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.

An emotional and important read that takes a close look at one girl’s fight for her future when society turns its back on her. The reader is quickly drawn into Lorraine’s story and can’t help but turn the page to see what will happen next. Sure to spark conversation, this would make an excellent book club or buddy read.

The Girls We Sent Away sent to me by @bookmarked contains a sad but beautiful story about strength and resilience.
Set in the 1960s, seventeen year old Lorraine has it all: a wonderful boyfriend, two parents that love her, on the track to being the first female valedictorian at her high school, with ambitions of going to college with dreams of learning everything there is to know about space, potentially even being an astronaut.
But it all gets derailed when after one evening sending her boyfriend off to college results in her being pregnant, and suddenly the rug is pulled out from under her usually confident and competent feet. I was so engrossed in this story, and rooting for Lorraine. I love that this amazing but sad book stayed very realistic and true, the relatability made it harder to read but also harder to push away to stay distant. Lorraine wasn't „a poor unfortunate soul" she had a solid middle class background, was ambitious, tried to be a good girl, and still, and still... the shame surrounding unwed pregnancies was strong and the Baby Scoop Era did happen - this doesn't necessarily mean that giving the baby up for adoption wasn't a good idea for Lorraine's baby but it should have been a choice, my legal brain was appalled by how signing of the documents was coerced, which doesn't mean it wasn't realistic especially for the era.
I loved all the references to the space craze!

The Girls We Sent Away centers on Lorraine who is bright and talented in the 1960's and planning for a bright future when unfortunately she gets pregnant. Lorraine is an appealing character and you find yourself pulling for her. The book does a great job of giving the reader a sense of what faced a young woman of that age in that time and how far women have come since then. The book brings to light the Baby Scoop era and how many young women felt they had no choice in what happened to them and their babies.

It did feel like the storytelling got a bit melodramatic when Lorraine was at the home but that is often the case with historical fiction. It's more compelling to have good vs evil rather than good vs misguided and unkind. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. The Girls We Sent Away is available now. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Heart-wrenching, thought-provoking, and anger-inducing. Heart-wrenching that young women during the “baby scoop” had no options, and more importantly, no autonomy over their own bodies. No one asked these girls what they wanted. Everyone else making decisions, and the librarian and the house mother were not so different in thinking their way was best. Anger-inducing because the boys had no repercussions or consequences. Thought-provoking because things are not so different now with the loss of women’s autonomy over their own bodies.
You felt for Lorraine and the other girls, but I would have liked a little more character development on Lorraine’s roommates and more backstory on Alan. Overall a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Megan Church for the eARC.

This was my first by the author and will definitely not be my last. The writing was fantastic and I was transported to the time period. This is a very hard aspect of history, but one that needs to be told. It was heartbreaking to read about the antics at the home and the struggles that the girls faced. I loved my time with this book and could not put it down.

In Megan Church's book "The Girls We Sent Away," readers are immersed in a poignant and heart-wrenching narrative that follows the journey of Lorraine, a young woman facing the harsh realities of societal expectations and the Baby Scoop Era of the 1960s.

The book masterfully portrays the heartbreaking experiences of the main character, Lorraine, as she navigates the challenges imposed by her family and society. The unconditional love she seeks and the limits placed on her ambitions resonate deeply, drawing listeners into her emotional turmoil and the societal pressures she confronts.

The "The Girls We Sent Away" is a compelling exploration of the Baby Scoop Era, shedding light on the struggles faced by unwed mothers during that time period. The juxtaposition of breakthrough technologies in the Race to Space with the societal constraints that kept women grounded provides a thought-provoking backdrop for the novel's themes and historical context.

Megan Church's storytelling skillfully captures the tension between Lorraine's desire to assert her agency and the societal norms that seek to control her fate. Through Lorraine's journey, the audiobook offers a powerful reflection on the complexities of love, ambition, and the fight against a system determined to take away her child.

"The Girls We Sent Away" is a compelling story that delves into the emotional depths of its characters while shining a light on a significant era in history. Whether you're drawn to stories of resilience, societal challenges, or historical narratives, this book offers a captivating and thought-provoking reading experience.

I just finished this book, and wow, it really hit hard. Meagan Church writes beautifully about Lorraine's tough journey from being a teen to suddenly becoming a teenage mom. It struck a chord with me because someone close to me went through the same era—the Baby Scoop Era—that Church describes so intensely. It's a raw look at what many young, unwed mothers went through, and it’s more common than you’d think.

Lorraine is incredibly real and relatable. You feel every bit of her fear, humiliation, and isolation as her family shames her and hides her away. Then there’s the huge betrayal when everyone around her just expects her to forget everything and move on. The book does a great job showing how deep and lasting that kind of trauma can be.

One of the big takeaways is about the quiet, tough decisions made in private that really test you and shape who you are. Lorraine’s story is a tough read about the pressures women have faced, often dealing with the fallout of decisions made by two, all on their own. Her journey, filled with choices meant to please others more than herself, is heartbreaking and a stark reflection of what too many women have endured.

Honestly, I couldn’t put the book down. It's a powerful story about struggle, personal strength, and resilience. It's definitely a must-read if you're into stories that pack an emotional punch and make you think.

This was a fast and powerful read. The story focused on a girl named Lorraine who was in her senior year of high school. The book was divided into parts: before she got pregnant, after she got pregnant, her time at the maternity home, and after she gave birth. The narrative style of writing made it easy to get swept up in everything that Lorraine experienced, so it was an emotional roller coaster.

It was interesting leaning about the maternity houses that used to exist and how they manipulated women into giving up their babies. My heart broke for how society treated women in general.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an eARC of #TheGirlsWeSentAway by #MeaganChurch in exchange for honest feedback. - 4 stars

Lorraine is an only child. An honor student, set to be valedictorian. She wants to go to college and dreams of being an astronaut. It's the 1960s, a time when most girls dream of becoming wives and mothers.

When Lorraine finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, she thinks it will mean her dreams get put on hold. She's sure her boyfriend will do the right thing and they'll get married. When he tells her he can "fix it" and if she wants to keep the baby, she will be on her own, her word turns upside down.

Lorraine is sent off to a home for unwed mothers, thinking she can continue her studies there. She feels abandoned by her boyfriend and her parents, and nothing is going the way she thought it would.

This book was heartbreaking, and so well written.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

I give this one a 3.5 but rounded to a 4-star read. It really is not bad, I thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted to know what was going to happen. But truth be told, I felt like some characters could have developed a little better. I understand where the main point of the story was going and who he MC was but I feel it would have been good to get a grasp on Clint and Alan. I would of liked to know what Clint was doing and more of Alans backstory. Overall I did enjoy this read!

Thank you @netgalley and @sourcebookslandmark for the advanced copy.

While I appreciated this story in an intellectual way, I never connected with it emotionally.

For me, the writing was a lot of telling and very little showing. I wanted more immersion. I wanted to feel the intensity, the despair, and the anger. I wanted to care about the characters. I didn't, which made this book too easy to put down and forget about.