She befriended the one woman she was never supposed to meet. Now she’s the key suspect in her disappearance. For fans of The Perfect Mother and The Wife Between Us comes a gripping psychological suspense debut about two strangers, one incredible connection, and the steep price of obsession.Lana Stone has never considered herself a stalker–until the night she impulsively follows a familiar face … impulsively follows a familiar face through the streets of New York’s Upper West Side. Her target? The “anonymous” egg donor she’d selected through an agency, the one who’s making motherhood possible for her. Hungry to learn more about her, Lana plans only to watch her from a distance. But when circumstances bring them face-to-face, an unexpected friendship is born.
Katya, a student at Columbia, is the yin to Lana’s yang, an impulsive free spirit who lives life at the edge. And for pragmatic Lana, she’s a breath of fresh air and a welcome distraction from her painful breakup with her baby’s father. Then, just as suddenly as Katya entered Lana’s life, she disappears–and Lana might have been the last person to see her before she went missing. Determined to find out what became of the woman to whom she owes so much, Lana digs into Katya’s past, even as the police grow suspicious of her motives. But she’s unprepared for the secrets she unearths, and their power to change everything she thought she knew about those she loves best…
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This is quite a roller-coaster book that will keep you up at night wanting to finish it. A debut novel, the author has mastered the art of luring you in but successfully avoided the over-the-top twists that suspense is over-doing these days. It was all plausible – which made it that much more unsettling. Kudos for a great book that I will be sure to recommend – this is a new author to watch.
A haunting portrayal of how infertility can wreak havoc on a relationship, with a very unique insight into three characters–Lana, who desperately wants a baby, the woman that donated her eggs, and the man who leaves Lana just before she’s about to have the transfer. But she can’t give up her chance at motherhood, and then gets sucked into a wild ride as she accidentally starts stalking the egg donor. With surprises abound and beautifully crafted characters, this is a psychological thriller I could not put down.
Super Genius Thriller!!
We all know that being an egg donor or recipient takes a lot of courage, but we didn’t know that it might also require stalking skills!
What a truly riveting and exciting tale Daniela Petrova has pulled together! “Her Daughter’s Mother” is not only unique, it’s fabulous!
You won’t want to put this down once you start, so be prepared! Be careful, you won’t see it coming!
I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This is the first book I have read by this author which I won on The Write Review. It’s a wonderful debut novel which is fast paced, full of twists and turns and suspense. The portrayal of the characters has been done very well and stay with you even when you are done with the book. I especially liked the characters of Lana and Tyler. The story is very relatable filled with human emotions like love, family dynamics and betrayal. Thank you Daniela Petrova for your giveaway which I truly enjoyed. Congratulations on your debut!!! Looking forward to reading more books by you.
A Psychological thriller that will bring you info also on Bulgarian characters and tradition. Readable in one breath.
This book is absolutely fabulous. I couldn’t put it down! Highly recommend! Looking forward to the next book by this author!
Author : Daniel Petrova
Her Daughter’s Mother
315 pages
Audible book: Available
Publication date: June 18, 2019
3
The story is told in past and present. The timeline is mostly in the present but does go back to the past with some of the characters or events in this story. This story is Told from the POV’s of three well-developed characters Lana, Tyler, and Katya .
At first in the first 50 or so pages I found it hard to get into and rather boreing . As the story progressed it kept getting more interesting and complex . However to be a debut novel it was ok. This psychological suspense thriller has a little bit of everything. There are secrets, lies, obsession, fertility issues, stalking,egg donation, murder and misunderstandings. As for the ending I did not like it. After everything the couple went through the ending was just not believable at all.
A deeply disturbing thriller about infertility, egg donation, cultural identity, obsession, and betrayal, with enough twists to keep you wondering (and up late, second guessing the people in your own life). I was intrigued by Ms. Petrova’s voice from the first page.
Daniela Petrova has written a compelling, raw, and chilling tale of desperation and obsession. HER DAUGHTER’S MOTHER, vividly set in Manhattan, transported me to both the city and into the characters’ struggles and traumas through a story so perfectly paced and well-written that I couldn’t put it down. Fantastic twists and turns woven with emotional depth kept me hooked from the first page to the last. I loved it!
There’s nothing better than a good thriller—the excitement, the mystery, and of course the unexpected twists. But more often than I’d like, the promises on the inside flap fall flat, causing me to close the book with a disappointed sigh rather than an excited gasp.
I think I’ve figured out why some thrillers fly high, while many others crash and burn. The secret lies in character development. When the emphasis is on the plot rather than the people, the book feels superficial, like a sapling that would blow over in a stiff breeze, but when the characters are real, complicated people, the story grows roots, anchoring itself firmly in the reader’s heart and mind.
A terrific thriller that keeps you guessing right up to the final page, Her Daughter’s Mother also offers so much more. Lana Stone and her partner, Tyler, have been trying to conceive for several years. When Lana finally becomes pregnant through an egg donor, she is ecstatic despite the fact that Tyler walked out on the relationship a few days earlier. The more she thinks about Katya, her egg donor, the more obsessed she becomes. When the two women happen to run into each other on the subway, they develop a fast friendship. Katya doesn’t know who Lana is, but she feels an unexplained connection to her. After Katya suddenly goes missing, the story takes off and doesn’t slow down until the stunning conclusion.
The shifting perspectives from Lana to Katya to Tyler allow the reader to see the story from all sides of the mystery. Just when you think you’ve figured out what’s going on, the perspective shifts and everything you thought you knew goes out the window. You never know who’s telling the truth, which characters you can trust and which ones you can’t. Hearing the story from three viewpoints also allows Petrova to explore the emotional repercussions of fertility treatment from different angles of this complicated issue. What is it like to carry a baby that’s not genetically related to you? How do you shoulder the guilt of being related to your baby when your partner isn’t? How does it feel to know you’ve helped create a baby whom you don’t even know?
Daniela Petrova is a supremely impressive person. When she immigrated from Bulgaria at age 22, she didn’t speak any English and a little more than 20 years later, she has written a page-turning novel in her second language. In complete awe of her talent and tenacity, I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next.
What a terrific whodonit! And to think it is a debut novel. I look forward to future releases from this author.
This has just been the summer of psychological thrillers. I’m really not sure how these authors keep coming up with all these different ideas, but they do, and they all continue to surprise me.
Her Daughter’s Mother did not fail to deliver as well. Very fast paced and gripping from the beginning I immediately found myself not wanting to put this book down. The shorter chapters kept the novel moving which is good for any thriller reader (as well as anyone with a short attention span like me), and the alternating POV keeps your curiosity moving along as you anticipate what each character is going to continue to say.
The main topic of focus was infertility and motherhood, which generally are not my topics of choice since I am not a mother, but as a nurse and a woman I still have interest in learning and reading about them, so I wasn’t hesitant to pick this one up. And we all know there is nothing better than a hormonal woman to make a good psychological thriller. (I’m allowed to say that since I am part of the team). The author really portrays the desperation that one can feel over the want and need to conceive and to have a child.
The story was beautifully written, had many twists and turns, and was a good read. If I had to categorize it myself I would call it more of an emotional thriller, because even though it has the psychological/suspense aspect, it still held such a large amount of emotional and personal depth to the story that you almost want to put it in the women’s fiction genre as well. Such a well written and captivating book. Daniela Petrova is not new to writing but this is her first novel, I certainly hope it is not her last. I look forward to reading what she does in the future. I give this a solid 4 stars.
I just would like to thank Daniela Petrova, Suzanne Leopold of Suzy Approved Book Tours and #partner @putnambooks for the copy of this book for my unbiased and honest opinion for review.
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “Her Mother’s Daughter” by Daniela Petrova, GP Putnam 2019 for Suzy Approved Book Tours
Daniela Petrova has written a unique, captivating, intriguing, intense, exciting, riveting, and compelling novel. The Genres for this story are Mystery and Suspense, Thriller, and Fiction. The timeline is mostly in the present and goes back to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in this story. The author describes her dramatic characters as complex, complicated, intelligent, troubled and flawed.
I appreciate that the author brings up the topic of infertility and the emotional and financial ramifications for the people involved. When a woman is getting older, and it is difficult to get pregnant or hold the pregnancies, it can be devastating. For Lana Stone and her partner who have been together 8 years, it is a stressful time. Her partner leaves with a packed duffle, the day before Lana is scheduled for a procedure to implant the eggs. Lana decides to have the procedure anyway.
Lana has had to use an egg donor and has seen the picture of her. Lana spots Katya on a train and follows Katya, the donor gets off the train. Katya takes a fall, and Lana runs across the street to help her. The two become friends. What Lana doesn’t know is that Katya has deep dark secrets.
Unfortunately, Katya disappears the day after spending time with Lana. Something seems really off, and there is a feeling of foul play. Lana starts to investigate, and finds things that can change her life and those she loves forever. One thing is for sure, nothing seems as it is. There are twists, turns, betrayals, and danger. I would highly recommend this edgy and intense novel.
Compelling, disturbing and thoroughly enjoyable, this book explores themes of motherhood, obsession and the price of betrayal when a beautiful woman unexpectedly disappears after becoming an egg donor to an infertile couple. A beautifully written, character-driven domestic suspense novel.
Taut pacing, relatable characters, and a twisty, surprising plot combine in this tense and poignant thriller. Secrets and obsession leave their mark in this unputdownable story—a remarkable debut.
Oh, my what a twisty, turny, thriller!! So many angles and possibilities for answers – but what or who is the correct one?? I thoroughly enjoyed the way this was written by Daniela Petrova! Her style kept me engaged from start to finish!!
In her debut novel, Her Daughter’s Mother, author Daniela Petrova delivers a chilling tale of obsession, secrets, lies, betrayal, and murder. Centering on a couple experiencing fertility problems, and the young woman who becomes their egg donor, this suspenseful psychological thriller delivers page-turning plot twists that will leave you on the edge of your seat. If you love a novel that keeps you guessing, this book is for you.
[Her Daughter’s Mother] is a fun, unputdownable thriller…The premise is so clever and original, and Petrova totally delivers with juicy twists and characters with real emotional depth. It’s the kind of quick, smart read you’ll devour poolside.
This book is such an interesting concept. It has so many twists and turns, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
This debut novel reads like it was written by a seasoned author! Two woman meet, one older, one a student finishing her college degree. They never should have met, they both thought the other had no idea who they were meeting and they had no idea how it would end. You have love, curiosity, angst, friendship, and lots of intrigue in this novel and it all flows together so well that you will not want to put it down until you finish. So sit down, have your favorite drink by your side and meet Lana and Katya (love that name).