This book was perfectly adequate— and just that. I was intrigued by the premise and excited to receive an ARC, but I have to be honest and say that it felt like a bit of a chore to finish it. I normally finish books in 2-3 days and this one took me three weeks.

I loved Molly’s POV and the journey she went through, but the present day POVs of Bree and Allison left much to be desired. Their dialogue felt stilted and unnatural, and there was too much focus on things that didn’t matter and too little focus on things that did matter.

Elizabeth Langston's Once You Were Mine is a deeply moving novel that weaves two timelines to explore the pain of forced separation, the enduring search for family, and the power of connection. The story alternates between the 1960s, where Molly is sent to a home for pregnant girls and is forced to give up her baby, and the present day, where Allison uses DNA testing that uncovers long-buried family secrets.

Molly's story is heartbreaking, capturing the societal pressures and limited choices faced by young women in the 1960s. Her journey through the emotional toll of giving up her baby is portrayed with sensitivity and depth, making her struggles deeply resonate with the reader. In contrast, Allison's modern-day story is driven by curiosity and determination as she pieces together her family history through DNA matches. Her search is filled with revelations and moments of emotional clarity, which brings a layer of intrigue and mystery to the novel.

While the dual timelines enrich the novel, they can occasionally feel overwhelming, as transitions from past and present require careful attention to follow.

Despite this, Once You Were Mine is a beautifully written novel. Langston's ability to evoke raw emotion and keep readers invested makes this novel a definite recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book was not what I was expecting at all! It was so much better than I imagined. The author did a wonderful job of writing between two timelines and not making it confusing or hard to keep up with as the reader. It did a great job of shining light onto what can happen not only with family secrets but also with DNA sharing and how that can be very insightful. It also deals with the raw emotion of everyone involved. Happiness, joy, anxiety, anger, and confusion. It’s a story of how no matter the time apart that family can still come together in their own way.

It’s timely and finally this story is told, thanks to Elizabeth Langston. This book should be on everyone’s list.

It’s well written with two timelines: one that is current and the other one back to the late 60s. It focuses on women’s rights with great thanks to DNA reports. This story reminds us of unequal conditions for women with jobs, visa cards, property and in some cases, abusive marriages. Plus, it points out how too often pregnant women who were single were ostracized during this time.

Recently, Kamala Harris said in her 2024 campaign: “We can’t go back.” This is in part what she was talking about. This book is a realistic comparison of what it was like just a few decades ago. A lot of readers may still remember those days with their own stories from those they know. At the end, there are questions for book groups. I can imagine that there could be a lot of stimulating discussions.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of February 11, 2025.

A must-read for fans of psychological thrillers . This book was absolutely amazing . I love the writing style of the author and can't wait to read more books like this

Once You Were Mine takes place during multiple timelines . 1960"s North Carolina Molly, an 17 year old finds herself pregnant after spending the summer with her grandmother. Molly's parents sends her to a home for wayward girls were she befriends her roommate after they are forced to give up their children. Present day Allison who volunteers as a search angel for people who have either been adopted or are the birth parents. Allison has always wanted to know about her mother's family since her mother was adopted and has never wanted to find out about her birth parents. Allison submits her DNA and instantly finds out that her and her best friend Bree share a family member that could be her biological birth grandmother. Without Allison mother's approval to precede with this information, she is at a standstill. This book gives the reader what it looked likes to be pregnant when a young woman doesn't have the ability to make her own choices. Secerts were kept and in the end when they come to light it can destory a family. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for letting me read an advanced copy of this book.

A heartbreaking story that explores the emotional and often ugly repercussions surrounding teenage pregnancy in the 1960’s. Seventeen year old Molly Mitchell is sent to care for her elderly grandmother the summer before her senior year of high school. Her first romance results in a pregnancy and in what was a customary practice in the 60’s, Molly’s angry and shamed parents send her to a home for unwed mothers where they thought she’d be well taken care of until she gave birth and relinquished her baby for adoption. In a second timeline, software engineer Allison Garrett volunteers as a “Search Angel” for individuals and families using DNA technology to locate lost relatives. This immersive family drama explores the emotional toll that families face when discovering their true backgrounds and the people that had been lost to them for reasons they could never have imagined. Kudos to Ms. Langston who wrote about these delicate issues with the utmost of care and compassion while exploring the complex emotions that many grapple with when faced with this reality.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing this reader an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. Publication date: February 11.

In a quiet North Carolina town in 1968, a seventeen-year-old girl’s life is forever changed when a summer romance leads to an unplanned pregnancy. She is sent to an abusive “maternity home,” where she is shamed and deceived into signing adoption papers.

In the present day, Allison Garrett volunteers as a “search angel,” using DNA tests to help strangers locate lost relatives. But the family tree she finds most compelling is that of her own mother, who was abandoned as a baby. As Allison puts the pieces together, they reveal much more than her mother’s origins—and threaten to create further divisions in her tight-knit community.

When a family is separated by devastating circumstances, is it possible for them to heal the pain of the past and make up for lost time?

Loved it. Will recommend to others.

This book had me feeling all the emotions. The hopelessness of being an unwed pregnant woman was heartbreaking. Reading how that one choice not only impacted her life but sent ripples through generations and families.

I have been in a kick of reading books about unplanned teenage pregnancies in a time when it was a really taboo subject. It's so heartbreaking to read about the tragic realities these young women went through.

I loved this story because I love that it addressed what unwed mothers faced in the past. It was touching and gripping. This is definitely a must read for all women and lovers of contemporary fiction.

An emotional and gripping book. About a young unwed mother and how it affected her. It really pulls the heart strings.

This story relates to dna ancestry check.

When a young girl falls pregnant after staying with her grandmother for a summer, her parents decide that she is go to an unwed mothers home. She is determined she is keeping her baby, it she never had a chance as she is made to give up her baby.

But years later, the fall out of what happened overflows into the next generations as they find out that the friendship they had is more like a cousin relationship. And what becomes of this news means that the truth will finally be spoken about.

This is an emotional story of losing and finding family.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Lake Union Publishing for this ARC. All opinions are entirely my own. * Book comes out February 2025!!*

Can I just say, I didn’t realize how much I needed a book about ancestry.com until I read this one. Having had my own several deep dives into my ancestry including finding old marriage certificates, ransacking family attics in Poland, and traveling to a bunch of different cemeteries to find family members, I completely understand how intense the fascination can be.
This book follows an unwed teenage mothers’ life in the 1960’s and alternates between life then, after birth, and present day. The story paints a picture of the stark contrasts between women’s rights and treatment in the 60’s versus present day (but it’s not written in difficult language and actually a pleasure to read.) With my genealogy being so tricky to put together, I loved reading a story that actually was able to put most of the pieces together. A book about loss, determination, and trying to rebuild a life when you feel like yours has crumbled around you. Loved it!!

This was my first Elizabeth Langston book, and it definitely won't be the last. In Once You Were Mine, Langston weaves a tale that is full of emotion and shows how far we have come in women's rights.

This book spans several decades and goes back and forth from past to present. It tells the story of a girl who is forced to give up her baby simply because she is an unwed mother.

This book was hard to read at times. There were so many emotions I felt while reading this story. Anger and sadness were the two I felt the most. It is hard to believe girls were treated the way they were back then when they got pregnant and were not married. There were also good emotions experienced while reading the story. I feel like the author did a wonderful job of balancing it out.

The character development in this book was great and the pacing of the story was just right. This book has a lot of substance and I enjoyed reading it.

I definitely recommend this book. It is a good read and one that has a lot to discuss. This would be a great book club read or just a good book to read on your own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion which I have given.

I liked this one about a time period when women didn’t have reproductive rights and were forced by society, the church and men to give up their children. I book which foreshadows the things happening in this country now
Thanks for letting me review the book to Netgalley and the publisher

Once You Were Mine by Elizabeth Langston was a story about parents forcing their pregnant daughter to go in an unwed mother’s home. Her parents would not allow her to keep her baby or she could not return home to her family I felt so sorry for Molly all the things she had to go through. Women had to suffer so much during this time where men got off free. in the story friends did DNA and found out they were related to a grandmother.

Back in the sixties, young girls who were in a "family way" did not have a choice to keep their baby.
Most were sent away to a place for unwed mothers.
This is an emotional, heartbreaking journey of a young girl finds herself pregnant and is hurried to an abusive, horrific place to have her child.

Present day- Allison,who always was curious about her family tree,decides to take a DNA test.
Her mother was adopted and has no idea of her relatives and does not really care to know anything about them. She is not happy that her daughter took this test.
However- as time goes on and the results return there are many surprises and troubles.
Can this family learn and live with the the outcome?

This is story is told in alternating timelines and it is historical fiction at its best.
Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Lake Union Publishing for this ARC and allowing me to provide my own review.

This is the first book I’ve read from Elizabeth Langston and I really enjoyed it. It’s a dual timeline past/present book with quick, short chapters that focus on ancestry and heritage. It’s heartbreaking and eye-opening of what some women went through in the 1950s. The protagonist Allison helps people link DNA results with locating lost relatives. She also discovers some information about her own origins. This information impacts her current life in ways she never considered. It’s a fresh new concept and it’s well-written, I really enjoyed this book and I’d recommend it to anyone..

Thank you, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

I didn’t really know what to expect going into this book but I loved it. It is such a heartbreakingly beautiful story. Thank you for the ARC copy.