This was a very emotional read that follows the story of 14 year old Danni having lost her mother and living with her aunt. It also explores all of the emotions and heartbreak she has suffered growing up. This book was like picking up a Pandora’s box of secrets and watching as each one unfolds and the web of secrets and lies is exposed

An emotional, captivating read that grasps your attention from the start. The story is both heart-breaking and heart warming, and as the story progresses you are taken through a vast range of emotions.
The storyline is wonderful and so perfectly written, it is impossible to not find yourself completely and utterly lost within this book and the beautiful story that the author brings to life. 
A definite must read.

My Mother's Choice by Ali Mercer is a book full of unhappy people. Some know why they are unhappy; some do not. Dani is 14 years old and lives with her aunt. Her father lives nearby and she sees him sporadically. None of them are affectionate, or even close. Her mother died when she was four. She doesn't really remember it. The only thing she knows about her mother is the picture, which sits on her window sill of a young and pretty woman smiling and holding the hand of a little girl; her. She really has not friends, just one girl who she protected from some bullies on day. This girl, Josie, pushes her into going up to the attic to see what she can find out about her mother. What she finds is astonishing: a diary. Well, more of a memoir, really, written in the week or so before her mother's death. It opens her eyes. 

Dani is a 14-year-old with plenty of attitude, like many at that age. All she cares about is her computer and the bike her dad gave her for her birthday: they both spell freedom. Her aunt Carrie gave her few rules, but she broke one almost immediately, and then discovered why it had been given. It whetted her appetite for more so when Josie suggested the attic, she was all in. Josie is a shy girl, ripe for bullying but she has a pretty mom, who is so nice and makes such a nice home for Josie and her sister. Dani is kind of jealous. Dani discovers what happened to her mother, far more than she really wanted to know. It hurts. The situation hurts. The lies hurt. Her dad and her aunt have hurt both her and her mother. It is an interesting story, well-told. Lots of different personalities, many so unhappy. Mercer did a good job telling this story. One can only hope it's not true. I liked it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of My Mother's Choice by Netgalley. All opinions contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #mymotherschoice

Not a fan. I found this book very slow and boring... I couldn’t get into any of the characters or their plots. It ended ok... but just wasn’t for me.

I did enjoy this one but it was difficult to read in some parts and it is very emotional. Very well written.

I love family drama books, and this certainly fit the bill for that. This book was filled with drama, secrets, you name it. It kept me glued to the page, and I had to keep reading to find out what was next. This was my first novel by this author, and I look forward to checking out her other titles. 

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an early release of this book.

An enjoyable book, really picked towards the end with the big secret which was a shock. Great style of writing.

EXCERPT: Laura's Diary

Since leaving him I've found myself doing all kinds of things I wouldn't normally do. Coming here, for a start. I didn't even think twice about the drive - all those hours on the M4 with Dani in the back, the rain sheeting down when we got to the West Country, the tangle of lanes and bad signposts at the end.

But we made it.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Nobody talks about my mother. Absolutely nobody. I have no idea what she was like. I’d always thought they kept quiet about her because they were sad. But what if it was because they were guilty?

I watch them at the school gates, all the mothers with their daughters. I see the hugs and all those thoughtful little adjustments to scarves and ponytails. How their love seems to overflow, they have so much of it to give.

And then I walk home to my aunt’s cold house, where there are a hundred rules for me to follow and only a single photograph of my mother to look at.

She is never spoken about in this house. They tell me that it will be easier if I don’t think about her.

It is strange though, isn’t it? That I know nothing about my own mother?

But they don’t know about the diary I’ve found up in the loft. Maybe they even forgot it was there. It doesn’t matter anymore if they won’t tell me anything. Because within these pages is what I’ve waited fourteen years to find out. And maybe some things I wish I could forget.

All I wanted was to bring our family closer together, but could what I find tear us apart instead?

MY THOUGHTS: I wanted to like this book a whole lot more than I did..... it starts off well with an entry from Laura's diary revealing that she has left her husband Jon, taking their 4 year old daughter, Dani. She hints at something terrible that has happened that she cannot forgive, and that Jon is also unable to forgive himself.

There are beautiful descriptions of the Cornish coast and I felt that I was settling in for a grand read. Fast forward ten years and Dani is fourteen and living with her aunt Carrie and resenting it. The story is then told over two timelines, past and present, without a great deal being revealed. A lot is intimated, assumptions are made, but not a lot actually happens until Dani finds her mother's diary.

I felt that the revelation in the diary was anticlimactic and disappointing, although it certainly upset Dani. By this point I had largely lost interest and only kept reading because I thought that there had to be more to this story. And there was. But certainly not what I was expecting and not enough to redeem the book in my eyes. I felt that the author was trying to hide too much initially which didn't need to be hidden, and which would have given the story some backbone and focus.

This felt like an inordinately long read. There was a lot of 'filler' and not much meat. It certainly wasn't a 'heartbreaking' read, and nor did I become particularly emotional about it. For me, this was a mediocre read at best, the only redeeming feature being the wonderful descriptions of the Cornish countryside.

🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️.6

#MyMothersChoice #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Ali decided she wanted to be a writer early on and wrote her first novel when she was at primary school. She did an English degree and spent her early twenties working in various jobs in journalism, including as a reporter for the showbusiness newspaper The Stage. She started writing fiction in earnest after getting married, moving out of London to the Oxfordshire market town of Abingdon and starting a family. She has two children, a daughter and a son who is autistic and was diagnosed when he was four years old.
Ali is fascinated by families, their myths and secrets, and the forces that hold them together, split them up and (sometimes) bring them back together again. She always travels with tissues and a book and has been known to cry over a good story, but is also a big fan of the hopeful ending.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of My Mother's Choice by Ali Mercer for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

Having heard Ali Mercer discuss My Mother’s Choice on a Bookouture Live Facebook event, I knew this sounded my kind of read… Dani was only four years old when her mum, Laura, was lost in a mysterious accident. Now a teen, Dani is confused by the secrecy that surrounds her mum’s death and is determined to unearth the facts. The story begins in the present day, as Dani pieces together the puzzle of what led to her mum’s passing, flipping to a decade earlier, via extracts from Laura’s diary. 

Part family drama, part mystery, the story begins slowly before the pace picks up, revealing several great twists.  I found myself firmly on Dani’s side throughout, as she seemed a lonely, vulnerable, awkward teen who is desperate to learn more about her mum. Whilst the caring she shows her friend, Josie, felt both poignant and true.   

The only character I didn’t warm to was Dani’s Aunt Carrie, as her coldness felt a touch overdone at times and I longed for her to change. Dani came across as a bright, well-adjusted young woman, who was perhaps wilful at times (a normal teen), and I wished Aunt Carrie would cut her some slack and show her real love. However, it was also Mercer’s skilled writing that meant I so wanted Dani to not only find peace but lasting happiness too. Described as one for fans of Kate Hewitt and Amanda Prowse, this was my first Ali Mercer novel and I look forward to reading more.

There are secrets galore in this book, and the reader is kept glued on each page, to try and catch the next one.  This was an emotional read, and worth the read, recommended.

This is the story of Dani and her mum Laura, and how Dani didnt find out the truth about how and why her mother died until she found her mother's diary and went looking for answers. A good story but I felt that I missed the part of the story as to why Laura has left her husband.

You can just tell from the blurb of this book that it’s going to be a highly emotive read, that pulls on all of your heart strings, is likely going to make you cry and be difficult emotionally to read!

… I couldn’t have been more right! This has to be one of the most EMOTIONAL and heart-wrenching books that I have EVER read, but written in such a beautiful and sensitive and considerate way!

This is one where I can’t talk about the story line any more than what the blurb tells you without giving things away so I’m going to focus on a couple of the main points in the story that you can see on the blurb!

Firstly.. the loss of a child! Now if I had read this 5 years ago, before I was a mother myself, I don’t think it would have hit me quite as hard as it has now! This was so heart breaking to read, it literally had me in tears! The pain the grief the loss, how many people it effects! I just couldn’t imagine the pain and suffering people go through with the loss of a child and it was truely devastating to read!

Then to go on and fall pregnant again but to be told they have to choose Paiges life or the baby… how do you even make such a truely agonising and impossible decision? So many couples must go through this every year and I just cannot begin to imagine how they make that final decision!

What’s amazing about this book is how we switch between the couples POV so we switch between Paige and Nick! It shows the different views as to which is the right choice to make for them and the reasons! It’s so raw and feels incredibly honest and I found this whole book completely thought provoking… like how would I feel.. what would I do if I were in this position… and even right now I still couldn’t give you an answer! It shows how strong a mother’s love is and how deep it goes even for your unborn child! The connections you have with that baby that you carry is just purely instinctual! You would do whatever you could to protect them! This really hit so many hard emotions for me!

Now, Nick and Paige as a couple are just amazing, yes they have their tough times but their relationship through all of this is so incredible! Nick is so so sensitive and Paige just has so much faith through all those terribly hard times!

I really feel this author has written this book PERFECTLY, she’s been honest, and raw and yet so sensitive about such a hard hitting subject! There aren’t just heart breaking moments but heart warming ones to, and that’s just what makes this book such a beautiful read!

I’m so so happy to give this book 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ for such amazing writing, for such a thought provoking read and one that really hit all my emotions through such an emotional week for me!

I would really love to experience more from this author! So so beautiful, thank you for this whole emotional rollercoaster of a book!

This is an emotional family drama with so many secrets that aren't disclosed until the very end. Well worth a read

14 year old Dani lives with her Aunt after her mum died when she was four . Dani doesn't remember her . While searching the loft Dani finds a diary of her mother's . In it she finds revelations about her mum . This book is told by Dani and her mum through the diary. There is a lot of secrets ,!yes and turmoil but also quite heartbreaking.
Thanks NetGalley

Dani was four when her mother died and ever since she has lived with her Aunty Carrie, her dad comes to visit but she has no idea really why she does not live with him.

When she is 14 Dani finds a diary belonging to her mother and what she is about to read will change her life, and those around her forever. 

This story is told from two perspectives, 14 year old Dani’s and her mum, Laura.

I found it difficult at first to read Dani’s part as I had to keep remembering that it was being written from a 14 year old’s point of view. Dani really got to me, I felt as though no one loved her and she had been handed a very raw deal not only being looked after by someone who came across as cold and unfeeling but by not having her dad around much.

In contrast, the story of Laura is at first filled with colour and light, but this gradually turns to darkness. Laura did not really endear herself to me as I felt she blew a lot of things out of proportion.

The book overall left a lasting impression.

This is an emotional gripping story. I enjoyed the character development and felt this was a realistic situation!  Raw at times with thought provoking  topics this story pulled at my heart strings. Dani’s mother drowns when she is just 4 years old. Her family decided it’s in her best interest to try to move forward without  discussing her mother’s past. Dani finds her mom’s diary and now deep secrets  are no longer hidden. Will their lives ever be the same? I highly recommended this beautiful story. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review. 
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My Mother's Choice by Ali Mercer is another beautifully written book by Ali. All her books are just superb and I so love reading them. It's not usually my gene to read. But, when I see a book by Ali,  I have to find a space on my busy day renovating in my farmhouse and open my kindle to become apart of the story. I wasn't wrong with this latest book by Ali Mercer it was a Hit with me. Plus, you will need tissues when reading it, in my case it was my sleeve!! at the beginning before I went to get some tissues. So be warned you will need them handy!
Within in book there are so many secrets, with terrible betrayals and best of all lots of twists and turns, then OMG moments which make a great book for me!, 
The cover to this book is just beautiful and goes well with my Mother's Choice.

I highly recommend this book and all Ali's books they are Just ..........brilliant. 

Big Thank You to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Ali Mercer for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fascinating family mystery that I enjoyed reading. The book was very well written and the characters were believable. Highly recommended!

All Dani has to remember her mother is a photo. She lives with her aunt and occasionally sees her dad Jon. She is 14 and has so many questions about her mother's life and death but no one wants to talk about it. Is it the grief or is there a secret...?
Dani discovers her mother's journal and begins to search for the truth. The narrative in My Mother's Choice is divided between Dani's viewpoint and Laura's diary entries (although it reads as straight prose rather than having the personality I would expect from a personal journal, for example: people's speech is written out verbatim whereas I would expect a diary to summarise).
It becomes clear to Dani that her parents had a tense relationship at times due to family circumstances, his first wife and daughter, and her sister. I enjoyed reading about the developing relationship between her parents which raised suspicions about the circumstances of Laura's death but were actually red herrings (not telling you any more!) Jon is only ever seen through Dani and Laura's perspectives so we do not gain an insight into his actions and emotions.
Dani is a stereotypical teenager and redhead: impulsive, determined, tempestuous. She feels that she has been deliberately kept in the dark and doesn't trust the adults around her. Meanwhile, she is also a loyal and thoughtful friend, saving someone from being bullied.
I think the ending is emotional and tragic as the truth is revealed. The portrayal of mental confusion raises concern for me as to how we treat people that need care and actually really upset me. I felt that I wanted to know more about Dani's response to events and see how she processes and moves on with her life but instead this is left to the readers' imaginations.
The title My Mother's Choice is good for making us think about what choices we would make in the same situation as Laura. The book is an enjoyable read overall but will pull at the heartstrings.

My Mother’s Choice is the kind of heart-wrenching story that stays with you for a very long time.

How does a teenage girl who has almost no memory of her mother, living with an aunt who seems to barely tolerate her and a father who is hardly there, feel? Resentful. Angry. Frustrated. All of those things.

The only thing she has to hold on to is a single photograph of her mother and herself. She wonders why her mother is hardly ever spoken of. Nudged by a friend, she decides to look for more photographs to discover more about her Mom.

In the attic of her aunt’s home, she discovers her mother’s diary. And there begins her fresh quest to know more.

Did her father really love Laura, her mother? Does he even care about Dani? Is there a conspiracy of silence between her father and aunt? What are they hiding?

A teenage girl in search of answers to what, in a sense defines her, Dani sets off to find out more about her Mother’s life just before she drowned at sea.

What she uncovers is a lot more than she expected. Can she forgive? Can she move forward? Will she accept the way she was shielded and loved?

My Mother’s Choice shows us that love is expressed in so many different ways. And life is not always what we want it to be. Sometimes the people we love are trying to live and love in the way they think it’s best, and we have to make our peace with that.

Ali Mercer’s style of writing is very engaging and she constantly had me guessing about which way the story would go.

In many ways, this was a coming of age story. Dani has a fierce personality – a soft heart she hides behind a tough exterior – ready to stand up for her friends and finally being ready to accept the truth of her mother’s (and the other adults’) choice with grace and forgiveness.

I’m looking to read more of Ali Mercer’s books soon and would recommend this one to you.