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Fallow: The hilarious, wild and addictive novel about surrogacy - 'The book everyone will be talking about' Olivia Colman
Not yet published
Expected 21 Jan 27Brought to you by Penguin.
Meet she hates work, but turns out she's great at labour
The deliver seven healthy babies in ten years. In Natalie’s every need attended to, and her labour (figurative and literal) for once generously compensated. And during what Natalie comes to call her ‘fallow’ periods, she’s free to live the life of solitary, uncomplicated hedonism that she’s always dreamt of – free of connection, obligation and expectation.
But as Natalie nears the end of her contract – and her tantalising completion bonus – she meets Jackie, the biological mother of her penultimate pregnancy. Jackie isn’t like the other mothers, and suddenly Natalie finds herself taken into a different kind of scheme altogether.
'A delightfully sharp, dynamic debut' KILEY REID
'Unputdownable' JULIE BUNTIN
Sarah Anderson 2027 (P) Penguin Audio 2027
Meet she hates work, but turns out she's great at labour
The deliver seven healthy babies in ten years. In Natalie’s every need attended to, and her labour (figurative and literal) for once generously compensated. And during what Natalie comes to call her ‘fallow’ periods, she’s free to live the life of solitary, uncomplicated hedonism that she’s always dreamt of – free of connection, obligation and expectation.
But as Natalie nears the end of her contract – and her tantalising completion bonus – she meets Jackie, the biological mother of her penultimate pregnancy. Jackie isn’t like the other mothers, and suddenly Natalie finds herself taken into a different kind of scheme altogether.
'A delightfully sharp, dynamic debut' KILEY REID
'Unputdownable' JULIE BUNTIN
Sarah Anderson 2027 (P) Penguin Audio 2027
Audible Audio
First published September 15, 2026
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Review of advance copy received from Book of the Month
reading this while being pregnant was….. interesting! not in a negative way, but the entire book revolves around pregnancy just keep that in mind! it’s about a girl who becomes the first ever in-house surrogate for a massive corporation. really liked the first 60-70%, but the ending kind of lost me. overall, loved the way the main character was written, she was so nonchalant about everything thrown her way, and this was just a fascinating read in general! one of those books that won’t be for everyone, but i’m glad i read & enjoyed it
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I wondered if Dr. X and Shane were actually onto something—if I had a little bit of trad wife in my genetic code. Maybe what I'd told Phoebe was right. Maybe this was something I was just good at.
No idea why this is tagged as "horror" on Goodreads. It is not a horror novel— in fact, it's barely a dystopian novel —but about a near future where a company offers surrogacy as part of their hiring package, ensuring that pregnancy doesn't mean a motherhood penalty for working women.
Natalie, sick and tired of her current job, seizes the opportunity to be a surrogate, to escape soul-sucking work culture and get paid to do almost nothing for nine months.
I've been very interested in the ethics around surrogacy ever since I read The Farm some years ago. Is it a noble venture? Or just another way of commodifying women's bodies? It also, of course, further complicates the already tense issue of whose rights have priority.
The way I would describe Fallow is very much a novel of two halves, and the first was much more to my tastes. I found Natalie funny and charming. While she is perhaps naive in some ways, I think her desire to escape from the rat race and indignity of corporate America is easily understandable. She essentially buys herself time and freedom by selling her body… is it worth it? I'd say Anderson gives a fairly balanced view on it.
It explores what happens when a surrogate becomes emotionally attached to the family they are carrying for, and also what happens when it is decided that a pregnancy should be terminated. If you are interested in ethical issues, surrogacy is drowning in them.
I do think, however, that it reaches a point where it is clear that the author has explored the topic she wanted to and doesn't really know where to go with it or how to finish it. Years go by in a sentence, and, at one point, Natalie makes a decision that I would have liked more introspection on. It was not really clear why she was doing it, what drove her to make that decision.
The last third or so was why I could not rate higher than 3 stars. Everything after got sillier and boring. The entire farm commune aspect was uninteresting to me, even though I did get the point Anderson was reaching for— the longing for a simpler life, finding pleasure in work again.
Lots to like in the first half, but a difficult one to find a satisfying finish for.
September 21, 2026
where horror meets literary fiction meets sci-fi meets dystopian meets weird girl lit meets terrifying reality
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Fallow: A Novel by Sarah Anderson
4.10 rounded down to 4🔮orbs
Pub. Date: Sept. 15, 2026
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Behold the future…...
💡 Orbs Prologue: 2040…Orb’s time as a reviewer remained short. The bills piled up, and although he was a passionate person, the inevitable call for food became my undoing. I worked in a call center, mostly run by AI. With a stroke of sheer luck, I landed this highly contested job. While I know what you may be thinking, a call center doesn’t sound very glamorous, I must remind you that in the future, you take whatever you can get. This is where I met Peggy, my only other human co-worker. Peggy, the ever-upbeat, jovial type, worked in the same cubicle as me to cut down on company costs. And while this seems quite an uncomfortable accommodation, our friendly relationship helped smooth the rough edges. Everything was running swimmingly. Our AI boss, Managerbot162, an unfeeling computer program, gives us our directives, with the expectation that we humans might handle the grunt work. In July of 2024, I learned something new about life, or rather, how women could go about attaining children…
🧐 A small glimpse: Natalie Gallagher doesn’t want to work. Or rather, she wants to choose a life where she has the final say. In efforts to keep with this theme, she enters the sliding doors and into a world of a company trying its best to improve the workflow of women. Understanding, of course, that number crunching dictates the maximizing of company time, wherein those pregnant workers must be provided with an alternative so that profits remain lofty. Enter Natalie. A surrogate guinea pig. Born to breed. The company is willing to pay her a handsome sum if only she is willing to take the babies to full term. In the fine print, she is to follow strict guidelines so that the infant comes out healthy and strong, with incentive-laden bonuses for doing so. During the time of gestation, she is to comply with every whim of this company, and failure to do so becomes a breach of contract and will result in subsequent consequences. Before the agreed-upon number of years of her contract is over, an unusual set of circumstances arises. Author Sarah Anderson will have readers looking to the future. A world where even in the best scenarios, danger lies. Is convenience best for the human race at the cost of our own rights and desires?
👍 Orbs Pros: Fantastic plot! This novel had me thinking! It is just eerily scary to think about! As of now, we are beholden in large part due to corporate greed, but what if the god-given ability to give birth were lawfully revoked in favor of supporting surrogates to do the child-rearing for working, want-to-be mothers? Surely this would help the perceived notion that a pregnant woman in the workplace is a liability! Natalie! Such a great MC. A certain bit of naivety clung to her like a wet blanket, and yet somehow she never appeared overly foolish. She was simply doing her job, which she rather enjoyed.
👎 Orbs Cons: I felt as though some of the pregnancies could have been cut out in favor of the second half of the story. Without spoiling too much, there is an Act II of sorts here, which is very surprising and equally fascinating. That said, I never had a huge problem with the pacing. A thought-provoking tale, and one I am sure might rub some the wrong way when we talk about corporate companies' possible infringement of our rights in society. Where does the madness end? This whole topic might rub some the wrong way. For me, I love a book that invokes emotion, and this does that in spades.
Highly Recommended! I really enjoyed this one! Your overall enjoyment might hinge upon your liking of futuristic (controversial) topics that seem more and more plausible day by day!
💡 Orbs Epilogue: According to 40-year-old Peggy, she was nearing the tail end of her childbearing years. Interested in starting a small family, she and her partner, Mark, had tried to conceive without much luck over several years. Plus, the downtime of a pregnancy could jeopardize her work status, according to Managerbot162, further complicating the situation. “You know I could go to that new company and try that new surrogate mother thing they offer,” Peggy stated flatly. “That way, I could become a mother without any of the laborious rigors that come with being pregnant. My work won’t suffer, and Managerbot162 will be satisfied that I am here and working up to speed.” My eyes slowly blinked as if in deep contemplative thought. “I suppose that might work, but won’t that just be playing into corporate hands? Hopeful mothers being allowed to have the gestational experience free of worry about their potential limitations at work?” A sneakily implemented option might soon come back to haunt mothers of the working class, whereby this becomes mandated, and one unfathomable freedom is taken away. Scary stuff, scary stuff, indeed!
Many thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC through NetGalley. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
4.10 rounded down to 4🔮orbs
Pub. Date: Sept. 15, 2026
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Behold the future…...
💡 Orbs Prologue: 2040…Orb’s time as a reviewer remained short. The bills piled up, and although he was a passionate person, the inevitable call for food became my undoing. I worked in a call center, mostly run by AI. With a stroke of sheer luck, I landed this highly contested job. While I know what you may be thinking, a call center doesn’t sound very glamorous, I must remind you that in the future, you take whatever you can get. This is where I met Peggy, my only other human co-worker. Peggy, the ever-upbeat, jovial type, worked in the same cubicle as me to cut down on company costs. And while this seems quite an uncomfortable accommodation, our friendly relationship helped smooth the rough edges. Everything was running swimmingly. Our AI boss, Managerbot162, an unfeeling computer program, gives us our directives, with the expectation that we humans might handle the grunt work. In July of 2024, I learned something new about life, or rather, how women could go about attaining children…
🧐 A small glimpse: Natalie Gallagher doesn’t want to work. Or rather, she wants to choose a life where she has the final say. In efforts to keep with this theme, she enters the sliding doors and into a world of a company trying its best to improve the workflow of women. Understanding, of course, that number crunching dictates the maximizing of company time, wherein those pregnant workers must be provided with an alternative so that profits remain lofty. Enter Natalie. A surrogate guinea pig. Born to breed. The company is willing to pay her a handsome sum if only she is willing to take the babies to full term. In the fine print, she is to follow strict guidelines so that the infant comes out healthy and strong, with incentive-laden bonuses for doing so. During the time of gestation, she is to comply with every whim of this company, and failure to do so becomes a breach of contract and will result in subsequent consequences. Before the agreed-upon number of years of her contract is over, an unusual set of circumstances arises. Author Sarah Anderson will have readers looking to the future. A world where even in the best scenarios, danger lies. Is convenience best for the human race at the cost of our own rights and desires?
👍 Orbs Pros: Fantastic plot! This novel had me thinking! It is just eerily scary to think about! As of now, we are beholden in large part due to corporate greed, but what if the god-given ability to give birth were lawfully revoked in favor of supporting surrogates to do the child-rearing for working, want-to-be mothers? Surely this would help the perceived notion that a pregnant woman in the workplace is a liability! Natalie! Such a great MC. A certain bit of naivety clung to her like a wet blanket, and yet somehow she never appeared overly foolish. She was simply doing her job, which she rather enjoyed.
👎 Orbs Cons: I felt as though some of the pregnancies could have been cut out in favor of the second half of the story. Without spoiling too much, there is an Act II of sorts here, which is very surprising and equally fascinating. That said, I never had a huge problem with the pacing. A thought-provoking tale, and one I am sure might rub some the wrong way when we talk about corporate companies' possible infringement of our rights in society. Where does the madness end? This whole topic might rub some the wrong way. For me, I love a book that invokes emotion, and this does that in spades.
Highly Recommended! I really enjoyed this one! Your overall enjoyment might hinge upon your liking of futuristic (controversial) topics that seem more and more plausible day by day!
💡 Orbs Epilogue: According to 40-year-old Peggy, she was nearing the tail end of her childbearing years. Interested in starting a small family, she and her partner, Mark, had tried to conceive without much luck over several years. Plus, the downtime of a pregnancy could jeopardize her work status, according to Managerbot162, further complicating the situation. “You know I could go to that new company and try that new surrogate mother thing they offer,” Peggy stated flatly. “That way, I could become a mother without any of the laborious rigors that come with being pregnant. My work won’t suffer, and Managerbot162 will be satisfied that I am here and working up to speed.” My eyes slowly blinked as if in deep contemplative thought. “I suppose that might work, but won’t that just be playing into corporate hands? Hopeful mothers being allowed to have the gestational experience free of worry about their potential limitations at work?” A sneakily implemented option might soon come back to haunt mothers of the working class, whereby this becomes mandated, and one unfathomable freedom is taken away. Scary stuff, scary stuff, indeed!
Many thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC through NetGalley. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
⭐️ 4.5 ⭐️ I enjoyed this a lot. This is a speculative, literary fiction novel about a woman and her freedoms. It's not exactly a satire but more of dystopian concept that nails the commentary about workplace/corporate culture, woman's autonomy and reproductive rights. Its strange yet philosophical, it ask great questions and offers accurate insight into what work, life and benefits are for pregnant women or mothers in general in corporate America. I thought that Anderson wrote a sharp, darkly funny concept and I know many people will compare this to Yesteryear. I am someone who LOVED Yesteryear and while the books have a lot of similarities, they are quite different in the points they are trying to make. Fallow is more about the moral compass and personal freedoms, our outlooks on life and how we want to live it. Natalie, our protagonist is such a complex character! She is complicated, selfish, lazy even yet she feels like an actual person. What makes this story amazing is how accurately it captures the issues and critiques of corporate America: how in America, the corporate culture penalizes motherhood or pregnancy. Women post pregnancy are more likely to be let go or are never fairly compensated. The system offers ZERO benefits or time off or guarantees job security past the first 12 weeks postpartum. Some of us are lucky to get FMLA for the first 12 weeks, while most women are expected to return after 6-8 weeks back to work as if newborns don't need to be raised. What a joke!
What's it about?
A 23-year old woman becomes a part of a corporate-surrogacy experiment, where women become in-house corporate surrogates. She agrees to a 10 year contact involving 7 pregnancies. In exchange, she gets financial security, best medical care, great housing, personal fitness, safety and food security. Sounds like paradise right? Well, even thought the company gives her plenty material freedoms, the company also takes away her bodily freedom. The Company controls everything in her life. From what she can drink and eat, her health is monitored, there are rules about sex and relationships. After completion of her 7 pregnancies, Natalie unexpectedly enters a second social experiment with which Natalie struggles to embrace. In this part of the novel, Natalie is faced with a dilemma that poses many questions about human value, choice and freedoms once again.
Modern workplace is not for Natalie. At least not the Natalie which we initially meet. She hates working, she hates her low paying job or the freedoms and luxuries of life she cannot afford. Natalie is disinterested in everything that is conventional like career, achievement and even self-improvement. She's selfish and cynical and when she is presented with a bizarre opportunity, she obviously takes it! Who wouldn't want six figure compensation or a laissez-faire lifestyle? So Natalie accepts and thinks of these pregnancies as a 'job'. Well.. she goes on to have seven of those and she's even promised a mommy make over after her contract ends. Isn't that sweet?
But what about attachment? What about emotional, human attachment. Or the effect the pregnancy has on the person? Surrogacy is a one of the most selfless things one can do for another family. There is beauty and light but no one speaks about its darkness. Natalie finds herself emotionally affected, seeking for simple human connection to families and even imagines growing close to them post birth. One family promises her rainbow and butterflies but all their promises never really come to fruition. The baby is still someone else's and Natalie is just a carrier. So this is where the book shines by showing how regardless of money, the corporations still wants a postpartum new mother and women in general (because its us who actually do the 'reproductive' work) to work and behave like a spreadsheet. Corporate America wants us to forget that we just birthed a new life and wants us to believe that pregnancy doesn't hurt women careers. But it does, childbirth does cause women to lose their jobs. Companies are more likely to let go of pregnant employees more likely than non-pregnant women. How many times have you heard a new mother lost her job? I hear it all the time. Women shouldn't have to pick between careers and motherhood. Women are constantly judged and judged harshly in all aspects of their performance. Corporate America should do better.
The novel in the later part of the story takes a huge turning point where Natalie, after completion of her pregnancies, is pushed into another social experiment without the luxuries of the life she was once given. Here, Natalie discovers the true value of human connection, capitalistic exploitation and what it really means to have a choice. While this part of the novel might feel far-fetched, I enjoyed this contrast very much. We are given two sides of the spectrum, one dystopian and the other more communal. We get a sense of life from both sides, the positive and negatives, as well as what 'freedom' really means. Overall, I thought this was a very thought provoking book and shouldn't be compared to Yesteryear but rather be appreciated for a refreshingly interesting content it carried and all the philosophical/social takes it offered on corporate America. Definitely an eye-opener and a great book for bookclubs!
If the body becomes an occupation, would you do it to get freedom from economic pressures and anxieties of life?
This is featured on BOTM for September! Very easy to sign up & cancel at no additional cost to you.
Get your $5 copy here: https://www.mybotm.com/bgnrjn6qk0o
BOTM features early releases and has great quality books. You can get audiobooks too!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and the author, Sarah Anderson for an early copy.
Publication: September 15, 2025
What's it about?
A 23-year old woman becomes a part of a corporate-surrogacy experiment, where women become in-house corporate surrogates. She agrees to a 10 year contact involving 7 pregnancies. In exchange, she gets financial security, best medical care, great housing, personal fitness, safety and food security. Sounds like paradise right? Well, even thought the company gives her plenty material freedoms, the company also takes away her bodily freedom. The Company controls everything in her life. From what she can drink and eat, her health is monitored, there are rules about sex and relationships. After completion of her 7 pregnancies, Natalie unexpectedly enters a second social experiment with which Natalie struggles to embrace. In this part of the novel, Natalie is faced with a dilemma that poses many questions about human value, choice and freedoms once again.
Modern workplace is not for Natalie. At least not the Natalie which we initially meet. She hates working, she hates her low paying job or the freedoms and luxuries of life she cannot afford. Natalie is disinterested in everything that is conventional like career, achievement and even self-improvement. She's selfish and cynical and when she is presented with a bizarre opportunity, she obviously takes it! Who wouldn't want six figure compensation or a laissez-faire lifestyle? So Natalie accepts and thinks of these pregnancies as a 'job'. Well.. she goes on to have seven of those and she's even promised a mommy make over after her contract ends. Isn't that sweet?
But what about attachment? What about emotional, human attachment. Or the effect the pregnancy has on the person? Surrogacy is a one of the most selfless things one can do for another family. There is beauty and light but no one speaks about its darkness. Natalie finds herself emotionally affected, seeking for simple human connection to families and even imagines growing close to them post birth. One family promises her rainbow and butterflies but all their promises never really come to fruition. The baby is still someone else's and Natalie is just a carrier. So this is where the book shines by showing how regardless of money, the corporations still wants a postpartum new mother and women in general (because its us who actually do the 'reproductive' work) to work and behave like a spreadsheet. Corporate America wants us to forget that we just birthed a new life and wants us to believe that pregnancy doesn't hurt women careers. But it does, childbirth does cause women to lose their jobs. Companies are more likely to let go of pregnant employees more likely than non-pregnant women. How many times have you heard a new mother lost her job? I hear it all the time. Women shouldn't have to pick between careers and motherhood. Women are constantly judged and judged harshly in all aspects of their performance. Corporate America should do better.
The novel in the later part of the story takes a huge turning point where Natalie, after completion of her pregnancies, is pushed into another social experiment without the luxuries of the life she was once given. Here, Natalie discovers the true value of human connection, capitalistic exploitation and what it really means to have a choice. While this part of the novel might feel far-fetched, I enjoyed this contrast very much. We are given two sides of the spectrum, one dystopian and the other more communal. We get a sense of life from both sides, the positive and negatives, as well as what 'freedom' really means. Overall, I thought this was a very thought provoking book and shouldn't be compared to Yesteryear but rather be appreciated for a refreshingly interesting content it carried and all the philosophical/social takes it offered on corporate America. Definitely an eye-opener and a great book for bookclubs!
If the body becomes an occupation, would you do it to get freedom from economic pressures and anxieties of life?
This is featured on BOTM for September! Very easy to sign up & cancel at no additional cost to you.
Get your $5 copy here: https://www.mybotm.com/bgnrjn6qk0o
BOTM features early releases and has great quality books. You can get audiobooks too!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and the author, Sarah Anderson for an early copy.
Publication: September 15, 2025
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2026
3.5 or 4 ⭐️ (not sure yet but rounding up)! the concept here is so witty & wacky, and i think i went into it with a very specific idea of how i thought that concept could be executed. but the actual vision for the story ended up being quite different from what i expected!
it’s told in three parts, and while parts 1 & 2 felt pretty cohesive to me, part 3 takes such a dramatic turn that the shift felt a little jarring to me. now that i’ve finished it, i can see the intention behind the overall arc a lot better, but while i was actually reading it, it felt pretty disjointed.
that said, there was a lot here that i thought was well done!! i enjoyed the writing quite a lot, specifically some of the humor and the corporate critique, moral dilemmas, and societal / feminist / capitalist questions. definitely some big questions and even broader themes, but i loved exploring them through this kinda dystopian (but eerily realistic?) lens!
also, i’ve seen this categorized as horror, and i really wouldn’t describe it that way!! to me, this is much more weird girl lit + speculative/dystopian fiction + suspense. it’s unsettling and definitely kinda bizarre, but i actually think calling it horror could scare off some of the readers who would enjoy it most.
ultimately, not quite the book i thought i was getting? but still weird, funny, thought provoking, and certainly never boring 🐮
it’s told in three parts, and while parts 1 & 2 felt pretty cohesive to me, part 3 takes such a dramatic turn that the shift felt a little jarring to me. now that i’ve finished it, i can see the intention behind the overall arc a lot better, but while i was actually reading it, it felt pretty disjointed.
that said, there was a lot here that i thought was well done!! i enjoyed the writing quite a lot, specifically some of the humor and the corporate critique, moral dilemmas, and societal / feminist / capitalist questions. definitely some big questions and even broader themes, but i loved exploring them through this kinda dystopian (but eerily realistic?) lens!
also, i’ve seen this categorized as horror, and i really wouldn’t describe it that way!! to me, this is much more weird girl lit + speculative/dystopian fiction + suspense. it’s unsettling and definitely kinda bizarre, but i actually think calling it horror could scare off some of the readers who would enjoy it most.
ultimately, not quite the book i thought i was getting? but still weird, funny, thought provoking, and certainly never boring 🐮
Did Not Finish
October 1, 2026DNF @ 22%. It’s good and I was enjoying it, I’m just not in the mood for this type of story right now.
September 22, 2026
Respectively what the fuck was this. Why does it feels like i read two books in one. Ive seen so many reviews saying that it goes downhill after the 60% mark and I was confused as to why but now I know. The last 40% of the book feels like the author had no idea how to conclude the story so she just wrote some random plot that doesn’t correspond with the story.
First half initially follows Natalie and she becomes a surrogate for The Company and we read her life through the pregnancy and her fallow breaks. Which at first was interesting but then it just bored me out. I honestly was not expecting the book to drag for that long.
SPOILER WARNING FOR LAST 40%
The second half took a turn no one was expecting because what do you mean she gets kidnapped and lives on a farm now and just accept everything that happens?? I’m sorry but what does this part of the story have to do with anything that was in the previous half. Also that ending was very disappointing.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
———————————————
𐙚⋆°. preread
Im not gonna lie I’m quite intrigued. It’s been slowly showing up on my feed so I guess it’s finally time to read it.
Read
September 15, 2026ALC provided by Macmillan Audio
Fallow had me really intrigued for the first half. I was curious about the concept and where the story was going, but somewhere along the way my interest started to drop.
I understood what the book was exploring with corporations, control, women’s bodies, motherhood, and how much choice you really have when money is involved. I just don’t think the story did enough with those ideas for me. By the end, I was left wondering what the point of it all was.
The narration was great and easy to follow, but unfortunately the story itself lost me in the second half.
I recommend this for readers who enjoy speculative fiction centered around bodily autonomy, capitalism, and stories that are more interested in raising questions than giving you clear answers.
Fallow had me really intrigued for the first half. I was curious about the concept and where the story was going, but somewhere along the way my interest started to drop.
I understood what the book was exploring with corporations, control, women’s bodies, motherhood, and how much choice you really have when money is involved. I just don’t think the story did enough with those ideas for me. By the end, I was left wondering what the point of it all was.
The narration was great and easy to follow, but unfortunately the story itself lost me in the second half.
I recommend this for readers who enjoy speculative fiction centered around bodily autonomy, capitalism, and stories that are more interested in raising questions than giving you clear answers.
September 3, 2026
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC! This book had an interesting premise and raised an important question: How far would you go to achieve complete financial security?
I was super intrigued by the first half which showcased a sharp, witty, (sometimes funny) capitalistic take on society and kept me on the edge of my seat to know what would happen next. But the second half felt like a completely different story, as it shifted into a strange hippie/commune/cult-ish direction that didn’t work for me because there was (in my opinion) a lack of tension and stakes.
I kept expecting the plot to build toward something bigger, especially with the fascinating moral question surrounding corporate control and reproduction. The story lost momentum and fizzled out instead.
I did appreciate how the author didn’t shame the women in the story for the positions they were in, but rather presented them in a normal and neutral way, showing that the real enemy in the story was capitalism and greed.
Overall, I enjoyed the concept and the first half A LOT and really wish it wouldn’t have ultimately switched directions in the way it did. Was it bad? No. I just expected it to deliver on the potential of its premise and it didn’t for me. Also, I expected more cows. Lol.
I was super intrigued by the first half which showcased a sharp, witty, (sometimes funny) capitalistic take on society and kept me on the edge of my seat to know what would happen next. But the second half felt like a completely different story, as it shifted into a strange hippie/commune/cult-ish direction that didn’t work for me because there was (in my opinion) a lack of tension and stakes.
I kept expecting the plot to build toward something bigger, especially with the fascinating moral question surrounding corporate control and reproduction. The story lost momentum and fizzled out instead.
I did appreciate how the author didn’t shame the women in the story for the positions they were in, but rather presented them in a normal and neutral way, showing that the real enemy in the story was capitalism and greed.
Overall, I enjoyed the concept and the first half A LOT and really wish it wouldn’t have ultimately switched directions in the way it did. Was it bad? No. I just expected it to deliver on the potential of its premise and it didn’t for me. Also, I expected more cows. Lol.
September 9, 2026
God this lost all of its steam in the last third. Really amazing set up for virtually no payoff.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.25- I really enjoyed this one—and Natalie Naudus delivers an exceptional performance on the audiobook.
Fallow by Sarah Anderson is a unique, thought-provoking novel that forces you to evaluate systems we take for granted. Main character Natalie is in her 20s, struggling with no savings or health insurance, and in desperate need of expensive dental work. What starts as selling plasma for extra cash turns into quite the unique job offer: becoming an in-house gestational carrier for a Fortune 500 company.
The company labels the program "maternity outsourcing"—framed around gender equity so female executives can have children without experiencing career setbacks or physical toll. But for Natalie, being a "baby mamma" becomes a hyper-regulated contract:
-The Rules & Lifestyle: No sex for 9 months, mandatory daily meditation, 9 hours of sleep, 2.5 hours of daily exercise, filtered water, BPA/PFA-free living, organic produce, and access to a personal chef, herbalist, and acupuncturist.
-The Compensation: Scaled payouts per baby, a massive final bonus, and body reconstruction coverage.
The story takes a turn as Natalie is introduced to an off-grid commune, creating a striking contrast between corporate hyper-optimization and communal living. The commune characters completely charmed me, and the author weaves a subtle parallel between the herd animals and Natalie's role as a 'mamma fallow.'
It constantly begs the question: How far would you go for complete financial security? A sharp, satirical, and tender read that stays with you long after the final chapter.
Fallow by Sarah Anderson is a unique, thought-provoking novel that forces you to evaluate systems we take for granted. Main character Natalie is in her 20s, struggling with no savings or health insurance, and in desperate need of expensive dental work. What starts as selling plasma for extra cash turns into quite the unique job offer: becoming an in-house gestational carrier for a Fortune 500 company.
The company labels the program "maternity outsourcing"—framed around gender equity so female executives can have children without experiencing career setbacks or physical toll. But for Natalie, being a "baby mamma" becomes a hyper-regulated contract:
-The Rules & Lifestyle: No sex for 9 months, mandatory daily meditation, 9 hours of sleep, 2.5 hours of daily exercise, filtered water, BPA/PFA-free living, organic produce, and access to a personal chef, herbalist, and acupuncturist.
-The Compensation: Scaled payouts per baby, a massive final bonus, and body reconstruction coverage.
The story takes a turn as Natalie is introduced to an off-grid commune, creating a striking contrast between corporate hyper-optimization and communal living. The commune characters completely charmed me, and the author weaves a subtle parallel between the herd animals and Natalie's role as a 'mamma fallow.'
It constantly begs the question: How far would you go for complete financial security? A sharp, satirical, and tender read that stays with you long after the final chapter.
September 20, 2026
What if The Handmaid’s Tale was repurposed for the modern age, rife with satire and corporate ‘feminism’ (yes, I mean that in a derogatory sense)?
This read like an answering call to Yesteryear.
Natalie is debt-burdened and sick of trying to balance life and work, health and the grind. She takes a job as an in-house corporate surrogate for a company that advocates that this is for the best of their women employees - reducing maternity leave and everything that comes with pregnancy.
To Natalie, it is a non-brainer: she must deliver seven babies over ten years in exchange for generous compensation. She lives in a luxury condo stocked with healthy meals, around-the-clock medical care, and fitness experts.
If you have read Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata, this reminded me of the absurd take on a prevalent topic. Where well-meaning interference results in further restrictions.
Natalie is a pretty unlikable character, but who we all harbour aspects of: lazy, selfish, judging. That’s what made this so fascinating. We all want to be able to relax, to not worry about future, to be taken care of. However, this book makes us interrogate capitalistic culture that has forced us to think of a decent work/life balance and compensation as a ‘dream’.
I loved the first two parts, but the latter end changed tone and didn’t quite work for me. It served as a contrast - dystopian (importantly: seemingly utopian until challenged), then communal. However, the change was too abrupt and the switch up felt even more bizarre than the rest of the book.
The audiobook is well-performed and the narrator nailed Natalie’s voice. I just realised both Yesteryear and Fallow have protagonists called Natalie!
3.75 stars for the first 65%, 3.25 stars for the latter part.⭐️
Physical arc gifted by Penguin Vintage.
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This read like an answering call to Yesteryear.
Natalie is debt-burdened and sick of trying to balance life and work, health and the grind. She takes a job as an in-house corporate surrogate for a company that advocates that this is for the best of their women employees - reducing maternity leave and everything that comes with pregnancy.
To Natalie, it is a non-brainer: she must deliver seven babies over ten years in exchange for generous compensation. She lives in a luxury condo stocked with healthy meals, around-the-clock medical care, and fitness experts.
If you have read Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata, this reminded me of the absurd take on a prevalent topic. Where well-meaning interference results in further restrictions.
Natalie is a pretty unlikable character, but who we all harbour aspects of: lazy, selfish, judging. That’s what made this so fascinating. We all want to be able to relax, to not worry about future, to be taken care of. However, this book makes us interrogate capitalistic culture that has forced us to think of a decent work/life balance and compensation as a ‘dream’.
I loved the first two parts, but the latter end changed tone and didn’t quite work for me. It served as a contrast - dystopian (importantly: seemingly utopian until challenged), then communal. However, the change was too abrupt and the switch up felt even more bizarre than the rest of the book.
The audiobook is well-performed and the narrator nailed Natalie’s voice. I just realised both Yesteryear and Fallow have protagonists called Natalie!
3.75 stars for the first 65%, 3.25 stars for the latter part.⭐️
Physical arc gifted by Penguin Vintage.
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October 2, 2026
Pregnancy under capitalism, this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2026 (up there with Yesteryear and Fruit Fly). It took a very unexpected turn about 2/3 in, but I like a good detour and isn't that life?
Anyway, I welcome more reads like these! I'm excited to see what Anderson writes next.
Anyway, I welcome more reads like these! I'm excited to see what Anderson writes next.
September 16, 2026
What an absolutely engaging, funny, emotional read that somehow manages to be a scathing critique of capitalism while also espousing the need for community, sisterhood, and dental insurance.
My read immediately preceding this book was one that was sold to me as a satire and it failed miserably so I was apprehensive starting this one but this nailed everything the other failed in. The best satirical novels, to me, attack a target, expose societal vice, and demand reflection. Mocking and ridiculing isn’t satire, it’s just low hanging fruit.
Fallow has a clear through line of what it’s criticizing and it stays on the path from beginning to end. Even as the second half of the book shifts in tone, it’s in direct response to the first half of the book. It feels like a singular, cohesive book rather than two smashed together.
I absolutely loved this book and the audiobook was fantastic. Natalie Naudus is brilliant. The way she’s able to change her inflections, tone, and pitch to bring multiple characters to life is sheer magic. She’s the reason this book landed on my radar in the first place. I highly recommend this book, especially in audiobook format.
My read immediately preceding this book was one that was sold to me as a satire and it failed miserably so I was apprehensive starting this one but this nailed everything the other failed in. The best satirical novels, to me, attack a target, expose societal vice, and demand reflection. Mocking and ridiculing isn’t satire, it’s just low hanging fruit.
Fallow has a clear through line of what it’s criticizing and it stays on the path from beginning to end. Even as the second half of the book shifts in tone, it’s in direct response to the first half of the book. It feels like a singular, cohesive book rather than two smashed together.
I absolutely loved this book and the audiobook was fantastic. Natalie Naudus is brilliant. The way she’s able to change her inflections, tone, and pitch to bring multiple characters to life is sheer magic. She’s the reason this book landed on my radar in the first place. I highly recommend this book, especially in audiobook format.
September 21, 2026
When she was younger, Natalie’s sisters would all dream of being astronauts and nurses while she dreamed of naps and vacations. The lack of motivation has followed her into adult life and into a rut at her current job. It is during this rut that her wisdom teeth decide to pop in, and she needs to get emergency dental surgery. She has no insurance. Trying to hustle up some extra cash via donating plasma, she stumbles across a flyer looking for people to work for them. It’s extremely vague, but she figures why not. The job involves being a surrogate for the corporate executives. This way, the executives can focus on their jobs without, according to the company, worrying about the side effects of pregnancy, etc. Natalie signs up immediately.
This was such an interesting concept and thought-provoking at that. Most of us can probably relate to the work versus home life balance. This surrogacy would allow the executive to continue working and not be affected by the side effects of pregnancy. A win for the company for sure. However, is this really a win for the executive/parent? It definitely would tip the scales and the work versus home life balance. Like I said, plenty to think about with us.
The first half of the novel, I was unable to put this book down. I was completely drawn into Natalie’s world. I found her lack of motivation, compulsiveness, and way of thinking kind of fascinating. Then the second half took a turn that I quite wasn’t expecting. From an enjoyment standpoint, I definitely didn’t enjoy it as much as the first half, but I like how it focused on Natalie and pulled the story together from a character standpoint.
I would rate the first half higher than the second half, but the whole thing definitely was really good. I’m not sure of the best genre tag for this book. It’s definitely not a thriller, nor horror… I suppose, maybe just literary fiction? Definitely worth checking out though for sure!
This was such an interesting concept and thought-provoking at that. Most of us can probably relate to the work versus home life balance. This surrogacy would allow the executive to continue working and not be affected by the side effects of pregnancy. A win for the company for sure. However, is this really a win for the executive/parent? It definitely would tip the scales and the work versus home life balance. Like I said, plenty to think about with us.
The first half of the novel, I was unable to put this book down. I was completely drawn into Natalie’s world. I found her lack of motivation, compulsiveness, and way of thinking kind of fascinating. Then the second half took a turn that I quite wasn’t expecting. From an enjoyment standpoint, I definitely didn’t enjoy it as much as the first half, but I like how it focused on Natalie and pulled the story together from a character standpoint.
I would rate the first half higher than the second half, but the whole thing definitely was really good. I’m not sure of the best genre tag for this book. It’s definitely not a thriller, nor horror… I suppose, maybe just literary fiction? Definitely worth checking out though for sure!
September 11, 2026
Damn, I hate to say it but the first half of this was a 4/5 and the second half 2.5-3. Overall for me it sits somewhere between a 3 and 3.5. I really was enjoying Fallow and where it was going, I appreciated the writing style a lot and the chaotic type B MC Natalie was entertaining to read. I liked her weird relationships with the mothers and was excited to see where that was going to end up because I knew it couldn’t be good!
..But then the second half came along and it really lost me. The second half felt like an entirely different book and took a turn that seemed very silly, out of nowhere and just didn’t work for me. It reminded me of the commune in Patricia Wants to Cuddle a little bit but seemed very out of place in this particular book. Also what the hell was that ending..? That had to be the most boring, corny and dissatisfying ending I have read in a long time. As a whole this book was entertaining enough and the first half was great, but unfortunately in the end I was just hoping it would be over. I thank the publisher for my review copy!
..But then the second half came along and it really lost me. The second half felt like an entirely different book and took a turn that seemed very silly, out of nowhere and just didn’t work for me. It reminded me of the commune in Patricia Wants to Cuddle a little bit but seemed very out of place in this particular book. Also what the hell was that ending..? That had to be the most boring, corny and dissatisfying ending I have read in a long time. As a whole this book was entertaining enough and the first half was great, but unfortunately in the end I was just hoping it would be over. I thank the publisher for my review copy!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
There is no such thing as a good job.
…
“You’re not actually stuck here. You’re choosing to be stuck because it’s easier than admitting you’ve nothing worth to go back to.”
…
“It’s amazing to me,” she said, “how you’ve managed to grow seven babies and never grow up.”
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an ARC of Fallow in exchange for an honest review.
Fallow is told in three parts. In the first two parts, Natalie has never liked working, and falls into a job as a surrogate for executives at a huge corporation, alleged “designed to accelerate gender equity through gestational outsourcing.” For the first time in her life, she has money, good health care, and housing. Not everyone would make the trade off she has chosen, but it works for her, mostly. Then, as her contract is nearing its end, one surrogacy goes sideways, and Natalie’s role with the company goes viral. There are some interesting ideas in this portion of the book about capitalism, Gen Z in the workplace, and women and the workplace. In other books, the remainder of the story would have fleshed those ideas out and resolved the remaining threads of what exactly was happening with Natalie’s pregnancies.
But the third part of Fallow goes in a completely different direction, as a plot twist allows Natalie to consider whether she’d be happier living in a communist, rather than capitalist, society. Even on its own terms, it’s very weird, so different in tone and pacing. And you can’t look too closely at the twist or the logic of it falls apart. Worse, though, by choosing to move Natalie into this new locale, the story is forced to abruptly drop many of the threads developed in the first two-thirds of the book.
Fallow has a great premise. It starts off well. And the audiobook has a great narrator whose voice draws you into the story. But the story falls apart in the back third. Ultimately, a bit disappointing.
June 28, 2026
There are some books that you go into knowing you’ll just enjoy it, so it’s a giant relief when they don’t disappoint me. This is my kind of book in every way. Literary, darkly comedic, a bit of a grounded science fiction or speculative trip, a bit political, sarcasm heavy.
Sarah Anderson is coming in hot with her debut and I’m already so excited for her release and to see what she does next. Fallow follows our main character Natalie through an experimental first foray into surrogacy programs for tech companies who are desperate to even the ground for women wanting to give birth. The company clearly is wanting to put women first, allow them to keep their bottom line, their cultural and societal impact on the company and not lose the many sad benefits of staying at work during pregnancy and maternity leave. Are you catching my tone??
I’m utterly in love with Natalie and her neutrality in the beginning of this seemingly too good to be true program. The ramifications on her life, money, health and friendships. What happens when you can’t be honest 9 months out of 16? This reads like a Black Mirror episode with a little less horror and science fiction and is made for readers just like me.
Sarah Anderson is coming in hot with her debut and I’m already so excited for her release and to see what she does next. Fallow follows our main character Natalie through an experimental first foray into surrogacy programs for tech companies who are desperate to even the ground for women wanting to give birth. The company clearly is wanting to put women first, allow them to keep their bottom line, their cultural and societal impact on the company and not lose the many sad benefits of staying at work during pregnancy and maternity leave. Are you catching my tone??
I’m utterly in love with Natalie and her neutrality in the beginning of this seemingly too good to be true program. The ramifications on her life, money, health and friendships. What happens when you can’t be honest 9 months out of 16? This reads like a Black Mirror episode with a little less horror and science fiction and is made for readers just like me.
September 30, 2026
•Lit Fic
•Debut
•First person POV
•Dystopian
Fallow is quirky to the next level and I absolutely loved it!
Told in three parts, Fallow is the story of Natalie and the lengths to which she will go in order to dig herself out of debt... and fix a relentless throbbing toothache. While selling plasma a fortuitous opportunity lands in her lap, via flyer, and with nothing to lose she happily signs on the dotted line. From that point on, I had no idea what direction this story would take next.
Like so many other readers, I did feel a bit of a disconnect between part three and the rest of the book. I was expecting more drama or a bigger twist. Even so, I enjoyed the direction it took, and I loved the ending. Sarah Anderson's sophomore effort will rightfully earn a top spot on my future TBR.
4.5/5 ⭐️
•Debut
•First person POV
•Dystopian
Fallow is quirky to the next level and I absolutely loved it!
Told in three parts, Fallow is the story of Natalie and the lengths to which she will go in order to dig herself out of debt... and fix a relentless throbbing toothache. While selling plasma a fortuitous opportunity lands in her lap, via flyer, and with nothing to lose she happily signs on the dotted line. From that point on, I had no idea what direction this story would take next.
Like so many other readers, I did feel a bit of a disconnect between part three and the rest of the book. I was expecting more drama or a bigger twist. Even so, I enjoyed the direction it took, and I loved the ending. Sarah Anderson's sophomore effort will rightfully earn a top spot on my future TBR.
4.5/5 ⭐️
Review of advance copy received from Author
;)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Fallow, centered on a passive young woman who becomes a surrogate for a corporation, hooked me right away. Anderson slyly pokes at corporate and consumer greed with her unlikely heroine's journey through multiple pregnancies. Natalie has no ambition or passions and is almost cow-like in her complacency. Yet I was fascinated by her. An impressive debut - a combination of unputdownable and thought-provoking. The audiobook narration was terrific.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance audiobook.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance audiobook.
June 7, 2026
I thought it was aight! A book in two parts really. The first more my speed. Cynical and critical and examining systematic control albeit through a lazy and avoidant character. The second half is a pretty hard swerve into the pastoral that felt pretty alien for our narrator. Meh!
Review of advance copy received from Book of the Month
My kind of book. If you liked The Compound or Severance, this is a combination of both. Constantly hunting for gems like this.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
ARC for review. To be published September 15, 2026.
4 stars
Very interesting concept here as Natalie, who doesn’t really want to work (and who does?) finds a long term job as an in-house surrogate for a major corporation. She allows female C-suite employees to keep right on working while she carries their children. And while Natalie is pregnant the company takes care of all her expenses. Then, after delivery, she gets some time off/recovery time where she can live it up a bit, then she’s back for more.
Until there’s a glitch.
I really enjoyed most of this. I totally see it happening, with the attendant problems. I was a bit thrown off by the last section, but I wasn’t really unsatisfied. Look for this soon at an Apple/Twitter (if they continue hiring women and/or people) near you.
4 stars
Very interesting concept here as Natalie, who doesn’t really want to work (and who does?) finds a long term job as an in-house surrogate for a major corporation. She allows female C-suite employees to keep right on working while she carries their children. And while Natalie is pregnant the company takes care of all her expenses. Then, after delivery, she gets some time off/recovery time where she can live it up a bit, then she’s back for more.
Until there’s a glitch.
I really enjoyed most of this. I totally see it happening, with the attendant problems. I was a bit thrown off by the last section, but I wasn’t really unsatisfied. Look for this soon at an Apple/Twitter (if they continue hiring women and/or people) near you.
October 8, 2026
Fallow, by Sarah Anderson, is billed as a hilarious look at a woman that becomes a full-time, in-house surrogate. She signs on to carry 10 babies in 10 years, and the pay and working conditions are so luxe that she won’t have to hold another job during that time. Natalie Gallagher is burdened by neither a work ethic nor ambition, and so this sounds good to her, and it turns out that she actually is quite proficient at conceiving and giving birth.
My thanks go to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the review copy. This book is available to the public now.
The book is read by Natalie Naudus, and she does a creditable job with a dreadful vehicle.
My attention was caught by the wry cover, and I was fascinated by the premise, so I dove in. The first half of the narrative is about her doing just that—conceiving, giving birth, and moving on. Natalie has no desire to become a mother herself, and has no difficulty handing off the product of her labors. But towards the end of her decade of reproduction, a wrinkle appears that turns everything topsy turvy.
It’s at this point that the book loses focus and goes way into the weeds. Furthermore, it also smacks distinctly of propaganda for a rightwing agenda, and by its end, I was ready to throw things. For me, it ceased to work, either as a novel, or as political writing. I finished it, but only because I owed this review, and well…here it is. The 2 stars are for the interesting first half; the second half rates a zero. Feminists beware!
My thanks go to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the review copy. This book is available to the public now.
The book is read by Natalie Naudus, and she does a creditable job with a dreadful vehicle.
My attention was caught by the wry cover, and I was fascinated by the premise, so I dove in. The first half of the narrative is about her doing just that—conceiving, giving birth, and moving on. Natalie has no desire to become a mother herself, and has no difficulty handing off the product of her labors. But towards the end of her decade of reproduction, a wrinkle appears that turns everything topsy turvy.
It’s at this point that the book loses focus and goes way into the weeds. Furthermore, it also smacks distinctly of propaganda for a rightwing agenda, and by its end, I was ready to throw things. For me, it ceased to work, either as a novel, or as political writing. I finished it, but only because I owed this review, and well…here it is. The 2 stars are for the interesting first half; the second half rates a zero. Feminists beware!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Weird girl lit with a dystopian edge where a giant corporation hires a company surrogate contracted to have 7 babies in 10 years for high powered female employees under the guise of championing gender equality.
Natalie's complete nonchalance and feelings around work make her fascinating and relatable in a way I was not expecting. This book had be laughing out loud at parts this is the perfect blend of weird, a little unsettling, but absorbing at the same time.
So impressed with this debut and I can't wait to see what Sarah Anderson writes next!
Audiobook review: 5/5 AMAZING audiobook
Narration style: single narration by Natalie Naudus (she is becoming one of my faves!)
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC and to Book of the Month for the gifted book!
Natalie's complete nonchalance and feelings around work make her fascinating and relatable in a way I was not expecting. This book had be laughing out loud at parts this is the perfect blend of weird, a little unsettling, but absorbing at the same time.
So impressed with this debut and I can't wait to see what Sarah Anderson writes next!
Audiobook review: 5/5 AMAZING audiobook
Narration style: single narration by Natalie Naudus (she is becoming one of my faves!)
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC and to Book of the Month for the gifted book!
October 9, 2026
this had everything i should have loved: weird girl energy, dystopian horror, sci-fi, and capitalism being deeply unsettling, AND A COW ON THE COVER!! unfortunately, the cover did more for me than the actual book. still, a solid 3.25 stars for making reality feel like a fever dream.
September 13, 2026
It’s hard for me to say where this went wrong for me, mainly because there was very little that went right. Still, I’ll try to be somewhat constructive and talk about some positives.
This book is split into multiple parts, but it really feels like two entirely different stories. I’m going to avoid spoilers and just refer to them as parts one and two.
Part one is basically the blurb. Natalie is a shiftless twenty-something working a crap job who gets the opportunity to become a corporate surrogate. The summary compared this to The Handmaid’s Tale, which I can kind of see? But it is not that. This was the part that had potential, though, and the reason I requested the book in the first place.
Unfortunately, it never really does anything with that potential. Nat is neither unlikable enough to be an antihero nor naive enough to be pitiable. That in itself could actually be interesting, but, like most things in this book, it just isn’t explored enough. I kept wishing Anderson would commit to something. Make it a more disturbing dark comedy, a smarter satire, a more emotional drama, or a more developed dystopia and I think it could have worked. As it is, it never digs deeply enough into any of those things to say much of anything.
Still, part one was quickly readable in the way reality TV is. Not good, exactly, but entertaining. And then it just sort of…ends. Almost like the author got sick of that story and decided to shift gears entirely.
Part two was so confusingly pointless to me and felt like it was giving an entirely different message. I kept waiting for it to meaningfully tie back into part one, and it never really did. It was just more of Natalie’s noncommittal character in a different setting. What I think was supposed to be character growth happened so quickly and with so little justification that it was pretty much lost on me. Then the ending was saccharine and neat, which this book was definitely not asking for.
I can’t recommend this one, which is a bummer because I really did think the premise had potential. If there was a larger message here, it was lost on me.
Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGallley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book is split into multiple parts, but it really feels like two entirely different stories. I’m going to avoid spoilers and just refer to them as parts one and two.
Part one is basically the blurb. Natalie is a shiftless twenty-something working a crap job who gets the opportunity to become a corporate surrogate. The summary compared this to The Handmaid’s Tale, which I can kind of see? But it is not that. This was the part that had potential, though, and the reason I requested the book in the first place.
Unfortunately, it never really does anything with that potential. Nat is neither unlikable enough to be an antihero nor naive enough to be pitiable. That in itself could actually be interesting, but, like most things in this book, it just isn’t explored enough. I kept wishing Anderson would commit to something. Make it a more disturbing dark comedy, a smarter satire, a more emotional drama, or a more developed dystopia and I think it could have worked. As it is, it never digs deeply enough into any of those things to say much of anything.
Still, part one was quickly readable in the way reality TV is. Not good, exactly, but entertaining. And then it just sort of…ends. Almost like the author got sick of that story and decided to shift gears entirely.
Part two was so confusingly pointless to me and felt like it was giving an entirely different message. I kept waiting for it to meaningfully tie back into part one, and it never really did. It was just more of Natalie’s noncommittal character in a different setting. What I think was supposed to be character growth happened so quickly and with so little justification that it was pretty much lost on me. Then the ending was saccharine and neat, which this book was definitely not asking for.
I can’t recommend this one, which is a bummer because I really did think the premise had potential. If there was a larger message here, it was lost on me.
Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGallley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 23, 2026
This book made me feel like an adolescent child in the middle of a messy divorce between Daddy capitalism and Mommy communism. The premise was so feasibly dystopian. It was so unique and different from anything I’ve read before. I loved the commentary on capitalism, ambition, pregnancy, postpartum, and how society, commodifies, penalizes and monetizes the female body in general. Will there ever be a modern economic system and society where women and children are truly cared for and respected? A world where we can be indefinitely feral and fallow? Probably not. Sigh.
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