You Were Always Mine

A Novel

By: Christine Pride, Jo Piazza

Narrated by: Alexis Floyd, Jenni Barber

Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

The acclaimed authors of the “emotional literary roller coaster” (The Washington Post) and Good Morning America book club pick We Are Not Like Them return with this moving and provocative novel about a Black woman who finds an abandoned white baby, sending her on a collision course with her past, her family, and a birth mother who doesn’t want to be found.

Cinnamon Haynes has fought hard for a life she never thought was possible—a good man by her side, a steady job as a career counselor at a local community college, and a cozy house in a quaint little beach town. It may not look like much, but it’s more than she ever dreamed of or what her difficult childhood promised. Her life’s mantra is to be good, quiet, grateful. Until something shifts and Cinnamon is suddenly haunted by a terrifying question: “Is this all there is?”

Daisy Dunlap has had her own share of problems in her nineteen years on earth—she also has her own big dreams for a life that’s barely begun. Her hopes for her future are threatened when she gets unexpectedly pregnant. Desperate, broke, and alone, she hides this development from everyone close to her and then makes a drastic decision with devastating consequences.

Daisy isn’t the only one with something to hide. When Cinnamon finds an abandoned baby in a park and takes the blonde-haired, blue-eyed newborn into her home, the ripple effects of this decision risk exposing the truth about Cinnamon’s own past, which she’s gone to great pains to portray as idyllic to everyone…even herself.

As Cinnamon struggles to contain old demons, navigate the fault lines that erupt in her marriage, and deal with the shocking judgments from friends and strangers alike about why a woman like her has a baby like this, her one goal is to do right by the child she grows more attached to with each passing day. It’s the exact same conviction that drives Daisy as she tries to outrun her heartache and reckon with her choices.

These two women, unlikely friends and kindred spirits must face down their secrets and trauma and unite for the sake of the baby they both love in their own unique way when Daisy’s grandparents, who would rather die than see one of their own raised by a Black woman, threaten to take custody.

Once again, these authors bring their “empathetic, riveting, and authentic” (Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author) storytelling to an unforgettable novel that revolves around provocative and timely questions about race, class, and motherhood. Is being a mother a right, an obligation, or a privilege? Who gets to be a mother? And to whom? And what are we willing to sacrifice for the sake of marriage, friendship, and our dreams?

©2023 Christine Pride and Jo Piazza (P)2023 Simon & Schuster Audio

Could not stop listening

Loved the story and narration. Loved how it helps us question our own possible biases.

You Were Always Mine

Deals with race issues, but not in your face about it. I wasn't sure about this book because I am white, and I did not want to be preached to about white supremacy and racism. Yes, race issues were presented in the story, but so were issues of foster care, domestic violence, marriage, friendship, motherhood, and family. If I could give 10 stars for the narration, I would!

Heart warming story.

When I learned about the impending release of this book I couldn't wait to download it. This was such a sweet story.

These Authors have done it again!

Great novel! would highly recommend. I loved "We are not like them" and loved this just as much! I'll read any book by these two authors! You won't be disappointed!

Wonderful story!

So nice to hear an uplifting story about one human being caring so completely for another.

Turning the Tables

A White teen mother leaves a note for a Black woman to raise her baby when she disappears. The foster care and adoption processes aren't easy to navigate under these circumstances, especially when the baby's immoral grandparents get involved.