The Making of Us

I have the utmost intention of reading every book written by Lisa Jewell. Her stories are simply captivating, and I never know which literary world I’ll be immersed in next, and I absolutely adore it!

The Making of Us has a lot of characters, and it took me some time to grasp their unique narratives. I particularly enjoy the rhythmic flow of the chapters, which seamlessly transition between each main character. The story revolves around Lydia, Dean, and Robyn, each grappling with their own life journeys and self-discovery. Lydia, having endured a traumatic childhood, has risen to become a successful and wealthy young woman. However, she finds herself isolated and content with her lifestyle, oblivious to the challenges that lie ahead. show more Dean, a young single father, is adrift without a job or the motivation to improve his life. Robyn, a college student pursuing a degree in medicine, is struggling academically and experiencing her first love.

One day, a letter containing a secret arrives, bringing these three people together in an unexpected way. I was captivated by the suspenseful drama of the story, which kept me on the edge of my seat. Lisa beautifully crafted an incredible story that teaches valuable lessons about friendship and family.

There’s so much more I could say about the storyline, but I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone else. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of reading it without knowing more about the plot, as it allowed me to immerse myself in the lives of these wonderful characters and follow their journeys. The narrative is heartfelt and filled with lovable characters. The conclusion of the story left me feeling peaceful for the characters, but also sad as I bid them farewell. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with them.

I bought the audiobook of The Making of Us with my Audible membership. Helen Duff did a fantastic job narrating the book.

I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog show less

“They were not identical, but they were alike. They were like her.”

In The Making Of Us, Jewell weaves together strangers united by common genes; children of the same sperm donor. Lydia has finally escaped from a cold and hated life on a Welsh estate. Dean is heartbroken when his girlfriend doesn’t survive the birth of their child. Robyn is set for a career as a doctor. Slowly they discover the truth about their parentage, but will it be soon enough for them to meet their father, who lies dying in a hospice?

Jewell does well to make three such disparate characters warm and likeable. Lydia is cold and has rejected the world, but we want her to find a man and learn to accept her best friend’s marriage and child. Dean is weak and show more broken by grief, but we know he can do better. Robyn seems to lead a charmed life. In a sense, this novel is a character study in pieces, united by the plot of the children finding each other and their father; it is the everyday stories of the children which are riveting, not their search for paternity.

I was underwhelmed by the Daniel storyline; Maggie and Daniel both seemed quite dull and unlike other “dying books” (The Love Verb, Before I Die), I did not get much of a sense of the disease, of the grief of onlookers, of the misery of those last few days/months.

I don’t seem to have praised this novel very highly – I did stay up quite late finishing it, which is always worth an extra point out of ten; it’s not a deep or meaningful novel, but perfectly entertaining. show less

Lisa Jewell is becoming one of my favorites. This is the third book of hers that I absolutely loved. The Making of Us is about Lydia, Dean, and Robyn, three young people who have never met each other and always believed that they were only children. Their lives are forever changed when they learn that not only are they are the products of a sperm donor, but they have living brothers and sisters, and that their father wants to meet all of them.

Jewell builds the action slowly until you become completely absorbed in the characters and their lives. Her previous novels that I enjoyed were very dark, but this one is lighter and hopeful. It is ultimately a heart-warming story about the need for belonging and the meaning of family. Highly show more recommend. show less

The second Lisa Jewell book I have read. The first I read quite recently also.

This little gem of a book follows several characters. Daniel, who was a sperm donor 30 years ago finds himself terminally ill. He fathered four children as a sperm donor and he wants to meet them prior to his death.

We also meet Lydia, Dean and Robyn who are the children of Daniel. All 3 of Daniel's children have a different story and have different lives and have never met each other.

This book takes us on their journey to potentially meeting each other and Daniel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The chapters move from the different characters are quite nice and I liked being able to focus on one person at a time. I like the way it came together. Its an show more emotional book with a very unique story. It was easy to connect with each character.

I look forward to reading more Lisa Jewell in the future. show less

This book covers some difficult themes as it tells the stories of three siblings who find each other and their sperm donor father as he is in a hospice, dying. Each has pressing reasons for finding their blood family. I found some of the strands a little contrived and found it quite difficult to keep up with who's story we were dealing with in some parts. A brave piece of fiction trying to cover some taboo subjects.

See my full review here: https://www.howdidthatbookend.com/the-making-of-us-lisa-jewell/

This was another book where I was pretty sure I’d read it before, but couldn’t remember at all what happened. Plus it was immediately available on Overdrive, so here we are!

I am a huge fan of Lisa Jewell’s more recent thrillers, but I’ll read anything she has written. The Making of Us is one of her older family dramas, which she also does very well. She is a master of painting complex, compelling characters that draw you into their stories and make the reader eager to find out more about them.

Lydia, Dean and Robyn are all brought together by one common thread, a sperm donor. They come from very different backgrounds but become close and create their version of a new family. This was a nice, beach type read. Light, fun and moved along nicely.