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Published by SparkPress
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
“It is hard to imagine a better novel for a book club discussion...A thoughtful and gripping family tale that will haunt readers long after finishing it.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED
As a young mother with a toddler and a live-in boyfriend, Maggie Fisher’s job at a checkout counter in downtown Phoenix doesn’t afford her much financial flexibility. She dreams of going to college and becoming a teacher, options she squandered when she fled her family home as a teenager. When Maggie stumbles onto an ad offering thousands of dollars to women who are willing to gestate other people’s babies, she at first finds the concept laughable. Before long, however, she’s been seduced by all the ways the extra money could improve her life. Once she decides to go for it, it’s only a matter of months before she’s chosen as a gestational carrier by Chip and Donovan Rigsdale, a married couple from New York.
After delivering twin babies and proudly handing them off to the Rigsdales, Maggie finally gets her life on a positive trajectory: she earns her degree, lands a great job, and builds a family of her own. She can’t fathom why, ten years after the fact, the fertility clinic is calling to ask for a follow-up DNA test.
High-energy and immensely readable, He Gets That from Me explores what it really means to be part of a family.
As a young mother with a toddler and a live-in boyfriend, Maggie Fisher’s job at a checkout counter in downtown Phoenix doesn’t afford her much financial flexibility. She dreams of going to college and becoming a teacher, options she squandered when she fled her family home as a teenager. When Maggie stumbles onto an ad offering thousands of dollars to women who are willing to gestate other people’s babies, she at first finds the concept laughable. Before long, however, she’s been seduced by all the ways the extra money could improve her life. Once she decides to go for it, it’s only a matter of months before she’s chosen as a gestational carrier by Chip and Donovan Rigsdale, a married couple from New York.
After delivering twin babies and proudly handing them off to the Rigsdales, Maggie finally gets her life on a positive trajectory: she earns her degree, lands a great job, and builds a family of her own. She can’t fathom why, ten years after the fact, the fertility clinic is calling to ask for a follow-up DNA test.
High-energy and immensely readable, He Gets That from Me explores what it really means to be part of a family.
Product Details
- Publisher: SparkPress (September 14, 2021)
- Length: 304 pages
- ISBN13: 9781684630981
Raves and Reviews
2022 American Fiction Awards Winner in Family Saga, General Fiction, and LGBTQ+ Fiction
USA Today Best Seller
A 2021 Kirkus Reviews' Best Indie Book of the Year
2021 Reader's Favorite: Gold Medal,Fiction
SheReads 2021 Book Awards: Best Book Club Pick
“Friedland spins a web of intrigue, questioning the truest expression of parenthood. Fans of Nicola Marsh, Tana French, and Hannah Mary McKinnon will race through this thrilling exploration of nature versus nurture and the sacrifices needed to keep loved ones together.”
—Booklist
“It is hard to imagine a better novel for a book club discussion...A thoughtful and gripping family tale that will haunt readers long after finishing it.”
—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED
“A heartfelt exploration of what it means to be a family, He Gets That From Me is a fascinating story of strength, humanity, love, and perseverance. This is one you won’t stop thinking about.”
—Allison Winn Scotch, best-selling author of Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing
“A piercing, mesmerizing look into the fragility and resiliency of the human experience . . . a bold page-turner that will leave you breathless with anticipation. With He Gets That From Me, Friedland invites you to ask yourself the questions you didn’t even know you needed to answer—about family, forgiveness, sacrifice, and love. An absolute home run.”
—Amy Impellizzeri, award-winning author of Lemongrass Hope and I Know How This Ends
“Compulsively readable and ferociously insightful . . . He Gets That From Me cuts to the core of what it means to be family. An unforgettable book of our times.”
—Jamie Brenner, author of The Forever Summer and Blush
“He Gets That from Me is a potent reminder that we can’t always choose what life hands us—but we can decide whether to rise to the occasion when faced with seemingly impossible choices. With expert plotting and unwavering empathy toward her characters, Jacqueline Friedland has written a novel as unexpected as it is riveting. I read it in a single sitting.”
—Camille Pagán, best-selling author of This Won’t End Well
“He Gets That from Me takes on timeless questions about parenthood and our presumptions about birth, biology, and family. Describing a modern-day arrangement between two dads and a surrogate, the story opens our eyes to the many ways a family can be created while also telling a suspenseful narrative full of unexpected thrills that keep the reader wanting more. A moving story throughout, it ends with a twist that will leave you thinking about the book long after you’ve finished reading it.”
—Melissa Brisman, Esq., reproductive attorney
“Friedland has written characters who are so compelling and so lovable, and then she put them in the middle of such a suspenseful, entirely believable story of what can happen when modern-day technology complicates the most basic relationships between parents and a child. My heart was pounding as I read, far into the night. It's a must-read.”
—Maddie Dawson, best-selling author of Matchmaking for Beginners
“Jacqueline Friedland creates a host of complex characters in this nuanced, compelling exploration of what it really means to be a family, and why we should maybe think twice before heading to ancestry.com.”
—Laura Hankin, author of Happy & You Know It and A Special Place for Women
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): He Gets That from Me eBook 9781684630981
