I was given an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. This book was so very well written. It captivated me the entire time!

Started and stopped this book several times over the past month and still less than half way through when I finally gave up. Don't understand the high ratings and strong reviews. But this book was obviously not for me.

Sold on a Monday took me back to the Great Depression in this heart-breaking and beautiful story. The story walks us through how a mother could sell her kids, the why behind it and the after-affects. The book has so much emotion that I didn’t just want to know what happened, I needed to know what happened. This author can expertly spin a story, while creating fully realized characters. This is a story that sets you inside the plot and shows rather than tells.

One newspaper photograph started a chain of events that would disrupt a family and connect several complete strangers in ways they could have never imagined. When young fledgling reporter Ellis Reed saw a sign that read 2 Children for Sale posted on a local farmhouse, he felt compelled to photograph the children in question by the sign. With the recent Depression of 1929, many U.S. families were in dire straits and the photo definitely captured the sign of the times. Ellis was surprised later to hear that his Editor wanted him to write a feature story to accompany the photograph for his newspaper, The Philadelphia Examiner. He then soon learned that the only copy of the photograph had been ruined in an office mishap. Ellis went back to the farmhouse where he took the photo several weeks ago, only to learn that the family had moved on. To avoid having his first byline story on the cutting room floor, Ellis had to think quickly. On a whim, he decided to restage the photograph with two neighboring kids, using the abandoned sign. When he captured young Ruby and Calvin Dillard’s picture and paid their mom Geraldine $2.00, Ellis had no idea how this action was going to alter all of their lives and how he would later be haunted by this impulsive decision. Lily Palmer was a young woman working in a clerical role at the newspaper who had secrets and dreams of her own. She befriended Ellis and joined his quest to right the wrongs that had been the result of his newspaper article.

This book had so many layers. It provided insights into the Great Depression era and the newspaper business. It was a poignant tale of family, loss, love, and secrets. It also demonstrated how one small action could have consequences rippling far beyond where it began. This was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading….it captured my interest right away and kept me interested. It was my first Kristina McMorris novel. Now I want to go back and read everything that she has written!

Ellis Reed, an eager modern young man of his day, decides to seek his fortune in the feisty world of journalism. He starts out as the social page report for a paper in Philadelphia. But the success of his reporting leads to a better job with the Tribune in New York City. On his first day on the job in the city of gangsters, speakeasies and fast-living, Al Capone had just been found guilty of tax evasion. Thomas Edison had just died. Thirty thousand Hitlerites had paraded through Germany and Japan was plowing through Manchuria. And the Great Depression had America in its grip. It was 1931.

A blend of historical fiction and romance, this book will captivate you with its characters and storytelling. The story comes to life when Reporter Ellis takes a photo that he knows will showcase his first feature story- 2 raggedy kids, by a sign “Children for Sale.” But, he later makes a mistake with the photo that sets a tragedy in motion. Pictures, like people, so often were not as they appeared.

Ellis’ co-worker, secretary and hopeful journalist Lily, feels compassion for the children in the photo and encourages Ellis to right the wrong that transpired from his initial mistake with the photo. Lily is smart, skilled, brave and a loving single mother. Many harrowing and exciting events bombard Ellis and Lily as they seek to unravel the mysterious story behind the poor children’s plight.


The historical part of the story is captivating and highly readable. America is coming of age, just as Ellis and Lily are, and we get to see the world through their eyes. The author recreates for us this wild and vigorous world of the 1930’s.
Hope and progress vied with poverty and crime and mobsters and politicians were too often intertwined. Journalists and newspapers shared the stories of the day with exuberance. And American families tried to love and survive. A man’s gotta do what’s best for his family.

The romance part of the story involves Lily, Ellis and Clayton, a successful reporter, described as a thoughtful, successful, dashing man. We also read about the backstories of Ellis and Lily. The romance and the backstories weren’t as compelling for me as the historical story.

Readers, you will keep turning the pages of this book, as it is engaging and suspenseful. I will you decide if the plot is a bit farfetched or if it is just whizbang good storytelling. Recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is my honest review.

Sooo good! I really enjoyed this book. It gives a glimpse into the horrors that befell families after the stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing great depression. I say a glimpse because this story is told from the point of view of a newspaper reporter and photographer. Ellis Reed finds himself in rural Laurel Township, PA in August of 1931; waiting for his automobile engine to cool down; when he sees two boys sitting on a porch and he snaps a picture of them. Then, the words on the crude wooden sign near the boys registers in his mind and he is appalled.
This seemingly innocuous action will have far reaching consequences. It’s the ripple effect that we so often hear about.
I found this story to be well written. The characters came to life for me. The story conveys the emotions, etiquette, social rules/acceptability of the times and the economic hardships that so many faced. Bravo Kristina McMorris.

The beginning of the book starts with “it all started with a picture”. That in itself got me, throughout the whole book I had that quote in mind but never did expect what would actually transpire. Ellis Reed is a reporter who is struggling to make it big. He doesn’t have much going for him in the way of career or romance but all that changes with, you guessed it, a picture he takes of two kids with a sign that says “children for sale” in the background. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone since I went into this book with a vague idea of what I was getting myself into and I feel like I enjoyed it that much more because of it. Suffice to say that this was a heartbreaking story and a must read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

Disclaimer: This was provided as a free ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book certainly was a fun read. Although there were a number of 'improbables' that occurred I still really enjoyed the story and the points the author seemed to be trying to make - or at least points I thought were important. Set during the Big Depression with young men and women trying to become something and others just hoping to survive, the stage was set for some interesting times. The author did a very good job of weaving a tale that allowed all of the characters to intersect.

Confession - I jumped at the chance to read this book based solely on my absolute love for the author's work, particularly The Edge of Lost, which swept me away. I can safely say that Sold on a Monday did not disappoint.

Inspired by a real photograph, the author dives into one truly heartbreaking part of the Great Depression as she creates a story behind the photograph of two small children, shown with a sign for sale. Photographer Ellis Reed is no saint; struggling to get by and move up, he takes a photo and then makes a decision that will haunt him. He is truly flawed, struggling to prove himself to his father and to get ahead, and that is what makes him such a fascinating character for me. He's not bad, but desperation makes people do things they otherwise wouldn't, and some problems take on a life of their own.

Likewise, Lillian Palmer, a secretary at the newspaper that publishes Ellis' photo gets caught up in the drama as he tries to set things right. Her own story is complicated and fascinating, with secrets of her own.

This book offers a little of everything - beautiful prose, a gripping story, a little romance, drama, tension, and an unexpected twist or two.

Fans of historical fiction, this one is for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a fictional story based on a situation that faced countless families during the Great Depression where desperation and survival led parents to do anything to save their children. A young reporter takes a shot of two ragged children and a sign that says - children for sale. When the photo becomes famous, which he did not intend to happen, the children are caught in a horrible situation that leads to their being farmed out to two different families. Ellis, the reporter, and Lilly, a secretary and wannabee reporter, will then do anything it takes to recover the children and return them to their mother. Wonderful and heartbreaking, this story will stay with you for a long time. Be sure and read the author's note when you finish to get the background on the photo. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

This book looked like it would be right up my alley so I expected to fall in love with it. I'm not exactly sure where it went wrong for me or why I am not able to be as exited about it as so many other people are. It just felt a bit bland to me. I do love historical fiction, especially stories set around the time of the great depression. This novel delivers that, but I was hoping it would dive more deeply into the ways struggling families lived and survived in such poverty stricken times and less about the personal lives of the photographer and secretary.
3 out of 5 stars

I was happy to read this book since the premise and history was striking. This is a new author to me so I wasn't familiar with her style of writing. I found the book to be slow at times but understand it was because this story takes place over a few cities. One of my major problems was Ellis. He wasn't a man you would like because of his morals. I stopped reading more than once because I felt the characters were just not likeable. I'm glad that I continued to read because as their stories unfolded and getting a better understanding of the time period, it was a wonderful story of love, fear, despair, perseverance, and stubbornness. Ellis in this story learned some valuable lessons and it made him a better man. Lillian learned that forgiving yourself is the first step to living the life you want. This book touches you and is a great read. I recommended it to a friend who is in a book club.

Photography is the art of observation.
Little to do with what you see everything with way you see.

After market crashed in '29, children were sent to relatives, orphanages, or dropped off at churches.
Parents were in desperate situations. Before anyone should judge, they should try to relate and understand.
Reading this book, will give you a story that will captivate you.

A picture is taken
beginning of a journey

1 choice is a link in whole chain of events.

"Sold on a Monday" transports you back to the Great Depression and takes you on a journey that starts when a struggling Philadelphia reporter sees two children on a porch in front of "kids for sale" sign and snaps a picture. From that simple click of the camera, lives as changed forever - when an editor sees the picture and asks for the story behind the photo wheels are put into motion that are difficult to stop. Along the way you are drawn into the stories of the struggling reporter and the ethics & conscience he experience with the choices he makes; the newspaper secretary with dreams of being a journalist while also raising the son that she has "hidden" from her Philly existence; a widow struggling with her health while raising 2 young children; a banker trying to bring his wife back from the abyss after the tragic death of their young daughter; a New York mobster and glimpses of the NY underworld and more.

Reading the description of the photo that Ellis captures on a Sunday afternoon to set this story in motion, I immediately through of the Depression era images of mothers and children captured by Dorthea Lange.

Kristina McMorris does a masterful job of building characters and a construct against the backdrop of the Great Depression and delivers a compelling story that has you engaged to the final pages to see how it resolves and who is able to find happiness. This was my first book by this author and I will definitely look to read more from her.

An e-ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is available on August 28th.

I really loved this book! Romance, mystery, unexpected twists, and a happily ever after ending...couldn't ask for much more. The author did a fabulous job of putting the reader smack dab in the middle of the adventure. There were times I thought I would cry but just couldn't be bothered to put the book down. Highly recommended and would love to read more of Kristina McMorris' work!

Thank you to Net Galley and the author for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

This was a heartbreaking story. Ellis sets out to find a headline for a story for the newspaper, and the picture he takes ends up leading him down a path that he wasn't prepared for. With the help of his friend Lily, he is able to help a family piece themselves back together after a heart wrenching time apart.

I read this amazing book in one long evening as I couldn't put it down. It all starts with a picture of 2 young boys with a sign children for sale. It's 1931 and times are very tough and families are struggling just to have food to eat. The story is told by 2 points of view, Ellis the reporter who took the picture and Lilly who is a single mom. This story shows the desperation of the great depression and the lengths the families had to go to survive. This book was very heartbreaking and I cried many times while reading it. On a personal level, I remember stories of this time period from my Grandfather. His oldest sister was given to an aunt because they just couldn't afford to feed the family of 9 children. This book and it's characters will stay with me for a very long time. I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark. All opinions are my own.

Kristina McMorris has done what many people likely have thought about...putting to paper the story they imagined about something they stumbled across. In this instance, a thought-provoking photograph is the basis for McMorris' novel about a photo that at once launches and derails Ellis Reed' s career as a reporter. His co-worker, Lily Palmer yearns to become a reporter while hiding her status as a single mother. Her innocent attempt to help Ellis by bringing one of his photos to the attention of the chief of the newspaper leads to some devastating consequences for the subjects of the photo. Ellis and Lily race to rectify the situation while learning more about each other and themselves. The tale is believable and the characters well-developed. McMorris makes the reader question what she would do every step of the way. Definitely engaging and worth the time, this is a novel I highly recommend.

I really liked the characters in this book - they were a bit hard to figure out - just like happens in real life when you meet new people and begin to build a relationship. However, I struggled a bit with the story. The premise was great and had me wanting to read more but as the tale progressed I found parts a bit harder to believe. So, if you can leave behind reality for a bit, and just settle in for story telling time, you really enjoy the ride. The writing is strong and flows well, you'll find yourself conflicted at times in terms of who to root and it will keep you reading. This is a book I would have definitely appreciated a 10 point scale rather than just 5 to choose from!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this early release in exchange for an honest review.

I am surprised I liked this book as much as I did! I normally don’t really like to read books set back in time, but I really liked this book. I also usually prefer books that are lighter or psychological thrillers, so again since this book is neither. I think this writer was great with imagery, I could really picture what she was writing happening, and I felt like I could connect with the characters. I would definitely recommend this book!