
Member Reviews

First, I want to thank Louise Guy, Boldwood Books, Rachel's Random Resources and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.
WOW! Louise Guy To Save My Daughters is an insanely addicting powerful read that everyone will be talking about. As I was reading this book I could see the movie version play within my head. Seriously though this would be an amazing NetFlix series! This is a book that deserves way more than 5 stars and needs to be put on your TBR list. It is a must read. Louise is a very talented storyteller.
I appreciated Louise’s author note in the beginning of the book giving us readers a heads up that this book contains domestic abuse. Many authors don’t go above and beyond to forewarn their reader of such triggers.
How could you not feel empathy for the daughters in this book whose Mother killed their Father out of self defense? Then raised by their Gram? I can’t imagine watching your Mother kill your Father. After seeing my Dad die I can understand it messing you up emotionally.
To Save My Daughters is filled with deep, intense, suspenseful, powerful, heartbreaking storylines with important meanings behind them. Louise thought outside of the creative box when she wrote this and it is amazing!
The budding friendship between Ali and Lu really made me smile.
To Save My Daughter has many storylines within the storylines that are very detailed.
Louise’s climax to this book was the best I have ever seen in any book before. I was in shock and literally in tears as the revelation was coming to head!! My heart just broke when everything came to head during that scene.

I’m brand new to the Louise Guy party but I’m here to stay. Fantastic characters and storytelling. This was a rollercoaster ride that kept me flipping pages long into the night. Dark and disturbing scenarios that left me not knowing who to trust until the very end. Enjoyed this book very much.
Thank you NetGalley, Louise Guy and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this book

This was a different kind of subject matter for me, I found it to be very emotional and it really kept me intrigued to see how June settled back into life after her release from prison. It was at times a difficult read, but I stuck with it, as really wanted to discover how June's life turned out

Holy cow. This is an incredible story. It gave me the chills. I cannot say enough good things about it. This is an incredibly raw and powerful story about a mother’s unwavering love for her children and her ultimate sacrifice to protect them. It highlights the emotional turmoil experienced by those in abusive relationships and emphasizes the importance of seeking support and resources.
After enduring years of abuse, June Marlow kills her husband in self-defense, though she lacks the evidence to back up her claim. Fast forward twenty years later, to June’s impending release date. Luella and Nicole, June’s daughters, are forced to confront their own confusion and unease surrounding the night their father was as murdered and the lasting impact his death and their mother’s imprisonment has had on their lives afterwards.
Lu is an artist, and expresses her grief and pain through art. As a trauma therapist, Nicole helps others navigate their own trauma but struggles to confront her own. Cole can’t remember that night and harbours resentment for her mom, believing that she destroyed their family. During her work, Cole encounters a little girl who has experienced a similar situation. As Nicole helps the little girl, she also learns how to cope with her own experience.
I really loved the ending. It is really heartfelt and focuses on the strength and resilience of the family and the coming together to heal and rebuild after a life-altering traumatic event.

I really like the premise of To Save My Daughters. The "victims behind bars" storyline is pretty interesting because it is something that actually happens in real life. My main issue with the book was more that it just seemed fairly predictable and the characters seemed a bit flat, imo. I appreciate the author showing just how far a mother would go to protect her children, but it just moved a bit slow for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The writing in this book is so descriptive that I literally felt like I could jump into the pages and instantly be part of the story. I would highly recommend.

I wanted VERY MUCH wanted to like this book, and it greatly saddens me that I did not. However, there is DEFINITELY an audience of readers that will greatly disagree with me. If you are a lover of Jodi Picoult, Cathrine Ryan Hyde, or even Colleen Hoover, you will, most probably, vehemently disagree with me; You will like this book.
I nearly abandoned it several times, but regretfully, stayed with it because I had been given the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC), thus finishing out my agreement. The one positive thing I can say about it is that it was a very brisk read.
Heavy in character development and dialogue, it was a rapid page turner, with many implausible twists and turns that will delight readers who love the above listed authors’ works. BUT for me…it all felt far too manufactured and contrived. I just did not care for its characters and as the twists were revealed, I became more and more disappointed. But that’s the wonderful element about books; they speak to us in so many different forms. Do not, however, let my punishing review stop you from reading it, nor enjoying it, as I may be in the minority here.
Thank you to author, Louise Guy, publisher, Boldwood Books, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are wholly my own. This book is due out for the general public on February 21, 2025.

To Save My Daughters by Louise Guy is a gripping, emotional tale about June Marlow’s release from prison after being convicted of murdering her abusive husband nearly thirty years ago. As she prepares to reunite with her estranged daughters, June must confront the painful truths of the past. While one daughter, Lu, yearns for a fresh start with her mother, the other, Cole, harbors deep resentment and secrets of her own. This powerful story explores the complexities of trauma, forgiveness, and family bonds, offering a raw and poignant look at the struggle for healing and redemption.

To save my daughters - I would highly recommend to family and friends. I love author’s that can describe a scene and you are immediately there, you close your eyes and you picture the scene. This author does that for me.

I'd like to thank Netgalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of To Save My Daughters.
I just have to say WOW to this book! I have very rarely been so surprised by a book before! I can't wait to get my hands on another book by Louise Guy.
I cried so many times and found myself staying up way too late reading. I just couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book!

Wow! This was very unexpected! June is close to being released from prison after serving a sentence for murdering her abusive husband. Whilst Lu, one of her daughters, has visited frequently, June hasn't seen her other daughter, Cole, since the night of the murder. Cole blames June for taking away her father and for the loss of her mother, with June having been incarcerated for the majority of the girls' childhoods.
A local TV station wants to do a piece on the family, to tie in with June's release, which will be covered by Tori Blackwood, a young and upcoming news reporter. Cole refuses to be involved, but when her job as a counsellor brings her into contact with two young girls in a similar situation, it makes her rethink her feelings about her own mother.
Meanwhile, just as I thought that's all there was to the story, a sweet and emotional reunion between June and her girls, there were some completely unexpected twists that took my breath away - brilliant!
4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Louise Guy and Boldwood for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Many years ago, June made a decision that would permanently affect her life as well as the lives of her young daughters. After being abused for far too long, things finally reached a breaking point. She’s convicted of murder, and her daughters are sent to live with their grandmother. But now she’s served her time and will soon be for parole. Lu has maintained contact with her mother and is excited to begin this new chapter of their lives. Cole, however, hasn’t forgiven her mother and refuses to acknowledge that a relationship may be possible. This is a good story with decent characters. It touches on a topic that is far too common for far too many families.

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book at first, but I quickly realized I absolutely would not want to put it down. It's fiction, but I'm telling you what..it's also a sad reality. The author did great with making the reader feel the emotions as things happened. It could possibly be a trigger for some, I'm sure as domestic violence takes place and that can be hard for some to get through. I thought it was very well executed!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.
I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

(English is not my native language, so I apologize for any mistakes.)
This is a terrible and unfortunately realistic story about domestic violence. Even though this is a hardhitting story, the writer has written it in a beautiful and gentel way.
However, I figured out in which direction the story was going... Otherwise this would have been a more emotional story for me...
I am very interested in other books by this author (back and frontlist).

A cleverly written family drama filled with sadness and suspense. The emotions had me tearing up. The happiness had me rejoicing. The author is a master at bringing your emotions to the surface.

A good gripping read although a bit of a dark read in places.
The characters were well described but for me personally I preferred her previous book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC which I can thoroughly recommend.

Such a gripping and emotional read at times, This was a tough read in places but I loved every chapter and will be looking out for more books by this author .

June Marlow was so ashamed and humiliated to tell anyone her husband was abusing her, one night twenty eight years ago the violence escalated and she defended herself and protected her two daughters. June was convicted of murder, she was sent to jail and her girls were raised by their grandmother.
A nervous June has served her time and is due to be paroled, while her mother Elena and her daughter Lu have visited over the years, her oldest daughter hasn't and refuses see or forgive her. June has been hiding a secret and she’s not the only one and she sacrificed a lot for her children and did what she thought was the right thing at the time.
Lu a struggling artist and part time dog walker is excited her mum is being released and she can’t wait to give her a big hug. Cole feels very defiantly, a psychologist and trauma counsellor, she was ten when her mother killed her father and she’s never forgiven her. Cole hates how her mother being a murderer grabs the media’s attention, she’s worried about it happening again and then she finds out a TV network is considering doing a story on women in jail and she wishes they would mind their own business.
I received a copy of To Save My Daughters from NetGalley and Boldwood book in exchange for an honest review. One in every four women in Australia is a victim of domestic violence and Louise Guy story empathises how it can happen to anyone and in all walks of life and we don't know what goes on behind closed doors.
I really liked Lou and Ali and Luella, and Cole, Tori and June grew on me and they added diversity and alternate points of view to the narrative. Another five star read, a story with lots of highs and lows and made me think what I would do if I was in the same position as the characters and Louise Guy is well on her way to being Australia’s version of Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Do you like women’s fiction? To Save My Daughters by Louise Guy was a book I couldn’t put down until the very end.