Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - The Leftover Woman

This is a parallel story between Jasmine Yang, an immigrant from China who's looking for her birth daughter, and Rebecca Whitney, a wealthy editor who seems to have the perfect family. This was my book club read for March and was a stretch read for me since it's out of my normal go-to genres. There were some really interesting elements such as family bonds, interracial/international adoption, hidden bias, white privilege, and immigration. I'd suggest reading trigger warnings for this book prior to reading since this is often listed as a suspense novel. There was a large part of the novel that did not feel as suspenseful to me which would have made me probably label this more of a drama. The audio aspect of the book was alright, though not one of my favorites. It had alternating female narrators which I find more distracting. This one was entertaining and ultimately just okay for me since some of the themes felt a little lost.

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kceemuller's review

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challenging emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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bookdragon217's review

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emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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mrscorytee's review

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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hue's review against another edition

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mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

2.0

I wish it would've only been told in Jasmine's POV, for Rebecca's brought nothing to the table. She was infuriating to follow, and nothing seemed to happen in her chapters—at least nothing remotely interesting as what happened in Jasmine's chapters. It distracted the story quite a lot.

And this was supposed to be a thriller? Where??

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lena_mercedez's review against another edition

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mysterious tense

4.0

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radh's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

not the best writing, Jasmine was written very childishly and annoyingly. Anthony came across more like a tween than a 26-year-old in his relationship perspective and way of speaking. The relationship dynamics in general with everyone, even Rebecca and Brandon seemed very juvenile in their descriptions and interactions. The epilogue also seemed like a weird way to placate readers with the issues of interracial adoption. overall the story had a lot of potential, but not the best execution

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Leftover Woman is the story of two mothers - a birth mother who was told her child had died and an adopted mother who had no idea her child’s adoption was anything less than legitimate - and the daughter they unknowingly share. It also traverses China’s one child policy, abusive relationships, the plight of undocumented workers, organised crime, wealth, class, and a publishing industry scandal. With the exception of the high stakes action-packed ending I found the plot fairly predictable - and I probably should have seen that, or some variant of it, coming. It saddened me that the “best” option for the child was considered to be the wealthiest option. I understand and appreciate the need for stability and security, and the link between financial resources and quality of life and opportunities. Yet children need so much more than money, and money does not necessarily equate to a child’s best interests. While this story was poignant in places and did leave me with something to think about, overall its beats felt a little too obvious, sometimes cliched and overly dramatic, to be fully satisfying.

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