To Be a Mother: A totally heartbreaking and uplifting story about life, loss and second chances

Hannah and David are madly in love with each other and very well suited. But the problem is that Hannah is David’s second wife and is always compared by his friends to his first and ‘perfect’ wife, Katherine.Hannah knows little about Katherine from David, apart from the fact that she died in a tragic car accident and that she was the director of an award winning television show. He seems reluctant to talk about her or their marriage.When the couple realize that Hannah can’t conceive normally and IVF is not an option, David suddenly tells Hannah that Katherine had undergone fertility treatment and there are embryos in storage for them to use. Hannah is shocked with this information and wonders what else he’s keeping from her.Will they choose to use these embryos? Will David ever be able to tell Hannah more about his previous marriage? And will Hannah make peace with the fact that Katherine will somehow always be in their lives, but David has chosen her?The author dealt with the difficult subject of infertility and with so much sensitivity. Her characters are so well etched that it was easy to empathise with them, especially Hannah. Also, it was interesting to see how David, Katherine’s mum, her closest friend Hayley and all her other friends held pieces of the puzzle that was Katherine’s story.There were so many emotions that arose while reading this story – empathy, anger, frustration and sadness.Another beautiful story of love, family, friendship and healing from the author.

Hannah and David have everything they could want, a happy marriage, a lovely home and some very special friends, but one thing is missing, something they both desperately want and that's a family of their own, but Hannah has just been told her eggs aren't viable and even IVF won't work, then David drops a bombshell. His first wife Katherine, who tragically died in a car accident a few years earlier, was also having fertility issues and they had frozen some of her embryos for future use, now David is suggesting that they use them. Hannah is torn, she desperately wants a baby, but how would she feel giving life to a child that could look like Katherine? Since marrying David she has lived in his first wife's shadow, always wondering whether she lived up to this wonderful person who was just amazing in every way, according to Katherine's best friends, Lauren and Priya. To then be offered the chance to use her embryos must have been a daunting prospect, and one that she certainly couldn't take lightly.To Be A Mother is a beautifully depicted piece of women's fiction told by Hannah and Katherine, with the story based on infertility. Every woman believes that it will be a given, should they want children, that it will happen, unfortunately it doesn't work that way and sadly, this was the case for Hannah. I found myself invested in Hannah's plight from the beginning, hoping and praying that she would come to a decision that was right for her, and fulfil her dream of becoming a mother. As with all this authors books, the topics she writes about are told with compassion and sensitivity and this one is no different. Robinson takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride of a read with this story, and just when you think you can put the tissues away, she comes at you again with both barrels. This is a fast paced read which I devoured in less than 24 hours and I highly recommend, but be prepared to have your emotions tested on this one!

To Be A Mother took me by the heart and squeezed. As I’ve come to expect from Emma Robinson, the story centres on a vital dilemma. The plot is compelling because the reader is led through the decision-making processes of the characters like a maze. She makes us believe one way is right, then turns a corner we didn’t even see coming.What makes To Be A Mother so special is the feelings it evokes. Robinson deals with the issue of infertility with compassion and sensitivity, and since her characters are expertly drawn, we feel every one of their emotions along with them.I’ve been trying to work out how Robinson makes me so invested in her stories and why I keep turning the pages. I’ve concluded that one factor is the skill of the writing. There isn’t a word out of place. The prose flows effortlessly so the reader stays suctioned in the story.Anyway, that’s enough analysis from me. The simple fact is, this is an emotional and uplifting read from an exceptionally talented author.

Emma Robinson certainly writes the type of book that tugs at the heart even one as hard as mine and also makes this reader torn between wanting to finish the book to see what happens but not wanting to say goodbye to the characters, there are books and characters that stay with me for ages after I’m finished reading and this one will now join that list. A emotional but uplifting in places 5 star read for me.

I read this book in one sitting. I loved the plot, so unusual and I have never read this before. They say there are only seven plots in the world, but somehow Robinson always comes up with something unusual. I loved the ending and the lovely definition of family.