Historical fiction at its best an emotional read beautifully written heart wrenching a book that drew me into the lives of theses young women and kept me turning the pages.For lovers of historical fiction grab this one.#netgalley #crownpublishing

Julie Kibler has written a wonderful novel. It is historical fiction at it's finest. A heartbreaking story of the trials that women in the early 1900's who were poor or outcast had to endure to survive. The story bounces back between present day and the past, I usually don't care for that in a book, but this one is so well written and the characters so interesting that it flows seamlessly together. Mattie and Lizzie's story is unearthed by present day librarian Cate Sutton as she struggles to uncover what led them to the home. Cate has her own backstory and discovers herself as she researches the women. I have ordered this for my library and I think it would make an excellent choice for bookclubs. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this novel early

This book had me get a bit emotional a few times. It's very well-written historical fiction with good character development and dialog. There's a bit of mystery too. Recommended for those that like literature and historical drama. Thanks for the advanced copy for review!!

Cate Sutton enjoys her work at a college library in Texas, she loves the books, the quiet and the solitude it often allows her. But she’s drawn out of her shell by the discovery of a graveyard on the grounds of the old Berachah Home for the Redemption and Protection of Erring Girls. The home was a place that was supposed to protect young women who had fallen on hard time, or given in to the “sins of the flesh”. In reality the home was anything but a safe place and Cate searches her libraries archives to understand more about the women who languished there 100 years earlier. She finds the stories of two young women in particular, Lizzie Bates and Mattie McBride who suffered unspeakable loss and tragedy, and finds herself drawn to them, even identifying with them and the choices she’s made in her own life. This is such a stunning story, history has largely forgotten women in general and these women, poverty stricken and sometimes illiterate have vanished without a trace. Kibler allows them to speak through her beautiful and moving story