I thought this book had a lot of promise, unique in talking about the Channel Islands experience during World War II, interesting characters, including a character who I suspect was on the spectrum. There were a couple of things I would have done differently though- the flipping back and forth (one located in Germany, one located on the Island) seemed to happen without any transition. Either a chapter, or even just a symbol to help your brain realize you are changing locations/parts of the storyline would have been helpful. I also don't know how believable it is that the Nazis would have left an individual with a developmental difference alone. I also think the bit about the imaginary person at the end of the book could have either been elaborated on, or left out, it was kind of not fully developed.

This book was so slow to get started. It was interesting to as what life was like in Jersey during German occupation.
The writing was a bit repetitive

This was a fantastic novel, rich in historical detail. I had no knowledge of Jersey and I learned much from this story.
Many thanks to Headline and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Headline Review for letting me see an advance reader's copy of The Lighthouse Sisters.

The story opens in 1996 with an apparently elderly lady reminiscing about her early adulthood during the war years on Jersey. She is having her daily chat with the photographs she cherishes before being whisked back to 1940.

We are then introduced to a family of five, the Robinsons, and what their life was like immediately before and then during the German occupation of the Channel Islands through the eyes of sisters Alice and Jenny – the 'lighthouse sisters' of the title – and their friend Pip.

I loved how Jersey was brought to life by the author, how she described the sights, sounds and smells, and how she used several viewpoints to tell the story. The location, for me, was another important character in the novel, which means the location was very well written with lots of historic detail.

Mr Robinson, the father, did come across as quite old when compared to his wife and children, especially the youngest child, and I would have liked to know more about how the marriage came about in the first place. It reminded me of Mr Chips a little, as well as The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

I also would have liked to see more of the family enjoying their time at the lighthouse when the girls in particular were younger, as the lighthouse does become quite significant in the later chapters.

But it's a lovely story, another I'd like to give 4½ stars to, and I'll certainly look out for more from this author.

Four stars.

I love reading historical fiction books based in WWII. This is the first I’ve read that was set on the Channel Island of Jersey. I also learned that British citizens were deported from German occupied portions of the United Kingdom during this time period. The characters are well developed and I was amazed at Alice and Jenny’s efforts to serve during the war. They were both strong and determined women and though they began to grow apart as they matured, they began to realize they mattered to each other.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline Review for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

A emotional, heart wrenching and heartwarming novel that will touch your heart in so many ways.
Two sisters and the sacrifices they had to decide to make…..what courage they had to find within themselves.
The historical aspect was well researched by the author.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love historical fiction and have read many a book in this genre.
It was refreshing to see one set in such a tiny place that rarely gets literary recognition.

With lovely ties to the closeness of friendship and family, it's an easy read for lovers of this genre and for anyone wanting to get into this genre

Wow this was such an amazing book. It literally had everything you could ever wish for in a WW2 historical fiction story. It had wonderful close family and friend ties. A wonderful sense of community. A wonderful love Story that was extremely interesting. It had plenty of excitement, heartwarming and gut wrenching moments. This book really took me on a roller coaster ride. The book was that good that I read it all in one day. I just couldn't put it down. I thought the book started slow as we get to know the area and the people. I loved how this book was set in Jersey. I found the characters were believable and I became so emotionally involved in them. Then the pace of the book picks up and there is no looking back. There was plenty of unexpected twists and turns that will shock you. This was definitely a page turner and a edge of your seat read. I really can't recommend this book enough you are just going to love this book if you love historical fiction books set during WW2. I will definitely be looking out for more books by this very talented author. What's more this book was wrote based on true events.

Only the highest of praise goes out to the author and publishers for creating this wonderful story that has to become a best seller and really should be made into a movie or series. I have everything crossed that it does. 

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog yesterday https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/the-lighthouse-sister-by-gill-thompson-headline-5-stars either under my name or ladyreading365

I love WWII novels and lighthouses, so when I saw this book, the cover caught my eye right away. I have never read anything about the Channel Islands during WWII, and I honestly didn't even know they were occupied during the war. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to lovers of WWII historical fiction.

This book was a wonderful read from the first page! Even better was the setting of the story, Jersey in the Channel Islands. One of my all time favourite places to visit and did so on each page!

Most people know of the horrendous stories to come from the occupation of Jersey by the Germans in WW2 and the lasting legacy which they left behind. The author has leant on historical facts and writes a really moving and profound story of Love, War and Family.

The author caught the panic and loss in those times in such a way that makes the reader feel as though they know each character personally and makes this book extremely easy to read and follow. The daily struggle to stay alive as the occupation took fierce hold should be reminders to us all of the savagery and futility of war.

I only hope that Gill Thompson may have a further book in mind, possibly following these characters as the world returns to normality. Very hard to give any more detail without revealing her storyline but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read and review The Lighthouse Sisters

The Lighthouse Sisters follows the paths of Alice and her sister Jenny as they navigate a new normal when the Germans take over their beloved Jersey in the Channel Islands for more than two years during World War II, completely altering the lives of its residents.

Alice, is a nurse and the ultimate caretaker, always looking out for others and lending a helping hand. She is particularly good with their younger brother who is neurodivergent, in a time when most people didn’t know how to respond to a child who was “different”. Eventually, she finds herself requisitioned for the German hospital, where she struggles to come to terms with the fact that not all Germans are “the enemy” when she comes across a young German doctor, who does his very best to uphold his oath as a doctor regardless of a patient’s nationality or religion.

Jenny is far more cerebral like her educator father. With her dream of studying maths at Cambridge on hold because of the war, Jenny finds herself restless and joins her friend Pip with resistance efforts. Jenny and Pip walk a fine line listening to the BBC reports on their forbidden wireless and relaying messages underneath the noses of not only the Germans, but also their families, who are mostly unaware of the danger they are putting themselves in.

The war forced the two women to make some very difficult choices, often between two awful options in order to survive. Though they were growing apart as they got older, the war showed them just how important they were to each other. This is an excellent addition to the World War II historical fiction genre.

Thank you to NetGalley, Headline, and of course Gil Thompson for the advanced copy. The Lighthouse Sisters is out now. All opinions are my own.

I really struggled to get into this one and found it hard to keep reading as I wasn't enjoying it unfortunately

There are quite a few stories about world war 2. This felt like this was a new take on it. It was well written. It was about a family and their time during the war. It was a well written book, with likeable characters.

World War II is my absolute favorite time period when it comes to historical fiction. I absolutely love books written in a non-linear timeline just like this one.

I haven’t read many books about how the war affected the Channel Islands so this was fairly new for me. Such a well written novel which captures the experiences of two sisters, Alice and Jenny, during the war.

If you like historical fiction and books about WWII, this is definitely a read for you!

I’ve read several historical fiction novels about WWII, but this one piqued my interest because it’s based in Jersey (the largest channel island between England and France).
The story follows two very different sisters as they and their family/friends struggle to survive in a Nazi occupied territory.
This was an emotional read. The author did a great job with evoking the fear, heartache, pain and struggles of each character. The characters were well written and relatable.
I appreciate the realistic (not sappy) ending as it gives the reader a chance to think about what they would have done under the same circumstances.



A couple post scripts…

There was one scene I felt was disconcerting. I understand the desperation their mom felt with struggling to find food, BUT it was awful of her to kill her son’s beloved pet rabbit, cook it and serve it to them (including the son!). Then to just gloss over his reaction when he found out his pet was gone?! Oy.

About halfway through reading the ARC, there was no separation between character POVs. It was jarring and confusing at times. Hoping the print version will have corrected this.

3.5/5 stars

**ARC courtesy of @NetGalley

Fantastic book about the ww2 in the island of Jersey. Following the harrowing journey of one daughter who stayed and another who left. Great insight to what we happened and very well written
Highly recommended read

My rating for this book is actually 3.5 stars. This was a wonderfully written wartime historical fiction book. There is some sadness, some tragedy, a lot of hope, and a mostly happy ending, as happy as one can be after the tragedies of war, for the family at the center of this book. Unlike other historical fiction books, the sex was kept to a minimum which was refreshing, but it didn't leave out the romance. A good and quick read, maybe for the beach this summer.

So why would I only give it 3.5 stars? I did actually have two issues with this book, neither of which is major or would stop me from recommending it to anyone. The first, which maybe was fixed for publishing?, was that there was no separation between switching to a different character's part of the story. You'd be reading Alice's story and with no prompt to switch gears, the next paragraph would be Jenny's part of the story. A bit of separation would be good so that the switch isn't quite so jarring/confusing. The second issue is the name of the book, the Lighthouse Sisters. I really expected a lighthouse to be a much more prominent part of the story based on the title... like they lived at a lighthouse and their father was a lighthouse keeper or, well, something. Instead, it's more a symbol... a place the girls remember from childhood that they keep referring to. And it's a great sentiment... the beacon of hope, especially in wartime, and all. But as a lover of lighthouses, I was rather disappointed that the lighthouse didn't play a bigger role in the sisters lives.

An emotional story of Alice and Jenny and the different trajectory their lives took after the occupation of Jersey in WW2. Great storyline and characters and a compelling read about the occupation, resistance and ordinary lives of people on the island

Inspired by real events and by the courage of real people, a gripping, heartwrenching story of two sisters in occupied Jersey during WWII - one a nurse, who is transported to Nazi Germany, the other, who volunteers for the island's resistance movement. Omg......... this book was amazing I flew through the pages with Olympic speed I was hooked from the very first page. I would defiantly recommend this book if you like a good book to keep you entertained.

This is the first WW2 book I have read about the life on Jersey under German occupation. The lighthouse sisters are Alice and Jenny, who had a lovely family home with their parents and younger brother before the Germans arrived..

The story continues to show the bravery which was shown by the islanders during this period and we see how Jenny and Pip, her childhood friend were involved in a dangerous activity resulting in a heartbreaking end to their friendship.

Alice met the love of her life at the hospital where she worked as a well respected nurse and despite all the heartbreak that they endured, after the war, Alice found happiness.

Tears poured down my face at one point as I was able to feel the pain that was suffered by them all under occupation.

A brilliantly researched book written under the restrictions of Covid. Thank you so much for this Arc.