The Accidental Mother

Though I found the beginning of this book a little clunky, the author soon hits her stride, and despite the unlikely premise, the book does work. After Sophie's friend Carrie dies in a car crash, Sophie learns she is now the guardian of Carrie's two young daughters. Surprised to learn that Carrie's husband has been gone for years, Sophie agrees to temporary custody, naively believing the children will have little impact on her swinging single lifestyle. Bella and Izzy and their issues are well drawn, and offer some of the most poignant portions of the novel. Watching Sophie's development into a true adult as she works through issues of love and loss make for a very enjoyable read. I also like the way Louis' character is gradually show more revealed through the novel. Life for these characters is like real life- messy and complicated but ultimately satisfying. show less

The Accidental Mother tells the story of Sophie Mills, a single and successful career woman, who all in one day is faced with the fact that a client has a crush on her and her best friend who she hasn't seen in years has died in a car crash and that she is now the named guardian to her friend's small children, Bella and Izzy. Agreeing to take the girls in temporarily while their father is found, Sophie begins counting down the days until her perfect, quiet life will be returned to one piece.

But as the days pass, Sophie begins to feel something for the two children that she never thought she would feel and in doing so, she starts to see that maybe her life hadn't been as perfect as she thought it was.

I loved this book. It had me in tears show more at several points but equally as often it had me laughing out loud. The author manages to draw you into the story in a way that has you feeling the exasperation of Sophie, along with the pain and challenges that the two children are facing. A very enjoyable read. show less

Sophie is a career woman on the promotion track. She works 90 percent of the time and spends the other 10 percent shopping and working at looking good. Sophie also has commitment issues.When her best friend from school days dies in a car crash, a social worker pays a visit to her and places the friends two little girls in her custody. Sophie is not a happy camper, and the girls, especially the three-year-old, begin to change her life. Well-written first half, fun to read, but the last half of the book was predictable and somewhat disappointing.

I have to say the story had started off slowly...Sophie finds out her friend has died and she was named in the will as her friends "just in case" person. Not really knowing her godchildren, aged 3 and 6, Sophie is a little nonplussed as to how to deal with this speed bump in her life. With such a tragic event, you would think the story would have been more developed in the beginning, but as I am finding out, the author knew best. I'm a 3rd of the way through the book now, and its picked up speed, and I appreciate the build up of the story, because it allowed me to see Sophie more clearly. Let you know more later, but it seems like the book is going to be one of those great suprises.The book was good, it just ended so damn neatly for me. show more Not that thats a bad thing, it just felt a little too "Hallmark" for me, compared to the rest of the book. show less

This book was a pleasure to read. At first I thought I knew what was going to happen, but I was happy to find that there was more to it. It was funny, heartbreaking, and a lesson to be learned. British authors always add a little something with thier "english" sayings.

The Accidental Mother would be a good read for any woman - Sophie has aspects of her life most people could find in themselves. The main issue of the story (children arriving on your doorstep, having been willed to you after the death of a friend) may have been played out in other books or movies - but Rowan makes many of the issues addressed in this story unique and meaningful.
This could be a good read for a book club because I think it could lead to some interesting conversation.

It was sweet and heartwarming, though predictable. I enjoyed the lovely moments between the girls and Sophie as they tried to cope with their mommy's death and move on in their grief.