Book Review | The Surrogate

Ruth and Hal are a newlywed older couple looking for a surrogate. They select Cally—a nineteen-year-old who dreams of going to college and needs the cash. At first, this seems like the perfect arrangement for everyone involved. However, once Cally finally holds her baby girl in her arms, she has a change of heart and flees the hospital with her.

Furious, Ruth tries to track them down and a legal custody battle ensues.

The Surrogate by Toni Halleen takes what should be a complex and emotionally-driven premise and ruins it with poor character writing.

The majority of the characters in the novel are one-dimensional caricatures with the exception of Cally. I understood why she wanted to keep her baby and I honestly found her the most compelling character of the bunch.

Ruth, on the other hand, I found insufferable. I think the author was trying to make her come across as hyper-controlling so we root for Cally. However, some of Ruth’s inner dialogue feels downright bizarre and unnatural and I found myself constantly scratching my head, asking, "Who on Earth would actually use that phrase? Who would actually think that?"

Unfortunately, I'm really disappointed in this one. This could have been a poignant examination of motherhood and the surrogacy process if the characters and their actions had felt more believable.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : November 2, 2021

Publisher : Harper

IBSN : 0063070073

Pages : 352

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