2.5 rounded up.
Enjoyable enough but didn't find myself overly drawn in emotionally to the characters.
Epilogue POV lowkey ruined any emotionL ties I had developed, wish it had just been written in the same narrative voice.

The Greatest Gift was a thought provoking, engaging read. I thought it would be a fairly light hearted read but it dealt with some pretty heavy topics (I don't want to say too much and ruin it for other readers!). This is the first book I have read by Rachael Johns and it is clear that she is a very talented story teller. If I can pick at anything it would be that it was slightly repetitive in parts but having said that, the way the book ended was perfect. Cannot wait to read more from this author.

Thanks kindly to Netgalley, publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book.

This book was great it even made me cry and even though it wasn’t the happier ever after you were expecting it all turned out okay in the end.

This book is a rollercoaster of emotions. Starting with Harper who had no desire to have children but the need to make a difference in someone else's life to Claire and Jasper who need the gift of life to be able to start their journey of parenthood. with death, birth and marriage all between two covers it is a book that makes you keep turning the pages.

Rachael Johns. I feel like I say this with every book she writes, but I will follow her writing to the ends of the earth and back again, no matter the genre. She is a writer that I get. Her books never fail to impress me in their skill in telling a story, tugging at all of the heartstrings and considering issues in a new light. Of course, The Greatest Gift is no exception!

The story could be categorised as general fiction/women’s fiction/life lit or you could just say it’s a great read. It involves two women – Harper, a woman certain she doesn’t want kids and Claire, a woman who desperately wants a child, but can’t. Harper is a successful radio interviewer/host and her husband is a lawyer determined to climb the career ladder. They don’t have time for children – really. Claire and Jasper can’t have children because she’s infertile post childhood cancer, but Claire knows that it could happen. She just needs an egg donor. Harper is becoming restless, wanting to do something good like the people she interviews. Why not donate her eggs? Claire and Jasper seem like the perfect couple.

Of course, not everything goes to plan. I was truly shocked at some of the twists and turns! I certainly didn’t see them coming. (Consider yourself warned if you like to read into the night – you WILL be reading longer if you hit one of these crucial points). Harper and Claire were like chalk and cheese to me, even though they are both good people. Claire is radiant, she practically shines off the page. For all she’s been through, she has a determined, optimist attitude. She’s the friend who would never let you down. Harper was a bit more complicated for me. I liked her, but sometimes her actions weren’t all that likeable. She appeared simple and straightforward on the surface, but she had a lot more issues going on underneath which are gradually revealed as the story goes on. I suppose the unmasking of this kind of shattered my illusion that Harper was a 100% good and sweet character. Her reactions on reflection are perfectly normal, but they kind of shocked me at the time. It’s actually this conflict that really got me involved with The Greatest Gift – until the big shock and the aftermath, the story had been cruising along for me. But as everything that was meant to happen failed, I wanted to know exactly what was going to happen next. It was unpredictable and I loved it – blind twists and turns are definitely my thing.

I shouldn’t neglect the main male characters either. Jasper and Samuel are Claire and Harper’s husbands respectively. They too are complete opposites (except when it comes to determination in completely different fields). Jasper is the dream guy. He’s warm, genuine, kind and accepting. Yet he’s also flawed, but in way that does get redeemed. (I’m not going to spoil the surprise). Samuel should be the ultimate Man™. He’s terrifically good looking, intelligent, career driven, good in bed etc. …but he’s also a bit boring. He can be cranky, self-indulgent and just plain mean. As time went on, I wondered what Harper saw in him and wondered if that was enough to sustain a relationship.

Apart from characters I could analyse for pages, there are a number of other fascinating parts to The Greatest Gift. One is Jasper and Claire’s occupation as hot air balloonists. It’s not really something I’ve thought too much about before, but reading about what was involved was really interesting. Harper’s radio career was also interesting for the amount of preparation that was involved. Of course, the biggest thing was the moral dilemma that emerged partway through the story – who is wrong? Who is right? Or is it just shades of grey?

As always, I really enjoyed Rachael Johns’ latest novel. The Greatest Gift proves that she can turn her keyboard to any topic and make a story that is both beautiful and heart breaking.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com

This was the third novel by Rachael Johns that I read and it’s probably my favourite.

The greatest gift refers to the generosity of a woman who donates some of her eggs to another woman/couple so they can have a child.

Harper Drummond is a career woman, who doesn’t want children, but feels compelled to do something selfless, so she decides to donate her eggs. The couple she chooses are the balloonists, Claire and Jasper, who are very much in love but can’t procreate because Claire’s childhood leukaemia treatment that left her infertile.

I loved how Johns juxtapositioned the reality of infertility, the medical procedures involved in egg harvesting and embryo implantation, and the legal and emotional investment from both parties. Egg donation is an utterly selfless gesture, but as you can guess, there are issues that can complicate life, that’s why counselling is demanded before proceeding ahead.

When tragedy strikes, the previously agreed upon stipulations change, as the worlds of both the egg donor and the receiving couple change in unmitigating ways. Nature vs nurture comes into play. Biology’s pull can be very powerful.
I’ll leave it at that, as I don’t want to give away too much of the plot.

The Greatest Gift was emotionally charged and very touching. Be warned – you’ll need tissues. In the end, this is a story about love, generosity and the different types of families.

I've received this book via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Harlequin Australia for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.

This book will also count towards my Aussie Author Challenge on http://bookloverbookreviews.com/reading-challenges/aussie-author-challenge-2017

Oh wow, what can I say. Rachael Johns has written an outstanding story that pulls on your heart strings.

This story is about giving the greatest gift!!!

Harper Drummond is a successful radio presenter, with her radio show Afternoons with Harper. She is married to Samuel who is a lawyer. Both are committed to their careers and have both decided that their careers are more important to them then having children. Through Harpers radio show she learns about egg donations and how they help other people who cannot have a child to be able to finally have one. Harper starts to wonder what her life legacy is going to be.

Harper decides she wants to donate her eggs to help another couple to live their dream of having a family. She searches for the right couple and decides on Claire and Jasper.

The story continues with Harper donating her eggs to Claire and Jasper. But I am not going to give anymore away as I don’t want to spoil it for you.

The characters in this story are so realistic and you can easily relate to them. This story focuses on the issues of fertility, relationships, babies, family and hot air ballooning. Rachael Johns has done her research into these topics.

If you are going to read this book you are going to need a box of tissues as well. There are twists in this book that are going to make you cry but there are is also things that you are not going to expect. This book will hold you captivated from page one until the end. And what an ending it has, one I never expected.

This book is going on my top reads for 2017.

Rachael Johns has written many great books but I must say this definitely goes to the top as one of the best.

I would recommend this book to anyone without any hesitation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

More reviews are at: https://bookinonehandcoffeeinanother.wordpress.com/