While a slow burn this book was totally worth sticking with. The ending was great! No cliff hangers here. This is my first book by this author and I will definitely read more. Paranormal of sorts, but more real life issues then the spoopy!

I absolutely loved this book! There was a little bit of everything in it. It kept my attention and kept me wanting to read more! Essie is a perfect character that I wanted to love. She is kind and wants what’s best. But she frustrated me throughout the book. It was very repetitive. I enjoyed this book but found myself a little lost in some of Isabelle’s parts. The ending seemed quick as well. Overall a good read!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Two stories intertwined make for a thought-provoking and well-written story as a whole. Truly an enjoyable and entertaining read that left me with more than I imagined going in to it.

No Child of Mine is a dual timeline, one with Essie and Sanjay in the present and one with Anna and Isabel in the past. I listened to the audio and did like the different readers (Essie/Sanjay, Anna, and Isabel). However, it was still hard to follow until it came together in the end. I didn't realize the house was supposed to be haunted, so that could have been portrayed creepier. I did however, love the writing style, but I felt like the story was missing something.

If you enjoy slow burns, then you may enjoy this one. I on the other hand didn't feel like the ending was worth the wait, but you might like that. I might be biased as I like more suspense and more thrills than this slow burn, but still a solid book.

3/5.

I really liked the idea of the dual timelines in this book, as it keeps you enthralled and gripped throughout. The curse and its results keeps you reading until the end. Will read more by this author in future.

This was a very well written book. I really enjoyed the story, and the journey we took throughout the book.

Did not enjoy this one as much as I hoped but will certainly read from this author again in the future. Loved the premise.

<b> <br /> Rounded down to 2.5 Stars
Sanjay and Essie have been a couple since high school and throughout college. Having put her post-grad studies on hold for Sanjay, Essie is now looking forward to her turn to finish her medical degree. In another turn of bad decisions, Essie also agrees to move into an old house to please her husband. Childless and seemingly happy about it, an unexpected pregnancy occurs in tandem with creepy things happening in the home. Essie is having severe doubts about becoming a mother, filtering in and out of the progressing pregnancy, along with severe morning sickness. There are some haunted severe house vibes when Essie's husband suddenly starts spending the entire night, every night, pacing the attic. Before her eyes, he becomes a former shell of himself, and she can do nothing while on bed rest. A family curse is taking hold. The women in Essie's family only give birth to daughters, and their husbands are affected by the curse.
Ana and Isabel's story enthralled me, and I couldn't wait to get to their chapters! Not that Essie and Sanjay were dull, but there was a lot of repetition of complaining about her pregnancy, morning sickness, and ghostly occurrences. The story attempts to bring about supernatural tension with the creaks in the house and doors creaking open. Sadly, there wasn't enough suspense or horror in this book. The chapters containing the letters between Ana and Isabel, women of a century or more, paint a picture of an illicit love affair between best friend and their subsequent marriages. A deal with the devil creates havoc for all future generations.
No Child of Mine is an excellent epistolary story on one side and a modern marriage on the other, with smoky, ghostly happenings tying the two together. I enjoyed the letters between the lovers the best. Essie's relationship with her husband is unbalanced, and she never seems to accept the pregnancy she chose to continue. I kept trying to determine whether that had to do with the haunting.

The ending was abrupt and disappointing, and it's where this tale lost me the most. Without giving away spoilers, it seemed far too simple of a solution for the book's depth. There is macabre imagery, but in dreams only, and the dreams felt very repetitive. I'm unsure about the purpose of the repetitive dreams and extending that narrative for so long in the book. I don't think it helped the story's pacing, but it bogged it down. There is a sense of isolation and madness, but not all for the protagonist, and the isolation doesn't drive the Gothic feel in the story. I'm left wondering how to categorize the story. Things between Sanjay and Essie were unclear, and then new information was revealed at the end, which spurred Essie to stand up and make things happen for her family in a way she was unwilling or unable to. I found it hard to connect to the main characters. The only thing I found enjoyable were the chapters with Ana and Isabel's letters.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publishers Poisoned Pen Press for the ADC in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting read but I would not think of it as a horror novel. It was a little creepy at times but I feel that it was more about Essie and her pregnancy. What she was thinking and her feelings.
Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Two stories entwined into one; this book was spooky and I loved it. Curses, a haunted house, etc... so many elements rolled into one to make this novel hard to put down. I can't wait to read more by this author.

I mostly skimmed through this novel at a faster pace than normal. It did give me spooky sensations and some anxiety reading it. I typically lean toward more sunshiney happy stories, so this challenged me somewhat. The FMC is pregnant which also added to the angst.

Story is told in dual timelines and was a little repetitive at times. Author did a good job representing hardship and grief.

I received an advanced copy for free and am leaving a review voluntarily.

It took me a little while to get into this one, but I did enjoy the story once it picked up. Very atmospheric, and the author does a good job of really highlighting the anxiety that so many pregnant people have, but then turns those anxieties into your worst nightmare! Quick read once it picks up.

The author masterfully conjures a chilling atmosphere, weaving the anxieties of pregnancy with the oppressive weight of the family curse. The whispers in the dark, the secrets hidden within the walls, and the ever-present feeling of dread keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

Told in dual timelines, the current day follows Essie and her husband Sanjay, while several generations earlier, we delve into the love story of Ana and Isabelle – two women entangled in a forbidden romance during a time when such relationships were deemed impossible.

A cursed legacy, born out of love and selfishness, has been robbing daughters of their fathers for generations in Essie's family. Despite my expectation for spookiness in Essie's new house, it mostly amounted to whispers and sporadic object displacement. The anticipation for the Horror/Creepy element to unfold with the curse gripping the family never materialized. The ending, addressing a curse that spanned countless generations, felt rushed and too easily resolved.

A really great read with thrilling twists and turns. I never knew what to expect and it kept me Interested until the very end.

This was a very slow burn with little appeal to me. More about the unplanned pregnancy than anything. Not what I was expecting going in, based off the description.

A boring slow burn of a book, about even MORE boring and dumb characters that you could care less about. I don't get what the hype and reasoning behind this book. Sooooooo drawn out, and there was nothing, and I mean NOTHING that even happens in this stupid read. The cover with the creepy (a bad homage to 'Rosemary's Baby') looking carriage makes you 'WANT' to think that it is going to be creepy.......not a thing creepy about this.
Cannot and would NOT recommend this to anyone. Don't waste the 6 and half hours on it like I did listening to it.
1 'So what's!

Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.

All in all, I enjoyed this. This was a very strong 3.5 haunted horror book that I rounded up to 4 stars. I thought the character of Essie was great. And I loved the backstory we get on Isabella. The writing and pace was solid too. The main reason why I did not give this 5 stars is that I wanted the “darkness” to be darker and have a better explanation of what it was and where it came from. That said, the heart of this book is Essie and Sanjay’s love story and it was wonderful.

"No Child of Mine" follows law student Essie Kaur. Essie has followed her husband Sanjay so that he could fulfill his dreams of being an architect. Now it's her turn. When they buy the house of their dreams though, things start to go wrong. Smells that only Essie can smell. Sounds and voices of people that can't be there. And when Essie finds herself pregnant, she realizes a family curse she has always made fun of, may not be fake after all. The book shifts from the present with Essie and then to the past following a young woman named Isabel who is devastated after her best friend marries and moves away.

I liked Essie a lot. Here's a woman that knew her own mind and what she wanted. I loved that Giraldes had her as ambivalent as having a baby since she realized that her life was going to change and it was not going to be what she wanted it to be. Essie and Sanjay work a lot too. I think that Giraldes was smart enough to give us enough of their teen and now adult love story that you end up rooting for the couple throughout the book.

Just wrapped up "No Child of Mine," and I'm sitting on the fence with this one. It's a complex tale of Essie Kaur's unexpected journey into motherhood, with a spooky family curse thrown into the mix. On the upside, the author does a solid job depicting Essie's transformation from an ambitious woman to a soon-to-be mom. The rawness of pregnancy and the unraveling of her plans are relatable. The cursed family history adds a layer of intrigue, and the house taking on a character role is a neat touch.

However, the pacing felt a bit uneven, with moments of gripping suspense but occasional lulls that left me wanting more. Some characters lacked depth, and I found myself wishing for a deeper exploration of their motives. The atmosphere is thick with mystery, but at times, it felt like the suspense didn't quite reach its full potential. The ominous presence hinted at taking everything away, but the impact wasn't as powerful as I expected.

In the end, "No Child of Mine" is a decent read, especially if you're into family curses and supernatural twists. It didn't blow me away, but it held my interest.

No Child of Mine is a haunting and spooky ghost story about what we will do for those that we love and how far you are willing to go.