The Child I Never Had

“WOW!!!!… Clear your schedules and grab the tissues as you will need them!!!… It had me in tears by the end and I do not cry easily!!!… An absolutely unputdownable, addictive and compelling devastatingly beautiful heartbreaking book!!! I LOVED it!” Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you had to make an impossible choice to save your long-lost daughter, you would… wouldn’t you? It’s a warm early summer’s evening when Mia’s doorbell rings. She opens the door to see a teenage girl standing in the shadow beyond the porch light—and in an instant she knows who it is. Daisy, the daughter she gave up as a baby. Daisy steps forward, as she says tearfully “I’m sorry I didn’t call first. But something happened. And I really needed… you.” Seventeen years before, knowing she couldn’t possibly give her beautiful little girl Daisy the future she deserved, Mia made the hardest decision of her life—to give her up. And Suzanne seemed the perfect adoptive mother: calm, stable, and full of love for the daughter she’d always dreamed of having. The two mothers promised to keep communication open, so Daisy could have Mia’s love and support along with Suzanne’s. But as the years passed, Mia moved away, and their visits happened less. Now Daisy is almost a stranger to Mia—angry, closed and broken—nothing like the tiny girl she once couldn’t bear to say goodbye to. But now Daisy has arrived on Mia’s doorstep, and she says she has a terrible secret. One she can never tell Suzanne. And she believes the only person who can help her is Mia. Her birth mother. Mia, however, has secrets of her own. Ones she is afraid to let Daisy or anyone else know. And while Suzanne desperately seeks a way to bring her child home, can Mia overcome her past to help the girl they both call their daughter in her darkest hour before it’s too late? Totally gripping emotional women’s fiction from the author guaranteed to make readers cry. Kate Hewitt’s story will grab you by the heartstrings and never let you go. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain and Jojo Moyes. Readers are loving The Child I Never Had: “Whew. This was a very emotional novel, from page one… A beautiful, heart-wrenching, at times overwhelming novel about truth, forgiveness, and family… Uttering captivating.” KKEC Reads, 5 stars “Absolutely heartbreaking… Kate Hewitt’s books should come with a warning: only read if you’ve plenty of boxes of tissues in the house because tears will be shed and heart-strings will be severed… Intensely emotional… Brilliant.” Bookish Jottings, 5 stars “Brilliant... Emotional but uplifting, a really heart wrenching read that you will need tissues for! I dare the hardest of hearts to not shed a tear!” NetGalley reviewer “Very emotional… It had me reading it long after I should have gone to sleep as I just could not put it down. I loved it.” NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars “I was transfixed. It was emotionally painful to put the book down, especially considering I had a math exam coming up. But it was totally worth it… Brilliant… Please read it!” BookGuru, 5 stars “Kate Hewitt never seems to stop amazing me with her beautifully written emotional stories that have the ability to make you cry… I often found myself both happy and sad… A book you can immerse yourself into.’ Sinfully Wicked Book Reviews, 5 stars “An absolute rollercoaster of a read, this book will have you reeling!.” The Motherload Book Club, 5 stars “Emotional… Has so much love… Such a wonderful, heartfelt novel that I truly enjoyed and read in a day!… Twists that will leave you gasping as secrets are revealed!” Goodreads reviewer

When the anticipation of your child’s birth turns into the grief of miscarriage, tubal pregnancy, stillbirth, or early infant death, no words on earth can ease your loss. But there is strength and encouragement in the wisdom of others who have been there and found that God’s comfort is real.Having experienced three miscarriages and the death of an infant son, Kathe Wunnenberg knows the deep anguish of losing a child. Grieving the Child I Never Knew was born from her personal journey through sorrow. It is a wise and tender companion for mothers whose hearts have been broken--mothers like you whose dreams have been shattered and who wonder how to go on. This devotional collection will help you grieve honestly and well. With seasoned insights and gentle questions, it invites you to present your hurts before God, and to receive over time the healing that He alone can--and will--provide. Each devotion includes:* Scripture passage and prayer* "Steps Toward Healing" questions * Space for journalingReadings for holidays and special occasions also included

Women who opt not to be mothers are frequently warned that they will regret their decision later in life, yet we rarely talk about the possibility that the opposite might also be true—that women who have children might regret it. Drawing on years of research interviewing women from a variety of socioeconomic, educational, and professional backgrounds, sociologist Orna Donath treats regret as a feminist issue: as regret marks the road not taken, we need to consider whether alternative paths for women currently are blocked off. She asks that we pay attention to what is forbidden by rules governing motherhood, time, and emotion, including the cultural assumption that motherhood is a “natural” role for women—for the sake of all women, not just those who regret becoming mothers. If we are disturbed by the idea that a woman might regret becoming a mother, Donath says, our response should not be to silence and shame these women; rather, we need to ask honest and difficult questions about how society pushes women into motherhood and why those who reconsider it are still seen as a danger to the status quo. Groundbreaking, thoughtful, and provocative, this is an especially needed book in our current political climate, as women's reproductive rights continue to be at the forefront of national debates.

My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me: 1. I’m in a coma. 2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore. 3. Sometimes I lie. Amber wakes up in a hospital. She can’t move. She can’t speak. She can’t open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn’t remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it. Alternating between her paralyzed present, the week before her accident, and a series of childhood diaries from twenty years ago, this brilliant psychological thriller asks: Is something really a lie if you believe it's the truth?

An account of the sorrow and the spiritual rewards the author experienced as the mother of a retarded child.

“The strong, authentic voices of the women sharing their own narratives and awakenings from life without fathers is the power of this book.” —Esme AAMBC Non-Fiction Self-Help Book of the Year AAMBC Breakout Author of the Year He Never Came Home is a collection of twenty-two personal essays written by girls and women who have been separated from their fathers by way of divorce, abandonment, or death. The contributors to this collection come from a wide range of different backgrounds in terms of race, socioeconomic status, religion, and geographic location. Their essays offer deep insights into the emotions related to losing one’s father, including sadness, indifference, anger, acceptance—and everything in between. This book, edited by Essence magazine’s west coast editor Regina R. Robertson, is first and foremost an offering to young girls and women who have endured the loss of their fathers. But it also speaks to mothers who are raising girls without a father present, offering important perspective into their daughter’s feelings and struggles. The essays in He Never Came Home are organized into three categories: “Divorce,” “Distant,” and “Deceased.” With essays by contributors including Emmy Award-winning actress Regina King, fitness expert and New York Times bestselling author Gabrielle Reece, television comedy writer Jenny Lee—and a foreword by TV news anchor Joy-Ann Reid—this anthology illustrates the journey of the fatherless, and provides a space for these writers to express their pain, hope, and healing, minus any judgments and without apology.

I remember the moment I handed her to Suzanne, wrapped in a soft pink blanket. I'd wept while I'd put it around her and she'd blinked up at me with her big blue eyes. The moment she left my arms I wanted to cry out. Suzanne had tears in her eyes as she took hold of my daughter. "Thank you," she whispered. It's a warm early summer's evening when Mia's doorbell rings unexpectedly. She opens the door to see the silhouette of a teenage girl standing in the shadow beyond the porch light-and in an instant she realises who it is. Daisy, the daughter she gave up as a baby. Daisy steps forward, trembling as she says "I'm sorry I didn't call first. But something happened. And I really needed... you." Seventeen years before, knowing she couldn't possibly give her beautiful little girl Daisy the future she deserved, Mia made the hardest decision of her life-to give her up. And Suzanne seemed the perfect adoptive mother: calm, stable, and full of love for the daughter she'd always dreamed of having. The two mothers promised to keep communication open, so Daisy could have Mia's love and support along with Suzanne's. But as the years passed, those visits happened less and less, and now Daisy seems almost like a stranger to Mia. But she has arrived on Mia's doorstep, and she says she has a terrible secret. And she believes the only person who can help her is Mia. Her birth mother. Mia, however, has secrets of her own. Ones she is afraid to let Daisy or anyone else know. And while Suzanne desperately seeks a way back to her estranged child, can Mia overcome her past to help the girl they both call their daughter in her darkest hour? Totally gripping emotional women's fiction from the author guaranteed to make readers cry. Kate Hewitt's story will grab you by the heartstrings and never let you go. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain and Jojo Moyes. Readers love Kate Hewitt: "This book had me crying so badly. It broke my heart, never has any book been able to just wipe me out with such gut-wrenching sadness. A book of love, loss, and loyalty... BEAUTIFULLY DONE." NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Warning, you will need a box of tissues by your side to get through this book!!!!! I loved, loved, loved this book. It was a real tear-jerker. Question was when was I ever going to stop crying? My husband even asked me if something terrible had happened and I had to explain it was just my book... Awesome." Blue Moon Blogger ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Not only broke my heart but shattered it... When the tears [came] though, they didn't stop. It is such an emotionally charged novel... An absolute tear-jerker of a read for which I highly recommend having a box of tissues." Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I'm not someone who cries easily but... [I] thought this book might just break me into tiny pieces. This is an incredibly moving, powerful and heart-breaking story about motherhood, love and loss." Novel Deelights ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I loved this story and the storytelling so much... I identified with both mothers as their trauma increased in intensity... A novel you must not miss... Excellent in every way." Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A father’s moving memoir of cystic fibrosis “captures a brave child’s legacy as well as the continuing fight against the genetic disease” (The New York Times). In 1971 a girl named Alex was born with cystic fibrosis, a degenerative genetic lung disease. Although health-care innovations have improved the life span of CF patients tremendously over the last four decades, the illness remains fatal. Given only two years to live by her doctors, the imaginative, excitable, and curious little girl battled through painful and frustrating physical-therapy sessions twice daily, as well as regular hospitalizations, bringing joy to the lives of everyone she touched. Despite her setbacks, brave Alex was determined to live life like a typical girl—going to school, playing with her friends, traveling with her family. Ultimately, however, she succumbed to the disease in 1980 at the age of eight. Award-winning author Frank Deford, celebrated primarily as a sportswriter, was also a budding novelist and biographer at the time of his daughter’s birth. Deford kept a journal of Alex’s courageous stand against the disease, documenting his family’s struggle to cope with and celebrate the daily fight she faced. This book is the result of that journal. Alex relives the events of those eight years: moments as heartwarming as when Alex recorded herself saying “I love you” so her brother could listen to her whenever he wanted, and as heartrending as the young girl’s tragic, dawning realization of her own very tenuous mortality, and her parents’ difficulty in trying to explain why. Though Alex is a sad story, it is also one of hope; her greatest wish was that someday a cure would be found. Deford has written a phenomenal memoir about an extraordinary little girl.