I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This was a very unusual novel for me, but rather interesting. In a way, I wondered if Pat was actually bisexual but chose a life with Stu. The things Pat had put up with for years from Stu was just unreal. Then they try to start over in Cape Cod, you can’t get more opposite of the big city than that. I think the desire for a child was more Pat’s need to be a daddy. You can see it in the relationship he has with Paula. The feeling I got was that Stu was only interested in passing down the family genes, not much more. Although, I don’t think that qualified Pat to do what he did, not only affecting his relationship with Stu, but also Danny and Debora’s. The end of the book just completely broke my heart, I felt so awful for everyone involved. This was definitely an emotional novel and one I enjoyed very much. ( )

4.5 stars. The Paternity Test is beautiful and emotional read that provides a fascinating look into one couple’s struggle to become a family. To read my review in its entirety, please click HERE. ( )

From Lilac Wolf and Stuff

This book is full of flavor. You feel their excitement at having a baby, but as you get in deeper and understand the relationship these men have...well, it's less black and white. I thought it was a brilliant portrayal about how our motivations aren't always so simple.

In the opening of the description it talks about the cliche, "having a baby to save the marriage." And that is what all their friends think is going on. And really, it kind of is. For one of them. For the other, it's about giving his parents a grandchild and continuing the family line. Are either of those perfect reasons for having a baby?

What motivates straight couples to breed? I see lots of accidents (Ivan is one of them - lol), just because it's the normal next step, and even today there are lots of save-the-relationship babies. Just because they are a gay couple doesn't mean they don't face the same hardships in deciding to have children.

This story does a great job showing the grey areas in relationships. And I wonder how much of it is true, in the gay community there is a LOT of casual sex still going on. That is what made Pat and Stu so rocky. For Stu's credit, he does make an effort to stay true to Pat once it comes out that Pat simply can't take that lifestyle anymore. It's a huge trust issue that comes back over and over again.

This is a very realistic and heart-wrenching story that will surprise you in the end. ( )

Michael Lowenthal's novel, "The Paternity Test" is based upon a gay male couple who want their own child to complete their family. In the process of making that happen, protagonist Pat, a free lance writer, and his partner, Stu, an airline pilot, set out to explore the legal and community ways that Stu can contribute the semen to a surrogate mom. With that, we learn about the complicated and varying methods, good and bad, that such can be accomplished and the financial and legal pitfalls to having a baby under their circumstances. Additional complications involve the two men's families and their critical views of the procedure.

At last, the two men find a willing surrogate family, a man and wife with whom they bond to begin. Because the semen is not to be implanted in a hospital setting, this becomes a problem as the four must meet together at the surrogate's house for the monthly inseminations. Afterwards, she calls them to inform them of the results.

"The Paternity Test" is a wondrous book, far more than what we learn about the subject of insemination. It is author Lowenthal's skill with language that makes this book happen. His choice of first person as the media could not have been better for the intimacy of the six major characters, the male couple, the surrogate and her husband, as well as Stu's family each of whom present different attitudes and personal attributes that keep the tension as taut as a runaway racehorse. WARNING: if you're not careful, while in thrall to "The Paternity Test," you'll miss your stop on the bus and be late for work .

In addition to point of view, not enough can be said about this amazing writer's use of dialogue, his word choices. Each sentence snaps like a ping pong ball, volley and serve, perfectly delivered and received. Author Lowenthal's profound understanding of the human heart is also gripping, grabbing readers on the first page and holding them until the end. What's more, this author takes you deep inside the characters, and when you've finished you've literally lived this story through the eyes of Lowenthal's people. This book is not fluff, not a book you'll soon forget. Make that experience your own. Make it the next book on your nightstand. ( )