My Girlfriend is Not the Father

by Dana Hawkins

🌈 Don’t miss this feel-good, friends to lovers romance – perfect for fans of Alexis Hall & Alexandria Bellefleur, this 2026!🤰After getting poked, prodded, and shot (just hormone injections!), Lucy Green is on the cusp of fulfilling a decade-long pact with her best friend to be his surrogate. Now, all she has to do is stay single, healthy, and keep down the prenatal vitamins.

A year ago, Jade Hudson's wife went back on all her previous promises and declared that she wanted children with or without Jade. Forced out of her marriage, Jade is now rebooting her life in small town Minnesota, pouring all her energy into her new salon and prioritizing self-worth.

Sparks begin to fly between Lucy and Jade, but accepting new love feels a long way off. Neither can deny their growing feelings, but with both their lives verging on transformation, the timing could not be worse. Will they be able to ignore their feelings or can they look past their life developments and risk it all for a chance at love?

Perfect for fans

❤️Sworn off love

❤️Awkward meet-cutes

❤️Small town

Praise for Dana

“My god this book… my heart is so warm… I could have read thousands of pages of these characters… One I already can’t wait to re-read and… I cannot recommend it enough!!” Reader review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"The emotional depth was so good, the communication between the characters was incredible. I don’t even know how to put into words how much I absolutely LOVE this book. Obsesseddddddd.” Reader review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Easy 5/5⭐️ Read this book with a smile on my face almost 100% of the time! … It was so wholesome seeing two women navigate life with so many ups and downs while also discovering what love truly is… Their connection from the beginning had me hooked!… Such an awesome book!… 100% recommend it to everyone.” Reader review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, Queer, Adult, Contemporary

350 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 26, 2026

About the author

Dana Hawkins is a contemporary romance author of fun and sparkly stories. When not searching the country for the perfect cup of piping hot Americano, she spends her time chasing her kids and rewatching ’90s movies. After living for twenty years in Seattle, she recently trekked back to her hometown in Minnesota. She is a huge romance-genre book nerd and borderline obsessed with happy-ever-afters.

Reviews

[Andrea (looseleftlesbian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will say, that this book had really good moments. I felt myself relating to the characters, probably because we are around the same age. When Lucy talked about being a “text only” friend and having a box of handwritten notes from the people she loved, I especially related to that. I also gasped when Lucy and her dad talked about walking uphill both ways with bread wrappers on their feet. Does every parent tell their millennial child this?

However, the book fell short for me. I felt like the pacing was off and there was a lot of telling and not showing. There would be mentions of Lucy and Jade hanging out and double dates but not many actual scenes of it. I did like that the author didn’t shy away from the reality of dating someone who is a surrogate. It wasn’t rainbows and butterflies and I appreciated that. I would have just liked to see more showing. I think this messed with the chemistry between the MCs. I honestly didn’t feel any chemistry. The “conflict” was too easily solved as well.

I loved the premise of the book and it would be hard to write with a plot that included a surrogate and a character who was divorced due to not wanting children. That aspect of it was well done. I know the author was a surrogate herself, so it was cool to see the ins and outs of that. It just fell short for me.

[Emma Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️ Blurb -
After getting poked, prodded, and shot (just hormone injections!), Lucy Green is on the cusp of fulfilling a decade-long pact with her best friend to be his surrogate. Now, all she has to do is stay single, healthy, and keep down the prenatal vitamins.
A year ago, Jade Hudson's wife went back on all her previous promises and declared that she wanted children with or without Jade. Forced out of her marriage, Jade is now rebooting her life in small town Minnesota, pouring all her energy into her new salon and prioritizing self-worth.
Sparks begin to fly between Lucy and Jade, but accepting new love feels a long way off. Neither can deny their growing feelings, but with both their lives verging on transformation, the timing could not be worse. Will they be able to ignore their feelings or can they look past their life developments and risk it all for a chance at love?
💚 Review -
Friends To lovers is one of my favourite romance tropes and the author did this so well. The story was cute and fluffy, with good pacing and easy to follow. I loved Lucy's character and I wanted her to have the happy ending that she deserved. From the first chapter I knew that I would love it. Plus the Cover was cute. I highly recommend it and I look forward to reading more by the author.
🩷 Thank you to the publisher HQ Digital, the author Dana Hawkins and Netgalley for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kristene · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I want to give my sincere thanks to the author and publisher for trusting me with this ARC. I do not take ARCs lightly and know how important these reviews are to the authors and publishers of ARCs, and I am just grateful to be entrusted with this work. For this reason, I do my best to write thoughtful, detailed reviews.

⭐ Overall Thoughts & Impressions:

For me, this was a SIX-star book, if that were possible!

This was truly a delightful sapphic rom-com read. It was so human, so real, and so perfectly messy in all the right places.

The main characters are two sapphic women with very different personalities and life stories. One decides to be a surrogate for her gay best friend and his husband, while the other has just opened her own salon and is rebuilding her life after a divorce with another woman.

What made this stand out so much to me was how emotionally immersive it felt. I laughed, stressed, felt goosebumps, and by the end I realized I was genuinely sad to be leaving these characters behind 😭 And the best part was that I was not overwhelmed at all by any specific emotion, it was SO well-balanced and honestly very “real-life” vibes. If anything, I was overwhelmed by how amazing this whole story was delivered.

🌶️ Spice Level:

I don’t feel like I am a great judge of spice ratings. However, in judging how descriptive the spice was and how much occurred in the book, I would rate this 2.5.

It was definitely very romance-forward, emotionally rich, but not overly explicit. For me, it was a perfect balance and the descriptive parts were very satisfying but not over-done.

💕 The Characters:

Jade struck me as a softer masc character who is still figuring out who she is and what she is capable of. She struggles with trust, but she is brave enough to take emotional risks, which made her incredibly compelling to follow.

Lucy, the surrogate, felt like a neurodivergent coded character that everyone would instantly want to be friends with. She is quirky and bubbly, with a constant stream of internal thoughts that she does not always say out loud. Her narration brought both humor and emotional depth to the story, and I adored living inside her head. (I am an ADHD therapist, so I really adored her character and thoughts!)

The side characters were just as strong. The personalities were not exaggerated or cartoonish. They felt so real that I genuinely believed I was reading about people I might know in real life.

💘 Romance and Chemistry:

The romance between Jade and Lucy felt earned rather than rushed. The attraction builds gradually through shared vulnerability, awkward moments, and genuine care for one another. It was very real!

Their emotional connection was just as satisfying as the physical one, and I found myself rooting for them from the very beginning.

✍️ Writing Style and Pacing:

The writing was so well done and so well paced that I genuinely could not put this book down.

The story never dragged and never felt rushed. Not a beat was missed.

I also loved the balance between humor and heavier themes. There were moments that made me smile and laugh, but they were woven seamlessly alongside conversations about fear, commitment, bodily autonomy, and chosen family. It honestly felt like healthy real-life!

🤰 Pregnancy and Surrogacy Representation:

The surrogacy journey and Lucy’s experience with pregnancy were written with such honesty and specificity that it immediately stood out.

At the end, the author disclosed that this story was inspired by her own experiences, and I could absolutely see this. The physical and emotional realities of pregnancy were portrayed in a way that felt deeply informed and incredibly validating.

As someone who has vowed to never become pregnant, I learned so much from this book. It deepened my respect for people who take on that journey and reinforced why I think pregnant people are absolute goddesses ✨

I also appreciated how thoughtfully the surrogacy process itself was explored, including how it impacts relationships, boundaries, and emotional vulnerability.

As a therapist, if I ever have a client in this situation, I will recommend this book for them to read and process!

🐶 Setting and Vibes:

A good portion of the book takes place in a salon, and that setting added so much warmth and charm to the story. I personally love salon backdrops in stories!

And yes, there is also a very sweet dog in the story. This sweet dog lives at Lucy’s cute and cozy home with a spacious backyard. (I found myself wanting Lucy’s home decor 👀).

⚠️ Content Notes:

If pregnancy related themes are not your thing, this may not be the book for you. There is frank discussion of bodily changes, medical experiences, and relationship stress surrounding surrogacy, as well as the experience of labor itself.

Also, if are feeling vulnerable about divorce, there is a lot of emotional processing around divorce and this may be a considered a trigger warning.

📚 Final Recommendation:

What truly made this a “six-star” read for me was how real everything felt. It was SO REAL.

The characters, the friendships, the chosen family, the complicated emotions, the love that grows slowly and imperfectly.

I honestly felt like I had made four new friends by the end of this book and now had to say goodbye. I wish everyone had the kind of chosen LGBTQIA plus family that appears in this story.

If you are open to learning about pregnancy, surrogacy, found family, and beautifully messy romantic relationships, I think you will absolutely love this. 💕

✨And Lastly…

I was so blown away by this book…it was my first ARC in 2026 and the best book I have read so far in 2026…that I am looking at Dana Hawkins’ other works and plan to read more of her books! I am so happy I read this! 🥰

[kay.grace424 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted so much to love this book, and I am heartbroken that I didn't.

My main qualm with this book was that there was a lot of story and relationship development that happened off-page. I felt like I was hearing the story from a third party rather than reading it myself, because it skipped over major developments and had huge time jumps. I get why the author had those time jumps; to encapsulate this large timeline of them falling in love and then the experience of pregnancy, from the beginning of their journey consulting doctors to the actual giving birth. To stay within the normal confines of a contemporary romance, I understand why those time jumps had to happen, but what we had to sacrifice to be able to get this timeline within the page count wasn't worth it. I missed a lot that I wish I had seen. That being said, there were big moments on the page. It just felt like it was only the big moments and not the smaller, more mundane ones that really round out a romance story. The romance in the first part of the book felt like it was just there to serve the purpose of getting to the final destination of becoming a couple during the surrogacy journey. The result was that I was not really invested in them as a couple, especially when they were having conflicts; I found I was not rooting for them. I had no emotional connection to the characters and their relationship because I feel like I missed out on so much.

I won't comment too much on this to avoid spoilers, but their main conflict in the second half of the book never felt fully resolved. They had one short conversation about it, which felt very one-sided, as if one party wasn't taking responsibility for their part. Then there was a two-hour time jump, and it was just mentioned that they talked about a lot in that time. This was another moment where I felt like I was cheated out of an important landmark for them as a couple. I would not have minded a longer page count if we had gotten more of the couple.

It hurts my heart to give this the rating that I'm giving it because I was rooting for this book. I've read three books by this author, and I enjoyed the previous two; this is a unique and interesting story. I was so looking forward to reading this book. I had all the positive vibes going in, and it just completely fell short for me, which breaks my heart as a reader, especially since the story was so personal to the author. At the end of the day, I want to be rooting for the couple in the romance, and I never felt like I could, nor did I really want to, at times. I commend the author for wanting to tell this story, and the aspects of the surrogacy journey were the book's jewel.

🌶️🌶️(can't 100% remember how many scenes but a lot is mentioned off page and there are at least 2 I think on page)

[K.Mwrites · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Thank you to the author Dana and HQ for allowing me to read this as an arc copy Via NetGalley. I really appreciate it.

OK this book is genuinely good.
The writing is impeccable, because I received this copy pre release I tried to find any faults to report back and there were none writing wise.

Something to take into consideration is that this book is nothing like your ordinary romance book Lucy has just become a surrogate when she meets Jade so they never get a standard romance, there are always trial and tribulations.

Because of this I really struggled understand the way Lucy acts at times, when you read this, you should try to have some empathy if you want to like Lucy because especially towards the end she can become a little infuriating. She does some things that I thought were unfair and barely recieved any push back from Jade.

I also feel like the romance developed quickly when reading for example there is a scene where they have a small disagreement and one leaves the other. and then next minute they are fine again. This takes a span of at least two weeks but in the book is was a couple of chapters, this happens a few times so I can't really see how their loved developed.

Now that aside, the comedic writing was hilarious, Lucy is truly one of the funniest FMC's I have ever read. Jade is more calm and monotone but they work so well together. Lucy's dad too, he had me chuckling at time. This is set in America but the humour really struck me as British which I could resonate with. Or maybe it was the way I read it, either way it was great.

I would definitely recommend this book to those new to wlw or LQBTQ romance becuase it does have elements of spice but they are short and not too descriptive.

This is rated a three is purely because the concept is one I have never read before and it was stunningly written especially for third person which I don't usually gravitate to, I would say to read the author's letter at the end it's really sweet and provides a great insight into the some of the aspects of the book. But it, for me and how I rate, doesn't qualify for a 4 star. I would definitely recommend but I don't think I would re read.

This is the first for me from this author and I will be reading more!

[vivi ʚɞ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⋆˙✮ 3

Me 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 Lucy
Jokes that never land.

Honestly, I really liked the premise and the characters here. First of all, I loved the grocery store meet cute— I was kicking my feet and giggling while reading it. I love a good golden retriever x black cat trope, and that’s exactly what Lucy and Jade are. But I have to say that what I really enjoyed was learning about the surrogacy process, which was drawn from the author’s personal experience. Not only did it add a layer of authenticity to the book, but it also dove into all aspects of surrogacy: the legal, the medical, and the emotional complexity for everyone involved. And it was done in a way that didn’t feel *too* technical, which is always nice.

While there was a lot to like here, the pacing is what got me. The book takes place over the span of 9+ months, which makes sense given the plot, but it felt almost repetitive. It was a constant cycle of miscommunication and Jade not speaking up, and as much as I love angst, you can only have so much of it. It felt like the same conflict and resentment being revisited in slightly different ways, which made the book drag for me. I kept waiting for things to pick up, and they just… never quite did. I also felt like we were getting flashes of moments between Lucy and Jade rather than a natural progression of time. I thought they were cute as a couple, but the chemistry was hard to latch onto when we were consistently skipping through time.

Nonetheless, I still found this book to be an enjoyable experience. This is my second book from the author, and one thing she consistently does well is give her characters a natural charm and humor that makes them fun to read. If you like banter, angst, and an opposites-attract trope, then this is the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

[Noelle Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, HQ Stories, and Dana Hawkins for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Quick Summary: Lucy has been lifelong friends with Drew. Lucy agrees to be a surrogate for Drew and his husband, Mason. Lucy signs a paper saying she is single. Lucy meets Jade. Lucy and Jade try to resist that they are falling for each other. What will happen next?

This is the 5th ARC I’ve read by Dana Hawkins! I’ve loved each and every one, and this was no exception! I was definitely intrigued by the title, and once I read the summary, I knew I had to read it. I’ve always been interested in surrogacy, between having endometriosis and being queer. I’ve since decided that I don’t want kids, but that’s a different story. 😂 This was such a cool concept, and the author executed it really well. The only “issue” I had with this book was during the middle, it seemed to drag out a little but at the same time the timing kept jumping ahead. It was a weird mix between feeling fast and slow. Besides that, I really enjoyed the story! I loved Lucy and Jade, as well as the dad’s storyline. They were so sweet and supportive, and I was definitely rooting for them to become parents. It was cool to read about surrogacy, and how the four of them navigated things.

My Girlfriend is Not the Father will be released on March 26th, and I definitely recommend checking it out! 🩵

[Alice Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every second of this book was absolutely amazing, truly. Dana never disappoints, her books are always amazing, her characters are always so easy to fall in love, they're relatable, and this book, and these characters were no exception. Not only was it an amazing story, but it was written so fucking well, as usual with Dana.

Lucy and Jade were the absolute cutest honestly. Were they perfect? No, much like everyone they had their flaws, but they were perfect for each other. They made so much sense, they just kind of completed each other. I loved them so much, both as a couple, and as characters in general. Lucy was an absolutely amazing friend to Drew and Mason. Not everyone could do what she did, and it was fucking amazing. Did it make me cry? of course it did, but it was beautiful nonetheless. Worth every tear I shed honestly.

I don't think I'll ever stop recommending this book. From beginning to end I was hooked, I couldn't get enough, I never wanted it to end. I loved every second of this book. Thank you endlessly Dana, and NetGalley for my ARC copy, I had the best time reading this and I will be thinking about it for a very long time.

[Thao Ngo]

ARC REVIEW
This was honestly just really sweet.
I didn’t realize until after, but Dana Hawkins was actually a surrogate for her best friend, which makes the emotional side of this feel more grounded. It’s fiction, but there’s a sincerity to it that shows.
Both Lucy and Jade are carrying stuff.
Lucy lost her mom young, so her emotional walls make sense. She’s figuring out adulthood without the one person she’d probably want advice from. That grief just quietly sits with her.
Jade was happily married for years before her wife suddenly decided she wanted a baby after they’d agreed on being childfree. That kind of switch would mess anyone up.
And now she’s dating someone who’s pregnant.
It’s such a wild setup when you think about it. Falling for someone while they’re going through pregnancy, knowing the baby isn’t staying with them. That’s a lot.
The timing is messy. They’re flawed. It’s a dramatic way to get to know someone. But it felt human to me.
Overall, it’s cute, original, and has more depth than you’d expect from the title. I’ll definitely keep reading Dana Hawkins.

[Ellie Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really easy and quick read that was funny and heartwarming.

The overall plot was a really interesting concept and it is always refreshing to read about women who don't want kids. Both main characters meet at a very chaotic time in their lives but still find a way to make things work and its Sriracha that starts it all off which I loved.

All of the characters were relatable and funny, but still had their human flaws. The friendship dynamic between Lucy and Drew was just so accurate for childhood friends and still incredibly sweet. The relationship between Lucy and her dad really made me tear up in the end and was just perfect.

I wish there was a little bit more romance between the main characters instead of time passing and the whole issue with relationship declarations was a non issue in the end.

Overall I really enjoyed this story.

Thank you to HQ and Dana Hawkins for this ARC.

[Stephanie Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Girlfriend is Not the Father follows Lucy and jade, two women trying to build a relationship while navigating a surrogate pregnancy. I enjoyed the detail Dana Hawkins put into explaining the surrogacy process and the different stages of pregnancy. I did not totally buy into the relationship between the MCs beyond physical attraction. That may partly be due to some pacing issues and the fact that both characters internalized everything. That conflict wrapped up too neatly. I felt like jade took on blame for any issues. It was an easy ready, the ending was cute and overall the characters, including Mason and Drew, were likable.

Thank you NetGalley the publisher for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.

[KatesEndlessTBR · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was so much that I loved about this book. The storyline, the characters, the messy real-ness were all just as wonderful as I would expect from Dana Hawkins. But I did struggle a bit with the pacing of the book. It’s a tricky one because we covered 9 months in the book so I understand that there needed to be some time jumps here and there. But for me it took away from my ability to believe in the relationship. It is so hard to explain but it was like I was watching it all happen from further away without being as immersed in the emotions and chemistry as I usually feel in the author’s books. I thought it was such a great story though so I just wish it had been a bit longer with smoother transitions between the time jumps.

[Jackie McGinnis · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute and fun read! Aside from the spurts of Lucy + Jade being on the rocks because they wouldn’t just TALK to each other (miscommunication trope is not for me 😂), their relationship is so lovely. Very easy to relate to and root for.

As someone who has a horrible fear of pregnancy and could not ever do it, I think Lucy is truly a saint. I really liked how we also got to see the part that no one likes to talk about- the sacrifices and challenges that the partner faces during pregnancy.

But most of all, I am so unbelievably happy to read a queer story that does not have any strife, heartbreak, or trauma centered on being queer. We very rarely get stories like this, and we absolutely need more of them. 🌈

[Shelf of Her Own · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from Dana Hawkins.

It was nice to read about the surrogacy journey and there’s plenty of information to take in during the book but it’s not overly heavy with it either.

The relationship between the two MCs is super cute and great to have realistic past trauma playing a part in a current relationship.

It really got me in my feels when Lucy felt lonely during some of the process and felt so accurate that this may be the case, especially when being a surrogate for someone so close to you.

Another definite recommendation from one of my favourite authors.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hawkins has become an author whose titles I instantly have to read when I see them, and this was no exception. I adored both Lucy and Jade, and found them to be incredibly well-written and relatable. They both have their own, and completely unique, backstories and needs that inform their current situations, and I loved seeing how they were careful with each other (for the most part - it wouldn’t be a romance novel without some lack of communication and that third act drama). I’d recommend this novel to anyone looking for a friends-to-lovers romance that is not overly drawn out.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley.

[LP Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, and it gave (to my understanding) a very realistic depiction of altruistic surrogacy, which is a very interesting lens through which to tell a romance. That said, the actual romance element fell a bit short for me, as it felt like much of the relationship between Lucy and Jade happened off page, other than big moments of realization (mostly from jade) that were motivated by other characters, so it felt like their connection lacked some depth. Would still recommend, especially if someone is looking for a lesbian/lesbian sapphic story.

[books_by_soph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok now this was such a wholesome read!

I absolutely fell in love with both Lucy and Jade and their chemistry together - it had me swooning 🫶🏻

I loved the character development too, they both have flaws but we see them overcome their struggles and become the the cutest couple ever with the most adorable meet cute🤭

The best bit of this book was the narrative Lucy being a surrogate for her best friend Drew and then meeting Jade was such an interesting concept and worked really well which I was really surprised about!

My Girlfriend Is Not The Father was such an easy and enjoyable read and brought me a lot of comfort and laughs 💗

[Shannon bagnall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so lovely, I couldn’t imagine how strong you must be to be a surrogate and I think this got across the struggles aswell as the happy moments and especially showing how it can affect relationships.

I wasn’t sure how the relationship would work at the start but I’m so glad nothing was sugarcoated, it felt realistic and honest and I loved that. I also loved how jade realised she was part of the problem and then tried to fix that.

It was just a really lovely story and a nice read

* full disclosure I was given this book in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley*

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by saying I have read nearly all of Dana’s books and this one is top three for sure! Jade just might be one of my all time favorite characters. I found myself getting quite protective of her and getting upset with Lucy 🫣😂 There were several points in the book that I found myself choked up and crying because of how much emotion is packed into this story. It’s relatable and sad but also packed full of love and joy. Going to revisit this story again soon when I need a pick me up. Thank you Dana!! 🩷

[karen fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderfully written book and a topic I have not read about before. Such a good mix of humour and deep emotion. Dana has captured so much depth here in all the little things she has added. I loved that this was basically a 9 month journey through pregnancy but most definitely not all about pregnancy. It was great to see the way the author incorporated the ups and downs of pregnancy hormones and the effects they had on Lucy's mind as well as her body. It was interesting to see how this affected both Lucy and Jade in different ways and you felt for them both equally.
The story as a whole also makes for some deep soul searching and shows that it is always important to keep communication going to maintain any healthy relationship.
But last of all, poor Lucy, surely one of her jokes will land properly one day 😂

[Lindsay Ottens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the arc. This is a 3.75 star rounded up to 4. I just didn’t connect with the main characters z