So much emotion in this story. It was sad yet you could feel the hope in the characters. I loved it!

I was given an ARC to give an honest review. These are my words and opinion.

this book stayed with me long after i read it. and i think it will stay with me,even if just subconsciously for many a time. the things its brought up and the questions and answers it led me to really impacted me throughout. its such a beautiful but heart battering book. it touched so many emotional depths i cant even begin to cover them. the characters you get to know so well you feel for them all. and its not like there is a goodie or a baddie in this. there were decisions, decisions some of us can really relate to. those decisions that were made rightly or wrongly, those things we do time and time again for those we love the most even if they hurt us.
this book was just sublime. the kind you want an actual copy of to keep. Lisa has such a talent here. such a inspiringly brilliant talent for the words she uses,the pages she writes, the stories she builds for us.

This is my first book by this author and I had trouble staying engaged in the plot. Little to no character development.

This is an excellent, telling of a complex emotional story about families and adoption and marriage and children. I couldn't stop turning the pages and found all of the characters' actions and emotions plausible. I loved how the author told the story from both mothers' points of view. It gave me a better understand of what each had gone through and were going through in the present.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher, for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘I spent so many years hating her. And all that time she was just a normal woman who once did a bad thing.’

My first @netgalley ARC read ✨

I think even from the title you know this is gonna be a sad story - and that’s exactly what it was. Painful and deeply sad with also a full circle moment.
Two women who almost punish themselves for one single moment in time.
One thing I 100% learnt from this story I would not be able to have a husband who is a counsellor.
‘Counsellor Luke could be equally perceptive and annoying’
“That’s what you’d say to a client - I’m not a client”

Nice quick chapters , TWO POV going back and forth showing two sides to a story.
Definitely recommend this book

The author takes us on a spin like no other adoption story, the things we do to maintain what we think we needed. Great read, didn't want to put it down!

Thank you so much Lisa Timoney and Blodwood Books Ltd. for allowing me to read this heartbreakingly beautiful ARC. I could not put it down, it was amazing.

This is an emotional family drama that tugs at your heart strings. It is definitely a book that I would recommend with a box of tissues nearby.
Thank you Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review

In her latest women’s fiction, Lisa Timoney presents the reader with two flawed and complex women - forced to confront the consequences of decisions made years before - and a vulnerable teenage girl whose world has been torn apart.

As the mother of a 14 year old, I found Grace’s circumstances heartbreaking. Timoney’s writing is - as always - perfectly phrased and full of compassion and the novel takes the reader on an emotional exploration of motherhood, making you question what you might have done in their place.

Another great read from Lisa Timoney and one that would make for a great bookclub discussion!

This is a great read, emotional, tense, well written and draws you in from the start. I felt the author portrayed a difficult subject with compassion and sympathy in this family drama. The characters were very believable, flawed as they were. I however took an extreme dislike to Luke and hoped Cassie would leave him, as he was overbearing, righteous and I thought quite controlling. I loved her friend Becca, she was a fun character and provided lots of great one liners. I really enjoyed the story and would recommend it. I hadn't heard of Lisa Timoney before reading this , but I will check out her other work.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood for the ARC

I couldn't put this book down and I read it in a couple of hours. It was engaging and kept me hooked all the way through. I loved it

When Meg gets the diagnosis that she won't live long, she has to tell her daughter Grace, that she isn't her real mother. Her father was married before and his wife didn't want the baby. she thinks Grace should get the chance to meet her real mother. very emotional story.

This is such a good book. Lots of family drama and secrets that are unravelling throughout the book.
It's so hard to put this one down.
Absolutely brilliant book.

This was a gripping read, tragic and sad. The story is about two mothers, one sadly dies of cancer leaving behind a daughter and the other a wife and mum to a young boy. Both have crossed paths and dislike the other as one had an affair with the others husband. A baby girl was born, but the mother didn’t want to keep her. This was an easy, yet emotional read, you read about the trauma of having a baby quickly and not wanting her. The emotions running though this book is high, it’s very written and the author dealt with the subject well. A great 4.5 star read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

"The Daughter She Gave Away" by Lisa Timoney is an emotional rollercoaster that touched me deeply. I cried more than once. Timoney has a true gift for writing characters that feel incredibly real. Even when I didn’t agree with some of Cassie’s thoughts or decisions, it was impossible not to feel for her and her situation.

Her husband Luke tested my patience at times, yet he may have been exactly the support Cassie needed. Their son, while portrayed as highly sensitive (something I can relate to), had a few reactions that didn’t fully ring true for me, especially considering the kind of relationship he seemed to have with his parents.

The storyline involving Grace broke my heart. It was gut-wrenchingly unfair and incredibly moving. I did feel the resolution between certain characters came a little too easily, especially given the emotional weight of earlier events, but that didn’t take away from my overall experience.

Despite a few minor criticisms, I truly loved this book. It stayed with me long after the final page, and I would absolutely recommend it to a friend.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Lisa Timoney for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a brilliant book I loved every page from the beginning until the ending. It was a heartbreaking read but sensitively written

All the characters were so well described and I felt I knew them all.

A new author for me but I will be sure to read more of her books. Another one of my top reads for 2025.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this brilliant ARC which I have no hesitation in recommending.

I'm writing this review with tears streaming down my face. This book captivated me from beginning to end. I found myself feeling deeply frustrated with Cassie at times, yet ultimately developed a strong sense of compassion for her. Meg, as Grace’s mother, was incredible—but I couldn’t help feeling upset with her for her relationship with Simon.

Some characters made choices that were difficult to accept, but that’s exactly what made this story so powerful and emotionally rich. It’s a beautifully layered narrative that drew me in, challenged me, and moved me deeply.

If you're looking for a book that will grip your heart, stir your emotions, make you cry, and even bring a smile to your face—this is the one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

This book was very emotionally charged but glossed over her mental health issues in my opinion. The consequences of her poor choices didnt really fit in my opinion and i feel the messy emotions werent addressed as well as they could be. I did like the premise both women loving the same child.

An emotional and sometimes tragic tale about mothers, daughters, biological and non biological love, loss and grief, “The Daughter She Gave Away”, by Lisa Timoney, has also a powerful representation of mental health issues.
It was often distressing to watch the web of lies and deceit and its devastating effects, Cassie’s struggles with her past, her present, at home and at school.
I liked how the author depicted Cassie’s issues and how she finally dealt with them, even though often the levels of pain were disturbing (but real).
I also liked the fact she’s a teacher and how teachers, school, young people are portrayed. And how the kindness and sense of fairness of one person had such a positive impact.
Marital betrayal, (post partum?) depression, adoption, terminal illness, are some themes cleverly addressed in the story.
Luke was a saint, and sometimes a bit annoying; but I have my doubts whether Cassie would overcome so much without his unwavering guidance, knowledege and support.
It’s a well written and engaging story and I liked that there was closure and some sense of redemption and peace in the end.

This was a very well written and emotional family drama that will tug at your heartstrings. Wonderful read!