Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

22 reviews

syrah78's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

4.25/5

I could not put down this novel. Avery could not discover the truth fast enough for me. Wingate really brought to life this hidden tragedy in American history. It was heart wrenching and just awful as each sibling disappeared from Rill. All the characters were given a really nice depth and the river was beautifully written. I met the author who wrote this book and she said that she always gives you a happy ending, so I had to just keep telling myself that and the ending really was nice.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

smith2ds's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Rape

angievansprang's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This book does a great job with story telling and making the characters come alive off the pages. It was an incredibly sad read, especially due to the aspects of the book that are not fictional. Knowing that these things really happened to live children for years, unchecked, is a horrible thought. I’m glad this book is out there and was even able to bring clarity to some survivors.

The parts I did not love were how the author & the characters spoke about most of the Black characters. I understand that much of this book was set in 1930s Tennessee, but I found certain descriptors unnecessary and racist.

Fuck Georgia Tann and her conspirators, may they forever rot in hell!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Dementia, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Death of parent

butilikeit's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Sexual assault, Dementia, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Pregnancy

pferdina's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Based on true horrors of the abduction and sale of children in Memphis Tennessee between 1920 and 1950, the novel alternates back and forth in time. One story follows the Depression era story of Rill Foss and her siblings, taken from their family houseboat and then adopted by various people. Only three of them find each other again. The other story is Avery Stafford, daughter of a senator and the one who discovers her grandmother’s true history while struggling to figure out who she wants to be.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism

forgetfullucy17's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Child death

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

sarah_amy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book both had and broke my heart. I cared so much about Rill/May, her siblings and all the other children, and Avery's investigation among it all. I went in completely blind with this book, so was floored to know this is based on real events and that Georgia Tann was the person behind all the horror. I was less interested in the political side of it all and the romance felt a bit forced (not a bad match, just unnecessary). It would have been a 5 star on the investigation and flashbacks to Rill/May's past alone, but the politics/romance almost felt like I was being interrupted by a side story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Grief

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Dementia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Based on the child trafficking/illegal adoption agency of Georgia Tann. Lots of details of abuse and allusions to death that went on in the foster homes involved. Many of these children were adopted out illegally and without the consent of the birth parents - some were outright stolen like in this story.

ajay913's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Racial slurs and Violence

katiejohns's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Kidnapping

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

jacquibear's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Dementia, and Classism

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Confinement, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury