Hold My Girl

"But something I learned, that we both learned, is love doesn't split when you share it. It grows." ~ 51%

After seven difficult years of trying to conceive, Katherine gives birth to Rose, her IVF miracle child. But it's more than noticeable that Rose's skin is white, her hair is straight and almost blond. It doesn't match Katherine's light-skinned complexion as a Black woman. Bluish-green eyed Tess also underwent IVF at the same clinic but her daughter was stillborn. Now nearly one year later, Tess is consumed by grief, divorced and broke. Just before Rose's first birthday, the fertility clinic calls both women with life-changing news: their eggs were switched.

Motherhood has been Katherine's and Tess's dream. Now neither woman wants to share that claim over Rose. Hence a tense custody battle with racial identity overtones. So very quickly the story turns emotional and left me questioning the definition of motherhood and what makes a mother? Who is to blame and who is deserving? How much is too much to share?

"Was she a good enough daughter, mother, wife, friend? Was she enough?" ~ 74%

I have marinated on this review for months. No exaggeration—I read it back in the summer. I stalked it until it was available for United States book reviewers. The publisher's summary was that intriguing! So when it finally arrived on my Kindle, I was beyond excited to read and review it. I cleared plans and read half of the book in one day. I forced myself to put it down and took my time reading over the next two days. And here I sit, nearly five months later, still thinking of the deeply moving story, the emotional themes, the moral lesson and its memorable characters.

Charlene Carr is officially on my watch list. I will read whatever she releases next and have signed up for author updates. Hold My Girl is so well written that I recommend it to every Bookheart that enjoys grown chick lit. You will view love differently and see why Hold My Girl is the best book I've read in 2023. And to the decision-makers and screenwriters, please adapt this book into a movie! 

Two women. Two eggs. One life-changing switch. Hold My Girl is now available.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Hold My Girl
Author: Charlene Carr
Published: October 2023
Pages: 432
Edition: Galley
Genre: Family Drama, Grown Chick Lit
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤