The Baby Left Behind by Jen Craven
Summary:
Take him. Please forgive me. Cate grips the note with trembling hands, looking down at the delicate bundle on her doorstep. As she reaches down to the baby, she knows she has finally got everything she’s ever wished for. But is he hers to take?
Cate tries not to cry as she closes the door on the nursery room once again. All she has ever wanted is to be a mother. Cursed with a medical condition that means she is unable to have children, her only option is to wait for a call from the adoption centre. But that call feels like a lifetime away.
Then she hears a faint cry from outside her house. She’s convinced she’s imagining it, that the grief is starting to overwhelm her. But when she opens her door and looks down, her heart swells. By her feet is the most perfect baby curled up in a soft blanket.
As the newborn’s eyes light up, Cate feels instant love for him. She knows she can’t just accept a stranger’s baby – she has to call the police. But as she picks him up, it all finally feels right. This is where the baby belongs.
But when her darling baby is rushed into hospital, Cate knows that in order to save his life, she needs to expose the lie she has been so desperate to hide. Can Cate discover who the child’s real mother is? And if so, will she be able to make the hardest decision of her life to protect the child?
Review: Wow, I don’t give out many 5-star ratings but this book sure earned it. The story grabbed me from the very first page and I couldn’t put it down until I finished it. One of the most page-turning books I’ve had the pleasure of reading in quite some time. The editing was spot on I didn’t find any grammatical errors or paragraphs which read funny. The flow was flawless. The characters are very well-developed and very life-like. With the book starts out with Cate your heart goes out to her and you can see where she’s coming from and why she did what she did, but then your heart goes out to Jade and what she’s dealt with. So, like the Judge; you can’t just look at facts you have to look at laws and I’m so glad I’m not a judge as I’m not sure even the Law would have helped me decide what to do. But I feel the story had the best ending as someone who has seen what drugs can do to a person's life and that a baby can be their saving grace I was rooting for Jade, but I also was rooting for Cate. The only thing I can say is that I wish that the sentence where Jade told the EMTs that she had PCOS it would have told me what it was cause I had to stop reading and go look it up as I’ve never heard of it before.

Alright. This is a tough one. I was a teen mom and I have a lot of trauma from the pressure I was put under to place my baby for adoption so a part of me has a hard time emphasising with this woman's grief, however, I would also have taken that baby inside and just kept it. Heck yeah free baby!
This isn't my usual thriller. It is more emotional.

I love how we get to see both perspectives and develop empathy for both moms. By the end I was rooting for them both.
What a lovely book.

Kate Connolly is a single woman in her 40s who desperately wants a baby and although it came close the Second time it happens it’s almost more than she can take but on that same day she gets the devastating news she finds a beautiful baby boy she names Henry outside on her doorstep. Although she wasn’t planning on lying the next day when her mom and dad just pop up expecting to meet their new adopted grandson she allows them to believe the abandon baby is the adopt a baby in the lie just grows from there. Little does Cate know but a nurse at her doctor‘s office unexpectedly gave birth in her bathroom and not knowing what to do with the baby she eventually left him on Kates doorstep due to the fact she knew about her adoption issues and thought she would be best for the baby she called Nickola. Jada had been a drug user but was clean for two years prior to giving birth to Nicola but soon after his birth she found herself in rehab again. When she gets cleaned the second time it’s been two months since she left little baby Nicola on Kates doorstep and she wants him back. This will cause Jaden to do something drastic that will put the women head to head in a quart battle for the baby.
Let me just say if not for the epilogue I would’ve given this book one or two stars. I didn’t like the way the end was set up to be the rich versus the poor when ultimately it should’ve been who was best for the baby and I didn’t agree with the end at all but if I make any comments about what really incensed me I would give spoilers away and that I see a lot of people like this book I won’t do that I will say this book at least most of it is very interesting and keeps you turning the pages it’s just the last six chapters I didn’t like but that’s my opinion it’s usually the unpopular one you probably will like this book and I do recommend it because as I said most of that is really good. I want to thank Bookoucher andnet galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thanks to Netgalley for an early copy of the book.

-- Spoiler Alert-- (may be)

Before starting I'll give a trigger warning of Infertility.
Baby Left behind is a heart-wrenching tale of a single woman's struggle to find a baby for herself.
The story starts with Cate Conally a single woman in her forties something with an amazing career, good parents and a sister with a perfect life. But life isn't all fair to Cate, being born without a uterus, is struggling by holding the last thread of hope in adoption. After 2 failed adoption, she is absolutely heart-broken, as if the universe heard her cry, a beautiful baby boy is found at her door step in the freezing cold with a note asking her to take care of the baby.

I loved absolutely loved the story till the point she takes the baby and her mind battle between motherly response and morale response. But when the second Character (Jada) comes into picture the story was more or less predictable up to a certain point.
But I am not totally convinced with the end of the story, how the story unfolds and I feel Cate did not deserve what she went through, She did what had to be done and I strongly root for her. I did not relate to Jada at the slightest and also though she deserves a second chance I absolutely cannot stomach what she did and how she betrayed Cate.

"The Baby Left Behind" by Jen Craven is an emotionally charged and gripping tale of maternal love and the moral dilemmas it presents. Cate's desperation to become a mother is palpable, and when she discovers a newborn on her doorstep, it tugs at the heartstrings. The story skilfully navigates the complexities of love, deception, and the lengths one will go to protect a child. Craven creates an intense narrative that keeps readers guessing as Cate's actions become increasingly morally ambiguous. The novel's exploration of maternal instincts and the consequences of secrets is both thought-provoking and heart-wrenching. "The Baby Left Behind" is a compelling and emotionally resonant read that delves deep into the bonds of motherhood and the sacrifices made for the sake of love.

This is my first book by Jen Craven and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There are some triggers substance abuse, rape and infertility. This book really tugged at my heartstrings and I truly sympathized with the main character Cate. After back to back disappointments with adoption she felt like a failure not only to herself and her family. When a baby shows up on Cate’s doorstep she thinks she finally has what she always wanted but her decision to keep the baby leads to consequences she did not expect. The other character Jada really rubbed me the wrong way at first but this is a story of disappointments, second chances and regret. I am so glad in the end both characters learned from their mistakes and got what they wanted in the end.

This is an emotional roller-coaster of a read! Two women, one baby - who is the "real" mother? The one who gave birth or the one who took him in. Lots going on but deftly handled by the author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

Heart-breaking page turner.
Cate Connally yearns to be a mother and after been let down once again with the heartfull adoption connection she is beginning to give up hope of forever been a mom.
Till she opens her front door a baby abandoned with a sheet of paper stating take him please forgive me, she is astounded what shall she do?
This book is one powerful read right through, I just could not put it down as I read chapter after chapter, a fantastic gripping story, with a big thumbs up from me to recommend to all readers

Oh god! My emotions and reasoning are all over the place after this book, such a stunning gut wrenching read.

The author wrote her characters in such detail, I felt for them completely and could understand their actions and what lead up to them.

I do feel it was a bit rushed from the ‘twenty years’ later and I would have liked it to be longer. I think we need Cate’s diary of time spent!!

The ending was heartwarming, proper ‘aww’, Cate and Ryan’s friendship is perfect.

I loved this book and it had me hooked from the very first page.. my first novel from Jen Craven and it definitely won't be my last day

This was a read that kept you on an emotional roller coaster. So many emotions for the main character (Cate). This book was well written as it took you on a journey. I very much enjoyed this as the author kept you guessing what would happen next.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Probably the best ARC I have been approved for!

Cate is a middle aged woman who had been struggling with infertility issues and wanted nothing more than a baby. After 2 mishaps with adoption agencies, a baby was left on her front doorstep on a really terrible day for Cate. Opening the door and seeing a baby on her doorstep, she saw it is a sign - - maybe even a gift and decided to keep the baby without contacting the police.

Cate experiences a 3rd mishap with this illegal adoption and had to fight in court to prove her innocence.... Did it work out in the end? You will have to read to see...

What would you do? Cate, who is unable to bear a child and who has been unable to adopt one either, is stunned to find a baby boy on her doorstep with the note "I can't." Jada is the baby's mom and she's been struggling with her mental health and addiction. Both women tell this story which comes to a head when Cate, who hasn't told anyone about the child, must take him to the hospital. And now Jada wants him back. This is emotional and tough in spots- and you'll fund yourself worrying about both women, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, A good read.

This book is incredibly emotional and you feel like your on a rollercoaster going through the emotional. I just felt for the main character in this. This book is absolutely fantastic! So well written!

I could not put this book down, it had me reading into all hours of the night needing to know what happens next!!

After two attempts at adopting and being told twice that the birth mothers changed their mind on adoption day, leaves Cate broken and desperate for a child of her own. At 16, Cate was told that she would never be able to have her own biological children as she has a condition called Rotkitansky-Kuster- Hauser Syndrome, leaving Cate without a uterus. She has yearned for a child of her own and was willing to loser everything and everyone in her life to make this happen.

I loved how the story was told from dual perspectives, and as a mother myself, certain parts of this book left me sick, panicking and with a racing heart! IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY... If that makes sense.

My only reason for this not being a five-star review was selfish. The ending seemed a little rushed and I wish there would have been a little bit more to it, I wanted to know more about what happened to Cate and Jada afterwards.

This would have been the perfect book to read with my @tequilamockingbird_reads bookclub, the discussion would have been heated!

Have you ever read a book that didn’t turn out at all the way you wanted it to, but yet, you still loved it? That was this book for me! It was a very emotional read, with the overall theme of love. And I did love it!

This book could have been so much better. It started out great with a good storyline and funny dialogue then it became mundane, slow and unbelievable. I wasn’t able to continue past 42 percent because it just became a chore to read.

Such a good book!! The ending was both heartbreaking and so raw and real. I loved The characters and felt sympathetic to their struggles.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy to review!!

What a totally heartbreaking and distressing story about the road to trying to adopt and being let down over and over again. What struggles, sacrifices and hard choices have to be made.
Then a light appears at the end of the tunnel. But…..not all is what it seems to be.
That ending was not expected by me. The author really keeps you guessing.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Cate is unable to have children and was badly let down by an adoption agency, until one day a baby lands on her doorstep worh a note that says I can't, I'm sorry, . I really felt for Cate and Jada, this story really drew me in.