Reviews

I did enjoy reading this book, and as someone who did not know about the Bethnal Green disaster it is an interesting read. However, there is not a lot of depth to the characters, and other than Billy no real character development, there was also a lot of "fluff" that I'm not sure really added to the book. For a historical fiction book, there wasn't a huge amount of focus (other than the actual event) on any historical aspects, it very much read as a romance book.

alexagabaree's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

i loved the history mix with romance in this book. i was able to paint a very well picture and was kept very entertained through intense parts of the war!

fallenxx's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Content Warnings

courtofsmutandstuff's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

If I DNFed books, I probably would have DNFed this. The most engaging part was right around the halfway mark where the "terrible incident" happens, and it's because I think the book works most well when driven by external conflict. It doesn't thrive as a love story (though the romantic subplot is a significant part of the story), and I think it's because it doesn't operate as a romance novel - there's no "core wound" that the characters face and the only external conflict is the war going on, and then the after effects of the "terrible incident" - even Billy's interest isn't a conflict until spoilers

from the beginning of the book the love triangle is set up, and especially after Ray is shot down, it just felt like he was going to survive - because why else would the love triangle have been set up so much? So when Ray shows up days before the wedding, it feels more like a pay off than a "oh no! conflict!!"

. I did appreciate the sections that focused on administrative life and the inquiry, but the lack of interior depth - beyond life during wartime is hard - made this book hard to resonate with me. I do like when author's read their own work, but that alone wasn't enough to elevate this for me.
If you like historical fiction about London during the Blitz, this is a read for you. If not, I'd say skip (even if you're a fan of Brown's).

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