This is a riveting, poignant book loosely based on what happened during the time infamous baby seller Georgia Tann was alive. I was completely spellbound for the entire book and couldn't put it down. I can't wait to share this book with others!

This is a heart-breaking and riveting story based on a real-life scandal. The characters are wonderfully portrayed and the plot is well-paced. I loved the interactions between Rill and Judy which were so loving and poignant.

Another fantastic past/present collision story produced by Wingate! This one will make you cry!

Set in 1939 Memphis, Tennessee, Rill Foss and her younger siblings all live with their parents on a riverboat. The great depression has hit several folks hard, but living on the river can get you by if you all love one another. Their mother is now pregnant with twins and several complications have arisen, so much so that a local midwife won’t help her deliver the babies on the boat. Forced with a tough decision, their father leaves twelve-year-old Rill in charge of the kids and takes their mother to a hospital. But in the morning light, a police officer shows up to take the kids to their parents saying that the twins have died, but actually delivers them to the Tennessee Children’s Home. Once there, Rill begins to realize that the orphanage intends to see all the children into adoption. Can she keep her family together and get back to their parents?

Fast-forward to present day in Aiken, South Carolina, Avery Stafford is beginning the process she was groomed for, to take over her father’s senate seat. She achieved a law degree and was fast tracked with the US attorney’s office, but her father got cancer and is starting to have to slow down in order to keep his health. Worse, they have recently had to put her grandmother in a nursing home for Alzheimer’s disease and this has become a hot button on the candidacy due to conditions of lower income nursing homes. While visiting one of the nursing homes, one of the residents appears to recognize Avery as part of her past and steals her bracelet, which her grandmother gave her. When she comes back to collect it, she sees a picture in the woman’s room with her grandmother in it. What secrets was her grandmother involved in?

As expected, Lisa Wingate has written another phenomenal book combining connected lives of the past and present. I’ve enjoyed several of her previous series, which often make me emotional, but this one really struck a nerve. The book is based on an actual organization that operated as a black-market adoption ring in Memphis called the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, which was operated by Georgia Tann. The last national interest in this organization was about 25 years ago and has been somewhat forgotten by today’s society, as have many other events that are worthy to note. But Wingate has resurrected this with passion. I hope that everyone who reads this book will go do some research on the organization and get an idea of what atrocities were committed. With two young boys of my own, this really hit home for me. I don’t know what I would have done had it happened. I may have ended up just like Quennie.

Wingate’s writing and character developed are superb as usual. She manages to take the reader back in time to understand the scene as well as easily transition back to present day. I have been looking forward to this book for a long time and I’m glad that I read it. I hope you will read it too!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

WHEN WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate is without a doubt one of the best books I read this year. I was totally engrossed from the first page to the last and will surely be checking out more books by this author.

This novel is based on a true story of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society in the late 1930’s. The story is done in alternating points of view and is done so well it is never confusing; both points of view are equally captivating.
Not an easy story to read at times, we learn of children living on shanty boats or in other less than desirable homes, these children are ripped away for their families and given to the Tennessee Children’s Home Society for unscrupulous reasons. The children were abused and lived in terrible conditions.
The two points of view are told in past and present, just when the plight of the children is getting difficult to read the story switches to the present for some welcome relief and insight into the past.

The writing is exceptional with well-developed characters. It is as uplifting as it is heart wrenching. The ending is satisfying and connects all the dots in a well thought out manner.

This is a fascinating story based on Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children's Home. It's heartbreaking to read the story of the Foss family as their family is ripped apart just because they are poor. But it's more heartbreaking to know things like this really happened for years. Very well researched book! Highly recommended!

I really liked this book. I was interested in the subject but as I was reading, I was so saddened and somewhat horrified by the events. Those poor children. .. The author certainly does a great job of telling the story...

The story was definitely an interesting mystery. Such poignant scenes with the siblings' struggle to stay safe and together and return to their own parents. I had to re-read the reveal again to really let it sink in. Very well written. I am definitely recommending this to my adult book club.

This book was amazing!! I was sucked in from the first paragraph and could not put the book down. I admit I didn't read the Goodreads description before I started the book and once I did and discovered it was based on actual events, I wanted to get through it even faster! I was brought to tears more than once by the horrors suffered by the children at the Tennessee Children's Home. I loved Rill and Avery's characters and felt very connected to both of their stories. This book is a definite must read and I will absolutely be reading it again! Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book free of charge from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This may be one of my favorite books so far this year. While the story itself is not true the basis of the story is based on facts.

Georgia Tann, for lack of better words, stole or kidnapped thousands of children from poor families and sold them to wealthy families in the twenties to the fifties.

This story had me immersed in Rill's life and and then had me guessing how it intertwined with Avery's. The story was well written and the transition between Rill and Avery was seamless. You could feel the sense of duty Rill felt to try and keep her and her siblings together. I wish I would have known what happened to the rest of her family but like life, sometimes you never find out.

Without giving too much away, I did live how it ended and that there was closure for everyone.

This book was like a mystery, with all the tension, suspense and horror! Yet is was sweet, sensitive and truly enjoyable through every page!

Every now and then a book comes along that just sears your soul. Lisa Wingate's Before We Were Yours is such a book. Based on the true story of Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, this is a heartbreaking account of the Foss sisters -- snatched from their loving home while their parents were away and advertised as orphans, available for adoption to the highest bidder. While this is a work of fiction (and this is absolutely historical fiction at its finest), it is based on fact. Georgia Tann was a disgusting woman and I was so filled with anger and sadness at the things that these poor children suffered at her hands and the hands of others behind those walls. This is a difficult read but it is also a powerful testament to family, the bonds of sisterhood and the importance of knowing your history. The novel is told from alternating points of view, so we see things through the eyes of 12 year old Rill (one of the young girls taken by Georgia’s cronies in 1939) and Avery Stafford, a feisty federal prosecutor who is helping her ailing politician father manage his career in the present day. One afternoon while assisting her father, Avery has a chance encounter with an elderly woman at a nursing home that will ultimately lead Avery on a search that reveals unknown truths about her family. When We Were Yours is a beautiful, heart wrenching, informative tale about a shameful time in our history when people looked the other way when it came to protecting the most innocent. It is also a story that extols the virtue that “The truth is still the truth. It has value.” Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for providing me with an advanced copy of this amazing read.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This is historical fiction at its best. The story is based on the real-life Georgia Tann and her Tennessee Children's Home Society during the 1920s until 1950. Tann preyed on poor people to obtain the children by threats, intimidation, and kidnapping. High adoption fees went directly into her pockets and the pockets of the police and judges she bribed.

The focus of the story is a family of 5 children who were torn apart from their parents and each other. Told both from their perspective as children and, later, as senior citizens, the author skillfully weaves a fascinating narrative.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more my Lisa Wingate.

4.1 - definitely agree with the Orphan Train comparisons; I read this on a Kindle but would recommend it in paper due to some name changes and trying to keep up with some seemingly unimportant details; beautifully done

This book was amazing. I couldn't put it down. Smiles and heartbreak!

This book was heart wrenching to read, but oh so good. The parts of the story that moved really well were those set in the adoption home. Sad how kids were treated. Some of the transitions to the past could have been smoother and more creative, but the story itself made up for that. This book is one that should be a best seller.

It is unfathomable to believe that infants and children could be kidnapped from their families and then brokered to wealthy families in the form of an adoption. This historical event occurred from the 1930's to 1950 in Tennessee. Poor families were victimized when their children were taken from them with no legal recourse. Often the new mothers were told that their babies died at birth after being medicated. The children were taken to the Tennessee Children's Home Society and were underfed and abused. The fortunate ones were adopted into good homes but many others never made it out of the home alive. Georgia Tann was the woman who ran the Home and she profited from this exchange to the tune of over a million dollars. Today that would be more like ten million! She never faced prosecution.
Before We Were Yours is the story of the five Foss Children who were taken from their river boat while their parents were at the hospital awaiting the delivery of twins. The Foss family is fictitious but the actual events described are based on true stories.
I liked how the chapters switched back and forth as Rill Foss told her story as a child. She is the preteen in the family who tells of her attempts to keep her siblings close and safe while at the home. There are some heartbreaking scenes as she describes her abuse and the horrors that other children also suffered. The alternating chapters then switched to the present day where Rill is now an elderly woman. Rill's granddaughter, Avery, is involved and she attempts to uncover the secret her Gram has kept all her life. The writing is excellent and I was interested throughout the book. I liked how the story comes together in the end when Rill is able to bring to rest the long held secret she and her siblings kept all their lives. The author's post notes about the Tennessee Home and the actually outcome adds much to this historical fiction novel.
I received an. Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What a wonderful book! The story of the Foss siblings was heartbreaking and though the characters were fictional, knowing that events like these really happened and the horrible existence of Georgia Tamm was a reality, made them all so very real.

The writing is excellent, especially how the narrative goes back and forth between past and present, between Avery and her life and that of her grandmother Judy. There's mystery throughout as we wonder what happened to the children, what is the connection between the women. The mystery seems to deepen rather than be solved as more factors enter in. Avery's story was pretty predictable - it was obvious how it would end - but that was a good balance to the story of the sisters. I don't want to say more - I don't want to spoil the story for others. I encourage people to read this book - I guarantee you will enjoy it.

This is a story that I won't forget.

4 Stars.
A Disturbing, Heart-wrenching & Powerful Piece of Historical Fiction.

Before We Were Yours is a story about families torn apart by Social Injustice. Told from two different points of view: Rill, now known as May, who experienced horrors most of us can’t even begin to imagine; and Avery, a former Federal Prosecutor and the Daughter of a Senator, who feels the need to live up to her families’ expectations at all times.

Between the 1920’s-1950’s, The Tennessee Children’s Home Society was run by a matron named Georgia Tann. She illegally adopted out hundreds of children to the highest bidder. Those who stayed in the care of the home were abused, neglected, or worse. And sadly, many children died under her care. The tactics Ms. Tann used to scare parents into signing their children over were despicable and once that happened, there was nothing that could be done. She was the epitome of evil incarnate. Just ask Rill Foss and her four younger siblings, who found themselves in Tennessee Children’s Home Society one day, after their parents left them home alone. Rill thought life was a struggle before, but she had no idea how good they had it. One by one, Rill’s family fell apart and she lost control of everything.

Avery Stafford is a former Federal Prosecutor, who left her own life behind (which includes her fiancé) to return home to care for her ailing father, the Senator. She has been summoned to attend political functions and events with him and be the “dutiful daughter.” In the midst of attending these events, she decides to visit with her Grandmother Judy, who is suffering from Dementia. During this visit, her Grandmother divulges something to Avery that she has kept hidden all of her life. This secret leads Avery to uncover facts about her Grandmother and helps Avery down her own path to self-discovery.

The girls and women in Before We Were Yours are extremely strong & independent. My heart broke for all of the children who spent time in The Tennessee Children’s Home Society or any place that even remotely resembles that. Parts of this story were not easy to read. It is a truly profound & thought-provoking character study, which is full of atrocities that no person, let alone a child, should ever have to endure. While the subject matter is a tough one, the book is very well done and the storylines are intertwined expertly.

Lisa Wingate’s writing is phenomenal. The book is so good, it actually hurts to read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine & Lisa Wingate for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley, Goodreads and Amazon on 6.11.17.

My Review: 4.5 stars

Before We Were Yours is an utterly satisfying story that sheds light on the horrific child trafficking and adoption scheme that took place in 1930s Tennessee. I had absolutely no clue that this was part of our American history. Cameron Wright’s novel, The Orphan Keeper, confirmed this happened in India, but I’ve learned now, it can happen anywhere.

Wingate takes us to this time period while the reader becomes smitten and emotionally involved with Rill and her siblings. We see they are cared for and loved, while being stone cold poor. They live off the river for their food as well as a means of bringing in income. It’s through these curly blonde siblings that we meet Georgia Tann, the elitist owner and cruel imposter at The Tennessee Children’s Home Society.

Alternatively, there’s another storyline that focuses on Avery, a young go-getter who is learning that she may be pushing herself into a life that isn’t her dream, but her parent’s dream instead. These current day characters allowed the mystery at hand to unfold at a good pace.

The dual storyline style of writing was necessary to the plot for a dose of lightness amid the darkness of Rill’s story. They were knitted beautifully together to tell us a story about the strength of family bonds, that buried lies will always surface and that love will always trump hate. This is the type of novel that begs you to research more about adoption laws, the people who ran this one until it closed in 1950 and compare them to now. I have no doubt this book will be a runaway hit and for sure satisfy book clubs with a great book to discuss.

This is an amazing book. Very well researched and thought out. The characters were very well written. The author blends the historical and contemporary aspects of the story seamlessly. 5/5 stars. I would highly recommend this book to readers of both fiction and non fiction. Please see my Goodreads review for more detail.