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Thrown Away Children #2
Abby's Story
She doesn't want this baby.
She can't look after this baby.
She will never be able to love this baby.
Little Abby's life begins badly, then just gets worse.
Now foster mum Louise and her family must help her deal with the truth of her past to give her the chance of a future.
Abby's Story is the latest book in the series THROWN AWAY CHILDREN by author and foster mum Louise Allen.
She can't look after this baby.
She will never be able to love this baby.
Little Abby's life begins badly, then just gets worse.
Now foster mum Louise and her family must help her deal with the truth of her past to give her the chance of a future.
Abby's Story is the latest book in the series THROWN AWAY CHILDREN by author and foster mum Louise Allen.
173 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 20, 2020
70 people are currently reading
412 people want to read
About the author
Louise Allen
17 books115 followersFrom 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 21, 2021
This book had me hooked from the beginning and amazing read and just hoped she had a happy ending but you have to read to find out.
Abby didn’t have a good start her mum was only 13 when she had her and didn’t want her she was then adopted but as time went on as she was so difficult she turned her down as well so was placed in foster care and even she finds it difficult and for the sake of her other children she had to turn her away so will she find someone to love her for who she is and all her problems.
Abby didn’t have a good start her mum was only 13 when she had her and didn’t want her she was then adopted but as time went on as she was so difficult she turned her down as well so was placed in foster care and even she finds it difficult and for the sake of her other children she had to turn her away so will she find someone to love her for who she is and all her problems.
October 7, 2023
Wow this was a heartbreaking read Abby didn't have a good start in life her birth mum was 13 when she gave birth.abby was then adopted but the placement broke down Abby had some very difficult and hurtful behaviours she was failed and needed extra support put in place to help her.i hope everything worked out for abby in the end she deserves a loving family who will be there and protect her from all the hurt.
August 21, 2023
Such a sad read, that had me frowning, swearing, and tutting out loud all the way through.
Follows the story of a little girl called Abimbola or 'Abby' as she was known as, and follows her story of rejection at birth and her little life of all the destruction she caused through no fault of her own.
Gives you a true insight as to how hard it is to be a foster parent, as well as how hard it is for all the existing family as well as how hard it is for the child in care.
Absolutely heartbreaking 💔
Follows the story of a little girl called Abimbola or 'Abby' as she was known as, and follows her story of rejection at birth and her little life of all the destruction she caused through no fault of her own.
Gives you a true insight as to how hard it is to be a foster parent, as well as how hard it is for all the existing family as well as how hard it is for the child in care.
Absolutely heartbreaking 💔
October 16, 2023
What a sad story following Abbys life from being rejected by her teenage mum to being rejected by every Foster carer that looked after her and a failure in social services
September 8, 2020
Abby's mother was thirteen when Abby was conceived & spent her pregnancy hiding it & drinking to blot out the situation she has found herself. Needless to say she was in no position to care for her or to want to. She was adopted by a very religious couple who were desperate for a baby. As so often happened about a year after her arrival (a year that has not been in any way easy) her adopted mother had a baby & needless to say that didn't help Abby. She was shuffled from foster carer to foster carer before she ended up with the Allen household. By that time she was a whirling dervish of clumsy energy.
From the start Louise was concerned by the lack of information she was given, by the run around trying to contact previous social workers. Abby suffers from Foetal Alcohol Syndrome. This has affected her physically & mentally. Louise, who has been through the Care system herself. She wants to do the best for all the children that come into her care, but sometimes she needs to think of her own.
This was a heartbreaking story. I have read Louise's previous 'Thrown Away' book & I really admire what she & her family do. This shows how very hard it is to be a foster parent & how difficult it is to get information & help from an every changing social work department. Louise Allen writes movingly but also in a very readable style. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.
From the start Louise was concerned by the lack of information she was given, by the run around trying to contact previous social workers. Abby suffers from Foetal Alcohol Syndrome. This has affected her physically & mentally. Louise, who has been through the Care system herself. She wants to do the best for all the children that come into her care, but sometimes she needs to think of her own.
This was a heartbreaking story. I have read Louise's previous 'Thrown Away' book & I really admire what she & her family do. This shows how very hard it is to be a foster parent & how difficult it is to get information & help from an every changing social work department. Louise Allen writes movingly but also in a very readable style. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.
September 13, 2020
This is the story of Abby, short for Abimbola, a young girl with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, and her stay as a foster child with Louise Allen and her family. Children with FAS can exhibit challenging behaviour and Abby is no exception. Louise tries to get help for Abby, but finds it virtually impossible in the extended period of austerity and its effects on foster care. It is clear from the start that there is no way the Allen family can afford to keep Abby - within the first week she manages such a massive amount of destruction that it will cost them hundreds of pounds worth of damages and seriously hurt their work, as both foster parents work from home. Surprise - they will not receive any compensation for that damage. Abby cannot be relied upon to sleep, and that means that Louise becomes severely sleep-deprived.
I found Abby's sad story very interesting. I knew a bit about FAS, but not a lot. I know from personal experience how dangerous a child can be to both herself and her family - one of my sisters was (and is) severely autistic and, like Abby, didn't sleep as a small child and had no sense of danger. It's a hard thing for any family to cope with! Any foster parent taking on a child like Abby will need to have either lots of money or lots of support from the local authority. As this book makes clear, the latter is not available now.
I found Abby's sad story very interesting. I knew a bit about FAS, but not a lot. I know from personal experience how dangerous a child can be to both herself and her family - one of my sisters was (and is) severely autistic and, like Abby, didn't sleep as a small child and had no sense of danger. It's a hard thing for any family to cope with! Any foster parent taking on a child like Abby will need to have either lots of money or lots of support from the local authority. As this book makes clear, the latter is not available now.
October 7, 2023
Another brilliant book from Louise Allen. It is sad how Abby started her life. Looking forward to reading Louise Allen's next book.
August 13, 2020
Abby’s Story is so well told by Louise Allen. It starts with her birth, although Abby wasn’t placed with Louise until later in life. Abby was let down by her adoptive family, social services and the medical profession. It is just such a sad and tragic story. Abby is fortunate that they are still some good people in life like Louise, and I hope that Abby is able to thrive in life to overcome the difficulties that she has.
Abby was born to a 13 year old girl who hid her pregnancy and due to obvious issues surrounding this, she dealt with it in the only way she knew, and drank alcohol throughout the pregnancy. As a result, Abby was born with FAS (foetal alcohol syndrome) and it appears to be a very severe case. Coupled with the terrible time Abby had during her adoptive placement, Abby was incredibly damaged on arrival at Louise’s family home.
I have read quite a few of this genre of books and this book touched me the most, as it really highlighted the failures in the system, and it is not an historic book, these are failures in the current system.
A really moving read.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Abby was born to a 13 year old girl who hid her pregnancy and due to obvious issues surrounding this, she dealt with it in the only way she knew, and drank alcohol throughout the pregnancy. As a result, Abby was born with FAS (foetal alcohol syndrome) and it appears to be a very severe case. Coupled with the terrible time Abby had during her adoptive placement, Abby was incredibly damaged on arrival at Louise’s family home.
I have read quite a few of this genre of books and this book touched me the most, as it really highlighted the failures in the system, and it is not an historic book, these are failures in the current system.
A really moving read.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 23, 2020
The making of a family, and the breaking of a family.
This was a really good book. A great start, a great first chapter, it really grabs you in.
'Abby's Story' is just the second book I've read by Louise Allen-but I already know I really like her style of writing. A bit different. You get different parts of the book from the different people/different family members. Not just the foster carer's side. Good as Cathy Glass' books are, she tends to write to a regular formula. Good for dropping in and reading her books in any order-but it does get a bit repetitive when you read a lot of them. Louise Allen's fostering memoirs are a breath of fresh air. There's another angle: Louise has been fostered and adopted. She knows. She can empathise, she's been through it herself.
How can it be that such a little girl can be such a powerful presence? Will Louise be able to help Abby? Or will she need to put her own family's safety first this time? I found this quite a page turner and read it in less than a couple of days.
Looking forward to more books from this author.
This was a really good book. A great start, a great first chapter, it really grabs you in.
'Abby's Story' is just the second book I've read by Louise Allen-but I already know I really like her style of writing. A bit different. You get different parts of the book from the different people/different family members. Not just the foster carer's side. Good as Cathy Glass' books are, she tends to write to a regular formula. Good for dropping in and reading her books in any order-but it does get a bit repetitive when you read a lot of them. Louise Allen's fostering memoirs are a breath of fresh air. There's another angle: Louise has been fostered and adopted. She knows. She can empathise, she's been through it herself.
How can it be that such a little girl can be such a powerful presence? Will Louise be able to help Abby? Or will she need to put her own family's safety first this time? I found this quite a page turner and read it in less than a couple of days.
Looking forward to more books from this author.
June 4, 2021
Abby's Story is the story of a foster child that comes into Louise Allen’s home. Abby hasn’t had the best start in life – can Louise help Abby? Will this troubled girl destroy the family or bring them closer together?
Louise is not only a foster career but was fostered & adopted herself. This gives her a unique perspective & whilst I presume that some names/details have been changed to preserve anonymity, this is a powerful story.
It's hard to "like" a story like this, but its a powerful read.
Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book free via NetGalley. Whilst thanks go to the author & publisher for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are my own.
#AbbysStory #NetGalley
Louise is not only a foster career but was fostered & adopted herself. This gives her a unique perspective & whilst I presume that some names/details have been changed to preserve anonymity, this is a powerful story.
It's hard to "like" a story like this, but its a powerful read.
Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book free via NetGalley. Whilst thanks go to the author & publisher for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are my own.
#AbbysStory #NetGalley
October 4, 2025
An enlightening story about a child who has a traumatised welcome to the world and upbringing for many years causing her to act out and not be able to understand how to behave like other children her age. If you enjoy foster care stories or stories about children with difficulties this is a must read. Throughout I felt so sorry for Abby, but also for the families involved in her care.
A well written and informative story which made me realise just how hard foster caring can be sometimes. I read a lot of fostering memoirs but this one hit home in a different way, not all foster placements work out and sometimes its just finding the right family to fit the child's needs.
A well written and informative story which made me realise just how hard foster caring can be sometimes. I read a lot of fostering memoirs but this one hit home in a different way, not all foster placements work out and sometimes its just finding the right family to fit the child's needs.
October 31, 2020
Thank you to Netgalley and Mirror books on the arc of this book.
this was a 5 star read for me read pretty fast, this is second in the Thrown Away Children series, i havent read the first in the series, but this is Abby's Story where her biological mother cannot love her, want her or look after her so she is put into foster care and Louise fosters her, and helps her, loves her.
really enjoyed this definitely recommend!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
this was a 5 star read for me read pretty fast, this is second in the Thrown Away Children series, i havent read the first in the series, but this is Abby's Story where her biological mother cannot love her, want her or look after her so she is put into foster care and Louise fosters her, and helps her, loves her.
really enjoyed this definitely recommend!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
June 22, 2022
Abby's Story by Louise Allen is a true story that tugs at your heart strings so you will need tissues and lots of them I also very hard to put down, this book is a 5 star read for me read pretty fast so a great page turner form start to finish
I highly recommend this book
Big thank you to Mirror Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Abby’s Story’ by Louise Allen in exchange for my honest and unbiased review..
I highly recommend this book
Big thank you to Mirror Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Abby’s Story’ by Louise Allen in exchange for my honest and unbiased review..
January 3, 2025
It’s so sad hearing about how some of these kids were grown up and how they were raised and what their life was throughout the system as a social worker. It means everything to me to learn about how I can better help the families that I work with and reading stories like this and learning about these children’s lives is important Especially because these children do matter Abby story was so sad didn’t get teary-eyed
August 29, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. I have read lots of these genre, and enjoyed this even though the story was tragic it was interesting. As a teacher who teaches about FAS it is interesting to read this and how it manifests for this little girl. Again you see how social service’s have failed this young girl, but a welcome happy ending is uplifting. I will certainly be reading more from this author.
September 1, 2021
Louise is a very caring person who really did her best for Abbie. It’s horrible that she was lied to the way she was and not given all the information from the start. It’s so sad that Abbie had the life she did. No child deserves the kind of rejection she suffered. She ended up in the best situation in the end regarding her needs.
June 30, 2024
The ending has left me with two big questions- If the author states she never learned the origin of the child’s name, then how was that explained to the reader at the start of the book. Also, she never states what, if any, financial accountability there was to the care system for the damages on the day of the accident.
July 27, 2021
These books are so sad in places, but as a former foster carer myself I guess I am hooked on hoping for reading a happy ending. I am wondering if this author updates on progress these children make over the years to come, as does another foster carer author. I'm hoping so!
December 17, 2024
I enjoyed this book from start to end. It gives compassion and empathy to people in Abby’s life who probably didn’t deserve it. It touches on the hardships of children in care who have severe behaviors. A good read that also teaches you about different behavioral issues in children.
June 26, 2025
As a court appointed special advocate, the story of Abby is very helpful in learning more about the ways emotional, physical and sexual abuse in children speaks through in the child’s behavior.
Thankfully, there are kind people who open their hearts and home to these broken children.
Thankfully, there are kind people who open their hearts and home to these broken children.
August 31, 2020
Good read .
January 10, 2021
Such a sad story. Poor Abby. I really hope she has continued to get the love and support she deserves
May 8, 2021
Thrown Away Children Book 2
September 12, 2021
I’m so grateful this book had a happy ending!
January 28, 2022
Oh wow, what a story and what an ending.
May 2, 2022
Well written book. Heartbreaking story.
October 15, 2022
A good story but I found it a hard read to get into
August 14, 2023
So sad but a brilliant read
December 4, 2024
Very sad story of child, abuse, and neglect and children in the foster care system
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews