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A review by mjsam
Taking Chances by Erin McKenzie
5.0
ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. It features interesting, well-developed main characters, great secondary characters, and a thought provoking storyline.
Valerie is an ex-foster child who wants to be a foster mother, Paige handles foster parent training and home placement, and also has a daughter adopted through foster care. She and Val meet at the foster parent training and have a connection, which is complicated by Val having foster kids placed in her care by Paige.
The foster kids Ian and Lily, and Paige’s daughter Emma are all delightful, and watching both sides of the foster relationship play out gave the story depth, and it’s not without angst. What I really loved was that this isn’t glossed over.
Both characters are also three-dimensional and flawed but works in progress. Val acknowledges her issues and confronts them, Paige also acknowledges her self-esteem issues and Paige and Val actually talk to each other, (yes, that rare unicorn of lesfic, communication!!!), so there’s no stupid miscommunications that drag on for ridiculous reasons.
The other supporting characters in Connie, and both sets of best friends are also lovely and add to the story. The story also unfolds over a long period of time, so it feels more realistic, although I did think the conflict of interest could have been addressed sooner. So, even though the HEA was never in doubt, it feels more than earned by the time it arrives.
All around this was a great read, even though the topic and situations could have lead to it being a bit dark, it’s actually a sweet read and never feels bogged down. 5 stars.
I really enjoyed this book. It features interesting, well-developed main characters, great secondary characters, and a thought provoking storyline.
Valerie is an ex-foster child who wants to be a foster mother, Paige handles foster parent training and home placement, and also has a daughter adopted through foster care. She and Val meet at the foster parent training and have a connection, which is complicated by Val having foster kids placed in her care by Paige.
The foster kids Ian and Lily, and Paige’s daughter Emma are all delightful, and watching both sides of the foster relationship play out gave the story depth, and it’s not without angst. What I really loved was that this isn’t glossed over.
Both characters are also three-dimensional and flawed but works in progress. Val acknowledges her issues and confronts them, Paige also acknowledges her self-esteem issues and Paige and Val actually talk to each other, (yes, that rare unicorn of lesfic, communication!!!), so there’s no stupid miscommunications that drag on for ridiculous reasons.
The other supporting characters in Connie, and both sets of best friends are also lovely and add to the story. The story also unfolds over a long period of time, so it feels more realistic, although I did think the conflict of interest could have been addressed sooner. So, even though the HEA was never in doubt, it feels more than earned by the time it arrives.
All around this was a great read, even though the topic and situations could have lead to it being a bit dark, it’s actually a sweet read and never feels bogged down. 5 stars.