The Choice by Susan Lewis

The Choice by Susan Lewis
Buy The Choice by Susan Lewis at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Women's Fiction
Reviewer: Jo Heffer
Summary: Nikki Grant is delighted to be pregnant and happier still when baby Zak arrives even if it has caused a rift with her parents. Nikki really enjoys being a mum and everything is looking good for the future. That is until one fateful day when devastating news turns her world upside down.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 512	Date: September 2010
Publisher: Arrow
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 978-0099525691
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Whenever I pick up a Susan Lewis book I always know that I am in for a thrilling read. Her latest book, The Choice, totally fulfilled my expectations and more as it was the sort of book that I could hardly bring myself to put down. It is not the easiest of reads though as the story is harrowing and shocking but it is beautifully told.

The book tells the story of Nikki Grant who at the age of twenty one discovers that she is pregnant. Although this is unplanned, Nikki and her partner Spencer welcome the news and look forward to being the best parents that they possibly can be. However Nikki's parents are not so happy especially as they disapprove of Nikki's somewhat bohemian lifestyle and her relationship with Spencer. They virtually turn their backs on their daughter and don't even visit baby Zak when he is born. Nikki enjoys being a mum though even without her parents' support and could not be happier. That is until one fateful day, with Zak only a few weeks old, when some devastating news turns her whole world upside down. Life is never going to be the same again and in fact things just seem to get worse and worse for Nikki as the story unfolds.

Nikki is mature beyond her years and has to deal with so much in this book. She is the type of character that is easy to warm to although very few would be able to or want to identify with her too much as she faces some extreme difficulties. There is a wonderful cast of supportive friends and all of these characters have their part to play as well as having their own story to tell. I particularly loved one character – Mrs Adani – who is Nikki's health visitor and is much more of a mother to her than her real one.

Having read the back cover I was prepared for this book not having the happy ever after feel that I so often enjoy. However, it takes a while to reach the crucial turning point in the story. Up to this point I felt that Susan Lewis very cleverly teases her reader with many false hints and suggestions as to the way the story might progress. I have to say though that nothing actually prepared me for what did happen and I felt really shocked as I read on. From that point onward, one's feelings as a reader change dramatically. I went from enjoying and relishing the story to feeling incredibly sad but nonetheless compelled to read on. The last couple of hundred pages took me on an emotional rollercoaster and I felt utterly drained by the end. For that reason, although I do think The Choice is a wonderful book, I would not recommend it for anyone who is feeling particularly low or vulnerable. If you are up to it though, I think that The Choice is a must read book and I am very glad that I did.

If this book appeals to you, why not take a look at All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown.

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