This was a heart wrenching but thoroughly fantastic read. I was immersed and completely absorbed by all of the characters, their secrets, the way this evolved was really just so well done. It moves, but it's not rushed, you're drawn in and care about these characters. This setting appeals to my historical fiction loving mind, but there's enough angst and romance in this to appeal to readers that love a romantic tale. I would recommend w/out qualm and will read more from this Author. I'm grateful for the opportunity to review and advance copy..

Rose is living in England in 1941 with WWII going on, when she comes across an advertisement looking for someone to accompany an orphaned child to Australia. Rose becomes instantly enchanted with 4 year old Walter. Rose leaves her family (including fiancé) and a traumatic experience behind to make a dangerous journey to Australia. When they finally get to the land down under, things are not what they had seemed and Rose develops a connection with Uncle Max. Suddenly she is not in a hurry to go home.

It’s been awhile since I have read a historical fiction novel. It was interesting to see a different side of WWII. I had a hard time following the story at the beginning. Overall a solid read.

Described as a captivating World War II love story set against the raw beauty of Australia, Under the Golden Sun is really so much more than that. It’s more about perseverance and survival and the sacrifices we make. It’s so easy to get lost in, to really enjoy, to imagine yourself watching kangaroos out the window.

To be perfectly honest, there's a plethora of WWII novels out there, some with not much to differentiate themselves from each other. I kind of hit my saturation point with them a while ago, but Under the Golden Sun is unique and entertaining. The idea of traveling across the dangerous ocean with a small child to a country you've never been to and don't know anyone is a fresh take on what can be an overdone theme. I am definitely up for whatever Jenny Ashcroft is working on next!

Thank you for the opportunity to review!

Link to 3/21/2022 Instagram post:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbYA_VrrmnA/

I loved this story and experienced a wide range of emotions while reading it. The writing is beautiful and rich in historical detail.
Many thanks to St. Martins Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

✨Book Reviews & Sunday Shelfie✨

You guys, I have a new auto-buy author and it’s @jennyashcroftauthor !

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC for Under the Golden Sun. This book published on March 15th and I tried so hard to get it finished in time, but a stomach bug hit my house. 🤢 Then, just a day or two after #pubday I received this beautiful hardcover in the mail! 😍😍😍 (swipe the see the first pic I took for these reviews)

You guys, this book gave me all the feels! Rose, feeling completely lost, takes the position of a nanny to a small half aborigine boy, Walter, in London. His great-aunt, Vivian, is dying and wants Rose to take him to Vivian’s sister’s Australian cattle station, to the only relatives he has left on earth. Only, Rose isn’t told the entire story…what awaits Walter once they arrive? Why did his mother up and flee when she was still pregnant with Walter??

Read this book!! I loved it so much; I cried, I hugged it and I thought about it for a long time after I finished. 🤗❤️

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

From the author of Meet Me in Bombay, comes a sweeping war-time story set between wartorn England and the open expanse of the Australian bush. 

After being unfairly discharged from the WAAF following a devastating loss, Rose Hamilton answers a newspaper advertisement to accompany an orphaned child to Australia. Even before she sets sail for Australia, Rose finds herself growing closer to her young charge, their recent losses binding them together. Rose leaves behind her family, fiance, and the life she knew to travel to a remote cattle station that Walter Lucknow has inherited. 

Once she arrives, she meets Walter's family including his Uncle Max, a war hero whose scars are both visible and hidden as well. Unable to leave Walter so soon after their arrival, Rose stays on at the cattle station getting to know Walter's family, exploring the land around her which starts to feel more and more like home.

Under the Golden Sun is one of those love stories that you can't help but become personally invested in, watching the love blossom, long-kept secrets revealed, and the endless possibilities that hope brings.

When I first read Jenny Ashcroft’s Meet Me in Bombay I fell in love with her characters and did not want the story to end. I looked forward to Under the Golden Sun and after reading this I have become a true fan of her stories. Her characters are once again brought to life on the pages and her descriptions of wartime Britain and the Lucknow Cattle Station in Australia make it easy to imagine the lives, losses and fears that they experience.

Recovering from a miscarriage, Rose sees an ad for a caregiver to travel to Australia with Walter, a five year old boy. Vivian, an elderly relative, has been caring for him since his mother’s death but she is now suffering from cancer and has arranged for him to join relatives near Brisbane. It is early days of WWII and travel is dangerous, but Rose takes on the responsibility and develops a solid bond with Walter. Despite Vivian’s assurances, the family is surprised by their arrival and not everyone is welcoming. Walter’s father was an Aborigine and his mother’s affair caused a division in the family.

Rose left her fiancé Xander behind to take this position. She had been unsure of their relationship and now finds herself attracted to Max, Walter’s uncle. Max was wounded during his service as a pilot and still bears the scars of his time in the war. Esme, his sister, is happy to have Rose as a friend. Lauren, their mother, is still hurt by the events in the family’s past and Rose finds her rather cold and hard to relate to. Rose’s own family is scattered, with her brother Joe flying raids over Europe and her parents stationed in Malaya. With the possibility of Japanese aggression she feels the fear and anxiety of their separation. Walter, who has lost so much, is the bright spot in her life and he encourages her to believe that they will make it through safely. Ashcroft’s story is one of loss and grief but there is also hope. In a letter posted by Vivian shortly before her death, she encourages Rose to live her life to the fullest. It was a beautiful passage that I read with tissues at hand. After reading Under the Golden Sun I can only hope that Ashcroft is well on her way to writing her next book. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book for my review.

What a beautiful historical fiction novel! The development of Rose’s character made me fall in love with her. Rose was loving, loyal, and spunky. Ms. Ashcroft created a beautiful picture of the Australian countryside and made me want to live with Walter’s family too. I appreciated the historical details of World War II that the author researched. The ending? Tied it up with a bow. This was my first novel by Jenny Ashcroft and I look forward to seeking out more of her work.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishing house, St. Martin’s Press, for providing an advanced copy for review. All thoughts and opinions written in this review are my own. My review of Under the Golden Sun can be found on Goodreads, Amazon, my Instagram and Facebook book club page, and my local library website.

Under the Golden Sun by Jenny Ashcroft is a book about family and love set mostly in Australia during World War II.

Rose is working as a secretary in 1941 on a Devon farm but when she sees an add for a companion to accompany an orphaned 4 year old to Australia she decides to do it. She immediately becomes enchanted with Walter and after a few weeks of living with him and his great aunt they set off for the long voyage to Australia. When they arrive it's not quite the warm welcome Rose expected so she decides to stay a little longer until Walter feels more comfortable. But in that time maybe she finds herself feeling more at home here than she ever did.

It was interesting to read about WWII in Australia and the sea voyage and all of the places they stopped. It was very slow in the beginning but overall I liked the book.

This book will forever make me question whether I should DNF a book or not. I've had a run of just ok books lately and the start of this was slow, making me want to throw in the towel very early on. I'm so glad I didn't. Once Walter is introduced to the story, I very quickly adored his little character, and loved how the relationship between him and Rose developed. The pace of the entire book was slower than I normally like, but so well written that all I wanted to do was read it. My only issue really was the ending, I got to about 80 pages to the end and I was ready for it to be finished but there was still quite a lot more to happen. I so loved the ending though! This was my first Jenny Ashcroft novel, I have Meet Me in Bombay and I am even more excited to read it now.

Thank you @stmartinspress for the finished copy.

This was my first historical fiction by Jenny Ashcroft. It was beautifully written and obviously very well researched. I look forward to reading more by her in the future.

Under the Golden Sun is set during World War II. The main character, Rose (aka Rosie) is living in England but considering escorting a young orphan to Australia. Everyone around her is trying to tell her how foolish it sounds and that she should reconsider. But she is at such an unhappy place in her own life that this change might be exactly what she needs. After she meets the little boy, she doesn't know how she can turn the offer down. So, she leaves against her fiancé's wishes and the recommendations of her uncle and brother. For her, this adventure to another country might heal her heart or it may break it.

The descriptiveness that Ms. Ashcroft writes with was excellent. Rose starts in England and then she and the boy, Walter take a ship to get to Australia. You feel as if you're with them as the waves rock the vessel. Finally, once they arrive in Australia, there is so much to describe - from the countryside to the animals to the weather. Of course, being a romantic, my favorite part is definitely the underlying romantic tension that surfaces between Rose and Max. They are both tentative with one another as they've each been hurt and have different insecurities. Watching their sweet romance slowly develop truly is heartwarming. In addition, gaining a better understanding of many of the family dynamics and how misunderstandings easily occur and can impact relationships for years. Naturally, the relationship that developed between Rose and the young boy, Walter was special to see after everything they had both been through.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Under the Golden Sun has all the makings of really good historical fiction. When you add the fact that it’s set in Australia, it takes it up a notch for uniqueness.

What I loved about this book was the themes of found family, finding your place, your peace and that place where your inner strength tells you how much you’re made of. I loved the slow build and the scene setting where I felt like I could be in the wilds of the Outback. I did like how the relationships blossomed especially when it came to the friendships.

What I did feel lacking was the romance. It was particularly drawn out and repetitive in some parts so I think I just wanted more. I was pleased with the ending but just didn’t enjoy how the character handled some of the situations she was put in.

Overall a good read and I thank the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review!

I remember starting off my 2021 reading year last year with Jenny Ashcroft’s previous novel Meet Me in Bombay, which I had been apprehensive about at first, but ended up truly enjoying. At the time, Ashcroft was a “new-to-me” author writing in a genre (historical romance) that could sometimes be a “hit or miss” category for me. After having enjoyed that novel, I went into her newest release, Under the Golden Sun, with higher expectations and I’m happy to report that this one definitely did not disappoint. In fact, I actually ended up enjoying this one more, perhaps because I found the story more emotionally resonant, for one, and two, I loved all the characters in here — Rose, Walter, Max, Vivian, Esme, Lauren, etc. — to the point that I didn’t want their story to end.

Of course, going into this, I already knew it would be a love story, but unlike Ashcroft’s previous novel, this one definitely felt more well-balanced in terms of the way the historical elements and setting (Australia during WWII period) were incorporated into the story. In other words, the love story didn’t overwhelm the plot, but rather complemented it. Much of this is attributed to the beautiful, atmospheric writing, with its vividly-rendered descriptions of the lush Australian landscape against the backdrop of the historical events of the time period. Even though there were moments of frustration with some of the characters and at times, I felt like yelling out in exasperation during a few scenes, I found myself captivated by the story overall and felt compelled to keep turning the pages in order to find out what happens to these characters that eventually grew on me.

One thing that surprised me about my reading experience with this book is the resonance I felt with the story, especially on an emotional level. I wasn’t expecting this book to both make me laugh and make me cry at various points of the story, but that’s exactly what it did. I appreciate a book that makes me feel as much as one that makes me ponder and reflect and this one definitely fits the bill. With this newest release, Ashcroft adds yet another solid historical novel to her repertoire— I can’t wait to read what she comes out with next!

Received ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley

Under the Golden Sun was a beautifully written novel by Jenny Ashcroft. This book takes place during the Second World War. The descriptions and characters are very well detailed there is a lot of depth to this novel that has you feeling connected.
Rose reads an advertisement when back in London on her birthday and decides to interview to take a young boy named Walter to Australia.
The voyage to Australia is rough for Rose, but Walter makes a friend named Verity. Her Mother Kate becomes friends with Rose!
When they make it they soon find out things were not as they were expecting.
This book was heartwarming, yet definitely had heartbreak as well. It was written so beautifully that I highly recommend it!

Thanks to Netgalley for the eArc.

Finding Your Home in a Distant Land

Rose Hamilton feels she was unjustly dismissed from her WWII wartime duties. Now working as a secretary in London, she is looking for a way to recover her self. On a train, heading to a birthday celebration with her uncle, brother, and hopefully her fiance she opens a discarded newspaper. An advertisement for a companion to accompany a five year old boy to Australia catches her eye. It’s something she thinks she would like to do.

She meets with Vivian, the boy’s great aunt. The two women have an instant rapport and Rose moves into Vivian's house to get to know Walter, the five-year-old boy. She immediately feels close to Walter and wants to protect him. The trip to Australia where he is heir to a large cattle station is dangerous, but they arrive safely. However, the welcome at the station is not what they expected.

Max, Walter’s uncle a wounded fighter pilot, runs the cattle station. At first he is hard to get know, but gradually he and Rose begin to have feelings for each other; but can it work for Rose in such a different world from her life in London?

This is a well researched historical novel. I was captivated by the scenery in Australia the same was Rose was. The author has done an excellent job creating a realistic environment and characters full of life. If you enjoy romance, a warm emotional setting, and a historically accurate background, you’ll like this book. I highly recommend it.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

Under the Golden Sun transported me to the cattle station in Queensland, Australia from the streets of London during WWII. Ashcroft descriptions were lush in detail from the raging war in England to the farm and animals on the other side of the world.

This story is heart-warming and heart-breaking in the same breath. I experienced so many emotions, clearly hoping Rosie finds her happiness she so deserves. This novel is truly a mix of historical fiction, family drama and romance. For fans of HF, Under the Golden Sun is another GREAT addition to add to your TBR.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the complimentary copy.

Under The Golden Sun by Jenny Ashcroftauthor is an exquisitely written WWII historical fiction romance that touched my heart.

Rose escorts orphaned 5 year old Walter from England to the outback of Australia to his only living relative Uncle Max; a fighter pilot severely burned on his face and body. As the war rages on all three of them must learn to trust and love again. You will cry, swoon and smile throughout this epic story.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦!

I loved everything about this story. This is my first book from this author and I fell in love with her writting style, it captured me completely and I didn’t want the story to end. An epic experience that you need to read.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this gifted copy.

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘞𝘞𝘐𝘐, 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘈𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

Under the Golden Sun by Jenny Ashcroft is a World War II novel taking place, mostly, in Australia. Rose is working at a dead end job in rural England, obtained for her by her uncle Lionel. She didn't have the skills necessary but her lovely old boss doesn't care. He likes her. She is off to London to have a birthday tea with her uncle, and maybe her brother. On the train she picks up a newspaper with an odd ad. Someone is looking for a woman to accompany a little child to Australia. It's a job that will take months, and the Nazis are torpedoing ships in the Atlantic. She feels drawn to it and although it is pouring rain she goes to the address to find out more about the position. She likes the old lady and decided to give it a go. Her uncle is less than please, but decides no to waste his time arguing. He never wins. There's plenty more to it, but off she goes.

This is a story not without it difficult moments. In many ways it's a love story but really it's a story about family. Like all families there are a lot of issues floating around, compounded by the fact the war is going on. At one point one of the characters used the term racist, who I don't think was in common usage in the 40s, but surely existed. It was more than difficult, but thankfully the important characters didn't feel that way. There was a bright, sunny, little boy and they all agreed he needed to stay that way, although it took some longer than others to come around. It was often difficult to read, but just as often happy and cheerful. I liked this book because it was real life, although not my real life. Too often books from this era take place in a concentration camp, or amongst the resistance. We forget that the war took place in the Pacific as well. And, it was just a miserable for regular people. It was a lovely book.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Under the Golden Sun by St Martin's Press, through Net galley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #stmartinspress #jennyashcroft #underthegoldensun

Historical fiction winner

I thoroughly enjoyed Under the Golden Sun. It is based on the universal themes of acceptance and love, set during WWII in England and outback Australia. Highly recommended.

Thank you to the publisher who lend me an e-arc via Netgalley with no obligation. This review is optional and my own opinion.