I couldn’t put this book down and was hooked from the first page. This book shows that a mother will do whatever it takes to protect her children no matter what it costs her. I don’t want to give any spoilers so I’ll just say that there was a twist I saw coming and then there was a twist that blew my mind.

I really liked how this story sheds a positive light on therapy and how everyone processes trauma differently. There’s a heavy theme of domestic violence in this book and the author did a phenomenal job of portraying the emotions and mentality of a survivor through several different points of view.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'To Save My Daughters' by Louise Guy.

'To Save My Daughters' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Louise discusses/includes adoption, fostering, domestic abuse, physical and emotional trauma.

The first thing I have got to say that if you are a fan of books by Jodi Picoult and Nicholas Sparks then I wouldn't bother reading any further because if you love them you will definitely love this stunning book that will pull at your heart strings and bring you out in tears!! This is an absolutely fantastically written book by the very talented Louise! In this emotional rollercoaster ride we meet Tori Blackwood, a reporter for the 'Southern Insight', a current affairs show. Tori is interviewing June Marlow who is a Mum of two daughters and was arrested for murdering her husband 28 years ago. June had put up with years and years of abuse from him before she finally ended up killing him in self defence protecting herself and her daughters. However due to her shame of the abuse and keeping it hidden she ended up going to jail for murder for 28 years and her daughters were brought up by their Gran. June is due to be released but is nervous about leaving and entering society. While she has been in prison her youngest daughter Lu (Luelle) and her Mum Elena have visited her but her eldest daughter Cole refused to see her Mum. Cole was 10 when her Mum killed her Dad, seen what happened and never forgave her. Lu is an artist and dog walker and is looking forward to her Mum's release. Cole is a psychologist and trauma counsellor and despised the fact that her Mum is a murderer and that she is being interviewed by Tori. Cole refuses to get involved with the report that Tori is doing but when she ends up working with two young girls in a similar situation it gives her a new outlook. Will Tori's involvement help to bring June, Lu and Cole closer or will it bring out secrets that will make things worse? Well, if you want to discover more then grab your copy of this page turning and addictive story to find out for yourselves and I promise that you will not regret it!! With a storyline ram packed with family, heartache, secrets, trauma, emotions, lies and so much more what on Earth are you waiting for? Louise masterfully creates this emotive storyline using the multiple protagonist perspectives from June, Tori, Lu and Cole ensuring the reader gets a larger insight into how each of the main characters are thinking, feeling and going through while ensuring there is no confusion caused. This storyline does revolve around domestic abuse and violence which Louise does an absolutely fantastic job of sensitively weaving it into an emotive storyline while highlighting the red flags. She coveys the heartbreak, desperation and struggle that victims of domestic violence struggle with and after being in an abusive relationship for many years I am a huge believer that difficult topics such as abuse do need to be highlighted in books to help warn others of red flags and domestic violence while not highlighting the fact that someone is reading about this topic. Hopefully that makes sense but a huge congratulations to Louise Guy on writing about this difficult topic!! Louise writes about so many difficult topics in just one book but doesn't just manage to discuss them in a sensitive and tactful way. I don't want to go into too many details as I don't want to give too much away but make sure you have the tissues at the ready as Louise manages to make the tears flow and emotions run high. I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting as there was just no chance I was ever going to put it down until I found out what was going to happen! This storyline is rammed with emotions, secrets, family, drama, twists and turns and so, so much more. If your have ever read one of Louise's other amazing books then you know to expect an epic storyline which will leave you with tears in your eyes and if you haven't I can promise you this will be a book that you will not be forgetting about anytime soon! One thing I will say is that I was NOT expecting THOSE TWISTS!! My jaw dropped to the floor so well done Louise, again, on managing to completely shock me as it is getting harder and harder with every book I read but you certainly managed it! Louise's evocative writing skills brings the story and characters to life around you making your heart beat faster and pulls on your heart strings. An absolutely fantastic success from an extremely talented author and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next and in the meantime I am going to get stuck in to her previous books!!

The characters are strong and realistic each with their individual and unique personalities, strengths, flaws and weaknesses. June, Lu, Tori and Cole are absolutely outstanding characters that Louise clearly cares about along with the rest of her characters and she ensures that you really can see, feel and hear absolutely everything they are. I was completely invested in them from the second I met them all the way until I closed the last page but they will stay with me long after. The family dynamics in this storyline are so complex and absolutely rammed with emotions that you really do make sure you have tissues at the ready and a clear schedule before picking this book up. I was rooting for each of the characters as well as emphasising with them and had tears streaming down my eyes by the end. Louise's fantastic writing skills brings an emotive storyline to life ensuring the characters come to life and you feel everything along with them. I'm not going to say anymore about the characters as I don't want to let anything slip but Louise does a fantastic job of making realistic and strong characters that come to life in front of the readers eyes and ones that will stay with me for a very long time so a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS LOUISE!

Clear your schedules and get the tissues ready as you wont be able to put this down!! Well done Louise an yet another absolutely gorgeous emotional page turner and here's to your next success!! This is the exact reason that you are on my favourite authors club!!

Overall an addictive rollercoaster ride of emotions that will keep you turning the pages and will leave you thinking about long after you have finished.

#ToSaveMyDaughters @LouiseGuy #BoldwoodBooks #BoldwoodBloggers #theboldbookclub #Boldwood #BookAndTonic #RachelsRandomResources #rararesources

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I was fortunate to receive an ARC of this book from @rachelsrandomresources .

This is a really powerful story about mothers and daughters and family and how each person experiences a situation slightly differently. Our memory cannot be trusted to be truthful. June is being released from prison for the murder of her abusive husband and although her daughter Lu has kept in touch, daughter Cole doesn’t want anything to do with her mother. But everything is not as it seems.

A very powerful read!

**TRIGGER WARNING: Being imprisoned, estrangement, difficult family relationships, physical and emotional trauma in children and adults. Adoption and fostering. **

After My Sister's Baby, A Family's Trust and A Mother's Betrayal. I was really looking forward to another book by Loise Guy. Lu and her sister Cole have been through so much since their mother June was jailed for killing her husband in what she says is self defence.

Is it?

I'm glad that Louise Guy has a warning at the start of the book, as she deals with difficult subjects, which are the same ones that are in my trigger warning.

It's interesting to witness how both Lu and Cole try to get on with their lives, and I was hoping that they'd both be ok. Cole's work as a trauma counsellor at the Wellness Center was interesting. She and Mike make a good team. I also enjoyed how she ran the trauma group.

I liked the scenes where she was with Piper. Piper has a determined personality. and she's helpful. Her experience trauma, as well as her mother's and sister Katie's, was sad. I was concerned for them and their biological mother, Jacinta.

The community garden is a good place for people to meet and spend time.

I enjoyed the scenes at the cafeteria and the fact that Lu went there a lot. Ali was very welcoming, and Lu's art was good. I felt she was very talented. Ali was so considerate.

I liked Alex and Tory and their dedication to how to represent Lu, Cole, and June's story.

Their grandmother seemed a good person and the special bond they had with her as she brought them up really makes an impact.

I thought it was good that June and Doreen got on well.

The chapters in this book are quite long, but they're very detailed. This is neccesary and helps the book's plot. The pacing is quick, but I was able to keep track of it. It's perfect for a novel where I really wanted to know what was going to happen.

To Save My Daughters is another emotional novel with great attention to detail and it's an interesting plot that Cole is (quite rightly as you'll learn from the synopsis) concerned about June's return home, but Lu is looking forward to it. Both sisters are very different, but they get along well. I love the moments between them and their grandmother too. They are heartfelt.

Big themes are whether you can trust someone or not, learning to love and/or trust again, as well as trying to deal with trauma, secrets and lies. How each character deals with all this individually is another theme.

Tori’s backstory really shocked and saddened me. I'm glad she has her work colleague, Penny, as she is a great support to her.

Louise Guy deals with the themes very well, and, as always, gets inside the characters' heads.

5 stars.

Thanks to Louise Guy and Boldwood Books for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

A emotional read that I had a hard time putting down. What a mother does to save her daughters will hit many people involved in domestic violence. It broke my heart what it does to the survivors of domestic abuse. A few twists and turns that I did not expect in the story. I highly recommend this book.

When you break the whole book down, it was a heartbreaking read. However, I found the first “twist” was obvious. I did not expect the last twist though.

I wanted to love this book as I’ve dealt with a lot of abuse in my past and think this book is a great platform for so many different victims of abuse. Your whole life could be changed with one decision. You could feel the abuse first hand. You could try and help the person who was abused. You could witness it and be so terrified to speak out when you’ve watched the abuse occur.

Although this book did hit on the abuse, I think I dragged out way too much before it got to the main subject.

3.5 stars

When you break the whole book down, it was a heartbreaking read. However, I found the first “twist” was obvious. I did not expect the last twist though.

I wanted to love this book as I’ve dealt with a lot of abuse in my past and think this book is a great platform for so many different victims of abuse. Your whole life could be changed with one decision. You could feel the abuse first hand. You could try and help the person who was abused. You could witness it and be so terrified to speak out when you’ve watched the abuse occur.

Although this book did hit on the abuse, I think I dragged out way too much before it got to the main subject.

3.5 stars

What would you do to save your daughters, if you are June Marlow you would do anything even murder your husband and get sentenced to life in prison, but she takes with her some secrets that she hopes will never be revealed her two daughters Nicole and Lu go to live with her mother Elena.

Twenty eight years later both her daughters are now adults and the eldest who now is known as Cole has not come to see her mother in all of those years blaming her for killing her beloved father, Cole is now a trauma councellor and she has blocked out what happened all those years ago as for Lu for is an artist and dog walker she has done her best to convince Cole to visit her mother sadly with no success she visits her mother often and is excited about the fact that she coming up for parole.

June is very nervous about being released but also looking forward to being with her family again, will Cole finally talk to her? The big issue with Cole is that she saw what happened that night, will she remember, will Cole open up and will June’s secrets stay safe?

This story is heart-breaking, heart-wrenching but told so very well, MS Guy has taken on a topic, domestic violence that plays a big part, sadly in our world today and done it justice in a caring and empathetic way. There are so many wonderful characters in this story, characters who show their strength as we turn the pages and get to know them, I would highly recommend this one.

My thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for my digital copy to read and review.

Wow!! Talk about reading an awesome book!! This story blew me away!! The twist towards the end, I never saw coming!!

June Marlow was sent to prison for defending herself against her abusive husband. She was so ashamed of the abuse, that she never told anyone what her alcoholic husband was doing to her every night. But one night he loses it and tries to kill her in front of their 10 year old daughter, Nicole. So June grabbed the knife to protect her child and killed him.

She was sentenced to life in prison. She spent 28 years in jail, only seeing her mother and her youngest daughter, Lu, because Nicole was convinced she had a perfect dad.

When June is about to be released, a news journalist wants to do a story about June and other wives/partners who are jailed for defending themselves. But soon things are discovered and nothing is as it seems.

A fabulous story!

*I received a complimentary copy of this ARC via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

** spoiler alert ** When an opportunity to tell her story and how life will be after being in jail for 28 years, June and her family must deal with the consequences of what occurred.

Cole and Lu are trying to comes to terms with their Mum’s release, but Lu is feeling a bit stressed as she really want Cole to move forward.

However, when a reporter finds out information she never expected about June, everything changes.

This story is an emotion packed book that looks at family dynamics and the connection of family.

To save my daughters by Louise Guy
Pub date Feb 21 by boldwood books
This was a very thought provocative story, starting out Isiah the story of June Marlow who is serving 28 years to life for the murder of her husband which to her recount of the story was self defense! The story focus around June and her two daughter who were very young when she was incarcerated. Fast forward to 28 yrs later and much red tape and politics surrounding the possible release of June but there are fences to mend and stories to be told! This was quite an adventure as well as bittersweet for ordeal for all those involved. Miss Guy can sure spin a story and the twists out of left field still make my skin tingle!!
This was a first by her and I’m definitely looking at some others for the near future. One thing I can not resist is a good psychological drama. I’

Brilliant story full of emotion and challenge in every which way you look. This book is powerful from start to finish and is near impossible to put down!

No one believed her but she had to do it. After been in prison can she still build a future or will secrets from her past destroy everything?
Story with so many twists and turns that you keep reading.

Happy Pub Day to Louise Guy and her book To Save My Daughters!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The story takes you on a journey of how two sisters dealt with the imprisonment of their mother for killing their father. One sister is compassionate and understanding, while the other sister resents her mother and wants nothing to do with her.

After 30 years in prison, their mother is up for parole. Will she be released? How will each of the sisters cope with the possibility of their mother being set free?

I enjoyed this story and liked the characters. Louise Guy's style of writing is fantastic! The story is easy to follow and keeps you yearning for more!

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the advanced reader's copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#ToSaveMyDaughters #NetGalley
#GeneralFiction #WomensFiction #ethicaldilemma

To my shame I’ve never heard of this author before but when I was invited onto the blog tour I was immediately hooked by the book description . Can you even imagine spending almost 30
years in prison and leaving behind those you love the most . This is what happened when June Marlowe is given a 28 year prison sentence for the murder of her husband which she claims she acted in self defence . Now having been released she has to start a new life reconnecting with her family especially her 2 daughters Nicole and Lu and her mother Elena. When I started reading this book I expected to read a nice story of a family reuniting and how they all were there for each other when June was released . Well whilst this image I had was partly true, there was so much more than that in this book . It’s emotional , it’s a page turner and it had some twists that I honestly never saw coming . Each chapter kept me hooked and by the end of the book I just knew that I would be reading more by this author .

Don't let the warm cuddly cover lull you into the false sense that this is a gentle read, as it is anything but!
Dealing with serious subjects of domestic violence, family fracture, guilt, and finding your very roots pulled from beneath you, this excellent read is emotional and thought-provoking.
At times there seem to be too many coincidences but somehow it works and I never saw the ending coming!

June Marlow was arrested for the murder of her husband almost thirty years ago. Alan was about to attack her and she had to act in self-defense. Keeping the abuse secret for years did little to help June's insistence that she was a battered wife and had to kill him to save herself and her daughters. Now twenty years later June has served her time and hoping to repair the fragile relationship with her daughters. When a local TV station wants to do a story on the bound to be emotional homecoming, can June and her daughters overcome their shared past and look forward to a happy, healthy, and healing future?

This is such a heartbreaking and emotional novel! Dealing with a very difficult subject of domestic violence is never easy but the way Guy writes this as delicately as possible is brilliant. A story filled with sorrow and secrets but also love and hope.. definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Louise Guy, and Boldwood Books for this ARC. Expected publication day is February 21st 2025.

June Marlow’s existence was irrevocably altered nearly three decades ago when she was apprehended for the homicide of her abusive spouse. Despite her assertions of self-defense, she was convicted, leaving her in a state of dread regarding the future of her daughters. As her release date draws near, June experiences a tumult of emotions; she yearns for a reunion with her now-adult daughters, Lu and Cole. While Lu eagerly anticipates her mother’s return, Cole harbors feelings of resentment and unresolved emotions stemming from the traumatic events of that fateful night when she was merely ten years old. The impending reunion is laden with tension, as the specters of the past threaten to resurface, and June bears profound and troubling secrets that could jeopardize their tenuous familial connections.

Louise Guy’s compelling narrative enthralls readers with its emotional richness and sophisticated storytelling. As the characters grapple with their intricate relationships, the tension intensifies, prompting readers to ponder whether reconciliation is attainable or if the family's concealed truths will culminate in their ultimate downfall. This book has an engaging plot, and I couldn’t put it down. It had authentic characters and scenarios with whom I empathized. It is an engaging read for anyone that enjoys family drama.

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

Twenty eight years ago June Marlow pleaded guilty to the murder of her abusive husband. Fearing for the safety of herself and her two daughters she killed him in self defence. June was so ashamed, and with her self esteem battered, she had never confided in anyone about the abuse so her plea of self defence was ignored. Her daughters lost both parents on that fateful night and were brought up by June's mother. The oldest refusing to have any contact with June since she was arrested.

There are multiple themes running through this heart wrenching tale. The victim of domestic abuse ending up behind bars with a life sentence for murder, how experiencing trauma can affect your later life, the love of a mother for her children and the lengths she would go to protect them. I was enthralled by the writing, genuinely struggling to put the book down. Despite the distressing premise the book is full of compassion, emotion, sadness but also hope. There are some unexpected moments along the way which were neatly woven in, maybe a touch too neatly. Connections that were almost too contrived. That said, this is still a thought provoking, very well written story.

With thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my advanced reader copy in return for my honest and unbiased review.

When June made the ultimate decision to kill her husband not only did she get twenty-eight years in prison but she also lots her most important thing, her relationship with her two daughters. Now that time frame is about to be up however she is desperate to start new and reconnect with her family. June has always claimed self-defence for her crime and her one daughter, Lu, is fully supportive of her and even encouraging when a tv crew wants to do a special about her and her life etc. however the other two daughters aren’t as supportive and don’t want anything to do with her. I really liked the different perspectives and how the chapters were divided because it made the story much more complex and believable even though this was a fictional read. I loved how the sisters were all divided on their views of the mother and seeing where their loyalty fell was very powerful as you saw each of them struggle with the pain of losing their father but also the pain from their mother as well. When the tv crew starts to get deeper into what led to June’s crimes you really saw the family struggle with their beliefs a many of the truths start to come to light. It really left the reader pondering what was the right thing to do and seeing another side of the justice system. I liked this book as my opinions kept changing with each daughters’ side. Every time one would talk, I would understand her view but when it switched, I understood where the next one was coming from as well, so I didn’t know what to think, however that is part of what made this book so compelling and a fascinating read. I loved the way that each character was written with such depth and personality that I was completely drawn into this story. As I continued reading this book my views kept changing on what I believed really happened and I found myself understanding more and more why the characters were they way they were and why they did what they did. This was the kind of book that just envelopes the reader and makes you lose track of everything around you. I was desperate to get to the end of this book and see how it finished, however at the same time I didn’t want it to end. This book really shines a light on the fact that you never exactly know what is going on with someone behind closed doors. It is very easy for people to hide their pain from others and fake a smile and not everything that is seen on the outside is necessarily the truth. The ending left me spinning, in a good way. It was a very compelling read that I’m very glad I was given the opportunity to check out. I can’t wait for this book to be released and for everyone else to get to enjoy it just as much as I did.