I really don't know where to start with this one because it blew me away and underwhelmed me at the same time.

Firstly the biggest positives for me were the story itself, as I hadn't read anything like it before. My own mother went through IVF before adopting me and so I have long been aware of the strain that puts on a couple both financially and emotionally despite not being there myself and actually the story had my gripped right from the beginning and I wanted to know what was going to happen throughout.

However, I almost felt that the author tried to do too much and didn't give certain aspects of the story the gravity they deserved. I would have liked this book to have shown more than it did, but also be a few pages shorter! I dont know how it managed to make me feel like that all at once but it did. Also I really didn't like Katherine's husband and also the last few chapters I was really disappointed in. All in all I think I would still recommend it as a read, and I think its one that will stick with me, but ultimately I just wanted a little more from the story.

I would still give the author another go

Charlene Carr draws on her personal experience with IVF to write a spell-binding observation on two mothers in an impossible situation. A unique and compelling premise, there has clearly been great care taken to ensure both women are written in a way that makes the reader empathise with, rather than demonise either women through their experience. This is an absolutely captivating plot line, highlighting Carr's incredible talent as a writer. I found it near impossible to resist the urge to keep reading.

As some early reviews have also mentioned, I do wish there was more of an in-depth look at the moral and ethical implications this scenario produces, but also understand that to do so would be opening a Pandora's box of never-ending perspectives. Not impossible, but an off-putting and unappealing task that could have detracted from Katherine and Tess's heart-rending conflict.

I would recommend this as a read to anyone who wants to experience an emotional, raw reflection of a near insurmountable set of circumstances. I know this will be one I'll pick up again, so I'll be purchasing a physical copy of this book to add to my bookshelves for a later re-read.

I read this initially as an ARC requested through NetGalley - my reviews are my own and unbiased.

"Hold My Girl" is a tense, emotional page turner. It tells a story of 2 women and one baby in an emotional tug at your heart strings kind of way. Being a mother myself I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I tried to put myself into the women's shoes and simply couldn't imagine being in them. It's written brilliantly and gives great perspective, insight and a sudden burst of clarity in the end.

Well written with a interesting storyline that pulled me in and well developed characters. An enjoyable read that I would recommend

This was my first novel by Charlene Carr and it was a fairly enjoyable read.

Katherine and Tess have both been struggling with infertility for a number of years. Both fall pregnant and whilst Katherine gives birth to a healthy baby girl, Rose, Tess tragically suffers a stillbirth.

However, when Rose is eight months old Katherine and Tess receive a call from the fertility clinic, there has been a mix up and suddenly the lines between mother, child and parentage aren't quite what they once seemed.

A really interesting premise and a well written, thought out story. Unfortunately for me, it just lacked a killer punch, something to make it stand out. I think from the start once the story was laid out, it seemed fairly obvious where the story would go and whilst there were some surprises, it just didn't really stand out for me.

Definitely an author I would look out for again though as the writing was good.

Thanks to Netgalley and Welbeck Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was a sweet book that was probably too long given that it never moves much beyond its central dilemma. Katherine is horrified when she learns that her one-year-old daughter, Rose, is not biologically related to her; it turns out that the embryo that was implanted during her IVF treatment was actually formed from another woman's egg fertilised with her husband's sperm. Meanwhile, Tess can't believe it when she hears that she has a living biological daughter, having given up all hope of children after a stillbirth and a hysterectomy. But both Katherine and Tess want sole custody of Rose. Who is Rose's 'real' mother - and who gets to decide who deserves to be?

I liked the way that Charlene Carr sympathetically developed the characters of both Katherine and Tess, even if Katherine felt a little unbelievably hard-hearted to me at the start of the novel and Tess's actions were hard to understand near the end. Hold My Girl is keen that we should like both women, and so doesn't fall into the trap of demonising one of them. Nevertheless, I wanted a much deeper, Jodi-Picoult-style dive into the ethical and moral issues here. (Jodi would have made the court scenes last for at least half of the novel!) I thought the book could have had more to say about motherhood via DNA versus motherhood as the work of carrying, birthing and raising a child. Carr also only briefly mentions the racism Katherine faces when it's discovered that she's a black woman raising a white baby. Given that this is, then, a character-led novel, I wanted both Katherine and Tess to feel more complex and individual. Warm and engaging, but not something I'd read again.

I will post my full review to my blog/Goodreads etc nearer the publication date.