"Bluebird" is a historical fiction novel set during World War II, weaving a tale of love, loss, and resilience amidst the backdrop of war-torn Europe. The novel follows the lives of its main characters, Anne, a young Canadian woman, and Jørgen, a German soldier, as they navigate the complex and often tragic realities of a world on the brink of collapse.

Graham’s writing is evocative, and she does a great job capturing the emotional depth of her characters’ experiences. The pacing is steady, and there are moments of genuine emotional pull, especially as Anne’s journey unfolds and she faces hardships both personal and historical. The novel does a commendable job of exploring themes of survival, sacrifice, and the horrors of war, which are sure to resonate with fans of historical fiction.

However, while the premise of the story is intriguing, there are areas where "Bluebird" feels a bit predictable. Some of the character arcs and plot developments follow familiar tropes often seen in wartime literature, which can detract from the originality of the story. The romance between Anne and Jørgen, though touching, occasionally veers into melodrama, which may feel overly sentimental at times.

Overall, "Bluebird" is an engaging and emotionally-driven novel, though it doesn't quite break new ground in the genre. Fans of historical fiction who enjoy heartfelt, character-driven stories might appreciate it, but it may not stand out among other World War II novels.

A historical fiction book based in 1918 and also the present day.
Back in 1918, Adele was a nurse stationed over in Germany. Jerry was hurt and Adele cared for him. They figured out that they were from the same area in Canada.
After the war, Jerry and his brother became rumrunners due to Prohibition.
Cassie is a museum in the present time. The new owner of a house calls Cassie because he finds whiskey bottles hidden in the house he is renovating. Let the mystery begin of how the bottle got into the wall.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

While renovating a house, the contractor finds 50 bottles of BAILEY BROS BEST whisky, aan illiegally produced brand that was famous during Prohibition. The contractor will take a sample bottle to a local museum for help in valuing the liquor. The story takes off at this point because Cassie, the museum caretaker, is a relative of some of the rumrunners in the area. Her investigation leads to the second piece of this historical fiction which is set at the end of WWI at the beginning of Prohibition.
Adele is a Bluebird, a Canadian volunteer nurse during WWI. In the horror that is war, she will meet Jerry, an Ameican soldier injured while setting explosives under enemy trenches. The two young people are from towns just across the American/Canadian border from the other. They will meet again after the war, where their romance will rekindle.
The story will switch between Cassie in the present and Adele/Jerry in the 1920s era as Cassie discovers her connection to them. Jerry and his brother John are the Bailey Bros. They will become rumrunners and provide some excitement to the historical part of the story.
In BLUEBIRD, Genevieve Graham has written a compelling story of an era of which not much has been written. Between educating readers, she's also given us a good romance/thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a copy of Bluebird by Genevieve Graham.
This historical fiction takes place in a dual timeline of the present day, WWI and postwar - and is set in Europe, Detroit and Windsor Canada.

In the present day, Cassie finds evidence of her family's history of bootlegging during Prohibition between Windsor and Detroit. which leads her to investigate the past.

In 1918, wounded soldier Jeremiah grows fond of Adele, one of the Canadian nurses called 'Bluebirds' because of their uniforms.
Reunited back in Windsor after the war, they take on risky opportunities during Prohibition.

I found it interesting to read how war affected the soldiers and nurses from the Canadian point of view that Ms Graham describes.
Recommended reading!

What isn’t there to live this history of this is on point the characters devleopementp was strong and the point and plot was well executed I love it

Genevieve Graham’s novel Bluebird is a dual story timeline about present day museum curator Cassie Simmons and contractor Matthew Flaherty and Jeremiah Bailey and nurse Adele Savard during WWI. I voluntarily read and reviewed this complimentary copy of this well-written book full of mystery, suspense, danger, and love. If you like historical fiction, you will love this book!

Delightful historical novel chronicling the Canadian side of a small segment of WW I and the post war era in Canada along the Michigan border. Several aspects drew my to this story by Genevieve Graham—WW I, Michigan, nurses and rumrunners—I was pleasantly surprised with the weaving in and out modern times and characters. I would definite read more about these characters (hint, hint 😉)
Thank you to #netgalley, #simonandschuster and the author for this copy of #bluebirds to read and review, all opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book! It was a great book to read and a lot of history thrown in. The characters are so lifelike and most of them are endearing LOL. You can’t like them all LOL. Thank you for writing such a fantastic book!

I really enjoyed BLUEBIRD by Genevieve Graham. Writing is exquisite and what's not to love about a historical fiction novel that includes WWI, rumrunners, gangsters and the roaring 20's??

loved! I love how Graham writes Canadian history. I didn’t know much at all about Canada’s prohibition and I loved her author’s note at the end detailing the research and how much of the story and setting was historically accurate.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel! I wanted more! I wanted to spend more time with the main characters and be immersed in 1920’s Windsor. I would highly recommend!

I am always delighted when I get to read a historical fiction book and learn real history while enjoying an entertaining plot line. By reading this book, I was able to gain tidbits of knowledge about World War I and Canadian life during the post-WWI and Prohibition era. It was interesting to read the author’s notes and learn about soldiers making tunnels beneath WWI enemy trenches, Bluebirds (Canadian nurses) serving overseas, and rumrunners risking their lives daily to move illegal alcohol during Prohibition. Additionally, I always find it fascinating to discover that some of the more farfetched events of a story can be the ones that are based on real history! I would consider this book a must read for anyone who likes to learn some history while reading historical fiction books set during WWI or the post war era. History was brought to life for me while reading this well researched but fictional book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an advanced copy of Bluebird. I have been backlogged with books and regret that I didn't get to this book earlier in the year. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and will look forward to reading other books by this author in the future.

Genevieve Graham can do no wrong. Another great novel. I loved the rum running aspects in the story, even though they're running whiskey. The acknowledgment of WWI PSTD is well written too.

Another beautifully written story by Genevieve Graham. I love historical fiction, especially books that introduce me to parts of history I am unfamiliar with.

This book was full of emotion and hope and was hard to put down!!

I love historical fiction and this book delivered. Great writing and fabulous characters
This is one of my favorite time periods and I loved that it linked back to Canada in the end.

This was a cool book to read! I'm a real fan of books with a history component so i enjoyed the back and forth narrative. I also grew up in the Windsor area so it was cool to read something that took place in the areas I know so well.

I love the way Genevieve Graham writes historical fiction with romance embedded in ways that feel realistic and true. Alternating character POV between the male and female lead really helped move the story forward, and allowed more information to come through where it may not have been possible with only one POV.

Every time I read a book by this author I am introduced to a piece of Canadian history that I am unfamiliar with, and I absolutely love the way the stories are told.

Highly recommend picking this one up.

This was an interesting read! I had never read about prohibition in Canada and I really liked learning all about it.

A wonderful dual timeline story going between WWI, prohibition and present day. The storyline revolves around the Bluebird nurse Adele, a tunneller Jerry and a museum curator, Cassie. The writing is beautiful. Ms. Graham brings the story to life with her words. If you like historical fiction, you will enjoy this novel.

Thank you #NetGalley, #Simon&SchusterCanada and #GenevieveGraham for the copy for my honest review.

I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed this! It’s been awhile since I’ve liked an historical fiction novel, but this one worked so well for me.
The prologue grabbed me right away, and I was invested in the characters until the very end. Overall, a sweet story about surviving and finding your purpose.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.