The Girls We Sent Away By Meagan Church

Sujoya - theoverbookedbibliophile (recovering from an arm injury; on a short review-writing break)

4.25⭐️

Set in 1960s North Carolina, this story revolves around seventeen-year-old Lorraine Delford. An only child of dutiful parents who take pride in her accomplishments, Lorraine has a good life at home, is top of her class and has ambitions beyond being a wife and mother as is traditionally expected of women. When an unplanned pregnancy threatens to change everything for her, Lorraine is resilient and makes an effort to accept how her life will change, but her boyfriend abandons her and her parents offer no support instead sending her away to a maternity home for unwed mothers to hide their shame and protect their reputation in their community. Hoping that she would be able to continue her education while there, she is shocked to see the indifferent, uncaring attitude of the housemother and doctors in whose care she has been entrusted realizing that she is expected to return to her former life after she gives birth and gives up her child. She meets others- both like and unlike herself - a reality check that compels her to take stock of her life and reflect on her priorities, the difficult choices she needs to make and the choices that have been made for her fully aware that her life will never be the same even though she is expected to go on as if this episode in her life never happened.

"Strength isn't in the loud and obvious. Strength is often camouflaged in the quiet, reserved places where most people wouldn't think to look. It's grown in the moments when we give up things along the way."

The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church is an incredibly moving story. Beautifully written, heart wrenching yet thought-provoking, this novel captures the social landscape of the Baby Scoop Era and the plight of unwed young girls who were forced to succumb to familial and societal pressure to relinquish their rights to their children. Lorraine’s journey is a painful one as she evolves from a sheltered young girl to a young mother forced to face the reality of her situation and the society in which she lives. It was heartbreaking to witness the challenges faced by these young girls, alone with no guidance or emotional support, their choices taken away from them and let down by everyone they should have been able to trust. The author is brutally honest in her depiction of the psychological toll of her experiences and the emotional scars she carries into her adulthood. Granted those were different times, but it is sad to read stories about women who are judged for mistakes for which they alone were not responsible and how easy it was for society, community and their families to shame them into submission. The author has presented us with a powerful story that will stay with you long after you have finished reading this book.

Do read The Author's Note, where she discusses her inspiration for this story. This was my first time reading this author and I'm eager to explore more of her work.

I paired my reading with audio narration by Susan Bennett, who breathes life into the characters and this story, for an absorbing immersion reading experience.

"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."

Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the digital review copy and RB Media for the ALC via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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Annissa Joy Armstrong

I loved THE LAST CAROLINA GIRL by Meagan Church so I was so excited when THE GIRLS WE LEFT BEHIND became available!! I was riveted to this book and only stopped because I had some other things I had to do!! This sophomore novel will tear your heart apart but there are great moments too!!!

Lorraine is an only child and is the top of her class. This is 1960s in NC. Her parents expect her to always make the right choices and all is good until an unexpected pregnancy as she is to be entering her senior year in high school and her long time boyfriend, Clint is off to college. Lorraine tries to figure out on her own how have this baby after she realizes she is pregnant. When her mother finally figures it out, the plan is set in motion for her to go to a home for unwed mothers. We all know what will happen next!!

Lorraine is able to make some friends at the home and she also makes friends with a librarian..I loved this relationship!! This book is full of secrets, heartbreaking moments, determination and so much more!! Loved it and highly recommend that you get it preordered for the March 5, 2024 pub day!!!

Karren Sandercock

Lorraine Delford is an only child, she’s been dating her boyfriend for two years, with her parent’s approval and he’s about to go off to college and she’s starting her last year of high school. No girl has been the valedictorian at Mecklenburg high in North Carolina and Lorraine's set to change this. She’s interested in science and the space race, ever since she looked at the stars through her father’s telescope and she would like to be an astronaut.

Lorraine makes one simple mistake, she wasn’t alone in doing this and it was over before she understood what was happening. Lorraine tries to ignore the signs, this is not how her life was meant to be and what will be parents think? Betty and Eugene can’t believe it, especially when the young man lets their daughter down and they have no choice but to send Lorraine to a maternity home for girls like her.

Lorraine is dropped off, on her own she meets Miss. Mahoney, and she’s a social worker and housemother at the home. Miss. Mahoney explains the rules and makes her sign paperwork and she will share a room with two other girls.

Nothing could have prepared Lorraine for living in a maternity home, the nurse and doctor are cold and business like and she knows nothing about pregnancy and having a baby.

I received a copy of The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church from Sourcebooks and Edelweiss Plus in exchange for an honest review. The author looks at how from 1945 to 1973, millions of young women in the main characters position were sent to maternity homes all over the United States, some were better than others and it’s referred to as the "Baby Scoop Era."

In Lorraine’s case it’s in the 1960’s, her life as she knows it disappeared and so did she. The narrative explores how young people had very little sex education, the young women were often abandoned by the babies fathers, shamed for being "bad girls" and hidden away and can you imagine how let down they felt? Having a baby out of wedlock and giving it up for adoption will stay with them for the rest of their lives and so will the feelings of guilt, remorse and many were coerced.

The author looks at unplanned pregnancies, motherhood, biology, emotions and the one thing the main character wasn’t ready for and that's she developed feelings and an attachment to her unborn child. Four stars from me, I highly recommend this book and the author’s previous novel The Last Carolina Girl.

Marilyn (recuperating from hip replacement surgery

The Girls We Sent Away was the first book that I had the pleasure of reading by Meagan Church. I listened to the audiobook that was well narrated by Susan Bennett. It was a heartbreaking, emotional and thought provoking book about a subject that has been written about over the years. The Girls We Sent Away took place in the southern state of North Carolina during the 1960’s. It was a time where society dictated the role that women were expected to play. Any deviations from what was considered the “norm “ was frowned upon, challenged and covered up if possible. One was led to believe that mistakes had to paid for. The payoffs could be demoralizing, lonely and life changing.

Lorraine Delford was the kind of daughter any parent would have been proud to call their own. At sixteen years old, Lorraine was on the trajectory to becoming the valedictorian of her graduating high school class. Her aspirations were to become an astronaut and discover things about space that had never been explored. Lorraine’s ambitions were to attend college and have a career. This was not the norm in the 1960’s. Women were expected to marry, have babies and keep home for their husbands. That was what her mother’s life looked like but Lorraine wanted more. She was an only child of parents who provided Lorraine with a good upbringing that emphasized recognizing right from wrong. Her mother was quite strict with Lorraine and always warned Lorraine about living a life that portrayed her as a good girl. Lorraine had her father wrapped around her little finger. She knew how to get her father’s approval for things she wanted to do. It was her father and not her mother that finally had given Lorraine permission to become the only female lifeguard the summer before her senior year of high school. Her mother was worried more about how revealing Lorraine’s bathing suits were. Lorraine had a steady boyfriend. Clint was a regular guest at the Delford home for family dinners. He was about to go off to college in the fall. As that summer progressed, Lorraine felt herself giving in to more of Clint’s urges and desires. Lorraine expected that someday in the future she would probably marry Clint. He had told Lorraine that he loved her and had given her a promise ring before he left for college. One night, though, would change Lorraine’s life forever even though Clint’s would remain unchanged.

There was no sense in trying to deny the facts any longer. Lorraine knew deep down in her gut that she was pregnant. It had only been that one time but here she was pregnant with Clint’s baby. She knew deep in her heart that Clint would do the right thing by her. They would get married. Clint was only in his freshman year but they would find a way for him to continue his education, have the baby and become a family. How disillusioned Lorraine had been. Clint wanted nothing to do with Lorraine’s plan or her. Lorraine was forced to divulge everything to her parents. After the pregnancy was confirmed, Lorraine’s parents saw that sending her away for the last few months of the pregnancy was their only choice. They were disappointed and embarrassed by her actions. Lorraine’s parents wanted to avoid the shame and humiliation they would experience if their friends, neighbors or family discovered Lorraine’s situation. Arrangements were made for Lorraine to spend the last few months of her pregnancy at a home for unwed mothers. Lorraine was fed falsehoods about the life she was expecting to live at the home. More than anything, Lorraine wanted to graduate from high school. She only had a few months left. Surely she could attend school at the home. Lorraine couldn’t have been more wrong about the expectations she had for her life at the home her parents had selected for her to live at. She would soon learn that all the girls who entered this home were only expected to give birth to the baby they were carrying, give the baby up and then return home to their former lives as if nothing had occurred. Would Lorraine be able to do that?

The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church was well written and researched. The fates of these young girls and what was expected of them were dictated by a society that was burdened down with “norms and expectations”. Most often these girls were left on their own to endure the remainder of their pregnancies and the births of their babies. Many of these girls were so naive. Mothers never explained a great many things to their daughters just because those subjects were not usually spoken about. It was a sad time to be a woman. How unfair that society recognized the acts performed by women as scandalous but placed no consequences on men! My heart went out to Lorraine and all she had to endure on her own. As a mother, I find it extremely difficult to understand Lorraine’s parents decisions, actions and why they prioritized the opinions and attitudes of their friends over the welfare of their only child. I know times were different but a parent should always choose their child first and above others. I enjoyed reading The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church and highly recommend it.

Thank you to Recorded Books for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Publication was March 5, 2024.

Amy

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*****
Church's eerie opening sent shivers down my spine. A teen girl in a stretched-out swimsuit is working her shift as a lifeguard at her community pool. As the strap to her swimsuit falls, it catches the eye of a father who has forgotten to keep an eye on his child. At this moment, his daughter begins to drown in the middle of the pool, and the fearless lifeguard, Lorraine, dives in to save her.
It is as though Church is setting the scene for her reader that girls must protect themselves.

If you haven't heard of The Baby Scoop Era, this period, roughly from the late 1940s to the early 1970s, is when many unmarried pregnant women were often coerced, pressured, or forced to relinquish their babies for adoption. As widespread social stigma was attached to unwed mothers, many saw adoption as a more socially acceptable outcome than single motherhood.

This page-turner story, set in the 1960s, examines this era with fresh eyes as Lorraine, a gifted teen girl, navigates an unexpected pregnancy during her senior year of high school. Curious and bright, she has aspirations to be an astronaut one day. We are reminded in evocative detail of these dreams for her future as she looks to the sky and imagines a different life for herself as a very different story unfolds on the page.

When Lorraine discovers the pregnancy, she receives little information about what is happening in her body or the process. Instead, sent to a maternity home for teen girls, the parents pray that no one will ever know of her shameful secret. Lorraine's shame is palatable, but for the boy involved, this is barely a blip in his promising future.

As societal expectations and familial pressures ground Lorraine, Church examines the underbelly of perfect picket fences and suburban dreams. We then realize everyone has a shameful secret that could have grounded them at some point.

While these women's experiences varied widely during this time, many throughout this era faced isolation, shame, and psychological distress as they navigated the process of pregnancy, childbirth, and relinquishment. Church deeply humanizes this experience like few books have, with a raw and unfiltered lens through the eyes of a teen girl with few choices.

Well-crafted plot twists and shifting narration add to well-timed tension on every page. This historical fiction novel is another tour de force that showcases the author's magnificent lens at, once again, showcasing the harrowing and untold stories of girls that we need to read.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for an advanced reader. This novel will be published on March 5, 2023

Kristy

3.75 Stars

This is a part of history I knew little about and it’s at times difficult to read but incredibly well-written.

Lorraine is a high school student in the 1960s with a bright future ahead when she gets pregnant. Her parents send her to a maternity home (which I did not know was a thing). Because she is sent here, Lorraine loses out on graduating high school (where she was on route to be valedictorian), but she going to college, and since her boyfriend doesn’t want marriage and a baby, the chance to keep the child. She’s basically stripped of all rights simply because she is a pregnant girl.

There are times Lorraine seems really mature for her age and others where you remember she is still a kid herself. As we follow her throughout the story, I was impressed by how developed she and the other characters were considering that many characters had limited page time. Like Lorraine, so many of them were complex and multidimensional. My favorite supporting character by far was Alan.

I always enjoy reading the author’s notes at the end, learning their inspiration or research for a book. Church talks about “sparks” in her life that caused her to want to write this and I think it’s evident those sparks caused passion in her writing.

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Ashley Elliott Shaw

"Strength isn't in the loud and obvious. Strength is often camouflaged in the quiet, reserved places where most people wouldn't think to look. It's grown in the moments when we give up things along the way."

I am still in a state of awe at this book after finishing it yesterday. Church's writing was beautiful and heartbreaking, as you follow Lorraine's transition from teen to teenage mother. I have a personal connection to someone who was a part of what Church notes as The Baby Scoop Era and this was an extremely visceral description of what a young unwed mother could have experienced during that time. The number of young women finding themselves in this situation is staggering, and is not as rare as some might like to believe.

I could not put this book down. Lorraine is an extremely likeable character and you can imagine yourself in her shoes; scared, humiliated, shamed by her family, secreted away, and then the ultimate betrayal of everyone telling you to just forget about what happened and get back to normal. Trauma is trauma and in this situation, the physical, emotional and mental impact was epic. And the quote above about strength being in the decisions you make that are in many cases behind closed doors, are the ones that make you into who you are. You carry those with you, and if you are lucky, they don't break you. Lorraine is an unfortunate example of what women have had to do for eons - shrink themselves, solely take on the consequences of two people's actions, and feel as though she had no choice but to do the things that would please everyone around her.

I wish my book club had read this so that I could talk about it with other women. I'm going to be recommending it to everyone I know and exploring Church's other book. I can't wait to see what else she has up her sleeve. I am grateful to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a chance to read this book.

Taury

The Girls We Sent Away by Megan Church Such a well written book about a teenage pregnancy during a time it was taboo “what will our neighbors/friends” think. Yes, I wasn’t a teenager but 26. Shot gun marriage, no choice in 1992. This isn’t about me. This is 1960s N Carolina. Lorraine, 17, is set to graduate Valedictorian when she is forced into a girls home for unwed mothers. A time men took -0 responsibility in getting a girl pregnant and no consequences. This is Lorraine’s ordeal alone. Callus parents ( I hated her father). Sad that a woman got no choices. Just lots of deceit and lies. I didn’t like the ending. I love you to a man. I love you does not mean life will end up being a fairytale ending.

nastya ♡

all lorraine wants is to go to college. she wants to, one day, be an astronaut and go to space. namely, the moon. when her high school boyfriend goes off to college, lorraine starts to expect that she may be pregnant. in the 1960's, unwed girls in high school who became pregnant were unable to attend high school. meagan church faithfully explores this dynamic in this very emotional, very devastating novel about a young woman, pregnant, who is sent away to be hidden for the world to see and treated like she is dirty, damaged goods.

this book is well-written, clear, and to the point. what i wish it had was more visual description. it's a novel that really makes you think about how god awful the 60's were for every minority and historically discriminated against group. the way these girls were treated is inhumane and cruel. the people who run these facilities are pure evil. ugh, it just makes me sick. i was really hoping for deeper descriptions of the facility itself. i wanted to know what lorraine looks like besides her hair. without these descriptions, it's easy to lose the historical aspect and place the characters in the present day.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Caitlin Miller

After reading the author’s debut novel, The Last Carolina Girl, I can’t emphasize enough how much I was looking forward to this book. However, after just four chapters, there was a s*x scene which really caught me off guard, and because of that I’m DNFing this book. I’m so disappointed, but I’m not comfortable or willing to compromise my standards to read content I’m not okay with. I will say that the author’s writing style was lovely and the plot had my intrigued, but I won’t be continuing to read the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an eARC of The Girls We Sent Away. A positive review was not required, only my honest opinion. All thoughts are expressly my own.

A.M. Flynn🪐

DNF at 60% maybe ill come back to this one later.

Judy Collins

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 in the 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 to 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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Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews

It’s the 1960s.

What became of girls who found themselves pregnant and with no support?

We meet Lorraine Delford, an only child, a girl who was going to be valedictorian of her senior class, a girl who wanted to be an astronaut, a girl who did not want to be the typical mother, teacher, or secretary.

All her dreams were slashed when her boyfriend told her “if you want to keep it, you’re on your own.”

THE GIRLS WE SENT AWAY has a main character that you will love from the minute you meet her.

You will cheer for her and for her dreams, but your heart will break when she has to deal with her pregnancy and a mother that has always been critical and unsupportive especially when she needed her the most.

Lorraine gets sent to a home for wayward girls not really knowing her fate.

Ms. Church has written another heartwarming, but heartbreaking book that you won’t want to put down.

Ms. Church’s writing is pull you in and makes you feel the emotions of each character as well as the sentiments and feelings of this time in the 1960s.

Don’t miss this well-researched, poignant heartwrenching, fabulous, tissues-needed book. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own

Laura (laurapedenjones)

Set during the 1960's in North Carolina, THE GIRLS WE SENT AWAY, tells the story of a teenage girl named Lorraine whose aspirations of becoming an astronaut in the midst of the Space Race unfortunately become thwarted after she becomes pregnant and is forced to live in a maternity home, as was normal during the Baby Scoop era. Though she is at the top of her class and has high hopes, Lorraine is only encouraged by her parents to do what is expected of her, become a wife and eventually a mother. But when the pregnancy comes unexpectedly during her senior year of high school, both Clint, the father of the baby and her longtime boyfriend, and her parents refuse to support or encourage Lorraine. At first, Lorraine attempts a positive outlook, dreaming that she'll be able to come back and finish her studies after the baby is born. She arrives at the maternity home and develops relationships with a few of the girls, which is a bit of a silver lining for Lorraine. After being let down and left completely alone by everyone in her life she thought she could trust, Lorraine gets to know Mirabelle and Denise, her roommates at the home. Soon, though, Lorraine is fighting another battle as decisions are being made for her and her baby with no regard to her wishes or input. Luckily for Lorraine, a young librarian at the public library offers to help her with GED classes so she can continue her education as she so desperately wishes. The only "education" provided at the maternity home is the type of skills for women who only wish to be wives and mothers, basically finishing school. As Lorraine gets closer to her delivery date, she finds herself reexamining what her future could hold, even if she is not likely to be able to make the decision in the end. Descriptive, beautiful prose allow readers to experience the character's pain and heartache, creating a lasting impression of empathy for young Lorraine. Equal parts heartbreaking and uplifting, THE GIRLS WE SENT AWAY is a must-read for fans of historical fiction. Notable in her prior novel as well, Meagan Church thoroughly explains the history, research, and inspiration behind the story she has created, which adds another layer of richness to the novel. Well-crafted and researched, this timely, powerful novel is a tribute to many lives irrevocably changed by the tumultuous Baby Scoop era.

Kathleen

It’s 1964 and Lorraine Delford is pregnant. She’s not supposed to be. She’s supposed to be the first female Valedictorian of her high school class. She’s supposed to be preparing to go to college to study science. She’s hoping to fulfill her dreams of becoming an astronaut. But she’s pregnant and, in 1964, there’s only one solution. Hiding in the back seat of their car, Lorraine is driven to a home for unwed mothers by her ashamed father. This will be her home until she gives birth. “Home” implies warmth and caring but Lorraine finds none here. There are chores, lessons in table setting and loneliness. After three months, Lorraine gives birth to a daughter who she loves. The baby is taken from her and put up for adoption and Lorraine returns to her parents’ house to resume her life.

The Girls We Sent Away makes you wish for another ending but there were no choices for Lorraine in 1964. Today she would have been allowed to graduate with her class. College and single motherhood would be options. We no longer live in the Baby Scoop Era when young women were forced to give up their babies. All of this is too late for Lorraine Delford, a vivid character who will haunt you long after you read the final page of this remarkable novel. S stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Meagan Church for this ARC.

Books_the_Magical_Fruit (Kerry)

I’ll start this off by saying that I do think the Baby Scoop Era needs to be talked about more, and restitution needs to be made to those young mothers. It breaks my heart that they were just sent away on their own to go through such a frightening, isolating experience without loved ones nearby or any emotional support.

However, the writing in this book is a bit stilted. There’s a lot of, “she would soon find out that was not the case” and “he didn’t know just how wrong he was…” and similar sentences. They’re a pet peeve of mine. Just tell the story! We don’t need hints or to see into the future like that.

Something the author is great at, though, is making you want to punch every character except the “wayward” girls. This is set in 1964, and sexism and misogyny are rampant. Guys get girls pregnant and then just walk away without a care in the world, while the girls are whisked away from everything they know for months, often missing their chance to graduate high school (which often makes them even more dependent on a “provider” who will take care of them). It makes my blood boil.

All in all, while the subject is important, the writing style kept me from fully connecting with the characters, so I give it a 3.25, rounded down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an eARC, which I voluntarily reviewed.

Linda Burrell

Meagan’s book takes us to the 1960’s when “good” girls did not get pregnant before marriage. But what happens if you did? And that’s the book title!
Lorraine has her eyes on the stars and dreams of being part of the exciting new space exploration. But now?
Lorraine journey of loss, love and hope takes us into a home of unwed moms. But is it a safe place.
Loved this book and a peek into our country’s recent history. Meagan brings to life these “Girls Who Were Sent Away”!

Melinda’s Crackpot Commentary

I wanted historical fiction. I was interested to read about The Baby Scoop Era, but I wanted a book with depth. DNF at 50%.

The characters are cliché. The writing was fantastic in parts (there is a section beginning the story where the description of a little girl coming close to drowning was tense and riveting) but after that it became superficial, and the writing seemed amateur, or aimed at the YA audience. Maybe the lack of detail was from being rushed, as if it was banged out just to make a point or beat a deadline. In places, conversation is no different from the narration, making it stiff and unnatural. All of the characters are bad, except the MC, who got pregnant because she was kept ignorant about the birds and the bees. No one has any depth. The plot is just the pregnancy and the attitudes about that. The scary scary ‘60’s. I can’t finish it. I can’t.

Meg

A very easy read and I wish it would've been longer. I was easily drawn in with this book, and couldn't put it down once I'd started. You really feel for Lorraine throughout the whole book, hoping for a happy ending. I would've liked to see more in depth explorations of the topic of this book, and there felt like a lot of loose ends at the end, however this is also how Lorraine would've felt. Frustrating but it had the right impact.

mersadie

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.

Cam (Lana Belova)

“More and more stars fell as the night deepened. Some of them made clean arcs across the sky, while others disappeared before they had gone halfway. Watching them, I gained the understanding that the planet I was lying on looked like a star from somewhere else in the universe. It too might fall at any moment, taking me along with it.”

—BARBARA BROWN TAYLOR, AN ALTAR IN THE WORLD

Art by Paul Goble

Katy O.

(free review copy) I'm so grateful that Amy from the MomAdvice Book Club recommended this as a companion read for our February pick
Saints for All Occasions! The Girls We Sent Away is a heartbreaking story of the Baby Scoop Era in which unwed pregnant girls were sent to homes to finish out their pregnancies and then had their babies taken and put up for adoption. It was a quick read and a book I didn't want to put down, despite the tragic topic. If you like historical fiction, definitely add this to your TBR!

Source: digital review copy via Edelweiss

Shelby (allthebooksalltheways)

NEW RELEASE • REVIEW

I adored Church's debut, The Last Carolina Girl, so when I saw she had a new book coming out, I jumped at the opportunity to read and listen. Thank you @recordedbooks & @bookmarked for my gifted copies and swag. 💕

The Girls We Sent Away
Meagan Church

📖 In 1960s North Carolina, teenaged Lorraine is the girl-next-door. She's on track to be valedictorian, is lifeguard at the local swimming pool, has a charming boyfriend that her parents love, and with her good grades, she has hopes of going to college and becoming the first female astronaut. But Lorraine's dreams come crashing down, when a single night changes the trajectory of her whole life.

💭 This book is deeply impactful and beautifully written. It explores themes of autonomy and agency, and the lack of both in the 1960s. We begin this book with Lorraine, so full of hope and promise, eventually beaten down with her dreams stolen thanks to both her good-for-nothing boyfriend, and her parents for Lorraine's profound lack of information about her own body. I felt enraged so many times: with society, with the way girls were blamed while the boys suffered zero consequences, with Lorraine's parents for being so unsupportive and cold, with Lorraine's lack of information and sex education, and finally, with the staff at the home for their coldness, and the calculated way they treated Lorraine and the others.

This book was compulsively readable and I binged it in a day and a half. It is the epitome of unputdownable! It moved at a fantastic pace and made me want to keep coming back for more. While the book itself is a sad one, there are some happier themes blended in as well, namely friendship and camaraderie, and Lorraine's inspiring determination. Though the tone throughout is mostly somber.

🎧 I read this by combining print + audio. Narrator Susan Bennett is a favorite of mine. I was first introduced to Bennett years ago with Diane Chamberlain's books and immediately fell in love with her voice. I notice she does a lot of books set in North Carolina and she's perfect at it. I'll eagerly gobble up anything with Bennett's name attached.

📌 Available now!

Adrianne Ruthhart

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.

Kurryreads (Kerry)

Thoughts to come on TikTok

Victoria

What a wonderfully written book. I had the opportunity to listen to “The Girls We Sent Away” audiobook. This is a story that takes place in the 1960s.. Lorraine is a senior in high school looking forward to college. She has a great boyfriend and is a member of a highly respected family.
She finds out she is pregnant and we are taken for an emotional roller coaster.

This is an emotional book that kept me on the edge of my seat. The author and narrator did a wonderful job making me feel like I was living in the 1960s along with the characters. I think this is a must read for women’s fiction fans.

I would like to thank RB Media and NetGalley for the audiobook copy and the opportunity to provide N honest review.

Gigi Ropp

What an absolutely heartbreaking story. I really wanted much more character development and drama, but it was a riveting story without it and still a great read.

Olivia Caridi

What a gripping read. I've heard of the Baby Scoop Era (that took place from the late 1940s to 1970s), a time in which many unmarried, pregnant women were pressured (or forced) to give up their babies for adoption, but this was the first novel I've read more deeply exploring that time. I found it really powerful and emotional.

Synopsis: Lorraine Delford is a young woman with a bright future - she's an aspiring high school valedictorian who dreams of becoming an astronaut. She seemingly has an idyllic family, home life, and young love in her boyfriend, Clint. Before leaving for college, Clint offers a promise ring to Lorraine in an epic romantic gesture, and Lorraine becomes pregnant. But at a time when Lorraine thinks Clint means his lifelong commitment, he abandons her, and even further, her parents send her to an unwed mother's home to conceal her daughter and avoid shame in public. Here, Lorraine struggles with the decision to give up her baby to continue on the path to a high school and college degree and a successful career or listen to the growing affection she feels for the human she's growing in her body - can she have it all?

Without offering spoilers, I'll say that the scene in the hospital in which Lorraine gets the opportunity to hold her baby because of the mistake of a nurse, and then another nurse barging in to grab her baby from her arms, is one of the more emotional I've read in my life - I was immediately placed in that hospital room and could feel the agony that Lorraine felt. I do not often feel that level of connection to characters and the story as I'm reading a novel.

The reason for the 4 stars - I wish we had more "meat" at the end of the book - felt rushed. There wasn't much closure, which wasn't necessarily expected as it's clear that the longing Lorraine felt for her child does not go away - but it would have been nice to hear more about how she and Alan went from friends to more or even an update into Clint - if there was ever a moment where he and Lorraine ran into each other, if he ever felt any guilt around his decisions, etc. It just peeved me that Clint and his awful behavior were just swept under the rug and never really addressed. We got to know sub-characters so well, a few of the young women in the unwed mothers' home, and it would have been great to hear what happened to them. I'm also aware that's part of what happens in those situations - you are housed with women in the last three months of their pregnancies, they are rushed to the hospital to give birth, and you don't know what happens to them. But a deeper epilogue would have been appreciated.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Elizabeth Lanaghan

Book Review: The Girls We Sent Away by Meagan Church

Rating: 🏚️🏚️🏚️🏚️🏚️
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publishing Date: 3/5/24

Review: OH. MY. GOSH. What a heartbreaking but awesome book! I found myself continuing to read way past the times I give myself to read on my tablet because I wanted to know what happened next! Church did such a great job at bringing this story to life. I really felt like I was Lorraine while reading. I felt all her emotions throughout the entire book. I was transported into the story and just really felt what the characters were feeling. There were multiple POVs but they weren’t laid out in different chapters but were sprinkled in throughout each chapter. But Church did such a great job at transitioning that it didn’t take away from the story at all. I don’t typically like those types of books, but this one was so different that I loved it! I would definitely recommend getting this gem when it comes out. Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooks for my advanced copy!!

Summary: 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.

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Title	:	The Girls We Sent Away
Author	:	Meagan Church
Rating	:
ISBN	:	1728257182
ISBN-10	:	9781728257181
Language	:	English
Format Type	:	Paperback
Number of Pages	:	352
Publication	:	First published March 5, 2024

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