When You Were Mine

By: Kate Hewitt

Narrated by: Kate Handford

Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

“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. 

Praise for Kate Hewitt:  

“So heart-wrenching.... This story just grips you right from the start. I had a really hard time putting it down and found myself reading well into the night.... Perfect for fans of.... Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain.” (Shelley’s Book Nook) 

“I don’t think I have ever cried as much.... heart-breaking and unputdownable.... To say this story is a five-star read is an understatement. There are not enough stars in the world to show how much this book has touched me.” (Sinfully Wicked Book Reviews, 5 stars)  

“Heart-wrenching and captivating.... as good as anything Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain have ever written.... gripping, engrossing and compelling." (Bookish Jottings)

“Oh my gosh! This book is sad, thrilling, gripping and completely pulls on your heart strings.... Full of heartache, tough decisions, dilemmas, drama and struggles of everyday life.... In two words, simply amazing!” (Books on the Bookshelf, 5 stars)

©2020 Kate Hewitt (P)2020 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

Great read!

While it was a slow start with characters going back and forth I truly enjoyed the book and the message! Great read for those working with children ❤️

Powerful yet heartbreaking story

I listened to this audio book through Audible This was my first time listening to this narrator. She did a great job and I was captivated the entire time. The narrator’s voice was a good fit of the main characters and really brought them to life. Length was 13 hours 16 minutes narrator Kate Handford. When You Were Mine, by Kate Hewitt, is such a powerful yet heartbreaking story. Told from Beth ( the mother ) and Ally ( the foster mother ) each with their own chapters, the thoughts, feelings and individual aspects of each persons life shines through via their own words. To Beth Ally had the perfect life. Beth all alone in the world struggling to make it week to week all while raising a special needs child. Ally lived in a big fancy house , fancy cars , perfect husband and perfect older kids . Little did Beth know Ally's perfect life is about to unravel bit by bit . Being the mother of a special needs child i connected with Beth more than Ally. It is so hard being the parent of a special needs child. Not only is it hard to get the help a child needs it's also hard to deal with people who don't understand.
I have been both Woman though ( a foster mom ) and the mom who has had her children taken over a lie . It is scarry how much power dss has . I do want to say that is one thing that was wrong through the whole book. Dss does not work like this. Had the author done more research on how dss actually works this would have been a 5 ⭐ read. I don't normally read books that involve dss or dfs because it is something i just can't cope with. The characters were all well developed. Some I hated others I loved. I felt so connected to some of them like I knew them personally. By the end of the book my mind changed somewhat about Ally. This book took me on one heck of an emotional roller coaster. I smiled ,got mad, and cried. Boy did i cry and get mad . I highly recommend reading this story with a box of tissues nearby. I loved how the author reminds us that life doesn’t always work out how we planned and that's okay.
It also just goes to show no one's life is perfect . If you want to find out which mother ends up with Dylan then you will just have to read it to find out.

Can have many meanings...

I loved the depth of this book! I feel that Kate really reaches the heart of so many people at different parts of their life’s struggles and gave them hope. I like that it touched on the reality of the single mom, the child and the foster family and child services and that no ones life is ever perfect but it can get better if you all work together and you continue to try. What I got from this book is that: Life isn’t always what you want, hoped and dreamed of but with hard work you can make it good.

Great story

I loved this book. It was a heartfelt moving story. I highly recommend this book.

Good book!

The story was good and I was hooked on it early. I listened into the wee hours of the night. Was initially listening to block out tinnitus sound but got hook listening and didn’t fall asleep.

A great read for any parent…

I’m so impressed with this book. It had me reflecting on my own children and my relationship with each one of them. It gives me courage to keep loving them despite the hard challenges I go through with them.

Heartwarming and Thought Provoking

A very insightful story of two mother’s and the foster care system. Life has difficulties, we all make mistakes. Keeps you interested until the very end. Highly recommend for the mother of the very difficult child and the one who thinks everything is perfect!

thought provoking read

Very enjoyable read/listen. It was thought provoking. I'm not sure it accurately reflects most people's experience with the system, but it still provided food for thought.

Great Listen

So many listeners really enjoyed this and now I’m one of them. I loved the women helping women theme & then more so, the bonding of various ages of people. The central character was an excellent choice. Lovely imagery was created by the authors great use of words.

It touches your heart!

Beautiful story that keeps you engaged the whole time. Performances are great! It is almost as good as if you are seeing different people talk.
This story remind us how hard we are on ourselves as mothers when the only thing we need to do is the best we can be for ourselves and our children.
I do recommend this book!

Excellent

A great heart searching book, telling of family lives. There are many surprises which kept me reaching for the book at every opportunity. An excellent listen in every way.