In The Farm, uber wealthy women or couples who either can't or don't want to carry their own baby can hire one of the Golden Oaks 'Hosts' to do the job for them. In return, the Hosts get paid to focus entirely on growing someone else's baby for nine months at Golden Oaks. It’s an eerily believable concept, especially the way they preyed on immigrant women with few other options that would warrant turning down the hefty pay packet.

.

There are a few different perspectives in The Farm. We have Jane, a young Filipino woman and Host dreaming of making a better life for her and her one-year-old daughter. Then Mae, the founder of Golden Oaks, a savvy and ambitious businesswoman, Reagan, another Host Jane meets at the centre, a wealthy white woman with a college education which makes her a 'Premium Host', and finally Ate, Jane's cousin who will do everything she can to make money to support her family back in the Philippines.

.

This is definitely one of those books where expectations play a large role in people's enjoyment of it. From the reviews when it first came out, it seemed a lot of people were expecting a super edgy, dystopian thriller type book, and were slightly disappointed at the more reflective aspect, looking into classism, racism, and motherhood. Having read these reviews, I went in expecting all of the latter - and ended up surprised at how some of it did actually feel like a thriller!

.

But I did find it a thought-provoking read, especially the stark differences between the immigrant women at Golden Oaks for whom this opportunity is a lifeline, and the privileged white woman who see it as a kooky opportunity to earn some money they don't necessarily need. I wished this had been explored more in fact; that we'd heard from Hosts beyond Jane and Reagan. Ramos can do it, as Ate is a great character with complex motivations, not good or bad, so I just wanted more of the same for the other characters!

.

Overall I think it's definitely worth a read, particularly if you're interested in stories of motherhood! Thank you @sofia_reading for passing on your copy to me 😊