Historical Fiction is my favourite genre and books like this confirm to me exactly why it is. A truly vivid story that came alive on the pages. I loved the setting, discovering Bombay and thought the romance of the novel was well done. I found this a truly cosy enjoyable read and thank you so much for the chance to read in advance. An author I will keep an eye out for.

For fans of historical fiction, particularly British colonial history, this is a romantic story set in pre-World War I Bombay, India. Madeline Bright is a young deb whose arrival in Bombay seems destined to play out within the usual restricted British society circle. However, a maverick man appears on the scene and captivates Madeline, taking her out of her comfortable expectations. Their love story is filled with passion, obstacles, and pathos. The setting of Bombay is wonderfully woven into this romantic, turbulent story.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. The descriptions are incredible. I felt as if I was kn Bombay in 1914. I learned a lot and this is an enjoyable historical fiction. This is the first book I've read by Ms. Ashcroft but it won't be the last.

Madeline returns to Bombay after completing school in England, and begins to adjust to the new climate and culture. She meets Luke Devereaux on New Year's Eve and their short meeting had a large impact on her. Their relationship finds a way to grow, and they marry right before World War 1 begins. The world changes, and Maddy & Luke are forced into separation as Luke leaves to lead some troops. But...he promises to return to her.
By the second half of this book, I could not stop reading, and was up way too late last night reading to the end of this book!

Meet Me in Bombay by Jenny Ashcroft was an incredibly emotional historical fiction read. Y'all, this one is some kind of ride with my feels. The story begins in 1913. Maddy is in Bombay, and she meets Luke. Luke captivates her. She isn't who her family might expect her to fall in love with (and in fact, there are some other individuals that come into play with the plot), but she is absolutely swept away by him. Their love is deep and true, and they are so captivated by each other. As they are finding love, the world is in turmoil as World War I looms. This has a huge impact on Maddy and Luke, and the story then explores what this means. This is a story that drew me in, as I was rooting for Maddy and Luke. However, being drawn in meant I was emotionally captivated, and this one put me through some twists and turns with that journey. This is one that kept me reading as I rooted for love, but also had to wade through the challenges they found along the way. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this January 2021 release. This is definitely one to get on your list!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I cannot say enough good things about this book. Maddy and Luke's romance begins on New Year's Eve, 1913. Maddy has just returned to Bombay from England, where she finished her schooling after years away. The two catch each others' attention at the crack of Midnight and their story begins. Through small adventures exploring Bombay, they slowly start to fall in love until tragedy strikes and World War I throws their lives into heartbreak.

This book is a romance. There's no doubt about that. But there's so much more to it! Ashcroft brilliantly paints Bombay, a gift for anyone who's dreamed of visiting India. The characters are complex and intriguing. Each character has both good and bad and it was hard to root against any of them, even when the drama started to pick up. They pulled me into their lives until I was up WAY too late reading. There are many WWI romances out there, but I've not read one I've enjoyed quite as much as this one. It will be on the top of my recommendations list for quite a while.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. I really enjoyed this story. Love historical fiction and the romance was nice too. The author did a great job with the characters making them life like and not one dimensional. Did a great with the descriptions of each setting felt as if I was there.

Meet Me In Bombay by Jenny Ashcroft is a historical fiction novel that centers around soldiers in India during World War I. I know next to nothing about the first World War so its always nice to learn something new. I particularly enjoyed the setting of Bombay, I don’t read many books set there so it was a welcome change.

Check it out:

It’s New Year’s Eve in Bombay, 1913, and Madeline Bright, new to the sweltering heat of colonial India, is yearning for all she has left behind in England. Then, at the stroke of midnight, Maddy meets Luke Devereaux, and as the year changes so do both their lives.

Bold and charismatic, Luke opens her eyes to the wonders of Bombay, while Maddy’s beauty and vivacity captures his heart. Only her mother disapproves, preferring the devoted Guy Bowen as a match for her daughter.

But while Maddy and Luke are falling in love, the world is falling apart. World War I is on the horizon, and Luke will be given no choice but to fight. They will be continents apart, separated by danger and devastating loss, but bound by Luke’s promise that they will meet again in Bombay.

I loved the love between Maddy and Luke, I cant recommend this enough for fans of historical fiction.

Coming in January! Pre-order here.

Looking for a warm-hearted, engaging historical romance with likeable characters? This story of Maddy and Luke, set during WWI in India when it was still an English colony, definitely fits the bill! It has all the elements of a good romance - lots of chemistry between the characters, love, heartbreak, loss, and hope. The story moved along at a good pace with some good unexpected “will they, won’t they” moments. A great read that I got so caught up in that I stayed up until 1 am on a work night to finish it!! Look for “Meet Me in Bombay” on January 19, 2021!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really well-written novel, with overlapping timelines and a moving, desperate love story. I had been a little overwhelmed with WWI and WWII historical fiction, but the suspenseful separation of the lovers and the beautiful setting in India made for a welcome difference. Not to give too much of the plot way, but I found myself thinking of everything from James Hilton's Random Harvest to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as I read.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC for the purpose of an unbiased review.

Thank you Netgalley for this amazing book. It’s a lovely love story set in WWI at 1913. Madeline Bright came to visit her parents in India after studying for many years in boarding school at United Kingdom. There she meets Luke Devereaux. He gives Madeleine an old guide book that would help her to explore the interesting places in Bombay. Soon they deeply connect to each other but the war just makes them torn apart. I highly recommend this book. I would suggest the readers not to do too much about the synopsis and the storyline and just pick this book, start reading and I am sure you would be amazed by it.
I really loved the writing and the story is really intriguing. It kept me engaged throughout the book.

I feel I can’t leave this review without first talking about the romanticism of colonial India written within it. This book centers around white British colonizers in Bombay, while the native Indian characters are all regulated to the background & to mostly subservient roles. From the beginning this really rubbed me the wrong way & colored my feelings of the book the entire time I was reading.

With that in mind, I do want to leave a review of the story itself. I was drawn to this book originally because of the beautiful cover & because I love historical fiction. However, I didn’t love this book. The main male character had a very interesting story arc - I did find myself rooting for him as he was one of the only characters I didn’t find infuriating. There were some good twists I wasn’t expecting (& others I did) & while I do think there were some strong sections in this book, ultimately I really think it should have been shorter.

Also, I hated how the female lead was portrayed - she was always making decisions based on how a man would feel about them (one of my biggest peeves). In fact a lot of characters were very unlikeable. At the end it was wrapped up nicely, if not a bit unbelievably, & I was left questioning how I felt about this book. Ultimately I decided on 3 stars.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! The characters are relatable and enjoyable and the love story / mystery compelling. But for me the absolute best part were the scenes of India, the glimpses of local life and locales as well as the expat/ British colonial life in 1914.

This book flew by for me and was such a refreshing, entertaining read. Highly recommend.

What a refreshing and excellent novel!

At the heart of this stirring novel is a beautiful tale of mystery and romance.

Can love survive while the world is falling to pieces?

Maddy and Luke adore each other.. but is love enough during the treachery of WWI?

A surprising, touching novel.

Highly recommended.

I adored this book!! & isn't this cover just beautiful? Meet Me in Bombay is a love story and such a good mix between historical fiction and romance. I fell for these characters because of how relatable they are. I felt their joy and their heartbreak. I celebrated with them, cried with them, and hoped for them. I also enjoyed Jenny Ashcroft's writing. The different perspectives were written really well and really put some depth into the story. This was such a heartbreaking and heartwarming story. If you love historical fiction or romance novels, then definitely check this one out!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"A happiness so overwhelming that it was all he could do to breathe. "

Meet me in Bombay starts off with someone writing a letter. A letter to someone, describing a vision seen in his dreams. Yet, the vision doesn't make sense, bits and pieces coming together and then flitting away…We don't know who is writing and seeing these visions. We only know it's someone, someone fighting to get back what he lost.

I love that Maddy and Jake wrote letters to each other during the war. I mean of course that's all they could do to communicate but what really stood out was that while Luke had amnesia, his subconscious somehow remembered that feeling, that memory of writing letters, even though he didn't quite know why or to whom he was writing to. With today's technology, along the way we have lost the art of physically writing (and mailing) letters to each other.

"She's been terrified, Maddy, of losing you all over again." This statement sums up the fear felt by Maddy's mother and this fear set the course of their relationship and the choices her mom made. Through courage, acceptance, unconditional love and never losing hope, all was made right in the their worlds.

I also loved the fact that the story was set in Bombay, India just before the WW1. The story gave interesting insights into the British families that were living in India and what their lives were like.

This was a fantastic story about losing the one you love through circumstances beyond your control and never giving up hope that one day you'll be reunited, even against all odds.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book.

I truly loved this book. Getting about 40 percent of the way through, I stayed up far too late having to finish it just to find out what would happen. I empathized with the characters of the story and felt like I was rooting for them. This story immerses you in a sweeping love story filled with family dynamics and betrayal.
Highly recommend!

I do love historical fiction and have to say that this is my first book set primarily in India. Loved the setting and learning about India. A beautiful, heart breaking love story of Maddy and Luke. A bit of a slow start, so don't give up on it, it gets so much better! Loved the characters and the setting. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Oh my goodness this was a good book! With elements of history, friendship, love, loss and family, the author has crafted a wonderful story. I loved the characters as well.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a story that takes place in Bombay before WWI. Maddy, having recently returned from England, doesn't really feel part of the social scene her parents belong to in Bombay. She's unhappy, homesick and is unable to warm up to her emotionally distant mother.

When she meets Luke, her life is changed forever. Except, that I couldn't really figure out what Luke saw in her. With very little character development and an insta-love story, I didn't really find this story realistic. The descriptions of Bombay appear to be taken out of a travel guide. Maddy acted like she was living in the present day and not post-Victorian India.

Don't get me wrong, the premise for the story was excellent. I just couldn't really commit to the main character.