This was an emotional read. Heartbreakingly sad . A mother’s love for her child is never lost or forgotten. So many families experienced this torment and the book captures the overwhelming feeling of desperation and defeat. It is a dual timeline book, part set in the 1990's, part set in the 1960's. It was in the '60's when Joan and Martin, not yet married, gave up a daughter for adoption. Thirty years later their first daughter reaches out to them for help. How does one handle this, a secret that was kept for decades? How does one go on after giving a child away for adoption? It haunts you forever. A good debut novel.

This was an interesting read,It's about a couple who give up a child for adoption in the '60s and later marry and have another child.Then in the '90s,their first child shows up with a request.It's an interesting story as we follow along to see the aftermath and the results of choices made.I look forward to reading more from this author.

I enjoyed this book on the whole.
It was very much an enjoyable read that I looked forward to reading of an evening.
It raises interesting questions surrounding adoption, and is full of family drama that makes it an engrossing read. There seems to be a little lull in pacing in the middle, but I soon got back into the story as Emma became a bigger character.
The writing style and subject matter reminded me a lot of Joanna Trollope's books.
The characters are likeable and interesting. I thought their predicament was well tackled too.
This makes for an impressive debut, and I look foward to whatever topic Jiwa tackles next.

This story follows the Journey of a women named Joan through two different timelines. Growing up in Ireland in the 1960’s with no mom and a father that drinks to much at the age of 19 she meets Martin after she soon realizes she pregnant and what they decides to do next will change their life’s forever.
The story of Joan and Martin is a very emotional read. It deals with the impact of Adoption, loss, drinking, romance and secrets . Thank You netgalley for letting me read this.

Thank you to Dutton Books for giving me the chance to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

The dual timelines of this book immediately drew my interest, especially a s it dealt with an aspect of Irish history which is often forgotten in the 1960s. I truly appreciated the author’s honest depiction of the fear a lot of young women would have gone through during this time. The characters were well-developed and, despite the dual timelines, remained consistent throughout the two times. This truly developed the depth of each character.

However, the book felt very rushed to me and it didn’t give a chance for a satisfying ending, leaving a lot of questions for the reader. The chapters were extremely short and it didn’t allow a solid development of the story in such a short space of time. I started to lose interest after the book began to get repetitive once the half-way point had been reached.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to gain an insight into the life of Irish women during the 1960s. It presented a great point of view on the realities of life in Ireland for women.

The Making of Her by Bernadette Jiwa is a peek into a woman's life in the '60s with a strong lens. After a difficult beginning, Joan does well for herself by marrying the wealthy boy in their town, but little does she know that his values and ideas come from his overbearing mother.
When, as two youngsters, they give up their baby daughter for adoption, Joan promises to never forget her, but Martin wants to put the episode behind him and move on, worried about losing the reputation he has in the town. Their daughter, Carmel, is strong-willed, and unfortunately not close to her mother. When a life-changing incident comes into Joan's life, she must make a decision that could make or break her marriage and her already fractious relationship with her daughter. I'm sure this story will go to every woman's heart. The sixties was a difficult decade for unmarried mothers; many of them were either convinced or forced to give up their babies. Heart-rending.

The Making of Her is an emotional, gut wrenching, empowering and honest tale of a woman’s journey of motherhood, spanning the 1960s and 1990s in Dublin Ireland.

Joan has had a hard life. Her mother died giving birth to her 6th child and she grew up with a drunk father. Her youngest four sisters were removed by child services, so she and her sister had to leave school at age 14 to work and mind their home.

At age 19, Joan meets Martin, a wealthy boy who’s mother does not approve of their romance. After becoming pregnant, she and Martin move away and then make the impossible decision to give their baby up for adoption. After returning to Ireland, they get married and have another daughter.

This story had me gripped. I smiled, I cried. My heart broke and refilled with love. I feel like I’ve gained empathy, understanding and respect for birth mothers and adoptees. Adoption isn’t always as beautiful as people would like to think. It is also a loss and a trauma, for all people involved.

This story was a much more emotional read than I am used to but I feel so thankful that I was given the opportunity to read and review the advanced reading copy.

Thank you to Net Galley and Dutton for providing me with an ARC of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

A well told story. I enjoyed the writing and I would definitely read something by this author again. However I am only rating it a 3 as I felt like this story has been told many times before and there wasn’t enough new to it to completely hold my attention.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Making of Her by Bernadette Jiwa is about mother-daughter relationships, family dynamics, and resentment over empty promises. When circumstances bring buried secrets to light, true character is revealed. Do we really know those closest to us?

This book surprised me - in a good way! I couldn’t put it down. Don’t miss this well-written, remarkable debut. It would be a wonderful book club pick. I can’t wait to discuss it, and I’m recommending it to everyone!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Making of Her by Beradette Jiwa. Pub Date: August 9, 2022. Rating: 3.5 stars. This debut was a character driven novel set in Ireland that centers around family, mothers and daughters, secrets, adoption, and society/social norms in the 1960s. When the daughter who as given up for adoption reaches out to the mother who remained heartbroken at the choice to give her up for adoption, the past slowly creeps to the forefront. This was a beautiful debut, lyrical writing and a moving story all around. Thanks to #netgalley and #Dutton for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #themakingofher

This was a meaty novel to get into, with the scandal of unwed mothers, pre-marital sex, and forced adoptions. Ireland of the 1960s immerses us in the wretched poverty of the working class and relates to us how difficult it was to climb up to the relative wealth of the middle-class. Add in the Catholic religion and its iron-fisted hold on the country, and you have even more religious and economic pressure that many pregnant women had to face. The description of how the women who had the means traveled to England to live while they awaited their child’s birth and adoption was realistic, and heartless, having the women almost stay hidden while their partners were able to enjoy life and continue working.

I spent most the of book being angry at the main character, Joan, who acquiesced to her husband’s demand that their baby be adopted and then they could marry. I was also angry with Martin and his over-bearing mother. Joan has another child, but one she cannot form an emotional attachment to due to her feelings of anger and despair at the loss of her first-born. The second timeline brings us into the 1990s and their first-born daughter contacting them for help with medical issues her child is facing.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Making of Her" and all opinions expressed are my own. This was a very long book for me. I did like the storyline but it was long and drawn out. I think that some of the story just dragged on, it could have had more of a summary of events in some places. The end felt rushed and I was kinda left hanging.

A poignant and thought-provoking debut novel about an Irish woman who receives a letter in 1996 from Emma, the child she gave up for adoption in London 30 years earlier. In 1996, Joan lives an outwardly successful life in Dublin with her husband, Martin, and their daughter, Carmel. Thirty years earlier, however, she was a young factory girl from the council estates who had fallen in love with a young man from a well-off family that owned a thriving business he was expected to take over.

The story's dual timeline helps the reader see Joan in a more sympathetic light, showing what she went through as a pregnant and unwed teen in the '60s before making her heartbreaking decision and how that decision has haunted her life ever since impacting her relationship with her husband and the daughter she gave birth to after their marriage. The second timeline effectively alternates between Joan's point of view as well as her two daughters - the one she raised and the one she gave up.

The novel shines a light on the agonizing decision faced by women with limited options who were forced to give up children or be ostracized by a church-controlled society and the lifelong impact of those decisions on the mothers as well as the children who were given up. The Making of Her is an engaging story of family secrets, heartbreak and loss but there is also an element of hope for healing and new beginnings.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I honestly thought this was historical fiction going into it. The cover just gave me those vibes. I didn't read the description prior to starting the book, so I was taken aback with what the book was actually about. Joan lives with her mother in law and husband and has one grown child, Carmel. We find out pretty early on that Carmel is not an only child. Joan and her husband, Martin, had another child in the 60s before they were married and gave her up for adoption. It has been their little secret for over 30 years from everyone. Joan wants nothing more than to reconnect with her first daughter and Martin wants to forget she ever happened. When their firstborn reenters the scene, there is a line in the sand and the birth parents are firmly on opposite sides.

I was engaged with the book the entire time. I was invested in the characters and wanted good things for most of them! Joan didn't ever have it easy and I wanted for her to finally find peace with both of her children. There were such highs and lows and the author did a wonderful job weaving the story! I highly recommend this book!

Just finished reading “The Making of Us” the debut novel by Bernadette Jiwa. Set in Ireland, in the 1960’s and 1990’s, it follows the story of Joan, a small-town factory girl who longs for a boy named Martin and the comfort that comes from his world. After getting herself in the family way, she follows Martin to England to have the baby in secret. Her hopes of Martin marrying her and making a family, are dashed when she is asked to leave her precious daughter behind so that Martin can keep up appearances and honor his mother’s wish of taking over the family business. Martin marries Joan against his mother wishes and hopes that Joan will come to understand that the life he can provide for her is better than any life they would have had if they returned home with their daughter.
Joan moves through life in despair, even after having another lovely daughter, Carmel. She just cannot get close to one daughter at the expense of baby she left behind. After years of yearning to hear from her daughter, a letter arrives from “Emma” asking to meet. Emma’s son is sick and need bone marrow from a relative to live. Martin and Joan’s secret must now come to light, and Martin pushes back again. With her marriage at a crossroads, Joan must make the decision to follow her heart back to her oldest daughter and risk the life she has known or stay with Martin and drift through a life of regrets.
I enjoyed this story but was disappointed in the ending, though if the writer intended this to be a series, it could make sense. Either way I would I feel that the ending left some things for me unresolved. Looking forward to seeing what stories Ms Jiwa brings forth in the future.

Thank you to Dutton Press and NetGalley for the gifted ebook of The Making of Her! All opinions in this review are my own.

I really liked both the dual narration and timelines in The Making of Her. By showing both timelines of Joan, I think the reader is more sympathetic to her rather than if we had only seen part of her story. Hearing Emma's side of the story only deepens the complexity of their relationship and history.

I recommend this as a book club read because there is a lot to unpack and it would provide material for some great discussions!

Review published on Goodreads, 14 August 2022:

I'm an adoptive mother and a lover of dual-timeline family sagas, so THE MAKING OF HER is right up my alley. The novel's plot is very simple, but action really isn't what this story is about. It's about the characters and how their relationships with each other change over time. At first glance, Joan isn't the most sympathetic of characters, but as you get drawn into her story, it's easier to see her strength and resilience as well as the depth of her pain. She becomes more relatable with each page, despite (or because of) her flaws and mistakes. Emma and Carmel are less complex, but they're both immediately sympathetic and likable. I cared about all of them. Although THE MAKING OF HER isn't exactly an action-packed page-turner, it's definitely compelling. I never got bored with it and I definitely wanted to know what was going to happen next to each of these characters. In addition, it's a touching, empowering, and hope-filled novel. Jiwa's a skilled writer whose debut I very much enjoyed. I can't wait to see what this intriguing new author does next!

Joan and Martin Egan and their daughter, Carmel, are living what seems to be an idyllic life. They all work together in the family business and to all appearances wouldn't want things to be any different.

Joan and Martin have a secret though. The secret pre-dates their marriage. As the secret slowly works its way to the present time, Joan and Martin each have very different responses to it. Their different responses are slowly driving a wedge between them and threatens to undo their family.

This novel evoked so many emotions in me. Heartbreak, anger at Martin and his mother, sadness, and so many more. For me, that is the sign of a very well-written story. I enjoyed reading this novel. and felt like I was right there watching things unfold.

I am looking forward to seeing what Ms. Jiwa writes next. She has a way of drawing the reader in and making sure they are invested in the characters.

I voluntarily received a copy of this book from Penguin Group Dutton. All views are my honest opinion.

This book packed a punch, delivering all the feels. The stress of family dynamics and the need to act as provider while only a child yourself, the daze of falling in love, the heartache of loss, reconnecting and developing healthy relationships, and finally finding your your voice and becoming your true self. Split between the 1965 and 1996, the main character, Joan’s historical depiction of the harsh judgment women faced when unwed and pregnant is heartbreaking.

I was Looking forward to reading The Making of Her because I’d read some good things about the book and I usually enjoy family dramas, especially those set in Northern England or Ireland .
The story is told from the POV of Joan our protagonist. While we get to know Joan from childhood, I just think we could have maybe known her a little better. The other characters should have, imo, been fleshed out more - I felt I didn’t know any of them very well.
Having said this, the premise of the story was good - poor girl marries above her station in life! It did get a little long in the middle but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the story. I would recommend this book.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC