Hold My Girl picked as 'The best Canadian fiction of 2023' by CBC Books


'Thoughtful, tense and affecting' Ashley Audrain

'[A] tense, emotional story about racial identity, loss and betrayal' Daily Mail 'Fiction books to watch in 2023'


This tense and emotional novel follows the fallout after two women's eggs are switched during IVF.
___________

TWO WOMEN. ONE BABY. A FIGHT LIKE NO OTHER.

Katherine has everything under control.
After years of struggling to conceive with her partner, Patrick, she finally gives birth to Rose, her IVF miracle child. But she's afraid that Rose may not be her daughter, her pale skin not matching Katherine's own.

Tess never got her happy ending.
Just like Katherine, she was also a hopeful IVF mother, but her daughter, Hanna, was stillborn. Now divorced, broke and stuck in a dead-end job, she's beginning to lose all hope.

But when Rose is ten months old, both women get a call from the fertility clinic. There was a mistake: their eggs were switched.

It will take a custody battle like no other to decide who will get to be Rose's mother - a battle that will push them both to the brink...

This is a story about what it means to be a mother, and the lengths we go to for the people we love.
___________

'[A] tense, emotional story about racial identity, loss and betrayal'
Daily Mail 'Fiction books to watch in 2023'

'Thoughtful, tense and affecting'
Ashley Audrain, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Push

'An absorbing and engaging novel that twists the heart'
Rachel Hore, Sunday Times bestselling author of A Beautiful Spy

'Breathtakingly taut, unflinching and poignant'
Marissa Stapley, New York Times bestselling author of LUCKY

'Compelling and thought-provoking ... A page-turner'
Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake

'A tender exploration of secrets, loss, and motherhood'
Lola Akinmade Akerstroem, international bestselling author of In Every Mirror She's Black

'A future classic'
Leah Hazard, Sunday Times bestselling author of Hard Pushed: A Midwife's Story

'Will break your heart'
Julie Ma, author of Richard and Judy selected debut Happy Families

'A gripping, thorny premise that explores motherhood and its primal tug. It's twisty and forensic but also wise and moving'
Beth Morrey, author of Em & Me and the Sunday Times bestseller Saving Missy.

Two women. Two eggs. One switch.

About the Author
Charlene Carr spent much of her childhood creating elaborate, multi-faceted storylines for her dolls and reading under the blankets with a flashlight when she was supposed to be asleep. A bit of a nomad, she's lived in four countries and seven Canadian provinces. After working an array of mostly writing related jobs, she decided the time had come to focus exclusively on her true love - novel writing. She lives in Nova Scotia with her husband and daughter. Hold My Girl is her tenth novel, and she recently received a Canada Council for the Arts grant to revise her next novel.

Reviews
'Raw and affecting ... This book really pulls at the heart-strings' * CultureFly *
'Carr gracefully explores the moral dilemma and custody battle ... Fans of The Herd will love it!' * Grazia *
'Complex, tender and compelling' * Platinum 'Book of the Month' 5 stars *
'[A] tense, emotional story about racial identity, loss and betrayal' * Daily Mail 'Fiction books to watch in 2023' *
'Thoughtful, tense and affecting' -- Ashley Audrain, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Push
'An absorbing and engaging novel that twists the heart' -- Rachel Hore, Sunday Times bestselling author of A Beautiful Spy
'Breathtakingly taut, unflinching and poignant' -- Marissa Stapley, New York Times bestselling author of LUCKY
'Compelling and thought-provoking ... A page turner' -- Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake
'A tender exploration of secrets, loss and motherhood' -- Lola Akinmade Akerstroem, international bestselling author of In Every Mirror She's Black
'A future classic' -- Leah Hazard, Sunday Times bestselling author of Hard Pushed: A Midwife's Story
'Will break your heart' -- Julie Ma, author of Richard and Judy selected debut Happy Families
'Beautiful and unflinching' -- Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures
'Intensely propulsive ... I was spellbound' -- Heather Marshall, #1 bestselling author of Looking For Jane
'An absolute triumph' -- Julianne Maclean, USA Today bestselling author
'Tense and captivating ... Will set your heart racing' -- Ronali Collings, author of Love and Other Dramas
'A breathtaking, gut-wrencher' -- Kerry Lonsdale, Washington Post and Kindle bestselling author
'Holds nothing back' -- Barbara Conrey, USA Today bestselling author of Nowhere Near Goodbye
'So many twists and turns' -- Christy Ann Conlin, author of The Speed of Mercy
'I couldn't have loved it more' -- Joanne Gallant, author of A Womb in the Shape of a Heart
'Unforgettable ... A storyteller at the top of her game' -- Barbara Joseelsohn, bestselling author of The Lilac House and The Cranberry Inn
'A gripping, thorny premise that explores motherhood and its primal tug. It's twisty and forensic but also wise and moving' -- Beth Morrey, author of Em & Me and the Sunday Times bestseller Saving Missy



Book Information
ISBN 9781802793321
Author Charlene Carr
Format Hardback
Page Count 432
Imprint Mountain Leopard Press
Publisher Headline Publishing Group
Weight(grams) 700g
Dimensions(mm) 238mm * 158mm * 42mm