When You Were Mine had me in bits from the beginning, I felt that I understood so well Beth’s life with her little boy Dylan and how other people look on in judgement when they do not see disability, therefore judged as a bad mum. My heart broke as soon as Dylan was taken away and I felt the need to not like Ally the foster mum. My feelings for her changed as the book went on and I actually really liked her by the end of the book.

Both Beth and Ally had to deal with a lot, in different ways and I think this book bought a lot of awareness into it too which is always a good thing as I don’t think it is written about enough and it does happen in real life.

I do not live in America but the “system” seems to be very similar to what I have watched and heard about in the UK so it seems the book was well researched.

It was written in a compassionate way and I had to get tissues a few times. It’s the second book I have read by Kate Hewitt and it definitely will not be my last, she has a way of drawing you into her books and feeling like you are actually living the lives of the characters and once you have finished the books, you will not forget them!

When you Were Mine by Kate Hewitt is a book that packs an emotional punch, similar in style to the writing of Jodi Picoult, it’s a book that will stay with you long after you reach the last page. Its heart wrenching in parts and felt all too real in others. This book explores the complexities and dynamics of family relationships in a credible and heartbreaking way. The author does a fantastic job portraying the best of being a parent and the worse.

Single mother Beth loves her seven-year-old son Dylan with all her heart. So much so she has put her own life on hold,  Dylan has emotional issues that have led to them living a life where no one else is welcome. When a misunderstanding leads Dylan to be taken into foster care, she is determined to fight tooth and nail to bring her son home. Mother of two, Ally becomes Dylan’s foster carer, she appears to be the perfect choice, a beautiful house, a loving relationship with her husband and children, and living the American dream. When Dylan joins the family Ally finds herself struggling as her ‘perfect family’ begins to show cracks.

The chapters alternate between Beth and Ally, which worked really well. The characters become real; you feel their pain, anxiety and despair, like them you question who is the best person to care for Dylan. Each mother has very different problems to face, but Beth and Ally are trying to do the best for their children, they made not be perfect but they are doing their best. Neither mother is perfect, each has their flaws, but it’s their flaws that make them credible characters. Like any wonderful book that centres around morals and right from wrong, you can’t help thinking what you would do faced with a similar situation. 

If I had one small niggle the ending felt to abrupt, I wanted this book to be longer as I was so wrapped up in the life’s of Beth, Ally and Dylan.  Kate Hewitt has produced an emotionally powerful read, with a well-constructed plot, if you are looking for a book to pull on your heartstrings then this might just been the book for you, it left me feeling an emotional wreck. After reading When You Were Mine I had to go and buy some of the authors back list as I was so impressed with her style of writing.  Highly recommended to those who enjoy an emotional read,  full of heart and soul.

When You Were Mine is a heart wrenching story.  The connection between a birth mother, foster mother and child is a delicate relationship..  Kate Hewitt captures a Mother's emotions perfectly.  I could not put this book down until the very last page.

"Every mother in the world makes mistakes. And most mothers, you most definitely included -do the best they can. And that is all a child ever needs."

This is a well written, well researched and compelling read. It is the story of motherhood and how even though we try our hardest we can sometimes get it wrong.

This is the first book I have read by Kate Hewitt and it is a book that will stay with me for a long time. 

Thank you to Kate Hewitt, Bookouture and NetGalley for the Arc and this is my honest review.

A really emotional read. This book tugged at my heart strings the whole way through. Bringing up children is not easy. There are ups and downs. The whole story felt raw, emotional and real. 

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Thank you to @katehewitt1, @bookouture, and @netgalley for the advance review copy of When You Were Mine in return for an honest review.

After her son has a meltdown and child services is called, Dylan is placed in a foster home and Beth is forced to fight for his return. Ally has always had dreams of fostering and is surprised when shortly after being approved, a boy joins her family. Written in alternating perspectives, Dewitt dives into what it means to be a parent and the sacrifices made for our children.

As a mother myself, this story was deeply emotional and raw. Both mothers within the story are struggling in their own ways, but have one thing in common and that’s the love for their children. In terms of the storyline, I was disappointed by how the story wrapped up. After so much of the story focused on the mistakes of the parents we followed, we didn’t get a very large glimpse into how they improved. I also went back and forth with my feelings towards Beth and Nick. Both of them frustrated me to no end and it was hard to find their redeeming qualities.

Overall, this was a strong story. I would recommend readers be prepared for an emotional ride.

I found this to be a deeply real novel, dealing with the sensitive subject of parenting..   Beth is a young single mom of Dylan, who has developmental issues which cause him to act out.  On one occasion this happened in public and DCF was called.

Dylan is removed from Beth and placed with Ally and her family.  To all appearances, Ally’s family is perfect, and Dylan settles in.   However, as we know, appearances aren’t everything, and when cracks appear, bonds are formed and strengths found.

The book is well-written and researched.  It took me a bit to read it, the subject matter was significant and I needed time to absorb.  

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

This amazing book packs an emotion punch! Both heartwarming and heart wrenching, with richly woven characters. I could not put this down. I found myself originally on the side of one character, then the other, then both, which I think is exactly as the author entailed. This means to me it was incredibly well written. A journey through losing your child to The system and a journey through fostering. Both sides absolutely tear at your heartstrings. 
This book is a must read if you like this type of story.

Single mother Beth loves her seven-year-old son Dylan. 
Dylan has emotional issues he has screaming outbursts, has always shown high levels of distress, and is selectively deaf and mute; Beth does the best she can to provide for him and meet his needs. 
A misunderstanding finds Dylan being taken into foster care.  Beth is determined to do whatever she can to get Dylan back. 
Ally loves children and has dreamed of fostering; she has been so lucky in her life that she would love to help others achieve the same. Dylan joins her family, but Ally finds herself struggling to support his needs with those of her children, and husband. 
Which is the right home for Dylan?
A thought-provoking, well written emotional read, with a fitting ending.
I have left ample out not to spoil the story, so all can enjoy this highly recommended read.
I want to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and author Kate Hewitt for a pre-publication copy to review.

Parenting is a difficult business, and even if you think you've done a good job, sometimes you get it so wrong. Single mother Beth lives firmly within a strict bubble with her son, thinking this is best for him.  When Dylan ends up in foster care with Ally and her family, Beth learns that  maybe she had it all wrong.  Ally and her husband begin to wonder where they went wrong when problems arise.  How can a mother's love ever be wrong?

I could not put this book down, So emotional for all the families thru out the story. All the characters are so true to life with their own struggles and just needing someone to step in and care .This story show us how your life can change in a blink of a eye. Kate Hewitt has the knack to tackle everyday problems in wonderful stories. I enjoy her books so much. Highly recommend When You Were Mine.
Thank you to Kate Hewitt, Bookouture and NetGalley for the Arc and this is my honest review.

This book was amazing.. Womens fiction is not my usual Genre but this book just swept me in. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. The two main characters, Beth and Ally, really spoke to me how we, as mothers, are just doing our best. Our best is not always interpretted by what we thought was good.  Beth loved her son and Ally was taking care of Dylan and quietly dealing with her own unexpected family problems. So true on do many levels.... Things aren't always what they seem in someone's else's life

Wow. An amazing book. Told alternately between Beth, the mother who got her child taken away, and Ally the foster mother.  Beth thought her son was placed into the perfect home, but it only appeared that way.  Great story, really loved the characters.

May contain spoilers: Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC in return for a honest review. This was my first book by Kate Hewitt and I look forward to reading more of her novels.  I really enjoyed this book.  The book tells the story of two women, Beth and Ally.  Beth is a single mom of a seven year old boy who has her son taken from her by DCF due to allegations of neglect.  Ally and her husband are the family who take in Dylan as a foster child.  I liked how the book went back and forth between both women, coming from their own points of view.  Both women think they know about the other and feel they are quite different but in the end discover how alike they truly are.  My only two criticisms are first on the use of the terms case worker and social worker interchangeably.  I am a licensed social worker with a Master's Degree.  Many of the case workers who work for DCF are great at what they do but they do not hold a social work degree.  Maybe the ones in this book were meant to but that is not the critique.  It is more the education that the terms are not synonyms.  Secondly, I would have liked to learn more about Dylan's diagnoses.  Sounds like he was on the autistic spectrum but that is not confirmed by the end of the book. Otherwise great book that I would recommend!

Another hit by Kate Hewitt. She is becoming one of my favorite authors. She has such a knack for writing in such difficult plot lines. 

When Beth was young she had it all, a full ride to college, until one summer night..... Beth becomes pregnant and her sports scholarship is revoked. She temporarily moved in with her boyfriend, but that didn’t last long and her father threw her out. Dylan was a difficult child with many struggles. DCF had been called on them
in the past and then that one fateful day at the store when Dylan JUST wanted candy.  

Ally, who is just just down the road has the “perfect” family in Beth’s eyes. Ally is just trying to do good by Dylan and Beth while she sorts herself out. 

Will Beth sort herself out or will Dylan become another statistic in the system. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Finally, an author who understand what it’s like to be a mother! When You Were Mine, by Kate Hewitt, is such a beautiful and accurate portrayal of the unanswerable questions mothers have and a testimony to the sacrifices mothers make to do what they feel is best for their child.  How do you know if you’re  doing what’s best when so many choices have to be based on instinct? Is it even possible to love your child too much? Is it possible to sacrifice too much of yourself when it comes to loving and raising your child? Isn’t that part of what motherhood is all about?

Kate Hewitt does a brilliant job portraying the best and hardest moments of being a mother. When You Were Mine, by Kate Hewitt is sure to touch your heart, make you reach for Kleenex, and bring you insurmountable joy as you stumble along the way with Beth and Ally to find the answers to the hardest questions mothers face. When You Were Mine, by Kate Hewitt, IS the perfect guide to motherhood and raising children! Kate Hewitt’s undeniably truthful account of two mothers, the struggles they face, the depth of theIr love,, and the blessings and successes they find along the way will resonate within your soul long after you finish reading it.

Beth is a single mother, and has done her best to raise Dylan on her own without the support of family members or friends. Dylan has never been an easy child. Since Beth doesn’t have a good relationship with her father, her mother ran out on her when she was a teenager, and Dylan’s father left when Dylan was young, she’s left to fend for herself. She’s isolated herself from the world because it’s the only way she can manage her and her son’s lives. Dylan is prone to outbursts and screaming tantrums, has always shown high levels of anxiety, and is selectively mute, so she does the best she can to provide for him and meet his needs. Not knowing any other way to help him, she has built her life around his specific needs. She knows that showing him unwavering love is crucial to raising a happy and healthy child, so she has always done the best she can. It’s not that easy though, and it never has been. Despite her best efforts, and the facade she has created of a happy home life, the walls she so carefully constructed around their lives begin to crumble.

Although the Department of Children and Families is built on the foundation of trying to do what’s best for children, Beth is sure they’ve made a mistake when they remove Dylan from her home and place him in foster care. Once in the system, always in the system, so Beth has always  gone out of her way to give them answers to placate and satisfy them. Since the calls about her and Dylan have always seemed to be exaggerated, in her heart she knows that she really is doing what’s best for Dylan. Sure, her parenting methods may seem over the top, but she would never dream of hurting him and has always raised him with undeniable love. How could the Department of Children and Families possibly think she’s done wrong by loving him too much? That’s most certainly not abusive so their intrusion into their lives must be a warped mistake. When Dylan is placed into foster care with the seemingly picture perfect family, Beth is left feeling lost, alone, confused, and terrified for Dylan’s well being because it’s impossible for this strange new family to understand his unique needs.

Ally has always felt secure in the decisions she’s made with her husband when it coms to raising her children. Although there’s no such thing as the perfect family or perfect parents, the home life Ally’s created and the happiness and success of her children are a testament to her being a good mother. With a daughter at Harvard and a teenage son who is largely recognized for his accomplishments, Ally decides that it’s time to help others in need as a way of sharing their good fortune and paying it forward. She know’s it’s a delicate topic with her husband because of his upbringing, but when he agrees with her about being a foster parent for Dylan, they know  they’re doing the right thing. However skeptical they initially may be since Dylan is the first foster child they have ever welcomed into their home, Ally is determined to make a difference in his live. Neither of them are prepared for his entrance into their lives though, and his unwillingness to talk makes things harder than either of them has imagined. When Beth shows up at their home for her first hour of visitation, neither of them can understand why the Department of Children and Families even took him away from her to begin with. Sure, his behaviors are eccentric and his clothes not quite ideal, but that’s hardly an indicator of an unstable or unsafe home for a child. It’s obvious how much they love one another, and Dylan has never shown any signs of having been abused.

Throughout the course of Beth doing everything she can to meet the criteria set forth by the Department for reunification, she has several profound revelations and is also faced with some painful truths. When she discovers that Ally’s family isn’t as perfect as they seemed though, she questions whether Dylan’s care should be left to them. They can’t possible give him the love and care that she did. What she didn’t count on though was the strength of the bond Ally and Dylan would develop with one another though. After learning devastating news about Ally’s family, both mothers are faced with insecurities neither of them even realized they had or thought possible. Even greater a surprise, both mothers tentatively form an unspoken bond and gradual friendship. Unfortunately Dylan seems to benefit more and more from the love and care he receives from Ally and her husband, and starts to withdraw from Beth. The pain of his withdrawal and her inability to understand Dylan the way she used to be able to makes her question if Dylan really is better off with them.

The trials and triumphs both mothers from extraordinary different backgrounds are faced with will leave you questioning everything  you’ve ever known when it comes to the bond between a mother and her child and the strength of love between one another. Is it possible to love a child too much? How do you cope when the bond you once felt with your child feels like it’s fading? What is really best for your child when there are two mothers who love him so fiercely that they are both willing to do whatever it takes at all costs to do what’s best for him? What is really best for him? Is it possible that the Department of Children and Families made a mistake when they took Dylan away from Beth? How much power does the court system have when it comes to determining what’s best for a child, and how can they even determine that when their scope of information is so limited?

Thank you Kate Hewitt, Bookouture, and Netgalley for allowing me the privilege of reading When You Were Mine. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinions.  When You Were Mine, by Kate Hewitt, is sure to be one of those books that you never forget! As soon as I finished When You Were Mine, I immediately rushed to purchase more books by Kate Hewitt!

This was an emotional book just showing how you think you're doing the right thing by your child, but maybe you're not. There were a lot of lessons to be learned. Very good

This is a no holds barred narrative of how hard parenting can be.  A well crafted novel that draws you in, and has believable characters that you want to root for.

Single mother Beth loves her seven-year-old son Dylan with all her heart. He’s her world. But life with Dylan isn’t easy—and his emotional issues push Beth to her very limit. When a misunderstanding leads Dylan to be taken into foster care, she is determined to do whatever she can to get him back.

Mother of two, Ally has always dreamed of fostering—it feels like her chance to give back when she has been so lucky in life. But when Dylan joins their family, Ally finds herself struggling to balance his needs with those of her own children and husband.

Narrated in alternating chapters between Beth and Ally, this book very nicely covers the different problems that parents face during parenting. There is never something called as 'perfect parenting'. Each situation is different and every mother tries to give the best for their child.

In terms of the main characters, I did feel sympathetic towards Beth. Having to hear that the love and attention she exhibits towards her son is unhealthy and taking her son away to be put into foster care is something quite sad. Whereas, Ally's story in this book was more of a message that sometimes being perfect is not everything.

The ending was beautiful and made this book even more special.

Thank You to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

Five solid glowing stars, hands down! I don’t know why I am drawn towards fiction based novels about children with troubled lives, should I be concerned about that? Maybe it’s not so unusual since there are so many books written around this topic? Regardless of how many there are, Kate Hewitt has such a talent at creating stories and characters that completely engulf you right from page one and keep you captivated page after page after page until you reach the very last page. 

Parenting is by far the most rewarding achievement I have accomplished, and is the one I am most proud of. The feeling of love and attachment I have for my children is so intense and powerful, that I felt I could ALMOST relate to Beth and how she felt at times. I tried putting myself in her shoes while reading this and my heart ached. It also ached for sweet little Dylan. The emotions and decisions that Ally had to make truly caused ME to feel anxiety and uncertainty!

I loved reading this book and was so irritated and annoyed when I was pulled away from reading it to deal with real life stuff. 

I highly recommend this book and this author!