Camila's Story: Thrown Away Children series

by Louise Allen

The twelfth instalment in the popular Thrown Away Children paperback series.

Camila is born to childhood sweethearts, Gabriella and Robbie, who lead a privileged, but dysfunctional life. When she and her younger brother, Josh, start displaying sexualised behaviour, it's discovered they are exposed to adult parties and they're both placed in emergency care.

Separated, their new lives appear to go well for a while. But Camila hits puberty and a shocking wild streak that no one can stop emerges. Asked to help, Louise is horrified to unravel the appalling secret the young girl has harboured for years. But her fight to bring Camila some peace, shatters the harmony of her own home, too.

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 23, 2025

About the author

From an early age, Louise was adopted into a family who, from the beginning, said they didn’t want her. Her first book, Thrown Away Child, reveals the abuse and neglect she and a fellow adopted child suffered at the hands of their adopted mother, Barbara. Ten years ago, Louise and her family became a fostering family. They have looked after over twenty children, some have stayed long term. This led to the bestselling series, Thrown Away Children, where Louise is inspired by the stories of children in the care system. Within days, the book became a bestseller.

Louise now draws on her experience to write a new series of ‘How to’ books about adoption, fostering and parenting. How to Adopt a Child is the unvarnished truth about adoption. Louise is well known for “saying it as it is,” so not only is it witty and engaging, it also empowers adopters to feel confident and in control and to know where to turn to for help.

Reviews

[Uniflame · Rating 4 out of 5]

second half of the book was very heartbreaking. Would have been 5 stars if the first half wasn't so drawn out.

[Julie Haigh]

Another excellent memoir. 

I really enjoy Louise Allen's books. Some fostering memoirs by other authors can be a bit repetitive; same formula, same routine things said and done etc. This author's books are all very different.

This was intriguing and unpredictable. At first told from Robbie, Gabby and Zoe's point of view. Then it fast forwards ten years, and Louise continues.

Louise had a difficult childhood herself, she's been in foster care, so she can identify with everything her foster children are going through and have gone through.

Despite her own experiences, and many years of doing this, she doesn't profess to know everything, or be the best foster carer (as some do in these type of memoirs). I like how she tells it like it is; things she doesn't agree with in the foster care system etc.

I really like her writing style, and feel this is one of her best books.

[Faithe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Camila's story by Louise Allen is part of the Thrown Away Children Series and is the story of Cam (Camila) and her journey through the foster care system.

The book begins with a couple, the woman well off, falls for a guy who comes from a different world than her. We see their relationship with his best friends change as the couple's begin to get engaged and have kids. Just as you begin to wonder what this has to do with foster care you meet Louise and her family, saying see you soon to someone leaving their home and quickly accepting another.

I love Louise Allen as an author and am amazed that she even has time to write these books, between caring for herself, her family and all the children she takes in. Although I love reading these stories I hate that they exist, as they are heartbreaking takes of abuse, neglect and sadness. I am so thankful that Louise includes an update to Camila's story. They say you meet certain people for a reason and Louise's home was the perfect place for Camila to get better, finally giving her someone who truly understands, champions for her and gets her a cat! I am sorry Camila had to go through the things she did, but am so happy for her where she ended up. I hope she can continue to heal and live a happy life.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

#camilasstory #NetGalley

[Julie Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book a bit slow-going. However it was very insightful and a very sad story. Camilla was exploited by her mother in the most appalling way. She was placed in a loving foster home but the authorities wanted to reintroduce her to her parents with a view to her possibly returning back to them. This sparked off alarming behaviour by Camilla as a way of protest. Sadly she was removed from her foster family when she should have been allowed to stay, for them to work through the issues and find out what was causing Camila’s outbursts. Luckily she was placed with Louise, who with love and support got to a point where Camila could open up and expose what really happened to her.

[Kelly Ferrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Camila’s Story. by Louise Allen.
I found it a bit slow to start with when it was telling the story of before Camila went into care with Louise.
Once we got into the story of her coming to Louise and her family it started to get into how she was feeling and how she felt about this placement. A lot of undisclosed things were going on that never made a lot of sense to Louise or why she couldn’t get answers.
A horrible story of what Camila saw and have happen .. makes you wonder where the protection for her was. Why was she not asked the question of WHY!
A heartfelt end to the story.

[Elizabeth Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love everything Louise Allen writes, but I feel she is going on more and more rants with every book. I understand that she’s speaking up for what she believes in, but sometimes it takes away from the story. I love her note at the end of the story and maybe that’s a better place to put more of the “Ted Talks.”

[R Mayhew · Rating 1 out of 5]

ok

Ok but a bit like pulling teeth. I found the story dragged out and it was the same old stuff.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thing that struck me about this book was how long the initial birth parent backstory was. Later in the book, as Cammi was able to share her past, it all came together and made sense however.

Now can we talk about these book covers? The market is flooded with these repetitive sad faced youngsters. That must be the age range that sells the most books, idk. I’m not asking for anyone’s privacy to be violated; an actual photo is not what I’m looking for here. But a story of a fourteen year old with a picture of a five year old just doesn’t make any sense.

Finally, the spoiler that I was not prepared for-Dottie. After reading all of Louise Allen’s books, her family has begun to feel familiar and dependable. I am so saddened by this loss. I hope poor Douglas is coping ok without her. ❤️

As always, Louise is a lovely storyteller and a wonderful advocate of children. I always look forward to seeing a new book of hers being released.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐ Spoiler-Safe Review

Louise Allen – Camila’s Story

I read this book in under 24 hours, which probably tells you everything about how gripping and emotionally immersive it is.

There’s been a “gap” in Louise Allen’s fostering series for a while and Camila’s story fills it powerfully. It reconnects the emotional arc of the previous books and reminds you why her writing has such impact: she doesn’t just tell these children’s stories, she honours them.

I’m grateful for the Slave Girl series, but there is something uniquely affecting about the fostering books. In the same style as Thrown Away and Slave Girl series, they are never trauma-for-shock value — they are trauma-with-context, trauma-with-humanity, and trauma-with-dignity.

Camila’s story especially highlights that abuse and exploitation don’t only happen in the “obvious” places. They can unfold quietly, invisibly, behind respectability, social status, and a carefully curated middle-class mask, made worse by gender expectations and greed. That truth landed hard, and I think it needed to.

What I love most is that Louise never portrays children as “cases”; she writes them as people — layered, complex, still trying to survive in a world that failed them long before social care became involved.

I always feel conflicted saying “I enjoyed it,” because it feels wrong to enjoy a story rooted in someone else’s trauma but I value it deeply. It educated me, challenged me, and held up a mirror to realities the wider public still assumes are “rare” or distant.

I am already counting down to Diego’s story in March. These children pay the cost long before we ever hold their book in our hands, so I don’t read as a spectator, I read to understand. And Camila’s Story reinforced how necessary that understanding is.

Without giving anything away, I genuinely wish her every healing she is able to find in her future.

🔗 https://amzn.eu/d/feMUFzz

[Fiona Turnbull · Rating 5 out of 5]

This as all her books was hard. Cost cutting for numbers and foster carers openings needed to take on other children aged 5-12 and start all over again. As Louise has represented in many of her books her cases are not class distinct as this one was. Hope for a better adulthood for Cam and all Sisters post careleavers. Congratulations to Louise and her charity too xxx

[Rebecca Fowkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

What another fantastic book from Louise Allen.
I didn't like Camila's mum Gabriella - Gabby for short, right from the start but to read what she did to Camila was absolutely awful. I love the way Louise Allen works with any of the children she is fostering, she isn't afraid to challenge the social services.

I hope that Camila can now continue to heal with the loving family she deserves and go on to have a wonderful future.
Thank you Louise for sharing Camila's Story with us, I'm really looking forward to reading Louise Allen's next Thrown Away Children book and her next Slave Girls book.

[Maria P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another powerful book by Louise Allen.
I really enjoy her versions of foster care books because I found Cathy Glass' more "perfection" than Allen's. She really shows the holes in the social service system in the UK. Unfortunately, and this is happening around the world, our children are the last with whom governmental services care for.
The only issue I had was the pre information of Camila's parents were way too much. I wish that part was a bit shorter about Gabrielle and Rob's courtship.
Can't wait to read the next book.

[Gail murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyed reading this camellia is a bright young lady i hope she can put her past behind herself