I don't read historical fiction often, but I was drawn to the subject matter. The stigma attached to unwed teen mothers in t he 50s and 60s was horrendous. I've heard horror stories of back alley abortions, shipping the girls off to "boarding school" for a school year, or even having the baby in secret and being forced to surrender it.

Protagonist Lorraine Delford dreamed of being an astronaut exploring the vastness of space. She had the intelligence, the worth ethic, and was even on track to be the valedictorian of her graduating class; unfortunately, those dreams were never to be. When she finds herself pregnant, her boyfriend abandoned her, and her parents were so deeply ashamed that they could no longer bear to look at her. Lorraine was hidden away from society until arrangements were made for her to move into a facility; a home for unwed mothers. She knows that she will have no control over what happens to her baby.

This was an unexpectedly deep, moving account of family secrets, trauma, and the loss of autonomy over one's body. I highly recommend this important read.

A gripping novel that will have you hooked until the very end. I really enjoyed this novel and I look forward to more from this author.

Pregnant Teen Sent Away in 1960s

The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church is set during the Baby Scoop Era, a period from the 1940s to the 1970s when many unmarried pregnant women were sent to maternity homes to give birth in secrecy and often coerced into giving up their babies for adoption. The story follows Lorraine Delford, a high-achieving student from a well-off family in North Carolina during the 1960s. Lorraine's seemingly perfect life unravels when she becomes pregnant out of wedlock. Her parents, eager to maintain their social standing, send her to a home for wayward girls to hide her pregnancy. There, Lorraine grapples with societal prejudices, shame, and the painful process of giving up her child.

The Girls We Sent Away is praised for its powerful storytelling and historical accuracy. It brings to light a dark chapter in American history, making it a vital and timely read. The novel's strengths lie in its character development and emotional depth, though some readers might find its portrayal of societal judgment and prejudice to be deeply unsettling. Overall, it is a compelling and thought-provoking novel that sheds light on the resilience of women in the face of adversity.

In conclusion, The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church is a must-read for fans of historical fiction and those interested in exploring the complexities of societal expectations and personal agency. Its poignant narrative and well-crafted characters make it a memorable and impactful read.

I don't know why I thought The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church had a mystery in it, because it certainly does not. I would call this straight-up historical fiction and coming-of-age, and I think Church is an amazing storyteller. She explores a piece of history I was aware of through another book I read, but a different take through the eyes of young Lorraine. I enjoyed the way she grew throughout the story and my heart broke for her between the way her dad treated her and what she went through with her pregnancy.

The audiobook is narrated by Susan Bennett who I thought did a wonderful job with her narration. While Lorraine is the main viewpoint, she is not the only one, and Bennett did an exceptional job all the way through. I could have done without Lorraine's boyfriend as a viewpoint and didn't really think his POV added all that much to the main plot. The Girls We Sent Away is heartbreaking but heart-healing, and I loved the way it ended. Church is clearly a gifted writer, and I will definitely read more from her making sure I go in with the correct expectations. 😉

This story is powerful. It’s heartbreaking, resilient, rebounding. I felt compassion for what the MC went through, the emptiness and loneliness, fear, and so much more. I was rooting for her. I love strength that pushes through. This book is captivating from the beginning to the end. Tears slid down my face. I’m glad I came across this one. Well done, Meagan Church.

Lorraine Delford is a high school senior with a bright future. She’s on track to become her school’s first female valedictorian, has a wonderful boyfriend, enjoys her job, and belongs to a loving family. However, her world is turned upside down when she discovers she is pregnant. To protect her reputation, Lorraine’s parents send her to a home for unwed mothers. Lorraine must navigate her new reality, grappling with rejection from her boyfriend, who she hoped would support her, and her unwavering desire to pursue her educational dreams.

The novel's eerie opening sets a chilling tone. A teenage girl, Lorraine, in a stretched-out swimsuit, works as a lifeguard at a community pool. As her swimsuit strap slips, it catches the eye of a distracted father, whose child begins to drown. Lorraine’s fearless dive to save the child sets the stage for a story where girls must often fend for themselves.

The book is set in the 1960s, a period known as The Baby Scoop Era, when unmarried pregnant women were often coerced into giving up their babies for adoption due to societal stigma. Lorraine, a gifted teenager with dreams of becoming an astronaut, is one such girl. Her aspirations and her struggle to come to terms with her pregnancy are poignantly detailed, as she imagines a different life for herself while dealing with the harsh reality of her situation.

Upon discovering her pregnancy, Lorraine is given little information about her condition or options. Her parents send her to a maternity home to hide the "shameful" secret. Lorraine’s struggle is palpable, contrasting sharply with the boy involved, whose future remains promising and unaffected.

The novel sheds light on the societal expectations and familial pressures that weigh on Lorraine, exposing the hidden struggles behind seemingly perfect suburban lives. It becomes evident that everyone harbors a secret that could have changed their lives.

Women during this era often faced isolation, shame, and psychological distress. Church’s novel humanizes these experiences, offering a raw, unfiltered lens through Lorraine’s eyes as she grapples with limited choices.

The plot is well-crafted, with plot twists and shifting narration that maintain tension throughout. This historical fiction novel is another tour de force. Lorraine, a 17-year-old high school senior, aspires to be an astronaut. As an only child, she follows her controlling parents’ expectations until she becomes pregnant by her boyfriend, Clint, who is leaving for college. This is just the beginning of Lorraine’s challenges and choices.

This historical fiction avoids war themes, focusing instead on Lorraine’s personal journey. After losing their virginity, Lorraine becomes a pregnant high school senior. In the 1960s, this was socially unacceptable. Her parents send her to an unwed mothers’ home, where she spends her last trimester and gives birth before returning home.

The novel is infuriating because it highlights how the girls had no options. They were told what would happen and expected to move on as if nothing had happened. The emotional toll on these girls, forced to pretend their experiences never occurred, is heart-wrenching.

One minor gripe is the third-person narration, which shifts between characters’ thoughts without clear transitions, sometimes causing confusion about whose perspective is being shared.

In 1964, Lorraine is looking forward to her final year of high school and becoming her school’s first female valedictorian. But her dreams are shattered when she becomes pregnant, and her boyfriend abandons her. Sent to a home for unwed mothers, Lorraine is left without support or kind words from her parents, while the baby’s father continues his carefree college life.

The book, though fiction, is based on real events. Young unwed mothers were often sent to homes, pressured to give up their babies, and expected to return to their lives as if nothing had happened. The emotional impact on these women, abandoned by their families and forced to hide their experiences, is profoundly moving.

Overall, this was a tragic period for young pregnant women. Lorraine’s labor scene, where she endures the process alone in a hospital without support or comfort, brought Michelle to tears, highlighting the lack of empathy from nurses and doctors.

Another great story from Meagan Church. Wonderful piece of historical fiction that focuses on a dirty little aspect of the past. When young Lorraine finds herself pregnant, all her dreams and ambitions come to a grinding halt. Her boyfriend abandons her. Her parents, concerned about what her situation says about them, send her off to a home for unwed mothers. The home ends up being a cold, uncaring place where she must find the strength to survive. A great story!

Meagan Church's The Girls We Sent Away is a powerful and poignant exploration of a dark chapter in American history. Set in the 1960s, the novel follows Lorraine Delford, a bright and ambitious young woman whose life takes an unexpected turn when she becomes pregnant. Forced to conform to societal expectations, she is sent away to a home for unwed mothers, a place shrouded in secrecy and shame.

Church’s vivid portrayal of the era's oppressive social norms is both heartbreaking and infuriating. Lorraine's character is complex and relatable, her resilience and determination shining through the darkness. The novel delves deep into the emotional turmoil experienced by these young women, stripped of their autonomy and forced to make unimaginable sacrifices.

While the subject matter is undeniably heavy, Church’s writing is both sensitive and compelling. The novel offers a glimmer of hope as Lorraine fights for a future beyond the confines of her circumstances. The Girls We Sent Away is a powerful reminder of the progress made in women's rights, while also highlighting the enduring strength of the human spirit.

This was an interesting to read on the heels of reading Gretchen Sisson's book Relinquished, a nonfiction book about the morality of adoption. Lorraine gave “not like other girls” vibes, which was super off-putting to me. She also had an attitude that she was better than the other girls because she had bigger dreams, instead of just having a different outlook on life. I felt that there were too many points of view, and none of the characters really stood out to me. I also didn't care for the writing style, but I loved the way the story ended. I wish I had enjoyed the first 75% of the book as much.

I find the Baby Scoop Era really interesting. It baffles me that parents just sent their daughters off to these homes to have babies out of wedlock. It seems to me that so many of them were sketchy, but clearly people didn’t know that back then, or if they did, they didn’t care, they were more concerned with their images than what happened to their daughters and babies.

Lorraine had such a terrifying and tragic experience at the home for wayward girls she was sent to. And she wasn’t the only one. They experienced things they’d never recover from.

This was a gut wrenching story. I felt so badly for Lorraine and the other girls.

I enjoyed the narration on this book. Susan kept me very enthralled in the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for my ARC of this book.

I loved this. Such a sad time period and one I didn’t know much about. I only wish we got more time with Loraine after she came home.

This was a well-written, heartbreaking story. I had such high hopes that Lorraine would figure out a way to save her baby, but instead she was swept away and shamed by those who loved her most. I loved the changing view points without bouncing back and forth too often. I did love that Lorraine found some healing with her Mom.

This is the first book I have read on this topic and it was very eye opening. I grew to really love and feel for the main character and wanted to fight for her baby right along side her. The fact that this really happened is heartbreaking and feel this story really told it well.

A moving and thought provoking story. This was a tumultuous time, where societal pressures clash with personal desires. Girls had no easy choice.
Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a part of history I knew little about and it’s at times difficult to read but incredibly well-written.

Lorraine is a high school student in the 1960s with a bright future ahead when she gets pregnant. Her parents send her to a maternity home (which I did not know was a thing). Because she is sent here, Lorraine loses out on graduating high school (where she was on route to be valedictorian), but she going to college, and since her boyfriend doesn’t want marriage and a baby, the chance to keep the child. She’s basically stripped of all rights simply because she is a pregnant girl.

There are times Lorraine seems really mature for her age and others where you remember she is still a kid herself. As we follow her throughout the story, I was impressed by how developed she and the other characters were considering that many characters had limited page time. Like Lorraine, so many of them were complex and multidimensional. My favorite supporting character by far was Alan.

I always enjoy reading the author’s notes at the end, learning their inspiration or research for a book. Church talks about “sparks” in her life that caused her to want to write this and I think it’s evident those sparks caused passion in her writing.

This was a DNF for me. I just couldn’t make myself want to pick this one up after reading the first 15% of the book. Totally a me and a mood thing!

I went into this book not really knowing what to expect. I didn’t even realize that I had read another book by this author over a year ago and loved it! I ended up loving this one too.

I absolutely love this author’s writing style. She writes historical fiction in a way that completely captivates me and I never want to stop reading. This story took place in the ‘60s and was based on the Baby Scoop Era. For those who don’t know, this was when unwed pregnant girls were sent off to maternity homes where their babies were taken away from them to be placed with “deserving” families.

My heart continuously broke throughout this book. It was hard to read about Lorraine’s pregnancy journey. As a mom of two precious young kids, I can’t even fathom being made to feel shame over them and to then have them taken away from me. My life would just be over.

Anyway, I highly recommend this one. You just need to be in the right headspace to read it.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for my gifted copy!

The Girls We Sent Away
Author Meagan Church
Available now!

Thank you, @bookmarked and @netgalley, for my #gifted e- arc! Of course, I had to read this after I finished The Last Carolina Girl. I will now be reading everything that Meagan Church writes!

The Girls We Sent Away is a fabulous Southern fiction novel set in the backdrop of JFK's presidency and the Apollo era along with the 20th century change in women seeking higher education and careers that were previously reserved only for men.

Meagan's female protagonists are strong, determined, and beyond their time, maturity, and intelligence. Her novels also center around a time in history that is either forgotten, not heavily discussed, and/ or not well known. This, of course, is a perfect recipe for an immersive and compelling historical fiction read as well as heartbreaking yet hopeful reads that are inspirational and heartwarming.

The Girls We Sent Away is about Lorraine, a high school academic with an aspiring future and big dreams, a supportive family, and an ideal boyfriend, according to their families. When she becomes pregnant, however, her dreams are soon crushed as her parents can't stand the shame and send her quietly away to a home for wayward girls. Faced with those who want to take away her child vs. her dreams for the future, societal and family expectations, and her own autonomy, Lorraine has some big decisions to make. Her coming- of- age story is powerful, beautiful, and a thought- provoking read.

4.5 stars!

I received an electronic ARC from Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I found the first part of the novel a bit strange. However, it became clear that the strangeness came from the main character having to accept things for herself. The rest of the story was a bit more developed, and I found myself connecting with each of the girls.

5 stars. I loved this book. Very interesting. I just could not believe how poor Lorraine was treated, especially by her parents (view spoiler)This is the second of Meagan Church's novels and I greatly enjoyed them both. She is fast becoming a favorite author. I can't wait and see what she has for us next.