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From the author of the book club favorite The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano comes a riveting feminist thriller that tackles an unspeakable taboo: regretting motherhood.
When successful Rhode Island real estate agent Lucy Mendoza vanishes, leaving her baby behind in a grocery store parking lot, the news quickly makes national headlines. Lucy's best friend, Michelle, is devastated, and terrified that Lucy's life is at stake. But she knows something that could complicate the police investigation. Lucy had confessed something unspeakable: She regretted becoming a mother so much that she'd fantasized about faking her own kidnapping. If the police and media were to find out, Lucy would become a monster in public opinion. Michelle is sure Lucy would never abandon her daughter. But could she be wrong? Could Lucy have been so desperate she chose to escape her life?
Bestselling author Donna Freitas has drawn from ground-breaking research to bring readers this unforgettable novel. Her One Regret is at once a pulse-pounding feminist thriller, a moving depiction of the realities of motherhood, and a rich exploration of a subject our culture and society have rendered nearly verboten—the possibility that for some women, motherhood is an unfixable mistake.
"Freitas nimbly juggles chapters narrated by Michelle, Diana, Julia, and occasionally Lucy, maximizing suspense at every turn. Occasionally, the characters' venting about motherhood feels didactic, but for the most part, this rivets." —Publishers Weekly
"While maternal regret may not be the taboo subject Freitas claims, book clubs should love her satisfying page-turner." —Kirkus Reviews
"Freitas' tale and bold underlying theme will resonate with many readers." —Booklist
"Her One Regret is purposefully thought-provoking and a riveting mystery—a masterpiece of duality, not soon forgotten." —Shelf Awareness
"This book manages to be simultaneously a page-turning crime thriller and a deep exploration of one of the ultimate mothering taboos—regret. Absolutely extraordinary." —Emily Oster, bestselling author of Expecting Better
"As she did in The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano, Donna Freitas proves she can 'say the unsayable' and weave thorny, important questions about women's lives into a compelling, entertaining, and provocative suspense novel. Her One Regret is bound to spark conversations about motherhood and marriage while keeping readers guessing about the disappearance at the heart of this subversive mystery." —Andromeda Romano-Lax, author of The Deepest Lake
This information about Her One Regret was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Allen Murabayashi
Donna Frietas is a Brooklyn-based author of fiction and nonfiction, as well as memoir and novels for young adults and middle grade readers. Her first novel for adults, The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano was released in April 2021. She is also a professor and researcher on topics related to sex on campus, Title IX, and sexual assault, as well as social media and young adults. She has appeared on NPR, The Today Show, and many other radio and news programs to talk about her work, and her writing has been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the LA Times, among other places. She has been a professor at Boston University and in Hofstra University's Honors College, and is currently on faculty at Fairleigh Dickinson University's MFA in Creative Writing.
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Donna Freitas's Website
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