Thank you to Love Books Tours and Lisa Timoney for an ARC copy of this book, and for having me on the tour!
*All thoughts and opinions are my own*

“I’ve spent so many years hating her and all that time she was just a normal woman who once did a bad thing”

I think it’s easy to tell this is a sad story from the outset, but I didn’t expect to fall in love with the characters so much. The short chapters and multi POV & timelines made it a quick but really enjoyable read.

It’s emotional to read this story from each of the characters perspectives, especially as you realise not a single one of them is bad (except perhaps for the Simms, but I’ll leave you to decide on that).

This is a beautiful story discussing grief and postnatal depression, and I’m so glad I was able to join this tour, definitely recommend this book.

📆 Dual timeline
👀 Dual POV
🐢 - 🐇 medium paced
💬 "You make it all sound so black and white, like it's all my fault."

Wow, what an emotional read, and as the quote above implies, one where there's a lot of blame, often misplaced. I have to admit that I had really mixed feelings reading this book. As a Mother I found
Cassie's behaviour to be unfathomable. But I try not to judge other people, for making different decisions to me, even when I don't understand them.

I thought this was a thought provoking and heart-breaking read, with complex characters and a situation I'm grateful never to have been in. I think Timoney did a really good job of capturing modern teaching and the difficulties teachers face these days. I loved Alf, what an absolute sweetheart and the relationship between him and Grace at the end of the book bought a happy tear to my eye.

I was less fond of most of the adults,whilst also recognising that none of us are perfect. I found Luke to be intensely irritating. I know he was meant to be a therapist, but he annoyed me. A lot!

Anyway, I definitely recommend this fab story. I've read it pretty much in one sitting much to the dogs annoyance when he wanted attention!

This book was a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions. It discusses postnatal depression and how mums can feel never good enough for their children. We had present day Cassie POV along with 6 months ago Meg POV and we can see how they are linked. Cassie had Grace 14 years ago but decided to give up her parental rights to Grace, leaving her with Meg and Simon. 14 years later, Cassie is happily married to Luke and they have Alf when Simon contacts her out of the blue - Meg has died and he is hoping Cassie can help Grace navigate her grief. I had tears in my eyes reading the last part of this book but also smiled at how the story ended!

This is an emotional read which I thought was written in a really sensitive a lovely way. Meg is dying and she uses her remaining time trying to explain the past to her 14-year-old daughter Grace.  Grace is not her biological daughter and Meg feels that now is the right time to give Grace the chance to know her birth mother as she may need her when Meg is no longer around.

Meg and Grace have such a wonderful relationship and bond. Meg's videos to her daughter are from the heart and full of emotion. The story unfolds from Meg telling Grace about the past and how she came to be her mum. We also get Cassie, Grace's birth mother sharing her memories of the past as she tries to build a relationship with the daughter she gave away.

The story explores grief, love, family relationships, second chances and mental health. It was well written and I felt well really got to know the characters. Meg just felt so pure in her love for Grace.

I received a free copy of, The Daughter She Gave Away, by Lisa Timoney, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Meg has a lot going on, and some secrets to share with her daughter Grace. This was an emotional read, I really liked Meg, but did not care for Cassie at all.

📱E-Book Review📱

The Daughter She Gave Away
Lisa Timoney

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I'm so used to grabbing and devouring psychological thrillers, I totally didn't notice that this book was going to be something completely different.
As you know, I never read blurbs and the front cover didn't really give too much away - so I went into this one expecting some kind of thriller angle to it.

What I got was something so completely different - and don't get me wrong, this definitely isn't a complaint at all - just aesaon for those of us who don't read blurbs.

This was such a good read, but it definitely got me emotional through quite a few of the scenes.
This deals with quite a few tough topics and I'd definitely recommend that you do read the blurb and check those content warnings - just in case.

This story is told mainly from Cassie's pov and we follow the story of two women whose past is catching up with them - decisions made years ago that seemed like the best are coming back to haunt them - not only them, but their families too.

This was so well written and it was so easy to become immersed in Cassie and Meg's lives.
Also to become so overwhelmed by what this was all doing to poor Grace and of course Cassie's new family too.
I honestly couldn't put this down and raced through it in just a couple of sittings.

I hate to say that I loved this book as given its content, there's not really anything to love - but I love a book that can make me feel - even if it's heartbreaking - this book will stand out and really stay with me for quite some time.

If you don't mind the tough topics and love a well written, moving storyline - then this book is up there as one to add to your tbr now....

When Meg gets a terrible diagnosis, her only thought is for her family. How will her husband Simon and their beautiful, sweet-hearted, 14-year-old daughter Grace cope when she’s gone?

She also knows that she has to finally tell Grace the secret their family is built on. That, though Simon is Grace’s father, she isn’t Grace’s birth mother. Because Simon was married before, and his first wife, Cassie, hadn’t wanted to keep their baby.

So Simon and she stepped up. They’d given Grace the life she deserved, full of light and happiness. But in the family’s darkest hour, Meg thinks Grace deserves the choice to meet the mother who gave her up… because she’s the only mother she will have left.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨
Lisa Timoney writes beautifully and she shows you all the emotions so you feel absolutely everything coming off the page. She also doesn't shy away from the difficult conversations, writing them with grace and sensitivity.

Her characters are so well crafted, they feel real and you can't help but to root for them - even if you don't like them much.
Told in dual pov between Meg and Cassie it's a tale of love, loss, sacrifice and the cost of keeping secrets.

" ɪ sᴘᴇɴᴛ sᴏ ᴍᴀɴʏ ʏᴇᴀʀs ʜᴀᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ. Aɴᴅ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ sʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀ ɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ ᴡʜᴏ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴅɪᴅ ᴀ ʙᴀᴅ ᴛʜɪɴɢ..."


Thank you to Netgalley and the author for my advanced copy. My review was voluntary.

14 years of being Grace's mum Meg gets the devastating news that she has a terminal illness, sadly this means Meg and her husband Simon have to reveal the truth behind Grace's birth. Meg decides,to ease the pain, she will make a series of videos for Grace to watch.
Cassie, a teacher, married with a young son, is horrified to receive an email from her ex husband Simon. She's never told her husband about Grace and finds it hard now to open up to him, feeling that he will judge her for her decisions all those years ago. These secrets though threaten all that she holds dear and also impact on Grace's life
5 hours, thats all the time it took me to read this heartbreaking but wonderful novel by Lisa Timoney. It's such a powerful read, highlighting the need for self forgiveness, not only for Grace but for Meg as well. I couldn't put it down.
My review is posted on Goodreads, Bookmory, Storygraph, my Instagram account and a Facebook group I admin on. I've also posted to Amazon and Waterstones on publication day

This was a unique story that focuses on two women who play a role in the life of a young 14 year old girl. One is her birth mother and one is her adoptive mother. And yes, the focus is on the women--not the girl.

The book is overflowing with emotions. Each woman has her own heartbreaking story with lies and information withheld from those that matter the most to them. The death of one of them brings it all out and will forever change life going forward for the other. What will she do with the daughter she never wanted?

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the copy of this outstanding book. All thoughts are my own.

The Daughter She Gave Away by Lisa Timoney.

This is a story that is filled with emotion and raw honesty.

When one of our characters Meg, learns that she is dying, she decides to make video journals for her 14 year old daughter Grace, to hopefully help her understand her loss. This is when Meg decides to tell Grace that she is not her biological mother. Cassie, Grace's dad Simon's first wife is the woman who gave birth to her. She also gave Grace away..

The story is told from a Dual POV between Meg’s emotional farewell diary and Cassie in the present, who is not coping well in any aspect of her life.

The dual aspect POV works very well, we learn about Meg's love for Grace and also the reasoning behind Cassie's choice to give up her daughter.

Cassie has a hell of a journey in this story, she's not always easy to like and does make questionable choices, but theres always reasoning behind what she does. She is scared, angry and holds one heck of a grudge but i did grow to really like her.

This is a wonderful story about family, loss, grief, love and hurt. If you are into your emotional family dramas, then this one is for you.

Many thanks to lovebookstours for having me on this one and for my #gifted digital copy. #ad

This is a heartbreaking tale that had me sobbing multiple times. We meet Cassie, a teacher preparing to turn 40, who is married to Luke and has a seven year old called Alf. Life seems to be going well for Cassie, until the past starts unfolding its tale.
While most chapters are told in the present day, from Cassie's point of view, there are several chapters set 6 months prior, told from Meg's point of view.
We have a story that dives into mental illness, abortion, adoption, lies, death, and much more. This makes the read fairly heavy going, although I still managed to finish it in just over 24hours as I was so invested in it.
Its the kind of emotional read that you can truly feel, and that will stay with you for a time after. I hope to read more by this author in the future and would absolutely recommend this.

Meg has been told she has weeks left to live, how will Simon and their beautiful fourteen year old daughter Grace cope once she's gone and, what will Grace say when the secret they've been hiding all these years is finally revealed, the fact that Simon is her father but Meg is not her birth mother and the circumstances that led to the life they share today were far from straightforward. Meg believes that Grace deserves to know about Cassie and meet the mother that gave her daughter away, will Cassie who is now re-married with a family of her own, want to be a part of Grace's life after all these years and be able to fill the role that Meg thought was going to be hers for a lot longer than this?

WOW!! The Daughter She Gave Away is the latest novel by Timoney but actually the first I've read of hers and I wonder why I left it so long, having read, and loved, stories under her pen names of Kate Storey and Naomi Williams, I was certain I was also going to love this one and I wasn't disappointed. This is a fast paced story, with short chapters, that I devoured in a matter of hours. This author has produced a tale that shattered my heart time and time again, not only for Meg, Simon and Grace and what was about to happen to them but also for Cassie whose life had been destroyed fourteen years earlier and, just when she thought she was settled and happy with her new family, everything came crashing down around her and she was at risk of losing it all over again. The characters that Timoney has created here are as real as you and I, and I felt frustrated that Cassie gave in so easily back then, but I also understood it was because she wasn't well, and angry at Simon and Meg that they had caused all this heartache but, when it really mattered, they were trying to put things right for the sake of that young and vulnerable girl. This is an emotional rollercoaster of regret, self preservation and second chances which will stay with me for a long time to come.

I'd like to thank Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the approval, I will postvmy review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Two mothers with heartbreaking stories. Two families with their own problems. One secret that bonds them, what happened when it has to be revealed?
Emotional story that keeps interesting until the last moment.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this review copy, this review is my honest opinion.

Very emotional story! Readers will get caught up in this story told in different viewpoints about very serious subjects. Depression, dying, school violence and past mistakes and secrets all drive this story.. Overwhelming at times.

When Meg gets a terrible diagnosis, her only thought is for her family. How will her husband Simon and her beautiful , sweet-hearted fourteen-year-old daughter Grace cope when she's gone? She also knows that she finally has to tell Grace the secret their family is built on. That, though Simon is Grace's father, she isn't Grace's birth mother. Because Simon was married before, and his first wife Cassie, hadn't wanted to keep their baby. But now Meg thinks Grace deserves to know the choice to meet the mother who gave her up.

Meg has been Grace's mother for fourteen years. Now she has a terminal illness, Meg and her husband Simon decide it's time for Grace to learn the truth. Cassie, Grace's birth mum is married with a young son. She receives an e-mail from her ex-husband Simon, but Cassie has never told her husband about Simon and Grace.

This is an emotional read. I found myself wanting to give them all a big hug for what they were all going through. This is a gripping, fast-paced and sensitively written story.

Published 13th June 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #LisaTimoney for my ARC of #TheDaughterSheGaveAway in exchange for an honest review.

🥹 Emotional | 💪 Powerful | ☺️ Honest | 🇬🇧 UK (Bromley)

A deeply emotional story about love, sacrifice, and the cost of secrets.

The Daughter She Gave Away is a book that surprised me with its emotional depth and raw honesty. It’s not just about the love between a mother and a child—it’s about what defines that love, and what happens when the truth threatens everything that’s been built on silence.

When Meg learns she’s dying, her first thought is of Grace, the 14-year-old daughter she adores. The pain of knowing she won’t be there to watch her grow up is unbearable—but worse is the secret she knows she can’t take to the grave. Grace isn’t her biological child. Cassie, Simon’s first wife, is the woman who gave birth to her… and walked away.

The narrative alternates between Meg’s emotional farewell and Cassie’s unraveling present. Cassie, now a teacher, wife, and mother of a young son, is blindsided by an email from Simon. When he reaches out after Meg’s death, asking her to meet Grace, everything Cassie’s kept hidden starts to unravel. Not only does she have to face the daughter she gave away, but she must also confront the lies she’s told her family.

Told in alternating perspectives between Meg and Cassie, the dual POV structure works beautifully, giving insight into both sides of this heartbreaking situation. The short, punchy chapters made it hard to stop reading—I devoured it in two evening sittings.

Cassie’s journey is especially compelling. She’s not always easy to like, but she’s real—flawed, scared, trying to do what’s right even when she doesn’t know what that looks like anymore. Watching her marriage, career, and sense of self buckle under the weight of long-buried guilt was painful, but also powerful. I really appreciated the depiction of her work as a teacher and how that part of her life tied into the story.

Timoney doesn’t shy away from hard themes—adoption, postnatal mental health, betrayal, terminal illness—but handles them with grace and a deep sense of empathy. The emotional weight is heavy at times, but it’s balanced by beautifully rendered moments of redemption, forgiveness, and growth. . Luke, Cassie’s husband, was sometimes frustratingly perfect, but his role as a grounding force was essential.

This is a book about impossible choices, the families we make, and the ones we leave behind. There were moments I teared up, moments I wanted to shake the characters, and moments that reminded me how resilient the human heart can be.

If you’re a fan of emotional, character-driven family dramas with complex women at their center, this one is absolutely worth picking up.

Big thanks to Boldwood and NetGalley for the pre approved advance copy—I’m honestly not sure I would’ve chosen this on my own, but I’m so glad I got the chance to read it. Beautiful, poignant, and filled with empathy.

This was a beautiful story about hard choices, past experiences, loss, and healing. When Meg is dying she leaves videos for 14 year old daughter to explain about her birth. Meanwhile, Cassie has made a new life, when her past comes back to her via an email. Told in alternating points of view, we find out what happened in the past. There were some wonderful characters, Alfie was gorgeous, Becca was genuine and funny, and Mrs. Miah was an exemplary school teacher. The ending was very touching, especially Meg's final video and the party scene. The trauma both Meg and Cassie went through was immense, and the resolution for the other characters worked well. Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for a chance to review this book.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This was a very emotional read.

When Cassie, married to Simon was pregnant, she discovered that Simon was having an affair, with Meg.

This news was a shock and not coping with it, caused her to have a breakdown. She then agreed to let Simon and Meg have and raise her daughter Grace. She wouldn’t have any sort of contact at all with her daughter.

Now, after a long time has passed, Cassie is married again and has a son, when Simon gets in touch to advise her that Meg has passed away and Grace, her daughter needs her.

Meg left videos of the life she lived and told Grace who her real mother is before passing away.

But, will Cassie accept Grace in her life now after such a long time?

I highly recommend this book.

A novel of despair and hope, 'The Daughter She Gave Away' is my first novel by Lisa Timoney. Narrated in the third person by the two main female characters, we follow the stories of Meg and Cassie as they are forced to make decisions that have ripple effects on all those around them. We first meet Meg, who, after she is diagnosed with a fatal illness, decides that it's time to come clean to her daughter, Grace, about secrets long withheld from her. The secret? She is not her biological mother - she and her husband, Simon, were given full custody when his ex-wife, Cassie, was no longer able to take care of her. However, after Meg's death, Simon reaches out to Cassie in hopes that she will become a source of comfort for Grace. For Cassie, who has since moved on and has a new husband and son, this news is devastating, as she has no desire to revisit the dark times of her past. What follows is an emotional ride, as readers are taken on a rollercoaster of feelings ranging from devastation to happiness.

What I enjoyed most about this book is its ability to evoke a range of emotions from me - sadness, heartache, anger, and even joy. Timoney wrote in such a manner that I could not help but feel for these characters as if they were real.

That being said, it was quite hard for me to actually like most of the characters. Meg, Simon and especially Cassie were all unlikable on various levels. While I have never personally struggled with post-partum depression or any such illness, I cannot imagine abandoning my child just because I was cheated on!

All in all, I give this novel a rating of 3.5 stars - while the feelings I experienced while reading it were quite visceral, there were many instances where I was unable to connect to the characters besides the children, However, I do recommend this to anyone looking for a read to unclog them emotionally.

*A great many thanks to Boldwood Books, Lisa Timoney, and NetGalley for this ARC. It is important to note that I was not committed to providing a positive review; all opinions are undoubtedly my own.*

Cassie decides to give away her baby, has she made the right choice. Lots of secrets that being this book to life. An excellent page turner to find out what happens next. She goes on to marry and have another child, but the first baby is always on her mind and due to circumstances she has no
control over she finds her daughter again.