I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I love to read about the in depth psyche of the characters, and I feel that is what the author does here. The complexities of family, friendships, what keeps us stuck in life, lose, is all part of this story and even though it is not a thriller or mystery, it is just a great look at the frailty of the human spirit and what is needed to go on.
Jane McArdle and her niece Lucy are thrown together due to a tragedy, where Lucy is left an orphan due to a car accident killing her parents. Having lived in NYC all of her life, Lucy has a huge adjustment to make going to live with her aunt Jane in rural Michigan on a small farm.
So many issues arise, from phobias, to migrant workers, to relatives in Mexico, to just adjusting to life, for all of the characters. this book kept me wanting to pick it up to see what was going to happen.
Great story and I am happy to see I already own the authors first book, which now I can't wait to read.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book.

This is a good, solid story for fans of family drama. I’m confused by some of the less than positive ratings because I truly liked it. Not groundbreaking but still very engaging. I found Lucy annoying much of the time but then I had to remind myself that she’s a young girl who’s just lost both of her parents and been uprooted from New York City to rural life on a working farm. My first thought about Jane was that she has no personality but then again, it’s a protective shell she’s constructed to help deal with the tragedies in her life. Very enjoyable!

This one was really one that had your heart all over the place. The alternative viewpoints really helped see both sides and feel the frustration and obstacles each faced. This was way different than what I thought but in a good way. Definitely one that kept me pulled in.

This story had potential, but I felt unsatisfied at the ending. While I enjoyed the way the author explored the subject of love and patience, I feel it was all sown up a little to neatly.

This book showed that two people who were brought together because of a horrible situation had to work through their feelings on their own time. They had to forgive on their own time and find a way to do it. I was drawn by how they worked together in each others lives after being put in each others lives. I liked it!

Beautiful as it is heartbreaking, this book weaves a story of grief, loss and love.
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I love to read about the in depth psyche of the characters, and I feel that is what the author does here. The complexities of family, friendships, what keeps us stuck in life, lose, is all part of this story and even though it is not a thriller or mystery, it is just a great look at the frailty of the human spirit and what is needed to go on.
Jane McArdle and her niece Lucy are thrown together due to a tragedy, where Lucy is left an orphan due to a car accident killing her parents. Having lived in NYC all of her life, Lucy has a huge adjustment to make going to live with her aunt Jane in rural Michigan on a small farm.
So many issues arise, from phobias, to migrant workers, to relatives in Mexico, to just adjusting to life, for all of the characters. this book kept me wanting to pick it up to see what was going to happen.
Great story and I am happy to see I already own the authors first book, which now I can't wait to read.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book.

Very good novel, opened my eyes to things I just never thought about. Drugs and gangs in Mexico. It’s a culture I know very little about. I enjoyed the storyline. They only thing I could have done without was the switch in languages

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for an arc of this book I’m return for my honest review.

I give this book 3.5 stars

I enjoyed this journey of loss and new beginnings. Lucy is a newly orphaned 11 year old, whose cosy New York life takes an unexpected, sharp detour. Jane is an empty nester living a hard working farm life when her mostly simple life suddenly gets thrust into complications as a newly announced guardian for her niece. I laughed and cried through this book and enjoyed the characters throughout.

An enjoyable read, delving into subjects such as loss, friendship, belonging and family while interweaving the complexities of different cultures.

This was a difficult book to read because of the tragedies that the characters experience. But it was also filled with a sense of family and growth...both personally and in relationships. The characters were well developed and you had strong feelings about them (you loved them or you were a little irritated with their behavior). Lucy had a lot of growing up to do. And even though she had experienced a major loss in her life, she was really a spoiled brat. Luckily Jane was the perfect aunt to help her overcome those shortcomings.

The farm life and growing things naturally was appealing. It let you know that the work is hard and there are no guarantees about the crop surviving Mother Nature's wrath. But you learn so much and see how Jane's farm affects the lives of many people.

This was an educational ready and addressed many issues...loss, divorce, immigration, friendship, family, neighbors, etc. I would definitely recommend this book to others!

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an emotional journey of an aunt and her niece, neither being happy to be thrust into living together, coming together and learning to cope with loss and love again.
Jane learns her estranged sister Gloria and her husband have died tragically in a car accident, leaving behind 11-year-old Lucy. Jane suddenly is expected to care for Lucy after losses of her own (husband left her, her daughter was stillborn and her son left for the military). This story is about the two coming together and starting a "new normal", if they are able to cope with what has already happened. I enjoyed the journey and was invested in the healing of both Jane and Lucy!
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, Cari Noga and NetGalley for the ARC of this lovely book.

The Orphan Daughter is well written with a well crafted plot and characters. I enjoyed t his author's writing and look forward to reading more of her books.

This is an emotionally charged story about an aunt taking in her orphaned niece to raise after losing her parents. It's difficult and challenging for both. Aunt Jane lives on a farm in Michigan and hasn't been able to keep in touch with her niece Lucy as much as she feels she should have. Lucy lives in NYC and is not used to the country life.
Told in alternating chapters from each of them you can see how much difficulty they are having melding into their own lives. Through sadness, love, heartache and reconciliation, this is a wonderful story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for allowing me to read an advanced readers copy and to the author Cari Noga for this beautifully written book. I recommend this book very highly, it definitely deserves 5 stars.

The Orphan Daughter by Cari Noga will be a good option to consider for my book club's "local flavor" title. It also incorporates topics that are relevant to our current times, which leads to interesting discussions. I feel the author did an excellent job of showing the various perspectives and repercussions of immigrants and deportation. It was refreshing to see the diverse characters come together to help and support each other. I am grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book by an author new to me. It was a pleasant surprise, so I will definitely be on the watch for more of her books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

The Orphan Daughter by Cari Noga made me tear up constantly, and yet there was still something missing for me.

The Orphan Daughter tells the story of Jane who is 45 and lives in rural Michigan, and her 11 year old niece Lucy. Jane has been estranged from her half sister Gloria (Lucy's mother) for years when she learns both Gloria and her husband have been killed in a car accident and dictated in their will that Jane is to take care of Lucy. Lucy is pulled from her life in New York City and sent to live with her aunt whom she hasn't seen since she was 4.

The book flips between Lucy and Jane's perspectives and while I usually enjoy when a book does that, I could have done with a little less of Lucy. Even though most of what I read was relative to the story, I still found myself skimming some of her parts when it wasn't adding anything to the story for me. Apparently I don't love reading from an eleven/twelve year old's perspective all that much.

At first I was really enjoying the book, but it kinda dragged a bit in the middle for me. I can definitely tell that Noga is a fantastic writer though, and I did want to keep reading.

The story in itself though is quite sad throughout the book. Jane's background is sad, and of course reading about Lucy's situation was sad as well. I lost my mom when I was about 3 so this book hit a nerve for me there and I found myself tearing up quite a bit. I appreciated that the author still ended on a hopeful note though without tying {everything} in a perfect bow.

Final Thought: I would definitely read another book from this author, and I think a ton of people are going to love this book. It just wasn't a perfect fit for me personally even though I appreciated the story. I would recommend The Orphan Daughter to anyone that finds the blurb interesting and is in the mood for a sad book with a hopeful ending.

The Orphan Daughter in 3-ish words: Heartfelt, Hopeful, & Evocative

This was an emotional novel! I enjoyed the way the characters’ emotions were depicted and the realistic issues that were portrayed. Jane has been struggling for years with what happened in her marriage and with her son over the years. She spends her days working on her remote farm in Michigan. Then one day she is notified that her half sister has died in an accident and she is now the guardian of her eleven-year-old niece, Lucy. Lucy moves from the city to go live with Jane. Author Cari Noga explores Jane and Lucy’s personal struggles and the interactions between them throughout her novel. She portrays how an older woman struggles with her past and at the same time how a young girl struggles with the changes and losses in her life. This story is about family, friendships, and the bonds they create. It is also about loss, grief, and overcoming these overwhelming events.

Neither Lucy nor Jane want to be with each other- but they need one another whether they realize it or not. The death of Lucy's parents sends her to live with Jane. What a change! This is a lovely story of a two people becoming a family. These two struggle with their expectations and lives. At times you'll want to tell Jane to suck it up and deal (and that she's an adult) but you'll see she never gives up. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A positive good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union publishers for giving me this book to review.

This is a touching story of love, loss and coming together. It’s about different people trying to make it in the US. In a time when so many are being treated so badly this story brings some hope that good still exists in this country.

From NY to Michigan and Mexico. Luch lost both of her parents in a senseless car wreck and had to move from NY to a farm in Michigan with an aunt she barely remembers. She had everything in NY. Living in a big Condo and wearing the best clothes. Having money meant nothing to her. She’s a typical 11 year old girl who’s life is turned upside down. I got very angry at her thoughout this book for being a smart mouthed brat. Then. I would cry with her when she felt her world crumbling again and again. It would have to be hard for a child to understand why things are the way they are, especially an 11 year old who had never had any worries before.

Aunt Jane has loses of her own and feels like she is to blame for them all. She has so much on her plate and then finds out she has an 11 year old coming that she is suppose to raise. She doesn’t know if she has what it takes to be a mother again. She feels she failed as a mother the first time. Her son is grown and in the army. She’s terrified of raising another child now but she knows she has to do what is right.

Lucy is suppose to have lots of money after losing her parents. She should have been a weathly young lady with no worries. But she has so many fears. Fear of grass being at the top of the list. Aunt Jane does all she can to help her get over this fear. Even making steps from a tree that fell on the house for her to walk on to different places on the farm. Neither Lucy or Aunt Jane realize that they need each other so much.

This is a story that will make you cry, laugh, feel hope and wonder what could possibly happen next. Lucy is kind hearted where she appears to be mean. She just needed to grow up some and to truly mourn the loss of her parents. Her mom is Aunt Lucy’s half sister but to them, Jane and Gloria, they were much more even when seperated for many years. Luis was a mexican immagrant who became an American citizen and tried to help his family get to America. Lucy meets several Mexican people at Aunt Jane’s farm and learns so much from them. They all are good hard working people who fear being sent back to a terrible life in Mexico.

This book will definitely tug at your heartstrings and pull you in and won’t let go until you read the very last word. It’s such a good story and I applaud the author for writing such a good story. Thank you for your compassion towards others. For making me feel like I was there.

I had to give it a 5 star rating. It was so good.

*Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This book was out of my comfort zone since I really don't read these types of book but really enjoyed this one even though it was a sad story. This book was about how a family tragedy can bring them closer together.

The Orphan Daughter is a great story about family coming together during a time of tragedy. I loved Lucy’s spunk and Jane’s determination. The farm life and CSA information was really interesting as well.

The only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars is because I feel like there were too many things left open at the end - I prefer a more definitive ending.