Book Review of “The Orphan Girl” by Lindsey Hutchinson

*This book was sent to me by Aria Fiction for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

I had not had the pleasure of reading anything by Lindsey Hutchinson before so when Aria Fiction Publishing asked if I would like to review her new book, The Orphan Girl, I said yes. I love discovering new (to me) writers and stories. I’ll give you the book synopsis and then my thoughts. I do think this book requires a trigger warning, which I will discuss below, so there will be slight spoilers.

The Synopsis

Taken into service, orphan Lily Rae has heard all the stories about what entitled masters think their pretty maid’s duties include. But when the very worst happens to her, she knows scrubbing the scullery floors of Ryder House no longer provide refuge from the sadistic Sebastian Ryder… Cold and alone, Lily makes for the town of Wednesbury, knowing she has only herself to rely on…

Tilley Green has nothing to her name except a fine figure her worn, patched-up clothes can’t disguise, and the voice of an angel. Destined to be a chorus-hall star Tilley must first escape the clutches of her opportunistic and violent manager, a certain Seb Ryder…

Life has been a long tough struggle for both Lily and for Tilley, but the town of Wednesbury just could be where they can find their own glimmer of happiness…

My Thoughts

Trigger Warning: Within the first chapter the main character, Lily, is raped. The rape is not too graphic, but of course, it’s still awful. It’s also mentioned numerous times throughout the book so that is something to be aware of if you’re sensitive to that.

The story begins in the year 1900 and mainly follows the life of young Lily Rae. It begins with her rape at the hands of Seb Ryder and from there it’s a rollercoaster of ups and downs. She goes from poverty to financial stability, back to poverty and then back to financial stability. Lily loses many people in her life that are very important to her but she also makes a few great friends along the way and finds love. This book is a fine read with entertaining moments throughout. I do think the characters would have benefited with a little more depth because at times they were very one dimensional. This mainly applies to Seb Ryder who was basically a stereotypical villain until the last moment of the book. Besides that, the story overall was good.

I recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction or drama. I’m going to leave below all the links to where you can purchase this book, learn about the author and Aria Fiction! Thank you so much for reading and have a great day!

About the author

Lindsey lives in Shropshire with her husband. She has a son and a daughter and three beautiful grandchildren. She is the daughter of million-copy bestselling author Meg Hutchinson.

Follow Lindsey

Twitter: @LHutchAuthor

Facebook: Lindsey Hutchinson

About the book

Beloved author Lindsey Hutchinson is back with another novel of triumph over adversity set in the heart of a Black Country community. Perfect for fans of Josephine Cox and Lyn Andrews.

Life has been a long tough struggle for both Lily and for Tilley, but the town of Wednesbury just could be where they can find their own glimmer of happiness…

Buy links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2CUpqKY

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2qJ1Wn4

iBooks: https://apple.co/2mjS92j

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2qJk2FB

Follow Aria

Website: www.ariafiction.com

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Facebook: @ariafiction

Instagram: @ariafiction