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fallenxx's review
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
Moderate: Grief, War, and Death
courtofsmutandstuff's review
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).
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).
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death of parent, Child death, and Body horror
rebekaho24's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I didn’t like the ending, and felt like there wasn’t any focus on character development/flaws. It was okay, but honestly I think it could’ve been a bit better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence and War
Minor: Pregnancy and Cancer
dwigz's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Honestly a good debut for Millie. I’d never heard of the Bethnal Green tube station incident before.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death
Minor: War and Death
selincck's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War and Cancer
datskira's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, and Death
Moderate: War
Minor: Terminal illness and Pregnancy
jhurdman's review against another edition
emotional
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, War, and Death of parent
bella613's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Death of parent, War, and Grief
morethanmylupus's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
2.0
Another WWII novel that runs together with all the rest. Nothing about this one stood out to me or is likely to stick with me any more than any other. I originally requested it from the library because I was curious about Millie Bobby Brown's writing skills given that she's famous for being an actress not a writer. Turns out it was ghostwritten and while I have no issue with ghostwriting per se, I didn't think was a particularly well written book. Professional ghost writers usually have better writing skills (which is kind of the whole point), so I'm not sure what happened here. I read this on audio and Millie Bobby Brown did a great job narrating (which makes sense given her acting skills) but the dialogue was stilted and as mentioned the story didn't really stand out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Death
booksandbabble's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, and War