This is such an intense book, chronicling the emotional roller coaster of a couple’s desire to complete their family with a baby. A hopeful and heart look at how we don’t truly know how life will be until we take the steps that scare us.

I have read a few of Kate Hewitt's novels and this one was a good one. The author creates characters that are believeable within a topic that many so not understand. You can follow along with how the characters ideas, impressions and lives change. Certainly not a major suspensful novel, but one that was a great read!

Kate Hewitt is such a varied author and it's always a pleasure to see what she comes up with next. The difficult subject of surrogacy was tackled so well. We weren't led to believe that surrounding surrogacy would be easy with the perfect happily ever after.
I read this book in 1 sitting and already recommending to family and friends.

Ashley and Mark want a baby, but Ashley isn't able to conceive. Dani is desperate to earn money to help pay for her sister's medical care.
The book alternates between Ashley's point of view and Dani's point of view. The author spends a significant amount of time describing how each character truly feels about surrogacy. It wasn't a thriller- I kept waiting for the ball to drop or something unexpected to happen and nothing.
I appreciate the ARC

Well this book will pull on your heart strings! Any woman who has struggled with getting or staying pregnant will feel all the feels for the main character in this book. I remember struggling myself and this book brought back the feelings of helplessness as well as joy when you get to grow your family with a new life. I really enjoyed the characters and storyline and finished the book in one day.
Ashley is devastated when she learns that her body has betrayed her and carrying a child is no longer possible. Her husband is devastated and wants to look into a surrogate as it's very important to him to have a child of his own. A child that is blood related. Mark was adopted and has always wished he had a relative or someone that shares his DNA. For Ashley this makes everything complicated because she wants the same things but it's just not possible for her.
They quickly find a surrogate and Ashley has to settle into the fact she won't be biologically connected to this child but Mark will. She knows it'll take time but she sees how Mark obsess over every detail of the pregnancy and she wonders if she'll ever get to where he is. The cracks in their marriage start to show as life throws them a curveball and hard decisions will have to be made. Will this pregnancy bring them together as a family of three or tear them apart before it's even started?

This is a beautiful, honest and raw story. Mark and Ashley have discovered that they are unable to have their own biological children. So they have decided to go for a surrogate. That surrogate is Dani who is trying to raise the funds needed to cover a medical operation that her sister needs. When the surrogacy begins is when things get complicated because of emotions from all parties. The story is deeply layered with emotional upheaval and I didn't know if I wanted to laugh, scream or cry. It has impossible choices with a powerful storyline.

Ashley and Dani, who is serving as a surrogate, tell this emotional story of two women and the family Ashley is trying to make for her husband Mark. Mark, who was adopted, wants to be a bio-dad more than anything but Ashley's fertility is compromised. Dani's younger sister needs surgery insurance will not fully cover. Seems like a good match at first but neither woman considered how they would feel as the birth neared. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Kate Hewitt is the master weaver of the books she writes. it feels a privilege every single time we get to read on of her books. and ive no idea how time after time she produces these stunning works or well...art. for they are that.
this book is so totally heartbreaking. its a touch read. and many many many will feel a certain emotional attachment to both the plot points and the characters involved. its certainly one that many can walk alongside and feel all the feels with it.
its tough. and at certain moments i wanted to shake a few of them. or put a halt to the situation. and i know many people will have their own views be it morally or ethically on surrogacy and all that entails. i find myself swinging between a fair few thoughts on it! but as with all things it can depend on the situation and the people and when Dani and Ashley are being spoken of in this book i felt a certain way almost the entire book. and so was desperate to see how it ended.
this book centers around fertility, surrogacy and all the in between so those who might find this hard might find this book too much.
but kate does it brilliantly so there is no worry about that side of things, it just might feel too tough for some.
Ashley finds out she cant give her husband the one things he wants. that one things is a child of his own. when she cant even use her own eggs the heartbreak continues. so the choose the surrogacy. enter Dani who needs the money for a life altering operation for her sister( you see for me this was already the wrong decision because how could you think clearly or put a halt on things with such consequences for you own sister! it would skew emotions all the way)
but Ashley clearly feels not right about things. and Dani too is feeling uncertain. so what comes next is a fracturing of hearts and relationships and just how this goes you will have to read to find out.
i knew how i wanted it to go but then felt guilty for doing so. and then didnt want it to wrap itself up one way because i didnt believe that way would ACTUALLY be right. and so my emotions were all over the place with this one!
but what a book. what.a.book.
a must read right now and leave space for tears and emotions around the times you read it! you will love it.

**CONTAINS SMALL SPOILERS **
"All I Ever Wanted" is a story about Mark, Ashley and Dani. Mark was adopted as a child and longs for his own biological child, which Ashley can't give him due to early onset menopause. They go the surrogate route and choose Dani as they're surrogate. Dani will biologically be the mother so how will this all end for everyone involved?
I loved this book, just as I do all of Kate Hewitt's books. It both broke my heart and mended it again as it's written with so much emotion and from both women's perspectives. This is a book I will certainly read again and cannot recommend it enough!

Motherhood can be the greatest joy and the greatest heartbreak. Read along as a couple decide to try a surrogate mother. The many. emotions and the many decisions are both heartwarming and heartbreaking. A really good read

This is a great family drama. I felt a range of emotions while reading this including sadness and happiness. My emotions were all over the place.

This was my first ARC read and what a read it was!

There would certainly be a lot of people who would find it a difficult read. It touches on a lot of sensitive topics - infertility, adoption, surrogacy.

Told from a dual POV, we follow Ashley who, at 38, has found out she cannot have her own biological children and Dani, desperate for money to fund her younger sister's spinal fusion surgery who turns to surrogacy as a means to raise the funds.

What follows is an emotional rollercoaster where Ashley and her husband Mark try and navigate the different avenues open to them and the impact it ultimately has on their marriage. From Dani's side it shows the impact her choices have on her own relationships and the turmoil she finds in herself along the way.

The result is a highly emotive read which handles these sensitive topics with care and decency. What I liked was the fact it was told from two perspectives. Showing how all parties in this situation may feel and the heightened emotions they may face, both the intended parents and the surrogate herself.

All in all an excellent read to round off March with!

TRIGGER WARNINGS BELOW

The story starts with a girl called Dani who has a younger sister called Callie who has spinal problems serious enough for surgery to be considered. Unfortunately this procedure is not covered by insurance so Dani needs to find a way to make £50,000+ to make this happen, her first option is ONLY FANS but then she finds out about surrogacy and how much that pays.
Dani decides to go for the surrogacy and gets matched with a couple in another state who seem like a lovely couple ( Mark was adopted through a closed adoption and his wife unfortunately can’t have children) things start off as they should with boundaries and responsibilities being agreed but as the physical process begins some cracks start to appear and all is not as it seems, Mark seems to have been the ‘‘driving force’ with regards to the surrogacy situation and is very excited with the prospect of having a relative with his DNA soon in his arms - but will he? Let the 9 months of unease begin…

Three cheers for the author because they have done it again… I opened this book and I was lost straight away… brilliant story… fast-paced… emotional I just love this author… 5 stars, of course.

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

This is an emotional, sensitive story about a couple who desperately want to be parents.
They decide to go the surrogacy route when realizing that Ashley is unable to have children.
They find the perfect young woman to carry their future child; or so they think.

It is a heartbreaking, poignant journey of two families who want the very best for this baby!
If you love tender family stories then this is truly one to get and devour! It is good!

Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Bookouture for this ARC to read and review.
Well done.

When Ashley and Mark decide to use a surrogate for their longed for baby they have no idea how their lives will change..

This is an emotional and tear jerking read. It is brilliantly and sensitively written and All the characters are amazing.

This is a rare book that really delivers what it promises.. it is also so much than just a story. It gives a notion of reality and for this reason I loved it..

Overall a good family drama, not particularly a psychological thriller but the storyline was good and well written.

The characters were good and told from two different timelines

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC and I can recommend if this is your type of read

This alternating point of view story was an emotional read about family, sacrifice, and what defines being a mother. While sort of predictable at times, this was a decent read!