Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC

"The problem isn't lack of representation. It's bullshit representation." This is the motivation (among others) of Frankel's fifth novel to reclaim adoption tales not as teenage pregnancy sob stories or desperate couples' last resort but as an option where one can choose freely when fully informed.

Alternating between India's past and present, FAMILY x2 is offbeat and humorous yet tender at its core. The short chapters and commercial writing style remind me of BLACK CAKE (Charmaine Wilkerson)—I love the unexpected twists and the wholesome conversations, and I find FAMILY x2 an absorbing and unputdownable read.

What I love most about FAMILY x2 is the adoption angle. Using her own experience as an adoptive parent, Frankel challenges the readers to question why adoption stories are often portrayed through lenses of trauma. From the adoptive parents' to the adopted children's perspectives, Frankel encompasses a wide range of possibilities as to why one might choose to adopt and how kids might react to their adoption stories. Just like it's important to write about the challenges surrounding adoption, it's equally vital to emphasize adoption joy—and I'm so grateful to have read FAMILY x2.

I do feel that the children are sometimes too emotionally mature, and the dialogues could veer a bit too quirky to be realistic. I also think that FAMILY x2 is written with a TV/movie adaptation in mind due to the writing style. Nonetheless, these don't take away from the brilliance of FAMILY x2. It's an excellent book for workplace book clubs, generating great discussions, and gifting one's found family. It's a book I'll recommend to everyone.