This is not sci-fi, or a dystopian novel. It's just fiction, and not that removed from reality. Doesn't mean it's bad, but not as advertised. ( )

Nestled in New York’s Hudson Valley is a luxury retreat boasting every amenity: organic meals, personal fitness trainers, daily massages-and all of it for free. In fact, you’re paid big money to stay here-more than you’ve ever dreamed of. The catch? For nine months, you cannot leave the grounds, your movements are monitored, and you are cut off from your former life while you dedicate yourself to the task of producing the perfect baby for someone else.
Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines, is in desperate search of a better future when she commits to be a “Hoist” at Golden Oaks-or the Farm, as residents call it. But now pregnant, fragile, consumed with worry for her family, Jane is determined to reconnect with her life outside.
Author does a good job of building up events but the book lacks the punch in the end. ( )

Digital audiobook narrated by Fran de Leon.

Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines, is searching for a better opportunity to secure the future for herself and her daughter. So, the chance to become a “host” at Golden Oaks – a luxury resort in New York’s Hudson Valley – seems ideal. She’ll have every amenity: organic meals, a personal fitness trainer, daily massages, and an idyllic setting. All she has to do is be a surrogate mother for someone else’s child. But things at “The Farm” (as Jane and her fellow surrogates refer to it), aren’t as ideal as the brochures promise.

While the original premise seems plausible, the reality of Jane’s situation quickly devolves into a somewhat dystopian nightmare. She seems to be being played by not only those who run the operation but, perhaps, by one or more fellow surrogates. It also seems that the relative she’s entrusted with her daughter’s care while she spends nine months at Golden Oaks isn’t as trustworthy as Jane originally thought. All this adds to the tension … both for Jane and for the reader.

It certainly held my attention and I really wanted to see how Jane would fare in this scenario. I think this would be a work that book clubs would love to discuss.

Fran de Leon does a fine job narrating the audio. She has good diction and keep a good pace. There are a lot of characters, most of them female, and there were a few times when I got confused about who was speaking, but I quickly caught up. ( )

I enjoyed reading this in part because it was through provoking about classism/surrogacy etc…but also because I thought it was going to go somewhere in the story line …but I found it ended disappointing me ( )

“Because in America you only have to know how to make money. Money buys everything else.”
― Joanne Ramos, The Farm

This was quite a read.

The Farm is a book that I have mixed feelings about. I cannot say I loved it but I CAN say it was an incredible read. Both of those things can be true.

I am not going to do a plot review..so many others already have..but I will talk about my feelings abut this book.

First off..nothing that occurs in The Farm is unlikely to actually happen..if it isn't already. The book just does an incredible job in showing the readers the difference in life styles between the Haves and the Have-nots. The top one percent and the people who are not as fortunate..or are they?

I say this because the rich..in this book.. aren't very good people. Nobody working at the farm is a particularly good person. It is a creepy place to be. But I also have no problem seeing why someone would make the choice to work there as a surrogate.

Jane is an amazing character. This book has been described as having characters "so real they could step off the pages". I agree with that. I wanted to give Jane a hug. The writer has done an amazing job bringing these people to life..all of them..and I've no doubt this will, at some point, be a film or even a TV series. How could it not be? And it is sure inspiring buzz.

My favorite character was Reagan. I related to her and loved her in a way..she is someone I would choose to have as a friend. My feelings about Lisa are a bit more complex.

This all being said, I didn't LOVE the book. I did not devour it in one sitting. I thought the creepy factor could have been amped up some, to show the horror of the Farm. There were moments of pure horror but not enough of those. I would have liked less emphasis on all the different characters and more on the sheer and utter dehumanizing of the women. And make no mistake that is what the farm does. It devalues everything..every good thing.

Trust, honesty, loyalty, privacy, human decency..all of that is thrown out the window..not because of any caring for human life and babies but because of..plain and simple..money. These ladies are cash cows and nothing more.

Not hard to envision this. But I did want more of the dread, not because I wanted to be scared but because I feel moments like that are pivotal in showing the..for lack of a better term..gross aspect of what is going on. We get some of that but not as much as I'd have liked.

So, in closing, this is an important book. It's a serious book about reality and what it shows the reader, sadly is that reality can often suck. Sorry for the bluntness but it's true. The epilogue was a bit odd and I'd have liked more depth on that. I'd have also liked to have seen certain things rather then just been told of them..like a confrontation between Reagan and the Farm workers themselves.

These are minor quibbles though. I did enjoy this read will be recommending it to others. My rating is four stars. This book will leave you talking. ( )