Dear Thing by Julie Cohen

Claire and Ben are the perfect couple. But behind the glossy façade, they've been desperately trying - and failing - to have a baby for years. Now, the stress and feelings of loss are taking their toll on their marriage. Claire's ready to give up hope and get on with her life, but Ben is not. And then Ben's best friend, Romily, offers to conceive via artificial insemination and carry the baby for them. Romily acts in good faith, believing it will be easy to be a surrogate. She's already a single mother, and has no desire for any more children. Except that being pregnant with Ben's child stirs up all sorts of emotions in her, including one she's kept hidden for a very long time: Ben's the only man she's ever loved. Two mothers-and one baby who belongs to both of them, and which only one of them can keep.

I have just finished reading Dear Thing by Julie Cohen and all I can say is wow!

Desperate for a child Claire and Ben are devastated when they fail at each and every way to conceive. Feeling beaten Claire decides she cannot put herself through the heart break any more. Ben’s best friend Romily offers them a very generous alternative, a way to have their longed for baby without Claire having to go through any more trauma. Ben is over the moon but will things be as straight forward to Claire and Romily?

This was an absolutely beautiful and delicate read that had me intrigued from the first chapter. The synopsis to this book had me hooked before I even started this book, I was excited to start this book as it sounded unlike anything I had read before. Surrogacy has always been something that I have always had a few questions about as it is a wonderful gift to be able to give but I often wonder how the surrogate feels whilst carrying a child you know you are going to give up and this book touches on everyone’s point of view from the surrogate and the new parents side. The author has clearly done a hell of a lot of research for this book not only on surrogacy but also on fertility problems and at times reading this book it I needed to remind myself that this is fiction because it all felt very real.

All of the characters in this book are unbelievably well written the characters could easily be the neighbours down the road they felt so real. Posie who is Romily’s daughter was a lovable little character who seemed to have an old head on her shoulders although I did find it very odd that she calls her mum Romily. The author manages to portray the emotions of Ben, Claire and Romily very well and equally there didn’t feel like a main character as they all were an important part to the story. 

I particularly liked the Dear Thing letters that Romily wrote as these letters real showed her emotions deep down. This is the first book that I have read about this subject matter which meant the book had a wonderful fresh feel to it. You will find the book brings out so many emotions, Posie helps to bring a smile to our faces which is needed after the emotional feel to this book. The book had a couple of little twists and I for one couldn’t predict the outcome which helped to add to the enjoyment of this compelling read. 

I cannot recommend this book enough it definitely has a unique feel to it so if you are looking for something fresh, exciting and compelling this has to be your next read.

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