Book Review: When You Were Mine by Kate Hewitt

Sometimes all you need is a good cry. This next book will certainly get you on your way, especially all you mothers out there.

Goodreads Blurb

When You Were Mine by Kate Hewitt

“Dylan…” I croak, but my little boy doesn’t even look at me. “Dylan,” I say again, my voice breaking now, and the social worker gives me a reproving look. I’m not helping, but I don’t care. “Dylan!” My voice is louder now, and my gaze stays locked with my son’s as she pulls away from the curb and drives away, taking my very life with her.

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—something Beth can’t help but witness when she visits.

Beth wants nothing more than to find a way to bring her beloved child home. But where is the right home for Dylan? Is it with the mother he was born to? Or is a new mother the greatest gift Beth could give her son?

A beautiful, powerful and ultimately hopeful story of the heartbreaking power of a mother’s love, for fans of Diane Chamberlain, Jodi Picoult and Jojo Moyes.

Review

When You Were Mine is such a heartfelt book. I’m not a mother so I couldn’t fully imagine what a situation like Beth’s must feel like but the author’s credible stance on the story gave me an inkling into the type of heartbreak having your child taken away might bring.

Despite the alternating chapters between Beth and Ally, at one point it felt like the main focus of the book was Beth and her story. However, as the story unravelled we are introduced more to Ally’s life as a mother to her own two children and it becomes apparent that When You Were Mine is not just a book about Beth and Dylan, it is a reflection on motherhood as a whole and the different problems mothers face. Quite simply, it tells us that nobody is perfect.

While I felt sympathetic toward both Beth and Ally, I also compassion toward Susan, Beth’s case worker. It was nice to read a story where child services is not the villain. No doubt they aren’t perfect but there are people out there like Susan who really want to help struggling families.

I really enjoyed When You Were Mine. This is my second book from the author and certainly want to read more.

When You Were Mine is available to buy now.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.