Somebody's Baby

by Lurlene McDaniel

Ever since Sloan won a reality singing competition, her music career has taken off. Now she has a manager, a recording contract, and a tour in the works. Her manager warned her that strangers would ask her for all sorts of things, and that she must not respond. But one email stands out—from a young woman who claims to be Sloan’s half sister. Sloan’s mother, now deceased, never told her who her father was, so the prospect of knowing some family history is too strong a desire to ignore.

Now Sloan must return to Windemere, the town where she grew up, to face a past she’s worked hard to forget. One trip leads to another, and when circumstances take a devastating turn, Sloan is faced with a complicated choice involving not only herself, but also those who have come to depend on her.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Music, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Teen

320 pages, Hardcover

First published July 11, 2017

About the author

Lurlene McDaniel (born c. 1948) is an author who has written over 50 young adult books. She is well known for writing about characters struggling with chronic and terminal illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes, and organ failure.


Other places to find her are...
https://www.facebook.com/lurlenemcdan...
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/aut...
http://www.youtube.com/user/LurleneMc

Reviews

[Patty]

You had me Lurlene McDaniel and "Sorry, John Green fans, but McDaniel's been making us cry . . . for decades. - Bustle.com"!!!

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lurlene McDaniel has been writing stories about the impact of illness on teenagers for decades. SOMEBODY’S BABY is the first new adult novel of hers I’ve read. Her stories follow the same format filled with friendship, romance and often death. With dozens of commercially published books to her name, I’m not going to criticize what works for her. I do think her style is more suited to tweens and teens than new adults.

SOMEBODY’S BABY was an enjoyable, yet forgettable read. Worth the $1.99 I paid, but not more.

[Dove · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful and touching book. It gave me Hannah Montana feels, which is weird to say, but it was great! It's your typical girl from a small town turns into a famous singer and then has issues in her past so she goes back to her hometown to face her problems and solve them. It's about dealing with the skeletons in the closet and taking two steps back in order to move forward. It's about going back to your hometown and finding yourself, finding out the truth, and really figuring out everything before moving to a new city and becoming famous. I really liked how her past and present merged together so beautifully and how everything resolved itself. It was just such a cute story, it's so touching, and it pulls all your heartstrings. I really liked the whole idea of being "somebody's baby" and the whole ex relationship was so sad. Heartbreak is never easy, and I felt so bad when she saw her ex again and was filled with all the old feelings. I'm glad she went back to her hometown, and found out about her half-sister, because she really grew as a person. It was so sad when I found out her half sister had cancer, and the son would be all alone. I really like small towns and the nice sense of community that radiates throughout the town. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

So... I was expecting to love this... and I didn’t. I had adored McDaniel’s books in the past but hadn’t read one in years. I guess I was expecting to be moved the way I was in the past. But the characters fell pretty flat and I felt the situations weren’t developed enough. I think this was partly because this is a follow up novel. I thought it was, but there was nothing that explicitly said that. Though I haven’t read it, I definitely recommend reading Losing Gabriel first.

[Vetta Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything that Lurlene writes, this was a great one, now i just have to wait on the next great book.

[*Weebles* · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. I really hope there is a 3rd one to this story!

[Stephanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so thrilled that Sloan, Lani and Dawson's stories continue in this one. Sloan is definitely the main character this time, though, which is perfect since she's still my favorite. It was so wonderful to watch her star rise, both for its own sake and because it the rise comes with money she can use most satisfyingly to improve the lives of the few people she cares about, even though it's really her company that Lindsey wants most.

On a related note -- I was SO relieved that Sloan didn't jeopardize her career or even any major opportunities in favor of a health crisis/emergency back home. She does spend an unusual amount of time in small-town Tennessee for someone who's launching her first album, but her manager/publicist is very understanding in arranging her schedule to allow her as much liberty as is reasonably possible. I'm not sure that's how it would actually work in Hollywood, but I'm happy to suspend disbelief.

I loved getting to see Dawson & Lani's romance develop, too, especially the way they awkwardly navigate seeing Sloan again. I feel like there really isn't a lot of fiction where you're introduced to a couple, and later see that couple break up permanently in favor of a different relationship. Most exes in books are either very past tense, or they're on a 2nd-chance track. Sloan & Dawson really always will be connected by a shared thread, even with the feelings long past. Honestly, I kind of loved Dawson warning Cole that "she runs." I like that even though he's happier where he is now, and who he's with now, that kind of hurt stays with you for a long time.

Oops, I distracted myself; what I MEANT to say was that I love how these two are just casually staying over most nights, and I love that even though most of their early romance takes place pre-book, you still see them finding comfort and happiness in each other. I also like how they're tested (but only a little) by six months of an LDR that is necessary, because the time away at a fellowship is so instrumental in Lani's personal healing and the ability to return to her career (I think being a groom at Bellemeade 4ever is the superior life choice, but whatever).

But back to Sloan, I was def. lukewarm about Cole at first, partly because I was like "but WHY can't Lindsey fall in love with her crush just because she's dying; literally all of your other novels are about this Lurlene!!" but then I realized it was actually kind of nice to subvert that expectation. And then Cole was just super great with Toby and taking him on camping trips (real or in the backyard/inside due to inclement weather) and cooking for Sloan that I decided, to heck with the unrealism of a soon-to-be-worldwide famous singer finding a happy ever after with a small-town paramedic in Tennessee, WHY NOT.

Plus, I was already sold on him as a love interest at this point, but six thumbs up on throwing me the ol' "wake a girl up from her nightmare and and hold her while she cries until she falls back asleep in your arms" chestnut of a favorite trope.

I dunno what else to say, I just really really really love Sloan Quentin and how she finally has a family to belong to again, even if only a sliver of it is by blood.

Oh -- and that I appreciated the Terminal Illness being more of a subplot in this one, confined to Lindsey and a patient of Lani's. It didn't take away my longing to have a regular full-sized novel taking place BETWEEN Losing Gabriel and this one, because every glimpse at that time period was tantalizing, but it tempered it.

LAST THING before the post-script: I don't know quite how I feel about Windemere being a place of Growth and Change, rapidly expanding and sprawling and eating up farm and field for sub=developments -- I can picture exactly what that's like; I've seen it happen to a couple of areas near me -- but I utterly loved how that contributed to the pitch-perfect ending of this one.

P.S. One thing I AM annoyed about is Lani deciding out of the blue that the last step in her healing process is to sell the horse she's had for a decade. Ciana immediately says they'll buy him so at least he's safe at Bellemeade, but COME ON, GIRL. Just because you (correctly) were so worried about said horse that you brought your baby-sitting charge into the dusty barn with you to see him, ultimately leading to his asthma-induced death...

[Elisha Jachetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

SOMEBODY’S BABY by Lurlene McDaniel is the perfect follow up to her novel LOSING GABRIEL, which I absolutely loved. I began LOSING GABRIEL without any expectations and finished the book as a converted McDaniel fan. When I found out that there was going to be a sequel, I was beyond thrilled and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

SOMEBODY’S BABY is really a redemption story for Sloan, who now has won a singing competition and is on her way to achieving everything she ever wanted, musically at least. However, she finds herself drawn back to her old town of Windemere to meet her supposed half-sister, Lindsay. Being back home in the place she ran from brings up many painful memories, as well as unplanned encounters with both Dawson and Lani, two people she would have liked to avoid.

SOMEBODY’S BABY gives readers a chance to see how Sloan, Dawson, and Lani have all dealt with and grown from their grief over the tragic event that links the three of them. It was nice to see how they all coped and came out on the other side, sending a hopeful message to anyone going through similar circumstances. In this second book, Sloan, Dawson, and Lani are even more nuanced, making them more relatable and engaging. McDaniel achieves the same outcome with her new characters as well. Toby, Sloan’s nephew, is an adorable and sympathetic addition, while Cole, Toby’s caring neighbor, is a fun new love interest for Sloan.

Personally, I would have liked an ending that had a bigger payoff for the Cole/Sloan relationship. With so much angst built up around the two of them getting together, I wanted one big, emotional, we’re-finally-acknowledging-our-feelings scene. I also thought the engagement scene was out of place and could have been more impactful. However, perhaps these relationships will be explored more in a third book.

Overall, those unfamiliar with LOSING GABRIEL could still enjoy SOMEBODY’S BABY as a standalone novel. Fans of A MOTHER’S GIFT by Britney and Lynne Spears or even HANNAH MONTANA will love this story about a girl from a small town making it big.

Review originally posted on YA Books Central: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yaficti...

[C.M. Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winning a reality TV singing contest changes the course of Sloane Gabriel’s life from her abused childhood to a music career complete with a manager, recording contract, and touring schedule. But it’s never easy to leave your past behind, especially when your new notoriety introduces you to a woman dying of cancer who claims to be your half-sister. Thus, begins Sloane’s journey not only into the sufferings of her past, but through them into a present where she finds forgiveness, peace, and the love she never had.

I enjoyed many aspects of this novel, but especially Sloane, who is an amazing character—a combination of strength and fragility. McDaniel nails the character’s complexity, treating her with compassion and respect, which is especially important with Sloane, a character in a previous McDaniel novel*, who made very difficult choices and now has to deal with the fallout. Over the course of the novel, the reader sees Sloane develop and grow, and you can’t help rooting for Sloane as her suffering and circumstances change her into a person who can love and care for others.

The plotting of the novel was excellent—there was never a section where I was bored or wanted to put the novel down. And all of the action propelled the novel and helped to develop the characters. The writing itself was very clean, the author never intrudes on the story—it’s always about Sloane and the people in her life.

In the end, I have to agree with the Bustle.com review, which says, “Sorry, John Green fans, but McDaniel’s been making us cry . . . for decades.” —Bustle.com

That says it all. Five star YA novel!

*If you haven’t read Losing Gabriel, no worries, this novel stands alone and the author makes sure you know everything you need to know—good thing, because I forgot a lot.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

After winning a singing competition in LA, country music singer Sloan Gabriel is the hottest commodity around. Her manager has warned her to beware of the folks who will come out of the woodwork with various claims on her. But when she receives a letter from Lindsey Sloan Ridley from Windemere, Tennessee, her former home, she is curious about whether the woman's claims that she is her half-sister could possibly be true. Both women are haunted by their own demons, but Sloan decides to make a visit back home. There, she finds the possibilities of love and acceptance while also crossing paths with two individuals whose lives were changed by their time with her back in high school. Although many teen readers will lap this stuff up--and so might I back when I was an adolescent--I saw the ending coming from a mile away, even in the book's title, which becomes a hit for Sloan. I feel as though I've read this story before, but I still appreciated how the author explores the concept of family and forgiveness in its pages. Sometimes we do have to return home in order to find ourselves while at other times we must leave in order to do so. That's not a bad lesson to learn from a book read on the day before the United States celebrates its own independence.

[Courtney Whetten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was just as beautiful as the first but beware for there will be spoilers from the first book.

First, I loved how this book didn't just completely let go of the fact that Gabe died. The story was mostly focused on Sloan's life which was fine but when she travels back to that little town, she's still hurting from past memories. I'm glad that that happened and not just accepting the fact that he died and moving on with life. I'm glad that the main characters were still grieving that that was still a past of their lives.

I loved all the characters especially Lindsey and how despite what she was going through she was still constantly happy and wanted others to be happy too. I loved how when Sloan was finally able to open up about Gabe's death it happened when, where, and how it did. The only thing is that it took me a while to warm up to Cole and ship him with Sloan just because I didn't have time to get to know him before the author pushed me to ship them. But of course I eventually learned to love him too. He is such a sweetheart. I loved how this story concluded and how beautiful this story was to me.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a huge Lurlene McDaniel fan as a kid, so when I saw she had a new adult book out, I immediately downloaded it onto my Kindle, and was excited to give it a try. It wasn't bad, but I was underwhelmed (perhaps my expectations were too high for a gut-wrenching cry-novel). The story is ok- a romance mixed with small town characters, including one who made it big on an American Idol-esque singing competition, with themes about what makes a family, a bit of mystery about how the minor characters intersect, a custody battle, and a cancer storyline. For some reason, though, it didn't work for me. The story dragged in places and some of the characters fell very flat, including the main love interest. I never really connected with the characters very much, and I found myself a bit bored with some of the more soap-opera-esque side storylines. So two stars- it wasn't bad, but it wasn't something I'd necessarily recommend.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somebody’s Baby by Lurlene McDaniel, 306 pages. Delacorte Press (Random House), 2017. $17.99

Language: PG13 (17 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: HS – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Sloan finally has it all. After winning a music contest in LA, Sloan is on track to become the famous singer that she’s worked to become since high school. And then she gets a letter that changes everything and takes her back to the small town she fought to leave to find a piece of her past she never hoped would exist.

The story of loss and hope that unfolds took me on a rollercoaster of emotions with Sloan, even as her unknown past hung over me as a reader for most of the book. McDaniel has put together a story to remind us that the hurts of our past don’t have to hinder our hopes for moving forward to find happiness in our future.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually kind of liked this one, but I would have liked it a lot more without the stupid "evil abusive ex rolls back into town and tries to steal custody of the kid" bullshit, the bad guy even talked like a typical Catherine Anderson bad guy. At least it was solved cleanly and without him roughing up the heroine before he finally got the fuck out of there.

I remember sort of liking the first book, Losing Gabriel, aside from the dumb love triangle and Lani's friend Kathy. I was ready to roll my eyes when she showed up, but at least Lani got rid of her before she could cause any major drama. And I was glad to see Sloan get her happy ending, as well as Lani and Dawson. The thing that bugged me was how Gabriel was blatantly hinted at but never mentioned until near the end, though.

[Amanda Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been crying over Lurlene McDaniel’s books since I was in middle school! When my own teen daughter happened to have this book on a stack of read books, I gasped since I had no idea she had written books more recently, and had moved on to adult books rather than the juvenile fiction I read years ago. I quickly smuggled the book from her stack and nestled onto the couch and started and finished it in one sitting.
This book was a quick, easy, and heartfelt story. I quickly became attached to the characters, and my heart was invested in what happened in their lives. As in every book I’ve read from this author, the ending was perfectly bittersweet. Exactly what I had hoped for as I reminisced about the slew of her paperbacks I had spilled tears onto decades ago.

[M.K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐

The first 100 pages was sooooo slow, but then it picked up. And pg. 185 😍😍

Also I sped through the last 200 pages, and I almost cried when they said Gabriel's name iykyk.

This is the second book in a ... duology, I wanna say. The first book is Losing Gabriel and it made me cry. I read it like late 2023 💔

Anyways loved the ending, it was very satisfying, but still left me a bit sad. Just as I remember the first book doing.

‼️ Spoiler talk!:
I wish we got more than just a text for Lindsey's death :/

As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you stay with me on my reading journey! ♥ Xx

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel to Losing Gabriel. After the devastating events in the first book, Sloan is pursuing her musical success while Lani and Dawson try to make plans for their futures, especially in regards to housing and further education. When Sloan receives a letter from someone back in Windermere claiming to be her sister, everything is thrown out of balance once again.
A sweet story of family, love, and friendship. Characters are high school and beyond so steer towards your older readers although there is no sex on page (just sexual references).

[Monique]

Great writing, characters, kept me interested to know the mystery, which was revealed at like the very end. I didn't skim read as much as I usually do when I'm only half into a book, so that was nice. I didn't know this was a sequel with these specific characters, so that was the mystery. The resolution wasn't what I was expecting, and a little disappointing at what it hinted at. And I didn't like the romance too much. Authors, please don't say "primal" concerning any relationship. Thanks, bye

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is case where I actually liked the sequel better than the first book. However, this book has left me with some questions.

First of all, Dawson and Sloan made their peace with each other and parted on good terms. However, in this book, Dawson is still angry with Sloan.

Lani is described as still being dysfunctionally bereft, yet she had worked through most of that at the end of the first book.

Sloan was afraid to face Windermere "because of what she did", yet she faced up to it and redeemed herself in the first book.

Those differences aside, I did like this one better than Losing Gabriel. I think I could identify with it more, as I also never got to meet my birth father and discovered family I never knew about as an adult. That was what drew me in. In fact, my biggest complaint about the book is there were not enough scenes with Sloan and her sister.

[Olivia Mish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always loved McDaniel’s novels for as long as I can remember. This particular novel is one of her last pieces of work and one that is truly captivating. It is a story of love and finding oneself while chasing a dream.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

In true Lurlene McDaniel fashion you will need at least one kleenex when reading this book. It's a great story, and ends on a positive note.

[tisasday · Rating 3 out of 5]

She wrote better books when I was younger. Or do her books read worse because I'm older? The conundrum of reading YA.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

All books must come to an end, but this one ended on a small cliffhanger. I enjoyed it, until the end. Somebody's Baby was interesting.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.1

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A follow up to Losing Gabriel
Another great read! I loved getting to know more about Sloan and who she really is . I hope we get more of the characters in this story.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just... boring. Flat.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes 5*, sometimes 3*

Still really love her writing-- I read so many Lurlene McDaniel books growing up!

[Gina Aichholz]

Great ending to a sad story.

[Christy Witham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great and draws you in from the first chapter. You won't put it down....like most of her other books, you will fall in love with every character.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

from Allie