Review: Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

Then Came You
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Published: July 12, 2011
Genre: chick lit
Hardcover: 338 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 3 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): The lives of four very different women intertwine in unexpected ways in this new novel by bestselling author Jennifer Weiner (In Her Shoes; Best Friends Forever). Each woman has a problem: Princeton senior Jules Wildgren needs money to help her dad cure his addiction; Pennsylvania housewife Annie Barrow is gasping to stay financially afloat; India Bishop yearns to have a child, an urge that her stepdaughter Bettina can only regard with deeply skepticism until she finds herself in a most unexpected situation. Interlocking dramas designed to ensnare; bound to be a bestseller.


My Thoughts: I was very intrigued by this book when I first heard about it. I think surrogacy is a controversial issue today, so when I found out that Jennifer Weiner would be writing a book about this issue, I just knew that I had to read it. Not just because of the author, but because this is just too good of a topic to pass up. Four women share their stories of surrogacy, from the egg donor, the surrogate, the mother-to-be, and her stepdaughter. Each woman has a unique take on their experience with the process, handling the difficulties along with the joys. I think that having four women share their stories in this process was a great idea, because surrogacy involves so many people besides the mother and father. It really does take a team of people to bring a baby into the world. 


Each woman brings a unique perspective to this story and each voice is different. I was clearly able to distinguish between the four narrators and each had their own personality, which would shine through in their chapters. I don't want to give too much away in my review, but I would say that I found the ending to be very lacking. I felt the whole book building up to it, and then there was nothing. It just petered out, leaving me with a dissatisfied feeling. If the ending were stronger, then I definitely would have rated this book higher. I would still recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the topic of surrogacy or looking for a chick lit book that isn't all about love.