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Rating: 
Summary: Scary and Unrealistic
Review: As a story, this book was interesting. But, as a true-life story of adoption, it was horrible. This is a tale of two people who obviously can't stand one another adopting an innocent unsuspecting child into their selfish and inconsistent relationship, NOT an accurate depiction of adoption. As an adoptive parent myself, I can assure you that this is not realistic. First of all, most agencies would have turned them down flat because of Joe's frequent divorces, Jill's mental health issues, and their combined ages. Secondly, no social worker would have approved them a home study if they weren't 100% positive about the adoption and their relationship. This book makes it appear as though just anyone can and should adopt a child. It also makes it appear as though children are an entitlement, not a privelege. By the end of the book, I was so disgusted with Joe's bad attitude, abusive behavior, and selfish demeanor that I was ready to write him a letter telling him so. PLEASE, if you are considering adopting internationally, DO NOT read this book when making your decision. It isn't like this in the real world! My guess is that most of the people giving this book 5 stars aren't adoptive parents!
Rating: 
Summary: Supremely Emotional
Review: Supremely emotional, this story provides an up-close-and-personal look at the depths of pain that are experienced by the author in her quest for a baby - something she desperately wants but can't easily have or get. Thankfully, this stirring adoption journey comes complete with a happy and most deserved ending. As a parent, I can understand the steadfast desire to want children. It is a tribute to the author to willingly provide with forceful candor her detailed account of the trials and tribulations associated with infertility, international adoption and marriage. Courageous, honest and sobering, I recommend this book for those who aren't afraid to read an account of the raw stuff of life and how one couple make it a thing of worth and beauty - a true test of living.
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: The book is outdated as far as current policies on international adoption. There are better books out there about this.This couple has such a bad marriage that they should not have adopted. She took a huge risk of adopting with the hope that her husband would come around once the baby was born. If he hadn't, the baby would have experienced the loss of her birth parents and the loss of the adoptive father. The author was arrogant and selfish. The fighting between the author and she husband should have been left in her journal.
Rating:
Summary: Cry, Laugh and Educate
Review: This book did it all. I felt like I was going through everything the author was. OK so I really was living it. But it gave me the strength to keep going. Make sure you keep some tissues handy. And please pass this on to someone else when you're done. Maybe even a family member who hasn't grasped the ideas behind your adoption.
Rating:
Summary: Self-indulgent twaddle
Review: This book was a major disappointment - an extremely self-indulgent, "woe-is-me because I can't have a baby" saga. I completely agree with the reviewers who found Jill and Joe to be a loathsome couple. They seem completely dysfunctional (not that this prevents other couples from creating biological children) and extremely selfish, with an overwhelming sense of entitlement. Having recently adopted a precious baby girl from China, I am surprised that the social worker handling their case approved them, given Joe's GREAT reluctance to be a father. (The other issues cited in some reviews - age, previous divorces, even previous mental health issues - would not necessarily cause them to be rejected. In my experience prospective adoptive parents are not evaluated too harshly - after all, nobody is required to get prior approval to conceive a child!) Waiting for our darling daughter was a wonderful time from me and my husband (OK - a little nerve-wracking at times, but we knew it was just a matter of time.) We were excited and happy to anticipate sharing our lives with her. For Jill and Joe it seemed like a time fraught with arguments over careers, money (fighting over who would pay the adoptions fees is just downright insulting to the child!), whether or not they would even stay together and whether he even WANTS the little girl! If this book is indeed an accurate representation of their lives, they did not deserve to have her. I am extremely relieved that our adoption experience was nothing like this one, and I hope that other prospective adoptive parents are not put off by this book - it was wonderful experience for us, and not anywhere NEAR as complicated as portrayed here. That being said, Becky is here and Jill and Joe are the only parents she will ever know. I sincerely hope everything worked out as well as the book would have you belive. So I can't help but wish the family all the happiness in the world - BECKY deserves it!
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