4.5 stars
Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Would definitely say this was one of the best books I've read this year.

Once You Were Mine by Elizabeth Langston is a historical fiction.

Once You Were Mine is a historical fiction novel that is told from different perspectives and in the past and present. When Molly goes to help her ailing grandmother, she meets Galen, and their relationship leads to an unexpected pregnancy. Unwed mothers were still ostracized in the 1960s, and like many unwed women, Molly was sent to a home for unwed mothers, where she is made to sign relinquishing papers. Part of the book follows her life, and her search for her baby.

Allison Garrett has used ancestry and dna to help families reunite with their birth families. When she does her DNA with her best friend, she never anticipates the information that will come out. The book is well written.

This story definitely hits home for me. My mother was forced to go to an unwed mother’s home in the 70s where she was made to relinquish my brother. Her story in some ways parallels portions of this story. The author did a great job bringing this story to life. I liked the realism of Allison and the way she uses her skills as a search angel. The book evokes questions, making you think what would you do? And the author brings real feelings and concerns to life. My mother created a group for people looking for their birth families and this book hits many of the topics and concerns expressed by both sides.

What a wonderful book about such a sad subject where girls had their babies taken from them. So glad we have moved on from this barbaric system. This book is so well written and so moving. It's set in two timelines that eventually meet up towards the end of the book which I loved. Would highly recommend. This book will stay with me for while.

With thanks to the Author, Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

Words: thought provoking, sad, societal expectations, stigma, resilience.

Themes: Family, shame, teenage pregnancy, secrets and healing.

A dual timeline of Molly and Allison. A pregnancy, a home for unwed mothers, forced adoption – all the things that Molly experiences at the tender age of 17 and all the things that Allison unravels as she delves into DNA testing and her family tree.

A well woven story of family and historical trauma, the author has treated the themes sensitively.

Molly has her whole life ahead of her. Her master plan, which she’s worked towards for as long as she can remember, includes college and a career of her dreams. But then a summer fling throws everything off course. It’s a different time, with different expectations and norms. So a teenage pregnancy is something that’s dealt with u dear the cover of secrecy and shame. She doesn’t feel as if she has much choice in the matter when her babies are taken away from her. Decades later, curiosity drives Allison to submit a sample of her DNA. What she discovers throws her close relationships in turmoil. This is a nice little historical fiction story. It took awhile to pull me in but I’m glad I stuck with it.

I have read Elizabeth Langston’s books previously and always find myself drawn into them and time passing quickly. Her stories are so very well drawn. This book was slightly more unusual and better for it. It is a time slip novel about family across the years. Both touching and at times heart wrenching, it is a book that stays with you. thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance review copy. This is a voluntary review.

This is the second book in recent memory that revolves around maternity homes for unwed mothers, and god, these stories always strike such a chord. Packed with emotion and heart, I really enjoyed learning about these characters... But be forewarned, it is heartbreaking.

"Once You Were Mine" delves into the poignant story of Allison Garrett, a "search angel" who turns her attention to uncovering the truth about her own mother's abandonment. Through a genealogy search, the narrative unveils the heartrending past of a teenage mother in 1968 in North Carolina who was coerced into giving up her baby after an unplanned pregnancy. This revelation of a traumatic experience in an abusive maternity home has far-reaching consequences, threatening to disrupt the present-day lives and relationships within Allison's tight-knit community. The novel thoughtfully explores themes of family separation and the difficult journey towards healing from deeply buried secrets - and I loved her sassy friend.

It was heartbreaking to read about what these young women went through. I enjoyed how the story covered numerous decades so the reader can see the complete story behind what each girl went through after they were forced to give up their baby all because they were a single, unwed mother. The book is a bit of an emotional roller coaster. Characters are fully fleshed out, and the pace is just right. There is also a nice level of mystery to the story in relation to Allison's search.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (4/5)
A moving story about first love, loss, and second chances. Elizabeth Langston writes with sensitivity and grace, creating a narrative that is both nostalgic and hopeful. Emotional without being overly sentimental—a lovely, heartfelt read.

<i>Once You Were Mine</i> latched on to my heartstrings real quick. I didn't expect for this book to hook on to me as much as it did.
The dual timelines really help to capture the essence of how a decision made in the past can greatly effect lives in the future. We are told the story of Molly, pregnant at 18, gets shipped off to a home for unwed mothers. Her parents drop her off without even walking her in. She's on her own, feels defeated, unwanted and about to enter an abusive home advertised as a maternity home. In present day, Allison is a search angel who helps families traverse the geneology research through DNA testing. She knows her mom was adopted and wants nothing to do with her birth parents, but Allison is still curious. She runs her own test and in solidarity, her best friend does too. What they learn is completely unexpected and could tear their families and their own relationship apart.
<i>Once You Were Mine</i> is a family drama in its rawest form. It's a story about a young mother who finds incredible strength as she is forced into adoption and the family secrets that came about because of the stigma that surrounded unwed mothers.
At times, this was sad and tough to read but just as touching and heartwarming in its family bonds.

This was a very thought-provoking story, especially if you didn’t live during this time and experience the oppression of women first hand. I always associate the late 1960’s and 1970’s with the era of free love but there was still a lot of backward thinking especially in your small and/or heavily religious towns.

Synopsis: It's 1968 in small town North Carolina. Molly is 17 and pregnant and sent to a home for unwed mothers. She is treated poorly, shamed, humiliated, and tricked into signing adoption papers. In Present day, Allison helps connect families through DNA testing. Allison's mother was adopted by a family after she was abandoned on the doorstep of the town doctor. When Allison tests her own DNA, she is shocked to find that her family tree consists of people closer than she could have ever thought possible.

This was a very touching novel about the social stigma of unwed teenage pregnancy in the late 1960's and the downstream impact of forced adoption.I loved the plot for this story. It is so hard to wrap my brain around how these young, unwed mothers were treated. I just can't imagine living through what Molly lives through. The story is sad in so many ways but it is also hopeful. Molly was so strong and resilient. Her parents were atrocious, in my opinion, and she gave them way more grace than they deserved. I found the idea of a search angel (I've never heard that term) very intriguing. There were little mini-stories about some of the supporting characters that touched on aspects of their life that didn’t really relate to the main plot. On one hand this creates depth in those characters but I think it also distracted from the main storyline and felt a little like filler so I'm conflicted on my thoughts about that. The other negative for me is that timeline skips around a lot and I wasn't really a fan of that. I kept having to go back to the start of the chapter to see the date. Other than that, I found the story easy to read and engrossing. I became very invested in the storyline and the characters very quickly. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers.

This heartbreaking family drama told in past and present dual POVs/timelines examines the emotional journey of forced adoption and subsequent intergenerational trauma associated with the inhumane treatment of unwed mothers during the 60s. Books like these are so important, especially now, making this a must-read for everyone.

In historical fiction like this, I always find myself more drawn to the past timeline (in this case Molly's POV) and that was exactly what happened here. I could have read an entire novel from her perspective alone.

If you enjoyed LOOKING FOR JANE or THE GIRLS WE SENT AWAY I highly recommend picking this one up!

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union for access to ONCE YOU WERE MINE in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book from start to finish - The characters, the plot, just all of it. This book pulled at my heartstrings. I am a mom and had my son at a young age and I think getting pregnant at a young age during the late 60's and the choices that would have been made FOR me and it's just heartbreaking.

Once You Were Mine, by Elizabeth Langston, is a powerhouse novel that requires an entire box of tissues- but in a good way. Molly is a character I won't ever forget—her story made my heart ache. I am so glad this was a dual timeline novel, because I love past/present narratives that allow me to see how far we've come. Allison is a "search angel" and following along as her present becomes the key to unlocking Mollys past is so incredibly touching. Highly recommend!!!!!

One of my favorites so far. This book has many twists and turns. Very well written and well thought out character development.

I was intrigued to read the NetGalley Arc of “Once You Were Mine”. I enjoyed this dual timeline, multi-POV story, but I found myself most interested in Molly’s life and wished less time was spent on the other characters. I appreciated how the storyline felt realistic and honest, and at times, heartbreaking. Overall, a good read-one that covers the impact of generational differences, family dynamics and left me thinking about the impact of choices.

Once You Were Mine by Elizabeth Langston is a poignant and emotionally charged novel that delves into the complexities of family, secrets, and healing. The story unfolds across two timelines: one in 1968, where a teenage girl’s life is torn apart by an unplanned pregnancy, an abusive maternity home, and the heartbreak of losing her child through adoption; and the other in the present day, where Allison Garrett, a "search angel" helping people find lost relatives, uncovers a deeply personal connection that could change everything for her family.

Langston expertly weaves together these two narratives, blending historical trauma with present-day discoveries, as Allison’s genealogy search uncovers more than she expected. The emotional depth of the characters, especially the struggles of the teenage mother and the weight of Allison’s search, makes for a compelling read. The themes of shame, loss, and the longing for connection resonate deeply, drawing readers into a story that examines how the past shapes the present—and whether redemption and healing are possible.

With beautifully crafted prose and sensitive handling of difficult subjects, Once You Were Mine is a heartfelt exploration of family, identity, and the long-lasting effects of generational trauma. It's a captivating story that will stay with readers long after they've turned the final page.

If you love books told in dual timelines such as past and present this is the book for you. If you love books about heartbreaking scenarios this is the book for you. If you love books about historical hard touchy subjects this is the book for you.


When Molly Mitchell, then seventeen, becomes pregnant in 1968, her parents send her to a violent "maternity home." In order to force her to sign adoption paperwork, the facility mistreats, shames, and condemns her. Gwen, her roommate there, becomes a friend for life. She puts a lot of effort into building a life for herself after leaving the house. Today, Allison Garrett does a DNA test and finds some shocking information. Her history was unknown because her mother was adopted. According to the test findings, Allison and her best friend Bree are closely connected. They're cousins. In both families, this starts a quest for the truth and answers. This family story moves at a steady pace and has all the emotions.
This family story switches between the two distinct eras at a steady pace. It illustrates the contrast between the past, when family secrets could be kept secret, and the present, when practically everything can be found out and made public. There are a number of subplots that are followed, even if the major narrative line is the genealogical investigation and ancestry question. Both timelines' characters are fully developed and presented as complex, realistic people. In essence, Molly's narrative is about the trauma she went through at the age of seventeen and the life she went on to lead. Allison and Bree's story revolves around the ancestry question, which upsets both families and causes conflicting feelings, as well as issues in their everyday lives.

A young woman in the late 1960s is forced to go to a maternity home when she becomes pregnant. Two best friends in the present day do a DNA search and find secrets that they were not prepared for. This was good. Stories about adoption in the 1960s are always sad, and this was no different. There were some unexpected bits in the modern portion, but overall it was as one would expect from this type of story. 3 stars.