Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris @KrisMcMorris @sbkslandmark #bookreview #historical

Title: Sold on a Monday

Author: Kristina McMorris

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Publication Date: August 28, 2018

Page Count: 352

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

From New York Times bestselling author Kristina McMorris comes another unforgettable novel inspired by a stunning piece of history. 

2 CHILDREN FOR SALE

The sign is a last resort. It sits on a farmhouse porch in 1931, but could be found anywhere in an era of breadlines, bank runs and broken dreams. It could have been written by any mother facing impossible choices.

For struggling reporter Ellis Reed, the gut-wrenching scene evokes memories of his family’s dark past. He snaps a photograph of the children, not meant for publication. But when it leads to his big break, the consequences are more devastating than he ever imagined.

At the paper, Lillian Palmer is haunted by her role in all that happened. She is far too familiar with the heartbreak of children deemed unwanted. As the bonds of motherhood are tested, she and Ellis must decide how much they are willing to risk to mend a fractured family.

Inspired by an actual newspaper photograph that stunned the nation, Sold on a Monday is a powerful novel of love, redemption, and the unexpected paths that bring us home.

Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris is a historical fiction read in which the idea came about from a real photograph the author found advertising children for sale. The ideas are all fictional within the book though with even moving the time frame to that of the great depression.

I’m not one that reads a ton of historical fiction but the cover and title of this book certainly calls out to readers even at a glance. Without even opening the book it would be hard to not feel the emotion simply coming from the cover itself when it comes to trying to fathom any reason a parent could want to sell their child.

The book follows Ellis Reed, a reporter that happened upon the children and took a photo of them and the sign advertising their sale while looking for inspiration.  And then there is Lillian Palmer who worked at the paper and saw Ellis’ photo and couldn’t help but want to know more. As Ellis’ story hits the papers the book then follows the characters from there but the children are never forgotten from that moment.

Kristina McMorris did a wonderful job taking readers back into history painting a vivid picture of the time period. I did find myself getting a little concerned when the story seemed to move completely away from the children for a little bit in the book and wondered where it was headed. However, the author brought it back around with a lot of character growth and then diving even deeper into the emotional pool and tugging at the heartstrings showing the struggles of the era quite well. Definitely one I’d recommend checking out for the historical fans.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online: 

Goodreads  /   Amazon

About the author:

Kristina McMorris is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her background includes ten years of directing public relations for an international conglomerate as well as extensive television experience. Inspired by true personal and historical accounts, her novels have garnered twenty national literary awards, and include Letters from Home, Bridge of Scarlet Leaves, The Pieces We Keep, and The Edge of Lost, in addition to novellas in the anthologies A Winter Wonderland and Grand Central. Her forthcoming novel, Sold on a Monday, will be released September 2018. A frequent guest speaker and workshop presenter, she holds a BS in international marketing from Pepperdine. She lives with her husband and two sons in Oregon.