"The Dream Daughter" was a thought-provoking and heart-wrenching story. Carly (Caroline) has found out she was pregnant in 1970 right after her husband, Joe, was killed in Vietnam. She goes to live with her sister and brother-in-law, Patti and Hunter, and their infant, John Paul. At a routine visit, the doctor notices something odd with her baby's heart, and Hunter works to get her into an experimental study which does ultrasounds. At that appointment, she learns that her daughter has a fatal heart condition and will not survive post-birth.
Desperate to save the only piece of her husband she has left, Carly agrees to listen to the crazy things Hunter is saying- he is from the future and can send her to a time when fetal surgery is possible so that her baby can be saved. He sends her forward to 2001, where she meets teenaged Hunter and is able to get the treatments her baby, Joanna, needs. The journey is not easy, but luckily, Hunter's mother, who figured out time travel, is there to help- to a point anyway.
As plans go awry and things change, Carly must face some heart-wrenching facts and roll with the punches. This was actually a very hard book to read, because you can feel Carly's pain and desperation with each new piece of information. Although there is time travel, this book did not feel like science fiction, and traveling through time instead felt like a casual event, such as going across the country. This is definitely women's fiction and didn't feel like it deviated much from the genre.
Overall, this was an emotional and well-plotted read which had me feeling all the feelings. I highly recommend for people who enjoy women's fiction and are up for an emotionally engaging read. Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Desperate to save the only piece of her husband she has left, Carly agrees to listen to the crazy things Hunter is saying- he is from the future and can send her to a time when fetal surgery is possible so that her baby can be saved. He sends her forward to 2001, where she meets teenaged Hunter and is able to get the treatments her baby, Joanna, needs. The journey is not easy, but luckily, Hunter's mother, who figured out time travel, is there to help- to a point anyway.
As plans go awry and things change, Carly must face some heart-wrenching facts and roll with the punches. This was actually a very hard book to read, because you can feel Carly's pain and desperation with each new piece of information. Although there is time travel, this book did not feel like science fiction, and traveling through time instead felt like a casual event, such as going across the country. This is definitely women's fiction and didn't feel like it deviated much from the genre.
Overall, this was an emotional and well-plotted read which had me feeling all the feelings. I highly recommend for people who enjoy women's fiction and are up for an emotionally engaging read. Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.