Blog Tour: A Child of My Own by Vanessa Carnevale @Bookouture Books-On-Tour

Ready for an emotional contemporary novel in 2021? I might have just the thing

A Child of My Own by Vanessa Carnevale

Genre: Contemporary/ Women’s Fiction

Publisher: Bookouture

Date Published: 5 March 2021

Print length: 3911 pages (Ebook)

Trigger warnings: Fertility problems, procedures surrounding fertility, loss & grief

Blurb

As I watch her walk away, an arm raised to her face as she wipes tears from her eyes, I wonder if I really can go through losing her again. Because if I do this, I might gain a child, but I’ll lose her in the process.

Isla and Ben are devoted parents to their beloved daughter, Reese. She is their little miracle, the child they thought they’d never have until donors made her existence possible. But Isla has never told Reese about her biological parents. She wants to be honest with her daughter, but can she bear to open up old wounds?

Then Isla receives a call from Lucy, once her closest friend and the donor who made her dreams come true, and it seems she may need to make a decision sooner than she thought. They haven’t spoken in almost ten years, but Lucy has devastating news: she has lost her beloved husband Nate, just after they decided they wanted to become parents after all.

Heartbroken for her friend, Isla welcomes Lucy back into her life. But then Lucy comes to Isla with a request that changes everything. If Lucy gets what she wants, Isla’s perfect family could be destroyed. But would she deny the woman who helped her become a mother the chance for her own happiness?

My Thoughts

I had no idea what to expect with this one. This was in part down to the fact that, up until I read this book last month, I hadn’t read any of Carnevale’s books and in part down to the fact that – aside from the rather spoiler filled book blurb – I had no clue what direction this book with its simple cover was going in.

The book follows Isla and Lucy, each not only bound together by friendship but also by Reese – Isla’s daughter. I loved how Carnevale created two equally interesting, equally readable points of view to explore in this novel – as going from one woman’s story to the other really made you question things. Whilst the moments with Isla, Ben and Reese were sweet, funny and honest portrayals of family life, the moments showcasing Nate and Lucy’s love story – and the devastation that follows – were deeply emotional.

Though the book didn’t go in the direction I expected, part of me thought we were heading for a thriller, it was an interesting, emotive read for sure. I found myself rooting for characters, hating others and – although I do like drama – I really wanted a happy ending (which, thankfully, I got – no spoilers).

I think what made this book work so well was the fact that the characters felt so real. I felt as though I could easily have passed them on the street or bumped into them in a coffee shop.

Whilst it wasn’t the fast paced thriller I expected, or even a thriller at all, there was plenty of intrigue to it – some plot points I figured out, others were a surprise. I think the fact that a lot was going on meant this book was extremely readable and I raced through it.

My only complaint was the fact that the book took a while to get exciting, I found. Obviously I enjoyed it but it took me a while to get to that point (of course this will differ from person to person, as some people prefer the hard hitting bits over the sweeter moments).

Regardless, A Child of My Own is a gripping, contemporary page turner about family, friendship and how far we are prepared to go to get what we want.

A Few Thank Yous

I wouldn’t have been able to read this book, or participate in this blog tour, without a few people. First off, I want to thank for reaching out to me regarding the blog tour – I jumped at the chance to get involved and I’m glad I did.

Secondly, I want to thank the publishers, Bookouture and the writer, Vanessa Carnevale, for the E-Arc copy via NetGalley.

About the Author

Vanessa Carnevale is an Australian author of women’s fiction. She is also the host of Your Beautiful Writing Life retreats held in Tuscany and Australia.

Vanessa loves to travel, and spent several years living in Florence, Italy, a place she considers her second home. She lives in Australia with her husband and two children.

Her previous novels, THE MEMORIES OF US and THE FLORENTINE BRIDGE are published by HarperCollins and have been translated into German and Slovenian. Vanessa’s third novel will be published by Bookouture in August 2020.

You can connect with Vanessa on Instagram and Facebook or via her websites: www.vanessacarnevale.com | www.yourbeautifulwritinglife.com

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So that’s it! My stop on the Bookouture blog tour for A Child of My Own by Vanessa Carnevale. I really enjoyed this contemporary novel and I hope others do, too.

Don’t forget to check out the other posts for this blog tour.