BOOK REVIEW- SOLD ON A MONDAY by Kristina McMorris

2 CHILDREN FOR SALE

The scrawled sign, peddling young siblings on a farmhouse porch, captures the desperation sweeping the country in 1931. It's an era of breadlines, bank runs, and 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 the image leads to his big break, the consequences are devastating in ways he never imagined.

Haunted by secrets of her own, secretary Lillian Palmer sees more in the picture than a good story and is soon drawn into the fray. Together, the two set out to right a wrongdoing and mend a fractured family, at the risk of everything they value.  AMAZON 4.5 STARS

Inspired by an actual newspaper photo that stunned readers across the nation, this touching novel explores the tale within the frame and behind the lens -- a journey of ambition, love and the far-reaching effects of our actions.


I almost passed on this book by because I was afraid it would break my heart.  The picture alone was quite heartbreaking all on its own to me. 
Reading this book really did stir the emotions and people were just trying to survive.  I remember my grandmother telling me stories of what some of those times were like and it left a lifelong impact on her.  Not all of it was bad but people who did survive those times later learned to continually be frugal.  
There is also the emotional story of not only Ellis but also Lily who is a gofer/do it all secretary to the Editor.  Her duties are many.  But it's the story of her personal life that add to the book. Ellis is not the only one who is struggling over a hidden truth. 
Some of the emotion that the author draws you into is the desperation of the times.  That is so well done, in pretty good detailed ways.  Both Ellis and Lily both lived in fear of losing their jobs, it was something that they just couldn't have happen.  They both had other dreams but it so many times had to be put aside for what they hoped was a later time. 
The newsroom competitions felt like a pretty good representation of what I think they were like.  A dog-eat-dog atmosphere.  
I really liked both Ellis and Lily, whose personal life stories gave the reader a good look into what drove them.  Clayton was another person who figures into the story.  Him, I didn't like quite so much although he did have some good qualities as well.  He just seemed kind of selfish to me.  Of course, there is a Newsroom romance for Lily which tries to pull her between two men.  
I'm so glad I keep reading the book although once or twice I wanted to put it down.  Closer to 60% later in the book things just exploded! It really got exciting!  Twists, turns, surprises, secrets, personalities, lies, and dangers went off the charts.  Things really did heat up and not just for Ellis and Lilly. The ending came with a bang and really good ending.  So many things just weren't what they seemed!  

I liked the surprise of the Author's Note, which was really good.  So was the Discussion Questions and A Conversation with the Author.   All three things added another depth to the story.

On another note..one of the promotions for this book said, "a picture is worth a thousand words but sometimes the story behind the picture is worth a thousand more".  Wow, did this author ever prove that!

"I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book via Netgalley and this is my honest opinions of it. ”