I found this to be quite a "slow" book. I have loved Kerry Fisher's books but this one didn't grip me for some reason. An "OK" book

This is another absolute gem from Kerry Fisher. There were times in this book when I cried, empathising with the situation Jo found herself in after the death of her best friend. She is already struggling at home with her teenage daughter acting up, when her and her husband, Patrick get roped into becoming guardians for Victor, Ginny’s son.
As their lives change, they face a turbulent time and a rollercoaster of events and emotions follow.
I had real trouble putting this down, it really was absolutely amazing!

This is a book that really pulls you into the story. Jo is a very real character, she’s quite unsure of herself at times, and she struggles with Phoebe’s behaviour. As the book develops, Jo goes through a lot, with the death of her friend, taking Victor in to live with them, and the secrets that emerge. She actually begins to gain confidence and come into her own.

The small-mindedness of the rural community she lives in is quite shocking, and it makes things very difficult for the family. But all is not so perfect under the middle class veneer of her so called friends.

The twist, when it comes, was not such a shock, as some seeds had been planted along the way. This actually enhances the plot.

A really good, engrossing read. I found this one hard to put down. A rich and complex plot, and very relatable and real characters, make this a superb read. Highly recommended.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. I am a big fan or Kerrys writing which has the ability to work through real life issues.

This is a thought provoking book of a family whose dynamics change massively. This examines the many issues that arise .

Teenagers, playground behaviour and thats just between the adults,secrets and friendships..

A brilliant book from start to finish . Kerry expertly deals with the subject of race and the pressures on teenagers.

Published 5th August.

Well-developed characters and touching on everyday issues like friendships, marriage, parenthood. I particularly liked how the family dealt with the racism that was encountered,
Overall a good book and would definitely recommend.

Jo is devastated when her best friend dies from breast cancer. She asks Jo to take care of her son Victor. Although she is struggling with her daughter Phoebe (one of the most disagreeable teens I've come across in a while!) & her husband is not really keen on the idea, she feels she must fulfil Ginny's wish. Victor is of mixed race & in their white suburban village this provokes a lot of racism.

I really felt Jo's grief at losing Ginny, however I spent most of the time wanting to shake some sense into her. She seemed to accept that being treated like something nasty on a shoe is the way to be a parent to a teenage girl! Patrick, the husband was a bit of a nonentity. The only really likeable character was poor Victor. The twist was fairly predictable too. All in all this was a disappointment as the previous Kerry Fisher books I've read were five star reads. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

This was a wonderful book! I thoroughly enjoyed it and it’s probably one of my favourite reads this year so far. It was so well written and easy to read. It kept my attention and I read it in a couple of sittings.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I wasn't too shocked by how things turned out because it was what I expected. Beautiful story!

A well written, un-putdownable and compelling story that had me from the first chapter. It's sad and tragic and the characters had a way of taking over the pages and filling me with their frustrations and grief, their struggles to overcome their grief and become something new and move on. A mother dies leaving behind her fatherless son entrusting him to her bestfriends. Reluctantly they take him in even with an out of control daughter of their own. There is an awful lot of adjusting going on and at times the complaining had me rolling my eyes, this did not make me want to stop reading! I really enjoyed it and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys this type of read!

When Jo's best friend, Ginny dies her teenage son, Victor, comes to live with Jo and her family and a secret comes to light that could destroy Jo's whole family. At first, this book is a little hard to get into, but then suddenly it becomes totally gripping, and you can't put it down. The story aside from being entertaining and engrossing is extremely relevant as Victor is a child of a black mother and a white father, and his race is very much an issue in the story. However, the racism in the story isn't the outward racism of a bigot. It is the casual racism of people being racist without even realizing they are being racist which is something that is definitely not talked about as much as it should be. The story really makes you reexamine the way you think about and treat people that are different than you. It is a very thought-provoking and heart-rending book.

Another Woman's Child by Kerry Fisher is an emotional book about family dynamics and the chiices we make in life. Jo has a full, busy family life. Her sixteen year old daughter, Phoebe is at the typical teenager. Her attitude and back chat are wearing Jo thin. Her husband, Phoebe's father, usually leaves Jo to do the parenting. This means Jo is doing all the stressing while attempting to keep Phoebe from wandering to far from the right path.
At this very moment in her life, the last thing she needs is extra responsibility. Ginny, her best friend from way back at university has just passed away. She has a teenage son, Victor, and Ginnys dying wish was that Jo would look after him. Jo is torn but knows she needs to take Victor home and realises how much she is expecting from her family.
The story unfolds with Victor doing his very best to be a perfect house guest and Jo in a permanent state of panic, trying to please everyone at the same time.
Jo's life get's no easier as Phoebe and her friends problems being brought to her attention. A very typical family of our times, drug issues, addiction and rascism all rear their ugly head for poor Jo. As well as all the usual family dynamics to boot.
A modern family drama with all the different themes woven in and through it. I see Jo in a lot of women these days, we spend our lives dealing with issues like these and keeping our families together simultaniously. Packed with emotion and tension, this book had me immersed in Jo, her family and their lives. Thank you to Bookouture - Books - On - Tour and Netgalley for the ARC.

Another Woman’s Child is a very well written novel. Great plot and character development. I highly recommend this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

Another Woman's Child by Kerry Fisher was a book that surprised me. I thought it would be more suspenseful, but this was more of a woman's fiction story. Let me tell you, this author has a gifted writer - her words are funny, unique and memorable.

When Jo's best friend Ginny dies, she takes in Ginny's son Victor who is mixed. Ginny was a single mom and they have no idea who the boy's father is. Victor is 17, a good kid, but neither Jo's daughter Phoebe or her husband Patrick really want Victor to stay with them.

Of course there is an adjustment period. Phoebe is getting in trouble at school. There are drugs at the school and of course Victor is probably selling the drugs to the kids because he's the only black/mixed boy in the bunch. Jo and her family rally behind Victor and stick up for him whenever possible.

But something isn't perfect in their family life. A lot isn't perfect. The past will come back to haunt Jo, making her question everything she knows about her dead best friend, her family and her life.

Good novel - I really enjoyed reading it and some of the twists and turns did surprise me. Good job!

4.5 Stars

Nobody writes emotional drama better than Kerry Fisher and she is back with a heart-breaking and powerfully written page-turner that held me spellbound from beginning to end: Another Woman’s Child.

Jo and Ginny have been the best of friends for over thirty years. From young girls at college to successful career women and wives and mothers, together the two friends have been through thick and thin. Always there for one another and willing to lend a helping hand or a listening ear when needed, there is nothing Jo and Ginny wouldn’t do for one another. Their friendship has endured for three decades, so Jo is devastated when her beloved best friend dies. Absolutely shattered and torn apart by grief, Jo cannot imagine her life without Ginny. But it is not just her grief Jo has to think about: Ginny’s young son Victor is grieving for his mother and despite of her busy life, Jo decides to give her late best friend’s son a home and welcomes him to the family fold.

Even though her husband was against the idea of bringing Victor in, Jo goes against his wishes and vows to raise the teenager like one of her own. Ginny was a single parent and her death has left young Victor all alone in the world. It’s the very least Jo can do for the orphaned teen – even if this decision could well end up tearing her own family apart. However, as Victor begins to settle in, it soon transpires that his arrival will not just bring to light the cracks that have long lain hidden in Jo’s marriage, but send shockwaves rippling throughout their entire rural community as a long-buried secret is revealed…

Jo thought that by taking in her late friend’s orphaned teen that she was doing a good thing. However, she might just have made the biggest mistake of her life…

A heart-wrenching emotional rollercoaster ride rich in tension, pathos and drama, Another Woman’s Child is a brilliantly written and highly poignant tale from an immensely talented storyteller. Kerry Fisher is a very gifted writer who writes with depth, honesty and candour about families, relationships and the ties that bind and in Another Woman’s Child she has written a captivating tale I simply couldn’t bear to stop reading.

A first class contemporary drama from the British Diane Chamberlain, Another Woman’s Child is another winner by Kerry Fisher.

Emotional and incredible. For me, this book dealt with so many incredibly hard topics in one hit. Grief, racism, and all the other areas covered so sensitively and beautifully.
Just a wonderful book that drew me in and didn't let go.

Such a great read. An emotional story of a family taking in a friends child after her death. Heart-wrenching, heart warming and emotional. A huge twist in the tale brings more drama to the family. I love Kerry's writing - the characters are so relatable. Despite the sadness of the story there are also some literally laugh out moments and some great characters. Jo's mum is so well written. I was sorry to finish the book.

Another emotional story which pulled me in slowly through the pages. Author Kerry Fisher had enmeshed a few social issues, rampaging our society within her fictional characters sensitively. It brought home the value of friendship even after death.

Jo and Ginny were the best of friends. Ginny died and Jo brought home her son, Victor, into a family which had already reached a break point.

Having read many of this author’s books, I knew I was in for a detailed slow ride. The author laid the foundations of the characters and the family dynamics in the first half. Jo wanted to keep everyone happy, and sometimes that didn’t work out.

Casual racism and drug addiction were highlighted along with teenage angst. I loved when the husband stood up for Victor against the cruel remarks. There was much to cheer on in the book. The characters developed slowly, and it was last half which kept me attached to my kindle.

Secrets in Ginny’s letters made a pleasant surprise, a great addition to the family drama. Kerry’s writing paved a way for the truth to slowly pervade the lives of the characters. Taking on another woman’s child was difficult, but the love that came it made it totally worth it.

A beautiful read.

A raw, honest, and touching book about a family who welcomes their friend's teenage son into their home after her death. Some of Jo's struggles were so much relatable - she starts with an open mind only to start resenting the intrusion as the days go past. Can I also say how much I loved Jo's mom?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

At first, I was annoyed at the insecure wife and mother theme and I had a feeling at the beginning how this was going to turn out, but I kept reading and I'm glad I did.

All of Jo's turmoil and self-doubt as a mother, as a wife, and as a friend changes after finding out the secret. She has to make a difficult choice that will change her life forever, but when it really comes down to it, she makes the only choice for her family...the best choice.

As I said earlier, Jo's lack of self-confidence and her penchant for always putting everyone before herself was wearing thin. However, I can't imagine how difficult it would be to lose your best friend too young and Jo's strength at taking in Ginny's son as part of her family is admirable and challenging at the same time. It's understandable that she would have doubts at first, but Victor is an extremely mature and kind eighteen-year-old who gradually bonds with her family. I wondered about Patrick's feelings and lack of support in the beginning, but he steps up and takes responsibility. In addition, Jo, Patrick, and Phoebe, their daughter, turn out to be unfaltering supporters of Victor when all the racist accusations start flying from so-called friends and it is a tear-filled moment to see how they come together when the secret is revealed.

Overall, this is a touching story that emerges slowly with a thought-provoking situation that would have some people throwing in the towel. In my opinion, Jo is an extremely generous and brave soul who is definitely "the lynchpin who keeps her family together". Recommend highly!

Thank you to Ms. Fisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

Could you...could you do it?
Take in and welcome your best friends son into your family after her passing.....
Yes without a shadow of a doubt is the answer but what if that decision upsets your whole family dynamics.....
Now throw in the fact that this boy is mixed race and suddenly your dealing with neighbours and people you believed were friends all sharing their racist thoughts and comments on a situation they know nothing about...
Not to mention that you are still grieving for your friend....
Doesn't this make for an upsetting if not quite toxic situation....
Meet Jo and her husband Patrick......
A somewhat happy marriage I felt...
Both trying to deal with their wayward daughter Pheobe.
There were so many times I wanted to scream at her behaviour...
I couldn't see where or why her respect for her parents had disappeared...
Both Jo and Patrick's friend Ginny has passed away leaving behind her beautiful son Victor to their care...
She has raised Victor to be a good person and we see that shine through on so many occasions throughout the telling of this story....
We see how much Ginny valued her friendship with Jo which I adored....
Jo comes quite late to that party but when she does it's beautiful and made me cry...
I found quite a few heartbreaking issues surfaced in this story but they are beautifully told by the author with such tenderness...
You will love this one. Her characters are different, quite resilient but ultimately they know that family matters...
Family is what holds us all together really....
So very well worth your time 💕