Neville Hopkins dies in a mining accident, his widow has no choice, she and her six children move into the workhouse. The family are separated and sent to different parts of the facility and the eldest boy Tom finds a job.

Megan Hopkins holds onto the happy memories of when her family was together and it keeps her going, when she tries to visit her mother, and Miss. Hamilton refuses to let her see her. For some reason Miss. Hamilton has it in for Megan, her best option is to find work outside and spend less time in the workhouse. Mrs. Peggy Mathias employees Megan to run her market stall selling baked goods, and Megan is so excited.

Megan shares her good fortune with her friend Griff Morgan, and she saved a hungry Griff from being arrested when he stole two apples. Griff lives in the China district, a bad area of town, with his uncle Berwyn and he’s worse off. Megan and Griff share the odd sticky bun, and Megan introduces him to her new friend Mrs. Kathleen O’Hara, and she's a singer at the temperance hall. They discover Griff can sing, and he teaches a dog Scamp to preform tricks on stage. Unfortunately for Griff his greedy uncle ruins everything for him, and he’s not sure if he will ever see Megan again?

I received a copy of The Workhouse Waif by Lynette Rees from NetGalley and Quercus books in exchange for an honest review. Wales in the 1860’s is the main setting for the narrative, where life was hard and the last place anyone wanted to end up; was living in the workhouse. Megan's is a sweet and kind girl and she has soft spot for her best friend. Megan handles everything life throws at her, she looks out for her younger siblings and doesn’t give up hope of seeing her friend Griff again. Four stars from me, a story about hardship, poverty, persistence, resilience, friendship and having faith.

This was a wonderful book with lovely characters.
The ending was perfect.
Looking forward to more books from this author

The story is told of what life is like in the workhouse for Megan. Although she has siblings and her mother in the same workhouse they are rarely allowed to see each other. While some of the staff are firm but fair others seem to delight in making life even harder for the inmates. Megan makes friends with a young boy whose life is just as hard although he has avoided living in the workhouse and this friendship has a big influence on her life.
Although a very typical story of life in the late 19th century it was still enjoyable .

A wonderfully written book with characters that are well developed. I enjoyed this book and it was a fast paced story.
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. Thank you, Netgalley!
All opinions are my own.

Lynette Rees really delivers in this book. The Workhouse Waif is a truly emotional read. It's full of smiles and lots of tears! I absolutely thoroughly enjoyed it and read it in one sitting! I would highly recommend it and all of Lynette Rees books. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this Arc.

A fantastic read, wonderfully heart-warming. A great young female protagonist, that you can't help but love and a great cast of supporting characters too.

Heartwarming Adventure
This wonderful story is a bit like a female Oliver Twist, rags to happiness in Victorian England. The horrors of the workhouse and the hardships of the streets create a wonderful woman. I hated to see the story end and would enjoy reading more stories about these people. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

An emotional read that draws you into the life of Megan a young girl who through no fault of her own finds herself with her Mother and brothers and sisters living in the workhouse. You follow Megan’s life from childhood to adulthood. There are some cruel and heartbreaking times for Megan, but she never lets it change the kind and caring person she is. Megan befriends a young orphan Griff who also has his own tragedies. Megan and Griff are both strong and gutsy characters. Although they have a hard road to climb they don’t let any of the trails and tribulations knock them down.

Beautifully written, you are always there with the main character Megan. This is what I consider a fireside story. Cuddle up in your blanket with a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy one of the best historical fictions of the year.

A heart warming story that gives readers an up close look at a Welsh workhouse during the 1800's. I liked that Megan's character was allowed to be naive and then grow stronger with help from others. Both Griff's and Megan's stories were heartbreaking at times but their friendship was so sweet. Recommended!

Another lovely book from Lynette Rees,i do like reading about the workhouse and how people came to be there.A book that has sadness and happiness combined.An excellent book thank you.5*

This was a book that I did not want to stop reading. I enjoyed it because it gave me an insight into the lives of the people who lived and worked in workhouses. It was sad but there was happiness too. I thoroughly recommend this book to be read and enjoyed.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. Great characters and a great plot line. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

I love the style of this author and it is very similar to Rosie Goodwin, Annie Murray and Katie Flynn. I enjoyed the history as well as her outlook on workhouse life. This is the first I have read by this author but I can say for certain I will be reading more of her books in the future.