What Readers Think About Covid Orphans
“Timely and heartfelt. An Inspirational family story for our fractured society. Congratulations to first-time author, Teri Peluso who documents every step of a family’s journey from despair to achievement. ‘It takes a village to raise a child’, more true than ever before in the wake of Covid-19.”Gary Seidler
“A Book for Our Times That Simultaneously Thrills and Educates Us! Deftly educating us about a part of the pandemic many of us might not consider and keeping us on the edge of our seats at the same time was a brilliant device by Peluso. Covid Orphans is a page-turner with surprising twists and turns that took me by surprise with characters I very quickly came to care about. With a smooth and engaging writing style, the author has definitely given us a thrilling book for our times. Bravo!” Kim. G. Weiss
“An action-packed story, important messages, and relatable characters. I really enjoyed the read. I found myself rooting for the characters and engrossed in the storylines. Nice to see strong female characters and an imaginative, action-packed plot. I enjoyed this immensely and hope to see more from this author.
Nancy S.
“Gripping COVID novel with a twist. A vivid portrayal of COVID’s impact on those on the fringe. Their pain, suffering, loss, hope and struggle for survival are portrayed through a narrative that is hard to put down. Great read.” Tony Collins.
“Difficult to put down. This book focuses not only on how the loss of a single parent affects her children, but what most people avoid when hearing that someone lost their life to Covid. We find it so easy to go on when we’re not directly affected. The eldest of the children, Bella, tried so hard to step up and take care of her siblings after her mother passed, but in doing right she was faced with so many wrongs. All you want while you’re reading is for everything to turn out ok, but does it? Read it for yourself and find out.”
Kimberly Vaughn.
Editorial Reviews
“A pained, realistic novel of children left parentless by the pandemic and vowing to get by on their own. Peluso’s of-the-moment debut novel centers on an imagined but utterly familiar contemporary tragedy. Throughout, Peluso demonstrates a firm command of how complex societal systems work (and fail), from Oakbriar to the state of Florida to a community-minded church and, ultimately, the justice system. She also understands the hearts and fears of kids, how daunting and inhumane those systems can appear from the outside, and the preciousness of stability and love.”
BOOKLIFE by PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Booklife.com Booklife Supplement of Publishers Weekly April 25, 2022
“Loved it! A moving, heartbreaking, and triumphant story about family and community in the face of evil. This story is an important one, and I could even imagine it being made into a film, as there are many highs and lows and twists that would make for an epic, excellent, cinematic story. I look forward to reading more by this author. “
REEDSY.COM Sacha T. Y. Fortuné Author, editor (15+ yrs) & avid reader/reviewer of most genres. When I love a book, I LOVE a book.
“Covid Orphans by Teri Peluso is a fantastic social novel. There are so many positive aspects of this book. I recommend this book to people who work directly and indirectly with the foster care system. The book shows how faulty the system is and how some of those faults can be fixed through the help of the government and private stakeholders. I also recommend it to individuals who are recovering from any form of sexual assault and rape; this book shows how people can overcome, heal, and seek justice for such crimes.”
ONLINEBOOKCLUB.ORG Darlington O.
“This historical-fiction novel will evoke tears, laughter, gasps, and cheers as three children join the ever-growing number of pandemic orphans and navigate their new life. I have hesitated to read books related to the pandemic because the experience remains raw and new variants continue to surface. However, the lonely young woman on the cover and the focus on COVID-19’s effect on children, especially orphans, attracted me to this book. The story was well rounded and contained many subplots, including cyber intelligence and criminal investigation, but my favorite component was its depiction of relationships. The “village” comprised family members, friends, colleagues, and community leaders involved in healthy, caring (and unhealthy, manipulative) relationships. I was relieved that the pandemic, although the fundamental reason for the conflict, was not the constant focus of the plot. In fact, having COVID-19 as the backdrop made the story more relatable. The main characters were described thoroughly, and I formed a rooted connection with them. There were also many secondary characters in the story, but it was easy to keep track of them because each one had a niche to fill. I particularly enjoyed the strong female personalities, who were compassionate and competent in their work. They complemented their male counterparts, creating a balanced undertone for the plot. I commend the author on the story’s combination of drama, humor, and suspense—this book would make a gripping television movie. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy relationship-driven themes and are at least 18 years old. Profanity occurs occasionally, but it is relevant in the context. A more cautionary note is the inclusion of a sexual predator and references to pornography on the dark web. The descriptions are not extremely graphic, but they may trigger some readers. I generally avoid books with sexually manipulative components, but the author handled this all-too-common issue sensitively, and I did not find it offensive in this read.”