If you follow my blog, you might have seen my review for Kate Davies’ debut novel IN AT THE DEEP END, which I absolutely LOVED, so I was really excited to read the authors latest book which was published in February this year.

I knew as soon as I opened the book and the Epigraph was Philip Larkin’s This Be The Verse “They f*ck you up, your mum and dad…” and when I saw some of the chapter names included “Self-Flagellating Bollocks”, “F*ck F*ck F*ck F*ck F*ck” and “Bugger Off” that I would enjoy this story.

Nuclear Family is set in North London and follows twins Alison and Lena and their father Tom. The girls mother had suddenly and unexpectedly passed away and the family are still in the midst of grief. To brighten up their first family Christmas without mum, Lena thinks it would be a great idea to buy them all a DNA testing kit, except Tom’s reaction has devastating results when he announces the twins were conceived via a sperm donor and their parents had kept this secret for their entire lives.

This shock revelation literally splits the family in two. Lena, who is married and currently trying for a child of her own is devastated and needs to know who her biological father is, however Alison and her wife who are also trying for a baby using donor sperm has absolutely zero interest in anything to do with the DNA results.

The story brings up so many emotions and the twins reactions to this news are polar opposite but the reader does sympathise with both sides, although I did find Lena’s obsession a little harder to believe.

Nuclear Family takes a long hard and raw look at IVF and infertility struggles and doesn’t sugar coat the devastating effects it has on the family when things don’t go as planned.

There were many times throughout the book I questioned how I would feel if I was in their situation and would I behave like Lena or Alison?

Overall, I think this would make a brilliant book for a book club discussion as there are so many elements within the story including identity, nature vs nuture and what it really means to be a family.

as a mother who used IVF with a donor embryo to get her miracle this one felt very close to home and something we may yet have to face in the furture.
but regardless it was a BRILLIANT BOOK AND I LOVED ALL OF IT

This was amazing and another of those books that you can see so
Easily being adapted to a film or series,
Well written and drawn out characters

I was not expecting a lot of this book, and it was exciting read, very twisty and quite out there in some parts. I love books that make me feel emotional and I was literally screaming "NO" at this book. I found the characters very likeable and lots of plot.

Alison and Lena, twin sisters bound by a strong bond with their father, Tom, are still navigating the profound loss of their mother, Sheila. Amidst their shared grief, Lena's innocuous Christmas gift—a DNA testing kit—ushers in an unexpected revelation: Tom discloses that he is not their biological father, and that he and Sheila had utilized a sperm donor to conceive.

The sisters' reactions diverge sharply: Alison, resolute in her belief that familial ties transcend biology, remains steadfast in her affection for Tom, focusing on her own journey towards parenthood with her wife via a sperm donor. In contrast, Lena, grappling with feelings of betrayal and a deep-seated need for identity, embarks on a quest to unearth the truth surrounding her biological origins, determined to connect with her genetic roots.

As the sisters navigate this seismic shift in their understanding of family and identity, they confront divergent paths marked by acceptance, reconciliation, and the complexities of love in all its forms.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

An interesting topic.

Twins Alison and Lena find out they are concieved by a sperm donor

This looks at parenthood and conception and family relationships.

Well written

Nuclear Family is such a great read. It's a family-focused story with twins Lena and Alison discovering their real father is a sperm donor after they get their dad (the man who was married to their mother and raised them) a DNA kit for Christmas. What then rolls out is the dynamics of this family and an exploration of conception, family and what it means to be a parent.

Lena wants to find the sperm donor, but Alison doesn't. The twins are also each dealing with their own life issues and these all work to create both rounded character you care about and a story that keeps you engaged.

I loved the themes and layers to Nuclear Family. Written in a conversational tone, this was emotional, tender, funny and sad. The best combo.

Nuclear Family by Kate Davies

Twins Alison and Lena find out that they were conceived with donor sperm when Lena buys their father, Tom, a DNA kit for Christmas. Lena wants to find their biological father but Alison doesn't. Tom is frightened that he'll lose them both. But Alison and Lena are also fighting their own battles with fertility, conception and their relationships.

What a wonderful book, I absolutely loved it! Such a thought-provoking story which is smart, funny and poignant. Loved everything about it - the concept, the setting, the characters... everything! Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Compared to Kate Davies' debut, In At the Deep End, Nuclear Family is a radically different story.
In contrast to the first, which had a little sultry shock element, this was a family-friendly but equally fascinating story.
Lena, one of the twins, gives her father a DNA test for Christmas, and it sets off a series of events that force Tom to acknowledge he is not her biological father and her sister, Alison. Donor sperm were used in their conception.
As it is, the two females are in very different circumstances. Both Lena and Alison are married, but Alison and her spouse are utilising donor sperm to try for a child.
I thought it was a great story given from Tom, Lena, and Alison's points of view.
Regarding the morality of egg and sperm donation as well as the potential feelings of the donor and the offspring, numerous questions surfaced.

I really enjoyed this book. The chapter titles are a work of art before you even get into the content of the book itself! The storyline is modern, well written, funny, emotional – and really makes you think.

Whilst my husband and I have both done the DNA kits mentioned in the blurb and that feature as a key part of the book – ours didn’t reveal anything shocking, but I have had a conversation with someone who works with troubled families, who said that she could see them causing huge issues – exactly as happens in this book.

We’re also really lucky that we had 4 quick to conceive and successful pregnancies and births (even with a vasectomy and reversal between children 2 and 3 – that’s a whole other blog post!) but I appreciate we were incredibly fortunate – and the book looks at many different ways in which a family can be created. Having read the acknowledgements, it’s evident that a number of these different family structures are based upon the authors own experiences as a child and subsequently as a parent.

Whilst each of the characters I felt was at times a bit selfish – fundamentally they all love each other deeply. I also liked the fact that some non-traditional topics such as older people embarking on a new sexual relationship, and trans men carrying a child, are part of the supporting story arcs and not thrust front and centre, but discussed as being totally normal.

The book also doesn’t end with all of the elements of the story tied up in a neat bow – which would have been a total sell out to – so I’m pleased with that.

I also think this would be an interesting book to discuss at a book club if you’re that way inclined!

I’m every so slightly behind with my reviewing – and this came out last week, so if you like the sound of it you can order it right now!

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for my ARC.

Imagine finding out that you were donor conceived. Imagine your twin wants to know nothing about it.
Sounds pretty straight forward as a story. But, there is actually a lot in here. About parenthood, conception, different ways that families can be made. It's really thoughtful and thought provoking. The author has quite a delicate touch in being able to show lots of different perspectives and the complexities of the issues.

I hadn't read a book by this author before but I really loved the premise of this book. I see so many stories of those DNA ancestry kits coming back to bite people so it was a really interesting to see it from a different perspective, I really enjoyed it.

The story begins one Christmas when Lena decides to give DNA testing kits to her twin sister Alison and her widower father Tom. This opens up a can of worms and Tom has to admit that he is not their biological father. Lena is keen to meet her biological father, but Alison is against this.
The author managed to tackle sensitive issues such as sperm donors, in a lighthearted yet thought provoking manner. There are some lovely little humorous sections together with some poignant moments.
Kate makes us consider what 'family' really means.

As a huge fan of Kate Davies novel 'In at the Deep End', I was pleased to be granted a review copy of 'Nuclear Family' by NetGalley. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review - as always, opinions are entirely my own.

The book opens with Lena buying a DNA kit as a Christmas present for her dad (Tom) and her twin sister (Alison). She thinks it will be fun - plus there was an offer on the kits, so they're a bargain! However, it forces Tom into the confession that Alison and Lena were conceived using a sperm donor - something that neither were really ready to find out in their thirties. Both respond very differently - but the impact on both is lasting as they reconsider their relationships, maternal instincts and what it means to be family.

This book had a quite different mood to 'In at the Deep End', which was incredibly funny and a bit eye-opening! 'Nuclear Family' is still very funny in places, but also has more emotional depth and is very thought-provoking about familial relationships. It still made me laugh, but I also found it very moving - especially how it all worked out in the end in ways I didn't foresee.

Of all the characters, I liked Tom best - I really felt that the decision to not tell the girls they were not his biological children (a decision made with his late wife) came back to bite him in a major way. I actually felt quite sorry for him, especially as he was clearly a great dad. His fledgling relationship was really sweet and well-written too. I found Alison more empathetic as a character - the dynamics of her relationship and thoughts on maternity were also interesting and engaging. Lena was more of a challenge to grasp as a character for me - I thought she was harsh and quite unlikeable at times. I particularly found her relationship with her husband and Daniel hard to fathom. I'm glad the characters were so different as this was what opened out different perspectives on the same theme, but I didn't always find Lena so believable as her life went into freefall.

I did really like the family dynamic though - the shared picnics in the graveyard by their mum's grave (sounds very depressing but isn't in Davies' hands), the family roles that each member slots into, the clashing personalities within the group, the way that trivial things fall away when big things happen. I also loved the running theme of their mum's memorial - that poor, hapless designer!

Overall, this is a fun and lively look at some big, heavy themes - it will definitely make you think about blood ties, found families and some big decisions around maternity. I'd not really considered a lot of the ethical and moral dilemmas raised in this book, but there is a lot of food for thought. The book also celebrates diversity - there's lots of representation of different parents here including gay, trans, donors and biological. It's an intriguing, humorous and ultimately moving read.

Nuclear Family is centred on a family in North London. Tom is a widower with twin daughters. When Lena thinks it will be fun to buy them all DNA testing kits for Christmas, he is bounced into telling them that they were conceived via a sperm donor.

Alison says she doesn’t care. Her wife is going through fertility treatment and Alison doesn’t think her lack of a biological connection to their child will make any difference. Lena, however, tells her husband she wants to put their plan to start a family on hold while she searches for her biological father. For her, not knowing who he is undermines her sense of who she is. These differing approaches in turn undermines the previously close relationship of the twins.

The story follows each of the three family members as they come to terms with what has happened. It has an aspirational/escapist feel at times – many of the scenes are built around cool arty and social events and lovely holidays. It’s packed with zeitgeisty cultural references, pointed humour, and some moments of real sadness.

Nuclear Family makes us think about what it means to be a parent, what makes us someone’s child. It explores the way our ideas of family are constantly being remade. All wrapped up in an entertaining and deceptively light story.
*
I received a copy of Nuclear Family from the publisher via NetGalley.

Nuclear Family by Kate Davies.
Publication date: Feb 15th.

This is a book that has so many strands related to one subject that it shouldn't work and yet it really fully does. This book hooked me with a line in the first page and I really enjoyed this authors tone and style throughout the book.

The book is about a small family that implodes after a Christmas gift of a DNA testing kit. Lena and Alison are twins, they lost their mother in recent years and now their family consists of them, their spouses and their father, Tom. Lena thinks the DNA kit will be a fun way to find out about their ancestors but instead it results in Tom admitting he is not their biological father and that he and their mother Sheila used donor sperm to conceive the twins. Tom never intended for this secret to emerge and is distraught and terrified that his daugher's will now reject him and he is desperate to win back their trust.
Lena and Alison take the news very differently. Alison and her wife are currently trying to have a baby using a donor and she believes DNA doesn't matter whereas Lena becomes obsessed with finding out about her biological father which impacts on relationships with her sister, father and husband.

This book is centered around identify, donor conception and the idea of what it means to be a family and its wry, heartwarming , witty , informative and entertaining, like I said it doesn't sound like a book that should be a funny and warm as it is .Its all woven together brilliantly, with believable, likeable and interesting characters at its heart. There is an authors note at the end of this book ( I hope its at the beginning in the published copy) and explains how the author has personal experience of the topics she writes about. I should have realised this when reading because she writes with great consideration and knowledge and the tone is pitch perfect throughout.

So much happens in this book and its well paced throughout. I loved this family , so vividly captured by the author, they came alive in the pages in all their messy glory. The book made me smile when reading and was deeply moving in other parts. A real surprise gem of a read. Recommend
4 stars.

* Content note for every and all aspects of fertility.

Nuclear Family
by Kate Davies

I was very drawn to this story with it's premise of exploring donor conception. While it's not necessarily new science anymore, the ethics considerations have evolved over the past few decades, and now we have the first generation who's conception was dependent on IUI and IVF coming to terms with what that means for their identity. With the ready availability of DNA testing kits, more and more people are discovering facts about their conception that their parents kept from them through fear and insecurity, awkwardness or misguided protection. I find this fascinating and hoped the author would explore the nuances and not be too surface level.

I didn't need to worry. She chose to tell this story from all the points of view I could imagine, the grown children who discover they are donor conceived, their non biological parent who feared the outcome of their knowing, their individual partners, their newly discovered half siblings, those that donate for various reasons, those that want to know, those that don't, those that agree with assisted fertility, those that don't.

Somehow she has presented all these POVs in a humorous story that has a distinct flavour of Bridget Jones' Diary. It's packed with cultural references, literary references and if you love a strong sense of place, and London setting, you are in for a treat.

Well done to Kate Davies for this sensitive, poignant, light hearted treatment of a subject that is bound to touch everyone eventually. I can see this on the big screen.

Publication Date: 15th February 2024
Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperCollins for the eGalley

I was a huge fan of “In At The Deep End” and waited patiently for book two. And, oh, it was so worth the wait!!! We get a book which is mature in themes and written in such an engaging way that I struggled to put it away, despite the deadlines.
It all starts with a DNA test bought as a present. Twins Lena and Alison, their spouses and their dad, Tom, spend Christmas together when the bombshell goes off – he is not their biological father, the girls were conceived using a sperm donor. For Alison and her wife Suria, who are just trying to get pregnant in a similar way, there is no problem – Tom is Alison’s dad, the same way as Alison will be mum to their child. But Lena is raging, Lena is unravelling, Lena is no longer sure who she is. She goes on a journey to discover her biological father, despite other’s misgivings and hurt. What follows is hilarious in places but moving, even heart wrenching, a story of searching for family, dealing with love, loss, and guilt.
I chuckled, laughed, and cried. There is so much happening in this book – Alison’s and Suria’s journey to motherhood is probably one of the most beautiful and affecting parts of the book, especially when juxtaposed with Lena’s righteous crusade of finding a man who she shares genes with. The main theme of the book, what makes a family, is observed by the author from many angles, starting with sisters' conflict of nature versus nurture, continued with the investigation of infertility and lesbian pregnancy, to ethics of sperm donation. And yet, such complex matters are discussed with compassion, fairness, and wit. There’s just enough humour here to balance some heavy stuff going on, and in places I was cackling with laughter between having my eyes properly moistened.
The characters are so well rounded! A slightly neurotic father, who has to deal with a falling out in his small family brought by his desire to keep the secret from his daughters. Two sisters with different temperaments and attitudes towards life. A delightful neighbour, Jessie, Alison’s annoying mother in law! People are alive and breathing on the pages of this book and sometimes you just want to hug them and tell them all will be fine.
I could go on forever, but I loved this book so much. Please read it and enjoy the gem that is “Nuclear Family” by Kate Davies.

This is a really thought provoking read, as well as a great story.

DNA testing has become a big thing nowadays, but when a Christmas gift is given, Lena suddenly finds out she and her sister came into the world via a sperm donor. This is the story of the family's reaction to the news, and her discovery of a half-brother.

At times funny, sad, heart-warming, this niggles away at your thoughts and makes you realise that DNA testing is not necessarily just a bit of fun.

It’s interesting to read others reviews as I too really struggled to get going with this book. I think it took me a little while to warm to Lena and Alison and just generally to settle in with the writing style. I was really glad I persevered though as I ended up enjoying the story and storming through the pages because I was so keen to find out what happened. I thought the premise of the story was good and it really did make me wonder how many families truly do experience shockwaves after a seemingly harmless Christmas gift is opened!