was unable to download this in time to read it before it was archived. Gutted as it sounds great so I'll be looking for it elsewhere to read it

A heartbreaking read, however, I would highly recommend all to read, as it so eye-opening and most definitely worth it.

It's hard to conceive that some children who have a seemingly complete family unit end up in foster care. But this is what happens to Lucy. Her father and three siblings were abandoned by her mother when she was four. One stepmother didn't work out, the next one is your quintessential wicked stepmother. Lucy is hard work, it's true: over-exuberant, temperamental…a bit of a wild child. But an absent mother and then two unpleasant stepmothers certainly don't help. After being dumped on two aunties, then a grandmother, none of whom can cope with her, foster carers Angela and Jonathan take her in.

This is Angela's true story…a foster carer for many years…of Lucy. An eye-opening account of the life of a foster carer, how they cope (are they saints?) with children of wide-ranging distress and trauma, red tape, the constraints they face, and in Lucy's case, unpleasant people.

There wasn't anything wrong with Lucy that a stable, loving, understanding family unit couldn't have put right. But enter Wendy, stepmum number two and with her, the inevitability of Lucy's behavioural deterioration and fallout of rejection. Wendy is a piece of work, an evil piece of work. As for Dean, Lucy's dad, I have nothing but contempt for him. He's a limp rag who dances to Wendy's tune. Instead of putting his immediate family first, he let Wendy and her sultry daughter rule the roost. The names have obviously been changed, but if either of them read this book, they will know who they are, and I hope they hang their heads in shame. The poignancy and heartbreak are Lucy's eternal and profound love for her daddy and steadfast conviction that her foster care is minimally temporary.

I don't often read non-fiction books, but Hart has a very engaging style to relate her foster-caring experiences: it's like reading a (very compelling) novel. It's tragic to remember it's all true.

We do get to learn where and how Lucy ends up. It's a bumpy road, for sure…I won't spoil it, but let's just say, Angela did good!

I now know just a teensy bit more about foster caring than I did before. One thing is certain, some foster carers are amazing: their patience, tolerance and unconditional love for their wards is truly awesome.

A powerful and emotional read based on a true story. A heartbreaker of a memoir. Thank you netgalley and the publisher.

Strengthen your hearts for this one because it will break you! Powerful, emotional, and the reality that some children are facing.

I really enjoyed the style of writing and the insightful look at what it is like to be a foster parent. I found that Angela is very good at grasping child psychology and says things as they are but without prying into the ‘dirty details’. My heart went out to Lucy as I was reading this very sad tale. But there is a brand of optimism as well, and I even picked up a few parenting tips from Angela and Jonathan!

Such a lovely but sad book. Lucy ends up in foster care when her stepmother finds her difficult to live with, she adores her dad and her siblings and finds it hard to be away from them. But despite trying hard she just cannot connect. Instead of being in foster care for a few months it drags on. Luckily she has excellent foster carers in Angela and her husband Jonathan - with a lot of firm boundaries and a lot of love they help a confused 8 year old try to make sense of the world around her.

A truly shocking and frustrating case. My heart broke for Lucy and the neglect and abuse she endured by her manipulative parents. Thankfully she was placed in to amazing loving foster care of Angela and her Husband who tirelessly worked through her issues, feelings and broken soul and believed in her!.
A very well written emotional book.
My thanks go to the publisher, author and Netgalley in providing this arc in return for a honest review.

Three and a half star rating.
A true story of an 8 year old girl who was placed in foster care because the stepmother couldn’t or wouldn’t look after her. A heartbreaking read of how a small girl was continually let down by the system, an overbearing, nasty woman and a weak willed father. It takes a special kind of person to foster children and thankfully there are those who are prepared to look after and heal damaged children. This book should come complete with tissues!

Bluebird Press invited me to read The Girl Who Wanted to Belong way back in July, and although it's not the kind of book that I would normally pick up I thought I'd push myself out of my comfort zone and give it a go. Unfortunately, I was right and it really wasn't the book for me.

I admire the work that Angela and Jonathan do as foster carers, but the way that Lucy's story is told is counter-intuitive. Focusing on the first year that she spent in foster care causes the book to move very slowly and to be highly repetitive, particularly when Lucy's parents continually skip meetings and cancel visits with little to no warning or reason.

Meanwhile, the epilogue crams the rest of Lucy's life with Angela and Jonathan into just a few pages, but I found this section far more interesting. I would have found this story far more engaging if the pacing had been better - instead I abandoned it regularly throughout the course of the past six months, which I hardly ever do.

A huge thanks to Bluebird Press for thinking of me and allowing me to read this title for review, I'm just sorry that it wasn't more to my taste.

As a mother of 3 children, I found this an emotional and touching story. This is not the type of book that I would normally read, however I got totally engrossed in the story and was desperate for there to be a happy ending for Lucy. I’ll definitely read more of Angela Hart’s books in future.

As a teaching assistant in a mainstream school, so much of this true story pulled at my heartstrings. I felt such empathy for Lucy, Angela and Johnathan and the journey they travelled together and anger at Lucy's family, that they couldn't see what Angela could. A good read and I'll be reading more of Angela Hart's books.

As I expected given the type of book this was, it was a hard one to get through. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the read because I did. It was the content which, at times, was hard to keep reading. My heart goes out to everyone involved in this case, and similar ones over the last few years.

This is an incredibly bittersweet story told as if you were having a cup of tea with Angela Hart, swapping experiences. It leaves you wondering how any parent could treat their child like that and makes you grateful for good foster carers like Hart. Without her, who knows what would have happened to the children she takes in.

A tender read for fans of real people's autobiographies.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

Heartbreaking story, she wanted to be part of a family and no one seems to realise that her behaviour is down to how she feels. I found myself willing someone to see the whole picture and give this little girl the love she needs.

This is a very emotional book so tissues at the ready. Lucy is an 8 year old little girl who's short life has been unsettled by firstly being abandoned by her mother who is then replaced by an aunt and stepmother, neither of which appear to want her. Lucy is placed in foster care which she believes to be a temporary arrangement and so the heartache and turmoil begins for Lucy. With a stepmother like Wendy I began to think Lucy was fortunate to be in care but on the other hand I felt tremendous sadness that at 8 years-old a child was subjected to such rejection by her family. Her father, I thought, must be totally spineless to be so under Wendy's thumb but still Lucy adored him. This book left me feeling sad and outraged in behalf of Lucy but also thankful that foster parents like Angela and Johnathan are there to pick up the pieces and give support

This is a true story written by the experienced foster carer and author, Angela Hart. It follows the story of Lucy as she first comes to Angela and her husband as a voluntary respite placement when her father and stepmother are unable to cope with her and want a few weeks to try to work things out. The father and stepmother have kept Lucy’s siblings at home, together with Lucy’s stepsister, who used to be Lucy’s best friend.
Lucy appears to happy and although intense in her behaviour, demanding of adult attention, it is hard for Angela to see what the problem is. It soon becomes apparent to Angela that the problems may lie within the family dynamics, rather than with Lucy herself. But is it really possible that a father could chose his new wife over his eight year old daughter (who had already been abandoned by her birth mother)?
It is really a book that shows fact is more sad and awful than fiction and it makes me thankful that we have wonderful foster carers such as Angela fighting for children like Lucy.
I was horrified that social services allowed the voluntary arrangement to continue for so long and did not give certainty and security for Lucy by applying for an order to make arrangements permanent.
A great read.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another amazing book by Angela Hart. The story of this young girl, rejected by her fathers new girlfriend and cast out of the home and into foster care, is just heartbreaking. Angela and her husband are true saints for keeping their cool and for the loving home they offer.

A very sad story told with good humour and care. I am glad all the patience and perception won out in the end. Definitely recommended for people interested in what really happens when a child needs foster care.

Such a heart breaking story but it shows how wonderful foster parents are in very difficult situations. Not my usual genre but glad I read this book.