Book ~ "Somewhere Out There" (2016) Amy Hatvany

From Goodreads ~ What happens when two sisters who were torn apart when their young mother abandoned them - and grew up in tragically different circumstances - reunite thirty-five years later to find her?

Natalie Clark knew never to ask her sensitive adoptive mother questions about her past. She doesn’t even know her birth mother’s name - only that the young woman signed parental rights over to the state when Natalie was a baby. Now Natalie’s own daughter must complete a family tree project for school and Natalie is determined to unearth the truth about her roots.

Brooke Walker doesn’t have a family. At least, that’s what she tells herself after being separated from her mother and her little sister at age four. Having grown up in a state facility and countless foster homes, Brooke survives the only way she knows how, by relying on herself. So when she discovers she’s pregnant, Brooke faces a heart-wrenching decision: give up her baby or raise the child completely on her own. Scared and confused, she feels lost until a surprise encounter gives her hope for the future.

This book is the story of three women.  At fifteen, Jennifer got pregnant and moved in with her boyfriend.  That didn't work out and her mother wouldn't let her move back home so Jennifer became homeless.  Jennifer did what she had to do to make money to support herself and her daughter, Brooke ... one of those things resulted in her getting pregnant with Natalie.  She gets arrested and is forced to sign away her parental rights to her daughters, aged four and six months, to the state.

Thirty-five years later, Natalie is married to a lawyer, is running a successful catering company and has two young children.  She's always known she was adopted but it's been a touchy subject with her mother.  When she discovers that she has an older sister, she decides to find out more about her background and starts digging.

Unlike Natalie, Brooke had spent her childhood in and out of foster homes and finally living in a state facility until she was 18.  She is working in a cocktail bar.  She discovers she's pregnant and since this may be her last chance to have a baby, she decides to go through with it even though she'll be a single mother.  She vows to be a better mother than her mother was.

This is the third book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  I liked the writing style.  It is written from the perspectives of Jennifer, Natalie and Brooke ... each chapter is focused on one of them (their name is at the beginning of the chapter so you know who's head you are in).  When it is written from Natalie and Brooke's point of view, it is in the third person; it is written in the first person when it is Jennifer's point of view.  It was an interesting style and I liked it.  Through flashbacks, we learn their stories ... I think the author did a good job in capturing their personalities given what they have each been through.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Safe With Me" (2014) Amy Hatvany

From Goodreads ~ The screech of tires brought Hannah Scott’s world as she knew it to a devastating end. Even a year after she signed the papers to donate her daughter’s organs, Hannah is still reeling with grief when she unexpectedly stumbles into the life of the Bell family, whose child, Maddie, survived only because hers had died. Mesmerized by this fragile connection to her own daughter and afraid to reveal who she actually is, Hannah develops a surprising friendship with Maddie’s mother, Olivia.

The Bells, however, have problems of their own. Once on the verge of leaving her wealthy but abusive husband, Olivia now finds herself bound to him as never before in the wake of the successful transplant that saved their fifteen-year-old daughter’s life. Meanwhile Maddie, tired of the limits her poor health puts upon her and fearful of her father’s increasing rage, regularly escapes into the one place where she can be anyone she wants: the Internet. But when she is finally healthy enough to return to school, the real world proves to be just as complicated as the isolated bubble she had been so eager to escape.

When Hannah's 12-year-old daughter, Emily, was hit by a car and died because of her injuries, Hannah donated her daughter's organs.  A year later, she is still grieving and barely surviving.  She is renting out the house that she and Emily lived in, has put most of their stuff in storage and is living in a small apartment above the hair salon that she and her partner and friend, Sophie, have recently renovated and opened.

When Olivia was in her earlier twenties, she met and married James.  He was a bit older than she was and after she married him, she discovered he was fairly wealthy.  A year later, they had a daughter, Maddie, and Olivia devoted her time being a mom and keeping her husband happy.  But not all is what it seems because James is abusive and beats Olivia on a regular basis.  She was going to leave when Maddie was younger but then Maddie got deathly ill and finally had a liver transplant last year.  Olivia put her plans on hold and planned on leaving when Maddie was 18 to avoid a custody battle, which she was sure she would lose.  So she smiles and sucks it up because she doesn't think she has any other alternative.

Now that she's well, James sends Maddie to a private school.  After being homeschooled for the last eight years and with no friends, Maddie has a hard time adjusting to the real world.  By chance, Olivia and Maddie wander into Hannah's salon and mention Maddie's transplant.  Hannah wonders to herself if Maddie had received Emily's liver but decides not to say anything until she knows for sure.  In the meantime, Hannah and Olivia become close friends.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  I liked the writing style.  It is written from the perspectives of Hannah, Olivia and Maddie ... each chapter is focused on one of them (their name is at the beginning of the chapter so you know who's head you are in).  When it is written from Hannah and Olivia's point of view, it is in the third person; it is written in the first person when it is Maddie's point of view.  It was an interesting style and I liked it.  Through flashbacks, we learn about Emily's accident and James' abuse.  It's an intense story.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

I would recommend this book.  I look forward to checking out others by this author.

Book ~ "Heart Like Mine" (2013) Amy Hatvany

From Goodreads ~ When a young mother dies under mysterious circumstances, those she leaves behind begin looking for answers in the past - and find a long-buried secret they could have never imagined. 

Thirty-six-year-old Grace McAllister never longed for children. But when she meets Victor Hansen, a handsome, charismatic divorced restaurateur who is father to Max and Ava, Grace decides that, for the right man, she could learn to be an excellent part-time stepmom. After all, the kids live with their mother, Kelli. How hard could it be? 

At thirteen, Ava Hansen is mature beyond her years. Since her parents’ divorce, she has been the one taking care of her emotionally unstable mother and her little brother - she pays the bills, does the laundry, and never complains because she loves her mama more than anyone. And while her father’s new girlfriend is nice enough, Ava still holds out hope that her parents will get back together and that they’ll be a family again. 

But only days after Victor and Grace get engaged, Kelli dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances - and soon, Grace and Ava discover there was much more to Kelli’s life than either ever knew. 

Narrated by Grace and Ava in the present with flashbacks into Kelli’s troubled past, Heart Like Mine is a poignant and hopeful portrait about womanhood, love, and the challenges of family life.

Grace is 36 and never wanted children.  She is living with Victor, who owns a restaurant, is divorced and has two kids (Ava who is 13 and Max who is seven) who live with their mother, Kelli ... they have his kids every second weekend.  Victor proposes.  As a head's up, Victor lets Kelli know the week before he is going to tell their kids.

Kelli has always regretted asking Victor to leave and as his relationship with Grace got more serious, Kelli got more depressed because she felt no one would ever love her again.  As such, she leans a lot on Ava.

When Kelli suddenly dies, everyone's world is flipped upside down.  Ava and Max go to live with Victor and Grace.  Ava and Max are grieving for their mother.  Grace and Victor respectfully hide the news their engagement.  Grace is now a full time stepmother, something that was not part of her master plan.  Victor has to deal with running his restaurant, having his kids living with him now, and settling Kelli's affairs and packing up her house.  Plus did Kelli kill herself or did she die naturally?

This is the first book I've read by this author and I really enjoyed it.  I liked the writing style.  It is written from the perspectives of Grace, Ava and Kelli ... each chapter is dedicated to one of them (their name is at the beginning of the chapter so you know who's head you are in).  When it is written from Grace and Ava's point of voice, it is in the first person; it is written in the third person when it is Kelli's point of view.  It was an interesting style and I liked it.  Through flashbacks, we discover why Grace, Ava and especially Kelli are the way they are.

I liked the characters.  I could relate to Grace ... I've never wanted children for the same reason as Grace.  I felt for Kelli given her upbringing.  And as frustrating as Ava was at times, she was still just a kid dealing with things the best she could.  I found the interactions between Grace, Victor and Ava very honest and what I would imagine would be true-to-life.

I would recommend this book.  I look forward to checking out others by this author.