Cover Image: A Million Dreams

A Million Dreams

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Member Reviews

Beth is happily married to Tim and they plan on taking the next step in their blissful lives - a baby. They are heartbroken when they fail to conceive naturally, so they proceed with fertility treatment. They harvest three embryos at the clinic that they both hope will give them the opportunity to become parents. The first and second attempt fail - and then Beth's world takes a devastating turn.
Izzy and Pete are married with an 8-year-old son, Noah. They have drifted apart in their marriage but their love of Noah keeps them moving forward.
One day they both receive a phone call from the IVF clinic that changes their lives forever. A mistake was made and now they are trying to rectify it. What follows is emotional and thought-provoking and, above all, demonstrates what lengths a parent will go through for their child.
What a great story - as others have said, have the tissues ready! I felt like I needed a nap when I finished the book. I'll definitely be reading more from Dani Atkins!
Thanks to Dani Atkins, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC.

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Dani has done it again.
A beautifully emotive book that tells the story of Beth and Izzy and the circumstances which bring them together in the most shocking way.
Although there were aspects of this book that I found a little predictable (could be because Dani is one of my favourite authors so her style has become familiar) I thoroughly enjoyed every page and couldn’t put it down.
Dani writes with such emotion that you can’t help but be drawn to her characters and I found myself once agin crying at parts of this book
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review

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Such an incredible read. What would you do if your embryo was mistakenly implanted in another woman? How far would you go to protect your child? Beth and Izzy face this horrifying reality when it is discovered a horrible mistake has been made at the fertility clinic where they had both been patients and treated. This book will have you involved from the very beginning. What would you do? Who is right?

Fans of Jodi Picoult are going to want to read this book. It has a ripped from the headlines feel and will have you glued to the pages waiting to see what happens next.

Thank you NetGalley, Dani Atkins and Bookouture for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

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This was a lovely and heartbreaking story of two women and their families - and a situation that nobody ever dreams of having to live through! It definitely requires a box of tissues while reading! I enjoyed reading about both women and their stories and felt so many emotions for each of them!

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I knew from looking at the cover that I would need a tissue or two. Actually, I needed almost a whole box! This is an absolutely gut-wrenching novel, with a premise that has no winners. Izzy, Pete and eight-year old Noah are a family. Pete and Izzy are separated, but that makes them no less a family, a unit that loves and cares for each other. One day, they get a devastating phone call from the fertility center that they used for IVF; Noah may be someone else’s child because the center “made a mistake.” Beth and Tim were deeply in love and had tried for years to have a child, but the IVF procedures never ended up with pregnancy for Beth. When the book opens, Tim has succumbed to cancer and Beth, all alone, wants to try to keep a part of him by having his child with their one remaining embryo. Unfortunately, her embryo is gone, given to another woman and that woman has her child. Although eight years have passed, Beth wants to legally pursue whatever recourse she has to get her child back. What would justice look like for Izzy, Pete, Noah and Beth? Is is possible to have a winner in a court case like this? My heart was torn into pieces because I wanted Izzy to have the son she had raised, but I also wanted Beth to have the son that was a living part of Tim. This was a book that was hard to put down but it was equally difficult to pick up. I cannot say that I was delighted to read it; rather, I was compelled to find out what happened in this lose-lose situation. Fans of contemporary fiction and women’s fiction will enjoy this book, but bring the tissues with you!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

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This book hits your right in the feelers, I cant imagine ever having to go through some thing like that. It was such a heartbreaking story. I couldn't put the book down

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I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. It did not hold my interest and I found myself skipping over parts.

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Thank you for the chance Netgalley to read this in advance.

Story is about two couples who use a fertility clinic. One couple loses her spouse so she wants to use the remaining embryo to have a child. She learns that the embryo has been mistakenly placed in another person 8 years ago and the other couple has her 8 year old child. Whose child does it belong to?

This theme feels very familiar. It’s a repetition story where both sides fight for the rights to the child but how selfish can one be? Both take it to court but does she have a good case to stand on being a widow and never seen or raised the child?

The story dragged in my opinion. I could not empathize with either side since this is a child we are talking about here. Insecurity issues arise. No one is able to problem solve effective yet if you love a child wouldn’t the decent thing to do is let the child know this person? Why does it have to be so complicated?

I get so frustrated when stories try to dramatize such an issue. These are people’s feelings we are talking about not robots.

I have read similar stories in this vein and 20 years ago, this theme was interesting but now it seems so cliche. Everyone wants to try for a child when every day there is a child available for adoption.

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This is a story about mistakes made that will tear people apart. Beth, who tried with her husband to have a child while he was alive, finally succeeds. However, her embryos are given by mistake to another woman, who are now raising a child that is actually Beth’s. What does someone, anyone, do in this situation? The choices that need to be made are never going to ever be good or even acceptable by everyone involved. The parents with the mistaken child want to fight to keep him at all costs, but also realize that there is someone else who is hurting just as bad on the other side. Then, in the middle of this, a shocking diagnosis comes, and the couple must decide what to do—what is best for the child, hoping they can follow through on any decision they make.

This is, as the title states, a heart-breaking page turner. I recommend having tissues at hand when you read it. This book presents the absolute worst decision that could have been mad that has been made, and all parties involved suffer because of it. It will tug at your heart with each page. The book kept me mesmerized the more I read. I have not read anything like it in the past. I recommend the book to a reader looking for something different—but be prepared to use your tissues as you read it. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

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This book hits all of the emotions at once. From the onset of page one, we learn about Tim and Beth, the couple that is so in love but facing a terrible tragedy: Tim has cancer. In order to begin the family they hope to have they decide to freeze three embryos.
Fast forward to Izzy and Peter. A couple that is struggling, but have an adorable 8-year old son. They also froze embryos.
Then one day the impossible news hits…..Izzy was accidentally given the wrong embryo. And it was the last one of Beth and Tim’s. It was the ONLY way Beth would be able to carry on her late husband’s genes.
Not only are emotions at their peak, morale comes into play. Is Beth legally able to take the child that only knows Izzy and Peter as his parents?
This fast page-turner had me gripped from the beginning. I furiously turned the pages, just waiting to see what was decided, my heart strings tugged. There are so many factors involved. What about the medical history? What about the child’s heritage? But do they matter enough to have the ‘mother by dna’ involved? So may questions. The author does a great job of touching both sides. The characters are developed so perfectly that it is hard to choose a side.
What would you do??

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Heartbreaking story following two mothers after a mix up at the fertility clinic. Huge pay off at the end.

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A Million Dreams by Dani Atkins is a book about two families that go through the heart breaking discovery about an embryo from a fertility clinic being implanted in the wrong female body. Unfortunately, this discovery was not known until 8 years after Izzy had her child. Beth who wanted to become a mother after her sick husband that passed away was told by the clinic the embryo that she and her late husband stored was implanted in another woman's body.

This is a story about two families finding out about the heat breaking mistake, going through a custody battle, and ending up making the most incredible decisions for this young child.

I highly recommend this book. I am not a fast reader, however, I could not put this book down. I felt drawn into both Beth and Izzy's lives. I hated to see the book end. This book would make an excellent movie.

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I adore this novel and it’s outstanding .
Beth Brandon always dreamt of owning a florist
Izzy Vaughan would like to say that she would stay forever with her husband
But they don’t
I had an ARC

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A Million Dreams is the first book I have read by Dani Atkins and I wasn’t sure exactly what the book would entail as the summary was rather brief. But, when I saw it was an emotional and gripping love story and perfect for fans who love books by Amanda Prowse and Jojo Moyes, well, I just knew I had to read it. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill and I am more than happy to say Dani Atkins really blew me away with a powerful story that encompasses so much between its pages.

This is really a story where you should go in blindly and I really don’t even want to give anything away with my own brief synopsis. One thing is for sure though, Atkin’s has written an emotionally heartbreaking story that will tug on your heartstrings and yet at the same time it is so uplifting and sprinkled with little bits of humor thrown in that made the story flow so easily. Don;t get me wrong this is a heavy book and deals with a lot of issues such as death, sickness, infertility, adversity and also love - the love a child and the love of a partner.

Beth and Izzy are such well written immersive characters and I could not help but like them both equally. They are both so different and yet the same. They both are fighters, but each in a different way. They would do anything for the people they love and it shows over and over again throughout this story. Both Beth and Izzy find themselves in a situation that is rather unusual and it will test them both in ways no one could ever imagine.

A Million Dreams is a thought provoking, heartbreaking and captivating story that will stay with you for a long time even after the last page is read. I highly recommend this beautifully and emotionally written book.

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Brilliant. An emotional rollercoaster right up until the end. Beth and Izzy are 2 incredibly strong women who do what they feel is best for Noah. Really well written and thought out.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

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First, I want to thank Dani Atkins, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

Dani Atkins instantly pulled on my heart strings with that adorable boy on the cover of her novel A Million Dreams. I was not blessed to be a mother yet I am a very proud Auntie. However, my heart went out to those two mothers as I can’t imagine being in either of those woman’s shoes. The heartache and pain each one had to face just killed me.

This book touches on some very important issues like infertility and IVF

Dani is an such an incredible writer pulling out such great emotions out of her characters in such a delicate story to tell. There was so much tragedy, death, and loss in this book. So many characters in this book your heart just broke for. Many times I wanted to reach into the book and give them a hug.

Nobody touched my heart more than Noah did. He was the sweetest boy ever. He wanted nothing more than his separated parents together again. I loved how he played Danny Zuko in his schools’ production of Greece. One of the most heart wrenching scene that Dani did an incredible job was the one where Noah had a major allergic reaction to Strawberries. He had the reaction very badly. That scene I was so scared for not only him but for his mother too.

I loved that there was a flower shop in this book called Crazy Daisy! It was such a cute name for a flower shop.

Dani has always been a big believer that everything happens for a reason-it’s a phrase the characters in the book mention more than once.

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This book put me into tears and man this book was amazing! This story was so full and powerful and it was one of my favorites of this year so far. The characters were so full of emotion and I can not wait to see more from this author.

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This is the first novel I've read by this author and i loved it! Beautiful , heartwarming story. The story goes back and forth between the two mother's POV. Looking forward to reading more by Dani Atkins.

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Have you ever started to read a book with a warning to hold Kleenex in your hand? Have you ever been warned to expect sobs? Even warned, I was not ready for the raw emotional power of A Million Dreams. So get ready for tears and do not underestimate this unforgettable story.

It all begins when Beth, a young widow, decides to use the one remaining embryo she and her husband Tim banked before his death from cancer. She’ll be a single mother, she thinks, and her family will support her. However, a tragic mistake made by the fertility clinic gave Beth’s much desired baby to be to another family. He’s now an eight year old boy, the image of Beth’s late husband. And his parents Izzie and Pete have raised him, love him and will fight to keep him. Relationship issues confronting Beth and Izzie are sidelined by the inevitable court case. Legal solutions and personal ones combine as Beth is faced with a life changing decision.

This novel forces two women, Izzie and Beth, to make a Solomon like decision. It centers on what it takes to be a mother. While their partners, Pete and Liam, support them, Izzie and Beth’s actions drive the plot. You may agree with their choices or wish for a different ending but you will care. A Million Dreams by Dani Atkins rips your heart out. Read it. 5 stars.

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I have been extremely moved by this story. It is a book I won't soon forget. The author gave the characters such depth and emotion. The characters seemed to come alive to me. I empathized with their horrible circumstances. What is the right outcome in such an unthinkable situation? I often thought while reading, what would I have done? The author tackled this tough subject perfectly. There is no right answer, just what feels right in your heart. I would highly recommend this amazing book.

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