers is a family of daughters. And broken hearts. And a generational curse ready to devour everything that is important to her.
I really liked the idea behind Nichelle Giraldes’ No Child of Mine, and was pleasantly surprised by the double story within.
Sadly, even if I am one to enjoy slow-burn stories, I felt that this was too slow for my liking and that, as the passageway in Essie’s dreams, it kind of repeated itself.
Isabel’s story, however, and its epistolary style, was very interesting from beginning to end, when the horror finally popped up, even if it felt rushed and kind of out of nowhere, unfortunately. As I already said, the idea of a generational curse and the discovery of its roots was an amazing one, but it ended up feeling like a footnote in a very different horror story: one about the physical and psychological changes of a pregnancy.
Equally terrifying or even more, I can’t deny that.