My adoring husband Reid squeezes my hand in delight as we gaze at the grey and white ultrasound images, tears in his eyes. Finally, we are going to have our perfect family. But my husband doesn’t know this isn’t my first baby.
As a teenager, I was forced to give my baby to my older sister. I desperately wanted to care for her myself, but our mother said I was too young. My sister couldn’t have children of her own, and I was told it was for the best. But as I watched my sister over the years, brushing Carley’s hair and tucking her into bed with a kiss, I wanted to cry out: I am her mother.
Now I have a new life growing inside me, I realize just how much I had to give up. As I look ahead to my baby’s arrival, I have an impossible choice to make. Do I tell my first child the truth of what really happened all those years ago? Or will telling her destroy our family forever?
An unforgettable and completely emotional story about family and what it means to be a mother. Perfect for fans of Diane Chamberlain, Jodi Picoult and Melissa Wiesner.
Aside from fiction, Jen has personal essay bylines in national outlets, including The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Today’s Parent, Scary Mommy and many more.
She writes from northwestern Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband and three children. When not working on her books, she can be found thrift shopping, taking long walks, and beating her kids in backgammon.
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First, I need to thank Jen Craven, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.
WOW!!! Jen Craven you really pulled hard on my heart strings on She Was Never Yours To Take!!! I absolutely LOVED this book and was up til the wee hours of the night binge reading it!! It was fast paced, edge of your seat addicting, incredibly emotional, and at times I found myself yelling at the characters! This is one of the books that played in my head like a Netflix series. It was so good! Jen Craven deserves more than 5 stars.
This book was an incredibly emotional read for me as I have a sister who I love with all my heart and would do anything for! However, put in this situation that Corrine put Violet in well that is a whole other story!! Needless to say I was team Violet all the way!
Let’s not forget about Carley! She is the most affected by Corrine and Violet’s decision many years ago!! My heart ached for Carley when secrets of all secrets just blew up and were revealed!! Then things became real and messy between everyone in the family! Cue the drama!
Incorporated in the storyline are some important issues like infertility, talks about abortion, adoption, etc.
She Was Never Yours To Take is a beautifully written story told with a lot of heart and compassion. It would be a great book for book club discussion groups.
