The Secret Sister is an emotional story of courage, strength, sibling bonds and a sister’s sacrifice from historical fiction author Liz Trenow. This was my first time reading anything from the author but I instantly connected with her compelling storytelling about a fascinating yet little-known area of Second World War history.

Despite considering myself well-read around the Second World War, I hadn’t heard of the Bevin boys and their contribution to the war effort before. They are very much some of the forgotten heroes of the Second World War so it was wonderful to see them featured within historical fiction.

I would say that The Secret Sister does read as more of a YA historical fiction novel than one for adult readers. This was partially down to the age of the protagonists who both read as very young and immature at times. It also is generally more light-hearted than other novels in the genre, making it more suited to younger readers who have an interest in the Second World War but perhaps couldn’t cope with more of the darker subject matters you can see in adult historical fiction reads.

Both Lizzie and Ed were well written characters whose strong sibling bond was clear throughout. I liked that we got to explore both of their perspectives in different ways throughout the narrative. There is also a great cast of supporting characters. I particularly loved Peter as a character and the exploration of conscientious objectors we got through him. His blossoming relationship with Lizzie was well-written and felt authentic to their ages. Lizzie and Ed’s family were also well-written and I liked their family dynamic. I would however have liked the wider supporting characters to have been explored in greater depth, particularly the other Bevin boys and miners.

The mental health representation we have through Ed’s character was a real highlight of the book. Following his experiences supporting the Dunkirk evacuation when he was still just a child, Ed is clearly experiencing what modern society will know as PTSD. This is explored very well in the book, with us hearing both from Ed directly and also from the outside perspective of his sister Lizzie, at a time where PTSD was not recognised in the way it is today.

The ending does feel very abrupt which was a shame. We do get some resolution in the epilogue but I would have liked the ending to overall have been explored in a greater amount of depth in order to tie the narrative off better.

Overall, The Secret Sister is a compelling and easy read for fans of historical fiction. This would be particularly ideal for teenage/young adult readers of the genre or anyone with an interest in the Bevin boys and conscientious objectors.

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I have posted an extended review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk

*Thank you to NetGalley, Liz Trenow and Bookouture.

Historical drama set during World War Two featuring aspects of the war I never imagined. Great characters and an intriguing story.

Well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters that I fell in love with and cant stop thinking about

Another triumph! What a great story highlighting the jobs not spoken about during the war. A real insight to the men chosen to work in the mines. No promotion and no choice. A part of real life I had no idea of.
Poignant and thought provoking. Thank you for another easy read and history lesson.

Not your typical WWII book but amazingly delightful. I couldn't put it down, stayed up way too late, and enjoyed every minute of this read. The Secret Sister will never be forgotten.

.Lizzie and Edward are twins growing up on the Suffolk coast, their father volunteers to take his boat to rescue soldiers from Dunkirk. Edward at 14 sneaks onto the boat to assist, and is traumatised by the events of the operation.

When Edward's call up papers come, after his medical he disappears , unable to face the horrors of war . Lizzie goes for her medical and is diagnosed with a heart condition . With Edward not around, she intercepts the post for his call up papers , to her surprise he is to be one of the Bevin boys to work in the mines. Lizzie decides to take his place, pretending to her parents she has been called up, and begins her secret life.

Working in the mine was not easy, but Lizzie perseveres....until a tragic accident in the mine .

A great story, well written, and once again Liz teaches her readers about a forgotten element of WWII

*4 3/4 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

This book was a really good read, as it makes you think about the heart ache and sacrifice families would have gone through in times of war years ago. What a great character Lizzie was. I loved the way she helped her family and her friends along the way. The were some other great characters too and I liked the ending. Would recommend.

As twins, Lizzie and Ed had always been very close. However, Ed experienced something when he was barely a young man that has made him make a decision that has a lasting impact on his entire family, but most notably, Lizzie. He has become a deserter, and the consequences for that decision are quite dire. Wanting to protect her twin, Lizzie makes the decision to act in his place, working in a coal mine. She disguises herself quite well, all the while hoping that Ed will return home, and that she can get back to her life.

One thing young Lizzie never expected was to have her head turned by another coal miner named Peter. The two share an undeniable bond, but Lizzie’s main concern is for her brother Ed. Where Lizzie is now a coal miner, shorn hair and all, she has now become a “Bevin Boy”. Lizzie hopes to keep up the ruse, hoping to not only keep Ed out of trouble, but to keep their parents minds at ease.

What an impactful story on more than one level. The results of the trauma Ed experienced earlier in his life played a big role in the path he chose. More than that, mandatory enlistment factored in when it came to beliefs, even to the point of trying to choose the right path in life, even if it meant harmful labels were attached to those involved. This powerful story of love and sacrifice was heartbreaking at times while delivering a powerful message.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Liz Trenow’s new book, The Secret Sister, shines a light on the forgotten heroes of World War Two, those being the Bevin Boys (the details of which I will go into later). This was a slow burner for me but once the plot was established and I could tell what road it was going to venture down I did become engrossed in the story. Yes, this is another historical fiction book set during World War Two but it was so refreshing in that it wasn’t focused on the fighting and the various manoeuvres of the different sides. Nor was it set in a concentration camp or detailing the work of the Resistance.

All these topics are very important to still read about but there are sometimes when you would like a break from them and for the focus to shift somewhere else. Thankfully, Liz Trenow did this as she really enforced her valid message as to how a generation of young men were forced to join the armed forces or work in whatever capacity the government decided. In these situations they faced terrible hardships, injury and death. To refuse risked a prison sentence. Reading of these themes provides the reader with plenty of food for thought and you find yourself constantly questioning what you would have done given the situation the characters find themselves in.

The book opens in May 1940, Lizzie lives in Essex village of Eastsea with her parents and twin brother Edward. Her older brother Tom is away fighting across the North Sea but is captured and incarcerated in a prisoner of war camp. Life has continued somewhat normally for the family since the outbreak of war but there is the constant fear that the Germans may invade Britain. Lizzie and Ed are so in sync with each other and have a very special relationship and bond. When news breaks that all hands are needed to help with the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk Lizzie’s Dad who works as manager of the local shipyard and who himself has a boat sets sail to help as many men as he can. Ed and some others accompany him and this is where the catalyst that inspires the rest of the story occurs.

Ed is only 13 and what he witnesses on the rescue attempt will alter him irrevocably. Ed sees a man named Alistair die in his arms and the graphic detail is not spared here. In fact, the descriptions of what occurred at Dunkirk and the bravery of the men who went across the sea to save so many were brilliant and really helped give me an understanding as to how and why Ed acts the way he does for the remainder of the book. Ed returns home but the visions and nightmares remain and Lizzie knows she has lost some part of her twin that will be very hard if near on impossible to recover. The years pass and the twins turn 18 and this is the age when they will get their call up papers and some form of service will be determined. From that point on the chapters are told from either Lizzie or Ed’s perspective and when Ed is detailing things you can feel every ounce of fear, pain, anguish and upset that he is feeling. He can’t help but feel the way he does and you sense that he is experiencing some kind of PTSD from his experiences on the sea.

Lizzie awakes one morning to find that Ed has left. There is no note or explanation but a few of his things are gone. She feels lost and abandoned and that she will be the one forced to deal with the fallout as their call up papers are expected any day. She can’t make sense of what Ed has done but all she knows that she will do anything to protect him. For if he does not return in time to go where he is assigned then he risks prison and she can’t bear that for him. Lizzie herself discovers that she is not fit for service due to a previously undiscovered health condition. She feels ashamed, guilty and embarrassed that she can’t do her bit for her country. I could understand why she felt that way but wondered did she not stop to think that she could do her bit in other ways as so many other women did?

Lizzie is left reeling from Ed’s disappearance but from this point I felt she really came into her own. Too often I use the terms bravery, courage and selfless when writing reviews in this genre but these words and so many more really do describe Lizzie in an nutshell. I really don’t think anyone in this day and age would have done what she goes on to do and in all in the name of sibling loyalty, love and devotion. She was just amazing and so inspirational and the fact that she kept what she was doing secret from her parents was just remarkable as she really did have such a heavy shoulder to burden and she did it all so she could protect the person who meant the most in the world to her.

Ed’s call up papers arrive and Lizzie opens them to discover that he has not been called to the army or the air force rather he has been conscripted to coalmining. Not wanting Ed to have the reputation of being a conchie – a conscientious objector, she decides she will take Ed’s place. As previously mentioned the Bevin Boys, were given the name because of Ernest Bevin, the Minister for Labour and National Service. We learn how he had his secretary pick a number out of a hat every month and if your national service number ended in that number then you were selected for coalmining. I had never ever heard of this before and that’s what makes this book stand out from the rest of the historical fiction books being published at the moment. Just when you think you have read everything along comes a little known aspect of the war that expands your learning even more.

There was a shortage of labour in the mines as so many men were away fighting and coal was needed to make the steel for planes, tanks etc so it was a very worthy and important job and I was disappointed to see in the end notes little recognition was given to these men until very recently. But this book will certainly raise awareness and heighten the profile of those brave and selfless men. Once Lizzie made her mind up what she was going to do as she believed Ed just needed some time to come to his senses and come back and perhaps see coalmining wouldn’t be as bad as other services. Well from that point on I was totally caught up in Lizzie’s story. Having to pretend convincingly to be a man was no mean feat and my heart was in my mouth reading chapters from her perspective as she starts training because I feared at any moment that she would be discovered. She had such guts, grit and determination and I loved her for all those attributes. She was playing a very dangerous game. I enjoyed reading about her experiences in the coalmining centre and I loved how her story was developed as a real human side was presented. Towards the end it really was nail-biting stuff and I had my fingers crossed for a positive outcome.

Ed will be a divisive character for some people and this is where the food for thought for the book comes into play. I could completely understand his viewpoint. The fear and cowardice overwhelmed him, leading him to not being able to think straight. He truly saw no other option only to run away. But in the case of both Lizzie and Ed, it takes great courage to stick to your faith and in different ways they both did. I was glad we were presented with Ed’s viewpoint too as I felt if it had been absent the book would have been very one sided. Instead a very balanced perspective was presented, and the reader is allowed to make up their own mind as to what they view is the right or wrong thing to do. The Secret Sister as a whole was a heartbreaking, emotional and beautiful story and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Fans of historical fiction will love it.

England, 1944: Lizzie is missing her twin brother Ed, she is determined to find him. He disappeared in the middle of the night, he left no forwarding address, no way to get in touch with him. Lizzie knows that he has never been the same the last four years. He saw his dad in the tiny boat rescuing thousands of injured soldiers at Dunkirk. Then Lizzie receives the letter telling Ed to report for service. He is assigned to work at a coal mine, that produces the fuel needed for power through the war. He is one of fifty thousand Bevin boys. If he doesn’t report as ordered, he will be arrested for being a deserter. Lizzie is his only hope, she must find him before it’s too late.

This story was one of love, courage, healing and heart-break. I loved this story and I felt inspired by the characters. This story was completely intriguing and I was hooked from the very first page. This rapid read kept my interest and I was on the edge of my seat all the way through to the end. The story of the Bevin Boys was new to me and that made this phenomenal story even better. I loved it and I highly recommend it.

Thank you Bookouture for inviting me to be part of Books on Tour! The Secret Sister is by Liz Trenow. If an author can make me “ugly cry”, then I will definitely read more of their books.This is my first book by her, but it won’t be my last!
The Secret Sister is a beautiful “love” story between twins Lizzie and Ed who live in England during WWII. At age thirteen, Ed goes with his father to help rescue soldiers at Dunkirk. The event traumatized him so much that when he comes of age, he goes AWOL rather than accept his conscription to work in the coal mines. Lizzie decides to take his place so he doesn’t go to jail. The story is told from a dual person narrator. I liked hearing Liz and Ed’s “voice”. What follows is a gripping adventure that will keep you guessing.
I never knew anything about the Bevin Boys. This book will bring you down a rabbit hole of searching out more information. And Ms. Trenow added a source list that I will definitely check out! I loved all of the characters, especially Lizzie. She went to amazing lengths to protect her brother.
Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

READ THIS BOOK IF YOU
Are looking for a different type of WWII story
Love strong & flawed characters
Want to learn something new in history
Need a good cry


#TheSecretSister #LizTrenow #NetGalley #Bookouture #BooksOnTour #BookLove #HistoricalFiction #BooksSetDuringWWII #BooksSetInEngland #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks

What a fantastic book! The first thing I thought after reading this book is that this absolutely needs to be made into a movie. While this book does take place during WWII, it doesn’t focus on the fighting aspect; it focuses on the aspect of what it was like in Great Britain when someone was being called up to fight in the war. It is always interesting to learn something new about the war, and I learned something new with this book. I did not know about the Bevin Boys and the coalmining efforts that were used to help during the war. The author did such a great job with telling this fictional story around that historic aspect. It was nice to see the bond between Lizzie and her twin brother, Ed. The fact that she would do anything for him to keep him out of trouble was a strong testament to their relationship. The whole story was beautiful, and I really enjoyed reading it. This is the perfect book for anyone who likes historical fiction.

I've been reading more wartime novels recently, which is why I was interested in this.

When I started reading, my first impression of the protagonist was that she was a person who was trying to find positivity during a challenging time, and that was something that made her appear instantly likeable to me. This impression remained throughout. I appreciated the bonds that the characters formed with each other. It wasca sad story in some ways, but at the same time, it was comforting and heartwarming to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

This was quite an enjoyable story and shows the power of love and raises the question: how far would we go to protect a loved one? Lizzie's twin brother is traumatized and affected firsthand by the war just months before his fourteenth birthday. That time had stayed with him and by the time of his eighteenth birthday, he can't contemplate being conscripted for the military. He is terrified of dying and killing and runs away. What follows is quite a fast-paced journey told from the alternating perspectives of brother and sister.

In order to protect her brother from prison or death, she gets the idea to pretend she's her brother. She takes his place in helping the war efforts and ends up finding love in the most unlikely of places.

The end of the book was touching and satisfying. I highly recommend this book for those who just want to get swept away.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.

With so many books taking place during WW2 flooding the market, it's refreshing to have a different type of tale to tell. With men being conscripted for National Service to fight for King and Country, THE SECRET SISTER tells of a different story. One in which young men, boys really, are conscripted as Bevin Boys by ballot to work in the coalmines, though a service not recognised at the end of the war when all the servicemen returned home and they were kept a mile underground mining coal for the country.

The story begins in 1940 as twins Lizzie and Edward listened to the radio one evening with their parents and older brother Tom. The Prime Minister was calling for those with small seaworthy boats with shallow hulls, to help ferry the injured men at Dunkirk to the waiting transport ships at sea. Their Pa jumped at the chance to take out the "Mary Ellen", whom he'd been lovingly restoring, and help along with Tom as crew. But when lifeboat crewman knocked on their door asking the same of them, the men found themselves in a quandary. Three men, two boats. Then Ed announced he can help crew. Ma piped up over her dead body was her thirteen year old boy going into a warzone! However, when morning came Lizzie and Ma found them all gone.

The sights Ed saw at Dunkirk would haunt him for the rest of his days. It was something no man should ever see, let along a thirteen year old boy. But he pulled his weight and they helped ferry over 100 wounded men to safety. But upon returning home he wasn't the same. He was angry, sullen and moody. Lizzie, who had always been able to read her twin, couldn't even shake him. He began to dread the day they turned 18 and would receive their call-up papers. Their brother Tom had since been called up and was now an RAF pilot.

In July 1944, the twins turned eighteen. And Ed received his call-up for his medical, which he passed with flying colours. But the memories of Dunkirk so traumatised him that Ed flees in the night before he receives his papers.

Lizzie knew Ed was gone the moment she wakes and despite failing her own medical, she does everything she can to prevent the authorities from coming after her brother. When his papers arrive with orders to report for training in Sheffield, Lizzie makes a decision that could prove either brave or foolhardy. What follows is a dangerous subterfuge in which Lizzie has to act, live and work as a Bevin Boy. All the while hoping her twin brother will resurface before she is discovered and he is condemned for cowardice.

THE SECRET SISTER is a story of love, sacrifice, honour and family. It is about one sister's love for her twin and the sacrifice she made to save him from condemnation as a deserter. It is about one man's fear that is so prevalent it causes him to take such drastic action, leaving his sister to save his honour in his place. It tackles PTSD on a different scale when it didn't even have a name or was even recognised for what it was. And then there is the different side of the war that few of us knew about. The Bevin Boys. Young men conscripted as coalminers instead of the front. How ironic that Ed ran away for fear of being sent away to kill or be killed, when he was never even conscripted to fight in the end but to work in the coalmines.

My third book by Liz Trenow - the first being "Under a Wartime Sky" (also published as "The Last Letter") and the second, the wonderful "Searching for my Daughter" . I really enjoyed this tale. It was different and refreshing. But what I found most interesting was that recognition for those Bevin Boys didn't come for another seventy years after the war ended. Their service was not recognised, no merit given, no nothing. When they gave their time, and some of them their lives, to keep the fires burning that made the weapons and armaments that the soldiers used to fight with. Their service was just as important and yet it went unnoticed. Not so unnoticed had Lizzie not fronted up in Ed's place he'd be labeled a deserter and sent to prison. So if it was that important, why were they not recognised?

My only fault with it is there was no real outcome about Lizzie's medical except that she was awaiting the x-ray results. She received the letter but no mention of the results. And the other thing was what became of Ed in the epilogue? We see Lizzie and there is mention of Ed but not now. A few things just left a little unclear.

Overall, an enjoyable quick and easy read that will be sure to warm the hearts of its readers.

I would like to thank #LizTrenow, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheSecretSister in exchange for an honest review.

.This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Thank you for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

I have read other books by Liz Trenow and have enjoyed them - especially the fact that she treats each one differently and writes about various different events.
I love to read books about either of the World Wars - and to read one about a little known part of the 'National Service' callup. I had no idea that the Bevin Boys were decided by ballot though I had heard that some were conscientious objectors.

This was the tale of twins and the inseparable bond between them - the actions of both were misguided at times but I imagine, in war, nothing seemed black nor white.

I did find that fact that chapters designated to Ed were written in the first person while the others were written in the third, confusing at times. More so when Lizzie was standing in for her brother. Once my head had got round this then the book flowed and I couldn't put it down.

I am not so sure that the title fully explains the book though I am struggling to think of a better term for the events that Lizzie undergoes

I did feel the epilogue skipped over the events after the end of the main prose - I would have liked a little more of the reactions of the twins parents and Lizzies subsequent relationship.

It was sad that it took over 70 years for the Bevin Boys to be formally recognised and for them to receive the medals they so deserved.

A great read for lovers of historical fiction

Intriguing storyline on a subject I didn’t previously know about relating to WW2. It really drew me in, great characterisation and very touching. However, sometimes the coincidences were stretched a bit too far to be believable but nethertheless an enjoyable read and looking forward to reading more from this author. Thanks for the opportunity to review. I would definitely recommend this title.

England 1944. A small village and the call up letters are beginning to come.
Eddie at thirteen volunteered to go with his father to Dunkirk four years before,
and though they ferried over a 100 soldiers to safety, the death of one man
traumatized Eddie so much that he decides to flee before the call up comes.

Hoping that he will come to his senses and return his parents and twin sister
await before the news gets out that he has run away. in the meantime Lizzie his twin
sister gets her call up orders, followed by a letter saying she is not fit for
duty and in a bizarre turn of events, poses as her brother and joins the Bevin
Boys, a group of boys not sent to war but to the coal mines instead.

What follows is a dangerous subterfuge with Lizzie having to act, live and work
in the coal mines, on guard all the time, maintaining contacts with her family
that she is at a secret location hoping against hope that her twin will surface
and not be condemned as a deserter.

The story unravels with a mining accident but it is a very descriptive one - from
the coalfields, to the attitudes of villagers to conscientious objectors like the
Quakers and even the disparaging way the miners were treated, despite them doing
a necessary and very dangerous job in England.

An interesting bit was that recognition of their services came only seventy years
after the war ended. No merit was given, no medals, neither were they acknowledged
or allowed to participate in parades. That was sad.

A different perspective of WWII from an angle I had never heard about.

The Secret Sister is such an interesting and informative book based on The Bevin Boys, men conscripted to work, by ballot, in coalmines during WW2. It follows twins Lizzy and Ed in an incredible story of love, sacrifice, courage, PSTD and understated heroes. I personally thought the epilogue was a little short and would have enjoyed some more information but otherwise would defiantly recommend this gripping page tuner.

I would like to thank Bookouture NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read his complimentary copy for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.


#TheSecretSister #NetGalley

A Sister's Sacrifice

A beautiful story of a sister's love for her twin brother and the sacrifice she made to save him from himself.

Ed and Lizzie are twins and close. At thirteen Ed went on the boat with his father to help save the soldiers at Dunkirk. Ever since then he has been terrified of being called up and sent to fight. What he saw there has haunted him.

When Ed and Lizzie turned eighteen Ed received his call to go and sign up for duty in the service. Without waiting for his instructions of where to go for training he decided to leave. He left without even a note saying where he was going. Lizzie went for her own physical and was told she had a heart murmur. She was to ashamed to tell her parents she couldn't serve. She intercepts her brother Ed's mail and finds out he is chosen to go work in a coal mine. When Ed doesn't show up Lizzie cuts her hair, dresses in her brother's clothes and pretends to be him so he isn't listed as AWOL.

It's a story of love and sacrifice, of honor and of family. It is the story of one young man's fear and how he comes to grips with it and how his sister saves his honor while he has time to figure it all out. Parents that love and forgive their children even if they may disappoint them in some ways.

This is a story of those that were sent in England to work in the coal mines instead of being sent to fight. They were brave but they never were recognized as such like the uniformed soldiers were. It is a story of those that believed it was wrong to kill and labeled as cowards and conches for their beliefs.

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it.

Thanks to Liz Trenow for writing a great story, to Bookouture for publishing it and to NetGalley for making a copy available to me to read and review.