My rating: 5/5 stars
I feel like I got the old Penelope Ward back, the one that used to make me laugh and cry at the same time, with deep emotional messages and plots. If I recall correctly, this is my first 5-star book of 2024 and I don’t regret any moment of giving this rating.
“The Surrogate” can be read independently, but I recommend you read “The Aristocrat” first because you will understand the plot more and visualize why this book was written. It was a very good idea and the complexity of the book makes you go out of your comfort zone. I am for or against surrogacy and it is not my place to judge, but after reading this book, I see it all from a different perspective.
Sid lost his wife, Britney to cancer and they only knew each other for 6 months. They met at the airport and fell in love. Britney told Sid about her condition, but he decided to stay by her side and marry her, hoping for the best. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen and after 5 years, Sid is still mourning his lost wife. His in-laws told him about the surrogacy option, because before undergoing treatment, Britney froze some of her eggs, in hopes that she would make it and become a mom. When that offer is on the table for Sid, he doesn’t think he is ready, but to make them happy, he accepts, believing that he is not worth being a father.
Abby is the surrogate mother, who accepted this proposal upon hearing Britney’s story and feeling extremely sympathetic about it. She is a very special person, who believes in the power of love and therefore, bringing this child into the world would mean so much to her parents, but even to Sid, with all this reluctance.
What they were not expecting was the attraction they felt towards each other, even if this might be wrong at the beginning. With Abby being the surrogate and Sig being the husband who is still mourning his wife, this could sound like a plan B, like something that will not last forever. Abby is supposed to go back to the US after giving birth, leaving the baby with his family in the UK.
Why 5 stars? Because the story was complex, interesting and you need to have an open mind to love it and understand it. Besides that, what Sid and Abby have is special, and the development was very naturally written, to not be forced upon the reader. Everything that happened with them was so romantic and so down to earth, that my heart was full by the time the story ended. I loved Abby so much because she was kind and generous and gave it all to deliver this baby and be a part of Sid’s life. Sid was also interesting, a mixture of sweet and kind, but with a prickly part that defined this lost and suffering. I loved the book and as you can see, I can not stop writing about it.
Ramonisme 