If truth be told, this book was a little too "real" for me to read during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is a historical fiction based on the Spanish flu. Emily is a sweet, heroic character who works at a hospital slammed with flue patients. The book is easily read but is emotionally taxing. I found myself tearing up several times.

I through this because it was so simplistic and bland. Sorry to say but it was so predictable that I was actually bored. I read it all only because of the pandemic and wanted to see if that side of the story was more interesting but no not really. Just felt very much like it should be returned for Young Adult readers and certainly not for anyone that wants literature with depth.

A tremendous historical fiction book that fits in perfectly for these present times...
When The Earth Stood Still will show human strength, make you cry and a smile a bit too.
Follow onto the blurb and my review below that and find out where and how you can purchase such an emotionally driven book that yet shows glimmers of hope...

The Spanish Flu was absolutely devastating as is Covid-19 today. It makes me think of what we are living today and how much worse it would be, living in the times of Spanish Flu (no technology and even less medical know-how and equipment). It's a rather timely historical fiction book, that deals with such a subject matter well and takes it seriously and yet provides a gripping read with character's lives you can care about, in particular Emily's life.


It is an emotional read that tells a story relevant of that time and any time of a pandemic. It's about having passion, perseverance and carrying on, even in the toughest times, even when a loved one is hit by it and you feel almost broken like Emily. It shows how lives change quite dramatically and it's dealt with in a realistic manner, with a certain strength of character. There is wonderful strength of friendship and comaraderie amongst some of the staff too, that has tremendous care and compassion within it. There is the care of the patients and what is happening to the soldiers as well, who were in service. It's a well plotted book that has heart and soul within it, even in the toughest of times that the characters are all living through.
This book, although set within historic times, serves well for people living today and shows how people can be in their manner. It also reminds people too of the Spanish Flu pandemic and gives hope too and that people do come through it and it was even tougher then, so it is thought-provoking for today's generations and I come at this, having lost someone to Covid-19 and working in another keyworking sector.

When The World Stood Still' by Kate Eastham is a historical and emotional book about a nurse, Emily, during World War One as the Spanish Flu Epidemic started.
Emily has a vocation in life with her nursing and is not looking forward to having to stop work when she marries Lewis, her secret Fiancé. She is waiting patiently for the end of the was when a flu epidemic begins to overwhelm all the hospitals. It spreads so fast through everyone, soldiers are as prone to catch it as easy as the normal people can. This causes untold complications and emergency situations that no-one could have foreseen, but Emily knows she has to carry on and deal with things that others aren't prepared to.
I always love a good historical story and this one is all the more poignant to read as we ourselves are managing the COVID-19 pandemic and having to to things in a weird situation. It made this book all the more relistic as I could imagine the panic back then. The characters as, as always with Kate Eastham, great. We see Emily being a dedicates nurse and we also see the rebel in her. The fact she isn't meant to have a fiancé and work at the same time means nothing, she goes ahead and does it. As I have saod previously she isn't keen on having to stop work when she gets married either. Emily is a girl who knows her own mind and is willing to fight for it.
Her dedication to her job is very apparent and she is put in really sad situations and we see her handle things, the unexpected things just make her more determined to sort things out. I could see this happening with quite a few nurses or career women back then and can envisage Emily make the stand for continuation of work after marriage if it came to it.
A moving and interesting book that sweot me back to 1918 for a day or two and I loved being there!
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the copy of the book and my spot on the tour.

When the World Stood Still by Kate Eastham is a heartbreaking story centered around the Spanish Flu of 1918.

During World War I, Emily Burdon is doing her bit to help during the war while her fiance is off fighting in the trenches. She is a Probationary nurse at St Marylebone Infirmary in London tasked with helping wounded soldiers hurt in the war. Beds were quickly filling up and not only from the wounded, but from a flu-like virus that was killing people quickly. These people were in the prime of their lives and this flu is like nothing they have ever seen before. But, when her fiance catches this deadly virus, will Emily be able to save him?

This story really made me think, especially now, about everything going on around the world during Covid times. This story is just emotional to read and really made me think about our frontline workers - the nurses and doctors who put themselves at risk fighting through this pandemic putting themselves in harms way. The Spanish Flu was over 100 years ago and caused such devastation throughout the world. Eastham really did such a great job of capturing the essence of this and it is relatable as we go through our own pandemic and the loss of lives from it.

I really loved Emily. She is such a compassionate person and a wonderful nurse and I loved seeing her grow throughout the story. Her story is not an easy one and she definitely lost a lot of her innocence caring for wounded soldiers along with people dying from the Spanish Flu. As we read, we watch Emily grow into her own and become a fantastic caring nurse more concerned with people than herself.

I highly recommend reading When the World Stood Still. It is an emotional story full of heart, love, and even in parts the unknown. Such a fantastic read!

The authors meaningful words will keep you turning the pages The development of the characters is showed through there resilience.

Nurses are toiling night & Day trying to save soldiers who are fighting in the War, but then a mysterious illness started killing the troops. The doctors had no clue how to fight off this new killer.

Emily Burdon and her fellow nurses were trying to do everything they could to keep these men alive, but then this illness started affecting the general population and it became a epidemic. Her friends within the nursing ranks were not immune to what they were now calling the Spanish Flu.
Emily is shattered at the loss of her friend and returns home , but things are not always as easy retuning home because decisions are needed to be made that will change her life

I definitely would recommend this book to my friends!
I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

1918, Emily is a 20 year old nurse in training. She is nursing patients in the hospital in London as well as returning injured WW1 soldiers. Her boyfriend, Lewis, is a soldier. The Spanish flu of 1918 begins. So much sickness, so much suffering. Emily and her fellow nurses and doctors try to hard to help them. Lewis returns and he also has the flu. Lots of emotions and tears. During this time of Covid, it was not hard to know what the medical community was going through and feel broken hearted but yet proud of their tenacity and stamina. Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read the advance copy..

When the World Stood Still was too simplistic for me. This novel could have easily have been another 100 pages had it been fleshed out more. The problems the heroine, Emily, faces are usually wrapped up within a chapter or two. The dialogue at times felt cheesy, and something you'd hear in a Hallmark movie. While, this novel showed how quickly the influenza hit patients and the toll it took on medical staff, the descriptions and scenes felt too rushed.

Do you ever question your sanity?

Don’t look at me like that! I pinkie promise I do have a point. Admittedly, it may take a few sentences (aka word vomit) to get there but I usually do... *shrugs*

Back to my original question about sanity. I do – frequently *rolls eyes*. Most especially when it comes to picking books which I know will eviscerate me emotionally. I mean it’s a universally known fact that I blub at the least little thing. I’m *that* person who starts sobbing before Andy even pulls up outside Bonnie’s house in Toy Story 3 for goodness’ sake *shrugs*.

Not only that, but I also have previous with this author. I know how emotive her writing can be and that her stories and characters linger long after I’ve finished (in a good/affecting way).

Then add to this the fact that we’re living through our own pandemic, that I care for The Mommy who has COPD, and I’m willingly going to read a book about WWI and the Spanish Flu pandemic. *nods* Agreed! I do need my head read.

However, do you want to know something? I loved it!

Did I cry? Pfft! What do you think? Multiple times. I actually wondered where the stopcock valve for my tear ducts was located at one point.

I loved Emily. Her heart, her loyalty, her grit, and determination to do the right thing! I was right there with her in the thick of it.

I loved other characters as well, but we don’t do spoilers here *shakes head*. Suffice it to say my heart skipped a beat at the end and I had my ‘aww’ face on.

*whispers* There was also one character that I wanted to string up by their unmentionables but least said about that the better – harrumph.

If you love historical fiction with depth, heart, and unforgettable characters then WtWSS is a must-read.

Kate Eastham is a new author to me and one which I will definitely be going back to read all her previous books and no doubt any future books she writes too. Simply because this book When the World Stood Still was an absolutely brilliant read, so much so that I devoured it in one sitting. The pages just seemed to fly by as I became completely lost in the story and before I knew it I was nearing the end and I had thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it despite the tough subject matter that rings far too true to what we are experiencing in the world and our lives today.

Set in the Marylebourne Infirmary in London, during the last months of the war in 1918, we follow probationer nurse Emily Bardon and her colleagues. The hospital and Emily’s ward are always busy, under staffed and the nurses over worked as soldiers injured in the war constantly arrive for treatment and care. Emily is so dedicated to her job and we can see that from the outset but the next few months will prove challenging and life changing for her and so many others. Is she strong enough to cope with what life is about to throw in her direction or are there just too many curveballs about to come her way?

The character of Emily was so well written and through her eyes and her experiences on the ward we get a deep and detailed insight into what life was like for nurses at the time. There is a perfect balance between all the medical drama and what is going on in Emily’s personal life that keeps the reader gripped and intrigued. Emily loves what she is doing and now that she is engaged to Lewis, who is away fighting, it breaks her heart that when she marries she will have to leave the profession that has come to mean so much to her. Yes, the Sister of the ward is harsh and treats her with contempt at times and blames her for any mishaps but I think that was only because she could see such potential in Emily to make such a good nurse once her probationary period was over and wanted to always get the best from her.

Emily has kept her engagement secret from everybody because if they knew she knows her days would be numbered in the hospital. We get some chapters every now and again from Lewis’ perspective as he is on the battlefield and subsequently gets sick with the Spanish flu. I liked him at first and what he is going through in France was real and vivid but when he arrives back in England, I lost every ounce of respect for him and a different character emerged and not one that I wanted to read because his actions had such an affect on Emily.

I loved the comradeship that Emily had her workmates who became firm friends. Lucy and American girl, Alma, were like sisters to her in a way. Even though at times Alma was a bit aloof and when Emily interprets something she sees with regard to Alma in the wrong way, the reader ultimately thinks the worst of her and it shows we shouldn’t jump to conclusions too quickly. Newly arrived from Canada, Dr.James Cantor was definitely one to watch. He was handsome, kind and caring and I definitely felt the spark of attraction between himself and Emily. He seemed so understanding and wanted desperately to help Emily with her predicament and he aided her through some fairly rough times providing a shoulder to cry on and he offered the soundest of advice. The entire story moved along at great pace with never a lull or a filler in chapter and when the deadly Spanish flu starts to make its presence known things ramped up a gear in intensity and the book truly became unputdownable. Emily has a lot to battle through both personally and professionally and one wonders will her heart survive intact and will her kindness, courage and ambition be enough to help her do this?

I know there have been numerous other books that have been an entire series set around nurses working in British hospitals during both world wars but I haven’t read any of them. So I found this type of read a new and fascinating experience into an aspect of the war I had scant information about prior to reading. I found the work they were doing and the way the hierarchy worked when it came to sisters, matrons and trainees really interesting. I found myself comparing how things have changed today due to so many technological and medical advancements and developments. Yet here we are over 100 years later in 2021, battling a ‘flu’ like they did back in 1918, that has altered our lives beyond all recognition and we wonder will we ever see some sort of normality in our lives once again?

Time and time again, I found myself nodding along in agreement thinking god how little has changed really. We are still dealing with the problems the medical profession and the wider world faced during the Spanish flu pandemic. The detailed descriptions given are all just too frighteningly familiar and it made me think how far we have come only to take so many steps backwards. Back then, they too were wearing masks and were frightened for their lives at the rapid spread of this unknown disease that took hold so quickly and therefore so many lives were lost. It really was like I was reading about the present day even though this was so long ago, the wearing of masks, the need to keep everything clean and infection free if possible, the handwashing, the pain, the fear, the anguish of the unknown. It was all so real and I think had we not being going through what we are experiencing now I don’t know would I have connected and identified with the story as much as I did.

It struck such a chord with me and gave me such a deep appreciation for the work nurses and doctors did at the time with so little medical treatments at their disposal. Yet they selflessly carried on and did their best for each patient. Never knowing whether they would make it or not or when this awful time would end. The harsh realities of what happened were not spared in the slightest with regard to what happened to people when they fell ill and at times some of the scenes were difficult to read and it only made me contemplate even more so not that I hadn’t thought of this before, just what nurses and doctors are experiencing in hospitals all around the world today. One scene in particular when a woman patient Emily was tending too lost her life was hard to read about but this event led to some life altering decisions for Emily which affected the course I would say of the last quarter of the book.

As Emily makes a brave, courageous and gutsy decision the tone of the book changed as well as the setting. In a way I still longed for the hospital setting as I had become so engrossed in it but this change of direction brought about a new slant to the story and overall I was pleased with how the last few chapters progressed to bring about an overall conclusion that Emily deserved. When the World Stood Still was a brilliant book, and one that I won’t forget in a hurry. It has made me desperate to read more books from Kate Eastham and that thrill of discovering and enjoying a new author and wanting to devour their back catalogue was here in abundance for me. I would have no hesitation in recommending this book as I know historical fiction fans will enjoy it as much as I did.

Emily is a young woman who left her small community to train as a nurse in London while her secret fiancé, Lewis, was fighting in the war. In addition to dealing with soldiers who are suffering from war wounds and shell shock and the war being over now the hospital is suddenly overwhelmed with a new and particularly deadly flu. Lewis is transferred to her hospital as he is now sick with the flu. He is not the same Lewis she knew and she is unsure of their relationship. She wants to go back home and Lewis wants to be just about anywhere else. He has lost friends in the war and she has suffered the loss of her best friend and fellow nurses.

Seems odd reading about the Spanish flu in the midst of a Covid pandemic but it was enlightening to read what London was like and the fear that they also experienced. The characters were very well done. Emily was young but she had a passion and natural ability for nursing and she was surrounded by other young women striving to help the soldiers. I would have liked to know a bit more about Dr. Cantor but I still couldn't help falling a little bit in love with him. As Emily walked through the city and came across a funeral for a whole family struck down or helping a young soldier deal with sever shell shock and then the flu brought the whole time and place into vivid detail.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing me a copy of this book.

When the World Stood Still is a powerful historical romance by Kate Eastham.

This book would be riveting at any time. But with the world currently at the hands of the Covid-19 pandemic, this is even more harrowing.

This is a tale that follows Emily as she trains to be a nurse and is suddenly thrown into the middle of the Spanish Flu epidemic.

She knows the pain and loss of war, and now she experiences the suffering and death from the pandemic.

It's a fascinating insight as to how things might have been handled at the time. They certainly didn't have the instant news we have, nor the cutting end scientific resources.

Reading of the flu, from Emily's eyes, is hard to handle. And on top of all of that, she has to deal with her fiancee returning home from war injured, and the aftermath of seeing him again. Her love life and her career goals are not easy, as one would expect.

When the World Stood Still is a romance set against the backdrop of tragedy. Kate Eastham creates a vivid picture of the times and all that surrounded the nurses and doctors at the time. And somehow brings Emily a happy ending despite it all. It's definitely a worthwhile read.

I’ve read and enjoyed other books by the author, and this sounded like something I’d really enjoy. I thought it was great. I’ve read a lot of books set during WWII but not many set around WWI, so this was new territory for me. I really enjoyed the historical detail. The author does a great job bringing the era to life. The book is very sad at times as the Spanish Flu wreaks havoc in not only Emily’s life but everyone around her. I cried a lot. My heart ached for Emily when Lewis ends up as a patient and she discovers a dark secret. I’d recommend this.

This was an emotional read.

Emily loves being a nurse and being able to help people.

This is set during World War I with injured soldiers in the hospital and a pandemic of the Spanish Flu.

This book caught me from the start and held on until the end.

The relationship between nurse and patient is shown amazingly here.

I received a free advance readers' copy and am leaving this review voluntarily...

When The World Stood Still focuses on the story of Nurse Emily Burdon, a World War I nurse who finds herself and along with the rest of her co-workers fighting the deadly Spanish Flu. The story begins with her still training as a probationer at St Marylebone Infirmary who's learning on the job. Her primary patients are wounded soldiers from the war as well as the poorhouses surrounding the hospital. She wants two things more than anything: the war to end and for her fiancé and childhood sweetheart, Lewis to come back safely to her. Dr James Cantor enters the hospital all the way from Canada and they find common ground in the passion they both share for their work. The war ends and Lewis is on his way home. However, he also gets the deadly flu. Nurse Burdon finds herself wondering if she'd escape this epidemic intact...

The similarities between the Spanish Flu and COVID-19 were very obvious throughout this book. I think that's why this book had such an impact on me. Even though this story was based on events of over 100 years ago, I could understand the raw panic felt because it was the same way I felt when the COVID-19 pandemic first started.

There was a plot twist which I did not expect but it made the story even better in my opinion. It showed the inner strength Nurse Burdon had even when faced with so much tragedy. As you can tell, she was my favorite character and perfect for being the leading character.

I definitely would love to read more books by this author.

This book does not have much sexual content other than kissing. However, due to some adult themes and disturbing events, this book should be read by teenagers or adults.

I enjoyed aspects of this book. The character Emily is endearing and the hospital setting was fascinating. Given the current pandemic, I felt some of the references to the Spanish flu outbreak were written intentionally to mirror the current pandemic, so it was hard to know if those things were truly how someone would have felt during that time period. It felt forced. An enjoyable and entertaining read, but not a favorite.

Fantastic book, I had a delightful time reading this digital novel. The main female character is very endearing and the story starts with a slightly comical story involving a thermometer or two being broken. From there we are introduced to others.

I feel like the author well researched the medical history side so I was very pleased. So often others don’t but I greatly appreciate a book well researched. So I’m going to give this book a big old 5 out of 5. Something I hardly do :)

How ironic that an historical fiction should take readers back a hundred years to another pandemic that crippled the world over at the end of the Great War. But it wasn't a coincidence that this story was told. In the midst of our own current pandemic, author Kate Eastham (a retired nurse herself) was approached by her editor to write an historical tale set during the Spanish flu. It would be something readers could well identify with some similarities drawn between the two pandemics, a hundred years apart.

The Spanish flu is something I had heard of and was well aware of, but not of just how crippling and deadly the disease was. You could fall ill with a headache and fever in the morning and be dead by tea time. Without the advances of medicine today or a vaccine, the Spanish flu pandemic was far deadlier than COVID and all medical staff could do was nurse them the best they could. Some lived, some didn't. It is estimated that about 500 million people, or one-third of the world's population, became infected with the Spanish flu and the number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide. It was a time WHEN THE WORLD STOOD STILL.

“I’ve never seen anything like this pandemic...Whatever it is, it’s filling patients’ lungs with so much fluid that they’re drowning. We need more time to study but it’s ripping through every city in the world….”

September 1918: As the Great War nears its end, probationary nurse Emily Burdon has just about completed her training at London's St Marylebone Infirmary alongside her best friend Lucy. While her friend was on the Female Surgical ward, Emily was on the Military ward treating injured soldiers who have returned with war wounds before being fit for discharge.

From Lancashire, Emily left her family behind and moved to London to train as a nurse. Her fiance and childhood sweetheart Lewis Dupree went off to war in 1914 and has survived it thus far. He writes regularly and visits her when he has leave although he never returns to their village, which has become a bone of contention between them, as Emily misses her family dreadfully and yearns to visit them. Despite this, Emily loves her work and cannot wait to become a fully qualified nurse.

When the hospital is overwhelmed by an incredible number of deadly flu cases, so sudden and so powerful that it can kill in a matter or days or even hours, the nurses face their biggest and deadliest challenge treating the sick as the flu sweeps not only the country but the world. Emily must draw on all her training to help her patients as best she can wearing only a cloth mask for protection herself. But the flu spreads rapidly, discriminating against no one, leaving the hospital short staffed and ill equipped. However, the hospital has always heeded Florence Nightingale's philosophy regarding the importance of strict hygiene and ventilation, as staff wash their hands after every patient and keep the windows open allowing fresh air to sweep through the wards. And now it is more important than ever to heed the late nurse's wisdom. But when Emily's best friend Lucy is taken ill suddenly, she puts all her training to use to nurse her in the hope that she can save her.

Then Emily receives word that Lewis has contracted the flu, having already watched many soldiers on the front die from it. He writes from a Dunkirk hospital asking for a bed at St Marylebone where she can nurse him. But Lewis is a changed man. Having survived the entire war and watching his best friend die on the battlefront, will the flu be the death of him? Just days beyond the war's end? And if he survives, will he be the same man Emily fell in love with that went to war four years ago?

Emily enlists the help of newly arrived Dr James Cantor, from Prince Edward Island in Canada, to arrange Lewis' transport from Dunkirk to St Marylebone. The two have worked well together since his arrival but the news that Lewis is Emily's fiance comes as something of a shock to James, who is clearly attracted to Emily. She has sworn him to secrecy as nurses are encouraged to give their whole lives to the profession with no room for marriage or motherhood to distract them. So when Lewis arrives on the ward, no one but James knows her secret.

But it seems Lewis has a secret of his own. And when Emily uncovers the truth, her whole world will be shaken to its core. It is then that she draws on her strength and the friendship of those around her as she must decide whether her feelings for the man she once loved have changed. But it also means that Emily must now return home to Lancashire.

Can Emily survive the changes the pandemic has brought to her life? Can she do it with her heart intact? And when a child at the hospital loses her mother, Emily must make a choice - family or career?

It is interesting reading the challenges people faced in WHEN THE WORLD STOOD STILL as they endured a fast moving and deadly pandemic, much like today. There are certain parallels, to be sure, but without the advancement of medicine at the time, no cure and no vaccine, death rates were high. And how ironic to come out of the Great War alive only to be claimed by a deadly flu, in some cases. With only aspirin, poultices, tepid baths and steam treatments to treat patients, the courage and strength of these nurses at the time is to be commended. Many also lost their lives but they also saved those they were treating.

I was quickly drawn into the compelling story which I just about read in one sitting. Emily's story is a touching one as it takes us through the pandemic and then from London to Lancashire. It is also interesting to note that people then were made of more stoic stuff than today...as we truly are incredibly lucky to have the luxuries of modern medicine and more that we often take for granted and that were not available to the generations before us. It bears thinking about, how would we live through and survive not only such a life-changing war but an even deadlier pandemic? COVID can be deadly, yes, but there was nothing to treat the Spanish flu - nothing but good nursing.

WHEN THE WORLD STOOD STILL is an emotive story of another era, another time, but one not unlike today...despite the some 100 years between us. It is well written, well researched and well developed. I thoroughly enjoyed it and fans of historical fiction will devour it just as I did. My only complaint was that it didn't explore the ending a little further before it concluded. Even so, it was a heartbreaking and heartwarming read with a satisfying end. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I would like to thank #KateEastham, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #WhenTheWorldStoodStill in exchange for an honest review.

Emily is a young nurse in London 1918, who works at an overcrowded, understaffed infirmary, when the Spanish Flu hits hard. The staff are then faced with the challenge of not only caring for sick patients, but also loved ones and colleagues as the epidemic grows with each passing day. Emily continues to battle as she cares for the sick and also tries to guard her heart against the growing heartbreak of losing those she loves.

Like so many other readers I couldn't help but think "the Spanish Flu, huh? I don't really know anything about it and have never read a book about it." But, also like so many other readers, was drawn in by how relevant this story was in our current time with our pandemic. So many times we don't think of how effected the workers on the front line are, especially when we don't feel well ourselves, and it can be so easy to dehumanize them, but this story was so relevant that I think it made it that much more of a draw because we can all relate.

This was my first book by Kate Eastham and I can't wait to read more of her books. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review

So I read this in one day. I just couldn't put it down (to the point where I was reading by booklight at 1:30am on a work night). It's not the edge-of-your-seat thriller that usually grabs my attention. Instead it was just so...relatable.

As a nurse during WWI, Emily has seen just about everything come through the hospital doors. Or so she thinks. It doesn't take long for the staff to realize the fever that has been spreading throughout the city is more than just your average flu. The young and healthy are dying almost as soon as they are diagnosed. Once the symptoms set in, there's not much that can be done beyond comforting the victims. Fear and confusion are left in its wake.

Sound familiar? There are so many overlaps between the Spanish flu Emily and her colleagues battle in this novel and our own epidemic. It was almost therapeutic to be reminded that the world has suffered and survived something like this before.

"No one would have wished for a pandemic, but the good, the unexpected light, that rose to the surface could feel humbling" (Chapter 6)

Kate Eastham outlines the fear and the precautions people must take, but also highlights the human component; the people who come together in one of the darkest times to help one another to cope and to heal, the kindness displayed by strangers. It's a story of friendship, of love, of loss and of discovering your own inner strength.