Book Club - Bloom

Bloom by Kelle Hampton

Summary:

Love me. Love me. I'm not what you expected, but oh, please love me.

That was the most defining moment of my life. That was the beginning of my story.

From the outside looking in, Kelle Hampton had the perfect life: a beautiful two-year-old daughter, a loving husband, a thriving photography career, and great friends. When she learned she was pregnant with her second child, she and her husband, Brett, were ecstatic. Her pregnancy went smoothly and the ultrasounds showed a beautiful, healthy, high-kicking baby girl.

But when her new daughter was placed in her arms in the delivery room, Kelle knew instantly that something was wrong. Nella looked different than her two-year-old sister, Lainey, had at birth. As she watched friends and family celebrate with champagne toasts and endless photographs, a terrified Kelle was certain that Nella had Down syndrome—a fear her pediatrician soon confirmed. Yet gradually Kelle's fear and pain were vanquished by joy, as she embraced the realization that she had been chosen to experience an extraordinary and special gift.

Review:

This was a really good book. I have never read Kelle's Blog before but am now following it. I cried so hard for the first 70ish pages. Like heart wrenching sobs. But what I ultimately got out of this book was not about the daughter/mother relationship, it was about the girlfriends in her life. I am very grateful to have a large group of friends and this book made me appreciate it a million times over. Honestly, I expected this book to be about raising a down syndrome daughter, but in my opinion it was not. It was still an excellent read with beautiful pictures throughout and it strengthened my opinion that girlfriends are so important.

I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.

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