Book Review: The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain

Title: The Dream Daughter
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia 
Publication Date: 9th October 2018
RRP: $24.99
Pages:384
Format Read: Trade Paperback
Source: Courtesy of Publisher

When Caroline Sears receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect, she is devastated. It is 1970 and there seems to be little that can be done. But her brother-in-law, a physicist, tells her that perhaps there is. Hunter appeared in their lives just a few years before—and his appearance was as mysterious as his past. With no family, no friends, and a background shrouded in secrets, Hunter embraced the Sears family and never looked back.

Now, Hunter is telling her that something can be done about her baby's heart. Something that will shatter every preconceived notion that Caroline has. Something that will require a kind of strength and courage that Caroline never new existed. Something that will mean a mind-bending leap of faith on Caroline's part.

And all for the love of her unborn child.

It’s 1970 and Caroline (Carly) is 24 weeks pregnant when she has an ultra sound revealing her baby has a heart defect. He husband Joe has been killed in the war in Vietnam and this baby is all that is keeping her from falling apart.

Carly’s brother-in-law Hunter, has a proposition; something that could be her baby’s only chance of survival. Something that is completely alien to everything Carly knows but she will do anything to save their baby. It is all she has left of Joe.

I loved this story. It was tense and heart-rending. I truly couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next, committing one of my own cardinal sins by skipping forward quite a few pages just to have a peek, the suspense, not knowing, was killing me.

I don’t want to give too much away as it’s best to go into this story not knowing too much. You will have to suspend belief to truly get into the story but that’s the idea, to delve into unknown territory and ponder the what ifs in this genre crossing novel.

Chamberlain draws her readers into the 1970’s with the Vietnam War, Beatlemania and the evolving of technologies such as computers and ultra sounds.

There is much comparison between America of the 70’s and the 00’s, showing how much the world changes in a relatively short period of time with new innovations, mobile phones, laptops, internet and advances in medicine.

Chamberlain highlights the attitude toward the Vietnam Vets then and now and shows how the War affected many lives.

I had no idea where Chamberlain was taking this story and each twist took me completely by surprise.

I would highly recommend this novel to anyone that enjoys a story full of hope and dreams and a plot that strays from the norm.

My rating  5/5        🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Diane Chamberlain is the USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling author of 24 novels published in more than twenty languages. Some of her most popular books include Necessary Lies, The Silent Sister, The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes, and The Keeper of the Light Trilogy. Diane likes to write complex stories about relationships between men and women, parents and children, brothers and sisters, and friends. Although the thematic focus of her books often revolves around family, love, compassion and forgiveness, her stories usually feature a combination of drama, mystery, secrets and intrigue. Diane's background in psychology has given her a keen interest in understanding the way people tick, as well as the background necessary to create her realistic characters.

Diane was born and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey and spent her summers at the Jersey Shore. She also lived for many years in San Diego and northern Virginia before making North Carolina her home.

Diane received her bachelor's and master's degrees in clinical social work from San Diego State University. Prior to her writing career, Diane worked in hospitals in San Diego and Washington, D.C. before opening a private psychotherapy practice in Alexandria Virginia specializing in adolescents. All the while Diane was writing on the side. Her first book, Private Relations, was published in 1989 and it earned the RITA award for Best Single Title Contemporary Novel.