The Girl Across the Sea is a duel time novel set on the west coast of Ireland and the USA in the 1930’s and 1980’s. Mariead‘s terminally ill mother asks her to find out what happened to her mother who abandoned her as they left New York in the 1930’s. This challenge takes her to New York, Arizona and Canada where a tale of murder and identity changes reveals a heartbreaking story.
This novel weaves a fantastic historical tale about the Irish civil war, American Great Depression and the development of Manhattan. The characters are well developed and the narrative takes several unexpected directions. A real page turner.

This story is told in two time frames: 1933 and 1980s. In 1933 Ellen leaves her husband and daughter as they were leaving to go back to Ireland - the reason being the mystery that weaved through the entire book. We meet Mairead in 1984 after her life has been torn apart when her husband leaves her a note to say he is in love with a man. She has always had a difficult relationship with her mother, but when Brigid learns she has cancer ends up begging Mairead to find her Mother. Ellen’s life in America is interesting and varied, to say the least. She constantly thinks of Brigid, but not so of her husband Giles. By the time Ellen reaches her mid-seventies she has been married to Jack for over fifty years and has lived with him in a house, he built on the West Coast of Canada's Victoria Island for the same amount of time. Brigid’s story begins when she is almost on her death bed. Brigid has one daughter, Mairead, and a granddaughter, Stella. Brigid and Mairead have never had a great Mother/Daughter relationship. However, all seems to be resolved during the last few weeks of her life. On her deathbed, Brigid asks Mairead to find her mother, Ellen; to which Mairead agrees. A well woven plot and satisfying ending make this one a fantastic read.

Many thanks to Bookouture, the author and to NetGalley for this ARC

This dual-timeline novel tells two equally engaging stories set in 1930s America and 1984 Ireland. They tell of abandonment and family secrets: poignant tales of mothers and daughters who love each other but can’t express it. Ultimately, it’s about forgiving ourselves and letting go of the past.

In New York in 1933, after eight years of marriage, Ellen abandons her young daughter, Brigid. She travels across America, shadowed by a harrowing past and haunted by her shame and guilt. After settling some years in Arizona, a serious error in judgment puts her on the run once again.

In 1984, Brigid’s daughter, Mairead, recently separated, craves her mother’s love, but Brigid, still stung by Ellen’s rejection, is unable to be anything but cold and critical. After being diagnosed with an incurable disease, she softens towards Mairead, and begs her to find Ellen. Mairead has little to go on, but flies to New York and tracks Ellen’s long-ago footsteps east to west and north into Canada.

This is the kind of novel which could easily run to sentimentality were it not for the author’s skillful plotting and attention to time and place, which draw the whole seamlessly together―the heirloom necklace, the dilapidated estate, the difficult mother-daughter relationships, and other choices which are hard to understand until motivations are revealed. The characters are vibrant, well-rounded, and totally believable. Events propel the story forward, sliding effortlessly between past and present, and readers will root for Ellen despite all her lies and secrets, and will perhaps offer forgiveness for her abandonment of little Brigid. This is an engrossing read which drew me in far deeper than I expected and will be enjoyed by many readers, particularly those who no longer reside in the country of their birth. That visceral longing to touch the earth which gave us life is vividly addressed here.

The Girl Across the Sea is the first book I’ve read by Noelle Harrison and it will not be my last. Engaging, captivating and beautifully written, this slow unraveling story touched on all my emotions. I simply couldn’t put it down.

The story is told in dual timelines, the past thread starting in 1933 with one of our protagonists, Ellen, and the present day thread starting in 1984 with her granddaughter Mairead. The author successfully stitches together the threads from the two equally compelling plot-lines, bridging the gap with an old photograph and heirloom necklace, allowing our present day protagonist to uncover the secrets of what happened long ago. Much of the story takes place in Ireland, a place I’ve traveled to several times, as well as parts of the United States. Beautifully written with vivid descriptions, I was swept away to locations near and far and transported seamlessly across time as I travelled this emotional journey with Mairead and Ellen.

A woven plot and satisfying ending make this one fantastic read.

Many thanks to @NetGalley and @Bookouture for the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy of The Girl Across the Sea. This is my honest review.

A beautiful story told in two timelines by Mairead and Ellen spanning Ireland and the United States. A real page turner that had me hooked from the first chapter, the storyline was compelling and the characters had you rooting for them all the way through in a really emotional rollercoaster. A story that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it.

The writing is beautiful, the imagery is haunting, and the story is utterly unforgettable.
The plot is intricately structured, spanning decades and continents, but from the very first page is engaging, intense and mystifying. It is so emotionally plangent it brought tears more than once. It is artful, ingenious and extraordinary, and I didn't want it to ever end. I am completely under the spell of the author and her characters.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the chance to read an advanced copy of The girl across the sea, This is my second book by Noelle Harrison and I loved it!!! While it did take me a bit of time to get into it, I ended up binge reading all day to find out whether Mairead and Ellen meet. This story is told in two time frames: 1933 and 1980s. In 1933 Ellen leaves her husband and daughter as they were leaving to go back to Ireland - the reason being the mystery that weaved through the entire book. We meet Mairead in 1984 after her life has been torn apart when her husband leaves her a note to say he is in love with a man. She has always had a difficult relationship with her mother, but when Brigid learns she has cancer ends up begging Mairead to find her Mother.
I had to put the book down a couple of times because the emotional story really hit me. One of the things I really loved about The girl across the sea was a good portion of it takes place in Ireland, a country I love and visited a few years ago. It mentions several places I went to and I was able to really visualize the scenery! I highly recommend reading this as well as The Boatman's wife (the book I read previously!!!

I didn’t realize I‘d love this book so much when I started it. It touched my heart as soon as I began reading, with the revelation that Ellen carried a huge burden that would threaten her future..

It’s told through different timelines in Ireland & the US with alternating chapters of Ellen & her great-granddaughter, Mairead’s, life.

So much heartbreak, devastation & tragedy is filled in these pages. There are many elements in their journeys with so much they went through, including some topics that could be sensitive to readers, not to mention require some tissues as it is truly heartbreaking.

I know this one will stick with me for a long time. I can’t recommend it enough.

Thanks to Noelle Harrison, Bookouture, Noelle Holten & NetGalley for my copy to read and give my honest review.

Wow, The Girl Across the Sea is fabulous! I really didn’t expect the twist. I was enraptured from beginning to end.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Girl Across The Sea' by Noelle Harrison.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Noelle Harrison, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 10th November 2021.

This is the first book I have read by this author.

I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'Fans of The Light Between Oceans and Lisa Wingate will adore this heart-breaking book.' I am a fan of Lisa Wingate so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 31 chapters. The chapters are medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in New York and Chigaco USA 🇺🇸 and Ireland 🇮🇪, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.

This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Mairead and Ellen. The benefits of third person perspective with are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.


'The Girl Across The Sea' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Noelle discusses/includes war, sexual scenes, rape, drugs, abuse and death. Recommend for 16 years plus.


It is set over/includes multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.

This book is beautifully written with vivid descriptions that leaves you tasting the ocean scene and feeling the sand in your hair. The cover, title and synopsis suit the storyline perfectly.

This book is completely engage, captivating and makes you travel through time. It felt like I packed my case and went on a journey from Ireland to New York, California, Arizona and more until u returned to Ireland and then sadly it came for me to unpack my case and return to Wales. It felt like I had been on a trip of a lifetime and not only around the world but through time. I loved reading the history of Ellen and being drip fed information bit by bit until it came to the shocking reveal!!! I was NOT expecting that twist so well done Noelle!!! It's getting harder and harder to shock me and you've managed it so congratulations!! This storyline is filled with love, family, heartbreak, romance, sadness, war, suspense, history and so much more!! I became completely engaged and captivated throughout.

The characters are strong and each had their own strong personalities. I loved going on a journey with Ellie and discovering what happened, where she went and what led her there. I also enjoyed meeting Mairead and her family and going on her journey of discovery for her gran. I felt hearrtbroken for both Brigid and Ellen although I won't say more than that as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. I also felt sorry for Mairead and what she lost out on because of the past. However I do think the story ended beautifully!!!

Well done Noelle on an absolutely stunning yet heartbreaking story of love, family, loss and so much more. I'm looking forward to reading more of your books!!!


Overall a heartbreaking but beautiful story that will take you around the world and though time, filled with love, loss, romance and so much more.



Genres covered in this book include Historical Fiction and Historical Romance amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'The Light Between Oceans' and Lisa Wingate.



378 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

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Firstly thank you Netgalley for this ARC
Emotional page turner lovely characters well worth reading

It’s 1933 and Ellen lives in New York with her husband and and young daughter. They have wanted to return to Ireland for many years, but the timing was never right, until now. Ellen knows the secret she carries with her means she can never return. So, she kisses her family goodbye in the middle of the night and flees into the darkness. Mairead has recently separated and has returned home to take care of her dying mother. As Brigid begins to pass away in her last breath she calls out to her mother Ellen. Mairead doesn’t know anything about her grandmother, Ellen. And with nothing more than an old photograph and a turquoise necklace, she begins to find out everything she can about her. Her journey to find the truth takes her, to New York and to Arizona. She discovers Ellen was on the run and was a wanted woman accused of a terrible crime. This story is filled with so much mystery and drama, and you will find yourself bonding with the characters. The vivid description of western Ireland made me feel like I was actually there. This book definitely hits all the emotions, I couldn’t read it fast enough, I had to know how it ended. I devoured this book in one sitting. This time slip novel is perfect and I absolutely loved it. Wow, truly an amazing story and a great escape.

Thank you Noelle Harrison for such a fantastic, heartbreaking and emotional story. I truly enjoyed every bit of this book. A fantastic and absolute must read. I loved everything about this unputdownable book. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It was touching, emotional and a really good read. Good characters and well written, it’s well worth a read.

Oh my gosh this was such a compelling and gripping book, I couldnt put ti down it was so well written with a story that literally broke my heart. I loved it

I loved this book.

It had just the right mix of mystery, drama and emotion and tugged at the heart strings in all the right places.

The story opens in 1933 with Irish-born Ellen making the heartbreaking decision to leave her husband and baby as they set sail for Ireland. An unspecified secret from her past is so bad that she cannot reveal it to her husband and cannot risk returning to Ireland. She cannot risk taking her baby with her as she knows her husband would do everything he could to track them down and bring them to Ireland with him - her only choice, she feels, is to run away and disappear, to once again start a new life.

Fast forward to 1984 and the story is picked up with Ellen's grand-daughter who is going through her own share of upheavals in her life. Mairead has never had an easy relationship with her mother, (Brigid) and never understood why her mother pushed her away until yet another life-changing event prompts her mother to tell Mairead about her birth mother (Ellen) - a woman Mairead resembles in appearance. With the secret now out, Brigid asks Mairead to help her find Brigid.

What follows are the stories of two remarkable journeys alternating between the women and their timelines. Brigid's story moves forwards as we learn what happened to her after she left her husband and baby and her eventual fate, all the time preserving the mystery of why she could not return to Ireland in the first place. Mairead's story moves forward in her hunt for her grandmother by first digging in the past for clues, then by learning how to move on with her own life.

Both women face challenges along their journeys that cause them not only to question who they are but to reinvent themselves several times over.

It is not until the very end of the book that the book finally delves further back into the past and we find out what happened in Ireland that meant Ellen could not return and some closure can finally be had by all.

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

Am I glad I read it - absolutely, I loved it
Was it a waste of my time - not at all
Would I sit down and read it all over again - absolutely
Would I read more by this author based on this book - yes, I've just added one right now to be 'to be read' pile.

I love this cover! To begin with its a bit of a sad story. Ellen leaves her daughter, knowing she can’t return to Ireland. The book is told in dual timelines, both interesting. I thought it was a good story. There’s several twists and turns towards the end . Which all makes for a hard to put down read. I enjoyed it! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

A lovely dual time line novel about Ellen who couldn't bring herself to return to Ireland, and Mairead, who, in the present day, comes to the US to find her. As is so often the case, Ellen's story is the more interesting one but that doesn't mean that you won't feel for Mairead, who has been stunned by a revelation from her husband as well as her mother's request that she, Mairead, find the mother who put her on the ship back in 1933 and was never seen again. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. it's a good read that hits some interesting themes.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of "The Girl Across the Sea" in exchange for my honest review.

We are introduced to Ellen on 19 June 1933 when she is preparing to leave her sleeping husband Giles and 5 year-old daughter Brigid on the RMS Britannic before it sails back to Ireland. Something in her past prevents her from going back to Ireland. They've been living in New York for the past 8 years and she thought that they would live there forever. She leaves the only possession she kept from Ireland - a necklace - for her daughter.

The story introduces us to many characters and it moves back and forth in time as it tells the story from both sides of the Atlantic.

The story
This book is starts with Ellen leaving the ship she and her husband and young daughter are on, about to sail back to Ireland. Something in Ellen’s past can’t allow her to return but we don’t find out what that is until much later in the story. In Ireland of 1984, Mairead’s husband has left her for another man. Her daughter and mother Brigid both seemed to have realised that Niall was gay, but Mairead hadn’t acknowledged this. Her relationship with her mother is strained, and she understands that this stems from her mother’s abandonment by her own mother when she was young. The story of Ellen and Mairead come into a circle that only really becomes clear right at the end.

My thoughts
I so enjoyed the trips back in time to the different eras and Ellen and Maireads discoveries and overcoming challenges. Some parts of this book were really hard to believe (a lot of people seem to die with zero accountability at any point 🙈) and one relationship is very creepy and just doesn’t fit with Mairead’s character at all. But… this is an entertaining and interesting story that I really enjoyed reading. ☘️ 🇮🇪

Wow! Keep a box of tissues close by as 'The Girl Across The Sea' is a heart-wrenching complex story that will move, mesmerise, melt and break you. This tale of sacrifice, difficult circumstances and the need for healing and transformation, starts with one generation but spans across many as secrets and truths spill in a giant wave from the past to the present, touching those tied together by blood and friendship. And like a tsunami, the realisation hits hard that no matter how far away you try to run, you can never truly escape the past. For it will find you or appear when least expected.

This is a dual timeline story. The past thread starts with Ellen, who has fled Ireland and a difficult life to live in freedom in America. On the journey over she meets a man and marries him. Together they build a life and have a daughter. Although Ellen finds a measure of happiness in her new world, a darkness still follows her. And in 1933 when it is time to leave New York and return to her homeland, fear grips her and she cannot go. With a shattered heart she looks one last time upon her little girl and husband fast asleep and then makes her exit, after leaving a special turquoise necklace and a letter behind.

In running away from one deadly secret, Ellen becomes enslaved to another more toxic than the first. The pain of abandoning her daughter burns a mark in her heart she can never forget. But even more than the noose of guilt she feels— is the sting of regret— that she can never return to Ireland due to what she escaped. She must accept this new life in America and forget who she was. And even though things don’t go as planned, her love for her daughter and the special necklace she left become symbols of hope. These offer comfort through the nightmares of the past and sustain her through the violations she encounters on her new course.

The present day thread begins with Mairead in Ireland. While caring for her dying mother, she learns of family secrets. Her mother wants to find her birth mother who abandoned her as a young child. Not an easy task for Mairead as she has limited information but it sends her to America, leaving her own daughter at college, to find her mysterious grandmother. Already grieving over her own family losses, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and healing. But along the way she takes some unexpected turns and meets some unusual, and even sinister, characters. Yet the path leads to surprising revelations, too.

The journeys for both women across the USA and into Canada prove intriguing. The Angel and healing time in the desert, the strangers they would trust and those they should not have. The lament, the brutality, the depth of this story goes on and on. It is a tale that is painful, beautiful and rapturous all at the same time.

Excellent suspense runs like a river through the landscape of this story feeding the plot that blooms with the flowers of sadness and joy. It is deeply complex with many unexpected twists and turns. Not your usual light hearted romantic story. But one of its beauties is in how it addresses the many aspects of the Irish psyche and Ireland’s history—including the fight for freedom. This is shown in many different ways and in a number of the characters. This story contains family secrets so grand and mind bending, that the climax will leave you reeling with many mixed emotions.

Noelle’s writing is very engaging and pulls every emotion imaginable from the reader. You walk in these women’s shoes, feel their pain, mourn their losses. But then you find yourself cheering as they muster new courage and feel relief from fear when an enemy subsides. And you rejoice when the past and present ancestral lines cross over and meet. Then there is the pride and deep devotion, even a connection to the homeland, that is so deep and wide that it travels unlimited miles overseas and reaches a new generation. This is something I can relate to for I have felt the pull in my own DNA— of the call of my own family’s past: for Irish roots know no distance or time. Ancestral memory can be strong as the spirit of place awakens once buried seeds. For as you stand on Irish soil and scan the horizons of your ancestors, up through the turf a sense of connection rises, while shamrocks are bursting forth under a full Irish sun.

There are so many things in this story I love. Many elements I have used in my own writing: the Irish song lists, the books and poems mentioned, the Sleeping Beauty reference, the Haunted Lake, the Irish fairy lore, the enchanting wildflowers such as Forget-Me-Nots and Bluebells. Coming from east coast Canada and an Irish heritage, all these cultural and botanical gems that surrounded my grandfather’s life and his homestead above the sea are so familiar to me. And the setting of Merview House with its sinister past certainly fired my imagination, reminding me of my own grandfather’s amazing stories!

I was very inspired by this moving narrative. Its depth was far greater than I could have imagined. Being my first Noelle Harrison novel, I did not know what to expect. But I am delighted that her powerful story telling ability really captivated me. I have always been drawn to Irish generational stories, so 'The Girl Across the Sea' appealed to that interest and satisfied the hunger. And I was so impressed I purchased two of Noelle’s previous novels immediately!

Many thanks to Noelle for her wonderful descriptions for they transported me back to Ireland—a place I deeply love. Without a doubt, this story will stay with me forever. I highly recommend this brilliant Irish novel that is guaranteed to win your heart as well. 5 Shining Stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC to review.

Review will be posted on Amazon AU when released.