Child Born of Wildfire by Angela Hoy is a powerful and emotional memoir of resilience, survival, and the unbreakable bond between a father and his daughters. The story is raw, heartfelt, and deeply moving, leaving a lasting impact. I thoroughly enjoyed this touching and courageous account and rated it five stars for its honesty and emotional strength.

Angela Hoy’s vulnerability shines in this memoir. She chronicles her young life with her sister, Janie after they were kidnapped by their grandparents (working with their mother) away from their father. After being separated from their father for over 27 years, their mother – verbally and physically abusive herself – puts them in precarious situation after precarious situation with some very abusive male partners.

Note that my rating scale for memoirs is not based on the content of an individual's story but rather how that story is delivered. That being said, I think the flow from chapter to chapter seemed a bit disjointed at times. I appreciate the author’s extra vulnerability in her many statements about memories and how they can fail you – she has clearly done work above and beyond to corroborate her memories with other family members and through therapy.

Trigger warnings for child abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse. All in all an incredible story, ultimately ending in a way that provides much needed hope.

Firstly thank you for my opportunity to read and review this book.
As someone who has been writing her memoir slowly over the years I go out of my way to read an array of them.
This is an emotional journey of a story that’s heartfelt in its writing .
It’s raw and digs deep into the unfortunate experiences children shouldn’t have to go through but so often do.
Bravery, courage and compassion are the underlying qualities both Angela and her sister have in the midst of the chaos surrounding their lives.

Children Born of Wildfire is a powerful and heartbreaking memoir about two sisters who go through more than any child should. Angela Hoy shares her personal story of being taken away from a loving father and placed into a dangerous, abusive home life—first by her controlling grandparents and then by her unstable and neglectful mother.

The book covers really heavy topics like emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, and it doesn’t shy away from the hard truths. It’s emotional and raw, but also filled with strength and survival. Angela uses the idea of wildfire as a symbol for the chaos and pain in her life, but also for the healing that can come after everything has burned down.

The writing is beautiful and honest, and even though the story jumps around a bit, it reflects how trauma often feels—disconnected and messy. Sometimes it’s hard to follow, but that also makes it feel real.

It’s sad, frustrating, and hopeful all at once. Despite everything she went through, Angela and her sister survived and grew into strong women. This book shows that even in the worst circumstances, healing is possible.

Definitely worth reading if you’re interested in memoirs about survival, resilience, and healing after trauma. Just be aware that the subject matter is very heavy and could be upsetting for some.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I always feel conflicted rating memoirs because they are so deeply personal stories. The abuse and confusion that Hoy lived through is something that no one should live through. The fact that such agency was removed from children is abominable. The premise of this book is typically what I like to read in a memoir - a deep story, a story that leaves a mark. I was fully expecting that while going into this book but the writing style just didn't follow through. While the events were catastrophic, the writing didn't demonstrate that. I couldn't help but feeling like I was reading a poorly written journal entry one chapter after another. Hoy has a valuable story to tell (and I truly believe everyone does) but the writing just didn't follow through on this one.

The chapter on forgiveness at the end of the book was also very interesting to me (not in a good way). Forgiveness is her personal choice but it felt performative and like she was just trying to convince herself. I worry for people that could read this that have suffered similar kinds of abuse.

A harrowing, unforgettable memoir.

Children Born of Wildfire is a devastating and powerful memoir. Angela Hoy recounts her and her sister's childhood with unflinching honesty, leading readers through the dark corridors of abuse, neglect, and abduction—but also, ultimately, survival and resistance.

I’m intentionally keeping this feedback brief because I believe readers should go into this one knowing as little as possible. The experience of uncovering each piece of the story is part of what makes this memoir so impactful.

It's always difficult to apply a star rating to a book that recounts real trauma. This five-star rating isn’t about "enjoyment" in the typical sense—it’s about the writing. Hoy’s storytelling is remarkably strong: the structure is clear and effective, the pacing is steady, and the emotion is raw without being overwhelming. It’s a memoir that’s not only courageous but beautifully constructed.

Highly recommend for readers who can handle heavy themes and are looking for a memoir that doesn’t shy away from the hardest truths.

With thanks to the Author, Bold Story Press + NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

Yet again, I find myself within the grips of a heartbreaking memoir, of a young girl and her traumatic upbringing.

This story is an incredible account of trauma, suffering, grief, connection, resilience and healing. Whilst it is a heavy recount of the authors and sister’s upbringing, it is a quick read in regard to flow and structure of the book.

The author tells us of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her mother, abduction orchestrated by her own family members and subsequent isolation from her loving father for near 30 years, sexual abuse from the partner of her mother and so much more trauma.

An emotional read, you feel for Angela and little sister Janie, willing them to keep pushing through until they can make their lives their own and find peace and connection with their father.

"I returned and returned to you, trying to make you, mold you, press you into the shape of love. I did not grasp that you could not, would not because your jaws were already full."

This was a heartbreaking memoir that takes place across Angela's life. It not only briefly describes the actual kidnapping (I assume because not many details were available and Angela and her sister were both so young), but it describes the interesting cascade that followed.

"When I estranged myself from my mother, I did not stop loving her. I missed her as only a daughter can miss her mother."

The abuse that the young girls survived under their (what can only be assumed as mentally unwell) mother was difficult to read through, but the complexity of complicated family relationships is beautifully portrayed. Overall, Angela Hoy is a talented writer with an incredibly powerful story to tell. This fell short from being a 5 star read for me mainly because it could use more editorial work to smooth out some extraneous details and repetitive portions, but still a very impactful read.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bold Story Press, for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

"They were sometimes caring and charming, almost always manipulative, frequently cruel and perverse, generally selfish, insulated by indifference and justification, profoundly dysfunctional, and even sometimes hilarious. My toddler heart loved them all and wanted to be loved back. Children’s brains aren’t wired to accept that a parent is incapable of loving them. Or that family will love them in ways that wound. A child’s unrequited love doesn’t disappear. Over the years it just becomes homeless. And yet, life is sometimes good enough to rehome a heart.."

Whilst a partially heartbreaking account, the author’s history is magically and artfully told with great dignity, and switching between beautiful poetry and prose.

An incredibly important tale of trauma, grief, recovery, and healing.

Whilst the book has some difficult subject matter, I found it immensely difficult to put down. I binge read it in under 24 hours with 3 small children underfoot in any spare moment I had.

I was born in England and moved to Canada, so I was able to resonate with that part of the author’s story, too, even though our move happened almost half a century later.

All in all, I loved this book, and it was incredibly healing for me to read in regards to some of my own trauma.

Trigger warnings: discussions of sexual abuse by her Mom’s boyfriend and mental, physical, and emotional abuse by family members.

I've been on a memoir kick lately and found the majority of them to be incredibly powerful - this is yet another that fits the bill. While I could have easily finished this one in a single sitting or two, I had to keep putting it down and take breaks due to how heartbreaking it is!

"Children Born of a Wildfire" follows two girls, Angela and Janie, abducted at a young age. By strangers? Nope. Family members, who forced them into an abusive house. The memoir follows the horrors they endured but also the strength and resilience that they had to rise above their hardships, experiencing things that are unthinkable to most - wildfire is the perfect metaphor to describe a scenario like that.

Hoy is a beautiful writer and this one goes quick, yet teaches us the importance of family and fragility of life and stability. My own words can't do this justice, but everyone can benefit from picking up this book. Thank you so much for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is an emotional memoir about abuse and eventual healing. To be taken from your loving father as children was heartbreaking. The story of these sisters' childhood is often tragic. But in the end, it shows how people can make up for lost time with loved ones

A memoir of childhood trauma and recovery offers hope and healing strategies for others who've experienced similar challenges.

I knew this was going to be an emotive read that would fill me with all different kinds of feelings but I wasn't prepared for how this book made me feel. I can't imagine how those children must have felt or how they coped, and this must have been so hard to bring to fruition but I think everyone should read it.

Thank you NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Oh boy. As soon as I started this I knew this was gonna take a while because I would have to take a lot of breaks. This was heartbreaking, emotional, and crazy to read. A true dive into an abusive family that somehow still shared good moments here and there. Yet, you still wonder how people can treat others that way, including their own flesh and blood.

This must have been really hard for the author to write but I am grateful to her for sharing her and her sister’s stories. And I’m glad, without revealing too much, that it had sort of a happy ending.

This book is about two sisters who experience their parents divorce and live with their father who is kind and loving. Unfortunately their manipulative grandparents wind up kidnapping the girls and bringing them to live with their mother who probably has undiagnosed bipolar disorder among other things.

The mother is abusive and her boyfriends are as well. The girls are constantly being moved from one place to another as their mother has to keep moving to escape creditors.

Despite all this, the girls continue to have a relationship with their mother and abusive stepfather until their deaths. It’s really very sad all that they endured. It’s a wonder that the girls grow up to be functioning adults who have broken the cycle of abuse.

A deeply emotional story which took my breath away.

This was a wonderful memoir, with so much packed into it. Encompasses many themes: Family, dysfunctional relationships, separation, medical matters, travel, and moving countries.

I was so sad reading some of these circumstances. To think people can treat others so terribly. And to think they are of the same family, be that by birth, or connected by marriage. I'm so moved by how people get through it.

You hear so much about absent fathers.... not wanting or bothering to see their kids; not paying child support; leaving mothers to it. This is the complete opposite in that this time a loving father is desperate to see his children, and family members effectively kidnapped them, pretending to take them on a holiday. This powerful and heartbreaking story often left me speechless.

A wonderful memoir. Sweeping from terribly tragic, to a joyous resolution. Beautifully written, an amazing read.

Children Born of Wildfire by Angela Hoy presents a poignant memoir that delves into her tumultuous childhood alongside her younger sister, Janie. Separated from their devoted father, the sisters found themselves engulfed in a tumultuous environment with their maternal grandparents and an unstable mother, enduring manipulation, abuse, and neglect. Although they appeared to be well-cared-for externally, the reality within their home was fraught with turmoil, leaving the sisters feeling isolated and devoid of hope for rescue. Their journey of survival is characterized by resilience and a profound bond, ultimately driving them to search for their father years later, despite being led to believe he had passed away.

Hoy’s narrative skillfully intertwines themes of trauma and survival with the metaphor of wildfire, symbolizing both the destructive elements of their upbringing and the potential for renewal. The memoir's structure reflects the fragmented nature of trauma, presenting disjointed memories that echo the chaos of their lived experiences. Hoy's process of reconstructing her life—both physically, after losing her home, and emotionally, in the aftermath of abuse—provides you with deep insights into resilience and healing. The narrative captures the intensity of her experiences through vivid prose and emotional candor, rendering the memoir both haunting and uplifting.

I did find that at times, it was a little difficult to follow the story due to its jumping around. But, this was a compelling read that gives you hope for the future as it is unimaginable to realize that someone lived through these experiences. This book provides hope and inspiration to anyone that Is facing challenges.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my review.

An absolutely heartbreaking story with a beautiful ending. Tragedy, trauma, resilience, grief, and survival. Angela Hoy is nothing short of a survivor. This is such a well written memoir that is so eye opening. Our judicial system has changed so much since the abduction of A. Hoy and her sister Janie. Reading this memoir reminds me so much of my grandmothers upbringing. She was the strongest woman I have ever known, which makes me believe Angela Hoy and her sister are just as strong.

Thank you for sharing your story, thank you for bringing light to a taboo subject, thank you for being an inspiration and a beautiful light.

The most disturbing part of this book is how little it surprised me - this account of one family could be the account of any family, especially in a generation where abuse and dysfunction were not addressed or even acknowledged. The author does not gloss over the darker aspects of her situation, nor does she excuse her own less than sterling behaviour at various times in her life. Rather, she demonstrates the journey taken to come to terms with ongoing and lasting trauma. One thing particularly resonated with me and that is the identification of gaps and knowledge, memory and history which so often exist when a person tries to piece together the puzzle of a disrupted childhood. Thank goodness the author and her sister were ultimately reunited with their father - this was so gratifying to read.