Thank you Net Galley & Source books for the eARC of this book. This story was heartbreaking & thought provoking while also maddening. The societal pressure on women as men just skate right on by left me wanting to scream. But I just felt that the writing gave no connection to the main character whatsoever. While the story was heartbreaking, I felt it for all women, not specifically Lorraine. It felt like there was a disconnect in the story and I wanted so badly to feel and empathize and root for her but there was just something missing for me that made the story feel bland or flat.

Lorraine Delford has it all: an upstanding family in North Carolina, she is expected to be the first female valedictorian of her senior class, she has a nice boyfriend, friends and wants to be an astronaut. However, all of that changes after one night with her boyfriend before he heads off to college leaves her pregnant. Having a baby out of wedlock is a shameful thing in 1960’s North Carolina and her parents will do anything to hide this from their neighbor and save the family’s reputation.

Lorraine is sent to a maternity home for wayward girls. The home has strict rules and only first names can be used and no personal history can be shared. The girls are pressured into signing away their parental rights and given etiquette lessons so that they can leave and go back to their old lives, marry, run a household and forget this ever happened.

This book was well written and pulled me right in to the story and the time period. Lorraine is a naive, likeable teenager who made a mistake, paid a high price by being isolated from her family, shamed and she lost everything she had worked for academically. Pregnant teens could not return to school.

The Girls We Sent Away was published on March 5, 2024. Thanks to NeGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced reading copy.

I loved Meagan Church’s first novel, The Last Carolina Girl, so when I saw The Girls We Sent Away- I had to read it. It was so good, I highly recommend it. I wish I could find more books like this. It is very well-written with a sympathetic main character that we, the readers, get invested in and want to see her thrive. And the period, 1960’s- I don’t see nearly enough books that take place during that time in history. Everything all together resulted in a historical fiction story that I read quickly.

Synopsis:

It’s the 1960s and Lorraine Delford has it all – an upstanding family, a perfect boyfriend, and a white picket fence home in North Carolina. Yet every time she looks through her father’s telescope, she dreams of the stars. It’s ambitious, but Lorraine has always been exceptional.

But when this darling girl-next-door gets pregnant, she’s forced to learn firsthand the realities that keep women grounded.

To hide their daughter’s secret shame, the Delfords send Lorraine to a maternity home for wayward girls. But this is no safe haven – it’s a house with dark secrets and suffocating rules. And as Lorraine begins to piece together a new vision for her life, she must decide if she can fight against the powers that aim to take her child or submit to the rules of a society she once admired.

This is out now!

This is the type of historical fiction I enjoy. Nothing about war in the plot at all. Instead, we have Lorraine, who is in love with her boyfriend Clint. They lose their virginity to each other before he goes off to college. Months after he leaves, Lorraine realizes she is a pregnant senior in high school. It is the 1960’s so this is not acceptable in any way, shape or form. Lorraine’s parents make the decision to send her to an Unwed Mother’s home where she spends her last trimester and gives birth before returning home.

This book infuriated me because the girls were given zero options. They were told what was going to happen and that was that. No one thought of the emotional state the girls would be in after they leave without their baby. Having to pretend to the rest of the world that it never happened. I cannot imagine. It is truly heartbreaking. The only sort of gripe I have with this one is that it is all told in third person, but it weaves through each character’s thoughts every so many paragraphs without warning. So sometimes I would think I am reading Lorraine’s pov but it would turn out to be the librarian’s (for example.)

This book hurt my heart and made me so angry. It's 1964, and Lorraine Delford is looking forward to her last year of high-school, to becoming her schools first female valedictorian, and then heading off to college. But, all that changes when she becomes pregnant and her boyfriend, who is already off at college, tells her she's on her own.

Lorraine is sent off to a home for unwed mothers. My heart ached for her as her parents sent her off without any loving or kind words. Meanwhile, the father of the baby is at college, planning a date with another girl, without a care in the world. The absolute unfairness of it all is so infuriating.

This book is fiction, but it's based on real events. For a period of time, it was common that young unwed mothers were sent away to homes to have their babies and, oftentimes, were forced into giving up those babies. Then, these young women were expected to go back to life as normal and just forget that their families had abandoned them in these homes, hiding them from the world. They were supposed to forget the shame they were made to feel, the babies they had to give up.

Overall, this was just a terrible period in history for young pregnant women. The scene where Lorraine went into labour and she laboured alone in the hospital with no one to provide her support and words of comfort brought me to tears, not even kindness from the nurses and doctors.

The Girls We Sent Away felt like a scathing rebuke of the way young unwed mothers were treated in our history. I highly recommend this book. I think it's important for us to understand our history so we don't repeat the bad parts. And this story was absolutely unputdownable!

What an emotional story about homes for unwed mothers. The author depicts these situations so well, and deals with the unfairness that these young women dealt with.

This book is a good example of one of the reasons I have learned to love historical fiction. The Girls We Sent Away transports us back to a time when so many things were hidden- including teenage out of wedlock pregnancy. Lorraine was a good girl in the 1960's who did everything right. Excellent student, valedictorian, over achiever in almost every way, until she got pregnant. Her family reacted the way so many did at the time and went to extreme measures to hide the whole thing.
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lorraine is a young girl in the neighborhood who is on track to be her school's valedictorian and attend college. Her parents have high expectations and follow social standards, so when she gets pregnant by her college boyfriend, her world falls apart. Her parents send her away to hide the shame of her pregnancy. Throughout this book, we get a glimpse as to why other girls were sent to this group home and the effects of teen pregnancy on their lives and mental health. This book was interesting in the beginning but lost steam towards the end. I wish we had heard more from the boyfriend and had some interaction after she returned from the group home. The ending was cute, but I wish there was more action leading up to her arrival or once she got home. Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC of this book in exchange for my opinion.

In book news, I recently read Girls We Sent Away. It was the story of Lorraine, a teenager in the south in the 1960s who was sent away to a home after becoming pregnant with her boyfriend’s baby. This story was gripping and so emotional. Looking at Lorraine who was the valedictorian of her class with aspirations of being an astronaut being treated as she has done something so wrong and having all of her dreams stripped away was heartbreaking. How the girls and women were treated was horrific, completely abandoned and let down by everyone in their lives was heavy but also kept me fixated. I loved the relationships among the girls at the home and glimpses of hope for them after the strength of being together. It was so important to see how women were treated to ensure and fight to make sure that we never end up there again.

I have been oddly fascinated with the Baby Scoop Era, but didn't realize that was the name of the period of time when pregant girls get sent away to hide their pregnancy in the 1960s.

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It is such an emotional story and I highly recommend it to historical fiction fans.

The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church takes on a painful portion of our not-too-distant past in telling a story from the "Baby Scoop" era. The plot is a bit predictable (ambitious young woman derailed from her dreams, etc.) but the story is poignant and good at shedding light on the things that were happening far too frequently in that time period. I found the writing a bit stilted at times, and that hampered my enjoyment of the book a bit. I also found myself comparing the story to a somewhat similar one (The House of Eve) that had many of the same themes but with added issues of race that were a bit more compelling for me.

I love a book that makes me feel something and I also love when a book teaches me about a time in history I didn't know about. The Girls We Sent Away delivers on both fronts! The book takes place in the 1960's during the Baby Scoop Era when unmarried, pregnant young women were sent to maternity homes and forced to give up their babies. The story is so shocking for the way society and their own families treated these young women. I finished this heartbreaking book a few days ago and can't stop thinking about it. Lorraine is a character that will stay with me for quite a while.

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley for this ARC.

4.5 rounded up to 5

This was another emotional read by Meagen Church, and I enjoyed it very much.  I read The Last Carolina Girl last year and absolutely loved it. 

Lorraine Delford seems to have it all.  She's about to start her senior year of high school with the chance of becoming valedictorian.  She has supportive parents, the perfect boyfriend, and dreams of one day going into space.  But it's the 1960s, and when she ends up pregnant, her world is turned upside down, especially when her boyfriend wants nothing to do with her and the baby. To hide the shame of her unwed pregnancy, her parents decide it's best to send her away to a maternity home for wayward girls.  There is a darkness in the home and strict rules and not the place Lorraine envisioned having her baby.

This was a compelling read that captivated my heart.  It had me feeling all sorts of emotions.  My heart broke for Lorraine, and I was so very angry at her so-called boyfriend and even her parents.  I honestly didn't know anything about the Baby Scoop Era before reading this book.  The girls were sent off to these homes to have a baby on their own and then deal with all the emotions that follow ALONE.  And they didn't get to keep their babies even if they wanted to. The choice wasn't their's.  I can't imagine the incredible pain they went through while everyone else went on with their lives like nothing happened.  I definitely think this book should be added to everyone's TBR.  Don't forget to read the author's notes.

This is a well-written book in my opinion that follows the story of a young girl in a conservative family with big dreams that falls unexpectedly pregnant. On Goodreads it is categorized as a mystery which is just completely false as there is not a mystery plot, not a mystery subplot in site... which while misleading didn't take away from the story for me. What did take away from the story for me personally, was my lack of connection with the FMC. I genuinely could not see her side of the situation to save my life. As someone who fell pregnant at a time when I was not ready to be a parent, I could not in that position fathom the FMC's desires.. at all. When the story is surrounding having to empathize with a character... it's much easier to do so if you agree with the character, which I did not. I think this book will be an absolute hit for most people but given my own experience with a similar situation, it was a miss for me. 2.5 stars rounded up.

I'm always interested in the facets of history that aren't usually talked about. Even though I was born in a later generation, I know that “girls in trouble” were sent away and came back very much changed. While I knew this book would be sad, I also wanted to read more about a so-called “good girl” who was in the extremely difficult situation of an unintended pregnancy in the 1960's. I feel that this book, while fiction, was pretty accurate to what I imagined really did happen in that era to these young women. I know their partners did not have to deal with the stigma at all and were free to live their lives as they had planned before their girlfriends became pregnant.

I think this story started out extremely well, as we are put into a story that has a lot of foreshadowing. However, I don't feel that the story stayed as strong, but I don't think this is a reason for not continuing the book. I do wish we had learned more about what Lorraine's family dealt with while their daughter was away, ie if neighbors gossiped or they just believed the parents' story. I also would have liked more of a story of what Lorraine's life was like immediately after she returned home.

This was a very fast read for me, and if I had had uninterrupted time, it would have been a one sitting book. I never felt that the story dragged, only that the timeline didn't always make sense, but picking up and putting down the book repeatedly may have caused this. This book is definitely worth your time if you are interested in non-mainstream social history of the 1960's.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

This was a heart-wrenching and important book. As women, we've been sent away, quieted, hidden, and in the not so distant past and currently its getting scary. A pregnant teen sent away to a maternity home for wayward girls in the 1960's. I couldn't imagine this happening, but have heard and read so many stories of this happening. Secrets, very strict rules, and a new "normal" for the "perfect girl next door". I really enjoyed this book. As a teen mom myself, many moons ago, I could relate to Lorraine, and you can really feel the emotions. I read it in two sittings and recommend it highly. A real tug at your heart story. ❤️

What a difference 60 years make! Right now, if you are pregnant and not married (maybe not even have a partner) people think nothing of it, for the most part. A woman can do it all alone if they desire. But back in the 60's, life was different. Oh the shame associated with being unwed and pregnant, let alone a teenager was horrific. Lorraine is going into her senior year when she falls pregnant. Her boyfriend, Clint, had given her a promise ring and they were going to be wed after college. The night he gave her a promise ring she lost her virginity and soon after became pregnant. Her parents were not only ashamed but also disgusted by Lorraine and sent her away to a home for unwed teens. This is a very interesting part of history, especially when you are able to picture how much things have changed since then. Clint's attitude made me want to skewer him. It is interesting how no shame was directed towards him for his part of the pregnancy.
I received this digital ARC from Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley. This review is my honest opinion.

Master storyteller Meagan Church (favorite author) returns following her smashing debut, The Last Carolina Girl, with her latest, THE GIRLS WE SENT AWAY —a gripping, heartbreaking, and profoundly emotional tale inspired by a dark time in Southern history.

Set in North Carolina 1960s, in the Baby Scoop Era we meet Lorraine Delford, an only child. She has been dating her boyfriend, Cliff, with her parent’s approval for two years, and he’s about to go to college. She is starting her last year of high school and plans to be the valedictorian at Mecklenburg High.

Lorraine is intelligent and interested in science and the space race. As a girl she discovered her love of stars with her father's telescope and wants to be an astronaut. Her parents are all about appearances. She considers herself a good girl. However, one night the trajectory of her life changes.

When Lorraine winds up pregnant, and things do not go as she expected with the father, her parents want to send her off to a home for wayward girls. They want to hide her away and pretend this never happened. They offer no support, love, or sympathy. They drop her off. She is afraid and scared. Her parents make up excuses that she is off caring for her aunt and their babies.

Lorraine hopes she will be able to study and get her degree while away, but the school offers no support except a finishing school to each of you how to fold napkins and housewife duties.

At a loss, she finally meets a librarian interested in her and her studies. One obstacle after another, and the folks at the home do not care if you want to keep your baby. They have families lined up and as a young girl they take away your choices with lies and deceit and destroy your self-confidence. Lorraine never expected her life to turn out the way it did.

Oh, how I loved this book. Lorraine's dreams were shattered and had no one to support her. You will despise the parents and Cliff, the boyfriend. You will root for Lorraine until the end. You will laugh and cry (mostly cry).

I loved this book, and my favorite for March. If you read Meagan Church's previous book, THE LAST CAROLINA GIRL (our interview), you will devour THE GIRLS WE SENT AWAY. Meagan is an incredible gifted storyteller and enjoy her writing style—one of my favorite Southern authors.

Set in Charlotte, North Carolina (I am a native— growing up in this same area & time period) during the Baby Scoop Era of the 1960s, the women of a particular condition were swept up in a dark history. They had no voice in the decisions affecting their lives.

It is heartbreaking, powerful, and beautifully written; you will fall in love with Lorraine! A Must-Read (Southern Fiction, historical, coming of age, literary, mothers/daughters, family drama). 5 Stars ++ and Top Books of 2024.

Meticulously researched, rich in detail and history, I enjoyed the author's notes and the sparks that ignited the inspiration behind the book. A book of shame, resilience, courage, survival, finding the strength to pick up the pieces of shattered dreams, and the strength o piece together new ones, and keep moving forward. The book will remain with you long after the book ends. Thank you for telling this essential story.

AUDIOBOOK: I read both books and listened to the audiobooks narrated by the fabulous Susan Bennett (a favorite) —the performances were spellbinding! Susan made the characters come alive!

THE GIRLS WE SENT AWAY is ideal for book clubs and further discussions. On sale March 5, 2024, by Sourcebooks Landmark. For fans of her first book, The Last Carolina Girl, Sadeqa Johnson's The House Of Eve, and Diane Chamberlain's Necessary Lies.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark, Recorded Books, and NetGalley for a gifted ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Pub Date: March 5, 2024
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Set in the 1960's, senior Lorraine had everything going for her, valedictorian, wanting to be an astronaut and a cute boyfriend. Until the unthinkable happens a teenage pregnancy. Lorraine is sent to unwed mother's home where she will give up her baby. Lorraine wants so much more than learing how to fold napkins and develops a friendship with the town librarian, who helps her study for the ged. Lorraine delivers her baby and return home dealing with the loss of grief of giving up her baby.

Many tears were shed while reading this book. I felt so bad for these girls on how they were treated during this time. I did not want to see the book end, plus I wish there was a better ending. This is my first book by this author and will not be my last.

I was drawn to this story by the synopsis. I can only imagine what women went through back in the day when they got pregnant out of wedlock. This is a touching and moving story of what happened to those girls.

Lorraine is the perfect child and is top of her class. She falls pregnant and feels as if her whole world is crashing down. We go through the story with Lorraine as she juggles this life changing event and what she loses and eventually gains.

This book touches on all your emotions! Anger, sadness, compassion, love and empathy.