DESCRIPTION:
I take a deep breath and turn to my sister. I have to make things right, but my heart pounds as I say what I should have said sixteen years ago. “But she’s not your child. She’s mine.”
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.
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.
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Title: She Was Never Yours To Take
Author: Jen Craven
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Format: Kindle ARC
No. of Pages: 334
Date of Publication: September 15, 2025
My Rating: 4 Stars
MY THOUGHTS:
“It will be like nothing ever happened.”
Jen Craven pulls at the heartstrings in this sensitive and emotional read. Pregnant at 16, Violet’s mother makes a decision that takes things completely out of Violet’s hands. With no regard for Violet’s feelings, she literally took the baby from Violet when it was born and gave it to her sister Corinne. So, Corinne and her husband Jonah raise the baby as their own. Violet has to watch her child grow up calling someone else, her sister, Mom.
In this utterly heartbreaking read, it is very easy to see that Violet is completely broken. From the moment her daughter Carley was born it was love at first sight. She has played the role of the doting aunt for 16 years, but things are about to change. As I read, my emotions were in turmoil, unable to help but empathize with Violet at both pivotal moments in her life—losing Carley at birth and the revelation that her husband Reid believes she is pregnant with her first child.
It is clear that Violet always wanted to be Carley’s mother. She is Carley’s mother. This family is built against the backdrop of lies and this devastating secret, and might appear to be tight-knit. But, one thing is clear. Lois rules the family with an iron fist. The reader will no doubt find her as horrid and insensitive as I did, as she left a very bad taste in my mouth.
Perhaps things could have been different for both Violet and Carley, but according to Lois, appearances are everything, and a 16-year-old with a baby could tarnish their ‘precious reputation’. Will this family—will Violet—reach a happy conclusion, or will Violet’s present feelings rock the apparently stable family to its core, especially when Corinne’s feelings are explored? This story is definitely a roller coaster, one to keep the reader invested from beginning to end.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
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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