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The Nearness of You
In this profound and lyrical novel, acclaimed author Amanda Eyre Ward explores the deeper meanings of motherhood—from the first blissful hello to the heart-wrenching prospect of saying goodbye.
Brilliant heart surgeon Suzette Kendall is stunned when Hyland, her husband of fifteen years, admits his yearning for a child. From the beginning they’d decided that having children was not an option, as Suzette feared passing along the genes that landed her mother in a mental institution. But Hyland proposes a different idea: a baby via surrogate.
Suzette agrees, and what follows is a whirlwind of candidate selections, hospital visits, and Suzette’s doubts over whether she’s made the right decision. A young woman named Dorothy Muscarello is chosen as the one who will help make this family complete. For Dorrie, surrogacy (and the money that comes with it) are her opportunity to leave behind a troubled past and create a future for herself—one full of possibility. But this situation also forces all three of them—Dorrie, Suzette, and Hyland—to face a devastating uncertainty that will reverberate in the years to come.
Beautifully shifting between perspectives, The Nearness of You deftly explores the connections we form, the families we create, and the love we hold most dear.
Praise for Amanda Eyre Ward’s The Same Sky
“After reading The Same Sky, you just might view the world a little differently. And isn’t that the goal of all great art?”—Bookreporter
“Riveting, heartrending, and beautifully written.”—Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train
“Deeply affecting.”—People
“Wrenching, honest, painstakingly researched.”—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things
“Emotionally gripping.”—The Dallas Morning News
Brilliant heart surgeon Suzette Kendall is stunned when Hyland, her husband of fifteen years, admits his yearning for a child. From the beginning they’d decided that having children was not an option, as Suzette feared passing along the genes that landed her mother in a mental institution. But Hyland proposes a different idea: a baby via surrogate.
Suzette agrees, and what follows is a whirlwind of candidate selections, hospital visits, and Suzette’s doubts over whether she’s made the right decision. A young woman named Dorothy Muscarello is chosen as the one who will help make this family complete. For Dorrie, surrogacy (and the money that comes with it) are her opportunity to leave behind a troubled past and create a future for herself—one full of possibility. But this situation also forces all three of them—Dorrie, Suzette, and Hyland—to face a devastating uncertainty that will reverberate in the years to come.
Beautifully shifting between perspectives, The Nearness of You deftly explores the connections we form, the families we create, and the love we hold most dear.
Praise for Amanda Eyre Ward’s The Same Sky
“After reading The Same Sky, you just might view the world a little differently. And isn’t that the goal of all great art?”—Bookreporter
“Riveting, heartrending, and beautifully written.”—Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train
“Deeply affecting.”—People
“Wrenching, honest, painstakingly researched.”—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things
“Emotionally gripping.”—The Dallas Morning News
240 pages, Hardcover
First published February 14, 2017
70 people are currently reading
2498 people want to read
About the author
Amanda Eyre Ward
16 books1,411 followersAmanda Eyre Ward’s new novel. LOVERS AND LIARS, will be published in May, 2024! It is the story of a librarian in love.
Here is a very long bio: Amanda was born in New York City in 1972. Her family mved to Rye, New York when she was four. Amanda attended Kent School in Kent, CT, where she wrote for the Kent News.
Amanda majored in English and American Studies at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. She studied fiction writing with Jim Shepard and spent her junior fall in coastal Kenya. She worked part-time at the Williamstown Public Library. After graduation, Amanda taught at Athens College in Greece for a year, and then moved to Missoula, Montana.
Amanda studied fiction writing at the University of Montana with Bill Kittredge, Dierdre McNamer, Debra Earling, and Kevin Canty, receiving her MFA. After traveling to Egypt, she took a job at the University of Montana Mansfield Library, working in Inter Library Loan.
In 1998, Amanda moved to Austin, Texas where she began working on Sleep Toward Heaven. Amanda finished Sleep Toward Heaven, which was published in 2003. Sleep Toward Heaven won the Violet Crown Book Award and was optioned for film by Sandra Bullock and Fox Searchlight. To promote Sleep Toward Heaven, Amanda, her baby, and her mother Mary-Anne Westley traveled to London and Paris.
Amanda moved to Waterville, Maine, where she wrote in an attic filled with books. Amanda’s second novel, How to Be Lost, was published in 2004. How to Be Lost was selected as a Target Bookmarked pick, and has been published in fifteen countries.
After one year in Maine and two years on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Amanda and her family returned to Austin, Texas.
To research her third novel, Forgive Me, Amanda traveled with her sister, Liza Ward Bennigson, to Cape Town, South Africa. Forgive Me was published in 2007.
Amanda's short story collection, Love Stories in This Town, was published in April, 2009.
Her fourth novel, Close Your Eyes, published in July, 2011, received a four-star reiew in People Magazine, won the Elle Lettres Readers' Prize for September, and inspired the Dallas Morning News to write, "With CLOSE YOUR EYES, Austin novelist Amanda Eyre Ward puts another jewel in her crown as the reigning doyenne of 'dark secrets' literary fiction."
Close Your Eyes was named in Kirkus' Best Books of 2011, and won the Elle Magazine Fiction Book of the Year. It was released in paperback in August, 2012.
Amanda's fifth novel, The Same Sky, was published on January 20, 2015. It was named one of the most anticipated books for 2015 by BookPeople and Book of the Week by People Magazine. Dallas Morning News writes, "Ward has written a novel that brilliantly attaches us to broader perspectives. It is a needed respite from the angry politics surrounding border issues that, instead of dividing us, connects us to our humanity."
The Same Sky was chosen as a Target Bookmarked pick.
Amanda's new novel, The Nearness of You, was published on Valentine's Day, 2017.
Amanda's new novel, THE JETSETTERS, was chosen by Reese's Book Club and Hello Sunshine and became a New York Times bestseller. Her novel THE LIFEGUARDS was published in 2022.
Ask me anything and stay tuned for news about LOVERS AND LIARS and TV and film projects based on Amanda's work!
Here is a very long bio: Amanda was born in New York City in 1972. Her family mved to Rye, New York when she was four. Amanda attended Kent School in Kent, CT, where she wrote for the Kent News.
Amanda majored in English and American Studies at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. She studied fiction writing with Jim Shepard and spent her junior fall in coastal Kenya. She worked part-time at the Williamstown Public Library. After graduation, Amanda taught at Athens College in Greece for a year, and then moved to Missoula, Montana.
Amanda studied fiction writing at the University of Montana with Bill Kittredge, Dierdre McNamer, Debra Earling, and Kevin Canty, receiving her MFA. After traveling to Egypt, she took a job at the University of Montana Mansfield Library, working in Inter Library Loan.
In 1998, Amanda moved to Austin, Texas where she began working on Sleep Toward Heaven. Amanda finished Sleep Toward Heaven, which was published in 2003. Sleep Toward Heaven won the Violet Crown Book Award and was optioned for film by Sandra Bullock and Fox Searchlight. To promote Sleep Toward Heaven, Amanda, her baby, and her mother Mary-Anne Westley traveled to London and Paris.
Amanda moved to Waterville, Maine, where she wrote in an attic filled with books. Amanda’s second novel, How to Be Lost, was published in 2004. How to Be Lost was selected as a Target Bookmarked pick, and has been published in fifteen countries.
After one year in Maine and two years on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Amanda and her family returned to Austin, Texas.
To research her third novel, Forgive Me, Amanda traveled with her sister, Liza Ward Bennigson, to Cape Town, South Africa. Forgive Me was published in 2007.
Amanda's short story collection, Love Stories in This Town, was published in April, 2009.
Her fourth novel, Close Your Eyes, published in July, 2011, received a four-star reiew in People Magazine, won the Elle Lettres Readers' Prize for September, and inspired the Dallas Morning News to write, "With CLOSE YOUR EYES, Austin novelist Amanda Eyre Ward puts another jewel in her crown as the reigning doyenne of 'dark secrets' literary fiction."
Close Your Eyes was named in Kirkus' Best Books of 2011, and won the Elle Magazine Fiction Book of the Year. It was released in paperback in August, 2012.
Amanda's fifth novel, The Same Sky, was published on January 20, 2015. It was named one of the most anticipated books for 2015 by BookPeople and Book of the Week by People Magazine. Dallas Morning News writes, "Ward has written a novel that brilliantly attaches us to broader perspectives. It is a needed respite from the angry politics surrounding border issues that, instead of dividing us, connects us to our humanity."
The Same Sky was chosen as a Target Bookmarked pick.
Amanda's new novel, The Nearness of You, was published on Valentine's Day, 2017.
Amanda's new novel, THE JETSETTERS, was chosen by Reese's Book Club and Hello Sunshine and became a New York Times bestseller. Her novel THE LIFEGUARDS was published in 2022.
Ask me anything and stay tuned for news about LOVERS AND LIARS and TV and film projects based on Amanda's work!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 246 reviews
February 7, 2017
3.5 Suzette and Hyland seem to have it all, their marriage is great, they love each other immensely, Suzanne has a fulfilling and prominent career as a heart surgeon. There is only one think lacking, a child, Suzanne refusing to procreate because of the virulent strain of mental illness that runs in her family. So they turn to surrogacy, finding a young woman, willing to have a child, wanting to escape her small town and have money for college, a future.
Things of course do not go as smoothly as expected, evidently or we wouldn't have a story. I will admit a fascination for the process, wanted to see where it was going, compelled to keep reading. I actually loved the descriptions of Suzanne's surgeries more than I loved reading about the drama of the main plot. I did feel a distance from these characters, found many plot elements predictable, thought this would make a great movie for the Hallmark or Lifetime channels. So a mixed read, compelling enough to keep reading but a predictable and the end maybe a bit too good to be true.
Absolutely gorgeous cover though.
ARC from Netgalley.
Release date: February 14th by Ballantine.
Things of course do not go as smoothly as expected, evidently or we wouldn't have a story. I will admit a fascination for the process, wanted to see where it was going, compelled to keep reading. I actually loved the descriptions of Suzanne's surgeries more than I loved reading about the drama of the main plot. I did feel a distance from these characters, found many plot elements predictable, thought this would make a great movie for the Hallmark or Lifetime channels. So a mixed read, compelling enough to keep reading but a predictable and the end maybe a bit too good to be true.
Absolutely gorgeous cover though.
ARC from Netgalley.
Release date: February 14th by Ballantine.
December 10, 2016
Amanda Eyre Ward is an author to keep your eyes on. "The Nearness of You", a surrogacy storyline, is written with the same integrity.....[worthy issues to examine].....as "Under the Same Sky, an illegal immigrant storyline.
Amanda has our attention immediately with the opening Prologue. We are given information to tuck into our back pockets....and just sit with awhile.
Once Chapter 1 begins ...we soon are introduced to a married couple by the names of Suzette and Hyland. Suzette is a surgeon. Hyland is an architect. They live in Houston....have no children. While getting the background stories on both of these characters....is when our own thoughts begin to become active.
Why is the 'semi' older couple -of childbirth age - changing their thoughts about having a child? We have thoughts about the couples discrepancies....we have concerns - judgements - and perhaps if you are like me, you are sure you know where this story is going-- and didn't you see this script on the Lifetime channel?
We meet Dorrie.... who becomes soon becomes pregnant with Hyland's sperm. Arrangements have been signed and complete. Her given reasons for surrogacy are simple. She is 21 years old. She has been accepted to Rice University... was a great student in High School - but needs money to pay tuition for college.
On the day Dorrie is to have her first sonogram, ( Suzette and Hyland are meeting her at the hospital)... Dorrie doesn't show up. Still sounds like a lifetime movie, right?.....,AND THAT'S where things change ....
Amanda Eyre Ward.....opens up an entire new can of worms. At that point I trusted our author-- felt confident she wasn't taking me on a wild goose hunt....an appreciated that I didn't know what was coming next. Which ALLOWED ME TO REALLY EXAMINE the important issues at hand!
Gotta hand it to an author who writes a page turning easy flowing story - which at first seems 'too simple' ....yet she DOES have multiple-dimensional characters- a plot twist- our emotions are invested --all told in only 240 pages!!!!
I think I love Amanda!!!! I don't always want a 500 page investment. It's satisfying to read a book in one or two sittings...., a book that's both enjoyable with meaty depth!
Kudos Amanda!
Thank You Random House Publishing, NetGalley, and Amanda Eyre Ward
Amanda has our attention immediately with the opening Prologue. We are given information to tuck into our back pockets....and just sit with awhile.
Once Chapter 1 begins ...we soon are introduced to a married couple by the names of Suzette and Hyland. Suzette is a surgeon. Hyland is an architect. They live in Houston....have no children. While getting the background stories on both of these characters....is when our own thoughts begin to become active.
Why is the 'semi' older couple -of childbirth age - changing their thoughts about having a child? We have thoughts about the couples discrepancies....we have concerns - judgements - and perhaps if you are like me, you are sure you know where this story is going-- and didn't you see this script on the Lifetime channel?
We meet Dorrie.... who becomes soon becomes pregnant with Hyland's sperm. Arrangements have been signed and complete. Her given reasons for surrogacy are simple. She is 21 years old. She has been accepted to Rice University... was a great student in High School - but needs money to pay tuition for college.
On the day Dorrie is to have her first sonogram, ( Suzette and Hyland are meeting her at the hospital)... Dorrie doesn't show up. Still sounds like a lifetime movie, right?.....,AND THAT'S where things change ....
Amanda Eyre Ward.....opens up an entire new can of worms. At that point I trusted our author-- felt confident she wasn't taking me on a wild goose hunt....an appreciated that I didn't know what was coming next. Which ALLOWED ME TO REALLY EXAMINE the important issues at hand!
Gotta hand it to an author who writes a page turning easy flowing story - which at first seems 'too simple' ....yet she DOES have multiple-dimensional characters- a plot twist- our emotions are invested --all told in only 240 pages!!!!
I think I love Amanda!!!! I don't always want a 500 page investment. It's satisfying to read a book in one or two sittings...., a book that's both enjoyable with meaty depth!
Kudos Amanda!
Thank You Random House Publishing, NetGalley, and Amanda Eyre Ward
February 14, 2017
3.5 stars. Last year, I read The Same Sky by Amanda Eyre Ward. I know I liked it, but it didn't leave a huge impression on me. I suspect this will be my long term reaction to The Nearness of You. It's a quick read and I felt engrossed while I read it, but I'm not sure it will stay with me. Suzette is a cardiac surgeon who carries the weight of her sad childhood in her past, and her husband Hyland also lives with the aftermath of a tragic childhood. Suzette and Hyland make a deal to have Dorie act as their surrogate. Dorrie is only 21 years old. Things don't work out as anyone planned. And I will say no more about the story to avoid spoilers. The story is told from a few points of view at different points in time. It's a bit of a page turner and it's hard not to get caught up in the characters' emotions. If there's a core theme it's the complexity of motherhood -- fierce love, self doubt, mistakes made out of love and the price paid by children who don't have mothers who are physically or emotionally present. I wouldn't say that there's a message but rather a constellation of complex circumstances and open questions about who could have done what differently. Again, I enjoyed it while I read. I didn't love any of the characters, but I appreciated that they weren't unidimensional. And I really wanted to know what happened at the end -- although I'll be curious to see what others think of the end. I can't end this review without mentioning that I love the gorgeous cover. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
February 10, 2017
The Nearness of You By Amanda Eyre Ward
Suzette is a surgeon living in Houston with her husband Hyland who is an architect. When Suzette and Hyland got married they both agreed on having no children. Now suddenly Hyland has changed his mind, he now wants a child. Suzette has had a history of mental illness in her family and she is stabilized, regarding her own mental heath. They choose to use a surrogate.
Dorrie is the surrogate chosen by Hyland to be the one to deliver a new baby to Hyland and Suzette. When Dorie doesn't show up for the sonogram appointment, Hyland can't reach Dorie by telephone. Hyland drives to Dories house and finds a note from Dorie that she has left and she is never coming back. The woman at the fertility clinic says that the clinic is not responsible and it is well past time to close. On the way home Hyland pulls the vehicle over to the side of the road saying he doesn't feel well enough to drive, so Suzette drives.
The novel alternates between different character's points of view. It introduces a new character named Jayne. It is obvious that the story is taking a new direction. Amanda Eyre Ward is a capable storyteller. Who is Jayne and how does her character figure into the new direction the story is taking. I can't give anything more away or I will spoil the story for you. An engaging well written story.
Thank you to Net Galley, Amanda Eyre Ward and Ballantine Books.
Suzette is a surgeon living in Houston with her husband Hyland who is an architect. When Suzette and Hyland got married they both agreed on having no children. Now suddenly Hyland has changed his mind, he now wants a child. Suzette has had a history of mental illness in her family and she is stabilized, regarding her own mental heath. They choose to use a surrogate.
Dorrie is the surrogate chosen by Hyland to be the one to deliver a new baby to Hyland and Suzette. When Dorie doesn't show up for the sonogram appointment, Hyland can't reach Dorie by telephone. Hyland drives to Dories house and finds a note from Dorie that she has left and she is never coming back. The woman at the fertility clinic says that the clinic is not responsible and it is well past time to close. On the way home Hyland pulls the vehicle over to the side of the road saying he doesn't feel well enough to drive, so Suzette drives.
The novel alternates between different character's points of view. It introduces a new character named Jayne. It is obvious that the story is taking a new direction. Amanda Eyre Ward is a capable storyteller. Who is Jayne and how does her character figure into the new direction the story is taking. I can't give anything more away or I will spoil the story for you. An engaging well written story.
Thank you to Net Galley, Amanda Eyre Ward and Ballantine Books.
March 9, 2017
Amanda Eyre Ward provides an interesting look into the world of surrogate parenting through 3 different perspectives. The characters have depth and early on, I became sympathetic to their circumstances, but they could be so unlikeable at times.
Reading this book made me more aware and sympathetic to issues that may crop up in surrogacy. Overall, a good story line and well thought out.
Reading this book made me more aware and sympathetic to issues that may crop up in surrogacy. Overall, a good story line and well thought out.
February 26, 2017
Storyteller, Amanda Eyre Ward returns following (2015) The Same Sky with another thought-provoking and gripping tale of four wounded characters in THE NEARNESS OF YOU. (Beautiful cover ).
What does it take to be a real mother? With highly charged topics, Ward delves deeply into the emotions of the human psyche and what it takes to be a family. A surrogate young girl goes missing, disrupting the lives of all that are near and dear to the unborn child.
Set in Houston, Texas –Hyland and Suzette Kendell are married and celebrating their anniversary. It is the year, 2000 and the couple have been married for fifteen years and approaching forty years of age.
Suzette is a successful heart surgeon and Hyland an architect. He came from a horrific childhood and he would love to have children and a family. His parents had been killed in a car accident when he was eleven and grew up in the foster care system. He now works from home and desperately wants a family.
However, workaholic Suzette had been upfront from the beginning, she did not want children. Her mom was mentally ill and in an institution. She most likely would always remain there until she died.
Her father had died years earlier and her mom went a little crazy- erratic and paranoid, causing serious trauma for Suzette during her childhood. She too was sick in college; however, controls it with her meds. They continue to keep her mother in a nice facility and sometimes she tells herself her mom is really dead.
Suzette does not want to pass this sickness to children. She wants it to end here. She could not be the easy, breezy, fertile wife Hyland might have wanted; however, she would not be made to feel that she was lacking.
They are now ready for surrogacy. Hyland would sire a child. He was delighted with the opportunity of becoming a father. He would medically impregnate someone younger who would carry the baby to term. Suzette could keep working without interruption. It was a win-win. Or so she thought.
Suzette panicked and was scared, similar to PTSD, due to her own childhood dramas. They find what they think is the perfect candidate and was going to pay her $35,000 to cover the cost. However, the gal backs out due to Suzette being busy with work. She was not going to apologize for doing her job.
In the meantime, Suzette deals with life and death daily. Giving life after ending life with tragedy at the hospital. She cared deeply for her patients and she connected better with the babies than the adults. Each was a reminder.
Months pass and there is another candidate. This girl was much younger and inexperienced. She had never been married and never had a child, like the first candidate.
As a last resort, they decide on Dorrie (age 21). She gets pregnant quickly. We hear from different POVs. She worked at Sea-o-Rama feeding penguins. She wanted to escape her life and get off Galveston Island. She could finally move away from her mother and her dull disappointment—away from the stories about her deadbeat dad. It meant a bigger life: college, and a chance to succeed. When she had seen the ad, she knew this was the only way to attain money for college. A way out.
However, could she lease her body, and then hand over her child? She would trade nine months of her life. She earned less than $10.00 hour at her current job. The gift of life. It was love versus money. Which would win out in the end? Could she go through with it? Or escape?
She could drive away from Texas and make a life on Grand Isle, Louisiana. She needed to escape her own sad mom’s depression and alcoholism. However, without money, how would she live and support herself and her unborn child? How will Suzette and Hyland go on knowing their child was out there somewhere?
Dorrie is a dreamer and wants to wrap herself around books and living in a seaside cottage. She dreams of a life with her baby. She is immature and not thinking of how. She cannot live in a motel with no money, especially when this couple had money and would have the cops or PIs after her.
On the run, she meets another lonely girl, Jayne taking care of her own disturbed junkie prostitute mom. Another young girl, trying to escape her surroundings for a better life. Will they find solace in one another? Jayne is intrigued by the girl in room 29. They hit the road together.
Later when an illness arrives, and more problems, things change. However, there are still some secrets which are not revealed until the end.
The author takes us on a hauntingly beautiful emotional heartfelt journey. Told with compassion - from tragedy, pain, loss, and love. What it means to be a mother. A family. When matters of the heart are conflicted. From “The Nearness of You" an old Ella Fitzgerald song, to a desperate search for a mother.
Can a woman who fixes hearts mend one close to her own? Fast forward fifteen years later.
Every character is searching for a mother’s love and acceptance. Guilt. A yearning for atonement. Courage. Your heart goes out to all the flawed characters (they do make some poor choices); a situation when there seems there is no easy way out. Someone will be hurt. What it takes to be a family. They are not always the traditional ones.
I loved the quote: “The mother is the one who stays in the room.” (no matter how difficult, when she wants to run and hide).
I read two moving and beautiful books in a row about motherhood. They come in all shapes and sizes each with their own set of struggles. Highly recommend both: Amanda Eyre Ward’s THE NEARNESS OF YOU and Sally Hepworth’s The Mother's Promise.
A special thank you to Random House and NetGalley for a complimentary reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
JDCMustReadBooks
What does it take to be a real mother? With highly charged topics, Ward delves deeply into the emotions of the human psyche and what it takes to be a family. A surrogate young girl goes missing, disrupting the lives of all that are near and dear to the unborn child.
Set in Houston, Texas –Hyland and Suzette Kendell are married and celebrating their anniversary. It is the year, 2000 and the couple have been married for fifteen years and approaching forty years of age.
Suzette is a successful heart surgeon and Hyland an architect. He came from a horrific childhood and he would love to have children and a family. His parents had been killed in a car accident when he was eleven and grew up in the foster care system. He now works from home and desperately wants a family.
However, workaholic Suzette had been upfront from the beginning, she did not want children. Her mom was mentally ill and in an institution. She most likely would always remain there until she died.
Her father had died years earlier and her mom went a little crazy- erratic and paranoid, causing serious trauma for Suzette during her childhood. She too was sick in college; however, controls it with her meds. They continue to keep her mother in a nice facility and sometimes she tells herself her mom is really dead.
Suzette does not want to pass this sickness to children. She wants it to end here. She could not be the easy, breezy, fertile wife Hyland might have wanted; however, she would not be made to feel that she was lacking.
They are now ready for surrogacy. Hyland would sire a child. He was delighted with the opportunity of becoming a father. He would medically impregnate someone younger who would carry the baby to term. Suzette could keep working without interruption. It was a win-win. Or so she thought.
Suzette panicked and was scared, similar to PTSD, due to her own childhood dramas. They find what they think is the perfect candidate and was going to pay her $35,000 to cover the cost. However, the gal backs out due to Suzette being busy with work. She was not going to apologize for doing her job.
In the meantime, Suzette deals with life and death daily. Giving life after ending life with tragedy at the hospital. She cared deeply for her patients and she connected better with the babies than the adults. Each was a reminder.
Months pass and there is another candidate. This girl was much younger and inexperienced. She had never been married and never had a child, like the first candidate.
As a last resort, they decide on Dorrie (age 21). She gets pregnant quickly. We hear from different POVs. She worked at Sea-o-Rama feeding penguins. She wanted to escape her life and get off Galveston Island. She could finally move away from her mother and her dull disappointment—away from the stories about her deadbeat dad. It meant a bigger life: college, and a chance to succeed. When she had seen the ad, she knew this was the only way to attain money for college. A way out.
However, could she lease her body, and then hand over her child? She would trade nine months of her life. She earned less than $10.00 hour at her current job. The gift of life. It was love versus money. Which would win out in the end? Could she go through with it? Or escape?
She could drive away from Texas and make a life on Grand Isle, Louisiana. She needed to escape her own sad mom’s depression and alcoholism. However, without money, how would she live and support herself and her unborn child? How will Suzette and Hyland go on knowing their child was out there somewhere?
Dorrie is a dreamer and wants to wrap herself around books and living in a seaside cottage. She dreams of a life with her baby. She is immature and not thinking of how. She cannot live in a motel with no money, especially when this couple had money and would have the cops or PIs after her.
On the run, she meets another lonely girl, Jayne taking care of her own disturbed junkie prostitute mom. Another young girl, trying to escape her surroundings for a better life. Will they find solace in one another? Jayne is intrigued by the girl in room 29. They hit the road together.
Later when an illness arrives, and more problems, things change. However, there are still some secrets which are not revealed until the end.
The author takes us on a hauntingly beautiful emotional heartfelt journey. Told with compassion - from tragedy, pain, loss, and love. What it means to be a mother. A family. When matters of the heart are conflicted. From “The Nearness of You" an old Ella Fitzgerald song, to a desperate search for a mother.
Can a woman who fixes hearts mend one close to her own? Fast forward fifteen years later.
Every character is searching for a mother’s love and acceptance. Guilt. A yearning for atonement. Courage. Your heart goes out to all the flawed characters (they do make some poor choices); a situation when there seems there is no easy way out. Someone will be hurt. What it takes to be a family. They are not always the traditional ones.
I loved the quote: “The mother is the one who stays in the room.” (no matter how difficult, when she wants to run and hide).
I read two moving and beautiful books in a row about motherhood. They come in all shapes and sizes each with their own set of struggles. Highly recommend both: Amanda Eyre Ward’s THE NEARNESS OF YOU and Sally Hepworth’s The Mother's Promise.
A special thank you to Random House and NetGalley for a complimentary reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
JDCMustReadBooks
January 16, 2017
Parenthood, family, all-encompassing love and the lengths a mother will go for her child, biological or not. THE NEARNESS OF YOU by Amanda Eyre Ward burrows deep into the lives of two women and the child they both love. Heart surgeon Suzette Kendall has never wanted anything to interfere with the life-saving work she does, including having a child. For Suzette and her upwardly mobile husband, Hyland life was good until Hyland decides he wants to feel the bond of a parent and child. For Suzette, it is not an option, mental illness runs rampant in her family and she refuses to pass along her curse.
After deep soul-searching and interviews, a surrogate mother is found, but when the baby girl is born, Dorrie is nowhere to be found. Although originally unsure of what they are doing, Suzette finds she will go to any length to find Hyland’s biological child and her newly awakened maternal heart’s reason for beating. Not until the toddler is sick, does Dorrie give her back and beg never to be hunted down.
As the years go by, this young teen questions her heritage, who her birth mother is and what her life would be like. Running away, she does discover who her mother is, but the fairy tale ending she hoped for becomes a deadly nightmare of pain for a troubled teen who longs for an identity and unconditional love. Has her young mind and heart missed the meaning of family, love and loyalty?
Amanda Eyre Ward will shred your heart as a young teen becomes desperate for answers and mistakes tough love for not caring. Explore the questions of a mothers’ pain, a mother’s love and a mother’s resilience to endure the worst for the child she loves. Is it biology or a matter of the heart?
You may not agree with the characters’ actions, you may find some characters harder to know and like, but in the end, you will see the lengths to which a mother will go for her child's welfare.
I received an ARC edition from Ballantine Books in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Ballantine Books (February 21, 2017)
Publication Date: February 21, 2017
Genre: Women's Fiction
Print Length: 240 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
After deep soul-searching and interviews, a surrogate mother is found, but when the baby girl is born, Dorrie is nowhere to be found. Although originally unsure of what they are doing, Suzette finds she will go to any length to find Hyland’s biological child and her newly awakened maternal heart’s reason for beating. Not until the toddler is sick, does Dorrie give her back and beg never to be hunted down.
As the years go by, this young teen questions her heritage, who her birth mother is and what her life would be like. Running away, she does discover who her mother is, but the fairy tale ending she hoped for becomes a deadly nightmare of pain for a troubled teen who longs for an identity and unconditional love. Has her young mind and heart missed the meaning of family, love and loyalty?
Amanda Eyre Ward will shred your heart as a young teen becomes desperate for answers and mistakes tough love for not caring. Explore the questions of a mothers’ pain, a mother’s love and a mother’s resilience to endure the worst for the child she loves. Is it biology or a matter of the heart?
You may not agree with the characters’ actions, you may find some characters harder to know and like, but in the end, you will see the lengths to which a mother will go for her child's welfare.
I received an ARC edition from Ballantine Books in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Ballantine Books (February 21, 2017)
Publication Date: February 21, 2017
Genre: Women's Fiction
Print Length: 240 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
April 21, 2021
This was one of those books where when I turned the last page I was so let down. I wanted to know more about these people. I loved them all. This was a lovely story about a surrogate mother and what happens to her and her child and the people she was carrying the child for. Each chapter was told by a different person and you got to know all of them. This is definitely a feel good book and I do recommend. I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them all.
February 7, 2017
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I have read many books by Ward and have always enjoyed them. However, The Nearness of You just didn't do it for me. It is very disjointed and a large time jump that just doesn't seem to gel.
The idea of the story is very intriguing, I just would have liked to see it executed better. I do not have an issue with MPV and past/present novels, but there just didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to this and large chunks of time were spent describing Suzette's surgery's, which was completely unnecessary.
All in all, it fell flat and Ward never gave you a chance to connect with the characters, and the "twist" is entirely predictable.
Ultimately, I would not recommend this book.
I have read many books by Ward and have always enjoyed them. However, The Nearness of You just didn't do it for me. It is very disjointed and a large time jump that just doesn't seem to gel.
The idea of the story is very intriguing, I just would have liked to see it executed better. I do not have an issue with MPV and past/present novels, but there just didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to this and large chunks of time were spent describing Suzette's surgery's, which was completely unnecessary.
All in all, it fell flat and Ward never gave you a chance to connect with the characters, and the "twist" is entirely predictable.
Ultimately, I would not recommend this book.
January 7, 2017
I am now a huge fan of Amanda Eyre Ward. She writes with a level of nuance and grace that is rarely found in such a fast-paced novel.
Surrogacy is a tough subject to cover and Amanda Eyre Ward does it well. Dorrie agrees to carry Suzette and Hyland’s baby without fully understanding what she is getting into which lends another layer to the plot that would not have been there otherwise. I liked the way Amanda Eyre Ward made me care for all the characters even when they are at odds. I empathized with Suzette. She had built a good life for herself when her husband decides they need a child. She goes along and finds her world torn apart. Dorrie is a young woman who wants a better life and thinks becoming a surrogate will help her get away from her mother and move forward. She didn’t think it would be so hard to give up the baby she carried. Jayne is a girl who is trying to find a better life as well and is willing to take a chance on Dorrie when she sees an opportunity.
My only quibble with this novel is all the female characters had awful mothers. I began to get confused about who’s terrible childhood some of the flashbacks were from. It would have been nice to have one of the women know what a healthy mother-daughter relationship felt like. That said, this is a minor criticism.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of the novel.
Surrogacy is a tough subject to cover and Amanda Eyre Ward does it well. Dorrie agrees to carry Suzette and Hyland’s baby without fully understanding what she is getting into which lends another layer to the plot that would not have been there otherwise. I liked the way Amanda Eyre Ward made me care for all the characters even when they are at odds. I empathized with Suzette. She had built a good life for herself when her husband decides they need a child. She goes along and finds her world torn apart. Dorrie is a young woman who wants a better life and thinks becoming a surrogate will help her get away from her mother and move forward. She didn’t think it would be so hard to give up the baby she carried. Jayne is a girl who is trying to find a better life as well and is willing to take a chance on Dorrie when she sees an opportunity.
My only quibble with this novel is all the female characters had awful mothers. I began to get confused about who’s terrible childhood some of the flashbacks were from. It would have been nice to have one of the women know what a healthy mother-daughter relationship felt like. That said, this is a minor criticism.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of the novel.
November 12, 2016
Thank you to NetGalley.com for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Surrogacy – that’s a tough one whether is a traditional or gestational surrogacy. Personally, I think anyone who does it is an amazing person – whether it be for completely altruistic or financial reasons. This book takes it one step deeper – what makes a mother? Nature vs. nurture and all that but this book approaches it in a whole new way.
What I loved: By having each character take the helm of a chapter (or two or more), the insight into each and every side of the situation was presented in a fair light. No one was all evil, no one all good but rather a mix of blacks, whites, and greys – just like real life.
What I didn’t love: It just stops – that’s it. You’re left on your own devices to make up how the story continues with no closure. Its my least favorite way of ending a book.
What I learned: The mother instinct is there, even if if the child is biologically not your own, and can be extremely fierce.
Overall Grade: B
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February 6, 2017
The Nearness Of You
By
Amanda Eyre Ward
What it's all about...
This book is about a family. Suzette, Hyland and Eloise are this family but in order to be this family lots of complicated things had to happen. Hyland needed to be a father much more than Suzette needed to be a mother. Dysfunctional characters, family issues, secrets and lies plus incredible storytelling made this book so amazingly readable. These characters were happy at times, frustrating at times and incredibly heartbreaking at times. And...I am not just talking about Suzette, Hyland and Eloise. In addition to Suzette, Hyland and Eloise there were other major characters who helped make this family a family. That's where the issues begin.
Why I wanted to read it...
I randomly read the first page and was totally hooked...
What made me truly enjoy this book...
I loved that the characters spoke in different chapters in their own voices telling their own stories.
Why you should read it, too...
Readers who love great storytelling will love this beautiful book. I loved it very much.
By
Amanda Eyre Ward
What it's all about...
This book is about a family. Suzette, Hyland and Eloise are this family but in order to be this family lots of complicated things had to happen. Hyland needed to be a father much more than Suzette needed to be a mother. Dysfunctional characters, family issues, secrets and lies plus incredible storytelling made this book so amazingly readable. These characters were happy at times, frustrating at times and incredibly heartbreaking at times. And...I am not just talking about Suzette, Hyland and Eloise. In addition to Suzette, Hyland and Eloise there were other major characters who helped make this family a family. That's where the issues begin.
Why I wanted to read it...
I randomly read the first page and was totally hooked...
What made me truly enjoy this book...
I loved that the characters spoke in different chapters in their own voices telling their own stories.
Why you should read it, too...
Readers who love great storytelling will love this beautiful book. I loved it very much.
December 9, 2016
4/5 stars.
This book is a whirlwind of emotions that takes you on a roller coaster ride with an abrupt ending, which oddly fits the style of the book.
I'm not sure why I thought this book would be a romance based off of the title. It was the opposite of romantic, and I think did a great job exploring a real marriage. A marriage between two people with flaws, and who have a long lasting love that wasn't made for the movies.
At first I disliked Suzette as she seemed to desperately not want a kid, yet was going through all of the motions to have a kid. It was confusing to me why she so clearly didn't want a kid, but was putting her husband through all of the loops of trying to have a child. However, that seems to be what many people do when they get to a certain age in life. Society says it's time to have a kid and people have one regardless of where they are in life. She seemed like a fantastic symbol of what so many mothers are in our society. Even at the end of the novel I still was not convinced that she wanted Eloise as her child even though she leaves Africa to come and search for her kid.
Dorrie's chapters were written in first person which was an interesting twist to the novel. I felt way more connected with her character than Suzette's, and I wonder if the author did that on purpose to help Suzette's character feel more distant with the reader. Suzette did seem to put the world at a distance due to her traumatic past. I felt for both Dorrie and Suzette throughout the novel as they seemed on two sides of a spectrum, yet they were forced to be together because of Eloise.
Eloise herself seemed like the typical teenager that hated the world, but she had plenty of reasons to do so instead of just being a stereotypical 17 year old. The ending was inevitable for her character.
I felt the ending was better wrapped up than some reviewers stated, but it still was rather abrupt. I believe it spoke volumes
The reason why I gave this 4 instead of 5 stars was because of the distance I felt towards Hyland and Suzette in this novel. I think the reader was not supposed to feel much emotional connection to Suzette due to her characteristics, but Hyland I was indifferent towards the entire novel. He seemed a bit too....something. Also, I still wasn't convinced that Suzette loved Eloise. I felt Dorrie had more care and love for Eloise than Suzette did.
This book is a whirlwind of emotions that takes you on a roller coaster ride with an abrupt ending, which oddly fits the style of the book.
I'm not sure why I thought this book would be a romance based off of the title. It was the opposite of romantic, and I think did a great job exploring a real marriage. A marriage between two people with flaws, and who have a long lasting love that wasn't made for the movies.
At first I disliked Suzette as she seemed to desperately not want a kid, yet was going through all of the motions to have a kid. It was confusing to me why she so clearly didn't want a kid, but was putting her husband through all of the loops of trying to have a child. However, that seems to be what many people do when they get to a certain age in life. Society says it's time to have a kid and people have one regardless of where they are in life. She seemed like a fantastic symbol of what so many mothers are in our society. Even at the end of the novel I still was not convinced that she wanted Eloise as her child even though she leaves Africa to come and search for her kid.
Dorrie's chapters were written in first person which was an interesting twist to the novel. I felt way more connected with her character than Suzette's, and I wonder if the author did that on purpose to help Suzette's character feel more distant with the reader. Suzette did seem to put the world at a distance due to her traumatic past. I felt for both Dorrie and Suzette throughout the novel as they seemed on two sides of a spectrum, yet they were forced to be together because of Eloise.
Eloise herself seemed like the typical teenager that hated the world, but she had plenty of reasons to do so instead of just being a stereotypical 17 year old. The ending was inevitable for her character.
I felt the ending was better wrapped up than some reviewers stated, but it still was rather abrupt. I believe it spoke volumes
The reason why I gave this 4 instead of 5 stars was because of the distance I felt towards Hyland and Suzette in this novel. I think the reader was not supposed to feel much emotional connection to Suzette due to her characteristics, but Hyland I was indifferent towards the entire novel. He seemed a bit too....something. Also, I still wasn't convinced that Suzette loved Eloise. I felt Dorrie had more care and love for Eloise than Suzette did.
April 7, 2018
Actual rating:
3.5 out of 5 stars
The Nearness of You is a story about a couple, Hyland and Suzette who was married for fifteen happy years. But Hyland, longing for a child suggested an alternative way for him and Suzette to have a child until their normal lives suddenly had a twist of its own. She told him early on their relationship that she didn't have plans of having one because of fear that she'll pass the genes of her mother to her own children. Suzette firmly told Hyland that she wanted the sickness to end with her. So, the best chance for conception Hyland thought of was traditional surrogacy. Here's how Dorrie came into the picture. She agreed to do it and for what reason? Money ; for her it meant a bigger life and a better one.
The source of issue in this novel is both complicated and challenging. Surrogacy is a choice. It entails a great deal of emotions – love.
The story was told in a shifting perspective of Hyland, Suzette and Dorrie (more or less like a diary or a letter). But it felt like watching telanovelas with the same story and characters over and over again. The plot twists were expected and the element of surprise was somehow misplaced. There were times I got more lengthy description of Suzette's job as a surgeon and characters with insignificant contributions to the story. Though I love the special attention it gave to motherhood and the unexpected abrupt ending that leave the readers either relieved or confused. Overall, I still like it with bits and pieces of insights, feelings and realization but it's hardly not for everyone.
***Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, and Amanda Eyre Ward for providing me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!
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The Nearness of You is a story about a couple, Hyland and Suzette who was married for fifteen happy years. But Hyland, longing for a child suggested an alternative way for him and Suzette to have a child until their normal lives suddenly had a twist of its own. She told him early on their relationship that she didn't have plans of having one because of fear that she'll pass the genes of her mother to her own children. Suzette firmly told Hyland that she wanted the sickness to end with her. So, the best chance for conception Hyland thought of was traditional surrogacy. Here's how Dorrie came into the picture. She agreed to do it and for what reason? Money ; for her it meant a bigger life and a better one.
The source of issue in this novel is both complicated and challenging. Surrogacy is a choice. It entails a great deal of emotions – love.
I could take the money and step forward into a life I now knew would be incomplete, a black hole at its center, the missing space of you. Or I could pack what little I cared about into a suitcase and run.
It was love versus money, in the end, my dear baby girl.
I chose love.
The story was told in a shifting perspective of Hyland, Suzette and Dorrie (more or less like a diary or a letter). But it felt like watching telanovelas with the same story and characters over and over again. The plot twists were expected and the element of surprise was somehow misplaced. There were times I got more lengthy description of Suzette's job as a surgeon and characters with insignificant contributions to the story. Though I love the special attention it gave to motherhood and the unexpected abrupt ending that leave the readers either relieved or confused. Overall, I still like it with bits and pieces of insights, feelings and realization but it's hardly not for everyone.
***Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, and Amanda Eyre Ward for providing me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!
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January 1, 2017
The story is complex. It deals with the delicate modern issue of surrogacy and the fact that it is definitely not for everyone (though most people go into it not taking emotional factors into consideration). The overwhelming need of wanting a child, someone with your genes takes over common sense and basic human fears and then the snowballing situation of which of course one does not have control over takes over several people's lives.
Our husband and wife duo are quite placid or rather the wife is over their lack of conceiving. Until it appears that Hyland has been considering options unknown to his wife. Finding a surrogate and going along with it blindly Suzette does not realize how much hope and faith her husband has in this succeeding.
Once chosen Hyland is so into the health and well being of the surrogate much more than Suzette who is a little distant and reserved but as the pregnancy progresses they are both totally agreed on the outcome. That the outcome is not exactly what all wish for is of course heart breaking and out of the blue. It also reiterates that all plans do not follow a scientific course of action and that action 3 will necessarily follow 1 and 2.
The book dealt with human emotions of every nature and handled them well. It was a roller coaster of a story which kept me in its thrall till the end.
Our husband and wife duo are quite placid or rather the wife is over their lack of conceiving. Until it appears that Hyland has been considering options unknown to his wife. Finding a surrogate and going along with it blindly Suzette does not realize how much hope and faith her husband has in this succeeding.
Once chosen Hyland is so into the health and well being of the surrogate much more than Suzette who is a little distant and reserved but as the pregnancy progresses they are both totally agreed on the outcome. That the outcome is not exactly what all wish for is of course heart breaking and out of the blue. It also reiterates that all plans do not follow a scientific course of action and that action 3 will necessarily follow 1 and 2.
The book dealt with human emotions of every nature and handled them well. It was a roller coaster of a story which kept me in its thrall till the end.
February 18, 2017
I would like to thank Goodreads and Ballantine Books for giving me an ARC of: The Nearness of You, a novel, written by Amanda Eyre Ward.
I started reading this book last night and finished it today! It's the kind of story that grabs you from the very first page. The four main characters tell this story in alternating chapters. I enjoyed this different writing style because it allowed me to really understand each person's thoughts and motives. The novel is about an older couple who find a young woman who agrees to be a surrogate mother for them. She will carry the husband's biological and her own biological child with a successful artificial insemination. Then, after the baby is born, and given to the parents who will raise him or her, the surrogate will receive $35,000. However, what are the legal and emotional ramifications for this woman........IF SHE FALLS IN LOVE WITH HER OWN CHILD AND WANTS TO KEEP THE BABY?!? These are the legal and social issues that the characters in this story will face. What a good read this book is! The Nearness of You will be published in February 2017.
I started reading this book last night and finished it today! It's the kind of story that grabs you from the very first page. The four main characters tell this story in alternating chapters. I enjoyed this different writing style because it allowed me to really understand each person's thoughts and motives. The novel is about an older couple who find a young woman who agrees to be a surrogate mother for them. She will carry the husband's biological and her own biological child with a successful artificial insemination. Then, after the baby is born, and given to the parents who will raise him or her, the surrogate will receive $35,000. However, what are the legal and emotional ramifications for this woman........IF SHE FALLS IN LOVE WITH HER OWN CHILD AND WANTS TO KEEP THE BABY?!? These are the legal and social issues that the characters in this story will face. What a good read this book is! The Nearness of You will be published in February 2017.
March 10, 2017
I really enjoy the work of this author. This book was much deeper than I expected, unsure of where a book about surrogacy would lead. Motherhood is of course a complicated journey, and of course Suzanne's mother had tainted her images for all her life. Everything we experience becomes part of how we grow and become adults and spouses and perhaps parents. Full review to come, but I enjoyed this book very much.
November 13, 2016
Oh my gosh one of the best books I have read all year to be honest . I never expected the twists and turns this book took . Gosh everyone needs to read this , it reminds us what is important in life ...I don't want to give too much of the book away and I loved the major players in this book . Thank you to goodreads as I won this through a giveaway on here .
February 28, 2017
I rated "The Same Sky" by Amanda Eyre Ward, 5 stars, so I had high expectations for this book. Unfortunately I couldn't give this more than a weak 2 stars. A quick 210 pages on my IPAD, with some of those pages containing as few as 2-3 sentences, this reads more like an outline an author might use for a book, than an actual fleshed out novel. So disappointing!
January 10, 2017
I thought this novel had the makings of a great story. The story itself was fascinating, there was enough drama to draw the reader in and keep them engaged as the story was captivating but I think it lacked on delivery. Suzette and Hyland decided to find a surrogate as Suzette was worried about her family’s health issues being passed down. Dorrie didn’t quite fit within the guidelines of what they should be looking for but they liked her, so Dorrie became their surrogate. When she doesn’t show up for the sonogram appointment and they find a note on her door, fear creeps into the couple life. Betrayal, anger, confusion, grief and frustration all pop into my head as I read the note that Dorrie left for them. As the story unwinds, I found it hard to get emotional as I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters in this novel. As the couple tries to locate Dorrie and they deal with their emotions and with each other, I understood what they were going through but I felt like I should be feeling something deeper. I heard Dorrie’s side of the story and other individuals that were close to her and I understood where she was coming from and why she behaving the way she was but again I felt I was missing something. Perhaps it is just me and other readers will enjoy this novel just the way it is, everyone is different. I did enjoy the story though but I think I would have told it a different way. 3.5 stars
I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review.
April 2, 2017
The premise of this book was good, but the characters were so unlikable I could not empathize with any of them. Throughout the novel, I never sensed a maternal bond between Suzette and Eloise. I guess it was assumed, but it seemed like Suzette's scenes were only about her brilliance as a pediatric surgeon. I thought Dorothy seemed shallow and contrived and Hyland uninvolved. By the end, I simply did not care what happened.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. The book was free and the opinion my own.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. The book was free and the opinion my own.
March 14, 2017
Amanda Eyre Ward is one of my favorite all-time authors and she never disappoints. Another gem of a novel from this writer. Somehow she tackles big topics with deftness and grace and nothing ever feels gimmicky.
August 16, 2022
I felt like this book had potential and drew me in quickly but left me wanting more in a bad way. It felt incomplete. I didn’t like how it jumped in time and didn’t address things they were building up to. Just didn’t feel well rounded.
February 6, 2017
Suzette and Hyland have decided years ago not to have children. After living their lives for years, Hyland decides he does want a child. They interview surrogates and finally find a surrogate named Dorrie. She ends up pregnant and runs away as she decides she wants to keep the baby. Will Dorrie keep the baby? Will Suzette and Hyland ever meet and raise their daughter? There are so many twists and turns to this wonderful book. It is told by Suzette, Hyland, Dorrie, and the child Eloise. It is a story of family, family love, and just what makes a family. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read and review this book.
November 6, 2016
I read The Same Sky and loved it, so I was eager to read The Nearness of You. Although I enjoyed The Nearness of You, I have to admit I finished it feeling disappointed and incomplete. The story built and built and then just stopped. For me the ending leaves the reader hanging and wondering why it ended here.
I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.
I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.
November 21, 2016
2.5 Stars - OMG, this truly was the making of a great book. I felt that it fail flat with lack of details in many of the in between years and gave more details of people and situations in areas where it just wasn't necessary. The overall plot twist was amazing but then I didn't care for the ending.
September 25, 2017
Yep. Great story, just enough tension, loveable and believable characters. Mental illness and the decisions forced upon the main characters by this illness makes this title especially dear to my heart. On top of all that a beautiful way with words on the author's part. She lives up to her very literary middle name. I'm sure I've found a new favorite author
February 7, 2017
A heartfelt story of an unconventional family and how past hurts can form who we become in such profound ways. I enjoyed all the unique characters and the unexpected turns the story took at times.
October 15, 2020
A very heartfelt book.
I have read a lot of this author's books and find that I get a good story every time. Kind of a go to type of author for me when I want a good book to read.
This story is about a couple who uses a surrogate to have a child. When the surrogate runs away before having the baby, the story begins to take off.
All the characters in the story are finding who they are and what they really find important in their life. By the end of the book you have a new family.
Oh, and in the end there is a delightful twist.
An enjoyable read. :)
I have read a lot of this author's books and find that I get a good story every time. Kind of a go to type of author for me when I want a good book to read.
This story is about a couple who uses a surrogate to have a child. When the surrogate runs away before having the baby, the story begins to take off.
All the characters in the story are finding who they are and what they really find important in their life. By the end of the book you have a new family.
Oh, and in the end there is a delightful twist.
An enjoyable read. :)
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