A powerful emotional novel which causes a rollercoaster of emotions for the reader. This is a beautifully written book, not a predictable story but extremely enjoyable.
Some difficult subjects are handled sensitively and it has a strong storyline.

Imagine at 16 having a baby then giving them up for adoption.
Fast forward 18 years and you are left wondering what might have been,
Will Gemma find her daughter?
An emotional read that hooks you in from the start.

This book was just lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I think i experienced every emotion reading it and just wanted to reach out and give Gemma a big hug!

Gemma gave birth when she was just a 16 year old school girl. She didn’t have the best home life and was in and out of care due to her mother’s addictions. As a result she knew she had to break the cycle and could not keep her baby daughter. She held her for only a short time before she was taken away to be given to her adoptive parents. She wrote a heartfelt letter for the new parents to give her daughter when they felt she was old enough.

Now Gemma’s daughter is nearing her 18th birthday. A time when she can register to contact her birth mother if she so wishes. Gemma is now a History teacher in a sixth form college and keeps herself to herself despite her colleague’s best efforts to break down the barriers. The only person she has let herself get close to is her elderly neighbour and her dog.

I thoroughly recommend this book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

to give a feedback on this book is a hard one of all the books i have read it is tearful heart warming and a story through the eyes of a 16yrs old pregnant girl and later on when the baby girl she gave up for adoption became 18yrs its must to read to enjoy the happy ending

Absolutely loved this book!

The writing style was really good and I look forward to reading any other books from this author in the future :)

Both at the start and end of this book I was on the verge of tears, there is just such a depth of emotion running through this story, it is hard not to be affected.

It's a stunning, beautifully written story of love, courage, finding yourself, and a whole lot more that although emotional was also incredibly heartwarming.

This is just a wonderful story, as Gemma navigates life knowing that the daughter she gave up for adoption is turning 18 this year, and a journey of self discovery as she discovers that her life is changing whether she wants it to or not.

There are a a few people that are slowly able to get close to Gemma and get her to open up and seeing how Gemma changes over the course of the story, as well as her always near the top of her head thoughts about her baby, is just fascinating to read.

I was totally hooked on this story, and suspect it will play on my mind for a good long while to come.

Thank you to Orion and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This was a beautifully written book. It was emotional, sad, happy all in one. I could not put this book down.

This was such an intriguing book. The topic of babies put up for adoption is widely discussed in Ireland, so reading this book was a rather timely experience for me. I enjoyed it a lot, and would for sure go back to another Debbie Johnson book.

Forever Yours by Debbie Johnson is a beautifully written story. Emotional, sad, joyful and hopeful all in one. I would recommend this for a day when you've nothing to do as you won't want to put it down.

I normally love Debbie Johnson's writing but I didn't enjoy this book unfortunately. I found the topic very triggering and difficult to read (especially when I read books for escapism). It was, at times, hard to get in to the story because of flicking back and forth from past to present.

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a lovely read. I really enjoyed reading this one. I just love this kind of books.
4 stars read for me

A powerful emotional novel which causes a rollercoaster of emotions for the reader. This is a beautifully written book, not a predictable story but extremely enjoyable.
Some difficult subjects are handled sensitively and it has a strong storyline. I would recommend this book
Thank you to Netgalley, Orion Books and Debbie Johnson for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

Brilliant book as you would expect from the author. Never read a book of hers that I have not liked. Thank you for allowing me to read and review it

Just finished this emotionally powerful and powerfully emotional book and I loved every single moment of this. I am so happy because it didn't feel so strong - emotions - charged as some of the previous novels by Debbie Johnson - they really felt heavy, much too heavy - this one was perfect. There were enough poignant moments but there were also witty moments and the general tone - even if the book touched upon some heavier issues - was light. I don't mean that the author trivialised adoption, abuse and other issues, absolutely not, she has just find the absolutely right tone and way to write about them.

Debbie Johnson can brilliantly capture emotions of her characters and so you can easily feel all of them - sadness, happiness, hope and hopelesness and the characters very quickly grow on you and you feel a part of their worlds and connect with them immediately.

The storyline flows, there is not a single flat moment but you also don't feel overwhelmed with plot. Really, you are in safe hands with Debbie Johnson.

Another fantastic story from Debbie Johnson, I love her books so much, she always writes such emotional , heartwarming stories, but ones that deal with complex issues in a sensitive manner. This one is a different style than her usual though, it deals with children in care, alcoholism, mental health and adoption. This was definitely more serious than Debbie’s previous stories, but with the subject matter it’s right, you can’t deal with these issues in a light way, this is definitely an emotional one, raw, heartbreaking , poignant and heartfelt. It’s lovely to read a change in style and story from Debbie, it may not be my favourite of all her books (mainly as it is so emotional - not a criticism, I will probably always choose something a bit brighter )but it’s a great contribution to her repertoire and a fantastic story, it’s still 5 stars regardless

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest opinion

I loved this book, as many people have said a real roller-coaster, but with a lovely ending making it all worthwhile.

Gemma reluctantly gave up her baby girl for adoption when she was a teenager, and now this 'baby' girl is about to turn 18 and so will officially be able to search for her birth mother, which Gemma is waiting for every second tof every day. There are various twists and turns and Gemma thinks a recent pupil (Gemma is a teacher) could be her daughter, which is initially made more awkward as she had just befriended this girl's mother without realising.

I just loved all the quirky characters, Gemma's downstairs neighbour Margie was fabulous and one of my favourites, but they were all great in their own way and really helped Gemma come out of her shell.

The story is all about Gemma waiting for her daughter to (hopefully) contact her, but in the meantime she's slowly becoming a bit less solitary and being dragged into peoples lives, which she finds she actually enjoys, after resisting it for so long.

A very satisfying read, with highs and lows, but ultimately a lovely ending.

Forever yours by Debbie Johnson

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5 out of 5)

Thank you mr sun for shining bright this week as this is absolutely the most perfect book to laze in the sun and read.

This is a story of Gemma who had a baby when she was 16 and gave her up for
adoption. 18 years later, she is wondering what ever happened to the baby girl she gave away.

If I had to sum this book up in one word it would be joy. Yes it is raw and heartbreaking but it is also joyous in all the best ways. It reminds us to focus on the good in ourselves and in others , reminds us to focus on the positive of what could be rather than always seeing the negative (which I am massively guilty of).

I only wish that I could have stayed in Gemma’s past a little bit longer and seen a bit more of younger Gemma.

Warning: this book will have you crying one moment and smiling the next . Honestly you need a glass of wine to cope with the rollercoaster of emotions you will go through !

I have never heard of Debbie Johnson before but if this beautiful written and perfectly crafted book is anything to go by then I have to immediately read all of her prior books and any future books! Her writing just flows and it is impossible to put this book down , it just pulls you in and refused to let you go.

Thank you @orionbooks for gifting me this fantastic book

Gemma was pregnant at the age of 16 and decided to give her daughter up for adoption as she knew she couldn't give her a stable happy life even though it broke her heart as her childhood hadn't been good and she had been in care herself
It is now 18 years later and Gemma is a teacher wondering what her daughter is like and what she is doing and makes the decision to register her details with the adoption agency in case her daughter wants to find her
An emotional read with some difficult topics

I really enjoyed the book and the characters. Unfortunately the slow pace/ part of the writing of the book just didn’t sit well with me and it made me feel the book was dragging on more than needed. I ended up skipping parts of the books that I felt were unnecessary.

I really sympathised with Gemma and her struggle to have to give up her child at a young age and still wondering over who that child has become and was it the right decision. Seeing how Gemma was raised the reader can see why she would feel that decision was the right one.

I actually likes Gemma's habit of counting things due to her anxiety and reciting random facts as they are things I can relate to both things and I love a good fact.

I did feel that Gemma’s character changed very quickly from shunning people out in order not to be hurt to welcoming multiple people into her life. I actually would have liked to have seen a slower acceptance journey of that. I couldn’t fully understand why Gemma lost contact with the social worker and foster mother who helped her so much. I felt if not the foster mother, she would have kept in touch with the social worker who helped her through all life’s event.

I enjoyed the book and would recommend cause despites its flaws it’s still a decent story.