The Surrogate a Novel by Toni Halleen

 I enjoyed this debut novel from Toni Halleen.  I also admit to one situation in the book being quite far-fetched in my humble opinion. I put that situation aside and continued on because I just needed to know how it all ends! My hunches about where the plot was going, changed a few times, due to the fact that the author was pretty sly at allowing the reader to enjoy the characters & then let us change our mind about the characters in a back and forth way and it really worked. 

This story is about a couple who marries and becomes a “blended” family because Hal, the husband, has children from a previous marriage. Ruth, the wife, really doesn’t feel wholly connected to her stepchildren and battles the feelings of being an outsider. Ruth desperately wants to have her own child with her husband to complete their family. They negotiate a contract with Cally, the surrogate, and the story unfolds from there. It’s an interesting look into the challenges of surrogacy and I felt the author did a good job of covering the emotions and experiences of both women (Ruth/Cally).

This book was a quick easy read for me. It really did pull me in even with a few minor things that gave me pause. I’m a Minnesotan so I’m very picky about landmarks & descriptions/representations of my home state and felt a few small things were wrong. If you’ve never been to Minnesota, these things would make no difference in your reading experience. Watch for this publication coming out Fall 2021!

Thank you to #netgalley, #harpercollins, and #ToniHalleen for the opportunity to preview this electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.