Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
What a life Charlotte Rossler has led so far. From a dysfunctional home life to teen pregnancy to drugs and travel, then finally beginning to find her footing while discovering new family, it's been a tumultuous life.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. I loved this book. I loved it more because it was an autobiography. I wanted to know this woman. I wanted to be her neighbor and go through life with her. I did catch myself tearing up a few times.

Charlotte fits in nowhere, not at home, not at high school. Lonely and with no guidance, Charlotte gets pregnant at fifteen, is sent away from home and forced to give up the baby for adoption. Sometimes hard to read and emotional in places but nevertheless a good book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read 'Baby Doll: My Mother, My Secrets'l'. The author tells of her difficult childhood which was lacking in love and which projected her into a difficult adulthood. Her life has certainly been tumultuous and it was fascinating to read and to recognise her strength to be able to come through the journey.

This is about a girl called Charlotte
It is about her being pregnant in high school
And it was about her Mother who is not very well liked
I had an ARC

I have read many memoirs like this and they never get any easier to accept. Charlotte had a tumultuous childhood which left her with many scars. She lived a vagabond life in the 60-80s. It was sad to read about many of her decisions, which she paid for. I was glad she was their for her grandparents.

Baby Doll: My Mother, My Secrets (2021) is a compelling confessional narrative and debut memoir written by Charlotte Rossler. As the oldest child in an observant Catholic home of seven children, Charlotte suffered the worst physical and emotional abuse by her volatile highly disturbed parents. As an adult, she was unable to form the bonds with others that led to the genuine love and stability she craved. Instead, she sought refuge in illicit drug use, educational pursuits, and extended travel abroad. Over time, she would face multiple challenges made by poor decisions that held her back. This is Charlotte’s inspirational story.

Charlotte, forced to take full responsibility from early childhood of caring for her six half siblings while her beautiful reckless mother left California, partied in Las Vegas, and had affairs. During these multiple events, her clueless husband, a Marine, was serving two tours in Vietnam. The appalling neglect and abuse these children suffered at the hands of these horrible parents should have alerted Child Protective Services. Eventually, Charlotte sought love and validation through teen sex, and was forced to relinquish her newborn sons for adoption, after her frantic mother was unable to procure abortions.

It was the unconditional love of her grandparents that provided a sliver of hope and likely saved the family from additional failure and despair. The stability of success in marriage and family life that was celebrated by many of Charlotte’s adult siblings seemed to elude her, and the cruel unpredictable twists of fate that occurred after meeting her biological father and other family members would have caused the average person to be admitted to a psychiatric facility. This is truly a brave and courageous testament of resiliency and healing. Charlotte Rosser holds professional certification in court reporting, and has studied organizational management and creative writing in college. Many of her short stories have been featured in notable independent publications, she lives in Ventura, California. ** With thanks to BooksGoSocial via NetGalley for the DRC for the purpose of review.

Baby Doll is a non fiction book about a girl who has a complicated relationship with her mother. One of many siblings, she falls pregnant as a teenager. I found this quite a quick read and reasonably enjoyable. It's by no means a light read but worthwhile.