This was a real mixed bag for me, so I'll start with the positives first. I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, especially that which is based around WW2, so I was always going to request this as soon as I saw the synopsis! I was also really excited to learn about an aspect of the war that I'd not previously known. As a citizen of the UK, my understanding of WW2 is focused largely on what happened in Britain and Europe. Recently, I have read some books about how America viewed the war, but never Canada, and so that was something I was really excited by, and I wasn't let down in the slightest. In this novel, Graham gives us a fantastic insight into the complexities of how the war played out in Canada, with particular focus on the appealing treatment faced by Japanese Canadians as perceived retribution for Pearl Harbour.

I also found that Graham's writing was fantastic when focusing on Hayden's experiences in the POW camp. Her writing was brutal and realistic and very moving, and I also found that it seemed very accurate - she didn't sugar coat things, or exaggerate for the sake of the novel, but instead gave a very frank and eyeopening insight into the complexities of Hayden's experience and the effect it had on his mental health.

Now, onto the aspects I felt were a bit weaker. Firstly, the balance between the two characters was a bit off to me. Chidori was such a central character, but instead of reading about her experiences firsthand, we just get journal entries which mainly focus on her love of Hayden. They are beautiful, but it doesn't really let you know her as a person, and so I never really grew to feel any attachment to her - she was very one dimensional, existing only to be the subject of Hayden's adoration. This is a real shame, as the struggles she experienced as a Japanese Canadian woman in that time would have made for a fascinating read.

I also felt like the language was quite odd at times. It would alternate between very relaxed and casual, to at times being overly formal and quite bizarre. There were also some odd jumps between segments, which might not have been noticeable if read over a few days but when you read it in one sitting it makes for a bit of an odd experience.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, if only for offering an insight into a previously unknown (to me) aspect of WW2 - the unjust way in which Japanese Canadians were treated after Pearl Harbour. However, it could've gone into more depth on this aspect of the plot, and due to the narrative focus being on Hayden this did lead to some elements of the plot feeling quite detached from the reader. However, while there were some issues with the novel, these were minor, and although I've read better I've also definitely read far worse. If you're a fan of historical fiction focusing on WW2, it might be worth a read, but I'm not sure I'd pay for it.

Disclaimer - I was provided with an advance reading copy by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

In the mist of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger - something better, pushing right back.

When a story sticks close to home, it sticks to the heart. My father-in-law brought his bride from Japan in the late 50's along with their son. It is their youngest son whom I married and have two girls. My mother in law as passed away, but she shared with me along with her husband, the stigma of racial marriage. Knowing my mother in-law, I found a steadfast heart, a servant heart and wonderful mother-in-law and grandmother to my own girls. The main character of All We Left Behind Chidori Setoguchi, I see my mother-in law as her heart remained steadfast.

Chidori Setoguchi lives with her family in grandmother in Canada in Mayne Island. Her family has a successful business that Chidori's grandfather started. Chidori's father came from Japan as a young child. They lived in community with their Japanese culture of honor and family. Hayden's family and the Setoguchi's family worked alongside each other and that is where Hayden's love for Chidori grew. He saw her gracefulness and faithfulness to her family first hand. He loved her with his whole being.

Their relationship took a hit once World War II started. Hayden knew that he must join the war effort to end the war so Chidori and him could be together. The narration is done in two parts. Hayden's voice has his love for Chidori grows and his time as he is captured by the Germans. His despair over the his capture and treatment and what his thoughts of what has become of Chidori. Chidori's voice is captured with her diary entries as she struggles about her future and the future with Hayden. What will happen to her family as they have everything taken away from them. What will be come of the Canadian Japanese and the injustice of their treatment.

The prose is descriptive of the despair of war and injustice but also with the hope of love. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

A Special Thank you to Harper-Collins and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, Danielle R. Graham for my digital copy of her new book: All We Left Behind.

Hayden Pierce and Chidori Setoguchi are childhood friends they grow up together in Mayne Island in Canada. As children they played together, they got into all kinds of mischief as six year olds, a group of them all hung out together as teenagers and now both are young adults. Girls mature faster than boys, so Chidori knew she was falling in love with her best friend and eventually Hayden discovers he feels the same way. The rumblings of WW II are hard to ignore, Hayden isn't that concerned but his family are and so are Chidori's due to the Setoguchi family being Japanese Canadians. Both families are worried when Hayden asks Chidori to start going steady, they want to get engaged and eventually marry. They both notice people are starting to become hostile towards the Japanese Canadians and when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor on the 7th of December 1941 things change. First they introduce a curfew for the Japanese Canadians, then they are considered enemy aliens, they are forced to leave town and sent to a interment camp.

Hayden is upset, once Chidori's family is sent away he's furious and he thinks the only way to get her back is to join up, fight and help end the war. He and Chidori made a pledge to wait for each other, one day they will be together again.and plan to get married. Hayden trains to be a pilot, his plane is shot down in enemy territory, he suffers from terrible burns and spends months in a German military hospital. Once he recovers he's transported to POW Stalag camp in Germany, life in the camp is horrible, the food is shocking, the prisoners spend most of the time in their huts and get to walk around outside for an hour each day. Months go by, he finally receives mail from his family and nothing from Chisori. He's reunited with his friend Gordie, but by this time Hayden is in bad shape, he's lost a lot of weight, he suffers from nightmares and develops tremors in his hands.

The camp is finally liberated by the Russian army in May 1945 Hayden is excited, then he discovers he can't eat a lot, he needs to get stronger before he's shipped home and it's a slow process. His parents are delighted when he returns home, everything has changed and none of the Japanese residents have returned to the Mayne. Hayden is shocked to discover why, he also sets to find out what happened to Chidori and her family?

All We Left Behind is a story about friendship, young love, war, tragedy and how badly one group of people are treated by the Canadian government and how they had all their rights, property and freedom taken away from them all because of their Japanese heritage.
I really enjoyed the book, it's classed as young adult fiction and I gave it four stars.

Sadly this wasn't for me and I couldn't funish the book. I found the writing to be really quite odd and didnt find a flow with it. A shame as I was looking forward to it. Since I cannot review it, I will give it 1 star.

Normally I’m not a huge fan of novels that skip around in timeline, but this time it was seamlessly done and added something extra to this story. From the very first chapter I was hooked and wanted to know more about Chidori and Hayden; from their prewar relationship to how they each survived the war.
Reading about the Walt early relationship reflected the rosy view of a couple who had yet to be tested. Yet the evolution and growth that both went through during the war (Chidori was forced to an interment camp and Hayden was so POW), showed the strength of the human soul. In the end things didn’t magically return to the way they were but a new normal was established, which kept the novel grounded in reality. Loved this novel and is already on my re-read list.

While I liked the historical significance and the concept of the story, I was not impressed with how the story was laid out. If I were a slower reader, I may have been able to tolerate jumping from one part in time to another, but for fast readers it felt jumpy and stunted.
Pros: Excellent historical accuracy, characters one likes, and portrayal of PTSD was dead on.
Cons: the back and forth from past to present.

This was such an interesting read. I never knew about the unfortunate treatment of Japanese Canadians in British Columbia during WW2.
A great story of friendship, love, barriers, prejudices and the impact of the 2nd WW; as well as life as a POW in Poland.
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy modern history.

This is another WWII novel with a bit of a twist...I had no idea that Canada had Japanese Internment Camps!

This is the story of friendship, love, heartbreak and so much more.

My thanks to Netgalley and One More Chapter Books. This is schedule to release in January 2020.

I have never read a story that included these events and did not know this part about WWII. I enjoyed this book very much! The characters were extremely well done and I never felt that the story lacked anything, I felt it flowed very well. I highly recommend this novel.

All We Left Behind by Danielle Graham is a fabulous, gripping historical fiction piece focussing on one of the lesser covered subjects in recent HF offerings concerning Japanese internment camps in Canada during WWII.

I had read about Japanese internment camps in America, but I did not know this shameful behavior also occurred in Canada as well.

This book is so much more then just friends, equals, lovers separated due to circumstances beyond their control. This is a story of heartbreak, loss, redemption, romance, and finally a happy ending.

I enjoyed reading from both the POV of Hayden, a Canadian and POW, and Chidori, a Japanese-Canadian who was subjected to persecution through no fault of her own. Despite all of their obstacles and trials, the author was able to weave a tale that provided a satisfying and heartwarming end to show a love that transcended all.

I also enjoyed learning a bit of historical perspective from the Author Note at the end of the book. I am glad that I was able to come away from this novel learning something new about this time in history.

5/5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and HC/One More Chapter for this excellent ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

I enjoy WWII-era novels, as well as ones with split POVs. However, I had a hard time with this one. Things felt a bit lopsided, with a bit more focus on Hayden, his breakdown and imprisonment, etc. It was well done and emotional, but it felt unbalanced with Chidoris's story line. The reader only sees pieces of her through her journal entries, so it's hard to really feel connected to her. She's a Japanese Canadian woman, and I haven't read many books with similar characters, so I would've enjoyed a b it more.

I liked that this story touched on some lesser-known angles of WWII, particularly in relation to the Japanese Canadians. It was an interesting book, but it didn't quite meet my expectations for the genre.

Growing up in Canada, the Second World War seemed so far away to Chidori and Hayden. As children, they were only vaguely aware of heritage with Chidori being a Japanese Canadian. That didn’t matter to them one bit. They became best friends and over time, friendship turned to love. Their bond was one that could not be broken even when the attack on Pearl Harbor that changed everything.

Suddenly, Chidori and her family were interned in a camp for ‘enemies of the state’ and Hayden rose to the occasion by joining the military to fight for what was right. They promised to wait for each other no matter what and make their dream of a future together a reality once the war ended.

When Hayden is shot down during a dog fight over Italy; then captured and turned over to the Germans...his love for Chidori and their promise to each other kept him going. When things went from bad to worse...he held on to hope that one day...he’d return and they’d be together.

This book is gripping from start to finish. For starters, I was not aware that Canada also interned Japanese Canadians after the attacks on Pearl Harbor so I got a bit of a history lesson there. The author goes on to give a more detailed timeline of this internment and the aftermath in the authors notes so be sure to read those.

It also shows the effects of war from multiple perspectives...family at home, POWs, Japanese Canadians, those who didn’t serve in the military. It’s definitely an emotionally charged book which I personally love.

This is definitely a weekend read because once you pick it up, you won’t be able to put it down. It showcases how deep the bonds of love and friendship can go as well as a type of sadness only those who’ve experienced war would understand. It has a little bit of everything! A must read for WWII fiction fans!

All We Left Behind is a decent read. I was not aware that Canada also removed Japanese citizens from its west coast during WWII. It was interesting to read the different perspective. The writing was decent, if not a little slow in places. I think some of the dialogue could have been condensed for an improved narrative. I liked the cover.

All We Left Behind was an amazing story that will stick with me for a while. This was historic fiction done right. I feel that Danielle R. Graham really did her research before writing this book.
I look forward to reading more from Danielle!

All We Could Not Leave Behind tells the story of childhood sweethearts Hayden and Chidori and their idyllic life on Mayne Island which is shattered by the events at Pearl Harbour. Due to the involvement of Japanese forces in the attack, the Canadian government begins to crack down on the Japanese Canadian population and the sentiment turns against the community, leading to mistrust and eventually internment camps. Because of this injustice, Chidori and her family are forced to leave their home and are taken away, with no idea where she might be Hayden chooses to sign up for the airforce. In their time apart they both go through some terrible trials but their love and memories of each other keeps them going. Will they ever be reunited? Or will the war separate the two forever?

The novel is split between Haydens perspective and Chidoris. I think Grahams writing is stronger in Haydens parts of the novel, it was a lot more impactful and I feel like there was more time exploring his emotions and the gradual breakdown of his mental state as he fights in the war and is eventually captured and imprisoned in a POW camp by the Nazi’s. I feel like this was a realistic and frank portrayal of how an individual would feel and react to such traumatic circumstances and it was touching.

I think the novel would have benefitted with more focus on Chidoris experience rather than focusing on Hayden so much. It felt a bit odd to me that we only got glimpses into her experience, through journal entries, rather than it being a more evenly divided narrative. Her parts were more focused on the romance element and her waxing poetic about her feelings for Hayden which I felt got a bit redundant eventually. I feel like Chidoris story and the struggle she faced as a Japanese Canadian young woman in the time period was vital and it’s a shame that this wasn’t explored more intensively. Perhaps this is because Graham felt more comfortable writing from Haydens perspective and less so from Chidori, who is a woman of colour. I would like to note that this is not an own voices novel, but does feature Japanese characters.

Overall, this novel was an eye opening read. I appreciated that it touches upon an untold or lesser known story of the Second World War and highlights the unjust treatment that Japanese Canadians were subjected to, but it could have gone into way more depth. Regardless of my issues with the execution of the story, which is why I couldn't rate this more highly, this is definitely another important reminder from the past, that we must take heed of.

Their love could not be broken.

This is a story of friendship, war and a forbidden love which cannot be broken. The time is the beginning of WWII and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The setting is an isle on the coast of Canada.

Hayden and Chidori grew up together. They played together as children, became close friends as teens and fell in love as young adults. Now they are looking at college, but WWII comes along. Chidori is Japanese American and Hayden is Canadian. They start getting disapproving message from their parents and from some people in the community. There is talk of internment camps for Japanese Americans that live on the coast of Canada. No one can break the two up.

Hayden goes to war to fight to end the war. He asks Chidori to wait for him and they both agree to wait for each other. Hayden's plane is shot down and he is captured and taken to a Nazi POW camp. The story tells of his time spent in the POW camp . He never receives a letter from Chidori and his mother never talks about her in the letters she sends. He keeps Chidori's picture with him at the camp. His friends help him as he has horrible nightmares every night. He is beaten, starved, and becomes depresses, but manages to hold on for Chidori. His story at the camp is very sad but the friendship with his fellow POW's is amazing.

When he is liberated at the camp by the Russian's he returns home and finds that Chidori's family is no longer there and has been forced to leave. He is heartbroken and becomes very depressed. He searches and writes letters and tries to find where Chidori and her family have gone. When he has almost destroyed himself with alcohol and depression his mother confesses that Chidori wrote him and she kept the letters from him because she thought it was for the best. He reads the letters and goes to find Chidori.

Does he find Chidori and do they get back together? Well you will have to read the book to find out. It is a great read and you will not be disappointed. I recommend the book I enjoyed it and I am sure you will as well.

Thanks to Danielle R. Graham, Harper Collins One More Chapter, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of the book.

A story crying out to be told to all Canadians about the terrible injustices we meted out to innocent Japanese Canadians. To help us understand the story it begins with the love of two young people caught up in this time when a surge of hatred and fear engulfed our western shores. From 1942-45 the caucasian boy and Japanese girl suffer. She from internment and he as a POW. A well written historical fiction with true events. A dark time of shame on Canada.

Enjoyed this book very much. The characters were well drawn and the story flowed seamlessly. Highly recommended.

Historical fiction at its best a moving touching novel ,a book of the effects of war on people’s life and the longing for love no matter how dark the times.#netgalley #harpercollinsuk