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Mothers of Fate
From award-winning novelist Lynne Hugo, Mothers of Fate, a masterful story of three women and a young man navigating the complexities of adoption and its aftermath that raises a question for every reader. Does fate direct our lives—or do our own choices?
Deana Wilkes, who’s needed braces to walk since a disabling accident long ago, seeks out Monica Connell, an attorney, to find the child she was forced to relinquish in a closed adoption thirty years ago. Back then, Deana believed that the passion between her and Tony, her married boss, meant they were destined for each other. It was wrong, Deana knew, but believed it was also meant to be. Tony’s long gone now, and Deana’s constructed a life out of the wreck of their affair. She’s ready to finally make things right and meet her son.
But Monica’s wife, Angela, was adopted herself after an early history of abandonment and foster homes. Devoted to the memory of her parents, she’s certain that closed adoptions need to remain closed unless the adoptee seeks contact. She draws a red line: Monica cannot take the case. Monica, though, feels compelled to help Deana by her own complicated history, one she’s never revealed to Angela. As this wedge between them hardens, will Angie or Monica have the best custody claim to their own beloved adopted baby?
Nobody knows what Deana’s son wants, including his adoptive parents. Not even redheaded Suzanne, and the possibility of love. After all, as an Iraq war vet and a long-distance truck driver, Daniel knows everything about hitting the road to avoid the confusion that’s plagued his life.
Lynne Hugo’s thirteenth novel takes on the reverberating effects of sexual power dynamics in the workplace and vividly portrays lingering psychological wounds as characters struggle to reconcile self-determination with the sacrifices love demands.
Deana Wilkes, who’s needed braces to walk since a disabling accident long ago, seeks out Monica Connell, an attorney, to find the child she was forced to relinquish in a closed adoption thirty years ago. Back then, Deana believed that the passion between her and Tony, her married boss, meant they were destined for each other. It was wrong, Deana knew, but believed it was also meant to be. Tony’s long gone now, and Deana’s constructed a life out of the wreck of their affair. She’s ready to finally make things right and meet her son.
But Monica’s wife, Angela, was adopted herself after an early history of abandonment and foster homes. Devoted to the memory of her parents, she’s certain that closed adoptions need to remain closed unless the adoptee seeks contact. She draws a red line: Monica cannot take the case. Monica, though, feels compelled to help Deana by her own complicated history, one she’s never revealed to Angela. As this wedge between them hardens, will Angie or Monica have the best custody claim to their own beloved adopted baby?
Nobody knows what Deana’s son wants, including his adoptive parents. Not even redheaded Suzanne, and the possibility of love. After all, as an Iraq war vet and a long-distance truck driver, Daniel knows everything about hitting the road to avoid the confusion that’s plagued his life.
Lynne Hugo’s thirteenth novel takes on the reverberating effects of sexual power dynamics in the workplace and vividly portrays lingering psychological wounds as characters struggle to reconcile self-determination with the sacrifices love demands.
- GenresFiction
374 pages, Paperback
Published April 22, 2025
13 people are currently reading
5689 people want to read
About the author
Lynne Hugo
20 books184 followersLynne Hugo is an American author whose roots are in the northeast. A National Endowment For The Arts Fellowship recipient, she has also received repeat individual artists grants from the Ohio Arts Council and the Kentucky Foundation for Women. Her publications include eight novels, one volume of creative non-fiction, two books of poetry and a children’s book. She lives with her husband, a former Vice President for Academic Affairs of a liberal arts college and now a professional photographer, in the Midwest. They have two grown children, three grandchildren, and a yellow Labrador retriever.
Ms. Hugo has taught creative writing to hundreds of schoolchildren through the Ohio Arts Council’s renowned Arts in Education program. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College, and a Master’s from Miami University.
When an editor asked her to describe herself as a writer, she responded:
“I write in black Wal-Mart capri sweatpants. They don’t start out as capris, but I routinely shrink them in the drier by accident. And I always buy black because it doesn’t show where I’ve wiped the chocolate off my hands. Now that my son and daughter are grown, my previous high grade of ‘below average’ in Domestic Achievement has dropped somewhat. But I’m less guilty about it now. I lose myself in crafting language by a window with birdfeeders hanging in the branches of a Chinese elm towering over the house. When I come up for air, I hike by the ponds and along the river in a nearby forest with my beloved Lab. My husband, with whom I planted that elm as a bare root sapling, joins us when he can.”
Ms. Hugo has taught creative writing to hundreds of schoolchildren through the Ohio Arts Council’s renowned Arts in Education program. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College, and a Master’s from Miami University.
When an editor asked her to describe herself as a writer, she responded:
“I write in black Wal-Mart capri sweatpants. They don’t start out as capris, but I routinely shrink them in the drier by accident. And I always buy black because it doesn’t show where I’ve wiped the chocolate off my hands. Now that my son and daughter are grown, my previous high grade of ‘below average’ in Domestic Achievement has dropped somewhat. But I’m less guilty about it now. I lose myself in crafting language by a window with birdfeeders hanging in the branches of a Chinese elm towering over the house. When I come up for air, I hike by the ponds and along the river in a nearby forest with my beloved Lab. My husband, with whom I planted that elm as a bare root sapling, joins us when he can.”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
April 11, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
This book depicts the different lives of four families, whose fates are intertwined with each other. It starts with Deana meeting with Monica, a lawyer, to receive help with mediating a meeting between her and her birth son that she had to give up 30 years ago due to unfortunate circumstances. Due to it being a closed adoption, Deana does not have the ability to track him down, which is why she needs Monica’s help. Monica was motivated to take this case due to hearing how similar her own personal situation years ago was eerily similar to the situation with Deana’s affair with her married boss. However, Angie (Monica’s wife) does not support her taking this case due to her past as an adopted child, where she got taken away from her biological mom and been sent to foster homes to live in until she eventually found Rose and Bill, who were amazing parents to her. Angie and Monica also adopted a child of their own, so they wouldn’t like it if Celeste’s biological parents attempted to meet her. Despite Angie’s objection, Monica takes the case, which leads to a strain in their relationship. The story also weaves between the present and the past. 30 years ago, Brian and Jennie did everything they could to conceive a child of their own. They decided to take a break when Brian heard about a baby that is being put up for adoption, who turns out to be Deana’s son.
This book is beautifully written and the story was simply captivating! Despite multiple characters, the author did a great job providing their background. I also loved how the author depicted the complexities of families and the up and downs of relationships within the family system. No family is perfect despite how they appear to others. Thank you to Get Red PR Books for this arc ✨
This book depicts the different lives of four families, whose fates are intertwined with each other. It starts with Deana meeting with Monica, a lawyer, to receive help with mediating a meeting between her and her birth son that she had to give up 30 years ago due to unfortunate circumstances. Due to it being a closed adoption, Deana does not have the ability to track him down, which is why she needs Monica’s help. Monica was motivated to take this case due to hearing how similar her own personal situation years ago was eerily similar to the situation with Deana’s affair with her married boss. However, Angie (Monica’s wife) does not support her taking this case due to her past as an adopted child, where she got taken away from her biological mom and been sent to foster homes to live in until she eventually found Rose and Bill, who were amazing parents to her. Angie and Monica also adopted a child of their own, so they wouldn’t like it if Celeste’s biological parents attempted to meet her. Despite Angie’s objection, Monica takes the case, which leads to a strain in their relationship. The story also weaves between the present and the past. 30 years ago, Brian and Jennie did everything they could to conceive a child of their own. They decided to take a break when Brian heard about a baby that is being put up for adoption, who turns out to be Deana’s son.
This book is beautifully written and the story was simply captivating! Despite multiple characters, the author did a great job providing their background. I also loved how the author depicted the complexities of families and the up and downs of relationships within the family system. No family is perfect despite how they appear to others. Thank you to Get Red PR Books for this arc ✨
March 9, 2025
I love the writing of Lynne Hugo - her ability to present more than one side of an emotional situation, and put the reader is multiple pairs of shoes makes her books so readable.
This latest book is no exception, as it presents current day dilemmas, the fact that nothing is simple about adoption for anyone, and pays attention to the emotional impact on all parties. Having grown up in the era where young women were “strongly encouraged” to put their babies up for closed adoption, and having a couple of those adoptions in the family, I can attest to the accuracy of those presented in this story.
Recommended.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the digital ARC. Opinions are my own.
This latest book is no exception, as it presents current day dilemmas, the fact that nothing is simple about adoption for anyone, and pays attention to the emotional impact on all parties. Having grown up in the era where young women were “strongly encouraged” to put their babies up for closed adoption, and having a couple of those adoptions in the family, I can attest to the accuracy of those presented in this story.
Recommended.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the digital ARC. Opinions are my own.
March 17, 2025
I received an advance reader copy of Mothers of Fate by Lynne Hugo and found it to be a great book. She tells the story of lives intertwined among four families each having a connection to a single boy who grows into a man by the end of the story.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but if you enjoy a good family drama, are interested in the topic of adoption, or are looking for books with lesbian representation, this book is for you. The chapters are filled with longing, sadness, hope, and love in many forms. The ending is sweet, and while it’s not entirely a happily ever after it’s definitely a hopeful ending that ties up all the threads of the story.
The characters were well developed and engaging. You have babies who are adorable, troubled teens, good dads and moms, as well as dads and moms with troubling characteristics. Characters in the book have experienced adoption from every angle - good and bad adoptions, being adoptive parents or adopted children, working as social workers or lawyers on adoption cases, etc. there are three marriages in focus and it was interesting to see the dynamics therein. There’s also a pronounced theme of workplace dynamics around sexual harassment of women in the workplace for two of the characters. However, nothing was very graphic.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but if you enjoy a good family drama, are interested in the topic of adoption, or are looking for books with lesbian representation, this book is for you. The chapters are filled with longing, sadness, hope, and love in many forms. The ending is sweet, and while it’s not entirely a happily ever after it’s definitely a hopeful ending that ties up all the threads of the story.
The characters were well developed and engaging. You have babies who are adorable, troubled teens, good dads and moms, as well as dads and moms with troubling characteristics. Characters in the book have experienced adoption from every angle - good and bad adoptions, being adoptive parents or adopted children, working as social workers or lawyers on adoption cases, etc. there are three marriages in focus and it was interesting to see the dynamics therein. There’s also a pronounced theme of workplace dynamics around sexual harassment of women in the workplace for two of the characters. However, nothing was very graphic.
April 16, 2025
WOW! Lynne Hugo, the Author of “Mothers of Fate” has written a memorable and thought-provoking novel. I still am reflecting on Lynne Hugo’s novel and highly recommend this to others. The Author asks the question, “Does fate direct our lives, or do our own choices?
In this well written novel, the Genres are : Family Saga Fiction, LGBTQ + Genre Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Women’s Fiction, and Fiction. There is also an edgy feel and suspense. The timeline spans over 30 years, and the author vividly describes the characteristics of the times, and the dramatic, complex and complicated characters. An important subject is adoption, and women’s unequal rights in the workplace and at home.
At present, Deana Wilkes, handicapped as a result of an accident, seeks counsel from Monica Connell, an attorney, regarding the son she gave up for adoption thirty years ago. At the time of the accident, the baby’s father was killed. He was also married with children to someone else. Deana felt forced to give up the baby.
Monica Connell, is married to Angela. Monica is ambivalent and torn in taking this case because Angela was adopted and has traumatic memories. When Monica first passed the bar and became an attorney, the work environment didn’t provide equal choices for women, and Monica has harbored secrets from that time. If she takes this case, it can cause marital problems for her.
The adoptive parents of Daniel have tried to give him a good life, and yet Daniel is searching for his identity and self-worth. Now, he is an Iraq War Veteran and truck driver searching for something.
Lynne Hugo discusses the importance of choices, forgiveness, women’s equality, the importance of family, love and hope. I highly recommend this amazing novel.
In this well written novel, the Genres are : Family Saga Fiction, LGBTQ + Genre Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Women’s Fiction, and Fiction. There is also an edgy feel and suspense. The timeline spans over 30 years, and the author vividly describes the characteristics of the times, and the dramatic, complex and complicated characters. An important subject is adoption, and women’s unequal rights in the workplace and at home.
At present, Deana Wilkes, handicapped as a result of an accident, seeks counsel from Monica Connell, an attorney, regarding the son she gave up for adoption thirty years ago. At the time of the accident, the baby’s father was killed. He was also married with children to someone else. Deana felt forced to give up the baby.
Monica Connell, is married to Angela. Monica is ambivalent and torn in taking this case because Angela was adopted and has traumatic memories. When Monica first passed the bar and became an attorney, the work environment didn’t provide equal choices for women, and Monica has harbored secrets from that time. If she takes this case, it can cause marital problems for her.
The adoptive parents of Daniel have tried to give him a good life, and yet Daniel is searching for his identity and self-worth. Now, he is an Iraq War Veteran and truck driver searching for something.
Lynne Hugo discusses the importance of choices, forgiveness, women’s equality, the importance of family, love and hope. I highly recommend this amazing novel.
May 4, 2025
A few decisions can change the course of lives in ways we never fully understand. Deana is seeking legal help years and years after a decision she was forced to make leads to regret. Monica, her attorney, is challenged in her personal life with the subject and importance of Deana’s case. And at the heart of it all is a man who had decisions made for him and grew up to feel all of the consequences of that decision good and bad.
This story was so fascinating and addicting to read. I really felt for some of these characters instantly and there was a feeling of suspense throughout parts of the story. The characters were so believable as well as the circumstances specific to women. I really enjoyed this story. The only thing I struggled with was the writing style. For the first few chapters it felt so choppy and clipped. Once I got the hang of the style and tried to match it to the feeling of the book, I flew through it!
Thank you so much to GetRed PR and Lynn Hugo for providing this physical ARC. This is my honest review! This published on April 22nd.
This story was so fascinating and addicting to read. I really felt for some of these characters instantly and there was a feeling of suspense throughout parts of the story. The characters were so believable as well as the circumstances specific to women. I really enjoyed this story. The only thing I struggled with was the writing style. For the first few chapters it felt so choppy and clipped. Once I got the hang of the style and tried to match it to the feeling of the book, I flew through it!
Thank you so much to GetRed PR and Lynn Hugo for providing this physical ARC. This is my honest review! This published on April 22nd.
January 28, 2025
I received an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for my review.
This is a really solid book. It's not super my thing, but I think it was good in what it was doing.
This is a book about people who make a lot of mistakes while they're thinking mostly about themselves and very little about the people they love. Each character was complicated and made some truly painful (in a satisfying way) choices and a lot of them were genuinely difficult to like for most of the novel, making this an experience less where I was hoping something specific would happen and more where I was watching very messy people ruin things but didn't have to feel guilty about being entertained by the suffering of real people.
The book itself was a pretty fast read and largely easy to digest - the only real stumbling blocks for me were elements where the prose needed another round of edits. There were several mistakes, but I'm reading this book months before release so I don't think they'll all be in the final book.
This is a really solid book. It's not super my thing, but I think it was good in what it was doing.
This is a book about people who make a lot of mistakes while they're thinking mostly about themselves and very little about the people they love. Each character was complicated and made some truly painful (in a satisfying way) choices and a lot of them were genuinely difficult to like for most of the novel, making this an experience less where I was hoping something specific would happen and more where I was watching very messy people ruin things but didn't have to feel guilty about being entertained by the suffering of real people.
The book itself was a pretty fast read and largely easy to digest - the only real stumbling blocks for me were elements where the prose needed another round of edits. There were several mistakes, but I'm reading this book months before release so I don't think they'll all be in the final book.
March 12, 2025
Such a good book. I won this book on a Goodreads giveaway. I will ask my book club to read it as well as recommend it to friends and family? What defines a family? A mother? The right or wrong thing to do or say..? This book explores the difficult questions and has you considering you own answers. Well done.
March 5, 2025
This book was absolutely amazing!! I enjoyed all the characters and storylines! I took an interest in the story line immediately
The author drew me in from the first page and I could not stop reading!! She made this book relatable for many people and I look forward to reading more of her work! Thank you get red pr for sending me this book! It’s definitely one I will reread!
The author drew me in from the first page and I could not stop reading!! She made this book relatable for many people and I look forward to reading more of her work! Thank you get red pr for sending me this book! It’s definitely one I will reread!
April 21, 2025
MOTHERS OF FATE is the latest outstanding novel by Lynne Hugo. It is a moving and thought-provoking story of how the lives of several people are impacted by the complexities of adoption and its emotional aftermath. The characters are members of four different families whose lives become intertwined in unusual ways. Deana Wilkes was forced to give up her baby in a closed adoption after the death of the baby’s father, a married man, and her own disabling injury in a traumatic accident. Thirty years later, she seeks help from attorney Monica Connell to find her child. For many reasons, Monica is empathetic to Deana’s plight and wants to help, but Monica’s wife, Angela, issues an ultimatum that could threaten their marriage and their own adopted child’s life. Daniel, the son given up by Deana, was adopted as a baby, but had a troubled childhood, despite everything his adopted parents, Brian and Jennie, did for him. When he graduated high school, Daniel left home and never returned, breaking Brian and Jennie’s hearts. All these years later, the lives of all these characters are brought together in unexpected ways. The story is told from several characters’ points of view and alternate between the past and present. It delves into difficult questions of what defines a mother, a family and many other complex themes with compassion and honesty. I was totally immersed in this story and know that it will stay on my mind for a long time to come. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.
February 16, 2025
This is the first book I have read by this author. This story follows a couple on their emotional journey to adopt.
Story about the emotions and feelings people have about adopting, being coerced to giving up a child for adoption. Told in several viewpoints, by those that adopt and a person that was adopted.
Thank you NetGalley and Amphorae Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this for a thought provoking book.
Story about the emotions and feelings people have about adopting, being coerced to giving up a child for adoption. Told in several viewpoints, by those that adopt and a person that was adopted.
Thank you NetGalley and Amphorae Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this for a thought provoking book.
March 31, 2025
I absolutely loved this book. I love stories where multiple characters stories overlap. This book about how a small act can make huge impacts on so many lives was so amazing. I loved the main character even though he wasn’t very lovable. I am not adopted, so I can’t speak to the accuracy of emotions and situations, but it was moving to me.
February 28, 2025
This was a character driven novel about choices and how it affects not only you but the people around you. I liked that we got to see different sides and perspectives of adoption. The multiple POVs and timelines really pulled the whole story together. The characters had great depth and it was a fast read. I enjoy this author’s writing style and all the books have all been thought provoking reads for me.
Thank you @getredprbooks @lynnehugoauthor @amphoraepublishing for the gifted copy.
Thank you @getredprbooks @lynnehugoauthor @amphoraepublishing for the gifted copy.
May 27, 2025
So far it is an interesting read and something far different from my usual. I wanted to get into other genera’s and so far I am enjoying it, I will be posting a full review once I finish the book!
April 19, 2025
UGH, why is everyone so fucking dramatic. Yes it's realistic and good job, Lynne Hugo, but WTH. It bothers me BECAUSE it is realistic. Because there are shitty and awful people like these characters out there. WTF. The book is good, alright, in itself, but I do kinda wish I hadn't read it, just because I could care to know less about these people existing on earth. (Although it wasn’t an eye-opener or anything.) It's disgusting. Everyone of them. Everyone who thought they knew the best about a grown-ass, 30 year old man. That man in question wasn't any better of a person, perhaps he deserved that treatment, but UGH, how I hate that behavior of people. Assumption. Just fucking ask. Stop assuming. ASK, goddamn.
~
The writing style is really good; I ate it it all in 2 days, and that's quick af for me. To be fair, I did almost speed-read this because the writing style invited me to (and I was low-key invested) and there wasn't any fantasy/new terms I needed to remember – the good part about realistic slice of life is that I can 'skim' parts without feeling like I missed anything important.
Not an insult to the writing skill, quite the opposite.
Getting everyones perspective and a chapter of their POV was really interesting. I could relate to a lot of them and in some moments felt like I was reading a snippet from my diary. But other times it was just so … UGH.
Human, I guess.
But please, world, do better. So that writers get to write better (slice of life) stories.
Women's fiction aka ChickLit never was my favorite genre, really, and I don't ever want it to be. (Not that men's fiction isn't any better. I'm off the binary in literature, too.) However, I can totally see getting 'addicted' to that sort of subgenre/type of books/stories. Reading this felt like scrolling through social media. Except that I couldn't directly comment on their stupidity – well, I did comment through the note function, but I meant directly to their faces. Or profiles. Instead, I was only able to see other people's comments and their arguments, back and forth. Odd feeling, totally toxic, but kinda addictive.
I mainly picked it up because of the LGBTQIA+ tag, and because the title with the aesthetically pleasing cover sounded/looked like mystically cozy womanhood (witch-coven-like).
There’s a main lesbian relationship with marriage and parenthood (and biracial rep), so that’s nice, but the womanhood part wasn’t very healthy. Not necessarily toxic, just ... realistic. Too much sometimes.
However, the lesbian relationship … oof. Apart from Deana, they had it the worst, in my opinion. So incredibly heteronormative – okay, it plays in 2013-2014 and they met in the early 2000s – and mostly shoved to the sides. No real development, until, suddenly, at the end. Felt like Lynne Hugo didn’t entirely knew what to do with them. Just have the relationship in for label representation. Which is better than nothing, but felt like a checklist sometimes.
Or did she want for the reader to see same-sex couples are barely any different to cis-het ones? Good job, if that’s the case.
On a positive note, adoption wasn’t only highlighted for humans, but also animals/pets. It was mentioned twice, I think, that adopting pets is better than buying them from a breeder. So that's cool. (Unfortunately, later on, a different family was going to the zoo, so, uh …)
And there's no racism. (Surprisingly, but I ain't complaining.)
~
Thank you to Blank Slate Press on Netgalley for an eARC.
-Ayxan Solongo, 18.04.25
~
The writing style is really good; I ate it it all in 2 days, and that's quick af for me. To be fair, I did almost speed-read this because the writing style invited me to (and I was low-key invested) and there wasn't any fantasy/new terms I needed to remember – the good part about realistic slice of life is that I can 'skim' parts without feeling like I missed anything important.
Not an insult to the writing skill, quite the opposite.
Getting everyones perspective and a chapter of their POV was really interesting. I could relate to a lot of them and in some moments felt like I was reading a snippet from my diary. But other times it was just so … UGH.
Human, I guess.
But please, world, do better. So that writers get to write better (slice of life) stories.
Women's fiction aka ChickLit never was my favorite genre, really, and I don't ever want it to be. (Not that men's fiction isn't any better. I'm off the binary in literature, too.) However, I can totally see getting 'addicted' to that sort of subgenre/type of books/stories. Reading this felt like scrolling through social media. Except that I couldn't directly comment on their stupidity – well, I did comment through the note function, but I meant directly to their faces. Or profiles. Instead, I was only able to see other people's comments and their arguments, back and forth. Odd feeling, totally toxic, but kinda addictive.
I mainly picked it up because of the LGBTQIA+ tag, and because the title with the aesthetically pleasing cover sounded/looked like mystically cozy womanhood (witch-coven-like).
There’s a main lesbian relationship with marriage and parenthood (and biracial rep), so that’s nice, but the womanhood part wasn’t very healthy. Not necessarily toxic, just ... realistic. Too much sometimes.
However, the lesbian relationship … oof. Apart from Deana, they had it the worst, in my opinion. So incredibly heteronormative – okay, it plays in 2013-2014 and they met in the early 2000s – and mostly shoved to the sides. No real development, until, suddenly, at the end. Felt like Lynne Hugo didn’t entirely knew what to do with them. Just have the relationship in for label representation. Which is better than nothing, but felt like a checklist sometimes.
Or did she want for the reader to see same-sex couples are barely any different to cis-het ones? Good job, if that’s the case.
On a positive note, adoption wasn’t only highlighted for humans, but also animals/pets. It was mentioned twice, I think, that adopting pets is better than buying them from a breeder. So that's cool. (Unfortunately, later on, a different family was going to the zoo, so, uh …)
And there's no racism. (Surprisingly, but I ain't complaining.)
~
Thank you to Blank Slate Press on Netgalley for an eARC.
-Ayxan Solongo, 18.04.25
April 22, 2025
Many thanks to Lynne Hugo and Get Red PR for the opportunity to read. Mothers of Fate.! 📚💛
This multi-layered family drama explores the intricate web of adoption, identity, and emotional reckoning with incredible nuance. Hugo brings together the lives of several families and unfolds a deeply emotional journey that spans generations. The result is an unforgettable story that asks a question we’ve all considered at some point: are we ruled by fate, or by the decisions we make? 🤔💭
Deana, Monica, Angie, and Daniel are all profoundly shaped by the choices made decades ago, and Hugo’s deft portrayal of their intersecting lives is rich with compassion and honesty. The book does an incredible job highlighting the long echoes of closed adoptions—both the damage and the possibility for healing. The pacing is smooth, and despite a sprawling cast of characters, everyone feels real and purposeful.
What struck me most was the emotional honesty. These characters are messy, wounded, and deeply human. No one gets off easy, and no one is perfect—but everyone is treated with empathy. There were times I found myself frustrated, even angry, with their choices, but that only made the experience feel more authentic.
🟡 What I Loved:
• 🧬 A nuanced take on adoption from multiple perspectives
• 🩶 Realistic, flawed, and emotionally rich characters
• 🌈 LGBTQ+ rep through Monica and Angie’s relationship
• 👩⚖️ Thoughtful exploration of women’s workplace inequality
• 🧠 Complex themes: identity, forgiveness, autonomy, love
⚠️ Potential Drawbacks:
• 🛠️ Some parts of the prose felt like they needed a final polish (early ARC)
• 😒 Not all characters are likable—but that’s kind of the point
📚 TROPES:
• 👩👩👧👦 Found family
• 💔 Complicated past relationships
• 🧩 Interwoven timelines
• ⚖️ Legal drama
• 🌪️ Messy, real people making difficult choices
• 🕰️ Time-spanning emotional reconnection
This book doesn’t go for easy answers or perfect people—and that’s what makes it so compelling. If you’re in the mood for a character-driven novel filled with emotional tension, reflection, and hope, Mothers of Fate delivers with heart and honesty.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
This multi-layered family drama explores the intricate web of adoption, identity, and emotional reckoning with incredible nuance. Hugo brings together the lives of several families and unfolds a deeply emotional journey that spans generations. The result is an unforgettable story that asks a question we’ve all considered at some point: are we ruled by fate, or by the decisions we make? 🤔💭
Deana, Monica, Angie, and Daniel are all profoundly shaped by the choices made decades ago, and Hugo’s deft portrayal of their intersecting lives is rich with compassion and honesty. The book does an incredible job highlighting the long echoes of closed adoptions—both the damage and the possibility for healing. The pacing is smooth, and despite a sprawling cast of characters, everyone feels real and purposeful.
What struck me most was the emotional honesty. These characters are messy, wounded, and deeply human. No one gets off easy, and no one is perfect—but everyone is treated with empathy. There were times I found myself frustrated, even angry, with their choices, but that only made the experience feel more authentic.
🟡 What I Loved:
• 🧬 A nuanced take on adoption from multiple perspectives
• 🩶 Realistic, flawed, and emotionally rich characters
• 🌈 LGBTQ+ rep through Monica and Angie’s relationship
• 👩⚖️ Thoughtful exploration of women’s workplace inequality
• 🧠 Complex themes: identity, forgiveness, autonomy, love
⚠️ Potential Drawbacks:
• 🛠️ Some parts of the prose felt like they needed a final polish (early ARC)
• 😒 Not all characters are likable—but that’s kind of the point
📚 TROPES:
• 👩👩👧👦 Found family
• 💔 Complicated past relationships
• 🧩 Interwoven timelines
• ⚖️ Legal drama
• 🌪️ Messy, real people making difficult choices
• 🕰️ Time-spanning emotional reconnection
This book doesn’t go for easy answers or perfect people—and that’s what makes it so compelling. If you’re in the mood for a character-driven novel filled with emotional tension, reflection, and hope, Mothers of Fate delivers with heart and honesty.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
February 17, 2025
I have read most of Lynne Hugo's books and she just keeps getting better. Her new book is a story about adoption and how it effects the birth mothers, the adoptive mothers and most importantly the child that has been adopted.
Deanna is an older handicapped woman who fell in love with her boss years before and then had his baby. Due to a catastrophic event, he never knew that she was pregnant and when she realized that she couldn't support her son on her own, she reluctantly gave him up for adoption. Now 30 years later, she wants to meet her son. It was a closed adoption so she went to a lawyer to get help finding him. Monica works by herself due to issues with the firm she worked with when she got of school. She and her wife, Angela, a social worker, have recently adopted a young girl. Angela had been abandoned as a child and lived in a series of foster homes. She believes that closed adoptions should remain closed and urges Monica not to take Deanna's case but Monica feels very strongly about it and decides to help Deanna even though it causes a huge disruption in her marriage. This is the basic part of the story but there is so much more -- all of these characters have a lot of baggage in their pasts that is impeding their current lives.
The story hops back and forth between several people and several time lines. We get Deanna's story of her love affair and the birth and adoption of her son in the early 80s, Monica's background at the law firm she worked at, Angela's problems with her birth family, the early years of Daniel's adoption told by Daniel and his adoptive parents both in the past and present. The story is told in alternating chapters by all of these people. With some authors, it could have been very confusing to jump time periods and different people telling their story but Lynne Hugo does a fantastic writing job of melding all of the characters together so that there is no confusion and the story flows smoothly.
This is an emotional character-driven story with characters who want to make the right decisions in their lives without hurting others. The characters are all dealing with past mistakes and trying to move forward without sacrificing the people that they love. This is a fantastic story with characters I won't soon forget.
Deanna is an older handicapped woman who fell in love with her boss years before and then had his baby. Due to a catastrophic event, he never knew that she was pregnant and when she realized that she couldn't support her son on her own, she reluctantly gave him up for adoption. Now 30 years later, she wants to meet her son. It was a closed adoption so she went to a lawyer to get help finding him. Monica works by herself due to issues with the firm she worked with when she got of school. She and her wife, Angela, a social worker, have recently adopted a young girl. Angela had been abandoned as a child and lived in a series of foster homes. She believes that closed adoptions should remain closed and urges Monica not to take Deanna's case but Monica feels very strongly about it and decides to help Deanna even though it causes a huge disruption in her marriage. This is the basic part of the story but there is so much more -- all of these characters have a lot of baggage in their pasts that is impeding their current lives.
The story hops back and forth between several people and several time lines. We get Deanna's story of her love affair and the birth and adoption of her son in the early 80s, Monica's background at the law firm she worked at, Angela's problems with her birth family, the early years of Daniel's adoption told by Daniel and his adoptive parents both in the past and present. The story is told in alternating chapters by all of these people. With some authors, it could have been very confusing to jump time periods and different people telling their story but Lynne Hugo does a fantastic writing job of melding all of the characters together so that there is no confusion and the story flows smoothly.
This is an emotional character-driven story with characters who want to make the right decisions in their lives without hurting others. The characters are all dealing with past mistakes and trying to move forward without sacrificing the people that they love. This is a fantastic story with characters I won't soon forget.
August 3, 2025
Book Review: Mothers of Fate by Lynne Hugo
This story snuck up on me.
Mothers of Fate isn’t just about adoption, it’s about all the quiet, complicated ways people carry love, loss, and the longing to make things right.
Lynne Hugo gives us the characters we long for in a story~ Each tangled in choices that haunt them and hopes that drive them. It’ll leave you wondering—do we walk the path laid out for us, or carve one with the choices we make when the world isn’t looking?
It’s tender. It's tangled. And it will stay with you... It’s the kind of story that doesn’t just end, it echoes. In your thoughts, in your heart, in the quiet spaces where fate and choice collide.
I thank the author for my personal copy~ A book I not only highly recommend but deeply appreciate. Its honesty, emotion, and quiet strength will stay with me for a long time..
It’s the kind of story that finds its way into places you didn’t know were waiting to be stirred.
5 Stars
#MothersOfFate
#LynneHugo
#AmphoraePublishingGroup
Wild Sage Book Blog
February 22, 2025
I was excited for a chance to read and review “Mothers of Fate” by Lynne Hugo.
Deanna had a baby with her boss. Unable to support the baby on her own, she gives him up for adoption. Flash forward to the present, she wants to meet her child. Because the adoption was closed, she seeks advice from an attorney, Monica who, with her wife, have adopted a child. The reader also gets to meet Deanna’s son, Daniel, and his parents both at the time of the adoption as well as in the present.
The story weaves through these multiple storylines and time periods, which Hugo masterfully weaves together. I like how the author shares the different perspective of adoption in an entertaining and memorable way.
My oldest nephew is adopted and hence, the subject matter of this novel rang poignantly true for me.
I really want to go through and read Hugo’s backlist.
Four out of five stars.
Thanks to Lynne Hugo, the publisher and the author for a chance to read and review this novel.
Deanna had a baby with her boss. Unable to support the baby on her own, she gives him up for adoption. Flash forward to the present, she wants to meet her child. Because the adoption was closed, she seeks advice from an attorney, Monica who, with her wife, have adopted a child. The reader also gets to meet Deanna’s son, Daniel, and his parents both at the time of the adoption as well as in the present.
The story weaves through these multiple storylines and time periods, which Hugo masterfully weaves together. I like how the author shares the different perspective of adoption in an entertaining and memorable way.
My oldest nephew is adopted and hence, the subject matter of this novel rang poignantly true for me.
I really want to go through and read Hugo’s backlist.
Four out of five stars.
Thanks to Lynne Hugo, the publisher and the author for a chance to read and review this novel.
April 13, 2025
Mothers of Fate by Lynne Hugo impressed me in the most amazing way!
The timespan in this novel span over 30 years. There are so many topics and genres that I really love reading, especially Family Fiction and women's fiction. I am happy to see LGBTQ represented in this novel.
The important topics of women's rights (or lack thereof) and adoption are handled so well by the author.
Deana seeks the counsel of an attorney, Monica to find the son she feels she was forced to give up 30 years ago.
Monica is torn about taking the case because it could cause issues with her wife Angela, who was also adopted.
This novel is incredible. Women need this book now more than ever.
Is our existence marked by fate or our choices?
The characters are well written, complex and well fleshed out.
This family fiction will leave you thinking long after the last page is turned.
Highly recommend!
The timespan in this novel span over 30 years. There are so many topics and genres that I really love reading, especially Family Fiction and women's fiction. I am happy to see LGBTQ represented in this novel.
The important topics of women's rights (or lack thereof) and adoption are handled so well by the author.
Deana seeks the counsel of an attorney, Monica to find the son she feels she was forced to give up 30 years ago.
Monica is torn about taking the case because it could cause issues with her wife Angela, who was also adopted.
This novel is incredible. Women need this book now more than ever.
Is our existence marked by fate or our choices?
The characters are well written, complex and well fleshed out.
This family fiction will leave you thinking long after the last page is turned.
Highly recommend!
April 14, 2025
A tender yet poignant story of adoption and motherhood, 𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞 presents perspectives from multiple mothers as well as the adopted child’s viewpoint.
Adoption takes center stage as all the characters are interconnected and influenced by it. This story explores the complexities of adoption, the entanglements that can arise, and the heartaches involved. Additional themes include workplace power dynamics, infidelity, marital struggles, and parenting.
The author develops the characters well, drawing you into their lives. As a mother, my heart ached for these individuals. They faced very difficult choices: some brought it upon themselves due to their mistakes, while others had no say. For some, it was their choice on how to respond to what fate had handed them. I was grateful for the hopeful ending.
Thank you @getredprbooks @lynnehugoauthor and @amphoraepublishing for this gifted book.
April 23, 2025
This is a complex and emotional story that weaves together alternate timelines and interconnected narratives, tackling heavy themes such as workplace sexual abuse, adoption, and the intricate relationships between mothers and their children. At its core, it follows the lives of three women and one young man, exploring the ripple effect of their choices and how those decisions shape the paths they take. It’s both powerful and deeply moving - unafraid to confront serious issue - yet at the heart of it all is the steadfast love these mothers have for their son, no matter the circumstances or choices they’ve made. I really appreciate the dynamics of the various adoption situations between the different families and how they play out. It’s hard to read at times, and the young man can b e so aggravating but the way it all comes together in the end had my full heart swelling with love.
May 27, 2025
This book is split into several different parts. I liked that the book was split like this as each section gave me a good head up as to the main focus on where the story was progressing towards.
As soon as I heard Deana's story, I was captivated and felt for her. She did not ask for the tragically that befallen her. Yet, she did the best that she could do and at that time included giving up her newborn son. This does not mean she did not love him but that she just wanted to give him two parents.
What Monica was going through with her own personal life and her past, allowed her to understand Deana's plea from one mother to another. The other person that is very important to the story is Daniel. All the emotions he experienced when he learned the truth is acceptable.
This book is very character driven. As well as an emotional read that will take you on a journey.
As soon as I heard Deana's story, I was captivated and felt for her. She did not ask for the tragically that befallen her. Yet, she did the best that she could do and at that time included giving up her newborn son. This does not mean she did not love him but that she just wanted to give him two parents.
What Monica was going through with her own personal life and her past, allowed her to understand Deana's plea from one mother to another. The other person that is very important to the story is Daniel. All the emotions he experienced when he learned the truth is acceptable.
This book is very character driven. As well as an emotional read that will take you on a journey.
March 12, 2025
Sometimes when I am trying to review well-written books that touch my heart and make me think I struggle to find words to do the book and how I felt about it justice. This is one of those books. This is a story of mother’s faced with impossible choices. Told from multiple points of view and timelines it provides readers with a look at multiple sides of adoption. I felt all the emotions as I read this story and became immersed in the characters’ lives. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy stories of life and choices and everyday struggles.
Thanks to Get Red PR and the author for the gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thanks to Get Red PR and the author for the gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 26, 2025
Thank you @lynnehugoauthor @amphoraepublishing and @getredprbooks
For a copy of the book and this is my honest review.
MOTHER'S OF FATE is a beautifully written and complex story of sexual harassment in the workplace, adoption and the effects on families and adopted children and whether fate or our choices direct our lives.
This is an emotional and character driven story told in multiple POV. It follows three women and a young man that are connected by adoption. I liked that we get to see all sides of the adoption process and the effects of the decisions each character made in both the past and the present. This is a story that will stay with me for a while.
For a copy of the book and this is my honest review.
MOTHER'S OF FATE is a beautifully written and complex story of sexual harassment in the workplace, adoption and the effects on families and adopted children and whether fate or our choices direct our lives.
This is an emotional and character driven story told in multiple POV. It follows three women and a young man that are connected by adoption. I liked that we get to see all sides of the adoption process and the effects of the decisions each character made in both the past and the present. This is a story that will stay with me for a while.
April 30, 2025
Mothers of Fate is my book of 2025. It is a book that is going to stay with me forever. I am going to reread this book often and feel that I will find something different that will pull at my heart.
Every character in this book has a story to tell. Each story pulled at my heart in a different and special way. I did not choose one character to connect with, I chose many. It was easy to cheer them on, to want to be their friend, to want to understand what they are going through and how they feel.
Mothers of Fate is a special book. It is a book full of emotion and family drama.
Every character in this book has a story to tell. Each story pulled at my heart in a different and special way. I did not choose one character to connect with, I chose many. It was easy to cheer them on, to want to be their friend, to want to understand what they are going through and how they feel.
Mothers of Fate is a special book. It is a book full of emotion and family drama.
June 15, 2025
Mothers of Fate by Lynne Hugo got me. It follows three women whose lives collide through adoption, each carrying their own heartbreak, guilt, and fierce love. It’s about what we pass on, what we keep hidden, and how we try to do right by the people we love even when we’re hurting.
Lynne Hugo dives into big stuff, grief, identity, motherhood but in a way that feels honest, not heavy. The characters? Flawed, real, and unforgettable. You’ll feel for every character, even when they mess up. It’s one of those quiet books that sneaks up on you and stays.
⚡️Thank you, Amphorae Publishing and Lynne Hugo for sharing this book with me!
Lynne Hugo dives into big stuff, grief, identity, motherhood but in a way that feels honest, not heavy. The characters? Flawed, real, and unforgettable. You’ll feel for every character, even when they mess up. It’s one of those quiet books that sneaks up on you and stays.
⚡️Thank you, Amphorae Publishing and Lynne Hugo for sharing this book with me!
April 13, 2025
This was a very complex read and I’m not sure if I liked it. It followed 3 separate yet interwoven storylines and I found myself frustrated from start to finish’s Kathleen bullying Deana, Angie bullying Monica, Daniel’s parents not getting him help. It was frustrating. That may have been the point- that people are just people flaws and all at the end of the day. The redeeming part of the story for me is that there is no wrong way to love or have a family, and that speaking up for yourself can never come too late.
April 27, 2025
Thank you to Get Red PR for the physical arc. This book was good. I enjoyed the fact that the three main characters were all intertwined. It was a frustrating read at times due to topics and how some thins were handled.
May 10, 2025
This was such an intriguing story about families, adoption, fate, choices and so much more. It was written in such a thoughtful way that I could clearly understand each character’s perspective. All of their stories were compelling which made this a real page turner.
March 29, 2025
Hum
Good book
Not sure what additional information to share. I enjoyed the read and am looking forward to my next book.
Good book
Not sure what additional information to share. I enjoyed the read and am looking forward to my next book.
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