Having read, This Child of Mine I was anticipating this title. It sounded intriguing.
The book was very slow paced and there was a lot of repetition in it. The characters I just didn't make a connection with. With the book having children in it there were emotional scenes. I found parts of the book unrealistic that with the circumstances wouldn't be happening.
I think that the book took place during the pandemic put me off as well due to personal circumstances.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

In the aftermath of the covid lockdowns, the publishing world seemed unsure what to do about documenting that too recent, sometimes too raw period of our collective history. Were readers turning to books only for some much needed escapism? Or were they ready to confront the grief and confusion that had affected so many of our lives? Finally, it looks like it’s safe to go back in the water and reflecting on the covid era is appearing in fiction as part of the lived experiences that novelists chart.
Emma-Claire Wilson is a writer fascinated by our emotional lives, but in her second book, When You Were Mine, she doesn’t shy away from using the post-covid era as the setting for her characters’ emotional journeys. It’s a remarkably fitting backdrop for how her characters seem isolated by their turmoil – and a reminder of how Zoom calls, with their blurred backgrounds and switched-on smiles, can so easily mask real emotions.
Nicola and Victoria have weathered the worst of their lockdowns in Scotland and Spain, respectively. They have kept in touch via weekly Zoom chats since they met in strange circumstances: the both ended up giving birth in the same A&E department in Spain. Victoria because she lives there as an expat and went into labour early and Nicola because she took an optimistically timed babymoon – and then gave birth to her daughter prematurely.
Victoria puts on a brave face for life with her twins, documented on Instagram and encouraged by her husband who is in the business of selling the expat life. He posts pictures of her and the twins playing on the beach and swimming in the sea; but beneath it all, Victoria is silently screaming.
Meanwhile, in far chillier Scotland, Nicola also feels as if her life is falling apart.
When Victoria makes a spur-of-the-moment decision to hop on a plane and visit Nicola it coincides with Nicola’s older son, Ben, becoming seriously ill. And that’s when ghosts from their shared past rise up and threaten to disrupt both women's fragile lives.
No spoilers, but this is a book that will surprise and delight in equal measure. Strong characters and an undercurrent of gutsy humour run through this story that confronts an impossible moral dilemma and had me thinking ‘Actually, what would I do?’ long after I’d turned the last page.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of When You Were Mine by Emma-Claire Wilson. This was my first book by this author and what an emotional ride it was! It was very heartfelt and tissues were needed. The story focuses on motherhood, family, and friendship. It was a great read and explored a variety of issues (surprise pregnancy, lockdown, depression. family. fostering, illness, and relationships). Beautifully written and it made me want to read this author's previous novel, This Child of Mine. A 5 star rating from me.

Found this a bit slow to get into to. But by half way through I was really enjoying it. I’m not sure if books about the pandemic are too soon for me due to personal issues so I struggled a bit!

This paints a journey that is tough and very emotional for both of the families and the dramas that they go through. The uniting of the two mums over an emergency birth of their children, the situation of both their marriages and how the two women cope with the new born children within their families is intense and so real. It has been beautifully written covering marriages, motherhood, social media issues, foster families, anger and love.
It is one amazing read that I just wondered how I would have coped with each of their lives. There are no rule books on parenting or even on making a marriage work and everyone has to find out for themselves.
I look forward to reading more by this excellent author.

My thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘When You Were Mine’ written by Emma-Claire Wilson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Nicole and Andy have been growing apart since she had a brief fling with a male friend but they’re both united in their love for their children. Nicole has formed a close internet friendship with Victoria who she met when they were both in hospital in Costa del Sol after being admitted for emergency births. The arrange to meet when Victoria returns to Dundee to see her adopted family, but neither of them could have anticipated what will happen when Nicole and Andy receive a shock diagnosis.

I was thrilled when given the opportunity to read ‘When You Were Mine’ as I loved the author’s previous novel and I’m delighted that it hasn’t disappointed. It’s an emotional story of motherhood, families and friendship as Nicole and Victoria experience how exhausting and emotionally draining it is to be a mother caring for young children even if they are loved dearly, and especially if the partner isn’t committed to being a hands-on father. It’s a powerful and realistic story that’s grabbed me from page one and when I wasn’t reading I was thinking about the characters. By the time I reached the final chapters I was in tears for what they’re going through but also thankfulness for the friendship they forged and the family that’s been supporting them every step of the way. This is a novel that I didn’t want to end although I needed to know what was going to happen, and the ending is so perfect it will stay in my thoughts for a long time.

My life is a mess. My marriage was falling apart, and I'd hoped the arrival of my baby girl would bring us closer together. Yet, as she grows, I see less resemblance to my husband, stirring unsettling questions. I was hoping a visit from my friend Victoria would bring some stability. With her seemingly perfect life in Spain, she embodies hope for a brighter future. But our reunion has taken an unexpected turn. And when a shock diagnosis shakes our family further, Victoria doesn't know it yet, but she might just hold the key to saving our family.

This is one of those books where the less you know before reading, the better the book will be. This story shows how friends can be family too. Even though I liked this book, I thought the second half was better. It does cover the pandemic, which might put some readers off. The characters are likeable and well-developed. This is an emotional rollercoaster.

Published 1st August 2024

I would lie to thank #NetGalley #AvonBooksUK and the author #EmmaClaireWilson for my ARC of #WhenYouWereMine in exchange for an honest review.

A emotional and heartfelt read that played with my heart. I definitely needed the tissues nearby for this book. I love fiction writing like this because it showcases that life isn't always sunshine and roses and it doesn't always have the perfect ending. In this story I learnt that family is definitely more than just blood. I loved how Victoria was respectful and supportive of her friend despite having her own challenges. The plot is every parents worse nightmare but the characters handle the situation so well not that they have a choice but I dread to think of what they were feeling. I was fully invested in the words that flowed beautifully from the start to finish!

I found this book really difficult to get into. The start was slow and repetitive and the storyline did not progress much. It felt
for me a bit disjointed and without direction.
When it started to get going more the pace picked up and I begun to be more invested and interested into the characters.
A story which concentrates on friendship, love, family and people who become your “family” through circumstances.
I am pleased that I didn’t give up reading this at the start. It turned out to be quite a good book which I enjoyed.
4 stars

A really great read. Nicole and Victoria met in Spain when Nicole went into early labour while on holiday and when she returns home to Scotland they remain friends over the internet,and they form a bond as they are both struggling with their relationships. Victoria decides to visit but when Nicole's son Ben becomes seriously ill something comes to light that will shock them all. A story of ,friendships, relationships and personal struggles and it is very emotional but beautifully written. I loved it

Emma-Claire's first book, This Child of Mine, was one of my favourite 2023 reads. It was absolutely gorgeous and I've been waiting to see how she follows it up, so I'm very excited about this one.

There's a character called Victoria which I am totally going to believe was written for me :)

Generally speaking, I am not a fan of books that talk about the pandemic and lockdown, because I feel I've had to live it, I don't want to read about it too. But in the context of this book, it is much needed as it shows the catalyst for everything else that happens, and I'm not sure how easy it would have been to get to that without talking about the struggles the characters felt during that time.

I don't have children of my own, but there are 7 children under the age of 12 in my family and so I do know a small bit about raising them. And from my limited experience, Emma-Claire has expertly explored how parenthood - specifically motherhood - can, whilst being amazing, can be tiring, exhausting, emotional, angry, draining, annoying, and I suppose at times, even if we whisper it to ourselves at times, not worth it. Especially if the other half of the parenting couple is less interested. She's put that front and centre so we can immediately get the feeling as to how our characters are feeling in themselves and to one another.

We follow two families: Victoria and Mark who are expats in Spain, and Nicole and Andy in Scotland. And their respective children. They're both fabulous families, each with their own personalities and characteristics, some good and some not so good. They're very natural and familiar. A lot of readers will identify with them greatly. They complement each other perfectly, and work great as a team. The children are gorgeous and I love this sense of innocence Emma-Claire has infused in it. This innocence that we lose as we become adults and have to focus on things like houses, jobs, money, and illness.

It shouldn't be surprising when I say that there are some difficult topics in this book, including parenthood, surprise pregnancies, lockdown, physical illness, childbirth complications, post-natal depression, relationship difficulties, affairs, long-distance friendships, emigration, the truths and lies of social media, fostering, family differences, hate, anger.

At first I didn't think it was going to be as heart-breaking as her first one, and I was glad for that because my emotions are already up and down without adding this into the mix, but I spoke too soon. The second half in particular, there's something I did not expect! I won't say why or who or what or how, but yes, it gave me what I have already come to expect from Emma-Claire's books, even if there's only been two of them.

She has a beautiful way of composing sentences, a sense of place and people, and setting (I would choose the scenes set in Scotland over the scenes in Spain any day). I just love her ability to write about tough and upsetting situations but infuse them with so much kindness and tenderness and empathy. She's a magical storyteller and I'm already excited about what she comes up with next.

I read it in a day. It's not the easiest book to read, there are uncomfortable and upsetting topics and scenes. But it's infused with so much hope that I couldn't part with it, and even after finishing it, it is lingering in my mind.

Was not sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised this is not my usual genre

Kept me immersed to the end. Thank you for the opportunity to review

Focusing on parenthood, friendship and the changing faces of family when the worst things happen this book is a great example of the genre.
The characters are well written and the families are going through normal family stuff following the pandemic.
A friendship born out of coincidence carries Vic and Nicole through the tough times, via zoom and with wine in hand but all is not as it seems and as the truth comes out the dynamics change and change again.
A great read.

Although the main theme of this book has been portrayed in many ways before, this had a unique and beautiful ending. It was a very endearing story and the relationship between the two families was simply adorable. The bond of the two main characters Victoria and Nicole was extraordinary, everyone should have a friendship like that. It was a wonderful story about love, friendship and family. It was the first book i’ve read by this author and I can’t wait to try more. It was well written, extremely engaging and devoured in 2 days.

Thanks to Avon Book UK and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy to read in exchange for my open and honest review. As always, my reviews will also be posted on Amazon, Goodreads and Waterstones and interaction on Facebook and instagram where possible.

This was a nice cosy read. It’s perfect if you’re a fan of Jodi Picoult with its domestic plot and gentle twists and turns. I found the writing a tad contrived with lots of mixed metaphors, but the characters were likeable enough to excuse it. The ending felt a bit rushed but it was a satisfying one.

A heartbreaking, emotional read, well written with great characters that kept me involved in the storyline from the beginning until the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for this ARC which I can thoroughly recommend.

Want an emotional novel. It has it all..motherhood,friendship and family.
It’s based around 2 women brought together by trauma.its a great read by Emma Claire Wilson.

✨ 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐖𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞 - 𝐄𝐦𝐦𝐚-𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐬𝐨𝐧 ✨

My life is a mess. My marriage is falling apart, and I’d hoped the arrival of our baby girl would bring us closer together. Yet, as she grows, I see less of a resemblance to my husband, stirring unsettling questions …
－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－
Firstly I want to say a huge thankyou to Avon, Emma-Claire and NetGalley for giving me this early access to your second novel! After reading This Child of Mine last year, when I received an email offering me early access to your second novel I was very excited and it was highly anticipated!

I don’t want to step by step what this book is about as for me that would just take away the experience as a first time reader and so this review will be more about my thoughts and feelings during my read.

Emma-Claire’s writing I could tell from her first novel was elegant and beautiful. This followed right through to When You Were Mine and I had no doubt this would be the case. This read for me was real, heartfelt and emotional.

When You Were Mine focuses on friendship, motherhood and family. Asking the question I’m sure many of us had asked ourselves before: Does family necessarily mean blood? What does ‘family’ mean to you?

Reading about to separate lives of friends and seeing this come to gather not only made this a page turner for me but I didn’t want it to end. The suspense in the second half of the book made the 2/2 unputdownable and I quickly devoured it in a night.

I can’t say I enjoy much when the dreaded ‘C’ word gets brought up in reads and hate that our today focuses on this pandemic topic but I guess I have to accept it happen and it is now a historical event that I’m sure will pop up in reads from time to time. I must say Emma-Claire handled the topic very well and did not over- indulge in the area.

I found myself relating to this novel in areas and again will be pre-order for this to be on my shelf for a reread in the future.

- Check Trigger Warnings -

Friends are the family you choose for yourself is a great quote and one worthy of this novel. 2 women brought together in traumatic circumstances remain friends despite living miles apart. They meet up via zoom chats while their children are in bed, discussing everything that's happened since they last spoke
Victoria travels from Spain to Scotland to visit her family estranged from her "ghastly" husband and meets up with Nicole. But Nicole has a family drama of her own when her son Ben is admitted to hospital. What follows would be a nightmare for any family.
Without giving too much away this novel serves up plenty of moral dilemmas, it's shocking to think what happened in the novel possibly happens in real life and how parents would deal with such issues.
Its a great read and I loved the interaction and closeness between Victoria's family.

A lot of themes in this story which all help reflect the complex mixes that make up families and which bring us together. A tricky unraveling and a big jump at the end but all help to show the breadth of what is family and that we all find our place in these families in the end.1