The Last Night in London is a beautiful historical fiction/romance novel by Karen White. In this story we follow two main protagonists, Maddie an American Writer in 2019 who has moved briefly to London to interview Precious, a woman who was a model back in the 1930s-1940s, and to curate a collection of the clothes that were modelled by the women during this period, and Eva, a courageous young woman living in 1939 who has sought to make a new life for herself.

This was a beautifully crafted, touching story of friendship, love, sacrifice, guilt and the lengths that people will go to shape their lives. Whilst Maddie and Eva live in completely different times, the way the story jumps back and forth between the two time periods (2019 & 1939) shows the reader that these two women are both incredibly courageous in the face of their extremely uncertain futures. One thing I did find a bit jarring at times was the different time periods being written in the first and then the third person, however, I do think that this helped to convey which story was historical and which was occurring in the “present day”.

The prose used by the author is beautiful and perfectly encapsulates the essence of the 1930/40s fashion scene and beginning of WWII as seen through the eyes of a young woman living in London. Whilst the romance in the lives of both Maddie and Eva did make up a large portion of the story, I felt like the overarching themes were more focused on the development of the female protagonists and their lives, with romance playing a role in it. In saying this the romances detailed in this story are beautiful as well as heart-breaking. The writing made me feel for the characters in their struggles and whilst I didn’t particularly “like” some of the characters, I understood why they were making the decisions they did. I feel like Karen White did an excellent job at creating truthful, realistic characters. I was not expecting to be so moved by this book, but the last 100 pages tore me apart.

I do like reading historical fiction, and really loved reading this story. I will definitely be reading more books from Karen White in the future. If you are a fan of historical fiction, romance, fashion focused literature, or a story with courageous female protagonists then I definitely recommend reading The Last Night in London.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with an eARC of The Last Night in London in exchange for an honest review.

Set across two time periods, this tale follows the life of Precious Dubose when she is interviewed about her life and tales. She ends up revealing well hidden secrets in a story that is historical fiction laced with some romance.

I am fairly new to the historical fiction genre and still finding what I like. I thought I would love this one, set in London. But for me it was too heavy on the romance and I didn't warm to any of the characters. It felt a bit too much like a few other books that I have read with the fashion and war, and a character that doesn't want love but finds it...

Not for me but plenty of others have enjoyed it. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy of this book to read.

This was my first Karen White novel so I went in with no expectations and came out pleasantly surprised. And hungry for more!
This stunning story is set in London over dual timelines. In 1939, we follow beautiful Ethel who comes from a poverty-stricken and abusive home as she and her American best friend Precious struggle to carve out a better life for themselves as models. Ethel changes her name, her back story and her accent, and soon her luck begins to change. She falls in love with an aristocrat and Royal Air Force pilot and everything she's ever wanted starts to come her way. Then the Blitz arrives and she finds herself caught up in a web of deceit, spies and espionage that threatens to destroy her carefully constructed new life.
Jump forward to 2019, where we meet American journalist Maddie who travels to London to interview frail 99-year-old Precious about her pre-World War II life. Maddie unexpectedly crosses paths with Colin, a guy she was once attracted to but rejected. While she has spent years suppressing him from her memory, it turns out she has never been far from his mind. The sparks are still flying but Maddie uses her assignment of piecing together Precious' mysterious past to distract her. But the more she learns, the more questions are raised. Secrets come to light, betrayals are revealed and a family's history is changed as Maddie uncovers the truth about Precious and her circle of friends.
I loved this story. The pace, the heart and the twist at the end, which I saw coming but still enjoyed. The depth in plot, characters and setting are next level, reflecting meticulous research by the author. Reminiscent of The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester, this story also gave me The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes. Fashion, strong women and secret double lives are common threads.
The highlight for me was the chemistry between Colin and Maddie. The lowlight was having the alternating chapters between past and present switch from third-person voice to first-person voice, which I found slightly jarring.
If historical fiction and romance are your schtick, add this to your list.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Loved it... such a different take on the now common WW2 heroine books. The double timeline, with Precious telling Maddie her story as it plays out in alternating chapters is easy to read and thrilling but heartbreaking. Would recommend for lovers of historical fiction.

American journalist Maddie Warner travels to London to interview a distant relative Precious Dubose about her life pre WWII in London.

Precious and her friend Eva are trying to make their way as fashion Models. Eva falls in love with Graham St John and life is good. Then the Blitz happens and Eva’s life is turned upside down and Eva is dragged into a world of intrigue, secrets and spies.

Nearly 100 years later Precious is going to tell her tale and share with Maddie the fashions of the time.

Maddie reconnects with and old university friend while she is in London. Colin whom she loves but is in denial about.

This is a captivating and emotional story that I loved from start to finish.
The story is told in two different time lines 1939 and 2019. Each chapter alternates between each.
Both stories are a great read but the real show stealer is Precious and Eva’s story. It draws you in and does not let go until the end.
The characters are true to life and you get a sense of what it would be like to live in that time.

This is such an engrossing read and I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

"The Last Night in London" is my first Karen White novel and won't be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the twin tales, one set in a city preparing and experiencing the horrors of war, the other 80 years later where past meets present and secrets unravel along the way.
The scene is set with a young woman trying to find safe haven for a newborn baby and we then are thrown into a slow burn of historical intrigue and modern day love with complications.
The story of two young girls one from the American South (Precious)and one English lass (Eva) with a past she would like to escape...forms the backbone of our wartime tale. They work in a fashion house and this glamorous world is the impetus for an article being written by Madison in 2019, a writer with a link to Precious who is now 99 and ready to tell her story and relieve her conscience. Of what.....well, that is the question. Despite the fact that clues are dropped every now and again and we begin to guess her secret....I loved following the trail of friendship, love, betrayal and intrigue. The characters are vivid and we care about their fate. The settings are perfectly portrayed as a background to the turmoil of wartime London and the later "home and away" locations for Maddie's growth and renewal.
Maddie has issues of her own and Precious has the home grown wisdom to help her change her point of view. Our futures are never cut and dried...and Maddie's title for her final article "Reinvention: A Story of Friendship, Love, and Courage” works with both timelines.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this unproofed digital copy for review.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital arc of this book, all opinions expressed here are my own.

The Last Night in London by Karen White is the first book I have read from this author. I look forward to reading more of their work in the future.

This book is told as dual timeline, alternating between present day and the London Blitz. During the Blitz we follow Precious, Eva and their modelling lifestyle as they pull themselves from poverty into a higher class. During the present day we follow Maddie, a journalist from America battling her own ghost as she helps unravel the story that is Precious.

This was a beautiful written book, with interesting characters and a seamlessly woven storyline. A tale of love, loss and survival that will keep you glued to the pages til the very end. Though I felt the story went slightly too long, I otherwise found it a thoroughly enjoyable four star read.

2.5 stars, rounded up

This narrative took place in London but alternated between present day and the Blitz.

London, 1939:
Eva and Precious are two struggling models, living and working together and quickly becoming best friends. Precious is an American immigrant and Eva is trying to escape her unsavoury rural upbringing. Eva is the protagonist here and London through her eyes is captivating; her attempts to reinvent herself are earnest and compelling, even if she may be naive to what is happening outside of her bubble. I really enjoyed this part of the story, even if at times I just wanted to shake Eva and tell her to just be honest with people! It seems a lot of hardship and heartbreak could have been avoided.

London, 2019:
Maddie is interviewing Precious about her life's work in fashion. She's known Precious' adoptive family since college, although it seems hard to believe she actually would hold on to any friendships for this long. Honestly, this was the most frustrating part of this storyline. The only people left in Maddie's life are friends and family who don't care that she refuses to visit or share information or let them all the way in. It seems incredibly unrealistic that anyone would still be trying to connect with her considering how many times she's rebuffed their advances.

Overall, this was a fairly harmless story. It was a little too heavy-handed and overworked for me to truly enjoy it but I appreciated the attempt.

London, 1939. Eva Harlow and Precious Dubose are best friends, roommates and model gorgeous gowns for the House of Lushtak. Both are very beautiful, blond, and slender and share clothes. By chance, Eva meets handsome Graham St. John, he’s recently returned from Burma and he comes from an upper class family. Eva becomes friends with Graham’s sister Sophia, her fiancé David and they all go out together. When WW II starts Graham joins the Royal Air Force, the Blitz begins and London is a very dangerous place to live. Especially for Eva who wants to keep her true identity a secret, this makes her extremely vulnerable and she reluctantly becomes involved in web of intrigue and spies.

London, 2019. Madison Warner is an American journalist and she travels to London to interview ninety nine year old former model Precious Dubose. She has a large collection of clothes and accessories from the WW II era and Maddie plans to write an article about her wartime experiences. Maddie’s life hasn’t been easy, she moves around a lot and she finds all personal relationships hard. Much to her horror she discovers Colin Eliot is also staying with Precious, years ago they were friends and he’s like family to Precious. As Maddie delves into Precious past, she’s sure the elderly lady is hiding something and does her large vintage clothes collection contain any clues to what really happened during WW II?

The dual timeline seamlessly combines the past and the present and it binds the three women together. The Last Night In London's story is based around themes of friendship, family, love, intrigue, secrets, war, trust and betrayal. It also highlighted to me how important honesty is, being authentic to yourself and family ties.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, I’m keen to read the first two books is the series now: Falling Home and After The Rain and four stars from me.

‘Just because a person is lost doesn’t mean they want to be found.’

The story unfolds over two timelines in London: 1939 and 2019. In 1939, Ethel Maltby (who reinvents herself as Eva Harlow) and her American friend Jeanne (‘all my friends call me Precious’) Dubose are working as models for Madame Lushtak. Two beautiful young women whose lives are turned upside down during the Blitz. In 2019, American journalist Madison (‘Maddie’) Warner travels to London. She is writing an article about Jeanne Dubose, to accompany a museum exhibition of fashion and clothing during the war years and expects to be in London for a couple of weeks. While they have never met, Maddie is a distant relative of Jeanne. Jeanne is now 99 years old and in frail health.

‘What is it about all of our pasts that we’re so unwilling to confront?’

Maddie and Jeanne become close, and Maddie becomes intrigued by Jeanne’s past. Jeanne lost contact with Eva during the war. Is Eva still alive? Can Maddie find her?

I particularly enjoyed the parts of the novel set during the war. The mystery around Eva (and why she changed her name and the consequences) held my attention as did the descriptions of the Blitz. There is a twist (which, while I worked it out, fits well) and a few secrets. But for Jeanne, now, still immaculately presented the time for keeping secrets is passing. While I enjoyed reading about Maddie’s detective work, I found Maddie herself a frustrating character at times.

Part war story, part love story, and part story of survival. A story full of intrigue and secrets. An enjoyable read.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

The Last Night in London is one of the most beautiful books I think I’ve read. The story was set out over 2 timelines, before/during WW2 and 2019. It tells the stories of Precious and her fashionista, model life during the war and Maddie, a journalist who is brought to London from America to tell Precious’ story and who is battling with secrets of her own. The storyline flows between the two eras seamlessly and you can really visualise what is happening as you read it. Its full of family secrets and drama and took me three quarters of the way in to piece everything together, it was brilliant. The Last Night in London was a 5 star read for me, even though I’m not the biggest fam on historical fiction I loved this book and would most likely read it again. Big thank you to Netgalley for my review copy, this is one book I’m glad I accepted.

‘𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵. 𝘏𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.’

The Last Night in London is absolutely captivating, intense and heartbreaking. I found myself devouring it all in one sitting because I just could not put it down until I had all of the answers. This book follows a dual timeline which takes place in pre-WWII London and Present day London. The ghosts of the past and present are reunited in this hauntingly beautiful story of love, friendship and betrayal.

I recieved an advanced copy for free, and this is my honest opinion.

I've been enjoying some historical fiction in between my psychological thrillers lately, and The Last Night in London has been one of them. There is quite a bit of background information regarding the characters and the lay of the land etc. before we get to the nitty gritty, but when we do it is good! I was wondering with every page where the story might lead me and what was going to happen to whom, and I semi guessed a few things along the way. This tale alternates between 1939 and 2019 and at the end of each of these two eras, I couldn't wait to get back to the next one! Near the end I was like "what?!" and "I KNEW it!!" So regardless of the slightly slower pace in the beginning, I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Night in London.

A big thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia, Karen White and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book to review ☺️

Totally blown away!!

Maddie is doing a wartime fashion piece on Precious Dubose, Flashbacks to Wartime London 1939 - 1941. We delve into Graham and Eva's relationship.
Ultimate betrayal to friendship and forgiveness. Guilt - Envy - Espionage - Fear - Greed.

Read this book!

I found this book captivating from the start and it just got better and better.
I have long been a fan of Karen White and enjoyed her latest offering.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy.
Eva and Precious are models and friends in the early days of World War 2. They share a love of fashion and quite a few secrets.
In 2019 Maddie is tasked with interviewing 99 year old Precious for an article on fashion from the 1940s.
As Maddie unravels the past the reader is swept into the mystery and kept guessing on the outcome of intrigue and mystery. There is a handsome love interest, a nasty bad guy and a charming love story in the current age.
Do yourself a favour, read and enjoy this fabulous book.

3.5 stars rounded down.

Here I am outside my comfort zone again with another historical fiction laced with romance! It wasn’t all history however, the story has two time lines. The history part is set before and during the early part of WWII, 1939 and 1940 and tells the story of Jeanne (all my friends call me Precious) Dubose and Ethel Maltby who re-invents herself as Eva Harlow. They are both in London to follow their dreams and are working as models for Madame Lushtak.

The present day story is of Madison (Maddie) who is a journalist writing a piece about the clothes and the fashion business during those years. She is a distant relative of Precious and has been invited to London to write the story and curate the associated museum exhibition of the wonderful gowns of the era. Precious is now 99 years old and has kept many of her glamorous outfits, shoes, hats and bags.

Eva and Precious share their lodgings and are like sisters and the models and other staff at Madame Lushtak’s are their family. Everything is great until Ethel meets Graham St John, she is immediately smitten but realises that Graham is way out of her league so she re-invents herself as Eva Harlow, a respectable doctor’s daughter who has been orphaned and resorted to modelling to survive (none of it true of course). Romance blossoms but danger is lurking in the wings. Eva becomes entrapped by Czech spy Alexander Grof. He knows Eva’s true background and threatens her with exposure if she doesn’t do a few small jobs for him. But of course she gets in deeper than she ever thought possible and her loved ones are threatened. This story has a tragic ending with an interesting twist (which I had guessed).

In the present Maddie has her own demons which I won’t explain. When Arabella contacts her about the proposed article she agrees straight away although she is not keen on seeing Colin again. Maddie, Arabella and Colin had been friends at Harrow although it seemed Colin was interested in more than friendship. Maddie is softening towards him but her demons....

I much preferred the historical part of the story, it really brought the era to life, particularly the glamorous lifestyles of the upper classes and included descriptions of the shelling during the London blitz. I did mostly enjoy the story, it was charmingly written, the language seemed spot on and the characters of Eva and Precious jumped off the pages. In contrast, Maddie seemed colourless and I didn’t like her insistence on not falling in love. It seemed silly. The book was a bit long too, it seemed to flag a little after the halfway mark. And I have zero interest in fashion! But, if you do have an interest in fashion or historical fiction and don’t mind a bit of romance (there was too much for my liking) you would likely really enjoy this. It really was beautifully written. Thanks to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster Australia and Karen White for providing an ARC to review. My opinions are my own.

My rating:

Plot: 5 out of 5 stars
Writing: 5 out of 5 stars
Character development: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

Historical Fiction
Women’s fiction


Review:

This book is beautifully written, full of intrigue and mystery with a hint of sadness and loss. The plot is written over a dual time line one historical starting in the late 1930s telling the story of the friendship between Eva Harlow and Precious Dubose. The other is set in the present tells the story of Maddie Warner who travels to London to interview Precious for an article about fashion in the pre war era. As both Maddie and Precious lives have been marked by tragedy, they quickly form a bond and help each other in the healing process learning to accept the past and moving on.

Overall:

This is a well written book very captivating with vivid scenery. The characters are complex and their actions were explained well this made them realistic and interesting. The book had a unique atmosphere of mystery and intrigue a little bit haunting at times. The plot deals with subjects such as love, loss, friendship and betrayal. It captures you from the start and doesn’t let go until the end. I really enjoyed it.

Review copy provided through NetGalley at no cost to me.

This was a really beautiful story. I only wish it had moved along a little faster (for my personal liking)
First time I've read a book by Karen White. Happy to check out more on Amazon

Thanks to Simon & Schuster AU and Netgalley for this eARC.
I seriously don’t know what to say, I have tried a few times to write a review and then undoing all the text I had just written. I kept giving away parts that may of been spoilers, to tell one part you have to reveal another,and I prefer to see the story unfold myself. So I started again.
I loved this story, the writing was excellent and I was transported back in time to London in 1939/1941. A book I would most likely skip past, but thanks to Simon and Shuster Au publishing and Netgalley, I was auto approved for this novel, and it did not disappoint. A story of fashion, friendship, romance and mystery. Can you imagine running through the streets of London carrying a valise with a baby inside, while the city is being bombed?. That is the opening to this very intriguing story.
A heartbreaking and emotional story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend that you read it.
I also think it would make an amazing film. Excellent