I was really captivated by this heartbreaking beautiful story. There must be so many people that have gone through similar experiences at that time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Three Juliets” left me absolutely devastated, as Darke yet again entwines love, loss and hope in one of the most moving stories I’ve read since her last novel. She is just unmatched, for me, in the lovely way she weaves multiple stories together and embeds them in her readers’ hearts.

The Juliets of the story are actually dresses; a dress pattern called the Juliet, designed by Claudie Miller and made and worn by three different teenage girls. In the 1980s, Claudie is a household name and her patterns can cause shortages of particular fabrics. But in the 1960s, an unmarried Claudie was forced to give up her baby for adoption. Now she’s starting a search to fill that hole.

Roisin, Miranda and Bindi share a birthday, but little else. All three are adopted, and have been raised by very different families in different parts of Australia. As they approach their 16th birthdays, each faces different kinds of upheaval, not knowing that truth is also on their horizon.

I flat out loved this novel. I remember reading Darke’s first novel, Star-Crossed, and being entirely blown away. Every novel she’s written has been equally moving, both devastating in their emotional depth and full of love and hope as well as agonizing grief. Her stories are distinctive and so well written that they live in my heart and head years after I’ve read them.

Darke is weaving four stories together, across three timelines. This should be complicated, but it’s easy to follow. Each character is so distinctive that you tend to know when and where you are within just a few words. Each will burrow into your heart in different ways.

This is a very personal story for each character, but Darke is also touching on the broader social issue of forced adoptions, and the agony that was visited on many “relinquishing” mothers. She makes the reader feel this pain acutely, and it would be hard not to be outraged by the actions of those who took babies from mothers who wanted them.

I could rabbit on about this book for, ooh, hours and hours and pages and pages. But I’d just be wasting time you could be reading it instead.
This is a brilliant novel, deeply moving and brimming with love, grief, and hope. It’s unforgettable. Read it. Your only regret will be that eventually you’ll have to close it, and leave the story and characters within the cover.

This historical fiction involving forced adoption was gripping. It had me invested in each and every one of the characters and I inhaled the last 3 parts of the story desperate to see how it unfurled. While reading, I experienced an absolute kaleidoscope of emotions. It was moving, emotional, heartbreaking and hauntingly beautiful.

Thankyou to Penguin Random House Australia and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

Three Juliets by Minnie Darke was my third ARC on NetGalley. It’s due to be published on April 15th 2025. Darke wrote recently “I set out to write a novel that would capture the kaleidoscope of adoption experiences. I hope I've done that, and that you'll enjoy”. I think she achieved her goal in spades. It was a moving story told from the different perspectives of the adopted child, the birth mother & the adopted parents. It would have been interesting to have had insight into the biological father’s point of video also. There is a hint of this through a character later in the story, but it is not explored in detail.
This is the first of Darke’s novels that I’ve read & will certainly be seeking out her others.
Thank you for allowing me to read this lovely story.

This is just heartbreakingly beautiful, the characters are wonderfully woven into an amazing story. I couldn’t put it down!

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher Penguin Random House Australia for this wonderful book (ARC).