Post by agreads on Oct 1, 2017 18:37:11 GMT -7
My review of The Best Laid Plans by Lauren Gallagher
I loved this book. LOVED it! I have been a fan of this author for a while because she has an insightful way of writing complicated, unconventional relationships. This book is no exception and is a beautiful love story of creating the family we want and need regardless of what society tells us it should be.
Gabe and Shahid have been married for 11 years and trying to adopt for almost as long. Adoptions keep falling through, though, not because they are a gay couple but because Shahid is Muslim. Kendra has been best friends with them for years. When she sees how broken Gabe is after the latest adoption attempt goes bad, she offers to be a surrogate.
The decision is not a quick one and the issues are dealt with in a realistic way, particularly because they want to conceive the baby naturally. Gabe's bisexuality and the difficulties it caused early in his relationship with Shahid again come to the front and have to be reexamined. Ultimately, the desire for a baby wins out.
Although the threesome started as nothing more than sex in hopes of conceiving, things soon go deeper and new problems arise both with Kendra and with the relationship between the three. By being honest and upfront with themselves and each other, they finally realize that their foundation is not in wanting a child but in their love for each other. As they navigate family, religions, and differences in sexuality and emotional intimacy, they become the complete family that can give a child a solid, accepting, and fully loving home.
I give this book a full 5 stars, an exceedingly rare rating from me, and higly recommend it to anyone willing to look past society's expectations and see that the human race and its capacity for love is beautiful in all its permutations.
I loved this book. LOVED it! I have been a fan of this author for a while because she has an insightful way of writing complicated, unconventional relationships. This book is no exception and is a beautiful love story of creating the family we want and need regardless of what society tells us it should be.
Gabe and Shahid have been married for 11 years and trying to adopt for almost as long. Adoptions keep falling through, though, not because they are a gay couple but because Shahid is Muslim. Kendra has been best friends with them for years. When she sees how broken Gabe is after the latest adoption attempt goes bad, she offers to be a surrogate.
The decision is not a quick one and the issues are dealt with in a realistic way, particularly because they want to conceive the baby naturally. Gabe's bisexuality and the difficulties it caused early in his relationship with Shahid again come to the front and have to be reexamined. Ultimately, the desire for a baby wins out.
Although the threesome started as nothing more than sex in hopes of conceiving, things soon go deeper and new problems arise both with Kendra and with the relationship between the three. By being honest and upfront with themselves and each other, they finally realize that their foundation is not in wanting a child but in their love for each other. As they navigate family, religions, and differences in sexuality and emotional intimacy, they become the complete family that can give a child a solid, accepting, and fully loving home.
I give this book a full 5 stars, an exceedingly rare rating from me, and higly recommend it to anyone willing to look past society's expectations and see that the human race and its capacity for love is beautiful in all its permutations.
