Really easy reading heartwarming story about sisters, one of whom wants a baby, one who has had health problems and one who has additional needs…..well written characters and kept me gripped.

Your sister once saved your life… Would you repay her with the child she’s always dreamed of? Wow- it's so full of heart you can almost hear it pulsing on every page.

Keep a box of tissues handy when reading Louise Guy’s My Sister’s Baby because this book will make you sob your heart out.

Sisters Liv and Toni were like two peas in a pod. With their parents focused on their little sister who had special needs, Liv and Toni had no choice but to rely on each other for love and support. When in their teens, Liv had needed a life-saving operation and Toni hadn’t hesitated and stepped in to help. However, a lot has changed since then and the two sisters who had once been inseparable had drifted apart and made new lives for themselves far from one another. Until now. Toni wants a baby and the only person who can help her get her her heart’s desire is the sibling she has barely spoken to in years: Liv.

Liv wants more than anything to help her sister. However, unbeknownst to Toni, Liv has a secret. A secret so dark and powerful that backs her in a dark corner where she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: either give her sister a baby or tell the truth and destroy their family forever.

A complex and astute exploration of sibling relationships, family ties and the secrets that tear us apart, Louise Guy’s My Sister’s Baby is a poignant, affecting and emotional tale that tugs at the heartstrings, gets under your skin and will keep you on the edge of your seat as you find yourself completely caught up in this immersive and compulsively readable page-turner.

Perfect for book clubs, Louise Guy’s My Sister’s Baby is a superb read you will certainly not forget in a hurry.

Sisters always there for each other, but now years later and much water under the bridge. Should we still help?

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I've enjoyed previous books by Louise Guy so was excited to read her latest offering. This was an engaging and emotive read which kept me guessing. Although the plot was unrealistic, Guy tackled sensitive themes well.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book, but very quickly I got sucked into the story, and thought, "Oh I know where this is going" and then suddenly - oh no I didn't!!! A complete curve ball was thrown in!! I was thinking all different people were the "baddies" but they weren't and turned out just to be helpful friends.

A really nice read and as it was set in Australia, it was nice to feel the sun on my face, albeit, through the pages of the book!

I wanted to like this one, but I struggled with the constant jealousy and bickering among the sisters. Definitely had some twists and turns throughout but most were predictable.

A thought provoking emotional read! I throughly enjoyed reading this story and in places bought a tear to my eye! Well done to the author on a brilliant book.

Firstly thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
What an emotional story of two sisters, so thought provoking. Highly recommend, I was so eager to see how it ended I read it in an afternoon

I didn’t know which why this book was going to go. You don’t know from one page to the next. That is a good way to keep someone turning the page.

Some parts were far fetched but I enjoyed the majority of it.

3.5 stars

Absolutely loved this story and the journey that the family went through. Some of it, you could see coming but also some great shockers along the way!

TRIGGER WARNING: miscarriage, IVF, adoption, organ donation, brain damage caused by meningitis
Fifteen years ago Toni gave her sister Liv a kidney to save her life. Now Liv offers to give her baby to Toni so that she can have the family she's always dreamed of...
My Sister's Baby is a very emotional family drama novel set in Australia.
Toni, Liv and Mandy are united in their grief after their father's death. Toni and her husband have the additional heartache of having been through several rounds of IVF that ended in miscarriage. The sisters' mum Sara is struggling to cope with Mandy who suffered brain damage after contracting mengingitis as a child.
Liv has always wanted to repay Toni for donating a kidney to her after a car crash and now she has the chance to make her a mother. Toni accepts her sister Liv's baby but finds the reality of a newborn difficult to cope with. Meanwhile Liv fraudulently arranges the birth certificate which lead to her getting blackmailed.
There are some big issues covered in this book. I thought they were handled sensitively and gave a depth to the characters. In particular, my heart went out to Mandy who is aware of her limitations and the burden she is to her family. The book is very thought provoking about the impact disability has on siblings, the sacrifices that are made and the resentment this could cause.
Toni finally has what she has always dreamed of but struggles to adapt. I felt so enraged at her husband's double standards. The author makes many references to Liv's secrets and it is pretty obvious that there is more than just the birth certificate. The ending was predictable but well written and engaging.
My Sister's Baby is a hugely emotional book about family and impossible choices.

Compelling, gripping, a book you can't wait to get back to. I loved the story and writing. Characters interesting and well written. Great escape to another world and life!

This book is so compelling and beautifully written, the topics in this book are really hard to talk about and hard to truly understand unless you have been there. However this is written so empathetically making it easy to relate to the three women throughout this story and I went through the roller-coaster of the emotions with all the characters and I wanted them all to find their happiness. When I finished this book I was left hoping all the women would get novellas because I needed a window in to their future. I won't say too much about the storyline in this book because you have to go in blind to feel invested in this wonderful book. I will say though if you like an emotional read based around family relationships and the strength it can bring then you need to read this. #mysistersbaby #louiseguy #family
#Goodreads #netgalley

Read it in a sitting. Heartfelt story either way realistic characters who one can’t help but warm to in spite , or maybe because, of their failings and faults. Thought provoking and emotional.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'My Sister's Baby' by Louise Guy.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Louise Guy, Boldwood, Book And Tonic, The Bold Book Club and Rachel's Random Resources.

Publication date 5th February 2024..

This may be the first book I have read by this author but it most definitely wont be my last!

This novel consists of 37 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

'My Sister's Baby' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Louise discusses/includes miscarriage, IVF, adoption, meningitis, organ donation, mental health and meningitis. .

The first thing I have got to say that if you are a fan of books by Jodi Picoult and Nicholas Sparks then I wouldn't bother reading any further because if you love them you will definitely love this stunning book that will pull at your heart strings and bring you out in tears!! This is an absolutely fantastically written book by the very talented Louise! It is is an absolute rollercoaster ride of emotions and is filled with family, loss, resentment, sadness, love, forgiveness, heartbreak, motherhood, challenges, grief, secrets and lies. Louise writes about so many difficult topics in just one book but doesn't just manage to discuss them in a sensitive and tactful way, she has also obviously done a lot of research in to these topics and then manages to weave them all into an absolutely stunning and memorable page turner. One of my pet hates is when an author doesn't research their chosen topic as it then has a high risk of the storyline being littered with mistakes which can spoil a potentially fantastic storyline but this was definitely not a problem in this gorgeous read! Louise also does an amazing job on highlighting the challenges and emotional suffering any of these challenges can have on the people involved. Well done Louise for the research and for highlighting such important topics in such a brilliant way. The storyline is based around three sisters, each with their own challenges and problems. Mandy has a long term intellectual disability after contracting meningitis as a baby, Liv almost died but survived thanks to Toni donating her a kidney and then there is Toni who has been trying for a baby for years but miscarries every time before she can get to 12 weeks. Can these three very different sisters support and help each other in these challenging times after they have all lost a father and their own mother is struggling? Liv helps her Mum by taking Mandy away to Sydney with her to give her a break but can she give Toni what she desires the most? I don't want to go into too many details as I don't want to give too much away but make sure you have the tissues at the ready as Louise manages to make the tears flow and emotions run high. I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting as there was just no chance I was ever going to put it down until I found out what was going to happen! One thing I will say is that I was NOT expecting THAT ENDING!! My jaw dropped to the floor so well done Louise, again, on managing to completely shock me as it is getting harder and harder with every book I read but you certainly managed it! Louise's evocative writing skills brings the story and characters to life around you making your heart beat faster and pulls on your heart strings. An absolutely fantastic success from an extremely talented author and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next and in the meantime I am going to get stuck in to her previous books!!

The characters are strong and realistic. My heart really went out to them all for different reasons. Sara is the mum of Mandy, Liv and Toni. She recently lost her husband and is struggling to cope with her daughter Mandy who is 30 years old and lives with her. Mandy contracted meningitis when she was 3 months old which left her with a log term intellectual disability. There was talk of putting her into independent living before Sara's husband died but Sara was against the idea. There is a lot in the news about meningitis at the moment so I think was a fantastic illness to include to bring awareness to the risks contracting meningitis can cause. My heart broke for both Sara and Mandy as I can imagine how hard it must be for them both. I have twins who have autism and they can be extremely challenging at times but I wouldn't change them for the world. However there are days where I have struggled myself. It is also heartbreaking for the person with any disabilities such as those discussed in the book as the people with those difficulties are not aware of how their behaviours can harm or upset others and then not understand why people are upset at them. Anyway, I could talk for hours about that but I will wrap up how I feel about those characters. The main storyline focuses on sisters Liv and Toni who are also struggling. Toni and her husband have wanted a baby for years but Toni miscarriages before 12 weeks each and every time. I cannot begin to imagine how heartbreaking this must be for her so I wont pretend I do. However, after Liv was donated a kidney by Toni which saved her life so Liv now sees a way of possibly repaying her but life is never as simple as that. My favourite character had to be Mandy who had a heart of gold, I just found her to be an amazing character and some of the things reminded me of some of the things my boys have or may do in the future. I was rooting for each of the characters as well as emphasising with them and had tears streaming down my eyes by the end. Louise's fantastic writing skills brings an emotive storyline to life ensuring the characters come to life and you feel everything along with them. I'm not going to say anymore about the characters as I don't want to let anything slip but Louise does a fantastic job of making realistic and strong characters that come to life in front of the readers eyes and ones that will stay with me for a very long time so a HUGE CONGRATUUALTIONS LOUISE!

Clear your schedules and get the tissues ready as you wont be able to put this down!! Well done Louise an absolutely gorgeous emotional page turner and here's to your next success!! Welcome to my favourite authors club!!

Overall an addictive rollercoaster ride of emotions that will keep you turning the pages with a twist you wont see coming.

348 pages

This book is just £1.99 to purchase, free with kindle unlimited and £9.99 in paperback (at time of review) on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5/5 (I loved it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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When I saw this book is for fans of Jodi Picoult I was sold! This story is beautifully written and tells us about 3 sisters. The sisters relationships are not the best but they are family and family is important. My favorite character was Mandy. Mandy has brain damage from an illness as a child and even though she is 30, most of her family thinks she can’t be on her own. Well she proves them wrong and once they allow her freedom she blossoms into an independent woman. There is a lot of heartache in this story so it can be an emotional read. I loved it and did not want to out it down.

This book begins on one direction and then turns completely in a different one.
I think all the actions and feelings by all three sisters were validated. Although what Liv did was convoluted and sneaky her intentions were good. I understood Toni’s feelings of dreaming about something for so long and then having to admit the reality was far from the dream.
Mandy proved she was more capable than anyone gave her credit for.
I looked how it was all wrapped up because everyone worked for the benefit of the youngest member. Another strong message is that family doesn’t have to be blood.

What you would do for your sister? Toni gave her sister. Liv her kidney when they were teenagers and now Liv wants to repay her with the one thing that Toni wants the most, a baby. This is a page turner, heart wrenching story that I could not put down. There were so many twists and turns through out the story. I highly recommend this story!!

My Sister's Baby was an emotional family drama with some tough themes. The characters were extremely well developed and this emotional story will stay with me.