A compulsive family drama about a mother's desperate search to reclaim her daughter from the horrors of her own past, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell's Then She Was Gone. Beth Fraser finally has her life together. She's built a successful career in the tech sector, has a bright fifteen-year-old daughter, and she's completely erased all evidence of her troubled past. At least that's what she thought. Dana Fraser always wondered why she's the only kid with two backup phones, emergency drills, and a non-negotiable check-in time every single day. When a stranger approaches her on the street claiming to be her grandmother, Dana starts to question what else her mother has been hiding. Soon Beth's worst nightmare is coming true: Dana is in grave danger, and unless Beth is willing to pull one last con job for her parents, she may never see her daughter again.
On a hot July night on Cape Cod, at the age of 14, Brodeur became a confidante to her mother's affair with her husband's closest friend. Malabar came to rely on her daughter to help, but when the affair had calamitous consequences for everyone involved, Brodeau was driven into a precarious marriage of her own, and then into a deep depression. In her memoir she examines how the people close to us can break our hearts simply because they have access to them, and the lies we tell in order to justify the choices we make. -- adapted from jacket
A candid assessment of the pros and cons of delayed motherhood. Biology does not bend to feminist ideals and science does not work miracles. That is the message of this eye-opening discussion of the consequences of delayed motherhood. Part personal account, part manifesto, Selvaratnam recounts her emotional journey through multiple miscarriages after the age of 37. Her doctor told her she still "had time," but Selvaratnam found little reliable and often conflicting information about a mature woman's biological ability (or inability) to conceive. Beyond her personal story, the author speaks to women in similar situations around the country, as well as fertility doctors, adoption counselors, reproductive health professionals, celebrities, feminists, journalists, and sociologists. Through in-depth reporting and her own experience, Selvaratnam urges more widespread education and open discussion about delayed motherhood in the hope that long-lasting solutions can take effect. The result is a book full of valuable information that will enable women to make smarter choices about their reproductive futures and to strike a more realistic balance between science, society and personal goals.
Suzy K. Quinn reveals the truth behind the lies we tell mothers, one sleepless night at a time. Suzy and Demi were carefree twenty-somethings. They had fun! They didn't have responsibilities! And then they decided to have a baby. Goodbye lazy weekends, hello sleepless nights, arguments and an addiction to industrial-strength hot chocolate. In the midst of this major life change, Suzy discovered that most parenting advice should be taken with a pinch of salt-- or ten. For example: #1 Lie: Just go with your mothers' instinct. But what if your instinct is telling you to hide under the stairs? #10 Lie: Your new baby will tell you what it needs. Not if it can't talk. #23 Lie: You should never bribe your children. You will ALWAYS bribe your children. Follow Suzy on the ultimate make-over from nervous-wreck new mother to happy family. In this hilarious and refreshingly honest account for parents who prefer the realistic to the utopian, Suzy debunks the myths and takes us all along for the (bumpy) ride.
There is no question that being a mother is challenging, but this fun, frank, and prescriptive guide tries to do the impossible and make new motherhood easier. Featuring interviews with hundreds of moms and candid stories from author Claudine Wolk's own experiences as a mother, It Gets Easier!...and Other Lies We Tell New Mothers mixes humor, honesty, and insider strategies that will give new moms a "leg-up." This upbeat and entertaining book drives home the point that new moms are not alone and that there are things they can do to make motherhood a little more controllable and lot more enjoyable. It addresses such issues as: * "The Talk" you need to have with your husband before you give birth * what you really need to know about labor and delivery * the importance of a baby schedule (no matter what anyone else says) * the 6 Baby Commandments that can foster good eating and sleeping habits * 5 new mom mantras that will help keep you sane * body image after giving birth * how to keep housework to a minimum Complete with resources for further exploration and a helpful glossary, this funny, irreverent book will help ease every new mother's frustration.
‘Hooked from the first page right until the last... I didn’t see the bombshell coming until it was on the page… Skilfully plotted and sizzling with suspense.’ Emma’s Biblio Treasures ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ What if the person you trust most in the world has been lying to you for your whole life? Martha would do anything for her devoted mother, Fran. Now in her mid-twenties, Martha still lives with her in their remote, pretty cottage in the Cornish countryside. Fran paints illustrations, while Martha trains to be an animal nurse. But then Martha sees a strange message on her mother’s phone – apparently from her estranged father. He had been there for her first steps. He’d helped with her homework, and taken her for ice cream at weekends. And then, two days before her ninth birthday, he walked out. She never knew what went wrong, and she and Fran never heard from him again. Desperate for answers, she tracks him down. But when they come face to face, she isn’t ready for the brutal truth. Closing his eyes he says, ‘She hasn’t told you, has she? I’m not your father.’ Her mother has been telling lies. And not just about who her real father is… As the lies start to unravel, someone will do whatever it takes to keep Martha from finding the truth. A page-turning, gripping psychological thriller for fans of The Girl on the Train, Shalini Boland, and C. L. Taylor. Readers are loving Her Mother’s Lies: ‘This had an amazing storyline!... My top read of the year!! I’m finding it hard to put into words how good it was.’ The Fiction Café Book Club, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Top book of 2019 ‘WOW!!! Amazing, phenomenal, unputdownable… It doesn't get any better than this.’ NetGalley Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wow wow wow!!... I was hooked from the first page!... Instantly grips you… So many twists... Kept me guessing right until the very end.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘It's been a long time since I have read a book that has made me feel utterly gobsmacked. If life hadn't been in the way, I could easily have read Her Mother's Lies in one sitting, it was unputdownable.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ What a page turner this is!!!... Lies, deceit it has it all… My jaw dropped on a few occasions and never expected the twists and turns, I love when that happens. Amazingly brilliant book.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I was in shock. This author sure knows how to pack a punch. A jaw dropping, heart stopping page turner of a read. It should come with a warning as I could feel my heart racing... I can still feel the adrenaline.’ By the Letter Book Reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Absolutely stunning… doesn't let you go until that very last page… READ IT and read it as soon as you can! ’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Gripping, intriguing, and mind blowing!... The story starts off with a bang. The entire time I was reading, I was guessing what would happen, only to be proven wrong.’ NetGalley Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wow, what a book!!!!!... I never saw all the twists and turns coming that this book had in store. It was like I was on a rollercoaster ride that I never wanted to get off from.’ Blue Moon Blogger ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Just Brilliant!!!!... A fantastic book and I was hooked within the first few pages… Blimey what a cracking read!... a brilliant psychological thriller that will keep you hooked… Wow!’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A fast paced rollercoaster ride that is packed full of so many twists and turns that by the time you reach the final twist, you are left feeling so dizzy that all you want to do is lie down in a dark room… One hell of unexpected jaw dropping twist… Well worth far more than five stars and very very highly recommended.’ Nicki’s Life of Crime ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
If Atul Gawande were funny--or Jerome Groopman were a working mother--they might sound something like Michelle Au, M.D., author of this hilarious and poignant memoir of a medical residency. Michelle Au started medical school armed only with a surfeit of idealism, a handful of old ER episodes for reference, and some vague notion about "helping people." This Won't Hurt a Bit is the story of how she grew up and became a real doctor. It's a no-holds-barred account of what a modern medical education feels like, from the grim to the ridiculous, from the heartwarming to the obscene. Unlike most medical memoirs, however, this one details the author's struggles to maintain a life outside of the hospital, in the small amount of free time she had to live it. And, after she and her husband have a baby early in both their medical residencies, Au explores the demands of being a parent with those of a physician, two all-consuming jobs in which the lives of others are very literally in her hands. Au's stories range from hilarious to heartbreaking and hit every note in between, proving more than anything that the creation of a new doctor (and a new parent) is far messier, far more uncertain, and far more gratifying than one could ever expect.
A collection of feminist essays steeped in “Solnit’s unapologetically observant and truth-speaking voice on toxic, violent masculinity” (The Los Angeles Review). In a timely and incisive follow-up to her national bestseller Men Explain Things to Me, Rebecca Solnit offers sharp commentary on women who refuse to be silenced, misogynistic violence, the fragile masculinity of the literary canon, the gender binary, the recent history of rape jokes, and much more. In characteristic style, “Solnit draw[s] anecdotes of female indignity or male aggression from history, social media, literature, popular culture, and the news . . . The main essay in the book is about the various ways that women are silenced, and Solnit focuses upon the power of storytelling—the way that who gets to speak, and about what, shapes how a society understands itself and what it expects from its members. The Mother of All Questions poses the thesis that telling women’s stories to the world will change the way that the world treats women, and it sets out to tell as many of those stories as possible” (The New Yorker). “There’s a new feminist revolution—open to people of all genders—brewing right now and Rebecca Solnit is one of its most powerful, not to mention beguiling, voices.”—Barbara Ehrenreich, New York Times–bestselling author of Natural Causes “Short, incisive essays that pack a powerful punch.” —Publishers Weekly “A keen and timely commentary on gender and feminism. Solnit’s voice is calm, clear, and unapologetic; each essay balances a warm wit with confident, thoughtful analysis, resulting in a collection that is as enjoyable and accessible as it is incisive.” —Booklist
Recommended by O Magazine * GMA * Elle * Marie Claire * Good Housekeeping * NBC News * Shondaland * Chicago Tribune * Woman's Day * Refinery 29 * Bustle * The Millions * New York Post * Parade * Hello! Magazine * PopSugar * and more! “The Kindest Lie is a deep dive into how we define family, what it means to be a mother, and what it means to grow up Black...beautifully crafted.” —JODI PICOULT "A fantastic story...well-written, timely, and oh-so-memorable."—Good Morning America “The Kindest Lie is a layered, complex exploration of race and class." —The Washington Post Every family has its secrets... It’s 2008, and the inauguration of President Barack Obama ushers in a new kind of hope. In Chicago, Ruth Tuttle, an Ivy-League educated Black engineer, is married to a kind and successful man. He’s eager to start a family, but Ruth is uncertain. She has never gotten over the baby she gave birth to—and was forced to leave behind—when she was a teenager. She had promised her family she’d never look back, but Ruth knows that to move forward, she must make peace with the past. Returning home, Ruth discovers the Indiana factory town of her youth is plagued by unemployment, racism, and despair. As she begins digging into the past, she unexpectedly befriends Midnight, a young white boy who is also adrift and looking for connection. Just as Ruth is about to uncover a burning secret her family desperately wants to keep hidden, a heart-stopping incident strains the town’s already searing racial tensions, sending Ruth and Midnight on a collision course that could upend both their lives. Powerful and unforgettable, The Kindest Lie is the story of an American family and reveals the secrets we keep and the promises we make to protect one another.
