Reviews

The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church

theoverbookedbibliophile's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

 Set in 1960s North Carolina, this story revolves around seventeen-year-old Lorraine Delford. An only child of dutiful parents who take pride in her accomplishments, Lorraine has a good life at home, is top of her class and has ambitions beyond being a wife and mother as is traditionally expected of women. When an unplanned pregnancy threatens to change everything for her, Lorraine is resilient and makes an effort to accept how her life will change, but her boyfriend abandons her and her parents offer no support instead sending her away to a maternity home for unwed mothers to hide their shame and protect their reputation in their community. Hoping that she would be able to continue her education while there, she is shocked to see the indifferent, uncaring attitude of the housemother and doctors in whose care she has been entrusted realizing that she is expected to return to her former life after she gives birth and gives up her child. She meets others- both like and unlike herself - a reality check that compels her to take stock of her life and reflect on her priorities, the difficult choices she needs to make and the choices that have been made for her fully aware that her life will never be the same even though she is expected to go on as if this episode in her life never happened.

"Strength isn't in the loud and obvious. Strength is often camouflaged in the quiet, reserved places where most people wouldn't think to look. It's grown in the moments when we give up things along the way."

The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church is an incredibly moving story. Beautifully written, heart wrenching yet thought-provoking, this novel captures the social landscape of the Baby Scoop Era and the plight of unwed young girls who were forced to succumb to familial and societal pressure to relinquish their rights to their children. Lorraine’s journey is a painful one as she evolves from a sheltered young girl to a young mother forced to face the reality of her situation and the society in which she lives. It was heartbreaking to witness the challenges faced by these young girls, alone with no guidance or emotional support, their choices taken away from them and let down by everyone they should have been able to trust. The author is brutally honest in her depiction of the psychological toll of her experiences and the emotional scars she carries into her adulthood. Granted those were different times, but it is sad to read stories about women who are judged for mistakes for which they alone were not responsible and how easy it was for society, community and their families to shame them into submission. The author has presented us with a powerful story that will stay with you long after you have finished reading this book.

This was my first time reading this author and I'm eager to explore more of her work.

I paired my reading with audio narration by Susan Bennett, who breathes life into the characters and this story, for an absorbing immersion reading experience.

Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the digital review copy and RB Media for the ALC via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. 

sofi_thebookishflor's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

summerbende's review against another edition

5.0

This was such a good book! It really pulled on the heartstrings hearing what these girls went though. This was so well written. I listened to the audiobook in one day. 

n_heraty's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Received audio arc from Net Galley. Set in 1960’s Lorraine was sent to maternity home for wayward girls. Treated horribly as if being punished. Heart wrenching story but she’s a strong woman. Sad story but good. Highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Abortion

brandy_reads's review against another edition

fast-paced

4.0

 Thank you @bookmarked @netgalley and @recordedbooks for the complimentary ARC & ALC.

Many times people have asked a QOTD along the lines of who was a character you really related to, and I’ve never had an answer… until now. I saw so much of myself in Lorraine, high school senior straight A student, college bound and suddenly being forced to leave school. There is where our stories diverge. I had the support of my family, and Lorraine was sent to a maternity home to hide her pregnancy.

I was completely engrossed in this book from start to finish. My heart broke for Lorraine and for all girls that were sent to those homes! Decisions were made for, and about them, without once ever talking to them. I cannot begin to fathom how you recover from such trauma.

I mostly listened to this book, the narrator Susan Bennet was the perfect voice for Lorraine, but I’m so glad that I also had a physical copy because the audio did not include the author’s note. I knew about these maternity homes before but I had no idea as to the scale of it. I also didn’t know about The Baby Scoop Era which lasted from 1945-1973! An estimated four million women were sent to these homes. Four million! Knowing there were so many other stories like Lorraine and the other girls at the home just made this story hit home even more.

Highly recommend! 

_no__shelf__control_'s review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Its 1960 and Lorraine is a high school cheerleader, hoping to be prom queen, and heading to be valedictorian. She has big dreams for herself and wants to be the first American woman in space. She has loving parents and boyfriend, Clint. Lorraine seems to have her future figured out until she finds herself pregnant. Now, all she has is shame. 

This was a slow read for me and didn’t end the way I was hoping it would. I felt like the plot had huge potential for a story that would just grab you and not let go, but I actually felt quite underwhelmed and a bit bored. I do think that this time in history, The Baby Scoop Era, is definitely an important and interesting time, and it should be shared.

Thank you to Netgalley, Meagan Church, and the publishers for this free ebook. This review is 100% my own and honest opinion. 

mercedesn24's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I really enjoyed the audiobook of The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church. What a story! 

It didn't end the way I wanted the story to end. I feel really bad for Lorraine and so angry at her parents for not being there for her when she needed them the most, just because she got pregnant, and they were a shame of what other people will say. Lorraine was sent away to a maternity home for wayward girls. But this home is nothing like what Lorraine thinks it is. There are so many rules and secrets in this home. Lorraine then questions her decision to give up her baby (Grace). I wish Clint was man enough to stand up and be there for her and his baby. At the end, I was happy she ended up with Alan, who had always been there for Lorraine since the start, and they ended up together. My feelings were all over the place; I was happy, sad, angry, and a lot of the time I wanted to cry because I felt so bad for Lorraine. 

I really recommend this book when it comes out. It was such a great story.

In Lorraine words that stuck with me “Choosing to survive was the only way forward” and “To fight against gravity and keep moving forward”

A special shout out to RB Media for the audiobook copy and NetGalley.

dmagboul's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This boook, let me tell you about this booooook!!!! This book had me feeling all kinds of emotions. I was angry, I was sad, happy, wanting to bawl my eyes out throughout this book. The main character Lorraine was such a sweet but naive girl I couldn’t help but root for her. Clint one of the main characters I wanted to flick him out of existence.  Alan the other main character I was completely rooting for the whole time. He made me happy. If you’re looking for a book that will kick you in the feelers and make you feel every emotion this is the book for you. I’m sad that Lorraine didn’t get the ending that I wanted for her but I loved this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Pregnancy, Grief, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Incest, Infertility, Medical trauma, and Miscarriage

bookishpsychologist's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 In the last year I have been learning about the topic of homes for unwed mothers that were prevalent in the mid-20th century and previously read a few books on this subject. The Girls We Sent Away is another such book. It focuses on a "good Southern girl" named Lorraine who is a senior in high school. She dreams of a bigger life than being a wife and mother, working diligently in school to become Valedictorian in the hope that she can go to college and have a career in STEM. 

Unfortunately, her plans are derailed after she naively trusts her college-aged boyfriend and has unprotected sex, becoming impregnated prior to her high school graduation. As was common practice during this era, her parents sent her away to a Catholic home for unwed mothers, where young girls are forced to sign away their parental rights and give their babies up for adoption. 

I enjoyed the narrator, but found it a bit hard to connect with the MC since the book was told in third person, rather than first person. Despite this, it was an interesting, realistic, and moving work of historical fiction about the topics of motherhood, consent, and sexism. 

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and RB Media for an audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review. 

sparklelys's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

It reminded me of The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Zgheib, a closed community with shared secrets and coming to grips with situations that each put themselves in but really couldn't control once things got underway.  Interesting to contrast with Family Family by Frankel, that the choices available were so different not that many years later.