Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I was back and forth between 3.5 and 4 stars with this book and landed at 4. This historical fiction set in England and Canada, brings to light a part of Canadian history I was not aware of at all until now - thousands of poverty-stricken children sent from England between 1869 and 1948 to Canada and other parts of the commonwealth and in many cases worked as indentured workers - often mistreated and abused.

The story follows two of these children - Winnie and Jack, and their friends,
The abuse and the shame that comes with being a Home Child it is often sad and at times heart wrenching. It is a love story at the same time.

Thanks @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. This is a little outside my normal horror type books but it sounded interesting so i gave it a shot and i am so so glad i did. This book gripped my from page 1, it was so well written and the characters were so richly created. Absolutely amazing. The history that was brought to life in this story was both haunting and revealing. I had no idea this type of thing took place here. The book was fraught with suspense as well as a dash of humor and a whole lot of sadness... bot fear not as hope and survival shines through as well. This story was so well told i could not put it down and read it in one sitting. I was so sad when i reached the last page. This book needs to end up on everyones must read list.

There have been lots of comparisons to Be We Were Yours, and whereas this book is a similar genre, I am not so sure such comparisons are accurate. This book taking place in London and then Canada, allows us to follow 5 characters throughout their times in history. The main character in the book, Winny, is well loved and well written. I did find some of the chance encounters to be somewhat unbelievable but possibly in that time period those encounters could take place. I loved the mystery of the character, Billy, and did relate to his story line.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, and it was a surprise to learn about yet another period in history when children were unaccepted.

I have read some of Genevieve's books previously and enjoyed her writing, so that's why I decided to request an advanced copy of this book. It tells the story of several children who come to Canada as part of the Home Child program. I was flabbergasted to discover that this is a very real part of Canada's history, but I had never heard of it before. The book was very hard to read at times - the abuses that the children were dealt with were horrific, and it was almost too much for me to take. Thankfully, I kept reading and the ending made it all worthwhile. It is a part of Canadian history that people need to be more aware of. I'm glad to have learned a bit about it through this book.

This was a well researched book about a part of Canadian/British history that is not well known. Children, many who were orphans, were sent from England to Canada for a better life during the early to mid 1900’s. Instead of this incredible future they were envisioning, they experienced many atrocities by their new families. These British Home Children as they were called, lived in barns, were malnourished, and were often beaten and much worse in their surroundings. This is a book that will stay with you for a long time. The author did a great job developing the characters in the story to shed light on this sad time in history. Well done! #TheForgottenHomeChild #GenevieveGraham #NetGalley

I could not put this book down! Similar to the stories of The Orphan Train and Before we were yours, this book was of that same genre. I loved it! And I absolutely burned through it. I loved the characters, Winnie, Mary, Jack ......and am floored that the mistreatment of these children happened. Granted, this is a story, but it is based in factual occurrences, and this and probably worse happened to the poor unwitting children shipped off to horrendous treatment by “masters!”. Sickenening! Genevieve Graham wrote an absorbing story that should be read by all. The ending is a grabber, no spoilers here, but brought tears to my eyes. Thank you to Ms. Graham for her eloquent authorship and to NetGalley and Simon and Shuster Publishing for the perusal. One of the best books I’ve read this year! Bravo!

This was a really interesting and well-researched work of fiction that traces the lives of six abandoned children from a London orphanage who are shipped off to Canada. They are just six of the estimated 100,000-120,000 of British Home Children who were relocated by the government, an apparrently fairly forgotten/ignored part of British and Canadian history. The story jumps between the past and present, as told by the main character Winny, although it definitely spends a lot more time on the past.

The writing itself is fairly PG-rated, although reader be warned that the themes and plot touch at much more mature subjects including rape and violence.

I also definitely got the sense that the author connected more with her female characters, as they seemed to come alive a whole lot more than the male characters. For example, Jack's time on the railway is mentioned secondhand but is pretty brushed over for the years he spent there.

I hope to learn more about this time in history and would highly recommend this book. Would definitely make a good book club read, as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book. It has not influenced my review.

I really enjoyed this book! If you are a fan of The Orphan Train, you should definitely read this one too. Interesting piece of history that I knew nothing about. it was well written and well laid out and I would definitely recommend it.

This historical novel based on the British Home Children is one of the saddest and yet most uplifting books I have read.
It tells the story of destitute British children who were sent to Canada though organizations that were designed to give them better lives.
In most of all the cases, the children led terrible lives as indentured servants.
The novel centers around a group of children who met on the streets of London in the early 1900’s. and we are taken though their lives.
It is heart wrenching.
What an incredible story!

What a heart wrenching book. Knowing this actually happened is sad. Touches your heart and makes you think of this book and the home children after you are done. Great read!


Thanks to the publisher and net galley for an early release of this book

An absolutely heart-breaking tale of orphaned children taken from England under false pretences and sent to Canada with the promise of a better life through Dr. Bernardos Home Child program.

Our story begins with Winnie, a 97 year old woman finally speaking of her past to her grand-daughter and great grand-son when the contents of her wooden chest (she built herself in England in preparation for her voyage to Canada) spills her past onto the lawn when she is moving into their home to live out the rest of her days.

Winnie, a poor Irish girl is forced out of her London home when her new step-father begins to physically abuse her and her brothers. She takes to the street and befriends a rag-tag group of thieves. Sarah and her brother Jack, Cecil and his brother Edward- whom she believes to be her true family. This group is the focus of the novel, eventually caught and placed in orphanages they journey from London to Canada to be separated and placed on farms as servants. None of the group is lucky enough to receive the “better life” promised through Dr. Bernardos program.

There are too many children and too few monitors to ensure the children’s safety and well-being. Canada, at the time suffering a depression and a high rate of child mortality rate, is not able to provide the children with the better life the program intended. The Canadians taking advantage of the program are mostly farmers and use these dispensable boys and girls as workers for their farms.

The boys, who manage to stay together, are beaten- in some cases to the point of death- only to eventually escape the clutches of their master. Sarah, forced to sleep in a shed, suffers the physical and sexual abuse of her master on a nightly basis. Winnie sleeps in a barn- happy when the sheep are with her for warmth- completes her chores in time for meals or she doesn’t eat, wears boots that are far too small for her, and suffers the abuse of other children at school (which she is happy to take as long as she gets to go to school!) We follow Winnie through nursing school and Jack through his wanderings of the vast Canadian country - endlessly searching for Winnie and Sarah- only for both of their lives to be caught up in the Second World War. Unwanted by their birth country and the country they were forced to move to, Winnie and Jack miraculously find each other and realize that home to them, is with each other, scars and all.

This was a truly interesting read, and a well-kept secret smudge on Canadian history. I am with the author - this SHOULD be taught in Canadian history classes and these children and their stories should not be forgotten.

Thank you so much for the advanced copy, I learned so much!

What a good book! This is my first book by Genevieve Graham and I will definitely be reading more of hers. In the first couple chapters I wasn't sure that it was going to work for me, but once the children made it to Canada the book really picked up and I found myself hooked. I really enjoyed seeing all the different types of homes the orphans ended up in. I feel like this made the story seem more realistic...it wasn't entirely focused on the horrible stories or just the positive stories.
I also enjoyed that although this book was one that focused on past and present it spent more time on the past. Sometimes when a book flips back and forth I find myself less interested in some of the parts, and really just wanting to focus on the historical aspects. This novel kept just the right amount of each.

Overall, I will definitely recommend this book to my Historical Fiction loving friends and will be adding it to my Library!
Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy!

II loved this one it was an excellent historical fiction book about a time in history I didn’t know about. It reminded me a lot of The orphan train.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

I had never heard of the Home Child program that "exported" a large number of children from England to Canada so the premise of the book intrigued me so I picked it for that reason. I know the story was fiction but the author explains at the end that she did a lot of research on the topic and incorporated a lot of the true stories she found into her fiction story. The story was a real heart-wrencher. I can't imagine being treated the way these children were treated. One other outcome for me was that I wish I had spent more time talking to my own grandparents and parents about their childhood. I'm sure there were many experiences that they had that I am not aware of. This was an excellent book and I would definitely recommend it.

I have been a fan of Ms. Graham since her first book! And in each subsequent endeavor, her writing has improved to create a story that grips you from start to finish. I so appreciate her highlighting Canadian history.
The Forgotten Home Child is her best writing yet! The story centered around 5 orphan children, draws you in slowly. The plot is carefully crafted to reveal unexpected events that keep the reader turning pages to reach a satisfying conclusion. I read this book in under 24 hours! The thorough character development and meticulous research shine as the plot develops around Winny, Mary, Jack, Edward and Cecil, all British Home Children brought to Canada under false pretenses. The trials and consequences of their situation are gripping and almost unfathomable. Then the reader remembers that the meticulously researched historical details are factual, horrifying and represented in the fictional characters.
This novel will ensure that these settlers of Canada and their place in Canadian history are not forgotten but rather discussed, reexamined and remembered. The Forgotten Home Child is sure to spark a conversation and bring closure to many families. I find myself haunted by the story, its characters and the adults survivors of the British Home Children. The Forgotten Home Child is one of my best reads of 2019.
Thank you, Ms. Graham, for bringing this to the world's attention. And thank you, Net Galley, for this e-ARC of this mesmerizing novel.

Sometimes a book takes a hold of me and drags me under it's spell. This book did that! There Forgotten Home Child is a book that makes me realize what a blessed life I had as a child. No one really knows what kind of life a child lives at home, for Charlotte she was one of the lucky ones but for Winny, Mary, Jack, Edward, Cecil and Quinn, they weren't so lucky. I could never put a child or any human being through the abuse they dealt with! I was lucky enough to be able to read this on Netgallery. It will be released in January 2020. Please add it to your TBR list, pre-order it or buy it when it is released! You won't be able to put it down! Genevieve Graham was a new author to me but I will be reading more of her books! She did an awesome job on writing this!! I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!

I would first like to thank Net Galley for my advanced copy of The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham. This is the first book that I have read by this author and I will say I will now read more. I am a historical fiction fan and this book did not disappoint. The book is about displaced children from the British Home Children in England that were placed in Canada during the early l920/30’s. The author takes you through their highs and lows from first in England and their lifes after being placed in Canada. The author kept me interested throughout the book and I learned a part of history that I did not know. An excellent read with a 5 plus rating.

A mostly feel-good story based on the historical cases of the British children who were sent to Canada to serve as farm workers in the 1920s. The focus of the story is a group of children who survived together on the streets before being placed in children's homes; the author gives them each unique lives and ultimately reunites several in different ways. the story is framed by a narrative of a woman finally telling her granddaughter and great-grandson the story of her life. A bit milksop and obvious. Content warnings for rape (which the author never plainly names, which I find ridiculously squeamish and a disservice to the many young women and girls who were raped during their service) and suicide, PTSD, alcoholism, and brutality.

I loved this story. From the first page it grabbed me and would not let go. The emotions, the pain and suffering, joy and love that each character went through, and felt, resonated with me. I cried, smiled, and felt it all as I turned each page. Winny, Mary, Jack and the rest of them, were wonderfully written, and so lovable
I could almost put myself in their shoes as each chapter unfolded in their lives. I will definitely add this author to my list of must haves.

This is truly amazing book. The Canadian historical fiction account follows the life of Winny, a child who lived on the streets of London and eventually was put in an orphanage there. She was transported to Canada with the British Home Children program. Most of the children, boys and girls alike, were sold to people who abused them physically and mentally. The agreement stated the children would be treated well, but authorities rarely checked on the well-being of the children. In this book, Winny, age 98, tells her granddaughter and great grandson about this part of her life she was ashamed to share. The author has done a superb job of researching for this book. Th characters and incidents are well written. This is a book that should be read by adults of all ages. I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and St Martin’s press. All opinions expressed are my own.