When I read the blurb for the one, I was really intrigued. I’d not read many books covering the topic of China’s one child policy. And whilst that must be horrible to endure on the part of the birth mother, TLW also examines life for the new parents (mostly the mother). Needless to say, it’s not all rosy and fluffy kittens. There’s some real challenges and heartache, as Kwok examines the concept of motherhood and identity for both cultures and people.

I will admit that I struggled to engage with TLW - I don’t know if the pacing didn’t gel or I just read if at the wrong time. But it has a bit of a mystery thriller thrown into the mix as there’s some events occurring in parallel that adds a different element to this which kept me interested.

Jasmine, the resilient "leftover woman," stands strong in the face of life's challenges, having weathered a tumultuous and difficult journey. She's on a solitary path, haunted by past trauma and desperate to reconnect with her adopted daughter who was lost along the way. Living in perpetual fear, she navigates a shifting landscape from the demanding world of strip clubs, where harassment is the norm, to the lurking dangers posed by criminals and the shadows of her history.

On the other side of the spectrum is Rebecca Whitney, a driven and ambitious woman concealing a secret within the opulent confines of her privileged life. Married to Columbia University professor Brandon, fluent in Chinese, Rebecca lives a life of wealth and luxury. A mother to an adopted Chinese girl named Fifi, she entrusts a Chinese nanny with her care. Juggling the demands of her high-pressure role as the editor-in-chief in publishing, Rebecca must navigate the intricate balance of her various roles.

The stage is set for high drama, with tensions and twists weaving through the lives of Jasmine and Rebecca. Their stories intertwine, creating a tapestry of suspense, drama, and unforeseen developments as they grapple with their struggles and the complex connections that bind them together.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Wow! What a book! It was an excellent experience reading this book.
Superb character development, plot twists and equal measures of tension. A satisfying ending too.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thank to the publishers for allowing me to read this book. I will be recommending this one for some time to come.

Jean Kwok's The Leftover Woman tells the story of two women - Rebecca, a wealthy, privileged member of New York's literary elite, and Jasmine, an illegal Chinese immigrant struggling to make enough money to repay the traffickers who brought her to America, and of the daughter who binds them together.

This masterful novel is best summarised in the author's own words:

'On the simplest level, it’s a compelling page-turner following a woman of color in the United States and the explosive secret she’s hiding. I see it as an interrogation of the way both women and immigrants need to split themselves into different personas and roles. I especially appreciated the concept of how a foreigner can only let a slice of themselves be seen in the new culture; the rest is hidden, the submerged part of the iceberg. It’s an intricate, tightly woven story about the price of ambition, displacement, and adoption. Its themes of motherhood, identity, romantic love, and race are specific and universal at the same time.'

Though this description is attributed to Rebecca in reference to the fictional novel she is hoping to edit, it perfectly articulates the brilliance of Leftover Woman. The narrative is deftly crafted, immersing the reader in the starkly contrasting worlds of the two protagonists. Jasmine, we learn, was rejected by her family thanks to the one-child policy enforced by the Chinese government. From birth, she has internalised the message that her only worth is in her beauty, and ultimately her ability to bear sons. She journeys to New York upon finding out that her husband secretly had their daughter adopted at birth by an American friend, telling his wife that their baby girl had died. Meanwhile, Rebecca is the rich, successful daughter of a publishing magnate, the archetypal 'woke' but oblivious wealthy white woman. Kwok frontloads the book with Jasmine's story of tragedy, abandonment, abuse, her descriptions of grief some of the most powerful I have read:

'Wind swept through my internal landscape, sending leaves scuttling, trees uprooted and twisting any remaining light into shadows.'

Thus, when Rebecca is introduced, she is set up in diametric opposition to Jasmine. Her concerns seem absurdly trivial - we meet her agonising over the right type of luxury olives to purchase for a high end soirée - and there is a very deliberate shift from Jasmine feeling bereft and betrayed by her husband to Rebecca feeling irked by her mother's impossibly high standards - for condiments. She has a prestigious job, while Jasmine can't even find work as a waitress. She has foisted her daughter upon her Chinese nanny, Lucy, while Jasmine would do anything to reunite with hers. That Rebecca is able to generate any sympathy at all is a tribute to Kwok's stellar writing.

Through the two women's interwined stories, Kwok highlights some of the universal truths of being a woman. Both women struggle to assert themselves and achieve their goals in societies beholden to patriarchal structures; both are wrestling with debilitating grief. Additionally, Kwok uses both narratives to illustrate the experience of being an immigrant woman of colour, contrasting Rebecca's grand ambitions with Jasmine's pragmatic attitude to life:

'We were immigrants. There was no room in our lives for lofty visions of individual self-fulfillment. To carve out a bit of breathing room in this country’s future, already packed with so many others’ dreams, that was enough for us. All we wanted was to meet our basic needs: shelter, food, safety, and possibly, someday, something better for our children.'

Through Jasmine's experiences in New York, Kwok vividly encapsulates the isolation of arriving in a country where you don't speak the language and where most people don't look like you.

'Back home, so much of my identity was mirrored through other people’s eyes. The village I came from, the school I went to, my family name, those all had meaning in China. Here they stood for nothing—all those details disappeared when you were an immigrant, and suddenly all that was left of you was whatever you carried inside.'

This idea is reinforced through the contrast between how Rebecca sees her own Chinese immigrant nanny - as simple, stupid, graceless and unsophisticated - and the complexity that is evident in Jasmine's character. She has her own ideas, experiences, strengths and vulnerabilities, yet women like Rebecca don't make the effort to get to women like Jasmine - or Lucy - because they naïvely think they already know all there is to know about them. Here we see the irony in Rebecca's comments about the book she wishes to edit: she can be incredibly insightful and sensitive when considering women of colour as works of fiction (or, arguably, as cash cows), yet she cannot apply this approach to dealing with Lucy. Indeed, for a large part of the text, Jasmine's chapters describe the world as she sees it with vivid figurative language, which juxtaposes with Rebecca's plainer, more everyday prose and undermines the American woman's innate sense of superiority.

Overall, I found The Leftover Woman to be a fascinating, thought-provoking novel. My only minor gripe is with the ending, which feels rushed and abrupt after such an elegantly crafted build-up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Profile Books for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

This novel of international adoption gone wrong was at times riveting and at times irritating. A fast paced read told in alternating chapters of two women who are very different but have one thing in common. Motherhood. I liked the profession of editor of one of the women. there were also some twists to the story. However, none of the characters are very likable. Even the dogs are yappy. The story takes a contrived turn and although I wanted to finish it I found fault in the character development across the board. And the predictable ending.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

moving, emotive, and heartbreaking, character driven novel , that tells the story of 2 very different women and how their lives was very different , and the struggles one of them went though , it also talks about the one child that Chinese families was only aloud to have and even though its a hard topic to talk about the author does amazing job bring it up and writing about it .

I love a sweeping family drama, and The Leftover Woman had me turning the pages into the night. It's evocative and powerful.

When Jasmine flees China with no money and few belongings from her controlling and abusive husband in search of her daughter she believed she had miscarried but was actually taken from her due to the one child policy in China, nothing can prepare her for the lengths she will have to go to.

Rebecca is a successful editor but struggles to find a work/life balance and take care of her adopted daughter Fifi. She's thankful for their nanny Lucy, but is she who she really says she is and can she trust her with not only her child but her husband Brandon.

A story about the ferocious pull of motherhood I felt great empathy for Jasmine. She's really been on an emotional and physical journey. At the same time, even though on paper Rebecca has it all, she still has internal battles that she needs to work through. The story of both of these women had me so emotional. There are points where it made me question who's side I was on and the decisions I would make if I were in that situation. The only thing I would say is that the ending felt a little bit rushed for me. Overall, I would highly recommend The Leftover Woman.

This is the first story I have read by Jean Kwok but I know I will be keeping an eye out for future books. A well written story told from different POVs - emotional and beautiful. The cover caught my eye and would do so in a shop too. Would recommend.

This book was so good! It was intriguing and really drawed me in. I'll be reading more of this authors work.

Jasmine Yang arrives in New York City from her rural Chinese village without money or family support, fleeing a controlling husband, on a desperate search for the daughter who was taken from her at birth—another female casualty of China’s controversial One Child Policy. But with her husband on her trail, the clock is ticking, and she’s forced to make increasingly risky decisions if she ever hopes to be reunited with her daughter.

I loved the dual POV of this book! It really helped see both sides of a mother's love for her daughter.
I did unfortunately guess the twist just before it was revealed which slightly lowered the rating for me but overall I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a fabulous portrayal of love and family dynamics.

I rated this book 3.5 stars!

An important story but the characters felt a little too true to type for me and some of the prose was clunky. DNF

Ooh emotional!! 2 very different women from 2 very different cultures, both mothers to the same little girl. Jasmine is from China and is looking for her baby girl who was sold to an American couple. I would recommend this book. Thank you netgally for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first novel I've read by Jean Kwok and it is such a beautiful, insightful and emotional read that I feel bereft now I've finished it.
It's told from the perspective of 2 women: Jasmine who travels to New York from her village in China to look for her daughter who was adopted by an American family and Rebecca, a privileged American with a career in publishing who lives with her husband and adopted Chinese daughter Fi Fi. The novel raises so many issues including the one child policy in China, cross cultural adoption and what it means to be a mother. As someone who was adopted and has adopted a child, some of the issues really emotionally resonated with me and I felt so much pain for both woman and Fiona.
This is an amazing novel that I'd recommend to everyone. It is so thoughtful, sensitive and insightful as well as being a gripping page turner and an important commentary on cross cultural adoption.
4.5 stars
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

What is a leftover woman?

"in China," says Jasmine,"I'd seen posters warning girls of the danger of becoming leftover women, women that no one wanted. Leftover like scraps on a table, uneaten food, both a sacrilege and wasteful.... I was a leftover woman, I realised. After everyone else had carved away what they wanted to see in me and taken what they desired, I was all that was left."

But the root of this story is the one-child policy in China. For many families if the first born was a baby girl, she was given away at birth or even left abandoned to die. They could then try again for a boy, a son to pass on the family name, run the business and look after his parents in their old age. This is very hard for us in the west to comprehend. In fact the whole book is out of my field of reference, not just Jasmine, but also Rebecca.

At 14 years old, Jasmine's parents sold her to Wen, an 'older' man (in his mid to late twenties), who wants a wife to bear him a son. They are not legally married, as Jasmine is under age. I cannot imagine selling my child at 14. Jasmine has a baby a few years later - a girl - but she dies almost immediately after birth. We know though, that she didn't die, she was taken to an orphanage and 'sold' to an American couple - Brandon and Rebecca. Brandon, who lived in China for many years and speaks fluent Chinese, is a university lecturer and a close friend of Wen, while Rebecca is an editor at the successful publishing house set up by her late father.

Jasmine finds out that her daughter Fiona (or Fifi), is still alive and living in the Beautiful Country as they call the USA. Her mission is to escape her abusive marriage and get her daughter back. Strangely though, she loves Wen, but then she only ever knew the love of her grandmother who has now died, and the friendship of a young man called Anthony, who Wen does not permit her to see. Wen also loves her, but it's more of an obsession than love in its truest form.

We then alternate between Jasmine as the first person narrator (the English is perfect as the narrator though her actual English is fairly limited), and Rebecca, who dotes on six-year-old Fifi, but has to work and employs a Chinese nanny. The nanny teaches FiFi to speak Chinese and also introduces her to her own culture. Rebecca is jealous of their closeness. In spite of her success as an editor, Rebecca is suspicious and lacking in confidence. She has no understanding of what it must be like to be an immigrant in a country like America.

I liked both women, with some reservations. I sympathised totally with Jasmine, though I did question her behaviour at times. She is vulnerable, and an outsider in a country that is often racist and judgmental. Rebecca, on the other hand, is also vulnerable, though in her case she appears to have everything, but success and money are not always enough.

It's an interesting book, beautifully written, which addresses many issues including identity and women's place in society, whether they are Chinese (or any other nationality) immigrants or white, wealthy middle class. The chapters set in the strip club are horrifying to me, or maybe I'm being naive. The women can earn a fortune, but it's what they have to do for the money. Are they demeaning themselves or are they empowered while the men are being taken for mugs? I really don't know the answer.

I have been looking forward to reading The Leftover Woman b ever since I first heard about it - and it certainly didn’t disappoint. A story about motherhood as the worlds of two very different women collide, it’s an absorbing combination of family drama and intriguing mystery and an emotional read that stays with you long after you turn the last page.

Told from the points of view of Jasmine, who flees to New York from China to escape an abusive marriage, and Rebecca, who is leading an apparently charmed life in New York with a successful career in publishing, Kwok skilfully brings you into their very different lives and ensures you get to know and understand, if not always agree with, two women who could hardly be more different - and yet are inextricably linked.

It is an entirely absorbing story full of emotion that touches on some serious issues - a fascinating insight into China’s one child policy, cross cultural adoption and the challenges of life as an immigrant. Ultimately it is a story about identity and how far people will go for love - and one that will draw you in and make you think.

I thought this would be a really interesting book but for me I found it really slow paced and I struggled to connect with the characters.

I’ve had a look at other reviews and lots of positive feedback so I think this one just wasn’t for me this time.

Many thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

2 women in New York.
Jasmine is there illegally, having fled her home in China after finding out that her daughter, who she thought died at birth 5 years before, had actually been sold to an American couple by her husband.
Rebecca lives a privileged life with husband Brandon and adopted Chinese daughter, Fifi. However, a serious mistake in her publishing career is coming back to haunt her.
This novel is branded as a thriller but it isn’t really, it’s more an exploration of motherhood and what a woman will do to get her child back. I found the character of Jasmine to be fascinating, what she had gone through in her short life and how bravely she was trying to get her daughter back was brilliantly drawn. I would have liked more on the Chinese underworld and her life in China. Rebecca seemed more of a one dimensional character, I didn’t care as much about her as I did about Jasmine. The moneyed background, amazing husband and career in publishing seemed rather stereotypical.
It was an involving novel with a good story arc, though maybe a little rushed at the end. I would definitely recommend.

The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok was such a refreshing read and was exactly what I needed.

Jasmine moves to New York to get away from her abusive husband and to find her daughter. I loved Jasmine as a character unlike the other female main character; Rebecca. I think what sets them apart is that Jasmine is more down to earth while Rebecca was a bit OTT.

And when the stories of these two women come together I did not expect the twist one bit. I love the ideas of motherhood, the love of a child, the extreme lengths people go to, and the cultural and economic differences between ethnic communities.

I can’t wait to see what Jean Kwok comes up with next.

Thank you Netgalley and Publishers for the digital copy of The Leftover Woman for reviewing purposes.

The Leftover Woman is a well written, emotional story that I would not normally pick but something about the description called out to me and I am so glad I read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

The premise for this book sounded just right for me. Sadly it is not. I have abandoned it at 48%, as I can’t bear to be strung along any longer. The writing is very repetitive, and goes into so much detail about inconsequential events, all of which is simply padding, in my view. One such long paragraph is devoted to Rebecca getting dressed, when she walks into her huge walk- in wardrobe, and slips off her apricot silk pyjamas. It takes the rest of the paragraph to describe her outfit, including product placement of designer items. So tedious, frankly.
I found the characterisation of both Jasmine and Rebecca to be weak, I got no real sense of either of them as real people. American Rebecca particularly, comes across as stereotypical and privileged, in a high- pressured job in publishing, which she doesn’t seem to be very good at, according to the narrative. She is highly dependent for validation on her too- good-to-be -true husband. So superficial.
Jasmine is difficult to get to know, as the reader is drip-fed little tid-bits about her back story. I found this writing style to be immensely irritating. I have read 48% of the book, and nothing of any consequence has actually happened yet. There is no suspense in the narrative to this point.
I’m sorry to be so negative, but some judicious editing might have been useful?
My thanks to the editor and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book. I really wish I had liked it more.