Once You Were Mine by Elizabeth Langston is a poignant and emotionally charged novel that delves into the complexities of family, secrets, and healing. The story unfolds across two timelines: one in 1968, where a teenage girl’s life is torn apart by an unplanned pregnancy, an abusive maternity home, and the heartbreak of losing her child through adoption; and the other in the present day, where Allison Garrett, a "search angel" helping people find lost relatives, uncovers a deeply personal connection that could change everything for her family.

Langston expertly weaves together these two narratives, blending historical trauma with present-day discoveries, as Allison’s genealogy search uncovers more than she expected. The emotional depth of the characters, especially the struggles of the teenage mother and the weight of Allison’s search, makes for a compelling read. The themes of shame, loss, and the longing for connection resonate deeply, drawing readers into a story that examines how the past shapes the present—and whether redemption and healing are possible.

With beautifully crafted prose and sensitive handling of difficult subjects, Once You Were Mine is a heartfelt exploration of family, identity, and the long-lasting effects of generational trauma. It's a captivating story that will stay with readers long after they've turned the final page.

A heart-wrenching tale of losing and finding family. I really enjoyed the overall story and how intertwined all the characters were. It had a ton of surprising moments and it was quite emotional how these unwed girls/women were treated. It's sad to know that this is actually how things were often handled. I love the intertwining of old and new technologies as this is how many people now are finding their long lost family members.

I look forward to reading more by this author. The audio book and narration was well done and kept me in the story the whole time.

A superbly crafted piece of work by Elizabeth Langston, reflecting the nature of homes for unwed mothers in the 1960’s and the ways in which these young women were manipulated and deceived into giving away their babies to adoptive families. Once You Were Mine is a compelling and emotional story that portrays Molly’s struggle and heartache and the rippling effects decades later when the hidden past is uncovered through DNA.

The audio narration from Austenne Grey is perfect. She voices the story with such empathy and sensitivity towards the characters and their situations.

I highly recommend this book - it felt realistic and insightful.

I received a complimentary audio copy of this book from the publisher, Brilliance Publishing. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This historical fiction novel has the perfect balance of the multiple POV in different times. One timeline is the 1960s where we have Molly, a teenager who has gotten pregnant. Her parents send her to a special maternity home where she is deceived into giving up her offspring. The other timeline is the present day, where Allison is using DNA samples to find out more about her mother’s birth family because her mother was adopted.

Now, usually when I read a dual timeline historical fiction novel, one story is stronger than the other. However, this book’s main characters have equal weight and depth to their characterizations. This book is full of emotions as Molly learns to live without her child and make a life of her own, and Allison’s research into closed adoptions to find out more about her mother’s birth family.

Austenne Grey, the narrator of this story, does an admirable job of keeping the listener engaged with her storytelling abilities. I would definitely listen to something by Grey again.

What an emotional story! I liked the dual timelines and characterization. If you are into genealogy and ancestry, you will enjoy this fantastic book.

Many thanks for my gifted copy. My review will be shared to my Instagram account shortly.

ONCE YOU WERE MINE by Elizabeth Langston

Austenne Grey does a fine reading of this story. The voice of Molly really stood out for me. A first time narrator for me and I would like to hear her voice in other audiobooks.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the audiobook

A deeply moving family drama using DNA testing that uncovers deep-rooted family secrets.

Told in dual timelines from the 1960s to present day. 1960s North Carolina we meet Molly, a seventeen-year-old, that finds herself pregnant and sent to a home for wayward girls to wait out her pregnancy. Upon the birth she is deceived into signing adoption papers. In present day Allison puts pieces together using DNA that will reveal much more than her mother’s origins. A family is separated by devastating circumstances, and will they be able to heal from the past? Exploring all the heartache, joy, betrayal, and aftermath of long ago choices and secrets.

I enjoyed this book and will definitely read more books by Elizabeth Langston. I thought it was well written and characters were well developed. My only issue was trying to keep all the characters straight in the family lines.

Fans of “before we were yours” will enjoy this.

I thought how this story of adoption was covered well and appreciated it wasn’t a buttoned up hallmark movie. I did have to roll my eyes at the one-off pregnancy (please authors stop writing this). As someone who was adopted and reunited with my biological family later in life, i thought that the feelings and emotions of those affected by the adoption were a bit too shallow and underserved. I did enjoy the overall story of the young mother, cared about her, and wanted to know how her life would turn out.

I loved the dual timelines most of all.

Wow, I couldn’t put this one down!

This book was absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking and hopeful and one of the best that I’ve read in a bit. I loved the multi POV and multi timeline perspectives, and it added so much to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy!

Another fantastic dual timeline story about Molly, an 18 year old who gets pregnant in 1968 and is sent to a maternity home to have her baby. What follows is an adoption story full of family secrets and a moving story of how Molly pivots from tragedy and goes on to lead an inspiring life of coding. Really good on audio and perfect for fans of books like Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

More like 3.5 stars. I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. When two friends submit DNA for ancestry, they are shocked to discover the results and the decades long secrets, pain and lies that go along with them. It was an interesting read and the story moved quickly.

3.50 to 3.75 stars.
This was really well written and I liked the narrator. She did a great job highlighting how women were treated at the time. How her heart was ripped apart by such horrible treatment. It was a sweet sad story