Cate has had a wish since she was a child, to be a mom. Unfortunately she was born without uterus which will hinder her purpose in life, but she is willing to sacrifice everything to achieve it. When her second adoption falls apart, she is miraculously faced with a difficult decision that will change the course of her life. A book told from the points of view of two women who come from two very different backgrounds, who will interconnect in a dramatic way. A beautiful story, that breaks your heart and puts it back together, that makes you debate your own thoughts and that leaves a nice and hopeful message. I really loved this book.

"The Baby Left Behind" is an emotionally gripping story about a woman who can't have a child of her own, goes through failed adoptions and then mysteriously is presented with a baby on her doorstep...
This book is very well written, broken down into parts and from 2 different peoples perspective. It makes the book an easy page turner and keeps you reading long into he night to find out what happens! And I can tell you, you won't guess what exactly happens in the end but it is certainly worth the read to find out!

Cate is desperate for a baby of her own after two failed adoptions and is shocked to find a baby on her doorstep one night…

This is an exceedingly readable book and I found the characters very engaging. It’s sensitively written and very thought-provoking. It reminded me of a Jodi Picoult novel in its moral dilemmas and easy readability. I’d definitely recommend it for a quick and easy read!

Oh my what a beautiful and emotive book, so well written, no judgment a harrowing story of Cate who is unable to have children, being blessed by a baby boy abandoned on her doorstep in what would of been the most traumatic day of her life.
And the babies mother, Jade who had a whole host of issues.
I love how you saw the story from both points of view, you felt sorry for and understood how and why the situation evolved.
The sorrow I felt and the outrage too!
I loved how we were allowed to know what happened in the future. Beautiful!

As a mother of 8, this book really pulled at my heartstrings. I felt for both Cate and Jada. This book was great from start to finish. It was hard to put down!

“I was six when I first stuffed a balloon under my shirt pretending to be pregnant. I was sixteen when I found out that would never be possible. The burn has followed me ever since.”

Cate Connally is a single woman who is so desperate to experience motherhood that she is willing to risk everything. Everything.

If you are familiar with the biblical story of the Judgement of Solomon (I Kings 3:16-28), you will see some modern similarities.

In examining adoption and motherhood, author Jen Craven spotlights a little-known condition, Mayer-Rotkitansky-Kuster-Hauser Syndrome - when a female is born without a uterus. She shows us the emotional toll this has on a woman whose biggest dream is to be a mother. When failed adoption after failed adoption takes the wind out of her sails, Cate takes things into her own hands. Literally.

“Is a lie worth it when it gets you what you’ve always wanted?”

In doing so, she joins the exclusive Motherhood club but at the cost of living a lie for the rest of her life. You’ll have to find out what Cate chose to do and the journey to her realization that she can’t control her past, her future or other people.

I enjoyed:
✔️theme of second chances and forgiveness
✔️theme of motherhood
✔️message about coming to terms with the grief of past mistakes
✔️message about staying open to the unexpected
✔️juicy plot twists
✔️thought-provoking plot
✔️symbolism of the sparrow
✔️Ryan Stadler - we all need a friend like him

This is perfect for book clubs; there’s so very much to discuss. I’m still thinking of Cate and Jada days later - Craven made sure of that with her gobsmacking investigation into ‘adoption gone wrong’.

I was gifted this copy by Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

A good quick read but there were several times I said "WTH?!" out loud, lol. Story line was engaging but lack a little character development. That said, had there been more it might not have been such a quick and easy read! The ending threw me for a loop although I can't say it was unsatisfactory.

The Baby Left Behind is about Cate a 40 something single female who just wants to be a mom. After two failed adoptions, a baby is left at Cate's doorstep with a note telling her to keep him. Which start a world wind of secrets and lies and a baby caught in the middle.

I will say I LOVED the first 50% of this book. I could relate to Cate's desire to be a parent and the disappointment of seeing all the people around you living the dream you are waiting for. Her predicament did bring into play thoughts of "What would I do.." The story in the second half started to lose me. Though still entertaining and beautifully written it seemed to go too fast. There was a rush though Jada and Cate meeting. A rush through the court proceedings. and a rush to the end game for both the women's life. We spent so much time building Cate and Jada's stories up that it felt as though the endings didn't fully do them justice.

Over all I did enjoy this book. I do just wish there was a little more to the second half

I got an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review! First of all, thank you to the author/publishers who sent it to me.

I will say, this started out so good and had me HOOKED. As a mom, there were a few moments that were hard to read and had me pretty mad at the main character. But all in all, I was so drawn in to the story and was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen.

But #1. The treatment of the birth mother by the main character, and #2. How everything turned out... just left me so annoyed and not a fan of the story. I hated just about every character by the end and really wished it would have all turned out differently. I was happy Jada ended up with the baby, but her getting off with a slap on the wrist while Cate got sent to jail over a birth certificate just sent me absolutely over the edge lol. I feel like it could have played out in so many different ways that would have been better, but... idk that's just me. I love happy endings but this felt anti-climactic and overall I was just not a fan of the ending.

Still a cool story though and again, it had me hooked from the beginning so there's that!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of The Baby Left Behind, by Jen Craven. Cate a 40 year old woman who cannot have children, has craved her whole life to be a mother. It is all she thinks and dreams about. One day she finds a baby on her doorstep. I cannot say more about the story without giving away too much. The author makes the reader really feel Cate’s emotions and feelings about wanting a child. Has she done the right thing? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy of this publication.

This book is so easy to read. Its like having a conversation with you best friend or soon to be bestie.
This story bridges a gap between those who want a baby and those who have a baby. Make sure you take a moment to read this new book from Jen Craven.

A difficult subject tackled with care and deep emotion. Just how deep is a mother's love, this is a heart rending tale of loss, pain, but also hope. Jen Craven has written a tale that makes you think and brings real moral dilemas to the forefront.

This is a heartbreaking story in which there are no winners and with a real moral dilemma.
Cate has known from a very young age that she is unable to physically bear a child. Registered with an adoption agency she is delighted to finally get the call that there's a child for her. But the very next day the birth mother changes her mind. Devastated, Cate is shocked to hear a baby's cry, a young boy is on her doorstep with a note, simply saying "please take him, I'm sorry" surely this is fate. However real life doesn't deal with fate as we the readers discover.
This is a really engrossing read. An emotional tale but at the heart family and what constitutes love
I was gifted this copy from Netgalley and Bookouture with no obligation to leave a review

Totally gutted reading this story!
It's a great story about adoption and unexpected pregnancies between two women.
It's heart wrenching and realistic with how it is for someone wanting to have a child so badly only to deal with let downs and years of waiting. Family and friends are our true source of strength in this beautiful twisty story. Do I agree with some certain things ? NO!! (with the courts) absolutely not but who are we to judge? right! I felt a connection after wanting my own children which only made me love this story even more.

I did enjoy this book and it was very easy to read. A bit slow and drawn out in parts but overall the plot itself is immersive and character driven.
Cate has long known that she is unable to have children and with two attempts now at adopting, ending in the worst way and leaving her utterly devastated. She then finds a baby on her doorstep, a bit far fetched with the timing really, as it coincides with her supposedly getting a baby boy and so she chooses to carry on the charade with her family and pass the baby off as her adoptive son.

But then we meet the mother, Jada, and we read her story and how she came to give up her son. She now wants her baby back.
Which woman should have the baby. One woman left her newborn on a doorstep, she is a recovering drug addict and the other took a baby in to her home and cared for him but lied about it all.

I wasn’t a fan of Jada from the start and hated the way she felt she could just waltz back in and take the child she gave up. Cate was a good mother.
I didn’t like the way it then went, how could one woman get off so lightly and the other so harshly. It didn’t make sense.
Things did take a very unexpected twist later on and what a massive jump in time. I liked it though. It was perfect.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Two women from different ends of multiple spectrums brought together and torn apart by an innocent baby.
This story is a can't put down page turner, with all characters relatable, the story draws you in. While initial impression would have the reader think this is just about adoption and the desire to be a mother, it quickly reveals in depth lines of parental drama, moral dilemmas and love.
The ending feels a bit hurried if there could be a downside, but that is even a stretch.
Overall, reading this book would make me look for more books by this author.
The Baby Left Behind by Jen Craven was an unedited advanced reader copy granted by the author, Bookouture and NetGalley.

“The Baby Left Behind” was a phenomenal read. Each chapter left me wanting to read more and filled with curiosity for how the plot would end up.

Both women, Cate and Jada, are struggling woman on their journeys to motherhood. The juxtaposition of their very different lives brings a new complexity to the plot. Which woman is right? Which woman is wrong? Can they both be happy? While drastically different on one level, both woman experience mental health struggles, complex family and social dynamics, intrusive thoughts, and strong character development. They are more alike than they realize. Both woman experience a constant inner battle of their thoughts vs. their dialogue. I felt connected to each character in different ways and found myself rooting for both of them at different points. In the end, both women do find their destined path and have become honest with themselves and those around them.

This was a huge page turner for me. A gripping story unlike anything I have read before. I would recommend to anyone interested in the powers and struggles of motherhood and mental health.

Cate has a medical condition to be able to be a mum
But then she hears a faint cry from outside
But then the baby has to go in the hospital and Cate has to understand that she has to protect the life of the child
I had an ARC

This is the best book I've read in a long time and I read a lot. Loved the characters. A real page turner. I did not agree with the judge's decision as to who got to keep the baby, but the ending helped with that (nicely wrapping things up). I would definitely read another book by this author.

This was my first book by Jen Craven and there was so much to love about it, I couldn’t put it down read in nearly one sitting!! It felt like I was watching a life time movie in my head I could really see the book . It was a family drama with really good suspense I loved all the characters they were written so well I still think about them now.