LAUREN J. SHARKEY

Thanks to NetGalley and Kaylie Jones Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an accomplished and well-paced debut that kept me interested until the end. I liked the structure and the time jumps between present day and filling in the character's back story. The author takes on some very big issues ranging from identity, belonging and self esteem to infertility, adoption and family relationships to abuse and control, all of which are dealt with in a sensitive and powerful way. I thought the mother-daughter dynamic was articulated particularly well. I did feel the ending was a bit abrupt, and I thought that more might have come of the present day storyline given the buildup throughout the book. Overall an enjoyable read with well developed characters.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The book deals with some heavy issues, that were at times hard to read about, especially as some of the themes were reflective of some of my own personal experiences (though not to such an intense degree thankfully). The novel tackles the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, controlling domestic relationships, identity, and our desperate need to be loved/wanted, whatever the cost. The time jumps that occur later in the novel seemed to have more purpose for their use and I was hooked for the last half, unable to put the book down until I finished.

Though this is not the sort of book I would usually read, I'm so glad that I did.

RATING: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and Kaylie Jones Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WOW. This book is tough to read at times, but it is fabulously written! I loved the way the book was organized, flipping back and forth between Rowan's present and her upbringing. Definitely a powerful read.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lauren J. Sharkey's masterfully plotted portrait of Rowan, a smart and willful young woman in wild rebellion against the life she's been handed, is so raw and honest, written with such passion and heart, you turn the pages rooting for her to love herself as much as the reader and her indomitable adopted mother do. Inconvenient Daughter delivers this and so much more.

In Sharkey’s stirring if uneven debut, a transracial adoptee of Korean descent endures a crisis of identity...Though things start slowly, Sharkey achieves a moving account of Rowan’s difficult reckoning with her identity. This is an adept portrayal of the long shadow of abuse and the difficulty of being an adoptee. Read full review here.

This debut novel vividly details the awkwardness of high school and heartbreak of rejection...Rowan's first-person narrative voice provides sharp, devastating emotional insight. Read full review here.

Wow... there are so few words I can use to describe the raw intensity of this book. Filled with emotions and a poignant story line, this book left me wanting so much more and yet, satisfied with the story I had read. Full of heartbreak and joy, this is a book that woman everywhere should read, if only to realize that we all have an inner voice doubting ourselves, and Lauren J. Sharkey described that inner voice with such honest passion and brought forth tears I didn’t know I had to shed.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rare is the book willing to confess how essential belonging is, to detail the myriad ways we both seek it and suffer from its absence. Readers will discover in Sharkey's prose a truth few authors have the honesty to acknowledge or the courage to reveal.

Beautiful read. This is the book to read if you are stuck at home. Sharkey weaves a masterful tale about what it's like to be an outsider in your own life.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Steel, raw love, and rage forge the relationships between Rowan Kelly and her family. Inconvenient Daughter illuminates with cutting truth the layers of longing and grief which underlie a transracial adoption. Author Lauren J. Sharkey shines a light on how the truth of being loved and belonging can transcend the construct of biology. Sharkey provides heart-rending insight that never dips into false sentimentality, wrapped in a sharply written, intense, and page-turning novel. I simply loved this book.

Lauren J. Sharkey's emotionally searing novel chronicles its heroine's quest to forge her true self. Deeply felt and intensely written, Inconvenient Daughter speaks to the need we all have to find our place in the world, our place of belonging and acceptance. This is a powerful and stunning literary debut.