I really enjoyed this work of historical fiction. I liked the alternating time lines and was caught up in both stories.

Beautifully written and easy to read. Thankyou for giving me the chance to do so. I liked the use of the dual timeline and the way it was written captured me from beginning to end.

This book has inspired me to try find out more about the military personnel who have written in my Great Aunts autograph book during WW1. Whilst not "last letters" we have no idea of how she knew these people and wonder if she perhaps nursed or visited a local military convalescence home?

This book is well written and enjoyable in most parts. I did feel at times there was no need for Jackson to be in the story and it would have worked just as well without him. Reading just before bed every night storylines with attempted rape is not quite bedtime reading for me. That said I did enjoy the story and would recommend to others and look to read more by the author.

Inspired by an incredible true story, a young nurse captures the final letters of injured soldiers – and must make a heart-breaking choice…

The Book of Last Letters is a beautifully written dual-timeline story told by hospital nurse Elsie in London during the WWII Blitz and Stephanie (Stevie), a carer at the same hospital turned nursing home, in present day.

Elsie gets the idea to create a memory book for the airmen as well as other patients in the hospital to share their stories, memories, letters and messages for their loved ones in case the worst should happen to them.
In present day, Stevie, an aspiring artist, comes across this book and begins to dig into the history of the book to discover its secrets for a project that she’s working on.

I don’t want to give spoilers, so I’ll just leave this short and sweet. I loved this book and cried quite a few times. It takes you into the horrors of WWII and what suffering people were dealing with on a daily basis. It was a little bit predictable and there was one character that I absolutely HATED. But this did not take away from my enjoyment of this book. I love how the ladies stories intertwined and the chapters transitioned so smoothly. This was a tragic, and yet heartwarming story and I cannot wait to purchase a physical copy come pub day.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for sending me this ARC.

Book free courtesy of Netgalley

1940's London and nurses Elsie and Nelly are working in a busy hospital. They share a flat with Mr & Mrs Gold who lives in the flat below them. Mrs Gold suggests to Elsie that she sets up a memory book, and getting patients to write in it after an influx of Airmen are admitted into the hospital after a bomb blast.

Present day Stephanie works in Tall trees Nursing home, which used to be the hospital that Elsie worked at. Historian Finn has set up at Tall trees as he has been given the memory book that Elsie had got everyone to write in. They both set about finding out more about Elsie and what happened to her, for a project that Stephanie has won a grant for.

It's a lovely story with lots of twists and turns. First book I've read of Larry Barret but I'm definitely going to read more.

The Book of Last Letters is beautifully written, taking the reader on a moving and emotional journey from WWII to present day. This dual-time line story of nurse Elsie takes place in the early 1940's switching to Stephanie's story in 2017. The transitions are smoothly done making both storylines are easy to follow.

The descriptions of the wartime conditions at the hospital where Elsie and her best friend Nelly worked are so well done I could envision the setting as I read. Same with their apartment and that of their neighbors Mr and Mrs Gold. The reader is never told what the Golds actually do for work, but their employer is not hard to figure out.

Whereas Elsie and Nelly do their best to care for their patients, love a good night out dancing and work extremely long hours in stressful, and sometimes frightening shifts, Stephanie struggles with life. A fledging artist who has lost her ability to paint due to family circumstances, she is filled with guilt and insecurities that stop her from moving forward, and suffers with panic attacks that stop her cold in her tracks. As someone who had panic attacks for several years Kerry Barrett’s description of what a panic attack feels like is very accurate.

Stephanie works at Tall Trees Care Home and is so good to the residents, who add humor, wisdom and warmth to this story. I thought it was easy to figure out Tall Trees resident Helen's true identity but I was wrong!

The characters in this book are well defined and, all but one, are extremely likable. Fenn, the historian, is simply adorable. The circumstances the people lived through in both timelines brought tears to my eyes or a smile and/or a laugh more than once. I liked them all except for Jackson. Every story has at least one villain and he fits that bill.

I find the synopsis about this a book provides enough information to hook the reader, as it did for me. I don’t like spoilers so won’t say more about this wonderful book other than I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to settle down, learn a bit more about WWII history and lose themselves in The Book of Last Letters.

My thanks for NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Book of Letters is a beautiful, dual timeline book.

In 1940 nurse Elsie starts a book of last letters, a place for her patients (mainly wounded soldiers) to write their final messages should the worst happen so she can send on their goodbye messages.
In the present day Stephanie comes across Elsie’s book that takes her on her own journey and cements the importance of our words.

I love how Elsie and Stephanie’s storyline progress and both weave together. Both women have real struggles and trauma to overcome and are both so strong. I love the romance element of both timelines and was routing for both throughout the story.

Elsie, Stephanie and all the other characters are well developed, likeable (where they should be) and relevant to the story.

The Book of Last Letters is gripping and emotional read that will stay with me for a long time.

The Book of Last Letters is a dual timeline story with the first timeline being in the present day, telling the story of Stevie, a young woman who had been an artist but is now working at the nursing home where her grandmother lives in London while trying to overcome traumas she has experienced, and the second timeline is that of Elsie, a nurse working at that same nursing home during the WWII Blitz, who creates a book for her patients to use as a way to leave messages for their family members should the worst happen. This story was an easy read and has the happy ending that I love so much. Highly recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Book of last letters was a beautiful story was easy to follow. The book revolves around the Blitz and modern day. This story tells of Nurse Elsie ( the Blitz) who encourages her patients to leave messages in a book and Stephanie (in the modern day) an artist, struggling with family issues and juggling two jobs, who tries to decipher the history of the former hospital that now houses a care home, from the messages in the book that has been found in the care home where she works.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy

In my opinion, this is a very satisfying read especially to see how the two 'ends' mesh and merge into each together. That is, the past set during WWII time in London with all the almost nightly bombing. It was intriquing to follow how the book of last letters for the wounded airmen and other patients in the hospital came to be. The idea of even creating such a book of last words for their families is remarkable and no doubt would have been very therapeutic in and of itself. How it was created and how it had been lost then discovered, 'in the present' among the rubble ruins of the past will keep one racing through the pages. Could the present day Stevie the artist carer and Finn the history buff professor piece it all together to answer all the questions of what became of Elsie and her secret airman? How about all the other multitudinous questions: What was the terrible secret Nurse Watson (aka Elsie) guarded about Nellie's demise? What bearing did it have on the present? Why did the present day, strangely behaving Helen, take exception to the book of last letters and any history having to do with the building she and others of the elderly were living in?

These questions and more may sound droll but the answers are truly exciting and some tragic and bound up in the book of last letters in this Book of Last Letters. They are waiting to be discovered along with Stevie, Finn, Micah, Val and many of their friends.

I found myself unable to take too many breaks away from my reading sessions with this work of Historical Fiction with its touch of past and present romances. I believe that other readers will have their curiosity equally peaked and will be riveted to their reading with avid relish as the two stories parallel then take a turn to intersect with very favorable results.

The only caution is that some readers may not care to read of the very intimate bedroom-type relations some of the protagonists engaged in. Due to this, I give a 4 STAR review, otherwise it would have been a full-fledged cache of stars.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

February 2022

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

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The Book of Last Letters by Kerry Barrett
4/5
A lovely written story of two women separated by 80 years or so. Elsie, a nurse during the second War based in London, enduring the deadly effects of the Blitz. And Stevie, working as a carer in a nursing home, she had been a budding artist.
The women are linked by a book of messages written by hospital patients and staff caught up in the ravages of war. Messages for loved ones, family and friends.
There are a couple of undesirables, one in particular is a nasty piece of work.
As expected there are deaths, haunting deaths.
All isn’t as it seems and a number of people change their paths of destiny.
A good read.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kerry Barrett, Harper Collins and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read The Book of Last Letters. In return I have written an honest and unbiased review.

This work is based on a true story and rotates between WWII and present day. In London in 1940, a nurse named Elsie maintains a book of last letters: messages to be sent on to wounded soldiers’ loved ones so that no one is left without a final goodbye. In the present day, a woman named Stephanie works at a house for elderly patients, which used to be the hospital were Elsie worked. Stephanie comes across the book of last letters and uncovers Elsie's story and how it intertwines with an airman named Harry and his last request. The characters are richly described and makes it easy as the reader to become invested in their outcomes and the plot. There are heartwarming and very tragic parts of the story. It is an emotional roller coaster and I finished the book in a day because I couldn't put it down.

I’m a huge fan of Kerry Barrett. I love the way that her books often have a dual timeline but each book is unique. Yet again she has written a blinder of a novel. A brilliant story that at times is heartwarming and yet at other times heartbreaking.
The fact that this is novel is inspired by an actual true story made it more enjoyable and has lead me to look up the real story.
Both Elsie and Stephanie are great main characters with a barrage of colourful and likeable characters from Finn in modern day to Nelly in the Blitz. And one horrible villain of a character who will make your blood boil.
My only question is who were Mr & Mrs Gold and what happened to them…?
Hand on heart, a fab book that took me, a mother of 3 young children only 2 evenings to read!

This a book centred around the Blitz and modern day. It tells of Nurse Elsie who gets the patients to leave a message in a book and Stephanie the modern day working as a carer. Stephanie starts to unravel the history surrounding the care home which was formerly a hospital.
This was a very easy going and beautiful story and thoroughly recommended.

Set in London with dual time lines, In 1940 Nurse Elsie helps a patient send a message to his loved ones, and gets an idea - why not collect memories, last good byes and anything else that people want to put - in a book. Present day, Stephanie needs to tell people what she really wants to say but finds it so difficult. Then she comes across Elsies’ book and thinks it would help her - and the residents of the care home where she works.

A really lovely book, with both time lines feeling authentic and real. The horror of the Blitz comes across so well, the destruction, the fear, yet everyone pulling together to do their bit. I loved Elsies character, personality and grit. Stephanie was different in that she was such a fearful character at times, taking her knocks so much to heart. It’s such a contrast between the two. I also liked that it is based in part on real books, used in WWI. Everyone has a story to tell, and you can’t tell what it is without talking to them. Loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Last Book of Letters is a wonderful nostalgic book set in two timelines WW2 and the present .One of those books that is hard to put down ,such a lovely but heart breaking story ,inspired by true events made it even more special.

I loved this book from beginning to end, It was one of those books that you just couldn't put down - and I didn't until it was finished. What an absolutely beautifully written story of love, friendship and heartbreak. It is up there as one of the best books I have read. All the twists and turns took you through a roller coaster of emotions. it was a very moving and emotional read. Brilliant.

Set in two different time periods, The Second World War and the present. It is an incredible read and I absolutely loved it. For me, it evoked sadness, anger, empathy and admiration, the characters were brought to life by the brilliant descriptions.

The Book of Last Letters by Kerry Barrett
Publish date - 30 March 2022

This was a delightful book with believable characters, good and bad peppered through the story. The style of writing was a light a and I read it over two days. I thoroughly enjoy this book and would recommend it.

I give a 4 star rating.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

This was a beautiful story. Elsie is a nurse during WWII who decides to embark on a project of recording hospital patients' "last letters" in case they pass away. While it starts as something just for the wounded from the war, it expands to include all patients at the hospital, bringing them together in ways big and small. How a book of letters connects us to people even decades later then comes to light with Stephanie, a modern day caregiver in a home that used to be the hospital that Nurse Elsie worked at. Stephanie feels Elsie as a kindred spirit, and embarks on a journey to find out what happened to her as well as others that wrote "last letters" in Elsie's book.
Weaving love stories in with mystery, emotions of course run high-both in the war era and current day. Elsie and Stephanie are determined and beautiful souls who've both been damaged by loss and betrayal, and use that as a springboard to the way they live-and change-their lives. My only wish when it comes to this book and how it was all sewed together at the end is that I wish that we would have known more about Elsie's neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Gold, who helped her escape danger and live her life how it was meant to be lived. There isn't much said about how they were able to do so and I found myself wanting to hear their story.
While this book was beautifully written, my only complaint is the formatting. Maybe it's just me but it drives me nuts when dialogue isn't clearly split up so you can see who says what. When there's a paragraph full of conversation without breaks, sometimes it can be harder to follow. It didn't affect the book a whole lot, and it could just be that that is the way that it's formatted in the Kindle version.
All in all a nice story, with a viewpoint on WWII that I had not considered before despite being an avid reader of all things WWII.
Thanks NetGalley and Kerry Barrett for the read!