June Marlow killed her abusive husband in self defence but was still sent to prison. Her biggest fear was that she would never see her daughters again. A great read

I loved him… but I loved my daughters more. I knew what I had to do. I had to protect them.

To Save My Daughters is an emotional thriller that examines family, trauma, and the possibility of redemption. The novel’s protagonist, June Marlow, was found guilty of killing her abusive husband nearly 30 years earlier. As her release date nears, she longs to be with Lu, her daughter who’s excitedly awaiting her, and Cole, who’s still traumatized by the past and unforgiving.

Louise Guy’s novel masterfully blends past and present, creating a suspenseful story filled with poignant revelations and long-hidden secrets. June is shown as a vulnerable character, fighting the stigma of her past while holding onto hope for a future with her children. Lu and Cole’s alternating points of view illuminate how trauma affects memory, loyalty, and love, thus deepening the novel’s psychological impact.

As the Marlow family confronts their haunting past, the suspense ratchets up, creating a captivating read. The story examines survival, the effects of domestic abuse, and the challenging path to forgiveness. The novel explores the unsettling idea of whether it is possible to truly break free from the past.

To Save My Daughters offers a powerful and moving story that will appeal to readers who appreciate psychological dramas and domestic thrillers. This novel’s complex narrative and powerful themes leave a lasting impression on the reader.

Wow. This is a very emotional, exciting and page turning book. I couldn't put it down. The story of a mother and what she will do to protect her children it is heavy, emotional and an all in great read. But even more so this is how a family deals with the aftermath of family violence, how each person in a family sees and remembers things and how things are not always as they seem.

A book that may not be for everyone as it is quite intense but it is a great, well written and heartfelt story. The author did it justice and brought many questions to the fore. I highly recommend this book if you like an emotional, heavy, at times dark and in tense read.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

A book about things aren’t always what we think they are. When the brain changes our perceptions it changes our ways we move in life and the way the author unravels this was great!

This book was heavy - I read the authors note, and went in pretty open about what I was expecting. However, the depth of the emotion felt? That was far heavier than I ever thought possible.

June spent so long feeling shame - holding onto the shame of being a woman abused by. her husband. She never told anyone, she never spoke up - because of that shame. That shame and fear kept her silent until one night she felt her daughters were in danger and she defended all 3 of them - because of the lingering shame of abuse and the fact that she never had spoken up, she was convicted of murder and sent to jail - leaving her 2 young daughters to be raised by their grandmother.

Elena, her mother, has done her best - trying to keep the girls going following the violence, and never quite knowing exactly how bad it was. Lu visited. her mom often in prison, and so there was nothing but excitement from her to see her mom released from prison. Cole however, was 10 when her father was killed, and she remembers and feels things very differently than her sister. She has never visited her mom in prison, nor has she ever felt like she could forgive her mom.

For 28 years secrets remained locked up with June in prison. The truth of that night never really was correctly explained or shown, but through it all - the secrets unraveling, the re-introduction of Juneto society and to her daughters, the fact remains very clear - June LOVES her daughters and would do anything possible to keep them safe, no matter the cost.

This was just so heavy and yet so, so good. It's so easy to judge someone by their outward appearance, but the truth is you never know what is going on behind closed doors. Domestic Violence is very prevalent and I believe that this story is just truly needed to be shared.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review

To Save My Daughters by Louise Guy kept my interest the entire time even though there were several different stories going on at the same time. Louise Guy wraps them up quite well. There is a warning of the triggers at the beginning of the book. I really enjoyed the story and all of the characters as they all came together. The title of the book is very appropriate as the mother really did save her daughters, even if they weren’t aware of it. I liked that therapy was handled in such a positive manner.

Thanks to Louise Guy, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

A real page turner and like other reviewers I couldn't put it down. A fabulous story which had me gripped right away. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Wow! Louise guy has an absolute hit on her hands with this book. It's absolutely brilliant and a real page turner. Fantastic ending as well.

Thank you to netgalley for the chance to read this ARC.

This story was very insightful and interesting to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review. I am very happy to say that this is my first 5 Star Reading of 2025!!!

Cole & Lu were just kids when Cole was a witness to seeing her mom stabbing her father. After being found guilty her mom has been incarcerated for the last 28 years. Now there is a parole hearing coming up and there is a good chance that June will be released and will be coming home. Lu has kept up a relationship with her mom throughout her incarceration but Cole cannot bring herself to forgive her mom and has never kept in contact. Tori is a local journalist and is doing a cover story on June's case. As we delve into this case and Tori interviews June and Lu, we start to learn what happened that terrible night and why it happened. Tori will learn all the details about this case and maybe even some details that she was not expecting.......great story, great writing and the final twist was well done....Enjoy!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of To Save My Daughters by Louise Guy. This was a very heavy and emotional read. It is about feelings, emotions, domestic violence, and adoption. This story was well written with a couple of unexpected twists. The story really made you think. It is a very powerful story written with great care and compassion. I would highly recommend this book to others. It was a 4 star read for me. Well done!!

3.5 stars
This is an interesting story that I did find immediately engaging. This is the second book I’ve read by this author and they have both been well written.
There were definitely parts that were very predictable - though that wasn’t enough to spoil my enjoyment of the story.

For some reason I had a hard time connecting with the characters. Even the ones that were supposed to be sympathetic I didn’t always like and so in ways this story just didn’t reach me the way I would have expected and it meant I could put the book down easily. I wasn’t riveted to turning the pages.

There are hard topics covered in this story. In particular domestic violence is a main topic so if that is a trigger for you then you shouldn’t pick this one up.

Despite it lacking an emotional connection for me at times the story is an interesting one. If you are a fan of contemporary/women’s fiction then you should give this well written story a try.

I couldn’t put this book down and was hooked from the first page. This book shows that a mother will do whatever it takes to protect her children no matter what it costs her. I don’t want to give any spoilers so I’ll just say that there was a twist I saw coming and then there was a twist that blew my mind.

I really liked how this story sheds a positive light on therapy and how everyone processes trauma differently. There’s a heavy theme of domestic violence in this book and the author did a phenomenal job of portraying the emotions and mentality of a survivor through several different points of view.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'To Save My Daughters' by Louise Guy.

'To Save My Daughters' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Louise discusses/includes adoption, fostering, domestic abuse, physical and emotional trauma.

The first thing I have got to say that if you are a fan of books by Jodi Picoult and Nicholas Sparks then I wouldn't bother reading any further because if you love them you will definitely love this stunning book that will pull at your heart strings and bring you out in tears!! This is an absolutely fantastically written book by the very talented Louise! In this emotional rollercoaster ride we meet Tori Blackwood, a reporter for the 'Southern Insight', a current affairs show. Tori is interviewing June Marlow who is a Mum of two daughters and was arrested for murdering her husband 28 years ago. June had put up with years and years of abuse from him before she finally ended up killing him in self defence protecting herself and her daughters. However due to her shame of the abuse and keeping it hidden she ended up going to jail for murder for 28 years and her daughters were brought up by their Gran. June is due to be released but is nervous about leaving and entering society. While she has been in prison her youngest daughter Lu (Luelle) and her Mum Elena have visited her but her eldest daughter Cole refused to see her Mum. Cole was 10 when her Mum killed her Dad, seen what happened and never forgave her. Lu is an artist and dog walker and is looking forward to her Mum's release. Cole is a psychologist and trauma counsellor and despised the fact that her Mum is a murderer and that she is being interviewed by Tori. Cole refuses to get involved with the report that Tori is doing but when she ends up working with two young girls in a similar situation it gives her a new outlook. Will Tori's involvement help to bring June, Lu and Cole closer or will it bring out secrets that will make things worse? Well, if you want to discover more then grab your copy of this page turning and addictive story to find out for yourselves and I promise that you will not regret it!! With a storyline ram packed with family, heartache, secrets, trauma, emotions, lies and so much more what on Earth are you waiting for? Louise masterfully creates this emotive storyline using the multiple protagonist perspectives from June, Tori, Lu and Cole ensuring the reader gets a larger insight into how each of the main characters are thinking, feeling and going through while ensuring there is no confusion caused. This storyline does revolve around domestic abuse and violence which Louise does an absolutely fantastic job of sensitively weaving it into an emotive storyline while highlighting the red flags. She coveys the heartbreak, desperation and struggle that victims of domestic violence struggle with and after being in an abusive relationship for many years I am a huge believer that difficult topics such as abuse do need to be highlighted in books to help warn others of red flags and domestic violence while not highlighting the fact that someone is reading about this topic. Hopefully that makes sense but a huge congratulations to Louise Guy on writing about this difficult topic!! Louise writes about so many difficult topics in just one book but doesn't just manage to discuss them in a sensitive and tactful way. I don't want to go into too many details as I don't want to give too much away but make sure you have the tissues at the ready as Louise manages to make the tears flow and emotions run high. I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting as there was just no chance I was ever going to put it down until I found out what was going to happen! This storyline is rammed with emotions, secrets, family, drama, twists and turns and so, so much more. If your have ever read one of Louise's other amazing books then you know to expect an epic storyline which will leave you with tears in your eyes and if you haven't I can promise you this will be a book that you will not be forgetting about anytime soon! One thing I will say is that I was NOT expecting THOSE TWISTS!! My jaw dropped to the floor so well done Louise, again, on managing to completely shock me as it is getting harder and harder with every book I read but you certainly managed it! Louise's evocative writing skills brings the story and characters to life around you making your heart beat faster and pulls on your heart strings. An absolutely fantastic success from an extremely talented author and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next and in the meantime I am going to get stuck in to her previous books!!

The characters are strong and realistic each with their individual and unique personalities, strengths, flaws and weaknesses. June, Lu, Tori and Cole are absolutely outstanding characters that Louise clearly cares about along with the rest of her characters and she ensures that you really can see, feel and hear absolutely everything they are. I was completely invested in them from the second I met them all the way until I closed the last page but they will stay with me long after. The family dynamics in this storyline are so complex and absolutely rammed with emotions that you really do make sure you have tissues at the ready and a clear schedule before picking this book up. I was rooting for each of the characters as well as emphasising with them and had tears streaming down my eyes by the end. Louise's fantastic writing skills brings an emotive storyline to life ensuring the characters come to life and you feel everything along with them. I'm not going to say anymore about the characters as I don't want to let anything slip but Louise does a fantastic job of making realistic and strong characters that come to life in front of the readers eyes and ones that will stay with me for a very long time so a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS LOUISE!

Clear your schedules and get the tissues ready as you wont be able to put this down!! Well done Louise an yet another absolutely gorgeous emotional page turner and here's to your next success!! This is the exact reason that you are on my favourite authors club!!

Overall an addictive rollercoaster ride of emotions that will keep you turning the pages and will leave you thinking about long after you have finished.

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I was fortunate to receive an ARC of this book from @rachelsrandomresources .

This is a really powerful story about mothers and daughters and family and how each person experiences a situation slightly differently. Our memory cannot be trusted to be truthful. June is being released from prison for the murder of her abusive husband and although her daughter Lu has kept in touch, daughter Cole doesn’t want anything to do with her mother. But everything is not as it seems.

A very powerful read!

**TRIGGER WARNING: Being imprisoned, estrangement, difficult family relationships, physical and emotional trauma in children and adults. Adoption and fostering. **

After My Sister's Baby, A Family's Trust and A Mother's Betrayal. I was really looking forward to another book by Loise Guy. Lu and her sister Cole have been through so much since their mother June was jailed for killing her husband in what she says is self defence.

Is it?

I'm glad that Louise Guy has a warning at the start of the book, as she deals with difficult subjects, which are the same ones that are in my trigger warning.

It's interesting to witness how both Lu and Cole try to get on with their lives, and I was hoping that they'd both be ok. Cole's work as a trauma counsellor at the Wellness Center was interesting. She and Mike make a good team. I also enjoyed how she ran the trauma group.

I liked the scenes where she was with Piper. Piper has a determined personality. and she's helpful. Her experience trauma, as well as her mother's and sister Katie's, was sad. I was concerned for them and their biological mother, Jacinta.

The community garden is a good place for people to meet and spend time.

I enjoyed the scenes at the cafeteria and the fact that Lu went there a lot. Ali was very welcoming, and Lu's art was good. I felt she was very talented. Ali was so considerate.

I liked Alex and Tory and their dedication to how to represent Lu, Cole, and June's story.

Their grandmother seemed a good person and the special bond they had with her as she brought them up really makes an impact.

I thought it was good that June and Doreen got on well.

The chapters in this book are quite long, but they're very detailed. This is neccesary and helps the book's plot. The pacing is quick, but I was able to keep track of it. It's perfect for a novel where I really wanted to know what was going to happen.

To Save My Daughters is another emotional novel with great attention to detail and it's an interesting plot that Cole is (quite rightly as you'll learn from the synopsis) concerned about June's return home, but Lu is looking forward to it. Both sisters are very different, but they get along well. I love the moments between them and their grandmother too. They are heartfelt.

Big themes are whether you can trust someone or not, learning to love and/or trust again, as well as trying to deal with trauma, secrets and lies. How each character deals with all this individually is another theme.

Tori’s backstory really shocked and saddened me. I'm glad she has her work colleague, Penny, as she is a great support to her.

Louise Guy deals with the themes very well, and, as always, gets inside the characters' heads.

5 stars.

Thanks to Louise Guy and Boldwood Books for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

A emotional read that I had a hard time putting down. What a mother does to save her daughters will hit many people involved in domestic violence. It broke my heart what it does to the survivors of domestic abuse. A few twists and turns that I did not expect in the story. I highly recommend this book.

When you break the whole book down, it was a heartbreaking read. However, I found the first “twist” was obvious. I did not expect the last twist though.

I wanted to love this book as I’ve dealt with a lot of abuse in my past and think this book is a great platform for so many different victims of abuse. Your whole life could be changed with one decision. You could feel the abuse first hand. You could try and help the person who was abused. You could witness it and be so terrified to speak out when you’ve watched the abuse occur.

Although this book did hit on the abuse, I think I dragged out way too much before it got to the main subject.

3.5 stars

When you break the whole book down, it was a heartbreaking read. However, I found the first “twist” was obvious. I did not expect the last twist though.

I wanted to love this book as I’ve dealt with a lot of abuse in my past and think this book is a great platform for so many different victims of abuse. Your whole life could be changed with one decision. You could feel the abuse first hand. You could try and help the person who was abused. You could witness it and be so terrified to speak out when you’ve watched the abuse occur.

Although this book did hit on the abuse, I think I dragged out way too much before it got to the main subject.

3.5 stars

What would you do to save your daughters, if you are June Marlow you would do anything even murder your husband and get sentenced to life in prison, but she takes with her some secrets that she hopes will never be revealed her two daughters Nicole and Lu go to live with her mother Elena.

Twenty eight years later both her daughters are now adults and the eldest who now is known as Cole has not come to see her mother in all of those years blaming her for killing her beloved father, Cole is now a trauma councellor and she has blocked out what happened all those years ago as for Lu for is an artist and dog walker she has done her best to convince Cole to visit her mother sadly with no success she visits her mother often and is excited about the fact that she coming up for parole.

June is very nervous about being released but also looking forward to being with her family again, will Cole finally talk to her? The big issue with Cole is that she saw what happened that night, will she remember, will Cole open up and will June’s secrets stay safe?

This story is heart-breaking, heart-wrenching but told so very well, MS Guy has taken on a topic, domestic violence that plays a big part, sadly in our world today and done it justice in a caring and empathetic way. There are so many wonderful characters in this story, characters who show their strength as we turn the pages and get to know them, I would highly recommend this one.

My thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for my digital copy to read and review.