Book Review: THE ONES WE CHOOSE by Julie Clark

Many thanks to Gallery Books for providing my free copy – all opinions are my own.

Book Description: 

The powerful forces of science and family collide when geneticist Paige Robson finds her world in upheaval: Her eight-year-old son Miles is struggling to fit in at his new school and begins asking questions about his biological father that Paige can’t answer—until fate thrusts the anonymous donor she used into their lives. Paige’s carefully constructed life begins to unravel as the truth of Miles’s paternity threatens to destroy everything she has grown to cherish. As Paige slowly opens herself up—by befriending an eccentric mother, confronting her own deeply buried vulnerabilities, and trying to make sense of her absent father’s unexpected return—she realizes breakthroughs aren’t only for the lab. But when tragedy strikes, Paige must face the consequences of sharing a secret only she knows.

My Review: 

Paige is a geneticist with an eight-year-old son, Miles who was conceived through an anonymous donor. Miles is having trouble fitting in at school and starts to feel even more isolated from the other kids when he can’t answer questions regarding his biological father. Also, while Paige has to come to grips with childhood memories of her father disappearing for months or years at a time, her past keeps her from getting too close to others and it starts to affect her relationship with her boyfriend. Oh, and further complicate things, the anonymous donor gets reintroduced back into their lives.

I really enjoyed this very original debut! The story is packed with a lot of heart, emotion, and SCIENCE. I loved Clark’s writing style, and being the total nerd that I am, I loved the blurbs about genetics between each chapter. These scientific details are placed just perfectly in the book and they relate to the story as you’re reading it. Brilliant! I have a soft spot for Miles and found Paige a very relatable character. I was completely captivated by THE ONES WE CHOOSE and I found myself contemplating this book long after I finished. Highly recommended!

My rating is 4 out of 5 stars! 

Click here to purchase on Amazon. 

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