DO NOT START THIS UNTIL YOU CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULES AS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN!!!!… I absolutely LOVED…

This is definitely a page turner with lots of emotional family secrets! Once I started the book I didn't put it down, the author had my attention and interest from the first chapter and I was up until 1:20am to finish it!
The characters and storyline are so real and it is a reality many can and do face. This family has lots of dysfunction, hurt and changes in their relationships.
This is a good read that I am sure most who thought they'd enjoy it will!

What an absolutely incredible eye opening read. I couldn’t put this down. I felt for this family so much, they’ve been through so much. I couldn’t imagine what they were going through. My heart broke for them and I just wanted them all to have a happy ending.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from Netgalley. This was an engaging family drama. Craven created real sympathy for Violet's situation, and while none of the adults, except Violet's husband, were that likeable, this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. The ending felt realistic and provided a satisfying close. I also liked the subtle reference to a previous book by Craven (not least because it answered my question as to whether I'd read other books by the author...)

This book was drama filled and so good!

Corinne and Violet's mother is controlling to say the least. Violet finds herself pregnant at sixteen and the family lies start to snowball.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read!

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy of She Was Never Yours to Take in exchange for my honest review.

This story explores themes of grief, regret, and family secrets in a thoughtful way. While the cover and blurb initially led me to expect a thriller, the book is more accurately a family drama. I appreciated the dual POV structure, which gave depth to both main characters and allowed me to empathize with, as well as be frustrated by, their choices. Overall, this was a compelling and worthwhile read, though I felt the ending could have been stronger to leave a more lasting impression.

Really decent read, a little bit slow starting but worth it. I read this book within a day. Really enjoyed it xx

A fast paced thriller and addictive read full of secrets which held my interest in the storyline from the very first page. All the characters were easy to get on with but not all likeable in my opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC which I have no hesitation in recommending.

When you become pregnant at sixteen, your world is most likely turned upside down. It’s a fact that it’s very young, but there are plenty of teenage mothers who, with the right support, can make it work. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Violet cannot count on when she finds herself in this situation.

Her manipulative mother, Lois, clearly the mater familias, has a completely different plan in mind, and everyone has to go along with it—whether they want to or not.

We jump sixteen years ahead in the story and pick up where Violet is pregnant again, and her raging hormones are dragging up the past, threatening to turn the lives of many people upside down.
Will Lois once again pull all the strings, or will she meet resistance this time?

I found it heartbreaking to read how Violet’s voice wasn’t heard and how she was pushed into a situation she didn’t agree with, yet could do nothing about at the time.

However, I found the adult Violet less sympathetic. Wanting to push through without considering how it might affect others is not a solution. It only drives people apart instead of bringing them together.

In her defense, she was still under Lois’s pressure, and it’s not always easy to break free from someone’s control.

There were emotional parts in the story, but it perhaps touched me less than I had expected. I think that’s partly because of the people who raised Violet’s baby and partly because of Violet’s passivity.

Lois’s behavior leaves much to be desired, but Violet’s approach isn’t the best either.

Good story, smoothly written, but for me, it could have been more emotional. 4 stars.

Thank you

So many emotions wrapped into this book.
4.3/5 ⭐️

Wasn’t expecting this book to be so emotional and gut wrenching. I felt the emotions from all characters. I could honestly see this being a movie in the future.
Caught my attention from the beginning and held on the hold ride!
Intense, dark, twisty, full of secrets and family drama. Everything you could ask for.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this arc in exchange of my honest review.
Definitely interested in reading more books by Jen Craven

This book was extremely emotional definitely a page turner! Not quite what I was expecting ing, but ma I could feel the tension between every character and honestly felt the stress as if I were going through it myself. Written very well!

This book is a heartbreaking story that had me on a roller coaster of emotions! It is a little twisty but not like a typical thriller.

I received a free copy of, She Was Never Yours to Take, by Jen Craven, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Violet has a secret, she gave up a baby as a teenager, it was raised by her sister, now she is pregnant with her husbands Reid child, and she has a lot of feelings and emotions going on, does she tell, or keep it to herself. This book has some twists and tuns i did not see coming, such an amazing read.

"She was never yours to take" is a story about the Arbor Family and all the lies and secrets that hold them together. Lois, the mother, pulls all the strings while her children, Violet and Corinne, feel the effects. From dodgy business deals to questioned parentage nothing is as it seems.
The book is written with great twists and secrets but with that said I can't put my finger on what it was missing. It didn't leave me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next, instead I could easily put it down for the night and forget about it. However, that does not take away from the story itself and the writing being emotional and intense at times.

So utterly heartbreaking feeling and it is such a difficult situation. Violet is just sixteen years old when her family basically forces her to give up her baby to her older sister Corrine. Corrine raises and cares for Carley for sixteen years when Violet falls pregnant again and wants to tell Carley the truth. As a mother this story will tug hard on your heart and it's unimaginable but it takes a few surprising turns and I felt for both Corrine and Violet. Once the plot took a turn for the worse and I burst into tears but by the end of the book I was happily smiling again. It has a addictive edge that will have you mesmerised.

I should have read this blurb closer. I thought it was going to be a thriller but it was not. Lots of family lies and relationship dynamics in this book. One girl has a baby and the mom makes her give it to her sister. Overall I skimmed it.

When Violet became pregnant at the age of 16, she knew she wanted her baby. But her mother had different plans and Violet was bullied into giving up her daughter and allowing her older sister to raise her as her own. That moment in Violet’s life all came crashing down on her 16 years later when she was pregnant again. She needed to make some choices, open up to her husband, and decide which direction she wanted her life to go. People would be hurt, others would be angry, but Violet could no longer remain silent.

This book is heartbreaking, it’s compelling, and it’s beautifully written. I could not put it down. I highly recommend this one.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced reader copy of this 5-star book.

Wow, this was a great book! It was a heartbreaking book that leaves you feeling pain for everyone involved. Violet having to give up her baby…. When is there ever a right time to blow everything up and reveal this secret to your daughter; the one who was taken away and raised by your sister. Ugh. I felt so many things reading this.

Wow what a heartbreaking read about a family secret that has been kept for 16 years. When Violet was 16 years old she got pregnant and her parents persuaded her that she should give the baby up to her elder sister Corinne to raise. Now 16 years later Violet is pregnant again and feels the time is right to tell Carley the truth only problem is that she doesn’t consider anyone else in this idea and ends up blowing up the lives of everyone in her family. As they all come to terms with what has happened no one will ever be the same and is the damage too much to ever fix. Will she regain her daughter or has she lost everyone for good. There are no winners or losers in this story and I felt for everyone involved but also when would have been the right time to tell the truth. A great read!

I felt a range of emotions while reading this book. Imagine being forced to give up your baby at the age of 16 to your older sister. It is a choice no girl or woman should ever have to make.