This was both an endearing, wonderful book but also a heart-breaking story. I was sobbing while I read this story. I touched my heart, I loved the characters and I cared about what happened to them all. That includes the women in the current time and in the past.
I have never read any books by this author but I will definitely be looking for more by her.

Loved this book!! I’m always drawn to stories of resilient women and Home for Erring and Outcast Girls delivers. I was immediately captivated by the horrific predicaments of Lizzie and Mattie, two “broken” women in turn-of-the-20th century Texas, as well as modern day librarian Cate, whose own back-story is also deeply emotional. Julie Kibler shares a little known part of history in a sensitive and moving manner which adds to the appeal of this book. Always nice to learn something new.

My only constructive feedback is that the names of Lizzie and Mattie were a little too close making it somewhat confusing in the beginning.

The cover of the book is beautiful. The font very clean and appealing. A winner.

Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing for allowing me to read this wonderful book early. Rated: 4.25!

Many thanks to Crown Publishing for this advanced reader digital copy!

Truly interesting read based on historical events of unwed mothers or homeless women and pulls in nicely with modern times with a college librarian who comes across old documents about the Baruchah Home of the early 1900’s. Occasionally it was hard going back and forth from the 2 historical characters, Mattie and Lizzie, but their stories become clearer as the book goes along.

I found myself drawn in immediately and found all the main characters likable and interesting. It’s also great to learn a bit of history as well!

I give it a solid 4 stars!

I loved this novel! My favorite aspect of historical fiction is when the story switches from current day to the past. We see so many years which hold their own unique stories. These characters have so much to say. Beautifully written with very developed characters.
Thank you NetGalley.

I loved this one. It was a good historical fiction back spotlighting a little known history in this country. I felt the plot and characters were we’ll fleshed out.
The author is a master at writing about hard subjects
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

Thank you to Net Galley and Crown Publishing for the chance to read and review this book. This is the story of Mattie and Lizzie, who met at the Berachah House for the Redemption and Protection of Erring Girls, a home for young women who are pregnant, poor, etc. The home was opened in 1903 by a couple that wanted to help these desperate young women.. Both young ladies have a very hard life and end up at the house when faced with nowhere else to go. They build a friendship that lasts the rest of their lives. There is also a more current story line, but I did not find Cate's story very interesting. I found Mattie's and Lizzie's story to be more interesting.

I love that the book talked tackled real life treatment of women and pregnant, unwed young women in the first half of the 20th Century, The timeframe in the book spanned from 1905-2017, from the point of view of 3 women. Two from the earlier time period. Girls who ended up in the Berachah Industrial Home in Arlington, TX. The third woman is from a more recent time and is the one digging into the past to know more about the first two.

I found the narration based on the point of view of three different women interesting. The author did a good job keeping the mystery about each woman’s past going. There are some areas where I felt like the story dragged on, such as the Lizzie’s backstory towards the end of the book. Perhaps that could have been added early on or it could have been shortened?
The one thing that didn’t sit right with me is the revelation that Cate’s River was a girl. Why make her a girl?

How I loved this book! Having lived 65 years in the area of this book's setting, I never knew this rich history. Julie has beautifully fleshed out this story. I was entranced with the characters and didn't want their journeys to end.

I really enjoyed reading this book and learning about the home and couldn't wait to get to the end to find out if it was real. I thought the dual timelines were well done and both told great stories of historical "sins". Today we look at these things differently and I know that there is still bigotry and hatred in the world but i believe every day hearts are won to love.

I feel like I've read this story many times before. The writing was ok, the characters interesting but nothing unexpected or exceptional.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Reminded me of the Orphan Train. Will recommend to my readers and also to my book club.

Let me begin with some personal prejudices. I was adopted and my biological parents weren’t married. It irritates me to no end when we put labels on people, women in particular who through no fault of their own end up in difficult situations. That said, I’m a huge fan of Julie Kibler’s first book, Calling Me Home.

This story is told from three main characters point of view. Lizzy and Mattie are women who are In need of the services of the Berachah Industrial Home which took in women who were pregnant. Cate is a archival librarian in modern day who works at the university in Texas where many of the records of the Berachah home reside. The chapters alternate between these three woman and we learn about how they came to be in their current situation and how each handles their situation.

The novel is divided in three sections. The first two seemed long and the alternating points of view seemed to keep the reader at a distance from the three women. The most engaged I found myself was when Maddie and Lizzie were engaged in conversation. I didn’t fully connect with Cate u til the third section of the book. This last part gained my full attention and kept me riveted. I wish I could say the same for the first two.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

I received a free Kindle ARC of this book from netgalley.com.

The little prologue at the start of the book seemed wordy and unnecessarily confusing. I almost closed the kindle screen right there, but I stuck it out and it improved quite a bit.
This story is based partially on real people who believed that a "fallen woman" shouldn't be separated from her baby which was quite shocking for that time period. They took in women and nurtured them back to physical and emotional and spiritual health after childbirth. The POV changes between different women in the home as well as a modern woman growing up. These women all had compelling stories. In this #metoo world, we see how commonplace it was and still is in many ways for men to take what they wanted without any negative results for them while women bare the brunt of the scars.

Home for Erring and Outcast Girls is a very beautifully written heart wrenching book. It is historical fiction at its best with a bit of mystery thrown in. This amazing story is well thought out and I found the characters remarkable and endearing . It examines the dark paths that lead to ruin, and the steps we must take to return. It showcases tremendous female courage and inner strength, difficult choices, heartbreak and unbearable loss. This a deeply moving, unforgettable book. I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

What a wonderful novel! Home for Erring and Outcast Girls is a historical fiction that follows the lives of several women from the early 1900’s to present day. Even though this novel spans a century, the women’s journeys are all brave and courageous! I found the characters remarkable and endearing and because of that I couldn’t put my kindle down until I was finished. I was truly surprised at the many well-timed twists and turns. Julie Kibler does a fantastic job combining history, mystery and women’s fiction and I found the storyline extremely original! Home for Erring and Outcast Girls is a 5 star gem that everyone should put on their reading list! I am looking forward to reading Julie Kibler’s debut novel (Calling Me Home) in the very near future! Home For Erring and Outcast Girls is an absolute must read!

This book takes you on by just a journey through time, but through emotions. The lives you are made privy to in this very eloquently and respectfully written love letter of a novel are heartwarming and heartbreaking and so inspiring. It opens your eyes to struggles ancient and current with vast differences and scary similarities, especially given the length of time these injustices have had to be made right. Historical fiction (in some cases fact in this book) aren’t what I’d call my “go to genre” of book, however with more and more books like this in the genre, I’m quickly becoming an insatiable fan.

Historical fiction at its best an emotional read beautifully written heart wrenching a book that drew me into the lives of theses young women and kept me turning the pages.For lovers of historical fiction grab this one.#netgalley #crownpublishing

Julie Kibler has written a wonderful novel. It is historical fiction at it's finest. A heartbreaking story of the trials that women in the early 1900's who were poor or outcast had to endure to survive. The story bounces back between present day and the past, I usually don't care for that in a book, but this one is so well written and the characters so interesting that it flows seamlessly together. Mattie and Lizzie's story is unearthed by present day librarian Cate Sutton as she struggles to uncover what led them to the home. Cate has her own backstory and discovers herself as she researches the women. I have ordered this for my library and I think it would make an excellent choice for bookclubs. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this novel early

This book had me get a bit emotional a few times. It's very well-written historical fiction with good character development and dialog. There's a bit of mystery too. Recommended for those that like literature and historical drama. Thanks for the advanced copy for review!!

Cate Sutton enjoys her work at a college library in Texas, she loves the books, the quiet and the solitude it often allows her. But she’s drawn out of her shell by the discovery of a graveyard on the grounds of the old Berachah Home for the Redemption and Protection of Erring Girls. The home was a place that was supposed to protect young women who had fallen on hard time, or given in to the “sins of the flesh”. In reality the home was anything but a safe place and Cate searches her libraries archives to understand more about the women who languished there 100 years earlier. She finds the stories of two young women in particular, Lizzie Bates and Mattie McBride who suffered unspeakable loss and tragedy, and finds herself drawn to them, even identifying with them and the choices she’s made in her own life. This is such a stunning story, history has largely forgotten women in general and these women, poverty stricken and sometimes illiterate have vanished without a trace. Kibler allows them to speak through her beautiful and moving story