This review is part of receiving the audio from Net Galley. Set in the 1960's, Lorraine is sent away to a maternity home for wayward girls where they are treated just horrible (Ms. Mahoney is like Miss Hannigan from Annie). Even at the hospital during delivery, it was treated as a punishment. Such a heart wrenching story for the young women. I enjoyed Alan and Lorraine's relationship, a testament of true friendship. It's a sad read but so well done. Highly recommend.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version.
This story was a miss for me. If you want to listen to a bunch of women complaining about how they are mistreated and don't have any rights the boy oh boy this is perfect for you. After while it got soooo old hearing whining and complaining. Reading reviews about how woman are still controlled in 2024 is absolutely disgusting. Woman can do whatever they want. Just stop. I felt like this was a liberal feminist book.

I really enjoyed the audiobook of The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church. What a story!
It didn't end the way I wanted the story to end. I feel really bad for Lorraine and so angry at her parents for not being there for her when she needed them the most, just because she got pregnant, and they were a shame of what other people will say. Lorraine was sent away to a maternity home for wayward girls. But this home is nothing like what Lorraine thinks it is. There are so many rules and secrets in this home. Lorraine then questions her decision to give up her baby (Grace). I wish Clint was man enough to stand up and be there for her and his baby. At the end, I was happy she ended up with Alan, who had always been there for Lorraine since the start, and they ended up together. My feelings were all over the place; I was happy, sad, angry, and a lot of the time I wanted to cry because I felt so bad for Lorraine.
I really recommend this book when it comes out. It was such a great story.
In Lorraine words that stuck with me “Choosing to survive was the only way forward” and “To fight against gravity and keep moving forward”
A special shout out to RB Media for the audiobook copy and NetGalley

This was a very emotional read for me, since I was born to an unmarried, unwed mother and, as it happens, I met my birth mother and since I learned than she passed away yesterday in the middle of my reading. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to finish now, but found myself needing to. There were many differences between the protagonist in this book and my birth mother's situation but one thing that was the same: it was difficult and gut wrenching. I know that I will need time to process everything on a different level but I need to write this review and then move away, even if I come back to revise this later.
There were many moments during my reading that I found myself becoming enraged, not even so much at where the protagonist and other girls like her were sent away, because I never expected the place to be anything but awful, but at the parents. It may be because that was also too close to my birth mother's situation. She too had parents who were ashamed and cruel in the situation. I understand that this was a different time but that was what made me the most angry.
Mostly, the book rang true and I really liked the protagonist who was deeply explored. The book, while in the third person, was over her shoulder, though occasionally it would be over an another character's shoulder and if I had one critique, it would be that I think it should have either spent the whole time over her shoulder or spent more time in other's perspective. Because it was normally over the main character's shoulder, it was a bit jarring when it was over someone else's. Nonetheless, it was a very compelling read.
This was an audiobook and the narrator was good. She read with feeling and emotion, for the most part, which was good given the subject matter, although she has a slight nasal quality to her voice.
Thanks to NetGalley and to RB Media for providing me with the opportunity to read this book.

In the 1960s, Lorraine finds herself an unwed expectant mother. Her family and the father feel shame at LORRAINE's "mistake". (Uh, no male accountability, huh?) As a result, Lorraine is expected to "fix" the mistake, and lacks support whenever she questions what the right decision is. There is a clear message, though, about Lorraine's strength and sense of self. She may not reach her initial goals, but she finds ways to pivot, to make new ones, and to fight to be proud of herself.

While an important read, I did feel like this glosses over many of the emotions. They finally develop a bit more when she gets the backstories of the other girls in the maternity home, but it feels a bit too late to make the lasting impact. The characters-and their reactions to various situations-were realistic, so I appreciated that.

Overall: 4 stars (I really liked it)

I'll tell my students about: sex, abortion, adoption, language, self-harm

**Thank you to NetGalley & RB Media, Recorded Books for the free ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

I received an audio arc for review from Netgalley.

As a women, a mother and a daughter living in a time when unwed mothers are still judged, but certainly not as harshly, a time when women's rights are diminishing instead of growing, a time when we're fighting the battles we thought were long fought - I was so entrenched in this audiobook, feeling it so deeply, empathizing with Lorraine and the other girls in the maternity home. The girls who were never given a choice about what would happen next. The girls who had hopes and dreams, as diverse as they may have been, for what their futures would become. The girls who were treated like parriahs and outcasts and kept hidden away while they incubated babies they'd have no choice but to give up whether that was their wish or not. My heart shattered for these girls, for the experience they had, for sweet Mirabelle and the trauma she endured, for each of these young women who were expected to just "go back to normal" after their lives were forever changed. Betty's hidden past and slight redemption arc was wrought with heartache, and it made me ache for how her and her daughter had a shared secret past. I appreciated the realism of the end of this book, the effort to hold authenticity instead of wrapping everything up in a perfect little bow.

The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church was a heart-wrenching tale about a girl who was shamed for her choices.

My goodness. I know parents cover things up now, in the 2020s, and some people opt for other means, but the women in the 1960s were SHAMED if they found themselves as unwed and pregnant.

Lorraine is smart. She wants to be more. She has plans to graduate Valedictorian and to attend college. She is fascinated by Science and wants to go to space. Lorraine is a good girl and even saves a local girl while life guarding at the local pool.

Lorraine is dating a boy that is about to go off to college. She is ready for her senior year and looks forward to the separation from her boyfriend. Before he leaves for college, they have one last date, and he gives her a promise ring. Lorraine is bothered by this gesture and places it on her right ring finger. As if to seal the deal, they sleep together for the first time. It is unfulfilling just like their relationship and Lorraine is ready for something else.

Unfortunately, Lorraine ends up pregnant. Her parents are devastated, and the solution is for the two to get married. Instead of dropping to his knee and proposing, the boyfriend runs for hills, already interested in a woman that works near his college.

Lorraine's parents send her to a home for unwed mothers. The house mom is not kind, and the women are treated like prisoners. Lorriane meets some interesting women and even starts studying for her GED. In the end, she decides she would like to keep the baby; however, she is forced to sign over her rights.

It is a sad story with Lorraine returning home to a family that shows little love and compassion toward her, and as she yearns for her baby., her parents tell their friends that Lorraine was away helping her aunt. All this while lactating.

The narrator Susan Bennett had quite the southern accent. It was fitting for the time period and characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books for the advanced listen in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a powerful story! I needed a change of pace and this one really grounded me after some lighter reads. The synapsis on this does a good job of encasing the whole story so I was a little disappointed that I felt like I knew everything that was going to happen.

As a mama, this one definitely tugged at my heartstrings, particularly the moments Lorraine had with her mom upon her return. This story speaks to the strength, resilience and intelligence of women in a time period when they were led to believe their place was barefoot in the kitchen.

The way Lorraine stayed true to herself through every single thing thrown at her was truly admirable and I commend the way she conducted herself with grace (iykyk) through everything.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced listeners copy of this important story!

Gosh. Where to start this book ripped my heart out. I don’t know if reading it as a mom gave me a different perspective but I feel so bad for those girls. All they went through on their own with no support. I feel like those parents were so dang heartless, even now labor and delivery has a high mortality rate how can you just send your child away to have to go through something so enormous on their own. Not to mention the dang parents and their hypocrisy! How dare they! I think the fact that it kept jumping to Clint and how he just got to carry on without a care in the world they even lied to his parents like the weight of the world was on that girls shoulders and she had to handle it all on her own! Thank the world for Alan. He was exactly what she needed. I am so glad she had her voice and told her mom off.
Overall amazing book I will definitely read it again. Written so well and brought up so many emotions. Definitely a book I will read over again.

Set during the Baby Scoop era as well as the Space Race, our main character's life revolves around one, then the other. This book makes you feel the emotions of a young woman who is sent away by her own family. She carries the weight of the judgment of everyone and the support of nearly no one. It shows how harmful judgement can be and how young women affected by unplanned pregnancy need support and encouragement. It also showcases how the young father can leave and continue with their life as normal, while the mother loses everything. I thought this book was powerful, and I would recommend it.

In the last year I have been learning about the topic of homes for unwed mothers that were prevalent in the mid-20th century and previously read a few books on this subject. The Girls We Sent Away is another such book. It focuses on a "good Southern girl" named Lorraine who is a senior in high school. She dreams of a bigger life than being a wife and mother, working diligently in school to become Valedictorian in the hope that she can go to college and have a career in STEM.

Unfortunately, her plans are derailed after she naively trusts her college-aged boyfriend and has unprotected sex, becoming impregnated prior to her high school graduation. As was common practice during this era, her parents sent her away to a Catholic home for unwed mothers, where young girls are forced to sign away their parental rights and give their babies up for adoption.

I enjoyed the narrator, but found it a bit hard to connect with the MC since the book was told in third person, rather than first person. Despite this, it was an interesting, realistic, and moving work of historical fiction about the topics of motherhood, consent, and sexism.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and RB Media for an audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the idea of this book and was looking forward to digging into the emotional trauma of unwed mothers in the '60s who were sent away to homes. This book didn't go deep enough for me. It felt surface level, and I didn't feel the pain and suffering jump off the pages. There were characters who just disappeared with no follow-up and moments that appeared to be critical that ended up going nowhere. The ending also didn't do enough. There was no resolution for the main character's past or future. This book could have been so much more.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting to see what it was like during the time of the "baby scoop" era.

This story was based in the 1960's when if you got pregnant at a young age, or out of wedlock, you could go to a maternity home, have the baby, and they would find homes for your baby. I have more to learn about this era, but just reading this story made me more interested in how things were done back then.

There were times in the story when I wasn't sure what was going on. Some characters meshed together which caused some confusion. It was almost sped through at times.

I connected with the main character as I did get pregnant in high school, at a young age, and my parents treated it more like the plague than anything. Choices had to be made, and of course, scripture was thrown at me. This story of the young girl was both heartbreaking and yet, I fell in love with her character. Even at a young age, she pushed for what she wanted. The connection the author made to this story was great. Bonds were broken and bonds were mended.

I read this on the plane from Arizona to Texas and I was upset it ended so quickly.

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.

This book reminds readers that women lacked control of their bodies in the 1960s and still lack control of their bodies today in 2024. The Girls We Sent Away had depth in the way it navigated societal expectations/norms and gave each character its own voice and identity. It was also a good mix of character and plot driven.

Also Clint’s a b*tch and I hope Miss Mahoney never finds a pair of jeans that fit her right.

An emotional read about a time in our nation's not-so-distant history where girls who found themselves "in trouble" were sent away to fix their supposed transgressions, The Girls We Sent Away was a book I could not put down. Lorraine was such an relatable main character, and her journey was heartbreaking - a young woman who had so much drive and confidence, only to be put back in her place by society and the men in her lives. While the stories of the young girls in the book were disheartening, the author wrote with such smooth dialogue and text that it left me wanting to keep reading to find out more. This was one of those reads where you wanted to dive deeper into the story, and at times felt you were only being given a glimpse of the characters' lives, but only because the author created such a compelling story. My first book from Meagan Church, but definitely not my last - I look forward to her future novels, and will be going back to read her first!

Thank you to Netgalley, Meagan Church, and GOODREADS Giveaways. I had the pleasure of reading this book in paperback ARC as well as the ARC audiobook available through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was interested prior to reading this book in the "baby scoop" era. Alot of the themes are ever present in today's climate of political views regarding a woman's body. This book was bittersweet, but honest. Sad and lonely. It really portrayed what I would think was and could have been a real story. Not too long ago. Thank you for this read! I thoroughly enjoyed and devoured it. 4/5

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and Recorded Books for my #gifted copies of The Girls We Sent Away!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐖𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I knew nothing about the Baby Scoop Era prior to reading this book, and while I loved everything about this book and the writing style, I found myself so angry for Lorraine and the other young women in this book. Historical fiction is my go-to genre, and I love when I learn about a new time period. I’m so thankful I had the opportunity to read this book and I urge others to pick up a copy as well!

Lorraine Delford, a high school senior in the 1960s, has a boyfriend, a summer job as a lifeguard, and is set to be valedictorian. Everything seems to be falling in place for her, in her quiet North Carolina town. When Lorraine finds herself pregnant, and with a boyfriend who wants nothing to do with a baby, she is forced by her parents to a maternity home for wayward girls. There, she meets other young women who spend the last three months of their pregnancy together, before their babies are taken and placed for adoption. With strict rules and lots of secrets in the house, Lorraine must decide what she wants with her life, and whether or not she has the ability to fight for what she wants.

I fell in love with the writing and structure of this book, and felt like it flowed so well and was so beautifully written. I could not help but root for Lorraine and the other young women in the maternity home throughout the entire book. There are lots of secrets throughout this book, especially one I did not see coming. I love how I was engaged the entire time with this one! I have found a new favorite author in Meagan Church. I definitely plan to pick up her debut novel, The Last Carolina Girl.

🎧I alternated between the physical book, and the audiobook, narrated by Susan Bennett. I felt like Bennett brought so much emotions to her performance and really kept me engaged during my time listening. I’m excited to know that Bennett is also the narrator for The Last Carolina Girl, so I may have to listen to some of that book, too!

“Sometimes surviving means finding the strength to pick up the remnants of shattered dreams and piece together a mosaic of new ones, a continual work in progress, a constant decision to put one foot in front of the other, to fight against gravity, and keep moving forward.”

Posted on Goodreads on February 27, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around March 5, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
Currently reading posted on Instagram on February 23, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on March 5, 2024
**-will post on designated date

Lorraine was a high school girl who found herself pregnant and on her own when her boyfriend bailed. In the 1960’s you either got married or “went away” and came back like you were never pregnant. This story of Lorraine journey at a “mothers’’ home” was really emotional. The end really breaks your heart, you feel the emotional pain she experiences.

Thanks to netgalley for this audio advanced copy!

Loved this book so much! Lorraine is an amazing young girl
with dreams to go into space one day. Will life allow her to achieve her dreams?

Megan Church did a phenomenal job with character development and getting the reader invested in the story that is wrought with emotion. Thank you NetGalley and RB Media and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC and ARC audio. I thoroughly enjoyed the narration when I wasn’t reading the digital ARC.

Preorder yours today before the March 5, 2024 release!