** spoiler alert ** I loved this book. From the 60's rock culture, the Australian connections and the insight into the effects of the Vietnam War, this was a great story. I enjoyed how this story was segmented into parts that described different parts of time. I really liked Poppy as a character, and it broke my heart how Barbara tricked Ben into marrying her. All the tribulations that continued for Poppy and Ben's love story, got a bit annoying as I just wanted them to be happy. I liked how Angus and Rosemary were such a perfect couple, but when he returned from war, there was no return. This was a good example of the effects of war, even when soldiers survive, their lives still change dramatically. This book makes me want to pick up Mary-Anne O'Connor's other books, as I really enjoyed this one.

4.5* A great story of love and war, of hopes, dreams and responsibilities. This story was a journey from innocence to the harsh realities of life and love and the beauty and heartache that can be experienced. Following the characters from Sydney and to the Vietnam war and the relationships that form and change through the experiences each live and the decisions they make. This was a book that I really enjoyed with real characters, ones you like and ones you don't like so much. Each played their part and some tugged at the heartstrings. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thanks to Harlequin Australia and Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

Set amongst the back-drop of the technicolour sixties, moving through the seventies all the way to the eighties. Revolving around the characters of Poppy Flannery, Ben Williamson and Angus Tanner. The story has multiple stories within that wove together in what is an attention grabbing story. Ms O'Connor's third book is heartfelt and full of controversial moments.
Review copy received from Harlequin Australia via Netgalley

Poppy Flannery and her twin sister Rosemary were kept under a tight rein by their strict Catholic parents – so much so that when they finally went to a school dance, their naivety and old-fashioned ways made them immediate wallflowers. The bullies from school didn’t leave them alone, continuing the taunts wherever they were. When the school excursion for their choir went to Surfers Paradise, both girls were there. The swinging sixties with the pot, the dance moves, the hippies – Poppy and Rosemary had a ball. Ben Williamson was also there and Poppy fell for him in a big way. And when Rosemary met Angus and Spike – brothers from Western Australia – Angus and she became staunch friends.

But when Ben and Angus were both sent to Vietnam to fight, the girls' lives changed. Rosemary loved the feeling that drugs gave her; Poppy continued her studies and waited for Ben. The hardships of war; the loss of friends; the terror of never knowing what was ahead – the soldiers who returned were not the same carefree men who left.

What was life to be like for these men, and the women who’d waited for them? The shattered men who felt guilt and loss deep inside – could their loved ones understand what they had been through?

War Flower by Aussie author Mary-Anne O’Connor was utterly, heartbreakingly brilliant! Written with compassion, understanding, love and caring, the author has blended the facts of a horrific war with a heart-warming fiction to make War Flower a “real” story. I don’t recall reading a novel about the Vietnam War before now and I thoroughly enjoyed it – and most highly recommend it.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy to read and review.

This book was advertised as being appropriate for teenagers. Yes it is, but is also a poignant story for adults. Being Australian it gave me special insight into the Vietnam war. I was a teenager in the 60s and could relate so much to the time set in the book. It certainly invoked great memories of my youth, of the issues we faced and also the social issues that existed.