Most of the books I review in the magazine are non-fiction books because there aren’t that many novels about adoption. But I love reading novels and was therefore delighted when Eloisa Hope asked me if I’d like to receive an electronic version of new her book to read before it went to press.
“The Prep Group” is about three hopeful couples who have embarked on the challenging journey of becoming parents through adoption. It follows the couples as they share the highs, lows, and everything in-between of the adoption assessment process, matching, placement and beyond.
There are parts of the book that made the hairs on the back of my arms stand up. Becoming a parent via adoption, is something you can’t imagine, unless you’ve been through it. It’s a journey like no other and Eloisa has captured that brilliantly.
Memories of our assessment
Reading “The Prep Group” brought back so many memories of our assessment and the early days of our eldest daughter’s placement. The book doesn’t gloss over the harsh realities of being an adoptive parent, which makes it a must-read for anyone thinking about adoption or is supporting a loved one through the process.
I found it hard to describe what I was feeling sometimes during the process and the early days of placement. This book encapsulates it perfectly and I wish it had been out when we started our journey. I would have benefitted from it hugely because Eloisa portrays the emotions and feelings you feel as an adopter, perfectly. It’s a book I would’ve loved my family and friends to be able to read too.
“The Prep Group” tells you everything you need to know about the realities of adoption in a way a textbook or non-fiction book can’t. Here’s a few words from Eloisa about her inspiration and motivation for writing her debut novel.
Inspiration for The Prep Group
My name is Eloisa Hope and I am the author of ‘The Prep Group’ as well as an adoptive parent. Whilst on adoption leave with my son, I came up with the idea of a fiction novel based around the interweaving stories of a group of friends who meet at an adoption preparation training session, and so ‘The Prep Group’ was born.
Unfortunately my wife and I experienced a partial adoption disruption as part of our journey to adopting our son which, although ultimately in the best interests of everyone involved, was extremely distressing at the time. Having experienced this – something we were not prepared for at all – we became aware, through various support groups, of just how difficult it can be to get support in this situation and how few people in adoption are willing to talk about it.
It was for this reason that I decided to weave the often controversial and emotive topic of adoption disruption into my novel, in order to go some way towards ending the stigma that exists around this which leaves adopters feeling isolated and unsupported.
You can buy “The Prep Group” from Waterstones and Amazon. Please note this is an affiliate link. That means if you click on the link and then buy it, I get paid a fee from Waterstones.
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