When I Was Your Mother: A Novel

by Liora Carmeli

A mother never forgets.

Maya and Gil are the picture-perfect high school sweethearts with three beautiful children, a small house in the country, and seven years of blissful marriage. They really could not ask for more. But then Maya sees a report about a car crash, and a ten-year-old orphaned boy, and everything changes.

Because underneath the beautiful love story lies a secret. A ten-year-old secret that Maya had kept hidden since she was eighteen, when she decided to put her first child up for adoption. Now, a decade later, she is certain – the child in the report is her son.
As Maya finds herself unable to let go of her past, her secret slowly begins to uproot her present – her marriage, her job, and even her family. Can she trust her motherly intuition, or will her attempts to make up for her complicated past destroy all that she already has?

Liora Carmeli’s latest novel is a riveting, unputdownable story of love, motherhood, and the difficult price of new beginnings, perfect for fans of Lisa Wingate and Kate Hewitt.

204 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 14, 2024

Reviews

[Sondra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Crazy drama

Well that was a very depressing story and she was bleeping crazy. I understand the pain of giving up a child for adoption but she ended up being crazily obsessed and neglected her own children. I'm sorry I spent time reading that depressing story.

[Píaras Cíonnaoíth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-crafted drama of secrets, betrayal, and redemption...

Liora Carmeli's emotionally gripping story, "When I Was Your Mother," delves into the intricate links between love, parenthood, and the weight of unexpressed truths. Gil and Maya give an image of marital bliss until Maya's history resurfaces and she uncovers a hidden secret that threatens to ruin their family. Because Maya is now confronted with the repercussions of her earlier choices, the delicate equilibrium she maintains in her life is at risk of disintegrating. Carmeli's story illuminates the complexity and sacrifices that come with love, deepening the special relationship between mother and child. "When I Was Your Mother" captures the reader's attention with its vivid storytelling and deep emotional resonance, which will stay long after the final chapter. Highly recommended. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[Pat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. And it did have a lot of promise. Unfortunately the characters were not developed well enough for you to care about anyone. The transition scenes were sloppy. It felt like there were five mini chapters in each chapter with nothing warning of a change a place or time. it was confusing because there were two characters one named Daniel and one named Danny both in the same workplace am I kept getting mixed up. This was not a long book and I feel like it could have had an additional hundred or so pages if the characters and the storyline had been better developed.

[Dan Ray Ledgerwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some Good Sections

The first 25% of this book was like reading a bunch of ongoing description that could have been extremely narrowed down.

The last 25% of the book read pretty well until I got to the end and it felt like the author just stopped the story with an easier ending instead of writing more.

It had potential. Beautiful potential-but it just seemed to derail in certain places.

Our time spent reading a book is valuable. I wouldn’t recommend spending precious time on this one.

[Donnamarie Vlieg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing

This book shows the struggle a young mom has later in life after giving up her child for adoption. The book is full of raw emotions. I found it a little unrealistic when Maya secretly started interacting with Tom but was very glad the book didn’t have a cliche ending where everything got resolved and all was better again. The end left you hopeful but it was very realistic.

[Joan mooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

disappointed in the ending.

This book is well written. The author is talented. The story is well told and believable. It’s a sad story. Although I enjoyed reading it, I didn’t part like it. I felt disconnected from the characters and the entire story. The ending is awful. In fact there is no ending. There’s just nothing else to read. I really don’t recommend this book.

[karin whitehead · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pain of giving a child up for adoption can be a curse. Every child you encounter reminds you of that child. Maya finds herself dwelling on the lost child, She married her sweetheart, has three young children, a happy home and family. Then an accident leaves a child without parents. I loved how the story flows, the characters, an emotional tale. An enjoyable read!

[Suzan Rust · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very slow moving

I kept reading because I hoped it would get interesting, but unfortunately it did not. The characters were not the kind that you get invested in. It was more like reading a boring diary.

[Jennifer Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

What you want is not all that matters.

Saying you're sorry doesn't always work. We want to do what we want to and expect everyone else to be ok with it. Actions do have repercussions. You can't have your way all the time.

[Donna Demarest · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had a good beginning, the middle was a bit chaotic and caused me to lose any sympathy i had with the main character, the ending left me hanging. I felt it was a bit of a waste of time when it could have been so much better

[Sheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Story was too unbelievable, she gave up a baby for adoption and happens to hear of an accident where a boy is orphaned. She tries to connect with him. Also, the book just ended with no resolution.

[Jackie Simons]

Read 7/24

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I would enjoy this book more than I did. It was actually pretty depressing.