prettylittlewriter

 I was kindly gifted this ARC by Raven Books.

'Josephine Morrow is Girl One; The first of nine miracle babies conceived without male DNA. When the commune they were raised on is burned down in a suspicious fire, taking the life of their creator Dr. Bellanger and the youngest miracle daughter, the remaining Mothers and Girls scatter across the country in an attempt to build new lives for themselves. Years later, Josie’s Mom disappears, so she sets off on a trip across America, tracking down her estranged sisters in a desperate search for her mother, making friends, and enemies, along the way.'

This novel was incredibly thought-provoking and unique. How incredible would it be if there was a way for women to have children without a sperm donor? So many single women (and lesbian couples) would probably jump at the chance to create a child all on their own.

Josie is a brilliant protagonist, giving us insight into life on the homestead as a child; she is brave, charming and relatable.

We follow her journey of discovery through her own eyes, learning things about her past, and the present, as she does.

I also absolutely adored the character of Cate, another of the miracle babies that Josie recoups with along the way.

There were some difficult and heart wrenching moments; Sara really knows how to pull on the readers heartstrings.

As we all know, I don’t like to give spoilers,  but I will say that there are so many twists in this novel, that you are kept on your toes throughout, and I certainly didn’t expect some of them!

I did feel a little cheated after one of the big surprises surrounding the character of Tom, mainly because it was revealed to us, and then just fell on the back burner with everything else that was going on. I do think there could have been a few more chapters to delve into it, but I understand why Sara didn’t, as the book is fairly fleshy as it is!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would highly recommend to anyone that likes a thriller, combined with a bit of sci-fi!

The novel will be published in the UK on August 5^th in hardback.

4.5/5 stars