2004: Dick suffers a stroke but is desperately trying to communicate something to his daughter about the photo of a young woman that he has carried in his wallet for years. 1939: Ruby and other London children are evacuated to Devon. A friendship between Ruby and Stevie develops intolove over the 1940s but will they survive the war and get a happy ending?
I was immediately drawn into The Girl Without A Name. The description of Dick's stroke felt very realistic and his attempts to communicate to his daughter Billie were heartbreaking. The mystery of the girl in the photo is introduced to further grab the reader's imagination.
Then we are introduced to the past: WW2 is breaking out and children are being torn from their homes to find safety int he country. But some of the billets are not as pleasant as others. Ruby misses her mother desperately but she is not beaten like her friend Stevie who eventually runs away back to London, preferring the threat of bombs to the threats of a beating.
The descriptions of life during war time were authentic and unpleasant, especially Stevie's experiences searching bombed properties in London and then later in post war Palestine. He suffers from PTSD which explains his actions later in the book as he attempts to forget the terrible things he saw.
We know that Ruby is not Billie's mum or Stevie's wife so are aware that something will drive the pair apart. I felt like I was emotionally preparing myself for their separation while also enjoying their gentle courtship. However, there are some unpleasant scenes and descriptions, and I found Stevie's growing selfishness very sad to read even though I understood his PTSD was behind it.
It is not until the very end of the book that we discover the reason behind the title. I found myself feeling sad but content at the ending. The author's note at the end informs readers of the basis for the novel: a real life mystery.
The Girl Without A Name is wonderfully written and evokes the time period really effectively, bringing the characters and events into life vividly. I felt a huge emotional investment in Ruby and Stevie's relationship and loved reading their story.

For me this book was just okay. A WWII story about love and separation. When Ruby’s sweetheart Stevie, goes off to war he comes back a changed man.. When he left he pledged to love Ruby but things are different when he comes home. I know I'm going against the tide, however, this was not a story that gripped me and I struggled to read it until the end. I have read many, many WWII stories, yet this one was not one of my favorites. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I love dual timelines (1940's + 2000's) and this one was very exciting, emotional, and left me curious. I did wish the ending connected the two timelines and characters a little more. Thank you, NetGalley!

I was excited to read The Girl Without a Name as it was set in London, Devon, and Weston-Super-Mare during WWII. My mother-in-law was born and grew up in Weston-Super-Mare and served four years in the Woman’s Auxiliary Air Force as a transport driver during the war. My great grandparents immigrated from Somerset. Our story is set in two time periods, the war years through 1952 and 2004. When the book opens in 2004, Billie’s father, Dickie, had a stroke and Billie found a picture in her father’s wallet of a young woman who she does not know.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book. I knew about children growing up in London being transported to the country to be safe from the bombs being dropped in London. I felt like I was walking right beside Ruby as she and Joan are placed with Mrs. Honey. Mrs Honey is a wonderful mother figure for the girls. Joan’s brother, Stevie, is placed with a terribly mean farmer, Mr. Bardford, who does not treat Stevie well—lack of food and corporal punishment. The author made me cry in the scenes where Stevie was abused and smile in the scenes with Mrs. Honey and the girls.

For different reasons, Stevie and Ruby end up back in London a couple of years later. A sweet romance is started. Stevie helps search for people after the bombing raids. Imagine what this does to a young boy. Ruby’s life does not get any easier. At this point in the story, I think it should be developed more and forget what happens right after the war with Stevie. Just too much ground is covered, and I did not feel the same excitement to want to read the last half of the book. Maybe it should have been a sequel?

So I loved the first half but not so much the second half of the book. My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Two time lines for this family story 1940 amidst the war and its aftermath and then 2004.

Billie is one of three children all grown up, their mother has just passed away and their father is trying very hard to keep it together and move on. When he has a stroke, Billie takes over his care and finds a crumpled photograph. When shown this Dickie becomes distraught trying to tell her something which is incomprehensible to Billie.

Trying to go back sixty years is hard. Most of the people who associated with Dickie are either senile or dead. Billie is adamant that she must put the pieces together for the sake of her father and later for the sake of the dead girl Ruby.
This becomes a very circuitous exercise but Billie will not give up.

The adage that somethings should be left undisturbed is very valid here but in this context it leads to a very interesting tale.

For Ruby it was heart breaking to see that her idol had feet of clay, for Dickie it was decades of guilt which became too much to bear. The whole gamut of emotions are played out here.

The Girl Without a Name by Suzanne Goldring is an emotional and heartbreaking story told in dual timelines between the present and the past. When Billie, Dick’s daughter, finds an old photograph in her father’s wallet after he suffers a stroke, Billie is determined to find out about her father’s past seeing as how the picture seems to upset him, but being unable to speak, Billie can’t get any answers. So she goes in search of the answers herself never realizing that she will unveil a tragic past, one her father never ever talked about.

It is the 1940’s and children are being evacuated from London to Devon on account of the war. Ruby is only eleven years old when she is sent away along with Joan and Stevie, a brother and sister who were on the same train as her. Joan took Ruby under her wing and Stevie and Ruby became friends and as they grew older they started to fall in love. But, war isn’t kind and can leave a lasting impression on those who witnessed the horrible aftermath of bombs and the destruction it causes to lives. Stevie, feels the brunt of this from a young age and we now recognize the distress he felt as PTSD. This is really a catalyst in the story as the story weaves its way to what happened between Stevie and Ruby during the 1940’s and 50’s.

I really wasn’t sure how this story would go and in a way, I thought it was going to be this beautiful love story like most books I have read during this time period. But, this story is so much more than that and i was often left feeling anger at some of the actions taken by the characters of this book. It was definitely a whirlwind of emotions I went through while reading and even though I may not have liked some of the decisions that were made, I still couldn’t help feeling sorry for them and for all they went through. This led me to try to understand why certain things happened in the story and in a way I could certainly find myself understanding them while not necessarily agreeing with them. While the ending came as a huge surprise, I also felt it was the perfect ending and one that needed to be said and really fit the overall tone of the book.

The Girl Without a name is gripping and emotional with rich and vivid writing that will pull you right in until the very last page is read. You will find yourself immersed with the characters, feeling their pain as well as their accomplishments. Another five star read for me!

Wow grip at first I did not like but had to gave it a good go once I got into story I was glue I like the writting style good plot good characters strong ones

Suzanne Goldring is back with a heart-breaking, emotional and evocative new novel: The Girl Without a Name.

September 1940 and the Second World War relentlessly chugs on extinguishing lives, hopes and dreams. Yet, amidst all this tragedy and devastation, Ruby and Stevie find themselves falling head over heels in love. A shocking experience they have both endured as evacuees has forged a bond between them that nothing and nobody will break. Ruby feels as if Stevie is the only one who understands her and despite of the uncertainty that overshadows their burgeoning love, she cannot help but hope that they can spend the rest of their lives together. But when the real world intervenes and Stevie is sent abroad, Ruby is devastated. Every day she waits hoping for a letter from her one true love and hoping against hope that he is not lost to her forever.

August 2004 and Billie rushes to the hospital to be by her father’s side. Her father has had a stroke and has been robbed of his speech and is a shell of his former self. Yet, Dick has something important he wants to tell his daughter. When Billie finds a crumpled photograph of a beautiful dark-haired girl, Dirk becomes increasingly agitated and manages to mumble a name that makes Billie determined to uncover the secrets of her father’s past. Billie has nothing to go on other than an old photograph and the name Ruby. Tracking down Ruby’s aunt, Billie begins to learn the story of this enigmatic woman who has known great love, but great loss and tragedy as well.

Ruby’s life is shrouded in mystery. She had left her house for a supposed weekend away and had never been seen since. What happened to her? Why didn’t her family try to find her? And where did she go? What connection does Ruby have to her father? Will Billie discover what links Ruby and Dirk? Can the ghosts of the past ever be laid to rest? Or will some demons simply refuse to be vanquished?

Ruby’s quest might lead her down a dark path, but whilst she may get the answers she has been searching for, will she be ready for the shocking revelations she is about to uncover?

Keep a box of tissues handy when reading Suzanne Goldring’s The Girl Without a Name because it is so poignant and emotional that it could sever your heartstrings. Suzanne Goldring is such a wonderful storyteller who brilliantly captures the joys of falling in love and the terror and devastation wreaked by war. Her evocative descriptions and effortless rendering of the past will sweep you back in time and into a world of danger, secrets, jeopardy and love which will hold you in thrall from start to finish.

A beautifully written page-turner from a writer at the height of her storytelling powers, Suzanne Goldring’s The Girl Without a Name has got winner written all over it.

The Girl Without A Name by Suzanne Goldring is a powerful dual time-line novel that had me completely enthralled from the start.
The action begins in 2004 looking backwards to 1939 before working its way forwards. The voices alternate within the time periods.
This was a novel that I ‘lived’ as I read. I put myself in the role of the leading lady. Due to the artistry of words of Suzanne Goldring I ‘felt’ what the character felt – the highs and the lows, the loves and the losses.
London was seen as a dangerous place to be for the children and many were evacuated at the start of World War II. The clean air of the Devon countryside contrasted with the grime of London. Some evacuees found loving homes. Others were cruelly treated and my heart broke.
The reader witnesses the awful effects of PTSD on a young mind. A moment in time would be forever etched in a brain, lasting a lifetime. Subsequent events would compound the effect of the original event, changing a personality forever as the guilt piled up.
Young love budding and blossoming is beautiful to witness. The reader wants it to last a lifetime and not be tainted by the world. In contrast, serving men used the services of women to block out the horrors of war.
There are actual events incorporated within the story. This adds to the realistic feel of the novel.
I found The Girl Without A Name a really powerful read and one that played with my emotions. This was a wow, oh wow read as at one point I literally gasped out loud. Suzanne Goldring perfectly manipulated my emotional response throughout. She truly is a masterful author. I cannot wait to read more by her.
The Girl Without A Name will break your heart, lift your emotions and make your jaw drop. It really is a fabulous roller coaster read.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

“Is it ever too late to say you’re sorry”. Maybe yes and maybe no! But who is it for, the one who was hurt or the person that caused the hurt.
For those that enjoy historical fiction, this story told in dual timelines, is based on real events. Dick Stevens is found by his daughter Billie, after suffering a devastating stroke. Unable to speak, he is visibly distressed by old photos and newspaper clippings, of a horrendous flood in 1950’s England. Billie sets out to determine the source of his distress, by tracing his story as a child sent from London during the Blitz to wait out the war, in the peaceful countryside.
This is a very sad story, beautifully written by Suzanne Goldring, recounting the difficulties and experiences of young children, living with strangers, away from their families, wonderful writing and interesting characters.
It is a story of tragedy, struggle, loss, sacrifices and the suffering of war. We follow the stories of Ruby and Stevie, the bond that they shared and the lives they lived during wartime and the years that followed.
My thanks to #NetGalley, #BookouturePublishers #SuzanneGoldring for the ARC. I loved it! All opinions are my own!

With thanks to Netgalley for a digital arc of this book, all opinions expressed here are my own.

The Girl Without a Name is the first book I have read by Suzanne Goldring and definitely won’t be my last. Told in dual timelines from 2004 and the Second World War this was a riveting read. The main characters were very well written and I enjoyed following them through their life. We follow Stevie and Ruby as they grow up, then Dick and Billie later to see how trauma and PTSD can bring changes to people’s lives. I loved the way the story wove together and just when you think it’s done, there’s more.

A solid 4 star read and very recommended.

This is the first novel I’ve read by Suzanne Goldring, and it will not be my last! Her writing is smooth and easy to read but does not lack depth and development.

While this novel is rot with deep and dark elements of trauma, PTSD, and other mysteries, there remains an element of love and hope that protects the reader from total despair.

This dual timeline, heartbreaking WWII novel is poignant and mysterious with eloquent writing and gripping lines. Goldring leaves little to the imagination as this story unfolds. It will sit with you for a long time and provoke periods of reflection on this devastating story.

Thank you Suzanne Goldring, NetGalley, and Bookouture for a copy of this book for review.

I’m a big fan of this author (here are my reviews of Burning Island and My Name is Eva). I love her writing style, and she relates a story in a way that makes it real. Her writing is well-researched and heartfelt…this book is no exception.
I will say that I expected something completely different than what I thought the book was going to be focused on, so that was a nice surprise. Actually, there were two surprises, because after the introduction, I still thought the story would be different. It went way beyond my initial perceptions.
The set-up of a current-day tragedy spurring the flashbacks and recollections that make up the bulk of the story was very effective. I like how Billie (the daughter) took it upon herself to try to solve the mystery of what was aggravating her father.
The story is told mainly in flashbacks, from 1939 all the way up to 1952. There are chapters set in 2004 (the current time) as well as some letters interspersed as well. But everything moves seamlessly through the shifting times and perspectives.
The story of the children who were evacuated from London to the countryside during WWII has been a common theme lately, but this time it only took up the first part of the book. It was important to understand the connections that were made at this time, as they had direct bearing on later events.
I thought the author did an admirable job with both Stevie and Ruby’s characters. It was easy to see their personalities and character arcs that led from childhood to adulthood. I also liked how Joan was included to help propel the plot and give foreshadowing to past events.
I know that sounds weird, but her recollections in the present gave the reader an idea as to what happened back during the war (and after the war was over). That made reading the events of the past even more exciting to me.
Once I realized (by the dates at the headings of chapters) that the climax of the story was approaching, the feeling of dread I had grew. I had an idea of what had happened, but it didn’t lessen the impact of the actual event.
The author also is very clever in how she refers to the characters. I won’t say more than that, because I don’t want to ruin what I thought was an excellent (albeit small) twist, but it turns out that Stevie and Ruby had more in common than meets the eye.
Okay, I’ll give you a hint. Pay attention to how Billie refers to her father. And make the connections. It was a great attention to detail that actually spoke volumes about her father’s state of mind and attitude toward the pivotal event.
I’m not saying more. But once again, Suzanne Goldring has produced a story that will stay with me for quite a while. Another excellent addition to the Historical Fiction genre.

It wasn’t until the ending of The Girl Without a Name by Suzanne Goldring did I understand the title. It’s another historical fiction taking place in London during WWII. The country is just starting to recover from the bombings of WWI when it the bombs start falling again. Parents send their children with their school in a more remote town to live with families in the farmlands to protect them from the despair.

Sending my child to live with a family I don’t know sounds so scary to me. I cannot imagine being that child nor can i imagine being the parent. It might have been easier for children with siblings whereas an only child, Ruby Morrison seemed to take it in stride. She seems to keep a lot of thoughts and emotions to herself for the most part and is able to work around her challenges to get what she wants. Her aunt comes to bring Ruby home after a bomb killed her mother. Life with her aunt isn’t the easiest, but she learns to adjust.

I envy the strength of character Ruby has in this story. She proves to be a hard worker and strong-willed. Being able to stand on her feet working all day long at a retail store then go home to help out at her aunt’s pub all evening and night, day in and day out sounds like a harsh life. It leaves little time for herself. Ruby manages to get to the library to borrow books and to secretly visit the cinema with her love, Stevie. Her sheer grit to do all that is so commendable!

On the other hand, Stevie, shows his strength and willpower in his own way. Not only does he survive the abuse of the family on the farmland, but he finds a way to return home on his own. Stevie earns extra cash by helping out his father in his garage as well as scoping out the areas that were recently bombed to look for life and clean up a bit. He later goes to Palestine and Jerusalem when he joins the National Service, but returns conceited and full of himself, as if he’s better than everyone else. What Stevie has seen during the clean ups and during his National Service, while honorable, leaves him with difficulty to get away from the nightmares and continuous thoughts of the loss of life he’s seen. It’s similar to what I know the Army soldiers I’ve worked with struggle with and need to cope with day to day.

When Stevie begins meeting up with Ruby again, her heart feels full. But Stevie’s married and has a few children. He makes empty promises to Ruby until he decides to meet her for holiday in the area they both lived with other families on the farmland. Ruby really loves the area and dreams of returning there. During their time at a fancy hotel, eating fancy meals, and seeing fancy shows, there’s a tragic flood. Two rivers, both overflowing, gushed together and damaged homes, businesses, overturned cars, and many lives were lost. It would be the last time he saw Ruby, but definitely not the last time he thought of her.

A digital advanced copy of The Girl Without a Name by Suzanne Goldring was provided complimentary by Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I give this book 5 tiaras because I was captivated by Ruby’s will to more than survive and to finally capture the love she dreamed of for so many years.

The Girl Without a Name is the third book from Suzanne Goldring and her best since her debut My Name is Eva. I enjoyed Burning Island but for me this new book is a return to form for the author. As soon as I began this story I was quickly engrossed in the trials and tribulations and ups and downs that Ruby Morrison experiences that ultimately led to a brilliant twist and cliff hanger that I didn’t see coming until the last possible moment. For the majority of the novel I was questioning how does the title fit in with the overall plot and themes of the book but when this becomes apparent, I thought it was pure genius. Only before the big reveal did I sense what was going to unfold and I like books with a satisfying plot twist to remain a mystery for as long as possible so I was really glad this was the case with this book.

The story moves back and forth between 2014 and the war years and on into the early 1950’s. The author moves seamlessly between the two time periods although the aspect of the story set in the past slightly edged it out for me in terms of me being hooked. The scenes and storyline set in 2014 were interesting and informative with well written characters who act as a go between linking the past and present. But I was always left wanting to get back to Ruby in the past in order to uncover her secrets and many connections to the modern day story. It was the inquisitive side of me that raced through Billie attempting to uncover what tormented her father Dick so much in order to go back in time and see how the threads of the story would eventually weave themselves back together to hopefully come full circle.

The book opens in August 2014 as Dick Stevens, a widower for the past three years, watches the events of the Boscastle flooding unfold before his very eyes on a news report on the TV. This catastrophic event stirs something in him, and not for the better as he has a stroke and his daughter Billie finds him on the floor. Dick is taken to hospital and survives but his recovery will be a slow and laborious process if he is to ever return to his full self. Billie constantly frets over Dick as she is the sibling who cares for him in his day to day life and this added burden does nothing to ease her conscience that she is not doing enough. To make matters worse, Dick’s speech is impeded and no matter how hard he tries to communicate something Billie cannot understand him. All she knows is she needs to decipher what he is trying to communicate or he will not rest and recover like he needs to. This sets in motion a series of events that will see Billie delving back into her family history and as she does so some startling revelations come to the fore. The father she knows was not always the man he is today and his experiences during the war have deeply affected him and these struggles and the deep scars he conceals can influence behaviour and relationships for decades.

Billie wonders if she pries into the past, will her opinion of her father be altered forever? Is it worth taking the risk to dig up secrets or perhaps best left lying well enough alone? Or is it worth embarking on the journey in order to sate whatever causes her fathers great upset. I thought Billie attempting to discover what tormented her father bridged the gap between the past and present perfectly. I loved how she showed such loyalty to her Dad and the love she had for him never dwindled. She hated seeing him reduced to a shell of his former self because of the stroke and if she could do anything to ease that pain and suffering she would. But would she reach the core of the problem and if she did would she be happy with what she discovered? Would the fall out of the revelations be too great to overcome?

In September 1939, Ruby is evacuated to Devon into the care of Miss Honey who has a lovely cottage and does her utmost best to care for Ruby and also fellow evacuee Joan. Ruby’s father had died at sea several years before and her mother Hilda feels it is best for her to get away from the dangers posed by the war in London. Joan’s brother Stevie is put up on a farm not too far from the girls and soon they settle into an idyllic existence in the countryside where food is plenty and the threats of bombs and destruction seem very far away. Ruby begins to feel guilty that she is enjoying her time away and thinks perhaps she does not want to go back. She is learning new skills and friendships are forming in particular with Stevie.

Despite her young age she seems totally enamoured with him. But Stevie doesn’t have as perfect a time of it as Ruby and Joan and soon he escapes back to his parents in London. As for Ruby, things don’t always go the way she wants them to at many junctures in her life and when her mother is killed in the blitz she is made return to London to live with her Aunt Ida and Uncle Reg who run a pub. She would give anything to stay with Miss Honey but sadly this is not to be. I think this return to London needed to happen for Ruby otherwise the events that unfold over the remainder of the book would never have happened.

In 1941 Ruby reunites with Stevie and their friendship deepens and they start taking trips to the cinema together. Stevie now acts as a messenger for the ARP bringing important information between them and the police and fire services after bombing raids. Stevie witnesses unspeakable horrors and his fears grow by what he has seen at bombsites but Ruby does her best to allay his worries and concerns. Suzanne Goldring highlighted that right down from the men away fighting on the front down to the person who thinks they are doing the most insignificant role in the war were none the less affected by what they had to go through. People could not recover from their experiences that quickly and they needed all the help and support that they could get. Ruby offered that to Stevie and when war was declared over she believed things could get even more serious between the pair.

I enjoyed seeing Ruby grow up and face the challenges that came her way. She didn’t lead the life she wanted instead having to work and help out in her Aunt’s pub but yet her devotion and loyalty to Stevie remained steadfast. Even though national service tore them apart for some time, it’s when Stevie returns from that duty that I felt the tone of the story altered in a dramatic way whether for the good or better you would have to read this story for yourself to discover. I was taken on a journey in the latter half of the book with both Stevie and Ruby very different from what I had expected upon initially starting this book. There was so much that happened that I never thought possible because initially I thought the entire focus would be on World War Two, it’s events and how the characters coped and amidst it all would be a sweet love story. Instead we are taken beyond this point and what unfolded made for a very surprising yet gripping read.

The opinions I had of certain characters vastly changed, I found myself swaying between having loved them and cared for them at the beginning to being repulsed and hating some of them. Ruby too changed, her actions disappointed me but I suppose love is blind. She became almost gullible and like a slave to her devotion. All Ruby was searching for in her life was security, love and devotion but was she looking in the right places? Did she see just what she wanted to see and not what was really lying in front of her? Would her devotion prove fruitful or in vain? What price do we pay for our experiences as we move into the future perhaps thwarted by the past? All I really wanted to know was did Dick’s reaction in the present intertwine with the past? I would definitely recommend The Girl Without a Name, it is a great mystery packed full of surprises with a deeply gratifying ending.

A story told over two timelines, we start in 2004 with Billie at her father's side after he'd suffered a stroke. A photo found in his wallet causes him distress but he's unable to tell Billie why, and who the girl is.
Sept 1940, we start Ruby's story. A child evacuated from London, her peaceful and sheltered new life in the country is cut short by the impact of the bombing in London.
The two stories interlink nicely as we learn more about Stevie and Ruby and the impact of war on their lives and characters. I found Ruby's character the more compelling as she matured.
I usually like dual timeline stories but this one fell a little flat for me and maybe the characters were a little difficult to become emotionally attached to.

The Girl Without A Name by Suzanne Goldring is a dual timeline book that weaves present day with world war 2 times perfectly. It is woven so skilfully that I was equally hooked by the story of Ruby, from the war as I was with Billie's present day search.
2004, Billie discovers her father having suffered a stroke. He seems to be trying to speak to her bit Billie is unable to understand. The ambulance gets him to hospital and once he is stable Billie gets hus things together, she notices an old picture in his wallet but Billie has no clue who this woman is and wants to find out.
Then we slip back to 1939, children from Christchurch school are being evacuated to the country. We meet Ruby who is on the train with Joan and Stevie Stevens. They are all a bit excited but nervous as well. When they arrive in Devon, Ruby and Joan are kept together with a nice lady and Stevie isn't qs lucky.
The story slips bqck and forth and we diacover what happens to Stevie during the war years and we visit the 1950s. We discover not every evacuee had a safe haven. I have now read a few books that highlight the damage that was done during the war with the children and it always breaks my heart.
Back in 2004 Billie is determined to find out if the woman in the picture is Ruby and if she had a relationship with her dad before her mum came on the scene. The question is can she find out what happened so long ago?
A book that is about love, friendship, betrayal, fear, being strong and having fresh starts.A captivating read that I found heartbreaking and thought provoking too. How well do we know our parents as people and not just our mum and dad. Billie went on a journey and discovered her dad was much more than just dad, never thinking about him as a person till the day she started her search for the woman in the picture. A great book with well developed characters who were mainly likable. A story that I found emotional too at times. If you enjoy dual timelimes and a war story then this could be a book for you.
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the copy of the book so I could give you my thoughts today.

August 2004: Billie has rushed to her father's hospital bedside. He's had a massive stroke that's robbed him of his speech. But when Billie finds a photo of a dark haired girl she doesn't recognise, her father, Dock tries to talk. But all he can mumble is a name, Ruby.

September 1940: Thembombs of the blitz are falling on London and childhood sweethearts, Stevie and Ruby are falling in love. But Stefie is sent abroad to a dangerous place. Ruby waits desperately for his letters, but they never come. When Stevie does return, he's changed and Ruby has a difficult choice to make. As Billie uncovers Ruby's tragic story, she's determined to find out what happened tomthe girl who went away for the weekend and never came home.

I wondered how the two stories were going to connect, but the two timeliness flowed together seamlessly. There were a few loose ends that still needed to be ties up. I also thought the ending felt a bit flat. The story is descriptively written and intriguing. The characters are well rounded and believable.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #Bookouture and the author #SuzanneGoldring for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Yes, I'm swept away by this novel #thegirlwithoutaname. This novel has dual timeline which flows between 2004 and 1939-1952.

A story starts with Dick Stevens (Stevie) slumped in his lounge chair while his TV airing about the flood disaster which the scene seems stress him out. His daughter, Billie, found an old crumpled photo on her father's wallet, a woman photo and certainly it's not her mum, and everytime she shows this photo to her dad, he seems trying to say something but the stroke just made it hard for Billie to understand.

On 1939, Billie's father and his sister, Joan, were evacuated during the war, and this was when Stevie met Ruby. The friendship grows to love and even when Stevie went for National Service to Palestine, the love letters between both of them keeps flowing.

A sad story of how far you'll love someone. The ending is a huge shock which I didn't expect it at all, but made me happy.

DEEP AND REFLECTIVE HISTORICAL FICTION ABOUT TRAUMA AND PTSD

When I started this book I was certain it was just going to be a run-of-the-mill mystery book with some WWII scenery thrown in for the heck of it. Which is fine, I enjoy those books as well. But this one surprised me in a good way because it offered something more, something deeper.

"Some people manage to bury the damage, but it can still break through."


👍 What I Liked 👍

Ending: I was pretty certain I had the ending all figured out. And in large part I did. But there was still a big surprise that not only really moved me but also felt extremely fitting.

Writing: Normally I don't often comment of writing unless something really sticks out - and here something did stick out. Because the writing was so easy and had such a great flow to it. It made reading through this book a comfortable and enjoyable breeze.

Research: As a historian I always care a lot about the amount of research that goes into a historical fiction novel. It was very obvious to me that Goldring did a lot of work when researching this book, which made it a lot more engrossing to read. I loved how how she illuminated a different aspect of WWII with focusing on the evacuated children of London. It made this a lot more original and engaging.

Mental health: Mental health is something I care deeply about and which is often left out of books or glossed over. Especially WWII books seem to neglect this, even though it is pretty clear, that many people, who were deeply affected by the war in one way or another, but have suffered from some kind of mental health issues. Here I really enjoyed that Goldring illuminated the effects of constant terror, bombings, death and war and focused on PTSD.

👎 What I Disliked 👎

Ruby: Sadly, Ruby was not my favourite character. She was passive, meek and naive and that just doesn't appeal to me. I understood why Goldring wrote her that way and the story wouldn't have worked if she was any other kind of character. They just aren't traits that I like in a character, so I never really warmed to Ruby.