People who sew - like me - will love this book with its beautiful descriptions of this absorbing creative process. Claudie, the central character, is a designer and pattern maker who publishes her patterns in a popular women’s magazine. The three ‘Juliet’s’ of the title are three makes of a pattern designed for a sixteen year old. There is a deeply melancholy backstory to these dresses as Claudie has designed these and many of her patterns for a daughter taken from her by enforced adoption. Minnie Darke explores this cruel and tragic practice from multiple perspectives. It’s to her credit that all these voices are engaging and readers will come to care about all these characters. The physical book is utterly beautiful. It would make a lovely gift - even for oneself!

In 1980, Claudie Miller is a successful, well-known designer, with girls desperate for their mothers to make them their own 'Juliet', a famous dress designed by Claudie. Little does the world know that this dress was designed with one person in mind. Despite, her success, there's something missing in Claudie's life - since she's become ill, she is desperate to find the daughter she gave up for adoption at sixteen. At the same time, 3 young girls, all born on the same day as Claudie's daughter unknowingly share a connection to the 'Juliet' dress'. While these girls all want to find the truth about their birth mothers and Claudie's race to find her child before it's too late.

This story is a beautiful tale about the heartbreak of lost family and the longing for connection. Well written, with wonderful characters that your heart goes out to, l loved this story which is definitely worthy of a read. This book will definitely make your heart ache and leave you feeling profoundly moved.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Australia for the opportunity to read and review this book

Absolutely adored Three Juliets, the latest release by Minnie Darke, who is a firm favourite of mine. Three Juliets is about the forced adoptions that were commonplace in Australia during the 1960s through to the mid-1970s. Given the tens of thousands of babies that were adopted within those years, many Australians of my generation and older have a personal link to this sad portion of our country's history. I found this to be a profoundly moving novel that stirred up a range of emotions within me.

I've read a few novels about the forced adoptions, and all of them have been very good, but what I liked most about this one was the focus on the children who were adopted. Specifically, as they reached adulthood, the impact of learning that not only were they adopted, but that their mothers were forced into giving them up. There was a great deal of social history woven into this story, which I devoured.

A special shout out to Roisin, who was my favourite Juliet and whose own story made my heart ache. I think Roisin's experiences may mirror the experiences of many others.

Three Juliets is quite a long novel, but I never felt the length of it. I powered through the pages, devouring it over two days. Minnie Darke has carved out a place for herself as a queen when it comes to writing fiction that plays on the heartstrings like a harp in an orchestra. I adore her writing and, at this point, would probably even five-star her shopping list.

But to finish, I just want to say thanks to Minnie for writing this story. For all the people who were separated from their families, who never got to meet them or met them, and it didn't work out. For all those who connected, only to lose that person again. This novel is for you.

Three dresses. Three daughters. The search to belong.
Adoption can be a deeply emotional experience, potentially involving painful feelings of loss, grief, and identity issues for both the adoptee and birth parents and can also lead to mental health challenges. The complexities of adoption leave adopted children feeling like they are "missing pieces" in their identity puzzle. Birth parents experience intense feelings of grief, guilt, loneliness, and loss: all these emotions deserve acknowledgment, and Minnie Dark has delivered this in her novel.
In 1980, designer Claudie Miller was a household name, creating dress patterns the people of all ages including her most famous dress, the ‘Juliet’. In this same year, Claudie reflected on the gap in her life, that of her baby she was forced to give up at the age of 16. With a health diagnosis that has made her reset her thoughts, she is now in the race to find her baby. There ae three girls born in this same day, raised in different parts of Australia to different families: is one of them the baby Claudie is searching for?
What was special about this book was that it centred predominantly around women: Claudie, the three girls, and an array of supporting secondary characters. Even the mention of fathers took a backseat, and I think this was really significant. The experience of a mother and the bond between a mother and a child is unlike anything else, and for each of these women it was unique I also something that sat deep within them.
I love the notes to the Australian women's magazine and recall seeing the clothing patterns in the 80s and 90s. The connection to the women's fashion museum exhibition was also a lovely nod to the way in which all of these characters were sewn together (pardon the pun!). And the idea of Claudie hand making address every year that passed after she gave birth was so touching. There were labour of love with so much special attention and detail in their creation. And then nod just sewing between each of the girls was equally touching and sentimental. I gasped when I realised the identify of the three girls in relation to Claudie, and I think it will be something that also pulls at the heartstrings of every reader of this book.

This was a beautiful book, I absolutely adored it. It was the story of Claudie, a famous Australian fashion designer, who fell pregnant at 16 and was shipped off by her family to a property near Nyngan in NSW as she wasn’t married and was so young. It is also the story of three girls; Roisin, Bindi and Miranda who were born the day she had her child. The story goes between all of their stories as almost 18 year old women as well as Claudie’s story at the same period of time and a more current period of time. It was emotional, but the was well and truly along for the ride.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – An Unforgettable, Heart-Tugging Masterpiece
Three Juliets by Minnie Darke is one of those rare novels that grabs your heart from the very first page and doesn’t let go. A moving blend of historical fiction and contemporary emotion, this dual-timeline story is brimming with humanity, heartbreak, hope—and the quiet, persistent power of love.
I absolutely loved this book. The characters felt so authentic and relatable, and the writing flowed effortlessly, almost like music on the page. Minnie Darke has a gift for weaving together multiple storylines so seamlessly that you're never lost, only more invested. Her words captivated me from start to finish, and I found myself completely immersed in this story of mothers and daughters, of identity, and of the echoes of the past.
Set primarily in the 1980s and the early 2000s, the novel follows Claudie Miller—a fashion designer at the height of her fame in 1980—who created the iconic Juliet dress that every teenage girl wanted. But behind the fame lies deep sorrow: at sixteen, Claudie was forced to give up her baby for adoption. Now, years later, she sets out to find the daughter she lost. Meanwhile, three sixteen-year-old girls—Roisin, Miranda, and Bindi—raised in different corners of Australia, begin to feel the pull of their mysterious shared origin as the Juliet dress connects them in ways they could never imagine.
I especially loved the pop culture nod early on—a reference to a legendary 1980s soap opera wedding dress. It was such a fun and unexpected detail that added authenticity and charm to the setting. But beyond the nostalgia and period details, the emotional resonance of this novel is what truly stands out. It explores themes of forced adoption with such tenderness and honesty, giving voice to both the unimaginable grief and the enduring hope of those affected.
This book made me laugh, cry, and reflect deeply. I was truly captivated—especially in the final parts, which I devoured in one breathless sitting. Minnie Darke handles such complex emotional terrain with grace, weaving a story that is not only beautiful and heartbreaking but also full of warmth, strength, and healing.
If you're drawn to stories of identity, found family, and the deep, unbreakable threads that connect us across time and space, Three Juliets is an absolute must-read. Five stars, no hesitation. Honestly, the only downside is having to say goodbye to these characters when the final page is turned.
Highly, highly recommend.

1980: Claudie Miller works for a woman’s magazine, she designs clothes and every three months her patterns are included in the publication and teenage girls all over Australia are pleading with their mothers to make her latest dress called the ‘Juliet’ and it’s so popular the shops sell out of raw silk.

Roisin, Miranda and Bindi are all turning sweet sixteen on the same day, are adopted and only two know and they have no idea they have a connection to Claudie and the dress that every girl in country dreams of having hanging in their wardrobe. Being a teenage girl isn’t easy and they all have to overcome challenges and disappointments, such as not fitting in at school and worrying their not pretty, swinging hormones and rebelling, feeling smothered and different.

1964: Claudie falls pregnant and out of wedlock and she's banished and forced to give up her baby for adoption, and the rules have been changed and she’s racing against time to find her.

2002: The writer is looking at a display of Australia's twenty five famous dresses at a museum, and it makes her reflect on being a teenager, how she met Claudie and visited her house at Clovelly, and who owned the three Juliets and what happened to them and their links to the fashion designer.

I received a copy of Three Juliets from NetGalley and Penguin Random House Australia in exchange for an honest review and this is the first book I have read by Minnie Darke and she’s an amazing and talented author and who skilfully weaves the emotional and thought provoking triple timelines together perfectly and I didn't want it to end.

A story about forced adoption in Australia, how the mothers were powerless and had no say in the decision and were tricked. How the feeling of loss and guilt never goes away and they find it hard to move forward and trust anyone. The narrative focuses on consequences, love and grief, secrets and mystery, friendship and family, clothes and fashion, making promises and keeping them, and the characters will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page, I highly recommend and five stars from me.

I loved this heartbreaking story about adoption. Set in Australia in 2002, and the 1980’s and 1994, with flashbacks to 1964.

Claudie Miller worked for 15 years, writing for a woman’s magazine in Australia and during that time, Claudie designed children’s clothes, and her patterns were featured regularly over many years in the magazine.

In 1980 Claudie designed a dress called the Juliet, which became popular for 16-year-olds.

This is a story of three girls aged 16 in 1980 who had a Juliet dress and the designer, Claudie Miller and her secret.

I loved the way Claudie’s story unfolds as she begins her search for the daughter she was forced to give up for adoption in 1964 and how she remembered her daughter over the years by designing children’s clothes.

This was about adoption, families, identity and secrets.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher Penguin Random House, Australia for a chance to review this E-Book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Oh, my heart. I don't even know how to describe this book other than to say find yourself a quiet place away from the world and prepare to want to read this book from start to finish. Bring snacks and tissues. You are going to need them.

I've read quite a few books this year that I've rated five stars, but this one goes to the top of the list. Perfection!

Thankyou to Penguin Random House Australia and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I honestly couldn't love this book more!

I was really captivated by this heartbreaking beautiful story. There must be so many people that have gone through similar experiences at that time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Three Juliets” left me absolutely devastated, as Darke yet again entwines love, loss and hope in one of the most moving stories I’ve read since her last novel. She is just unmatched, for me, in the lovely way she weaves multiple stories together and embeds them in her readers’ hearts.

The Juliets of the story are actually dresses; a dress pattern called the Juliet, designed by Claudie Miller and made and worn by three different teenage girls. In the 1980s, Claudie is a household name and her patterns can cause shortages of particular fabrics. But in the 1960s, an unmarried Claudie was forced to give up her baby for adoption. Now she’s starting a search to fill that hole.

Roisin, Miranda and Bindi share a birthday, but little else. All three are adopted, and have been raised by very different families in different parts of Australia. As they approach their 16th birthdays, each faces different kinds of upheaval, not knowing that truth is also on their horizon.

I flat out loved this novel. I remember reading Darke’s first novel, Star-Crossed, and being entirely blown away. Every novel she’s written has been equally moving, both devastating in their emotional depth and full of love and hope as well as agonizing grief. Her stories are distinctive and so well written that they live in my heart and head years after I’ve read them.

Darke is weaving four stories together, across three timelines. This should be complicated, but it’s easy to follow. Each character is so distinctive that you tend to know when and where you are within just a few words. Each will burrow into your heart in different ways.

This is a very personal story for each character, but Darke is also touching on the broader social issue of forced adoptions, and the agony that was visited on many “relinquishing” mothers. She makes the reader feel this pain acutely, and it would be hard not to be outraged by the actions of those who took babies from mothers who wanted them.

I could rabbit on about this book for, ooh, hours and hours and pages and pages. But I’d just be wasting time you could be reading it instead.
This is a brilliant novel, deeply moving and brimming with love, grief, and hope. It’s unforgettable. Read it. Your only regret will be that eventually you’ll have to close it, and leave the story and characters within the cover.

This historical fiction involving forced adoption was gripping. It had me invested in each and every one of the characters and I inhaled the last 3 parts of the story desperate to see how it unfurled. While reading, I experienced an absolute kaleidoscope of emotions. It was moving, emotional, heartbreaking and hauntingly beautiful.

Thankyou to Penguin Random House Australia and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

Three Juliets by Minnie Darke was my third ARC on NetGalley. It’s due to be published on April 15th 2025. Darke wrote recently “I set out to write a novel that would capture the kaleidoscope of adoption experiences. I hope I've done that, and that you'll enjoy”. I think she achieved her goal in spades. It was a moving story told from the different perspectives of the adopted child, the birth mother & the adopted parents. It would have been interesting to have had insight into the biological father’s point of video also. There is a hint of this through a character later in the story, but it is not explored in detail.
This is the first of Darke’s novels that I’ve read & will certainly be seeking out her others.
Thank you for allowing me to read this lovely story.

This is just heartbreakingly beautiful, the characters are wonderfully woven into an amazing story. I couldn’t put it down!

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher Penguin Random House Australia for this wonderful book (ARC).