{"product_id":"9780062393654","title":"If Only","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAcclaimed author Jennifer Gilmore's intimate and achingly beautiful novel deftly explores the role that chance and choice play in shaping the lives of two teenagers who are separated by sixteen years, but whose lives are intertwined.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e*Two Starred Reviews!*\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"This emotional, visceral novel haunted me in the best ways. Jennifer Gilmore has written something of real depth, which will leave readers thinking for a long time about the lives that other people lead, as well as the ones they might have led. \u003ci\u003eIf Only\u003c\/i\u003e is gripping and shiveringly beautiful; a true achievement.\"-Meg Wolitzer, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Interestings\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBelzhar\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBEFORE: \u003c\/i\u003eWhen Bridget imagined her life at sixteen, it didn't look like this. She didn't think that her boyfriend would dump her for another girl. And she certainly didn't think that she would be pregnant.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith just a few months until she gives birth, Bridget must envision an entirely new future-one for her baby. But as she sifts through the many paths and the many people who want to parent her child, she can't help but feel that there is no right decision.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAFTER: \u003c\/i\u003eIvy doesn't know much about her birth mother. She knows that she is now the same age Bridget was when she placed Ivy for adoption. She knows that Bridget was the one who named her. And she knows that fifteen years ago Bridget disappeared from Ivy's and her adoptive moms' lives.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIvy wants to discover more about herself, but as she goes to find Bridget, she can't help but feel that the risks might far outweigh the benefits of knowing where she comes from and why her birth mother chose to walk away.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Gilmore brings special yet subtle artistry to her interwoven story, weaving motifs and even seemingly extraneous people through the different iterations to keep each version connected with the others.\"-\u003ci\u003eBCCB \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Gilmore's gritty multigenerational tale not only seeks to ask adoption's toughest questions, but dares to offer no easy answers: Not to be missed.\"-\u003ci\u003eKirkus \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Gilmore's writing is emotionally raw yet beautiful, touching upon some traditional Y.A. themes...with an almost mystical feel.\"-\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne girl's choice created another girl's world. But what happens when their two stories finally collide?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eDual Timeline:\u003c\/b\u003e Told in two interwoven perspectives-Bridget in the past, facing an impossible decision, and her daughter Ivy in the present, searching for answers.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAn Emotional Adoption Story:\u003c\/b\u003e Sixteen-year-old Ivy, raised by two loving moms, wants to understand the birth mother who gave her up-and then disappeared from her life completely.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eMothers and Daughters:\u003c\/b\u003e Explore the powerful, complicated bonds between Bridget and her own mother, and Ivy and the two moms who raised her.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eChoices and Consequences:\u003c\/b\u003e A gripping, poignant novel that asks what might have been, and what it costs to find out.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46556496789745,"sku":"9780062393654","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0674\/5433\/7265\/files\/9780062393654_p0.jpg?v=1771104210","url":"https:\/\/shop.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780062393654","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble","version":"1.0","type":"link"}