Both Cleaving and Cleaving

by Michelle Thorne

A moving story about adoption and family preservation, losing and winning, grief and love. Both Cleaving and Cleaving an intimate look into the life of a birth mother and represents some of what it’s like to live with placing a child for adoption.Luca Jones thought choosing to walk out of the hospital without her child was excruciating. Now, five years later, she knows that was a cakewalk compared to daily living with that decision. It’s changed her, made her harder and softer at the same time. And she has become passionate about a few 1. advocacy for birth parents, 2. advocacy for vulnerable and traumatized children, and 3. fighting for family preservation. She is sure there is nothing and no one can change her mind about those things.

Boaz Stone is an adult adoptee adopted from foster care who detests his birth mother. When Luca meets Boaz, she is determined to change his perception of birth mothers. The two begin to spend time together, talking about adoption, and before long, they have fallen for each other. But when Luca dismisses her cousin’s neglect of her daughter, she and Boaz quickly discover they have differing ideas about protecting children. When the law gets involved, Luca must decide whether to fight for her cousin’s family preservation or if advocating for her cousin’s vulnerable daughter means splitting them apart.

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 25, 2022

About the author

Michelle Thorne believes words are powerful. Art heals her soul, and sports are her happy place. An ex-expat who loves to write, her first fiction novel Both Darkness and Light released in July 2020, which followed several non-fiction works on adoption. Michelle lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Shannon Stults · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read and enjoyed all three books of the Both/And series, but this one is by far my favorite. I loved seeing the different sides of an issue that, I must admit, I don't know much about. I love any book that teaches me something new, and I especially love when it comes with strong characters and a heartwarming romance. I absolutely loved Boaz and now wish I had a kind and compassionate MLB NL MVP of my very own!

[Dee Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy reading a lot of books, but I don't recommend books often enough. So, let me be clear, I RECOMMEND THIS ONE!

Luca Pearl is a birth mother. She has an open adoption with her daughter and sees her relatively often. But the wound is still there. 💔 At a fundraiser, she meets baseball player Boaz Stone who is open about his own adoption. They don't agree on a lot of things...

For those of you who don't know much about adoption & fostering and love a good romance, read this book!! It's so good. Seriously. I cried while reading it and I cried for days after reading it. Truly touching. I read it back in January 2023 and it's still the best book I've read since. And the romance genre is not usually my favourite.