You Were Always Mine by Nicole Baart @NicoleLynnBaart @AtriaBooks #bookreview #pubday

Happy Tuesday book lovers!

Thrilled to share with you today my review for this evocative book!

You Were Always Mine by Nicole Baart

My Thoughts

This was an evocative and addictive read that will reel you in and won’t let go!

This is a story about compassion, trust, deception, secrets, mystery, motherhood, but most of all it is about the darker side of adoption…Nicole Baart brings so much heart and authenticity to the story… her experience as an adoptive mother really shines through on these pages… my brothers are adopted, so I really had a strong connection to the adoption part of the story…. I found the psychological impact on both adoptive mother and adoptive child fascinating….

Miss Baart has woven together a complex story with many layers… A slow burning tale that will keep you turning the pages… you will need to know the truth just as strongly as Jess!

Jess and Evan are separated after 15 years of marriage… they have a biological son Max 13 and an adoptive son Gabe 5… both want what’s best for the kids in this hard situation…. I really felt as though Jess an Evan would have ultimately got back together, that’s what made Evan’s death even more tragic… so what was jess’s non-outdoorsy husband doing on a hunting trip? Determined to find out the truth Jess starts to play amateur Detective… The more she digs, the more secrets revealed, the more complex it gets…. shocked to find out that Evan had been in contact with Gabe‘s bio mom Jess is convince this has something to do with his murder but what? And why? How fragile are the bonds of motherhood? and is unconditional love ever not enough?

My heart broke for Jess, I felt her grief, her determination, her frustration, and her need to know the truth…. Jess is a likable character that will definitely win you over… there was just something about her that made it tremendously easy to put yourself in her shoes….’ maybe it was the stresses of motherhood? Your heart will also go out to her boys, A teenager struggling to come to terms with his father passing away and a five-year-old who already has emotional issues dealing with grief when he can’t even put a name to it… you will really want Jess to find the truth and give this family some closure needed to MoveOn….

A beautifully told perfectly paced story… seriously how can anyone not relate to needing to know the truth after finding out a loved one has been lying to them? Add in the impact this has on your children… HOOK. LINE. SINKER.

Absolutely recommend to anyone who enjoys a good story filled with well drawn characters, a well constructive mystery, and some heart!

PS: I forgot to mention how fantastic I thought the descriptors at the beginning of each chapter were, added an entire additional layer to the story! Well played!

*** A huge thank you to Atria for my copy of this book ***

About the Book

The acclaimed author of Little Broken Things returns with another “race-to-the-finish family drama” (People) about a single mother who becomes embroiled in a mystery that threatens to tear apart what’s left of her family.

Jessica Chamberlain, newly separated and living with her two sons in a small Iowa town, can’t believe that a tragedy in another state could have anything to do with her. But when her phone rings one quiet morning, her world is shattered. As she tries to pick up the pieces and make sense of what went wrong, Jess begins to realize that a tragic death is just the beginning. Soon she is caught in a web of lies and half-truths—and she’s horrified to learn that everything leads back to her seven-year-old adopted son, Gabriel.

Years ago, Gabe’s birth mother requested a closed adoption and Jessica was more than happy to comply. But when her house is broken into and she discovers a clue that suggests her estranged husband was in close contact with Gabe’s biological mother, she vows to uncover the truth at any cost. A harrowing story of tenacious love and heartbreaking betrayal, You Were Always Mine is about the wars we wage to keep the ones we love close, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Jodi Picoult.