Author: Lisa Doyle
Publisher: Simon & Fig
Publication Date: November 2014
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN
Description: By and large, Amanda Keane makes pretty good decisions. Okay, she might not have the best taste in men, but she’s got great friends, a good job, and an independent spirit. That is, until her 30th birthday ushers in a whirlwind romance with a sexy Irish musician who leaves her, not at the altar as she imagined, but accidentally pregnant. And when he disappears, she’s downsized out of a job, her apartment is robbed, and lapsed health insurance coverage leaves her with a C-section to pay for, Amanda is launched headfirst into the life of a broke single mom. But her friend and uber successful ob-gyn, Joy, clues her in to an unlikely temp position with one of Chicago’s celebrity elite that just may be the answer to all her woes. Or could it be just the beginning?
It’s with serious trepidation that Amanda embarks on her surprisingly lucrative new career: underground wet nurse to the offspring of Chi-town’s rich and famous. Amanda must quickly understand how to live at the whims and mercy of the one percent as she deals with the irony of nursing – and loving – someone else’s child, while still making ends meet for her own daughter. And then there’s Cute Daycare Dad (aka Dan), who’s obviously interested in her. But can she afford to tell him what she really does for a living? Is her new job (something she thought went out with the 19th century) a shameful thing? Just another way of selling her body. Or does it have something to teach her after all?
A novel of motherhood, its many demands, and all the little triumphs along the way, MILKED is a warm and witty debut about making tough choices and traveling the roundabout road to happiness.
My Thoughts: This story isn’t like anything I have ever read and that’s probably why I found it so interesting and entertaining. This story is about a young woman who seems to have a good grasp on her life, good friends, good job but has never found the relationship and family she wants to settle down for. After a passionate fling with a hot, Irish musician, she finds herself pregnant and alone. Then to add insult to injury, she loses her job, her apartment is burglarized, and she is quickly running out of money. Just when things appear to be at their worst, her friend tells her about an opportunity for some temp work as a nanny with an elite Chicago family. A nanny with a special skill set that Amanda happens to have being a new mother herself. This family needs a wet nurse and Amanda is more than qualified as she has weaned her daughter, but her milk supply has not diminished. At first, I was shocked by the notion that this is something she would consider. I must be honest and say it took me several beats to wrap my mind around the idea of a stranger breast-feeding your child. Ironically, a lot of people would find it off-putting, so much so, that Amanda is expected to sign non-disclosure agreements to protect the privacy of the family she works for. What made this story interesting for me is how adept Amanda is and how much she enjoys the job.
I really liked Amanda and her determination to make a home for herself and her daughter, though I was glad when she finally relents and gets help tracking down the father so he can provide financial support. That was the only thing I did not like about this book was how long it took Amanda to go after him. She should have done it months earlier, but when she finally did, things went smoothly, and she is successful. I didn’t care for the families Amanda works for. I thought they treated Amanda poorly and though she only works for two families in this story, that was more than enough. What starts out as a way to put food on the table and keep a roof over her head inspires Amanda to become a lactation consultant, helping families who are struggling with breast-feeding and the anxiety that often compounds the problem.
Amanda’s love interest is Dan, a single father she meets at the day care center she takes her daughter to. They have an instant connection and I liked him, but he doesn’t know what Amanda’s nanny gig really entails and it would be an understatement to say it doesn’t go well when he finds out.
My Final Verdict: Overall, this was a very entertaining story with characters I found easy to relate to and like. The story moved at a very enjoyable pace and though the idea of a wet nurse might be odd for some people, I applaud the author for tackling this subject and making it thought-provoking. I recommend this book to fans of women fiction who are looking for something a little different without taking too far a detour to the happy ending.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Milked from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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