Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and author Kate Hewitt for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

Being adopted, the various books about fractured families involving a baby almost always resonate with me. In the case of Kate Hewitt’s book, My Daughter’s Baby, the theme isn’t specifically adoption, but it still managed to address some of the same issues.

Diana and Andrew are estranged from their only child, Sophie. It’s been 18 months since they’ve spoken, although Diana has faithfully sent texts to Sophie every day, hoping for a response. The last time they were together, Sophie brought home a new boyfriend that her wealthy parents did not approve of, and a fight ensued. Andrew’s last words basically disowned Sophie until she rejected Tom. Instead, she married him. Diana receives a call from Tom that Sophie is in the hospital and not expected to make it. Diana didn’t even know her daughter was pregnant, but she’s now in the hospital with lethal complications.

Diana races to be by her side and leaves a message for Andrew. They are confronted by the reality that the man they rejected is the father of their only grandchild, a boy named Henry. Diana wants to smooth things over and work together. Andrew wants to sue for custody. Diana isn’t sure she can handle being a full-time mother any longer, and she also feels that Tom deserves a chance despite what they know about him.

My Daughter’s Baby has this unusual family navigate charting a future together. Tom has screwed up a few times in his life, and he’ll screw up a few more in this book. He has childhood trauma that has left him struggling to believe in himself, and he often reacts impulsively. Diana sees him as a work in progress until the mother he is estranged from appears on their doorstep. Audrey made mistakes as well, and Tom suffered for it. Now she wants to help her son out, but it might be a case of too little, too late.

I did enjoy the book. Diana is written to think a lot about the biological connection between Tom and his son, rather than act like parents are easily interchangeable. I think the book does a good job of showing it’s not all biology and it’s not all environment. With Sophie deceased, it’s up to the four of them to find a healthy balance for Henry. Diana and Andrew are often at cross-purposes on this. Andrew seems to think he can fix anything, but he’s not listening to Diana. She has real reticence about taking on being a full-time mother again. A little understanding and listening would go a long way.

This seems like it should be a heavier book than it is. I read it the same month as the anniversary of my daughter’s suicide, so Sophie’s death did get to me. However, the family dynamics often feel superficial. It’s one of those stories where everyone’s life is like they are just going through the motions until this pivotal event happens, and then everyone wakes up and changes for the better. It’s a common theme in these dramatic stories. Sometimes it works better than others. In this case, I felt a bit more depth to the characters was needed, and I could have connected better. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the book. I just wouldn’t put it up there as a must-read. If you have a Kindle Unlimited account, it’s available without having to actually buy it.

For a summertime light read, I think the topics in My Daughter’s Baby are a bit heavy, but it still makes for a good read. It addresses many topics without going too deep, unfortunately, but overall it does work. I do appreciate that the tone was not dismissive of baby Henry’s biological connections, and showed growth of all of the characters, although some of it felt forced.