I consumed this book in one setting. Nothing like a pre-WW2 historical fiction book to get me interested. I enjoyed following Willa's journey through out the whole book, learning more about female doctors in the 1930's, and reading about the Golden Gate Bridge getting built. Also appreciated all the research that went into this book and how didn't seemed rushed at all for only bring a 360 page book. Only real problem I had with this book was how indecisive Willa was at the end but, over all this is a wonderful young adult historical novel.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, the publisher and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The story set in the Great Depression, has an excellent premise but falls quickly into cliche. Predictably there is the attitude that faith isn't important, odd since the main character is Roman Catholic, and the feminist themes are out of place and much too modern even for a "forge your own path" coming of age story such as this.

2 out of 5 stars. Do not recommend.

Across a Broken Shore is a historical fiction novel set in San Fransisco during the 1930s. The depression is affecting many with Hoovervilles around the country. Men travel far and wide seeking employment. And in San Fransisco, the Golden Gate Bridge is under construction. Everyone sees it as a monument and testament to the people.

Wilhelmina “Willa” MacCarthy is an eighteen-year-old girl, surrounded by big brothers and parents who are intent on her becoming a nun. But, at night, she secretly reads discarded medical books. Those secreted moments come in handy when her beloved brother, Paddy, is injured at the family bar. She escorts him to the local doctor's office only to find the new doctor is a woman!

Doctor Winston sees in Willa a passion for medicine and helping others that should not be denied. With Paddy's help, Willa begins working as her assistant. It is through her work at the clinic and the field hospital near the bridge that she also becomes attracted to Sam, an ironworker.

Yet, she continues to believe entering the convent is the only way to make her parents happy.

There is WAY more involved in this book. Lots of history about women in medicine, especially in the San Fransisco area. Plus, the history surrounding the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. Along with that is what life would be like for a young Catholic girl.

This is not a title that you binge read. Rather you mosey your way through. If you are squeamish over the thought of anything medical, there are some scenes that could be considered graphic in description.

Many thanks to Amy Trueblood for taking the time to write such an engaging and thoroughly researched novel.

I was given an ARC of this book by the publisher in return for an honest review (Thank you!)

The last thing eighteen-year-old Wilhelmina “Willa” MacCarthy wants is to be a nun. It’s 1936, and as the only daughter amongst four sons, her Irish–Catholic family is counting on her to take her vows—but Willa’s found another calling. Each day she sneaks away to help Doctor Katherine Winston in her medical clinic in San Francisco’s Richmond District.

Keeping secrets from her family only becomes more complicated when Willa agrees to help the doctor at a field hospital near the new bridge being built over the Golden Gate. Willa thinks she can handle her new chaotic life, but as she draws closer to a dashing young iron worker and risks grow at the bridge, she discovers that hiding from what she truly wants may be her biggest lie of all.


I can say though, that I am not one to normally enjoy historical type fiction this novel keep my attention from beginning to end. This was a beautifully written novel, Willa was such a great character to read about and an inspiration. she is strong, independent, and brave which is a much needed role model in today society. I read this book very quickly because it was way too hard to put down.

The concept and setting were all very unique and definitely felt like a fresh story.

Willa MacCarthy has grown up as the only sister amongst four older brothers. Her family own the pub. It's 1936 and Willa's parents believe the most appropriate place for Willa is in the Church. For as long as Willa can remember their expectation is that she go to the convent. She has never wanted to please them more, after her mother's near fatal miscarriage and the circumstances surround it.

Unfortunately, Willa's heart isn't in the convent as it once may have been. Her heart belongs in medicine - in the text books she has hidden away, and in the surgery she finds herself in with Dr Winston. She has never felt more strongly that this is her calling but at the same time she is riddled with guilt for going against her parents' wishes. Whilst Willa sneaks out to help her mentor, she befriends Sam, a young man working on what will soon be the finished Golden Gate Bridge. His is a dangerous profession, and Willa and Dr Winston provide medical services at the hospital near the bridge and to the camp of workers and drifters. The conditions are poor and by virtue of visiting Willa places herself at risk each time to assist.

This is a story about a young woman knowing herself and standing up for her beliefs and her future. We see her at odds with the version of herself her parents wish for her, and the version she wishes for herself. We see the growing love between Willa and Sam borne out of mutual respect and admiration. We see the power of one voice that motivates another to follow their chosen path in the face of adversity and loss. We see human struggles and emotions.

This is a story that was such a pleasure to read. From the characters, to their interpersonal relationships to the historical perspective of the Golden Bridge being built. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Amy Trueblood, FluxBooks, and Netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review will also be posted to my instagram @aplace_inthesun

This book will be released on 5 November 2019

Such a great coming of age story set in San Francisco during the 1930's and the building of the Golden Gate bridge! It provided delightful insight into the Great Depression and the rise of female empowerment. Seemed so well researched and well written-so vivid! Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. I highly recommend

*Thank you to NetGalley and Flux for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I’m so glad I requested this book from NetGalley and had the chance to read an early copy!
I loved it, such a fast-paced and engrossing story with relatable characters I deeply cared about, heartwarming family dynamics and the sweetest kind of romance.
It developed important themes such as questions of faith, loyalty, responsibility -both towards the others and ourselves- and coming of age in a unique and original setting - the building of San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge In 1936.
The protagonist, Willa, is the youngest and only daughter in an Irish-American family of five children, and is expected to enter the convent soon, as she promised to maintain a family tradition, although this is the last thing she wants.
Her dream is to study medicine, and the fortuitous encounter with a lady doctor, headstrong Katherine Winston, brings her closer to fulfilling it than she ever thought.
Willa is a great character, with a deep respect and strong affection for her family, in spite of all the limitations imposed by her strict parents and overprotective, ever intruding brothers - with the exception of Paddy, who is always on her side and helps her all along.
I would have hit her on the head a couple of times, when she refused to change her mind about her promise out of a sense of guilt, trying to repress her real vocation and love for Sam, the adorable ironworker who works on the Bridge and steals her breath away, but the ending was perfect, so I forgive her for her almost devastating stubbornness.
I loved her relationship with her brothers - it took them some time to finally listen and understand her, but their love for her was evident all along and they were all darlings in the end.
Her parents are good characters too, but I literally bristled at the injustice of the expectations they forced on her - their impatience for sending her off to the convent as soon as possible and their selfish reasons for it were almost unbearable.
Even keeping in time the historical period and the beliefs of the time, I just couldn’t believe how easily so many parents sent their daughters off to the convent, just because it was a honorable and safe life, refusing to listen and even taking into consideration their real ambitions and dreams.
I hated it, but it was also terribly realistic.
The author’s documentation is commendable and she wrote a great piece of historical fiction, which I recommend to anyone who wants to read a good book with an engaging story and a lovely atmosphere.
I highly enjoyed this novel and it surely won’t be my last by Amy Trueblood - I’m already looking forward to her next!

An interesting story for me as I don’t know much about Golden Gate and how the bride was built as I never been in the states.
I loved the heroine for her willingness to study something that she likes more and feeling that she can help more the people around her instead of becoming a nun as her very conservatives parents are requesting from her.
I didn’t liked that she didn’t stand for herself from the beginning and that she had to hide and involve her brothers as well, but I liked the family bound between them.
Overall was a great story and i’m Looking forward to other books by the author.

I loved the concept of this novel, but at times found myself struggling with the story. The book focuses on young Willa McCarthy, an Irish Catholic girl living in San Francisco with her family while the Golden Gate Bridge was being built. Her family expects her to become a nun, not because of any type of calling but because it would make the family look better. But Willa's heart is not into the church, rather, she is fascinated with medicine and sneaks books into her house without her mother's knowing. When one of her brothers has a medical accident, she meets a female doctor for the first time. From that moment on, she starts hiding information from her parents and one of her brothers covers for her so that she can work as an assistant to Dr. Winston.

The historical aspects of the story, looking into how the Golden Gate Bridge was made, the people living in Hoovervilles, and the way that families worked at the time were wonderful. The relationship that Willa had with Dr. Winston is the kind of mentor-ship that we hope for our children. I struggled with the fact that Willa wasn't able to be honest with anyone, including herself. She had a fire in her but cowered to her parents in every way. While this is in keeping with the times, the extent to her submission seemed odd given her complete need to be around medicine and to help people. The book was very much a coming of age story for Willa, but that was the part that didn't completely work for me. It almost felt that others were trying to show her how strong she was and she had a refusal to listen.

I enjoyed this book and think it is great for teens that are interested in historical fiction. I gave it 3 stars because in comparison to so many other YA historical fiction books, it was not as powerful.

Where my review will be posted: Netgalley and Goodreads
When posted: 9/8/2019

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Across a Broken Shore was an incredible and engaging reading experience. I enjoyed many of the historical aspects that rooted me in the 1930's as well as the vivid setting of the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge.

I loved Willa as a character. She was fleshed out, had both high and low points, and had deep internal conflict. She was headstrong and bold, and I ended up rooting for her all the way. I also appreciate all the work Trueblood puts into her side characters--Willa's family, Sam, Doctor Winston, Cara, the Cleerys. They all felt real and added depth to the theme of the novel as well as Willa's world.

The pacing was absolute perfection, without being too fast or too slow. There's just something about Willa and her internal conflict that drives readers towards the end; I was hooked from the beginning.

However, although the theme--following one's passion--is very strong, it did feel forced in some places (Cara is the example I thought of.) Added to this is that there is some telling via dialogue near the end of the book that pulled me from Willa's world for a moment. It did not feel smooth and I thought it could have gone through some revision.

On the whole, Across a Broken Shore is a historical fiction I would definitely recommend to historical fiction fans, anyone who's even mildly interested in medicine, or anyone who needs push to follow their dreams.

Rating: 3.8 stars

I really liked certain aspects of this book, but overall I felt like there was something missing while I was reading it. I really enjoyed the characters of Dr. Winston and Sam, but I had a hard time connecting to main character Willa. That being said I really enjoyed the setting of the book and the overall story line of a budding female physician in 1936 San Francisco. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for YA historical fiction with feminist elements.

This was a great book and very well written! I love reading books by new authors and highly recommend this book to everyone. The story was easy to follow and the characters are described very well and area easy to relate to. I recommend this book to everyone and can't wait to read even more.

Thank you Netgally and Flux for the chance to read Across a broken shore for a review. 18 year old Willa MacCarthy is expected to continue a family tradition and become a nun, but secretly she has been reading Grey's anatomy and other medical books in the hopes of becoming of doctor. But in San Francisco in 1936 a female doctor in almost unheard of, until a mishap in her family's bar leads her to one person who could possibly show her everything she wants, Dr. Katherine Watson.
I totally loved this book and couldn’t put it down! The characters were real, and the backdrop of San Franscisco in the 1930’s with the building of Golden Gate bridge kept the story flowing. It is a beautiful historical fiction, with some grim reminders that not everything was wonderful back then. The novel touches on the themes of secrets in a close-knit family, working conditions for labourers/Unions and the attitudes of medical community to females doctors. This is a YA novel, with a romance (nothing heavy), but some medical scenes may be a bit heavy for the younger crowd.

The setting for this book was lovely, but I found the plot to be painfully slow and I did not find any characters to be particularly compelling. This falls into the rare category of books that I did not finish (I stopped at 42% completion).

A thoughtful and heartfelt book about a young Catholic girl who has to choose between her parent’s insistence that she become a nun and her desire to be a doctor. The building of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge provides a fascinating backdrop to the story. Historical depression details like the Hoovervilles, drifters, and immigrants are seamlessly woven into the plot line.

Willa is a strong female character who is fettered by guilt and family expectations. She helps a female doctor who encourages her to follow her to go to medical school. Willa also meets a handsome young man named Sam, who is a Protestant. Their romance is a sweet sub plot.

Willa’s struggle between duty and dreams will resonate with young people who are searching for their own truth.

Set in 1930s San Francisco , against the backdrop of the building of the Golden Gate Bridge, Willa MacCarthy is torn between her dream of studying medicine and her family's plan for her to become a nun.
When she meets a female doctor, Dr Katherine Winston, she finally has the opportunity to experience medicine first hand.
Willa has to make a choice between her dreams and her duty to her family.
Lots of interesting characters and detail about American life during the Depression - a lot of research has gone into this book and it was a great YA read

Although it had some interesting elements - a slightly more uncommon choice of period for historical fiction, a strong portrayal of familial, cultural and religious ties - I felt that the writing and plotting was somewhat amateurish (using the phrase "lady doc" two or three times is awkward but acceptable; the book far surpassed that by about page fifty) and sometimes became clunky through poorly integrated (over)research

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved Across A Broken Shore! A young woman is expected to join a convent in 1930s San Francisco and has a secret desire to study medicine, will she follow her families wishes or her own? Overall I liked the main character, Willa, though at times she was a bit whiny, It was a quick read and it was nice to see a different type of historical fiction as there hasn't been much set in this time period.

Across a Broken Shore is a wonderful mix of historical fiction, coming of age and girl power and I loved every moment of it.

Willa lives in San Francisco in the 1930s. Her Irish immigrant family expects her to join a convent and devote her life to prayer but she is fascinated by human anatomy and medicine. This story looks at the choices we make in youth and the struggles navigating family expectations versus personal aspirations.

The book is so well-written with well-developed characters and just the right amount of historical detail. There are glimpses into how women handle male-dominated professions, a streak of feminism and an overall message that it’s essential for young people to follow their dreams, even in the face of family opposition.

I loved the depth of this book and found it compelling from start to finish. This is a 5 star read for me!

As a fan of historical fiction, I knew this book would be right up my alley, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Willa is a fantastic heroine and a very relatable character. At eighteen-years-old, she is destined to fulfill her Irish-Catholic family’s tradition of becoming a nun, but Willa dreams of more. After meeting Dr. Katherine Winston and agreeing to be her assistant, she is even more convinced that her true passion is in the medical field. To make matters even more complicated, she meets a young man who is working on the Golden Gate Bridge and while he is only there until the bridge is completed, she develops feelings for him. All the while, she is keeping these secrets from her family and the fast approaching day of her joining the convent is looming over her head. Will she live up to her family’s expectations or will she go after what she truly wants?

This really was a great book, and I found all of the characters to be likable in their own way, but above all, I loved Dr. Winston. I think it was kismet that she came into Willa’s life at just the right moment...or maybe I should credit Paddy for injuring himself and forcing them to meet by chance. Either way, she had such a huge impact on Willa’s life and encouraged her to make decisions of her own, while everyone else was trying to make life choices for her. It was a time when women were just beginning to make a name for themselves in professions that were traditionally reserved for men, and Dr. Winston saw something in Willa, thus pushing her to stand up for what she truly wanted in life.

Highly recommend!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2788548264