Review: A Necessary End by Holly Brown

A Necessary End

by Holly Brown

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 400

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Thirty-nine-year-old Adrienne has tried before to adopt a child, but this time, nothing is going to get in her way.

Sure, her husband, Gabe, is ambivalent about fatherhood. But she knows that once he holds their baby, he'll come around. He's just feeling a little threatened, that's all. Because once upon a time, it was Gabe that Adrienne wanted more than anything; she was willing to do anything. . . . But that was half a lifetime ago. She's a different person now. There are lines she wouldn't cross, not without extreme provocation.

And sure, she was bitten by another birth mother—clear to the bone—and for most people, it's once bitten, twice shy. But Adrienne isn't exactly the retiring type.

Enter Leah. At nineteen, she bears a remarkable resemblance to the young woman Adrienne once was. Which is why Adrienne knows the baby Leah is carrying is meant to be hers. But Leah's got ideas of her own. If Gabe and Adrienne let her live with them for a year, they get the baby, free and clear. All Leah wants is a fresh start in California, and a soft landing. Or so she says.

It seems like a small price for Adrienne to pay to get their baby. And with Gabe suddenly on board, what could possibly go wrong?


Kritters Thoughts:  Adrienne has been wishing and hoping for a child for years and after being burned once she is having a hard time trusting.  In walks Leah who is pregnant but is in need of a new and fresh start and wants to use Gabe and Adrienne for this start.  She will provide the wanted baby if they provide the new life.

This was such a fantastically twisted story!  All characters involved had their own personal motives in mind and definitely did not have anyone else in mind whenever they made a decision.  As a reader it was hard to choose who to root for and to pick sides (which is my favorite part sometimes), so I was frustrated because no character did I really like.  

Both Adrienne and her husband Gabe take turns narrating the story, but I had wished for a few moments from Leah's point of view.  I did enjoy Gabe's part of the story and I wouldn't take it out, but I really wished to hear from Leah at a few moments throughout the book.  I think she would have provided an interesting take on Adrienne and Gabe's relationship and would also have provided her own viewpoints on how she was feeling as she rollercoastered after giving birth.

I definitely enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down, but it was definitely twisty and turny and at moments I felt as though I was ready for some resolution!


Rating:  definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.