"Then Came You", by Jennifer Weiner, is about those who are privileged to have the power of choice, and those who make the most of their own very limited choices. Egg donation, surrogacy, awakening sexuality, substance abuse, the role-reversal of an adult child caring for a parent, and loves both lost and found all play a role in the lives of four very different women. The people in this story, both the men and the women, are not perfect. Some are really rather unlikable. However, they are all interesting. They become even more interesting as the story line unfolds and the reasons behind their life choices become apparent. The way that their lives intertwine and eventually join forces to create a remarkable new human being is very involving. I have some very strong personal feelings about surrogacy and parental responsibility. My own mother and father stayed together less than a month after they were married. Mom moved back home with her parents and never saw my dad again. I was on the way by that time, and I was raised by my grandparents and my mother. Three parents make for an uncomfortable triangle. I didn't know that my grandparents were actually my legal guardians until many years after they had both passed away. My mother had given them my guardianship, but she felt conflicted about how to handle their involvement. I only saw my dad twice in my life, and that was after my grandparents had passed away. I was in my twenties, and I initiated the contact. We spoke on the phone for over ten years, but I was never a part of his life. He never told anyone about me. I have never met anyone from Dad's half of my family. However, my grandparents were the people I was meant to be with, and they are the ones who loved me, wanted me, and made me the person I am today. I am very thankful to them, always! The most important gift anyone can give a child is not just love, but love combined with acceptance and appreciation of the child as an individual. To know that someone sees you and loves you just as you are is the greatest gift of all.

Review Copy Gratis Simon & Schuster