An interesting premise, a young woman does a DNA test to find out more about her heritage only to find that her mum isn't her mum and that another woman who lives nearby is. These two women meet and have many unspoken feelings of resentment towards the other, although they try their best for their daughter. There are some interesting nature vs nurture moments and the horse moments are relatable. No spoilers, but I wasn't sure about the big development, it wasn't convincing in the face of all those pent up feelings, maybe if there had been more of a friendship. A quick easy read though...

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Where to even begin this? This book was really well put together. I went into without expecations as with these kind of stories you never know if it's gonna be too unbelievable or over the top but it was just perfect. I love how the author makes their characters actually say out loud how unbelievable their situation is and that this seems like stuff that only happens in movies.

The time frame also seems rather perfect to be honest. It was not rushed or dragged out too much. The first half of the book is basically the characters digesting the news and getting to know each other but taking into account all of their feelings and not rushing into it. They take their time to talk about memories and make time to make new memories and it all felt really organic.

An ARC was provided to me by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

LOVED it! Very believable plot, especially in this day in age. The characters were well developed, the romance was right up my alley of slow burn! Both characters are older and completely different personalities, are brought together and grow together. I recommend you check this book out!

Really enjoyed the premise of this book. It was an engaging read with interesting characters, kept me turning the pages. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book

I loved this book. I read it so quickly because I couldn’t get enough of the characters. The only down side for me was that it felt really short and ended quite abruptly. I felt we could have had a bit more once the misunderstanding was sorted out before the epilogue

How would you react to finding out your child isn’t biological yours? Well, that is what Maggie and Hannah have to face after Cassidy turns 18 and wishes to learn more about her sperm donor. This is such a great story or blending a family and overcoming the unthinkable

This was not really the book I expected and not for me I am sorry to say. It's not like the writing is bad or anything but the plot didn't resonate with me.

3.5 Stars

“Missed Conception” is a sweet, mature romance with a nice dose of family drama by Joy Argento.

Hannah Kennedy and her daughter, Cassidy, are in for a surprise when their DNA kit results come back showing they aren’t related. Hannah used a fertility clinic to become pregnant and it turns out she carried another patient’s embryo. Maggie Walsh is just as surprised when she is contacted by a DNA company saying she has a new connection on her family tree, a daughter by the name of Cassidy.

This was an interesting premise that drew me in. I was expecting a lot of angst and was a little disappointed at the lack of it. While there is some tension early on it doesn’t take long for it to disappear. Hannah and Maggie are both over forty and know how to talk things out and to be honest about their feelings. That’s why I refer to this as a mature romance, I don’t mean their ages, but rather how they deal with things. Well, mostly. There’s a black moment that didn’t really jive with one of the characters personalities that left me perplexed.

I recommend this if you’re looking for a quick, lighter read with some humor and an interesting premise.

Thanks to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a romance with a twist. The story is well written, and the characters are well developed. It was a very enjoyable read and I recommend.



Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books.

This was a different kind of love story. Hannah Kennedy gave birth in vitro to her daughter Cassidy. Hannah lost her wife two years later and was raising Cassidy on her own. The plot revolves around a DNA test. Maggie Wallace comes into the picture when one of those revealed that Cassidy has her DNA and from there the story continues with emotional ups and downs and is a very interesting story. I recommend this book for readers who like romance stories with twists.

Loved reading this book. The story was well written and the characters were well developed. There was plenty of drama and romance in this story. The relationship between Hannah and Maggie was so sweet and caring, especially when it involved getting Maggie getting to know Hannah's daughter Cassidy. I loved all the supporting characters, especially the sisters of each woman. I liked that the author included horses in this story. I actually learned a little bit more about how they interact with people. Hannah and Maggie's relationship was at first kind of an enemies, friends to lovers romance with a bit of slow burn thrown in for good measure. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family, and I look forward to what comes next from this author.

Maggie Walsh always envisioned herself as a mother and when she reached thirty years old she decided to take the chance and have a baby on her own. So like many other women she had two embryos to work with but neither worked. Costing so much pretty much put an end to her dream. Life went on and after a lot of hard work she now owned and operated a horse ranch where she offered riding lessons.
Hannah Kennedy, along with her late wife had the same dream as Maggie. Having a baby was their dream but never did Hannah envision raising their daughter alone, but when her wife died that was just where she ended up. Hannah loved her little girl Cassidy and as her little girl grew into a young woman she decided working with horses was just what she was looking for.
Both Cassidy and Maggie sent for some DNA testing to see if there was anyone out there with the same DNA. Needless to say both were shocked when they found out Hannah wasn’t her daughter’s biological mother. It seems there was a mix up and now Maggie finds out she does have a daughter, Cassidy.
Ms Argento always gives us what I like to call, easy romances, with a few ups and downs but mostly smooth sailing. A very nice read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books.

Missed Conception
by Joy Argento
MC Hannah Kennedy & Maggie Walsh
daughter Cassidy
NetGalley
Bold Strokes Books
Arc
Randi Maggie friend



Review

Hannah lost her wife and was left to raise their daughter Cassidy. When Cassidy turns 18 she finds out that she is not related to her Hannah biologically. This is where the story takes off. When Cassidy finds out Maggie is her natural mother by blood, it hits her like a ton of bricks.

Maggie can’t believe this is happening. That Cassidy found her. Maggie meets Hannah and connection happens. A relationships begin to develop, she sees Hannah in a different light. She wants to be with her. They share a kiss that changes everything and it’s Hannah running.


Hannah had a hard time explaining the kiss situation to her sister. There is a lot that happens in the story I don’t want to give anything away.

The was a very interesting story one I did enjoy I highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Stokes Books 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was in search of something romantic and heartwarming and Miss Conception does not disappoint! Joy Argento has created authentic, lovable characters whose insecurities are overcome through love -- both maternal and romantic.

When Hannah finds out that her daughter (Cassidy) isn't biologically related to her due to a mix up at a fertility clinic, we are introduced to Cassidy's biological mother, Maggie. Watching Maggie connect with Cassidy thru their love of horses is heartwarming, but what I loved even more was seeing Maggie and Hannah fall in love.

Even though the story was short, the storyline never felt rushed and the relationships seemed to grow organically throughout.

(While I can't recommend this book to my middle school students, I'd highly recommend it to any of my adult friends and all members of the queer community.)

ARC provided by NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for a fair review.

I was really pulled in by the premise and blurb of this book. A DNA test and matching on an ancetsary like site shocks Hannah and her daughter Casssidy into realizing that they may not be related. At the same time, it also opens up a channel to Cassidy’s biological mother Maggie.

I may have had unrealistic expectations of where this story would go, thinking it would be a high angst ridden narrative. However while there are sparks at the beginning, things calm down pretty quickly. I appreciated the characterization of the confusion and possibly denial both mother and daughter go through. Also Maggie’s frustration at being left out and missing a huge part of being there for her child was well captured. I think the climax portion of the book where Hannah sort of flips out was a bit over the top, but it lent a dramatic angst towards the end before the final HEA.I’m sucker for horses in stories as well, so I enjoyed that portion too.

In the end this was an easy low angst read. 3.5 ⭐️s

Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes books for an EARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cassidy does a dna test to found out more about her genes and is surprise to learn her mother Hannah who gave birth to her isn’t her biologically mother it’s a shock to the both of them they learn their was mixup at the fertility clinic. Maggie always wanted children and surprise to learn she has a eighteen your old daughter who she is dying to get to know. The story is about two women and their love for their daughter and how it became a love story between Hannah and Maggie. Overall a good read.



I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

A young woman takes a DNA test to find out about her heritage as she knows little of her donor father. A young woman who loves horses much to the consternation of her mother who hates them. Then the results come back and tell Cassidy her mother lives nearby. Her real mother. A mix up in the clinic means she has been raised by the "wrong" woman.

This is an interesting premise and Ms Argento is a very good writer. The characters felt credible and were empathetic in their dealings with each other and especially with 18 year old Cassidy. But the ending felt a bit rushed for me. I won’t go into detail but given the emotional way everyone met, I wasn’t sure about some character’s reactions.

Ms Argento can certainly tell a story and I will be looking out for her other books.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley

Cute story; I liked all of the characters, and the relationship between Maggie and Hannah was fun and playful. I expected more conflict between the two characters early on, and when the big conflict hit, it was predictable. But overall, this was a quick, entertaining read, and I'd check out more books by the author.

𝗗𝗡𝗔.

This book reminded me of Jenny Frame's 𝘜𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 (which I loved). The circumstances are a bit different but the broad storyline is more or less the same - The biological mother finds her biological offspring and ends up falling for the birth mother, except that the child is pretty much grown up here. Cassidy is 18 years old and is as much a main character of this story as the mothers are.

This story originates from a DNA test result that revealed an almost two decade old mix-up at a fertility clinic and so the truth comes as a rude shock to everybody. I like how much focus there is on the emotions and feelings felt by each of the three women, how they struggle to make sense of the situation and how they deal with one another. I also like how each of their relationships are forged independently, i.e. Maggie, the biological mother and Cassidy, Maggie and Hannah and of course Cassidy and Hannah. I thought the story was pretty well-written too. Maggie actually made a lot of progress with Cassidy and Hannah and I really enjoyed myself with the book until the black moment that basically blew everything out of proportion and took too long to salvage.

I've read a few books by Joy Argento and enjoyed them. But with ‘Missed Conception’ I've been left a little confused with my feelings towards the plot. I can't and don't want to go into too much detail as I don't want to give too much away.
I'm going to leave it with this, it's a good story, and the characters are fine, but the whole premise of the storyline wasn't what I expected. I expected way more emotions and feelings etc. Especially after what the characters have been through...

All in all, it's a good read, absolutely not what I was expecting tho.

I've given ‘Missed Conception’ a near 2.6