A must read for anyone who has a history with adoption.
Very well written and was an enjoyable read.
Thank you NetGalley.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

In "The Making of Her," Bernadette Jiwa crafts a poignant narrative set against the vibrant backdrop of Dublin in the 1960s and 1990s. Through the compelling story of Joan Quinn, a factory girl whose marriage conceals a heart-wrenching secret, Jiwa explores themes of motherhood, sacrifice, and the societal constraints on women's happiness. The novel masterfully navigates the emotional complexities of reunion and redemption, making it a tender and gripping read.

My thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which delves into the complexities of motherhood and the limited choices available to women in the past. It also highlights the stark division in social classes, illustrating how factory workers and those in government housing were often looked down upon. The writing is excellent, and the characters are highly relatable.

A stunning debut! I devoured this story and felt so connected to it despite having almost nothing in common with any character. I'd read another by this author without even knowing the details.

I tried to read this one but I just couldn’t get into it.. I know some would like it but it’s not for me. I couldn’t get halfway through .

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick. Our library purchased and our patrons have been checking out and and enjoying the book. I see it is a popular book club choice as well we hope to have more oppurtinies to support authors like them

This was such a great debut novel! If you’re a fan of historical fiction you will love this book. It’s set in Ireland, has a focus on mother and daughter relationships, and it has dual pov and dual timeline. I can’t wait to read more by this author. I highly recommend checking this book out!

Took me a while to really get into this enough to finish it. It was well written and the characters were interesting and relatable. Nothing memorable but a good book.

I enjoyed this book, especially the detail of Dublin during the 60's. I love reading about different eras and felt like this story hit all the rights spots for me on that point. It was interesting to read about our MC struggles during a time when women were expected to stay at home still. The author did a great job on her debut novel and I look forward to seeing what she does next.

“The Making of Her” is a debut novel from author Bernadette Jiwa. This family drama, set in Dublin, tells the story of Martin and Joan Egan, and their adult daughter Carmel. Martin and Joan are long-married, and to all appearances, happily so. But a decision made early in Martin and Joan’s relationship, continues to affect Joan - while Martin feels this decision has been made would be harmful to revisit. This conflict, and it’s eventual unraveling, affects their marriage and the Egan family as a whole, and cast everyone into new and different roles. This well-written novel speaks to many themes including marriage, in-law relationships, changing mores, women’s rights, and adoption. Many thanks to the author, Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an advanced e-copy of the book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review..

Thank you to netgalley.com for this ARC.

I loved this book....it was heart breaking at times but was completely engrossing. I felt the book was very well written and I was able to connect with the main character. I liked the time periods and setting. Taking place in 1950's and 1990's Ireland and England it shows one woman and her family and how some choices affect everything going forward.

I would recommend this book for fans of the show "Call the Midwife" or books by Maeve Binchy.

Can't wait to read more by this author.

This story takes place in Ireland and focuses on love, marriage, adoption and secrets. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

Growing up in Dublin in the 1960’s was not easy for someone like Joan. After losing her mother at a young age, she did everything in her power to hold the family together. Her Da barely worked and mostly drank and her younger siblings needed more care than she could provide. Slowly all but her sister Teresa were sent away for adoption. Working in the local candy factory left little for Joan to look forward to day in and day out. No hope on the horizon. Until the one day she meets Martin. Handsome, smart and sweet but completely out of her league, Joan cannot take her eyes off the young man. Martin’s meddling mother makes their lives unbearable and their secret dalliance leads to the biggest regret of Joan’s life. Many years later Joan is confronted with her past and the truth that has been haunting her dreams for decades must finally come out of the closet. Narrated between life in the 60’s and the 90’s, this heartbreaking novel is filled with the struggles of class, marriage and motherhood as Joan contemplates if it is too late to set things right.

The Making of Her by Bernadette Jiwa. Thank you to the publisher and author for an advanced reader copy. In this debut novel, we are in Dublin, Ireland and we go back and forth from 1966 to 1996. If a young lady found herself with child in 1966 Dublin without the benefit of marriage, there were very few options. Joan Egan finds herself in that family way. What can she do? Joan in 1996 is quite well-off, living with her husband Martin and his snobbish mother. Their adult daughter works with her dad at the store that the Egan family owns. I enjoyed this timely drama. It’s full of emotion and secrets. It delves into adoption in a sensitive manner which I appreciated as an adopted child. Thumbs up!

With the country under turmoil after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, historical novels about women facing crisis pregnancies have more meaning and resonance than ever before. While The Making of Her, Irish-Australian author Bernadette Jiwa’s debut novel, has some issues, it’s a mesmerizing look at how a woman’s lack of choice reverberates over her entire life.

For the complete review, click on the link below.

Joan Egan grew up poor, living in a house on the Cranmore Housing Estate in Dublin. She was the eldest child, the "mistake" that led to her parent's hasty marriage. Her mother died when she was thirteen. Her father, always a heavy drinker never did well after that . The youngest four children are parceled out to strangers, leaving Joan and her younger sister, the next to oldest, to find work and keep house. While working at a candy factory, not far from the estate, Joan finds herself flirting with a bike messenger for Egan & Son Builders Merchants & Suppliers, a thriving family business. We know early on that she married the messenger, Martin Egan, son of widow Molly Egan who runs the business. Throughout their marriage, almost thirty years, Joan and Martin have a kept a secret. Jiwa unfolds their story moving back and forth between the mid 1960s, the mid-1990s and and covers other aspects of Joan's life through her memories of the period before she met Martin. And before April. ,

Fortunately for my review of this lovely novel that brings Joan to us, the publicity for the book put Martin and Joan's secret out there. In 1966, before they were married, Joan gave birth to their daughter, April, in London. Martin had to be there for awhile and they could hide the scandal of her pregnancy by having Joan stay in a boarding house and give birth to the baby there. They gave her up for adoption and later married and lived as if the there never was an April.

Before she married Martin, Joan had responsibilities but she lived a fairly independent life with a strong, intelligent personality and high standards for herself. Marrying Martin meant living with his mother in his upscale childhood home where Joan never feels accepted. Martin never gets around to finding a separate house for the newlyweds. Molly is a snob who certainly didn't expect her son to marry down as he did. When Martin and Joan have their daughter Carmel, Joan cannot connect emotionally with her new baby. Every day she thinks about April. Molly and Martin make Joan almost irrelevant to her daughter. She does exercise independence when she insists on working in the business instead of being a homemaker. But... Joan is never Joan again. The loving passionate relationship she had with Martin withers. They do not connect as a couple. He falls into the lure of making money, making his difficult mother as happy as possible and doting on Carmel. Their relationship moves from mutual respect and deep love to a transactional arrangement. Marrying up has made Joans old friends and neighbors avoid her and has not turned out to be the story she imagined when Martin and she got to know each other with little thought on her part about his money and privilege.

And then, thirty years after April's birth, a letter arrives from London. April needs help that only her biological family can offer and decisions must be made. Carmel works for the business and is a whiz. She is not in on the secret. Molly certainly will erupt if she finds out. Martin desperately wants to keep their secret and go on with the pretense there never was an April and that Joan is just being sentimental.

Jiwa's gift to us is Joan, who lost huge chunks of herself along the way but never forgot what mattered to her and what she lost. The book is the re-making of Joan. Jiwa shares her innermost thoughts with us at every stage. This is a first person story of how Joan got where she is, emotionally damaged at a young age, showing tremendous spirit but then, losing part of herself and no longer fighting to be Joan. There are steps she can take that maintain the secret, possibly forever. Each step she takes or considers moves her to greater understanding of herself, the family she grew up in and who she needs to be. This is so beautifully written, engaging, could not put it down writing. I wish I could do it more justice.

An emotional story that made me think of my own relationship with my mother, The Making of Her tells the story of Joan and Emma, a mother and daughter, from the 60s to the 90s.

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was an interesting read about a couple who give up a child for adoption in the '60s and later marry and have another child. Almost 30 years later they receive a letter from the child they gave up. I was surprised how much I enjoyed the story and I look forward to reading more from this author. I appreciate the opportunity to receive an ARC.

Joan and Martin are dealing with their past coming back to haunt them as they receive a letter from the daughter they gave up 30 years prior in a life or death situation. She does not know how to handle this or how to react to this happening so many years later.

Family secrets abound in this debut novel by Bernadette Jiwa. Alternating between the 1960's and 1990's, it's a story of Joan Egan, who lives in Dublin in not the best side of town. When she meets the son of the owner of the local hardware and lumber supply company, she falls fast in love, and seems to have it made. But slowly over time she grows weary of "faking" her happiness, as she tries to keep the peace between an overbearing husband, a daughter who clearly loves her father more that Joan, her mother, and a meddlesome mother-in-law who unfortunately lives with them. Past decisions continue to haunt Joan, until she finally stands up for herself and what she wants. A story of love and overcoming obstacles to remain true to yourself, it was an enjoyable read. I look forward to reading more from this author! Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book; all opinions and comments are my own.