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daniellereadslikealot_'s review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was such a beautiful and heartbreaking book and the fact that this is a part of our history is really devastating. Set during the 1960s in the Baby Scoop era and the Space Race, we get a look at a “maternity home” for unwed mothers. The lack of consideration and agency these women had was so frustrating to read, but there’s still so much hope in these pages. I feel such a connection with Lorraine and all the other women at the home. I liked that while she was our main character, we got a few other POVs like Lorraine’s parents and the woman in charge of the home. It really helped show all the different viewpoints people in that time had about pregnancy and women even though some of them were infuriating. I think this book will affect anyone who reads it, but especially if you’re a woman or a parent. I think I would have loved it, pre motherhood, but it hit even harder now. The ending made me so sad, but it was also beautiful in its own way. Books like these are so important to stress why women need the right to make decisions for themselves. Have tissues (and I mean A LOT) of tissues on hand for this one. And absolutely read the author’s note. I will definitely be reading whatever she writes next.
CW: mentions of incest, infant death, descriptions of pregnancy and childbirth, medical trauma
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Pregnancy, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma
Minor: Incest
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