The Ones We Choose (by Julie Clark)

I loved this book. From the story itself to the genetic tidbits at the beginning of each chapter, you are drawn into the lives of the characters. Paige and her son, Miles; the family relationships; their friends, Jackie, her husband, Aaron, and her son, Nick…they weave a story that has you waiting anxiously to find out what secrets will be revealed. Lots of love, loss, anxiety, secrets, hurt, and scars are the threads that make up the lives of the characters.

The author does a fabulous job of developing the characters and making you care about what happens to each of them. You’ll cheer, you’ll cry, you’ll be angry. You don’t understand why people make the choices they do. But you want to hang in there until the last page is turned and discover if there is healing in the mess of their lives.

The concept of sperm donors is not new, but this story does a wonderful job of making you take a different look at the positive and negative aspects of choosing to bring a child into the world via artificial insemination. It was a good view and really made me think outside the box.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Julie Clark does a great job in this debut novel. I look forward to more adventures with her on the written page.