A review by happiestwhenreading
Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash

5.0

Bombs are falling in London in 1940, so Bea is sent to America where she can live out the war in safety and relative normality. The Gregorys are a rich family that takes her in and she instantly falls in with the family, almost becoming the missing piece to make them feel whole. Bea finds herself sandwiched between the Gregorys two boys and she adores them both for different reasons. Five years later, she returns to a very different London - her father has passed away and her mother now marries and divorces like it's her job. Eventually, Bea finds herself reconnected with the Gregorys, and the story that unfolds was simply captivating.

Two things kept me from picking this one up: WWII historical fiction and romance.

But, in this book, the combination WORKED! I fell into this story and I fell hard - finishing it in a day! The characters came alive and Spence-Ash told their story with such beauty and grace that I couldn't wait to see how it would all unfold. And while this is technically set during WWII, that aspect is more like a backdrop than the focus of the book. Instead, you get a family drama that explores the characters' coming-of-age, first (and last) romances, and all the messiness of life in between. By the end, I felt like I knew these cha