My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Throwaway Girl is the story of a young child named Andy who was abused by her mother. She was very lucky that a teacher took notice of her and was able to get help for her when things got much worse. However, Andy ended up in the foster system. Her first foster parents were wonderful people who were killed in a tragic accident. That meant that Andy was moved from one home to another until she was placed at Haywoood House. She stayed until she had to take a step into the real world on her own -- when she turned 18.
According to the book, a "throwaway girl" is one that is just too old to be chosen by adoptive parents. They are no longer cute enough to be hugged or cuddled. They are also too damaged to be fixed or saved. It is really quite sad because they never really get a chance simply because they are too old or too grown up to be considered adoption worthy by couples who prefer young babies.
Andy finds a friend at Haywood House and that friend is able to join her as a room mate when the girl also turned 18. Unlike Andy though, the girl gets a really tough break when she gets raped.
Andy's story is quite sad. But she was able to make her own way in the world and be independent. I enjoyed reading the book, however, there are some elements that were a little too short. For one thing, there was never any mention of Andy cutting herself when she was young except for when she saw the cuts on a friend. It would have been good to have some more background and information there but there wasn't.
The romance bit is okay although quite predictable and the reader needs no knowledge of rocket science to figure out how the story would end -- which I find almost boring. It is nice that Andy found someone who cared about her though; after all that she has been through.
All in all a likable book.
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