Book Review and Giveaway: The Mother's Promise

By Melissa Amster

All their lives, Alice Stanhope and her daughter Zoe have been a family of two, living quietly in northern California. Zoe has always struggled with crippling social anxiety and her mother has been her constant and fierce protector. With no family to speak of, and the identity of Zoe's father shrouded in mystery, their team of two works until it doesn't. Until Alice gets sick and needs to fight for her life.

Desperate to find stability for Zoe, Alice reaches out to two women who are practically strangers, but who are her only hope: Kate, a nurse, and Sonja, a social worker. As the four of them come together, a chain of events is set into motion and all four of them must confront their sharpest fears and secrets secrets about abandonment, abuse, estrangement, and the deepest longing for family. Imbued with heart and humor in even the darkest moments, The Mother s Promise is an unforgettable novel about the unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters, and the new ways in which families are forged. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I'm a fan of Sally Hepworth's writing and her third novel is equally compelling to her previous two. I normally shy away from books about women who are potentially dying, but I've made exceptions here and there. I knew that with Sally's name on the cover, the story would be sensitively written, but also would tug at the heartstrings. She did not disappoint in that regard. I even got teary-eyed a few times.

What I loved most about this book was Zoe's narrative. I tend to flock to the teenager's point of view in a novel, whenever that is available. Zoe was especially interesting to read about with her social anxiety and how she deals with some new situations in her life. She was the easiest to visualize and the one I wanted to give a big hug to when I was finished.

There was one aspect that reminded me of a book I read a few years ago, which made it a bit predictable. I won't say which book as to not spoil things, but if you also read that book before reading this one, you will know exactly what I'm talking about. There were still other surprises in store, so having this parallel didn't bother me too much.

Overall, we have another winner from Sally Hepworth and I already can't wait for her next novel.

Dream cast:
Alice: Jennifer Morrison
Paul: Breckin Meyer
Zoe: Oona Laurence (I pictured her from the very beginning.)
Sonja: Robin Wright
Kate: Ginnifer Goodwin

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the book in exchange for an honest review. They have TWO copies for some lucky readers!

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends February 26th at midnight EST.