Beautifully open and honest story of love and families. Twin sisters Lena and Ali are very close to each other and their dad Tom, especially since their mother passed away. One Christmas, Lena buys her dad a DNA testing kit as a throwaway gift; little does she know that it will open up a secret that Tom has been keeping all these years. He’s not their biological father and they don’t know who it might be as sperm donation records weren’t kept then. The news impacts both sisters hugely , they don’t feel like themselves any more and don’t know how they fit anymore. Ali and her wife are on their own IvF journey - but how does this news impact how she feels about those plans and what it might mean for their own child?
I felt every emotion that the sisters did, it’s honest and emotional on every page. Fabulous writing which doesn’t shy away from some tricky conversations.

Heartwarming, funny in places, story got me to the end. Not sure if I felt the characters were deep enough

This was such a heartfelt book about two twin sisters and how they face some life changing news in completely opposites ways. Really liked In the Deep End, and Nuclear Family did not disappoint!

Brilliant novel from one of my favorite contemporary writers! Warm-hearted, laugh-out-loud funny, super quirky and silly yet achingly tender and relatable. A gem of a family novel.

The rise of DNA testing kits as part of family history research is revealing all sorts of long hidden family stories (and scandals) and this novel explores this issue well, along with the pressures of IVF and gender.
While lots of current ideas and arguments are included in the book it doesn't feel like an issue book - just a realistic look at how far the ripples from one event can devastate a family

I liked the premise of this novel, a woman seeks to find her paternal family after it is revealed she and her twin were conceived using a sperm donor. Warm, emotional, with flashes of humour it explores parenthood on all levels.

If you follow my blog, you might have seen my review for Kate Davies’ debut novel IN AT THE DEEP END, which I absolutely LOVED, so I was really excited to read the authors latest book which was published in February this year.

I knew as soon as I opened the book and the Epigraph was Philip Larkin’s This Be The Verse “They f*ck you up, your mum and dad…” and when I saw some of the chapter names included “Self-Flagellating Bollocks”, “F*ck F*ck F*ck F*ck F*ck” and “Bugger Off” that I would enjoy this story.

Nuclear Family is set in North London and follows twins Alison and Lena and their father Tom. The girls mother had suddenly and unexpectedly passed away and the family are still in the midst of grief. To brighten up their first family Christmas without mum, Lena thinks it would be a great idea to buy them all a DNA testing kit, except Tom’s reaction has devastating results when he announces the twins were conceived via a sperm donor and their parents had kept this secret for their entire lives.

This shock revelation literally splits the family in two. Lena, who is married and currently trying for a child of her own is devastated and needs to know who her biological father is, however Alison and her wife who are also trying for a baby using donor sperm has absolutely zero interest in anything to do with the DNA results.

The story brings up so many emotions and the twins reactions to this news are polar opposite but the reader does sympathise with both sides, although I did find Lena’s obsession a little harder to believe.

Nuclear Family takes a long hard and raw look at IVF and infertility struggles and doesn’t sugar coat the devastating effects it has on the family when things don’t go as planned.

There were many times throughout the book I questioned how I would feel if I was in their situation and would I behave like Lena or Alison?

Overall, I think this would make a brilliant book for a book club discussion as there are so many elements within the story including identity, nature vs nuture and what it really means to be a family.

as a mother who used IVF with a donor embryo to get her miracle this one felt very close to home and something we may yet have to face in the furture.
but regardless it was a BRILLIANT BOOK AND I LOVED ALL OF IT

This was amazing and another of those books that you can see so
Easily being adapted to a film or series,
Well written and drawn out characters

I was not expecting a lot of this book, and it was exciting read, very twisty and quite out there in some parts. I love books that make me feel emotional and I was literally screaming "NO" at this book. I found the characters very likeable and lots of plot.

Alison and Lena, twin sisters bound by a strong bond with their father, Tom, are still navigating the profound loss of their mother, Sheila. Amidst their shared grief, Lena's innocuous Christmas gift—a DNA testing kit—ushers in an unexpected revelation: Tom discloses that he is not their biological father, and that he and Sheila had utilized a sperm donor to conceive.

The sisters' reactions diverge sharply: Alison, resolute in her belief that familial ties transcend biology, remains steadfast in her affection for Tom, focusing on her own journey towards parenthood with her wife via a sperm donor. In contrast, Lena, grappling with feelings of betrayal and a deep-seated need for identity, embarks on a quest to unearth the truth surrounding her biological origins, determined to connect with her genetic roots.

As the sisters navigate this seismic shift in their understanding of family and identity, they confront divergent paths marked by acceptance, reconciliation, and the complexities of love in all its forms.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

An interesting topic.

Twins Alison and Lena find out they are concieved by a sperm donor

This looks at parenthood and conception and family relationships.

Well written

Nuclear Family is such a great read. It's a family-focused story with twins Lena and Alison discovering their real father is a sperm donor after they get their dad (the man who was married to their mother and raised them) a DNA kit for Christmas. What then rolls out is the dynamics of this family and an exploration of conception, family and what it means to be a parent.

Lena wants to find the sperm donor, but Alison doesn't. The twins are also each dealing with their own life issues and these all work to create both rounded character you care about and a story that keeps you engaged.

I loved the themes and layers to Nuclear Family. Written in a conversational tone, this was emotional, tender, funny and sad. The best combo.

Nuclear Family by Kate Davies

Twins Alison and Lena find out that they were conceived with donor sperm when Lena buys their father, Tom, a DNA kit for Christmas. Lena wants to find their biological father but Alison doesn't. Tom is frightened that he'll lose them both. But Alison and Lena are also fighting their own battles with fertility, conception and their relationships.

What a wonderful book, I absolutely loved it! Such a thought-provoking story which is smart, funny and poignant. Loved everything about it - the concept, the setting, the characters... everything! Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Compared to Kate Davies' debut, In At the Deep End, Nuclear Family is a radically different story.
In contrast to the first, which had a little sultry shock element, this was a family-friendly but equally fascinating story.
Lena, one of the twins, gives her father a DNA test for Christmas, and it sets off a series of events that force Tom to acknowledge he is not her biological father and her sister, Alison. Donor sperm were used in their conception.
As it is, the two females are in very different circumstances. Both Lena and Alison are married, but Alison and her spouse are utilising donor sperm to try for a child.
I thought it was a great story given from Tom, Lena, and Alison's points of view.
Regarding the morality of egg and sperm donation as well as the potential feelings of the donor and the offspring, numerous questions surfaced.

I really enjoyed this book. The chapter titles are a work of art before you even get into the content of the book itself! The storyline is modern, well written, funny, emotional – and really makes you think.

Whilst my husband and I have both done the DNA kits mentioned in the blurb and that feature as a key part of the book – ours didn’t reveal anything shocking, but I have had a conversation with someone who works with troubled families, who said that she could see them causing huge issues – exactly as happens in this book.

We’re also really lucky that we had 4 quick to conceive and successful pregnancies and births (even with a vasectomy and reversal between children 2 and 3 – that’s a whole other blog post!) but I appreciate we were incredibly fortunate – and the book looks at many different ways in which a family can be created. Having read the acknowledgements, it’s evident that a number of these different family structures are based upon the authors own experiences as a child and subsequently as a parent.

Whilst each of the characters I felt was at times a bit selfish – fundamentally they all love each other deeply. I also liked the fact that some non-traditional topics such as older people embarking on a new sexual relationship, and trans men carrying a child, are part of the supporting story arcs and not thrust front and centre, but discussed as being totally normal.

The book also doesn’t end with all of the elements of the story tied up in a neat bow – which would have been a total sell out to – so I’m pleased with that.

I also think this would be an interesting book to discuss at a book club if you’re that way inclined!

I’m every so slightly behind with my reviewing – and this came out last week, so if you like the sound of it you can order it right now!

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for my ARC.

Imagine finding out that you were donor conceived. Imagine your twin wants to know nothing about it.
Sounds pretty straight forward as a story. But, there is actually a lot in here. About parenthood, conception, different ways that families can be made. It's really thoughtful and thought provoking. The author has quite a delicate touch in being able to show lots of different perspectives and the complexities of the issues.

I hadn't read a book by this author before but I really loved the premise of this book. I see so many stories of those DNA ancestry kits coming back to bite people so it was a really interesting to see it from a different perspective, I really enjoyed it.

The story begins one Christmas when Lena decides to give DNA testing kits to her twin sister Alison and her widower father Tom. This opens up a can of worms and Tom has to admit that he is not their biological father. Lena is keen to meet her biological father, but Alison is against this.
The author managed to tackle sensitive issues such as sperm donors, in a lighthearted yet thought provoking manner. There are some lovely little humorous sections together with some poignant moments.
Kate makes us consider what 'family' really means.

As a huge fan of Kate Davies novel 'In at the Deep End', I was pleased to be granted a review copy of 'Nuclear Family' by NetGalley. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review - as always, opinions are entirely my own.

The book opens with Lena buying a DNA kit as a Christmas present for her dad (Tom) and her twin sister (Alison). She thinks it will be fun - plus there was an offer on the kits, so they're a bargain! However, it forces Tom into the confession that Alison and Lena were conceived using a sperm donor - something that neither were really ready to find out in their thirties. Both respond very differently - but the impact on both is lasting as they reconsider their relationships, maternal instincts and what it means to be family.

This book had a quite different mood to 'In at the Deep End', which was incredibly funny and a bit eye-opening! 'Nuclear Family' is still very funny in places, but also has more emotional depth and is very thought-provoking about familial relationships. It still made me laugh, but I also found it very moving - especially how it all worked out in the end in ways I didn't foresee.

Of all the characters, I liked Tom best - I really felt that the decision to not tell the girls they were not his biological children (a decision made with his late wife) came back to bite him in a major way. I actually felt quite sorry for him, especially as he was clearly a great dad. His fledgling relationship was really sweet and well-written too. I found Alison more empathetic as a character - the dynamics of her relationship and thoughts on maternity were also interesting and engaging. Lena was more of a challenge to grasp as a character for me - I thought she was harsh and quite unlikeable at times. I particularly found her relationship with her husband and Daniel hard to fathom. I'm glad the characters were so different as this was what opened out different perspectives on the same theme, but I didn't always find Lena so believable as her life went into freefall.

I did really like the family dynamic though - the shared picnics in the graveyard by their mum's grave (sounds very depressing but isn't in Davies' hands), the family roles that each member slots into, the clashing personalities within the group, the way that trivial things fall away when big things happen. I also loved the running theme of their mum's memorial - that poor, hapless designer!

Overall, this is a fun and lively look at some big, heavy themes - it will definitely make you think about blood ties, found families and some big decisions around maternity. I'd not really considered a lot of the ethical and moral dilemmas raised in this book, but there is a lot of food for thought. The book also celebrates diversity - there's lots of representation of different parents here including gay, trans, donors and biological. It's an intriguing, humorous and ultimately moving read.