wonderful story that shows both sides of using a surrogate mother. Alternating between the surrogate and the biological mother. Making it more interesting is that the surrogate is an Indian woman living in poverty and the biological mother lives in the US (but is of Indian heritage). ( )

The concept is intriguing: an Indian couple in America cannot have children, so they turn to a surrogate in India. The book follows their different backgrounds and motivations.

This book could have been a great exploration of the surrogacy market in India, the emotional toll it takes on both families, cultural differences, etc. Instead it is a collection of trite conversations and terrible parties where people keep judging each other and talk about materialistic things. I always hated those parties.

After too much of the irritating whining about everyone's frustration about too much or too little money, too many or too few kids, never having a good enough job, always wanting something they could not have, even though many were well off, with good jobs - I said, I am going home from this terrible party and read a good book. ( )

An honest portrayal a motherhood and womanhood in its many forms. Priya and Asha are two women from vastly different background and circumstances that become united in life as Asha become Priya's surrogate. Amulya Malladi does a beautiful job of exploring the ups and downs of this journey for both women and their family and friends. Just as the two women come across as relatable and real, so do the people in their lives. From the husbands and in-laws to the other surrogate mothers in the "House for Happy Mothers", everyone brings a unique perspective to the story exploring the struggles, the beauty, and also the moral and ethical dilemmas of surrogacy in the context of a wide spectrum of Indian culture, from Asha's poor, rural India to California's multicultural Bay Area.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This was an excellent read. The story evokes a great deal of emotion for both Priya and Asha. Readers will be able to identify with both women and the internal struggles that they both experience. The author painted a great picture of life in India for both upper and lower classes that I found to be very informative. I highly recommend this book! ( )

This is a fascinating story of two families, one desperately wanting a child and turning to a surrogate mother for help, and the other desperately needing money and offering the wife/mother as a surrogate. The characters are very real and the book is very well written. ( )