I really enjoyed this book. The dual timelines, the mystery and the family drama kept me entertained from start to finish!

"Almost every graduating class had a girl who disappeared . . ."

Happy Monday, kids!

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend as much as I did...

I never left my bedroom unless it was to grab another book off my shelf and my attire was the same Jammie's I put on Friday after work... it was lovely.

One book that grabbed my attention was :

The Only Child

I'll skip right to the chase, this book is an easy five star read that will grab your attention within the first chapter. Equal parts romance, mystery and historical fiction. This is a book that will be loved by a wide range of book lovers. Told through dual timelines, you will be transfixed by the writing and teleported into a whole new realm. This book reads like a movie taking place right before your eyes.

Don't believe me? Check out this teaser :

1949: During the coldest winter Seattle has seen in decades, pregnant sixteen-year-old Brigid Ryan arrives at Fairmile, a home for “fallen women” run by the Catholic Church on a remote island in Puget Sound. She and her baby will disappear before the snow melts.

2013: Ex-cop Frankie Gray is escaping a career in ruins and hoping to reconnect with her teenage daughter, Izzy, while summering with her mother at The Fairmile Inn, soon to be a boutique hotel. But when an elderly nun who worked at the home in its former iteration is found dead in suspicious circumstances and then a tiny skeleton is discovered on the grounds nearby, Frankie goes looking for answers. Then Izzy disappears, and as Frankie races to find her, she turns up a secret that will force her to question her own history and the identity she thought she knew.

Over sixty years separate the disappearances at the Fairmile, but Frankie suspects that they may share the same dark root; in the suspenseful, atmospheric investigation that follows, she finds that the truth is as foggy as the rocky, isolated island on which that darkness thrived.

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Difficult to follow at times and a little slow. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Took me forever to get back to this one as it's been on my TBR for far too long. The Only Child is a narrative about mothers, motherhood and the lengths one goes for their children. I liked the book but often found my self having a hard time getting back to it.
I'll be sure to check out the author's next book though.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

I loved the multiple time points and intertwining storylines. I'm not normally into historical fiction but I absolutely loved this-- what an important thing to write about!

After giving up her career as a police detective in Australia, Frankie Gray moves to a small town in Washington State to be close to her mother and grandmother, as well as her teenage daughter Izzy, who is visiting for the summer. Frankie's mother is renovating a rundown building into a boutique hotel, but the property has a checkered past. In the late 40s and 50s, it was a Catholic home for unwed, pregnant teens. When Frankie learns that one of the nuns who worked at the home dies mysteriously in town, she can't help put her detective hat on and investigate.

This story is compelling, and jumps between Frankie's perspective during the present time and Brigid, one of the pregnant teens at the Fairmile Home in 1949. While the book is a slow burn at first, it's worth sticking with and had me entralled until all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scarlet for providing a copy of this book to review.

The Only Child had an intriguing start, but I found it hard to keep my interest as I read. The story reminded me of another book I previously read, and overall wasn't as memorable as I thought it would be. I did really enjoy the characters, and the shift between the dual timelines was well done.

This fantastic story is woven throughout generations, taking place through the 1940s - 50s, and 2013. It tells the tales of young unwed girls in the 1940s -50s who have become pregnant and are sent to Orcades Island in the Pacific Northwest to stay at a Catholic-run home and are given new names until their babies are born. In 2013 Frankie has moved to the island to help her mother Diana restore an old homestead to turn it into an Inn. She has brought her teenage daughter Izzy. When a dead nun is discovered at her grandmother's nursing home, and a baby's skull is found during the restoration of the old home, Frankie becomes determined to find answers to her questions. The way these stories intertwine with each other was done fabulously. You really feel for these unwed girls who don't know each other's real names and who disappear in the night once their babies are born, never to see each other again. I highly recommend this historical mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

On the West Coast, there is Fairmile, a home for unwed mothers. However, the girls are pushed into giving up their babies for adoption, due to the time period. The book moves from 1949 to 2013.. A new family has purchased Fairmile with a goal of setting it up as a bed and breakfast. Although they've heard the stories of the house's history, they are swept into the drama of the property.
Diana, the grandmother, is the new Fairmile owner. Her daughter (Frankie), who is soon to be deputy sheriff of the area, joins her to help with the restoration. And, granddaughter Izzy comes for the summer season. The generations of women present is important as the story builds on mothers and their children.
I found the story engaging. Thanks to Hachette Australia for providing me an ARC in exchange for a review in my own words.

I loved this book, especially the chapters that went back in history to when she was a pregnant teen in the home.

I love a mystery that spans generations, especially a murder mystery. It takes a look to keep my attention and this did a pretty good job. Sometimes it is hard to execute a dual timeline but this was well done. This paired the differences of the past very well with the present. It was equal parts mysterious but also sad. It breaks my heart to hear Stories of women who struggled in the past due to societal expectations. The main character, Frankie, was difficult to get on board with but overall became likable. Overall a good story.

The Only Child is set on an idyllic PNW island. With alternating story lines 70 years a part, a murder, a set of dug up bones in the backyard, and a town in crisis lead three generations of women on a journey to figure out what happened in their new family bed and breakfast. This home was once a home for young unwed mothers. Could it all be connected? I loved this book. I found myself drawn into the story and the historical fiction aspect of the book. There were a few characters that I did not think added to the story and found myself feeling frustrated when they were taking time away from the plot. Overall, would highly recommend.

This book had a great premise and intrigued me with it plot and history about “fallen women.” The setting was also creepy and mystifying. It started quickly with a murder mystery but soon became predictable. I have to admit, I never felt connected to the characters and the mother daughter disagreements got in the way of the plot line. It overall is a fast read and intriguing but fell a little short for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A great read by this author. I definitely recommend checking this one out!
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a very enjoyable mystery that takes place over two, different timelines. It’s not quite a cozy book but it is milder than most books I read. I enjoyed all of the characters and thought the author did a great job displaying the relationships among four generations of women. Although the ending didn’t come as a surprise, it was still very satisfying. I would definitely read more books by this author.

Beautiful and heartbreaking story that I wish I could read again for the first time! I loved the historical aspect while adding in the crime and mystery. It was just a great read that I will continually recommend.

Interesting look at a time not that long ago when unwed mothers were often forced to give their children up for adoption, whether they wanted to or not.

There is a strong mystery and the setting is very atmospheric, but I struggled with this somewhat, thus the 3 stars. I would recommend it, if for no other reason than the history contained within this book and the research that went into The Only Child.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC. All thoughts are my own.

3.5 ⭐️‘S
Fairmile was a home for unwed mothers nestled on a small island in the Puget Sound in Washington State. Run by the Catholic Church, the home operated after Work War II until the nineteen seventies. Girls from all walks of life were sent to Fairmile and strongly encouraged to give their babies up for adoption. In 1949, Brigid, a young woman from Bend, Oregon find herself in the family way. Always a good girl, her family quickly sent her to Fairmile in order to keep the good family name. Life is not pleasant at Fairmile and the nuns have little to no empathy for the girls living there. Brigid is different than the other girls at Fairmile as she is determined to keep her baby, but hasn’t a clue how to make that happen.
In 2013, Frankie has returned to Orcades Island to help her mom with the finishing touches on Fairmile as she converts it to an Inn. When a nun is murdered at the local assisted living home and the bones of an infant are found in Fairmile’s garden, Frankie goes into full fledged detective mode. Quite fitting as she’s waiting to take her place on the Orcades police force in the fall. Little does she know where the path will lead as she gets closer and closer to home. When her daughter comes to visit for the summer, Frankie starts getting threats to back off the case, will she be able to solve it without putting her family in jeopardy?
Told in dual time lines, the back story is much more compelling than the current storyline. The current story just didn’t flow the way it should have and came across a tad disjointed. While Orcades Island was a fictional place, the name was just too close to Orcas Island (a real Puget Sound island) and it was disconcerting as it just seemed like it was spelled wrong! I realize it’s fiction, but being very familiar with Bend, the reference to Goodys in 1949 was also bothersome since Goodys didn’t open until 1984. If the current storyline was as good as the back story, this book would have been a much better read, unfortunately that was just not the case.

I wasn't sure what to make of this book. I had never heard of it or the author prior to seeing it on here. It started out ok, but I quickly lost interest and didn't even finish it.