This story was bleak with bits of light shining through. Pretty true to a social worker’s experiences. I wish the ending had been resolved, but that is often the way these tales go. Well done.

by Lana

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

Samantha is a mom to two little girls who she absolutely adores. Samantha lacks the coping skills she needs, so she depends on alcohol to assist her.... which leads to social worker April Gardiner getting involved into her life. They form an unlikely bond due to their pasts/childhood experiences.

by Kade

Broken Lives was such a heartbreaking read that I had to stop reading for a few days. It was full of emotion and convincinly shows the true life of a social worker, which can be a very dark place. There was no beating about the bush with this, it was straight to the core but it did have some lighter moments. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep you intrigued. This was a very well written book.

by Jolene

This book cracks open the door to give an insight into the trials and tribulations faced by a social worker when dealing with a family under stress. By its very nature, a family in conflict seldom has a totally happy outcome as you might see from Hollywood or on TV. The best you can hope for, in most cases, is that maybe one of the parties has a good (or goodish) result. Compromise is generally the key.
This book highlights these dilemmas and how the case-worker strives for that (probably unattainable) perfect outcome. It is well written and the characters soon draw an empathetic response from the reader: it has little gems of humour and, in contrast, some moments of pathos.
It is testament to the writer’s skill that I was quickly pulled into family situation and found putting the book down difficult. Indeed, at the end, I was left wanting more, - always a good sign.

by Annie Clare