What an amazing read!!! So emotional and moving. I read this book late into the night many times, unable to put it down!
My heart broke for Mattie and Lizzie, cate and Laurel!!
Gripping from the first page to the last!

Thank you Netgalley, Crown Publishing and Julie Kibler foe free e-ARC in return of my honest review.

What a roller coaster of “An emotionally raw and resonant story of love, loss, and the enduring power of friendship...” as the publisher puts it. I don’t often come across accurate description in one sentence but this one hit the spot. This is exactly what you, as a reader would feel.

Two protagonists, Lizzie and Mattie, find themselves in a horrible situation. They are both young, have little children and no home and no income, Two “fallen” girls meet in the middle of Texas in the Berachah Home for the Redemption and Protection of Erring Girls for abused, poor, young mothers or pregnant girls, basically all lost female souls of Western America. You learn the story of horrific events that took place just because they were girls. Third protagonist is our time research-librarian, uncovering the story of Mattie and Lizzie in order to overcome her own trauma, rape and the church involvement in her situation.

I think Julie Kibler raises a very important issue in uncovering these old stories. She talks about loss and the status of a girl in a household, about illegitimate children due to rape and domestic abuse. Your soul will cry when reading this book. Guaranteed.

On the other hand, I fell like there one too many protagonists. Cate's story does connect with Lizzie and Mattie, but sometimes it was hard to follow all three of them at the same time.

However, I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.

Really interesting premise! I thought the story had a lot of potential! But I didn't like the modern day timeline. I would have preferred for the story to be solely the historical timeline. Thus, since I like 1/2 of the story 2.5 stars.

I really wanted to love this book. I tended to drag in places and the jumping around from different characters got annoying after a bit. Loved the story line and characters but it was lacking something.

This wasn't my favorite Julie KIbler book. I got confused between the timelines at some points and found much of the story to be slow-going. I connected to Lizzie and Mattie's story much more than Cate's which felt unnecessary and superfluous.

Beautiful and powerful story. It was emotional and I will be recommending it to all my friends. Thank you netgally for a chance to read and review.

I was fascinated by the "Home for Erring and Outcast Girls," which is a novel of historical fiction set in turn-of-the-century Texas at the Berachah Home for the Redemption and Protection of Erring Girls, a place where women who would have otherwise been shunned by society could "rehabilitate" themselves. The home was a place where these women and their children could rebuild their lives without shame which was rare at the time and so important given that the circumstances these girls faced were often the fault of others.

The story revolves around Mattie McBride and Lizzie Bates, two residents of the home, whose unlikely lifelong friendship endures loss, heartbreak and separation and provides them with the supportive, loving family they've never had from their actual kin.

Meanwhile, the author also tells the parallel tale set in the current time of Cate Sutton, a university librarian who discovers the archives of the Berachah home and becomes obsessed with learning Mattie and Lizzie's stories. She develops an unusual friendship of her own with a student, Laurel, and they deal with issues of their own that have left them marginalized in ways that aren't all that different from those of Mattie and Lizzie 100 years before.

"Home for Erring and Outcast Girls" is the story of strong women who fight against forces trying to hold them back and the friends who help along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crown Publishing and the author for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I recieved an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and will recommend it often!

The history related to in this book is a time that is seldom written about. It was interesting to learn how hard it was to be a woman, with no respect and very little prospects at this time. The feeling of "sisterhood" is great, yet the view of the "modern" women is a bit strange and feels a little disjointed.

I enjoyed learning about the Berachah Industrial Home for the Redemption of Erring Girls through this novel, but I struggled to connect the 2 narrators from the early 1900s with the present day one. This may be why this historical novel dragged for me in some areas and went very quickly in others. Overall, a read worth your time. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital copy for review.

I loved the sections of the story set in the early 1900's and the Berachah Home. As with many books told in this format, I didn't enjoy the sections set in the current time nearly as much. I would've preferred a story about the home only.

The Berachah Industrial Home for the Redemption of Erring Girls was founded in 1903 on the outskirts of Arlington, Texas by Reverend James T. Upchurch and his wife Maggie May Upchurch. Inspired by this history, Julie Kibler brings to life the Berachah Home in Home for Erring and Outcast Girls in an emotional story about acceptance and about the family we find and introduces me to history I may never otherwise have learned.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2019/12/home-for-erring-and-outcast-girls.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

Based on a real home for outcast women, this book brought to life a time period of 1900-1925, primarily. There were so few options for these non-wage earning women, especially when they became mothers at young ages. They were not bad girls; they were victims of circumstances who needed a hand up.

Mattie comes to the home, desperate to save her 2-year-old son who has an undiagnosed, chronic illness. Unfortunately, he doesn't survive, but Mattie comes into her own in the care of the home. She is befriended by Lizzie whose own story is heart-breaking. Estranged from her useless husband, Lizzie and daughter Docie end up the at the home after repeated homeless and abuse situations.

The story follows Mattie and Lizzie in the 1910s, plus we have a modern story of a librarian/historian and her own sad, late teen years which lead to a split with her loving family.

The story jumps from past to present and several narratives are provided. However, each chapter is titled so that you know who are you encountering.

Based on the book's summary, I was really looking forward to reading this. Unfortunately I had a hard time getting drawn into the book. Many loved the book, so maybe it was just me.

Home for Erring and Outcast Girls by Julie Kibler was an engrossing historical fiction read about the Berachah Industrial Home. Based on research of real events, this book is a good read with accuracy of the time period. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy read.

Home for Erring and Outcast Girls by Julie Kibler is a work of fiction based on the real Berachah Industrial Home, a church run institution for unwed or otherwise abandoned and homeless pregnant girls in early 1900s Texas. The home opened in 1903 and closed in 1935, assisting approximately 3000 erring and outcast girls and their children.

This is an interesting read and found myself gasping at times in the book.

Overall, not a bad read. Not really my cup of tea, even though it was historical fiction. The plot was well thought out and evenly spaced out.

Loved every page of this beautiful novel. It feels as if it could be set today instead of decades ago. A timely reminder of the both the goodness and the cruelty of man toward those most vulnerable.

I so excited to get a Arc of this it is way out of my comfort zone but I love this so much and I hope to read more historical books

An intensely emotional story about girls who are just trying to make a life out of what's been given them through, many times, the actions of others.