I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. This book takes place during WWI and is focused on two sisters: Phoebe and Celia, who are in nursing roles. I would consider this book a romance which I'm not as into, but I did think it did a good job of focusing on the people affected by war and the idea of a nurse falling in love with the enemy while working at a POW camp. I found it to be well-written, but not really what I was expecting.

I have read other books by this author and really enjoyed them but I’m disappointed slightly with this one, it was flat and hard to keep up with the sisters as they seemed to follow their own agendas while transferring easily from Hospital to hospital and country with little notice and unless there’s a follow up book, part of the story line felt unfinished.

With each book I read, I’m becoming more and more of a fan of Deborah Carr and her beautiful style of writing. In The Poppy Sisters we travel back to World War 1 and meet a pair of sisters separated by war but always united by strength and courage.

Upon losing their parents and brother in an air raid, sisters Phoebe and Celia go their separate ways and become nurses. Phoebe heads to France as a volunteer nurse tending to her own countrymen. Celia is sent to Jersey and attends to Germans prisoners in a POW camp. Both women meet someone who would change their lives.

Phoebe meets and falls in love with Captain Archie Bailey. They are to be married but he is sent back to the front and before long, Phoebe learns he is missing and presumed dead. With her grief keeping her from performing her duties and neglecting her health, she steps back from her nursing duties to recover at the home a friend. Celia finds herself falling for a prisoner, Otto, an Austrian who was conscripted into the German army but is a doctor and a good man. She butts heads with other nurses who want to treat these prisoners as the enemies not human beings.

As time passes, these sisters never give up on hope and love. They had already lost so much because of the war and they weren’t willing to let go of what might be in the future.

I loved this story. While fiction, there are certainly aspects of WWI that i was able to research a little further so I definitely took away a bit of history lesson which I’m always grateful for!

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and the lovely Deborah Carr for an early copy of this book

Love triumphs through all challenges, ethnicities, war conflicts, and suffering.

Two sisters, separated by war, fight every day to rescue the lives of the wounded soldiers under their care. Phoebe works as a VAD at a Base Hospital in Étaples, France, where she treats men who have served at the Front. Their bravery and perseverance inspire her, and though she's supposed to stay her distance, Captain Archie Bailey quickly wins her heart. Celia, her younger sister, works as a nurse at a prison camp on the island of Jersey. These guys fight for the forces that bombed her brother and parents, yet the many hours she spends curing them prove they aren't the monsters she expected.

The sense of community and companionship, the unanticipated moments of love and joy, and a link so strong that even war can't destroy it are all things that Celia and Phoebe eventually come to recognize as being shared by their experiences despite the disparities in their respective circumstances.

This was a pleasant book with everything I look for in a novel: love (in a time of war), historical authenticity, medical fiction, a fantastic plot, and brilliant dialogue that flows smoothly. The characters in this time period worked well overall. Carr's writing style is excellent, and I appreciated the historical undertones.

Two sisters, Phoebe and Celia, lose their mother, father, and brother in a zeppelin raid outside London. Celia is a nurse and works in a hospital at a POW camp for German prisoners. She falls in love with one of her patients. Phoebe trains as a VAD, and is sent to a hospital in France. She falls in love w it’s one of her patients as well.
The Poppy Sisters, by Deborah Carr, takes you through the ups and downs, the triumphs and tragedies, faced by these sisters. It is also a tale of friends who help them face their grief and remind them that life is worth living. This WWI story will tug at your heart while making you smile. I was able to read an ARC on #NetGalley.

What a first class read! Definitely recommend it.
The story starts in 1916 with one sister, Phoebe nursing in France, Phoebe finds it difficult coming to terms with some of the injuries the men have received, she writes to share her experiences with her sister Celia and doesn’t quite get the response she was hoping for when she also shares that she has become quite attached to one of the men.
Meanwhile Celia is nursing at the prisoner of war camp on Jersey which she struggles with as she recently lost family member during an attack by the Germans.
As the two stories evolve there are similarities in the experiences of the sisters if they only knew it.
There are some lovely characters, mainly Jocasta who is so warm hearted while suffering grief herself.
And as always, the not so lovely namely Elsie.

We begin in 1916 with Phoebe who is working in a Base Hospital in Etaples, in France, as a VAD. She joined up when her parents and brother were killed in a raid in England. Her sister Celia, already a nurse, is working in a prisoner of war hospital in Jersey.
I was looking forward to this read as I love anything set in the war and the prisoner of war camp really drew my attention. Unfortunately it just did not work for me. Celia's love affair causes consternation with some people and she makes an enemy among the other nurses. The way this played out was unbelievable and then it fizzled out.
Phoebe falls in love with a patient and plays a dangerous game while trying to keep it secret. She then goes to Cornwall to recuperate with a woman she hasn't met before and within twenty four hours they're bosom buddies.
Both of them seem to be able to get transfers to different hospitals or camps without any trouble.
At times the conversations were very stilted and it was all just a little bit flat. There was no excitement. The characters were all one dimensional. I didn't care about any of them and the ending was a total disappointment. We're left hanging, wondering if a certain thing does ever happen or not.
Such a pity. It could have been a great story.

The book is about 2 sisters who are ,Phoebe and Celia who are both working in hospitals looking after wounded soldiers. They have recently lost their parents and brother during a bombing and are coming to terms with it. When they both meet soldiers on the wards they are working on their lives will change. and one and risks everything for love.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone.

I can’t explain how much I enjoyed reading this book.

It was fascinating, heart wrenching, beautiful and gripping.

The two sisters who spent the Great War apart nursing two different sides of the war. Both fall in love, both have their own stories to tell.

It was wonderful, from beginning to the very end.

I really hope to hear more of Otto and Celia and perhaps even delve into the Second World War.

Absolutely amazing, thank you for a wonderful read.

10/10

When I saw the genre in the appealing book cover, I chose this with no background. With less than 300 pages, I took a chance with an unknown author and title. The premise interested me and I hope to catch it we ambience of world war one and it’s Tragedy and heartbreak. The two sisters choose to serve and separate locations, and I expected some grand revelation to occur with one or the other. The interminable dialogue substituted for my expected detailed description of the hospitals that I expected. I sold it on, and anticipated a grand conflict or resolution, but the difficulties seemed easily resolved in the ending, felt simplified and disappointing. And I wanted more passion and profound reactions to the forbidden love with Otto. I feel disappointed with the outcome of James as it seemed predictable and unrealistic without including spoilers. I read the book in its entirety, still waiting for a grand event, but found none. I enjoyed the simple tone as it captured life during World War I in Europe. But the story lacked the capability to embrace I feel empathy with the characters.

Thank you for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

Mixed feelings on the story. Whilst I enjoyed parts of the book other parts I found very far-fetched and not enjoyable. Phoebe was a pleasant character but I didn't warm to her sister at all. I would have liked to have learned more about the fact they were nursing in wartime; the conditions, the lack of medicine, the lack of staff etc. None of these aspects were covered and at times the war seemed very distant.

I was also disappointed with the ending; did they ever meet? I hate being left in the unknown like a chapter has been missed.

It was a pleasant enough easy read but sadly it didn't blow me away.

This was a satisfying read that included everything I love in novel: Love (in a time of war), historical accuracy, medical fiction, excellent plot, and brilliant dialogue that flows nicely. I could hardly put it down as I wanted to know what would happen to all these characters whom I came to care for! An excellent WWI novel that I highly recommend!