A brilliant and at times emotional read. This book drew me in from the first chapter and I would highly recommend this book.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

An original storyline which was wonderfully written. I didn’t care much for Tess but as the story developed I began to understand her. All in all captivating, with plenty of what ifs asked!

This was just an okay read for me. From the synopsis I was really looking forward to reading it as it felt like a a great concept, but it fell a little short of living up to my expectations unfortunately.

When two strangers, Tess and Annie, undergo IVF at an American clinic, their embryos are mixed up and each woman gives birth to the wrong child. The women only discover the devastating error three years later. Tess wants to swap the children back; Annie doesn't. As the pair wrangle, neither of them expect what unfolds.

Mitchell does a great job at portraying a horrendous situation but a situation that I could see happening in real life. This book does feel incredibly realistic and the whole way through I kept thinking how real and human it all felt, the torment and despair that the characters are going through really comes across. I liked how Mitchell began the book and how we follow the characters as they discover what has happened and the next steps from there.

One thing I did not enjoy was the excitement of the plot. I have seen this billed as a thriller and it really really is not a thriller. There is nothing thrilling or exciting about this book whatsoever, there is a little plot aspect that could have been thrilling but went nowhere. The whole way through, Mitchell is building a very intense atmosphere and one that led me to thinking that something massive was going to happen. Sadly, this atmosphere never went anywhere and then the book was just over. I can say with confidence that I could predict what would happen after the reveal and there is nothing shocking about it.

Despite this lack of thrills, I must stress that Mitchell does do an incredible job at portraying the emotions and the torment of the characters. It really is a heart-breaking situation for them and it was interesting to see how differently they both handle it. The characters are okay, not especially likeable but I did not really dislike them either. They are just okay.

For me, everything about this book is okay, the situation is shocking but the ensuing events are not and I felt let down by the build-up. The saving grace is the dramatic, emotional portrayal of a truly awful, desperate situation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an advance copy.

This was a really good original story on a topic that could actually happen in real life. Beautifully written - a great combination in a truly outstanding book. Loved it so much and would highly recommend.

A really interesting book that poses a moral dilemma. It sends shivers down my spine - the desperation for a child and the desire for a healthy baby is overriding. And then to have the family you have built shattered by the revelation that the child you are raising is not your genetic child... what fortitude you would need to deal with that situation.

Two very different families on the surface, but underneath there are many parallels. The story plays out well with the awkwardness of the clinic and the anxiety of the new situations playing out. However I think the characters could have been described in greater depth - you never really got under the skin of Tess and Annie. It felt more of a reportage style - a tell rather than a sell.

However having said all that it was an absorbing and engaging read that developed at a fast pace. A really interesting read - would make for a very interesting discussion at Book Club!!

4*

’m sure that a lot of people have wondered about mistakes made by fertility clinics, how often they happen and what the consequences of that. And while there are strict protocols in place to prevent any mistakes from happening, we all know that human error happens.

Mixing up the embryos of two patients with the same surname is pretty much as bad as it gets. Both resulted in a live birth, one family had a boy and the other a girl.

I have to admit that I am fascinated by whether a baby knows that they weren’t wanted, were the wrong sex (to what their parents wanted) or born into something else that isn’t quite right. I firmly believe that the baby often picks up on something that follows them through to childhood and beyond, leaving them with a sense of shame about themselves.

But would a mother know that the child they birthed wasn’t their child? And if so, would finding out that they were right, and the baby wasn’t theirs, provide relief?

It’s all very interesting and reading The Swap by Fiona Mitchell really got me thinking more about a lot of it. It’s a nightmare situation that no parent would ever wish to be in. I felt the author dealt with the subject matter beautifully, it wasn’t overly dramatic, it was realistic and felt entirely possible.

The characters were flawed and not always likeable, but they were believable and I enjoyed reading about them. The book took the characters on a real journey and I kept reading, desperate to know what was going to happen and whether there could be any resolution that would work for either family involved.

If you enjoy reading family dramas then this is a book for you. But, I think The Swap will appeal to many readers. Given the subject matter it won’t be easy reading for some but it will make you think.

How would you cope if you found out the baby you had given birth to wasn't actually your child? A brilliant premise for a book that inevitably draws the reader into wondering what they would do in this situation - and the realisation that there is no easy answer.

This book is a story about two different women, both mothers and struggling in different ways, bringing up their children. A few years earlier Tess had a baby girl born stillborn. She went on to have two sons but decides that she would like a daughter. So her and her husband Matteo, go to the USA to have elective IVF. Annie, who lives in the USA with her husband Carl, is struggling to get pregnant goes to the same clinic as Tess as her mother in law pays for her to have IVF treatment. What happens at the clinic is so heartbreaking and mind blowing as somehow the two womens embryos get muddled up. Tess has a baby boy called Freddie who seems to cause her problems. Whilst Annie has a daughter Willow and she is struggling to make ends meet. Three years later when Tess and Freddie are involved in a car accident, Freddie has to have a blood transfusion and they learn that there blood groups don’t match so they cannot be Freddie’s biological parents. So Tess and Matteo decide to sue the clinic and try to solve the mystery of Tess’s missing embryos. Anne and Carl meanwhile receive a letter from the clinic asking them to have blood tests. The torment then begins for the two families. What do they do? After loving and raising a child for three years what a shock to discover you are not the biological parents. This is a fascinating and very thought provoking book, I felt the emotions, bewilderment, despair and heartache of both the families and of Freddie and Willow. A highly recommended read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

In this book my biggest fear comes true. Imagine your baby is not your baby. You want your real baby back, but is refused by his mixed-up parents. This was a gripping read, and heart-wrenching at the same time!
Recommended.

This novel had an intriguing premise - an IVF mix-up leaves Tess and Annie raising each other’s biological children - Freddie and Willow, respectively.

The mistake is revealed early on in the story, leaving the plot wide open. It soon becomes clear that we are in experienced hands with this author - the storyline is gripping and the prose stylish.

I did, however, have some difficulties relating to the characters, especially Tess, whose motives were a little unclear at times, and whose treatment of, and attitude towards, the troubled Freddie seemed incredibly callous and unfeeling.

There were so many interesting questions raised about love, attachment, family and grief and that the book seemed to leave some threads hanging. However, this is no bad thing - I think it would make it perfect for a book club discussion.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an okay read - a great concept, but I felt it lacked emotional depth in places. The characters of the children also seemed distant from the plot, which made the narrative feel quite small and focused on just the inner turmoil of the two mothers - not bad, but not what I would've hoped for from the synopsis.

This was a quick and fast-paced read for me. I wanted to find out what happens, at the same time I was constantly challenged with the thought of 'what would I do...?'

Early on in the book we find out that Tess and Annie have had IVF three years previously and have given birth to a son and a daughter. An accident at the start of the book in Surrey, England, highlights immediately to Tess that her son is not her own - confirmed by a DNA test. Meanwhile, we also meet Annie who is in Florida, blissfully unaware that the beautiful daughter she and her husband is raising is not her own. The book picks up pace as the clinic confirms their worst nightmare and we follow the two families in their respective homes as they collide with their conscience and morals.

The characters were strong, built up well but the descriptions of Tess and Annie were very different. Tess was painted as an elegant woman, Annie an overweight bumbling person. Sometimes the words used to describe Annie's actions were a bit random - she 'bounded' up the stairs. In another chapter she struggles to keep up. It was a bit bizarre.

The storyline was good and that's what attracted me to this book in the first place - but I felt that it could have been polished a little better in the end. Nevertheless, I wanted and needed to finish this book and see what conclusion was made and wasn't disappointed that I did.

With thanks to Netgalley and Border and Staughton for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

The Swap was about two families separated by the Atlantic. British parents Tess and Matteo Rossi went to an American clinic to have IVF, the couple had two boys but they wanted a little girl. On the day Tess was due to have her eggs implanted they were accidentally swapped with American couple Annie and Carl. Tess went on to give birth to Freddie and Annie had Willow.

Three years later Freddie was difficult and showed signs of challenging behaviour. One day Tess was driving with Freddie in the back, he had a tantrum which caused Tess to crash her car. At the hospital Freddie was given a blood transfusion that showed neither Tess or Matteo could be his genetic parents. Tess had always known deep down that Freddie wasn't theirs. After a DNA test proved that Freddie was not genetically theirs, Tess decided to sue the clinic.

In Florida Annie and Carl struggled for money, they both felt grateful that Willow was not like them. When Annie received a letter asking from the IVF clinic asking to do a blood test on Willow she was worried that Willow was ill. When Annie and Carl discovered the truth they refused to contact the Rossi`s and were not interested in meeting Freddie.

The Swap was a thought provoking read, perfect for a bookclub. The plot was fascinating, I was engrossed in the story and found It hard to put down.

I didn't like Tess because I thought she was trying to `replace' Freddie with the perfect daughter. However the story about Ava, Tess and Mateo`s first born was absolutely heart breaking. I was mad at Mateo when the story of Tess`s burnt hand was revealed.

I liked Annie who was an artist for a publishing company but wanted to become an artist. I wanted to shake her for feeling inferior to the sophisticated Tess.

I was wondering how this book could possibly end, but the conclusion was satisfying. I recommend this powerful book.

Upsetting
A really sad story about a mistake made in the early stages of IVF which changed 2 families lives.
My heart swung between Annie and Tess throughout the book.
Loved it, if you can love a book which makes you sad thinking this actually could/does happen.

Thank you so much for allowing me an advanced copy of The Swap.

I found it very thought provoking as - who knows what can happen behind closed doors - hopefully fiction is stranger than fact!!

Great read and thoroughly reccommend

Everything about this book from the cover to the description screamed at me to be read and I could not wait to start it.

Set in Surrey, England and America. Two women undergo IVF,where their embryos are mixed up, causing them to give birth to babies that are not genetically connected to them.

In Surrey, Tess and Matteo have 3 sons, their youngest Freddie does not look like their other sons and is a bit of a handful. She has never bonded with him and was desperately hoping for a daughter. When Tess has a car accident they discover from blood tests that Freddie is not their son.

In America, Annie and Carl had IVF to have their daughter Willow. When they receive the news that Willow is not their natural child Annie does not want any contact with the other family involved in the swap and will not consider that Willow is not theirs.

Loved how this very delicate and heartbreaking subject was beautifully written. The contrast between the 2 families couldn’t have been any more different, their lifestyles and how they react to the news of the swap.

Having been through IVF, although sadly for us not successfully, I can only imagine going through that emotional process to later find out you have the wrong child. After bonding with them for 3 years could you imagine giving them up so you can have you’re real child who is a stranger to you?

A thought provoking story that gripped me from the start. A must read book that will stay in you’re thoughts long after reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review.

This is the first book I have read by Fiona Mitchell and I loved it. Such a thought provoking story that will have you wishing no one finds themselves in this situation.

Two women have IVF treatment on the same day and have the same surname. The embryos are mixed up but this is only discovered by the families 3 years later. What would you do ?

For me this was a no win situation for either of the families and I just couldn’t decide what I would do in a similar situation. This really is one where you think it may have been better if the families were left in the dark. A fantastic emotive read and very fast paced, I whizzed through this one as just wanted to find out the outcome. Beautifully written with so much emotion you will find yourself feeling for both families, especially little Freddie !!

Thank you to

A brilliant and thought provoking read by Fiona Mitchell.
The embryos of 2 separate women who each give birth to a child following IVF treatment, were swapped and each women unknowingly carried the other woman’s child, this heartbreaking discovery only comes to light when the children are 3. This tragic human error could have some devastating and life changing results.

Beautifully written, highly emotional and simply brilliant.

5 stars