As I was reading The Girls We Sent Away, I was struck by the fact this is a work of fiction, but it very well could have been a true story. I even felt angry about how different the girls were treated compared to the boys even though they were in the same circumstances. The story centers around Lorraine, a teenager who has a great future to look forward to, until she gets pregnant and sent away to "take care of it". It's the 1960's and that is just how these things were handled then. I feel like Meagan Church really captured the emotions someone would experience in this situation. I also enjoyed reading the epilogue, where she explains the baby scoop era. Thank you @NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC of this book. I think this is an important story that sheds light on a topic we tend to sweep under the rug.

Meagan Church writes heartbreaking and stunning books about ugly times in our history and this one is no different. Focusing on the time when unwed pregnant girls were sent to homes where they waited to give birth and then give up their child, this book focuses on Lorraine. Lorraine is a high school senior on the verge of becoming the first female valedictorian at her school and she has many hopes and dreams for her future, in a time when women were still expected to be perfect wives.
This book will break your heart and make you angry at the way Lorraine was treated by her family, boyfriend and even the person in charge at the maternity home. But I highly recommend it as we can not forget this kind of thing wasn’t that long ago.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the chance to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review..

This was a great read. I loved and empathized with the main character, as I had a baby very young as well, luckily, I was born in an era where we did not send girls away for this. My ex-mother-in-law, however, WAS sent away to have a baby in her teens and her account of that time was heartbreaking.

This reading made me feel really sorry for Lorraine. I created a very empathetic connection with this character. The number of destroyed dreams is a testament to real life.
I liked the structure of the novel and the author's way of writing, it makes you want to read without stopping, but I think there were some loose ends at the end. I would have liked to have seen them explained in another way. Netgalley, Thank you very much for this opportunity.

#thegirlswesentaway, #Meagan Church
#novel

This book was written in a way that drew you in from the start. You really felt for Lorraine and what she was going through. Such a gripping read to show us exactly what happened during the "baby scoop era"

This book was okay for me. I found some parts dragging and just wanting to finish it out. I thought the storyline could have been better developed.

This book would have been AWESOME if each chapter didn’t end with a wannabe-ominous forewarning. While I understand that it most likely was used to build up suspense and keep the reader interested in flipping the pages and reading on, seeing it at the end of each chapter made me dread seeing it yet again at the end of the chapter I’m reading, so much so, that it also made me think of DNFing it.
Other than this, this was a solid story. It was sad, it was heartbreaking, it felt real and it had the depth, the soul, all the feels and created the atmosphere of that time.

The Girls We Sent Away is loaded with the realistic, sad stuff of life. It’s the kind of novel a post-Roe v. Wade world needs, but a couple of factors keep it from being an DIK.

It is the summer of 1964, and North Carolina native, astronomy fan and high school junior Lorraine Delford seems to have it all. A loving family, good grades, a summer job as a highly-vaunted lifeguard, a handsome college freshman boyfriend, and a plan to be named valedictorian and go to college, not just for a ‘decorous’ degree, but to join the burgeoning space program and walk on the moon. Then her boyfriend, Clint, gives her a promise ring, which leads to a night of passion on the floor of a barn.

When Lorraine becomes pregnant, her plans for her senior year are quickly derailed. Clint breaks up with her and goes on his merry way, and her parents shuffle Lorraine off to a home for unwed mothers. Her education is put on hold, and Lorraine must contend with the home’s mean politics, poor learning options and strict supervision. And yet a spark of hope blooms in her. She meets the handsome Allan, she finds friends in her roommates, Mirabelle and Denise, and works to achieve her dreams, even if it must be made through a GED. Yet she also grows attached to the baby within her. Can she keep her child and forge ahead? Or will other factors interfere and keep Lorraine from keeping the child?

The Girls We Set Away is a fairly depressing tale, and one teenagers all over the world continue to through to this day. It’s about the crushing, mundane weight of reality and of social expectations, and the hell they can play on an innocent kid.

Lorraine is immediately sympathetic and easy to like, her relationship with Allen is very sweet, and the book hands her a realistic, though not easy, card. The novel splits its perspectives between Lorraine and her mother and the dual PoVs feel very crucial, as Lorraine’s mother Betty has attained that ultimate level of housewife perfection that is supposed to be the era’s grand pursuit, yet is filled with poignant, bitter regret. She wants better for Lorraine and yet she’s pushing society’s morals and ethics on her daughter, unaware of the social revolution set to arrive in three years.

There are some problems with the narrative, in that, like life, many blanks are left behind, and many ties undone. We leave Lorraine building a future, scarred, in love, and hopeful. But a few missed plot points had me wondering how other characters made it out. Prepare to have your heart broken by this one; it’s a beautiful story, but you might need tissues.

While I loved the story in this book, and the characters, the writing felt very ~debut novel~. Every chapter ending with some derivative of, "little did she know however, her life was about to change".

It just felt... lame? Simple?

Sorry!!! But thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the arc.

2 stars because the story held so much promise.

What a heart breaking honest look at what happened during the Baby Scoop Era and the trauma it caused so many women.
Lorraine is an independent, bright high schooler with dreams to attend college and pursue a career. She becomes pregnant and is sent away to a home for unwed mothers.
The author captured the limits women endured and the pain of giving a child away perfectly. I saw many parallels with The Handmaids Tale especially in the house mother and her treatment of the women there. It’s horrifying to think that these places actually existed.
I highly recommend this well written historical fiction novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a moving novel! The Girls We Sent Away is an emotionally charged historical fiction set in the south in 1960’s. Centering around Lorraine Delfoaround, a high school senior who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant. Being that her boyfriend professed his love and devotion to her, Lorraine figures she will marry her boyfriend before she has the baby. Unfortunately, as it turns out, her boyfriend wants no parts of her or the baby, and her parents send her to a home for unwed mothers so she can finish her last trimester in secrecy. It was at this point I knew I wouldn’t put this book down until I was finished.

Meagan Church did a fantastic job of creating a storyline that is both riveting as well as factually accurate to this time period. The Baby Scoop Era is heartbreaking on so many levels, and as someone who wasn’t alive during that time, it’s truly mind-boggling how this was commonplace. I have read Meagan Church’s prior novel so I knew she would do this subject matter and characters justice and she absolutely did not disappoint! The Girls We Sent Away is a 5 star historical fiction that will definitely stay with me!

This is a story of loss, betrayal and unimaginable heartbreak. For those looking for a mystery, this is not for you. This is a story, and an amazing but sad one at that. The emotion pouring through the pages was so strong, the author bringing this book to life with her superb writing style. This is one of those books that I felt myself in, watching everything unfold and knowing it has the potential to make a great movie. This was descriptive and informing, not holding back the realities of the past. This author is one to watch out for. Four and a half stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC.

Once again, author Meagan Church shines a light on a dark era in our history. The Baby Scoop Era refers to the period from 1945 to 1973 when an estimated 4 million unwed, pregnant women were sent to maternity homes. These women were hidden away from society, their friends and family and felt tremendous shame. They were often coerced or forced to give their babies away for adoption. By the 1960’s there were over 200 hundred of these homes across 44 states (statistics from author’s note). The numbers are astonishing and the impact on families and the women is likely still felt today. This is a powerful, emotional and devastating novel. It is frustrating to see all Lorraine’s dreams crushed because of one impulsive night. Clint, the disappearing boyfriend, is a terrible character but unfortunately probably rings true with teenage boys of that era. The positives of the story are buried within the story. Lorraine’s strength, determination and resilience is impressive for a young woman. Lorraine’s friendship and mentorship with the librarian is heartwarming. Their relationship gives Lorraine hope that she too can live a life different than her mother’s. The friendship between Alan and Lorraine is beautiful. Everyone needs a friend like Alan. He was funny, encouraging, positive and most of all accepting of Lorraine and loved her through it all. Her parents and relationship with her them are so difficult to read but reflects the time and attitudes of the time. All the characters are well developed, and Lorraine is a beautiful and strong young heroine.

The author found a dark cranny in our history and explores the devastating impact The Baby Scoop Era had on young women and families. It would have been nice to get an update on Clint and perhaps a look at Lorraine further out in time. The reader is left hoping Lorraine and Alan were both able to follow their dreams or that Lorraine was at least able to find a new dream and find some happiness. The author sums up this era perfectly in her author’s note. “As a society, we have too often erred on the side of conditional love and acceptance. May we do better now, and into the future. May we know and display grace, mercy, and love free of conditions.” Yes, we can do better.

THE GIRLS WE SENT AWAY
Meagan Church
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved the debut by Meagan Church and was thrilled to see that she had another book coming out!! This sophomore novel had my eyes riveted to the pages!! I devoured it!!!

1960s North Carolina. Lorraine is an only child and is the top of her high school class. She dreams of going to college and being an astronaut and going to the moon.

She is going into her senior of high school and her boyfriend Clint has gone off to college. Lorraine realizes she is pregnant and is trying to figure out his to do all of this on her own when her mom discovers her secret. Lorraine is sent off to a home for unwed teenage girls. This place is not a nice place at all!!! Lorraine does make some friends and enjoys her time at the library and is befriended by a librarian. What will happen to the baby?? What will happen to Lorraine??

This book is heartbreaking but also so well written and it captures your heart!! Highly recommend this book!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. So the summary and title of this book really made me excited to read it. I expected from the summary that there would be a bit of mystery with it and there wasn’t at all.
The book was ok but there was just nothing in it that I had expected to find. I kept reading expecting something to happen but nothing did. This one just wasn’t really for me.

1964 North Carolina

This definitely isn't a "feel good" type of novel. It does, however, paint a picture of life in the 1960s for a pregnant teen. My heart broke for Lorraine as her dreams of being the first female valedictorian at her high school and then attending college came crashing down. Lorraine has nothing against marriage and finds her boyfriend Clint ok, but what she really wants is to be an astronaut.

The most painful part of the novel was that Lorraine had so few allies. Her own parents didn't seem to care about how she felt and what she wanted. They simply wanted to hide her and move past the "problem" quickly.

While I didn't enjoy this sophomore novel as much as the author's debut, it's one I'd recommend for fans of General Market Women's Fiction.

Love the cover!

This book takes a heartbreaking time in history and lets you feel the shame women felt at being unwed and pregnant. I couldn’t put the book down . I felt so much empathy for the characters and wanted to climb into the pages to save them all. Absolutely could not put the book down !

Meagan Church is an author to keep your eye on for some great reads. Her writing shows the research and depth of emotion that she puts into each character. I had not realized at the time I was reading, that she was also the author of The Last Carolina Girl, another novel that I highly recommend. I look forward to seeing more by Ms. Church and think many others will appreciate her work.

Wow! I loved this book! 4.3 stars from me! This was my first Meagan Church book but certainly not my last.
It is the 1960's and Lorraine Delford is thriving! About to enter her senior year of high school and shoot for the stars, quite literally, she is a rising student. With dreams of prom, becoming Valedictorian and going to college, she has all the things going for her.
She is the only female lifeguard at the swim club, has a cute college boyfriend who loves her and has two supportive parents....
Until she doesn't. Until she casually has sex with her loving boyfriend who promises her all the things, including marriage down the road. Until she becomes pregnant and her supportive parents send her away to have the baby because they aren't so supportive but completely ashamed. Until that so called loving boyfriend wants nothing to do with his now pregnant girlfriend and wants to "fix" the problem instead.
Lorraine is amazing from beginning to end. Her character is strong and powerful and while a bit naive at times, she is confident, aware and shows such courage throughout.
I felt every movement in this book. My heart sank at the thought of her lousy boyfriend betraying her and her parents turning their backs. To live in a time where it was such taboo to be pregnant and not married sickens me. To think that it's not okay for a woman to raise a baby alone is baffling and honestly, as a mom of two, shows nothing but strength in my eyes!
Meagan Church's writing was so good. I read this in one sitting because I needed to know more. I wanted more. (I still do) I want to know Mirabelle's story and what happened. (DID SHE HAVE A GIRL?!) I loved the friendships formed and it felt real. Given they weren't able to give anything personal while sent away to this home to have their babies...I could feel the closeness even from a distance. These girls were roommates, but had to keep anything of the private lives, well private. Only sharing first names, and not letting them in much. But also, they were all each other had during the last few months of pregnancy.
This book was filled with compassion, great writing, interesting plot and a lot of after thought. Would make an awesome bookclub book!
Job well done!
Thank you to Netgally and Sourcebooks Landmark for this early release in exchange for my very honest opinion!

The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

“She was starting to realize that if she was going to survive, she was going to have to save herself.”

I received this ebook via NetGalley in exchange for a review, it is due for publication March 5th 2024.
I decided to apply for this book as it hit close to home, I know of multiple instances similar to Lorraine’s story within my own family tree. My heart hurts for the historical accuracy in this work of fiction, but it’s also warmed with the hope that some reader may reach for this book and feel a companionship towards Lorraine’s story and feel understood.
Everything I want to say regarding this book feels like it will delve too much into spoiler territory, but one thing I will say is that I think everyone should read this book.



[SPOILERS]

I love that Alan and Lorraine’s friendship/relationship escalated. I wish Lorraine could have moved away and befriended Mirabelle and Denise after the births. I also wish we got to see her be a mother. Or even have an epilogue where one day Grace is at her door when Lorraines older telling her that shes her daughter. While this is all wishful thinking I also quite liked the ending and felt it was very realistic rather than a happier one.