Missed Conception

by Joy Argento

Hannah Kennedy gave birth to her daughter Cassidy after a successful in vitro procedure, and her life couldn’t get any better. She never planned on losing her wife just two years later and raising Cassidy on her own. When she turns eighteen, Cassidy wants to discover which traits she inherited from the anonymous sperm donor and which came from her mother. To her shock, she learns Hannah is not her biological mother.

When Maggie Walsh shows up wanting a relationship with the daughter she never knew she had, the heat kindled between Hannah and Maggie is not entirely romantic. The love they have for Cassidy will tear all three women apart and bring them together in ways no one could have conceived.

Unknown Binding

Published June 1, 2022

Reviews

[pipsqueakreviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

DNA.

This book reminded me of Jenny Frame's Unexpected (which I loved). The circumstances are a bit different but the broad storyline is more or less the same - The biological mother finds her biological offspring and ends up falling for the birth mother, except that the child is pretty much grown up here. Cassidy is 18 years old and is as much a main character of this story as the mothers are.

This story originates from a DNA test result that revealed an almost two decade old mix-up at a fertility clinic and so the truth comes as a rude shock to everybody. I like how much focus there is on the emotions and feelings felt by each of the three women, how they struggle to make sense of the situation and how they deal with one another. I also like how each of their relationships are forged independently, i.e. Maggie, the biological mother and Cassidy, Maggie and Hannah and of course Cassidy and Hannah. I thought the story was pretty well-written too. Maggie actually made a lot of progress with Cassidy and Hannah and I really enjoyed myself with the book until the black moment that basically blew everything out of proportion and took too long to salvage.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

“Missed Conception” is a sweet, mature romance with a nice dose of family drama by Joy Argento.
Hannah Kennedy and her daughter, Cassidy, are in for a surprise when their DNA kit results come back showing they aren’t related. Hannah used a fertility clinic to become pregnant and it turns out she carried another patient’s embryo. Maggie Walsh is just as surprised when she is contacted by a DNA company saying she has a new connection on her family tree, a daughter by the name of Cassidy.

This was an interesting premise that drew me in. I was expecting a lot of angst and was a little disappointed at the lack of it. While there is some tension early on it doesn’t take long for it to disappear. Hannah and Maggie are both over forty and know how to talk things out and to be honest about their feelings. That’s why I refer to this as a mature romance, I don’t mean their ages, but rather how they deal with things. Well, mostly. There’s a black moment that didn’t really jive with one of the characters personalities that left me perplexed.

I recommend this if you’re looking for a quick, lighter read with some humor and an interesting premise.

Thanks to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jo reece · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read a few books by Joy Argento and enjoyed them. But with ‘Missed Conception’ I've been left a little confused with my feelings towards the plot. I can't and don't want to go into too much detail as I don't want to give too much away.
I'm going to leave it with this, it's a good story, and the characters are fine, but the whole premise of the storyline wasn't what I expected. I expected way more emotions and feelings etc. Especially after what the characters have been through...

All in all, it's a good read, absolutely not what I was expecting tho.

I've given ‘Missed Conception’ a near 2.6

[Ashlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie is thrown into the lives of Hannah and her daughter Cassidy after a life altering mix up is discovered. As they all get to know each other it becomes clear that the situation, though it has a downside, has allowed Hannah and Maggie to find love.
I really liked this newest release from Joy Argento. I’ve now read a few of her books and find them to be consistently entertaining and well written. I liked the characters and felt like they had good chemistry together as well. Cassidy was also a great character though I felt like she wasn’t as well developed of a character compared to Hannah and Maggie. The two MCs have some unusual issues to overcome and it made for an engaging plot. Overall great book worth a read!

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassidy is 18 and takes a DNA home genetic test to learn more about her ancestry. The surprising news is that her mom Hannah, who gave birth to her and raised her, is not biological her mother due to a mix up at the fertility clinic. Her biological mother Maggie never had children and is stunned to learn she has an almost grown daughter. The storyline is interesting and I like the maturity of both moms as they accept one another into their lives with obvious concern for their girl. The coincidence that they are attracted to each other and begin a relationship works out sweetly. If anything I think the angst moment was almost out of character after the maturity and time spent together.

This is a fun quick read and lighter than I expected from the brief synopsis. Hannah especially has a silly sense of humor and banter. This is also a book people who love horses will enjoy. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Hannah and her wife decided to have a child, they used a sperm donor, and had a little girl, Cassidy. Hannah has had to rear Cassidy alone because her wife died when Cassidy was two. Now, Cassidy is a senior in high school and very curious about her sperm donor father because she doesn’t look anything like either of her moms. She sends off her and Hannah’s DNA. The results come back with a huge surprise — both Cassidy and her mom are devastated because her mom is not her biological mom. When a woman named Maggie contacts Hannah and explains she’s Cassidy biological mom, she wants nothing to do with the woman or her claims of being Cassidy’s biological mother. Hannah, however, knows she has to let Maggie into their lives.

Argento has written a fascinating book about motherhood and love. This is a well-written book with two strong and well-drawn main characters. The pacing is well done as well and will have readers reluctant to set the book aside. Argento spends time having her characters deal with the issues unexpectedly thrown their way with just enough angst to be realistic.

This book deserves to be at the top of your to-be-read list. If you haven’t read this author before, this book will make you a fan.

My thanks to Bold Strokes Books for an eARC.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had an interesting and complicated plot, similar to Jane the Virgin with a lot of queer representation.
The idea itself was employed in a satisfying manner, which made me enjoy the story. It felt rather short, and I would've appreciated a bit more development in the relationship of Maggie, Hannah and Cassidy. However, it had a good amount of angst, drama and love.
Good read!

[KarenC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's a topic you don't read about every day. A family learns through a DNA tracking that the daughter was conceived by someone else's fertilized egg. A really interesting a well-written book.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First and foremost thank you to Bold Strokes Books, Inc., Netgalley, and Joy Argento for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

Missed Conception is the story of overcoming loss and finding love again. Hannah and Maggie are both single middle aged women who have learned to flourish as single indepedent women. However when Cassidy, Hannah's daughter, takes a genetic test they find out that Hannah might not be her mom after all. Enter Maggie, who has always wanted her own child, who finds out that she may have a daughter after all. As these three women come to terms with their new reality things become complicated when each woman starts to keep secrets from each other.

This book was a fun quick read, and especially as an equestrian, it is so nice to pick up a book with horses and not cringe everytime the characters interact with a horse. Most of the time the interactions feel more like this:

Rather than this:
I really appreciate the author doing the research to make everything more accurate.

In summation this is a super fun book with great representation and I highly recommend it!

[Silvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is set 19 years after 2 women went into a fertility clinic. One gave birth to a baby girl and the other lived with the regret of not having children. When the mixup become obvious the 3 women try to make sense of the spin this puts on their lives. Cassidy always loved horses so when it turns out her bio mum own a stable it makes bonding easier. Hannah on the other hand is terrified of horses but Maggie’s offer to help her turn into a passionate love story. It’s well written and I enjoyed the humour. It has a little angst that was somewhat predictable but overall a pleasant read.

Free ARC via NetGalley.

[Bee Sherrard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie Walsh always envisioned herself as a mother and when she reached thirty years old she decided to take the chance and have a baby on her own. So like many other women she had two embryos to work with but neither worked. Costing so much pretty much put an end to her dream. Life went on and after a lot of hard work she now owned and operated a horse ranch where she offered riding lessons.
Hannah Kennedy, along with her late wife had the same dream as Maggie. Having a baby was their dream but never did Hannah envision raising their daughter alone, but when her wife died that was just where she ended up. Hannah loved her little girl Cassidy and as her little girl grew into a young woman she decided working with horses was just what she was looking for.
Both Cassidy and Maggie sent for some DNA testing to see if there was anyone out there with the same DNA. Needless to say both were shocked when they found out Hannah wasn’t her daughter’s biological mother. It seems there was a mix up and now Maggie finds out she does have a daughter, Cassidy.
Ms Argento always gives us what I like to call, easy romances, with a few ups and downs but mostly smooth sailing. A very nice read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books.

[Alicia Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missed Conception
by Joy Argento
MC Hannah Kennedy & Maggie Walsh
daughter Cassidy
NetGalley
Bold Strokes Books
Arc
Randi Maggie friend



Review

Hannah lost her wife and was left to raise their daughter Cassidy. When Cassidy turns 18 she finds out that she is not related to her Hannah biologically. This is where the story takes off. When Cassidy finds out Maggie is her natural mother by blood, it hits her like a ton of bricks.

Maggie can’t believe this is happening. That Cassidy found her. Maggie meets Hannah and connection happens. A relationships begin to develop, she sees Hannah in a different light. She wants to be with her. They share a kiss that changes everything and it’s Hannah running.


Hannah had a hard time explaining the kiss situation to her sister. There is a lot that happens in the story I don’t want to give anything away.

The was a very interesting story one I did enjoy I highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Stokes Books 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Bookista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really pulled in by the premise and blurb of this book. A DNA test and matching on an ancetsary like site shocks Hannah and her daughter Casssidy into realizing that they may not be related. At the same time, it also opens up a channel to Cassidy’s biological mother Maggie.

I may have had unrealistic expectations of where this story would go, thinking it would be a high angst ridden narrative. However while there are sparks at the beginning, things calm down pretty quickly. I appreciated the characterization of the confusion and possibly denial both mother and daughter go through. Also Maggie’s frustration at being left out and missing a huge part of being there for her child was well captured. I think the climax portion of the book where Hannah sort of flips out was a bit over the top, but it lent a dramatic angst towards the end before the final HEA.I’m sucker for horses in stories as well, so I enjoyed that portion too.

In the end this was an easy low angst read. 3.5 ⭐️s

Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes books for an EARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young woman takes a DNA test to find out about her heritage as she knows little of her donor father. A young woman who loves horses much to the consternation of her mother who hates them. Then the results come back and tell Cassidy her mother lives nearby. Her real mother. A mix up in the clinic means she has been raised by the "wrong" woman.

This is an interesting premise and Ms Argento is a very good writer. The characters felt credible and were empathetic in their dealings with each other and especially with 18 year old Cassidy. But the ending felt a bit rushed for me. I won’t go into detail but given the emotional way everyone met, I wasn’t sure about some character’s reactions.

Ms Argento can certainly tell a story and I will be looking out for her other books.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley

[Nathalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where to even begin this? This book was really well put together. I went into without expecations as with these kind of stories you never know if it's gonna be too unbelievable or over the top but it was just perfect. I love how the author makes their characters actually say out loud how unbelievable their situation is and that this seems like stuff that only happens in movies.

The time frame also seems rather perfect to be honest. It was not rushed or dragged out too much. The first half of the book is basically the characters digesting the news and getting to know each other but taking into account all of their feelings and not rushing into it. They take their time to talk about memories and make time to make new memories and it all felt really organic.

An ARC was provided to me by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in search of something romantic and heartwarming and Miss Conception does not disappoint! Joy Argento has created authentic, lovable characters whose insecurities are overcome through love -- both maternal and romantic.

When Hannah finds out that her daughter (Cassidy) isn't biologically related to her due to a mix up at a fertility clinic, we are introduced to Cassidy's biological mother, Maggie. Watching Maggie connect with Cassidy thru their love of horses is heartwarming, but what I loved even more was seeing Maggie and Hannah fall in love.

Even though the story was short, the storyline never felt rushed and the relationships seemed to grow organically throughout.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for a fair review.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting premise, a young woman does a DNA test to find out more about her heritage only to find that her mum isn't her mum and that another woman who lives nearby is. These two women meet and have many unspoken feelings of resentment towards the other, although they try their best for their daughter. There are some interesting nature vs nurture moments and the horse moments are relatable. No spoilers, but I wasn't sure about the big development, it wasn't convincing in the face of all those pent up feelings, maybe if there had been more of a friendship. A quick easy read though...

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Michael Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a different kind of love story. Hannah Kennedy gave birth in vitro to her daughter Cassidy. Hannah lost her wife two years later and was raising Cassidy on her own. The plot revolves around a DNA test. Maggie Wallace comes into the picture when one of those revealed that Cassidy has her DNA and from there the story continues with emotional ups and downs and is a very interesting story. I recommend this book for readers who like romance stories with twists.

[Nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Careful, potencial spoilers ahead!

While I enjoy the main idea of the book I believe the love story felt rushed to me. I would have liked to see more about the two main characters thoughts in a more developed way. While the story is not bad, it felt like it wasn't fully written and at times their emotions were everywhere, the story didn't feel like it was flowing very well, like something was missing.

That being said, I still found Joy in it.

[ANNIE G. WILLIAMS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful Story!!

Cute quick read. Let's you know that keeping secrets is never a good thing. They come back to bite you in the butt. Loved the characters. Recommend. My first time reading anything by this author. Will read more of her works.

[isa Simonet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is good, but is only an ersatz of Erin Zack's book (book among my favorites), Create a Life to Love