What a journey you go on in this book! It is a dual timeline set just before and during WW1 and during WW2 set in England. Violet is a stewardess on the Titanic as well as other ocean liners. She is working to support her family from the plentiful tips she earns. She is also 'unsinkable' having survived several ship sinkings. Daphne lost her mother on a ship that sunk and was unwanted by her father. She dove into her education learning multiple languages and ending up as part of the resistance in France. How these two timelines and characters intersect was carefully crafted by the author. As a fan of these eras as well as any Titanic book, I loved how it was all blended together. The author would leave you wanting more at the end of chapters to find out what happened next to Violet or Daphne. I enjoyed the main characters as well as the minor ones. Violet would do anything for her mother and siblings including helping out by volunteering during WW1. Her sense of family was so strong it prevented her from some personal happiness for most of her life. Daphne was strong and so smart. She could learn a language so easily, I felt jealous (even though she is a character in a book). Her strength and resilience helped her spy network rescue and return many pilots back to London.
The author explains at the end that Violet was a real person and wrote a memoir about her amazing life. Daphne was completely fictional but a composite of numerous women who worked behind the lines for the SOE. I was thoroughly entertained by this story and would recommend it to any historical fiction fan.

Thank you Net Galley and Harper Muse for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This novel dealt with a real-life woman, Violet Jessop, who served as a first-class stewardess aboard the Titanic, the Olympic and the Brittanic. All three ships sank or otherwise encountered maritime disasters. But she kept getting back on ships. Read her story to learn why.

Daphne’s character is fictional but based on the real life stories of several women who served in France as part of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during WWII. I had previously read a book based on the life of Virginia Hall, an .American woman with a limp who bravely served with the SOE. These brave women put their lives on the line to help the cause of the Allies.

The connection between these two women, though fictional, was one I enjoyed!

I received this book from the publisher via net galley in exchange for an hones5 review. Four stars.

A story featuring the Titanic and World War II should be a good read. However,
sometimes dual timeline stories don’t work and this was one of those times. While Violet’s story should be compelling, it wasn’t and Daphne’s story didn’t grab me.

It can also be treacherous to fictionalize a real person and develop an account based on historical records. There is very little character development at the beginning of the story and perhaps that is why I wasn’t drawn in.

I found the story lacking in details and uneven. Overall, an interesting premise, it just didn’t work for me?

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Unsinkable
By Jenni L. Walsh
Publication date: January 9, 2024
4.5/5⭐️

✨dual timelines
✨historical fiction
✨Titanic, WWI, WWII
✨Sprinkle of romance
✨strong female leads

This story starts with Violet Jessup and she is on the Titanic. We all know the unfortunate end of what happens with the Titanic.

This book is a dual timeline story that follows the lives of Violet Jessop and Daphne Chaundanson. This book goes back and forth between Violet who is a stewardess on the Titanic to Daphne who works for a secret operation during WWII.

I loved this story and it is based off of the real Violet Jessop who survived the sinking of three different ships earning the nickname “Miss Unsinkable”.

I was super excited to be approved for this book because I love historical fiction and I am drawn to anything related to the Titanic. This book did not disappoint!

If you love historical fiction, strong female leads, and a sprinkle of romance, this book is for you!!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Rounded up to a 5 star rating.

Because I grew up with all things Titanic, and now I have a son who is OBSESSED, I was so excited to get this advanced copy! It took a bit for me to start reading, but that is not the fault of the book. I was afraid that it would be a re-hashing of all the other Titanic stories, and at first, I had to really focus on the chapter switches between time and characters. However, once I got the rhythm, it was difficult to put down. I wish the afterward was the prologue because I would have been even more invested knowing that Violet is based on a real person. The secondary plot of Katherine/Daphne/etc., didn't make as much sense until the end. Then, I really did enjoy the cross-over of the plot lines.

Overall, I will definitely recommend this to my students who enjoy historical fiction, and especially the stories surrounding the Titanic and her sister ships.

I wasn't a big boater to begin with but this boat's nerve-wracking sinking ship descriptions have turned me off of it for the foreseeable future. When I realized the sinking of the Titanic was just the opening scene, I knew I was in for an adventure and this book did not disappoint. I love when I find a historical novel that touches on WWII and isn't a repeat of everything else out there. Super unique and fast-paced read with a heart-warming conclusion.

Something about this time of year that has me searching for HF or cozy mysteries. So when I saw this new one by Jenni Walsh, I had to request it.

It’s a dual narrative book that focuses on Violet and 30 years later, Daphne.

Violet is based on a true story of a woman who survived 3 Maritime disasters. It blows my mind that someone exists that actually experienced these monumental moments in history. Daphne was an interesting character with her spotlight on Special Ops Agents during the War, but I found myself skimming over those parts and wanting to stay with Violet and her complex emotional reasons for signing back up to be a stewardess despite experiencing such tragedies in her young life.

I’ve read quite a few books about this time in history (both special ops and titanic), but it still drew me in. That said, I did feel like it needed something more. Some more depth. Or maybe more about Violet as she grew in more detail. Daphnes story felt like a whole other novel :) so for this I think it just ended up in a “like” not a “love” for me

“Unsinkable” by Jenni L. Walsh is a story of family, resilience, survival and love for two unsinkable women. Told through dual timelines and dual points of view, the author exposes the struggles of two amazing women, Violet and Daphne, who lived through not one, but two, sinkings aboard ships and each survive their own wars and find happiness.

While each women has her own plot lines, Walsh is able to meld them successfully together into a single story. They both are relatively fast paced stories of strong women that kept me turning the page and finishing the book quickly. The connection between the two women is hinted at early on, but was not brought up again until the mid point, which was a little confusing, but explained in the authors note, which is a must read! Overall, a throughly researched, highly successful read.

I had heard of Violet Jessop and the coincidental dangers she had faced in her life. Her story would have been interesting as a stand-alone book.

To Jessop's tale, the story of Daphne Chaundanson is added. Chaundanson wanted to make a difference, and using her linguistic talents, she joined the Special Ops in France during WWII

These are both compelling stories, and although the book started out pretty slowly, my interest was renewed as I continued to read.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this ARC.

This book had me at Titanic. I love reading books based on the Titanic. This book had some mentions of this along with 2 other ships that sunk that one of our protagonist’s were on. We get to hear about Violet’s experience surviving the 3 sinkings. We are also introduced to Daphne who was a spy in the resistance in WWII. I was hoping for a bit more from this book, but it did hold my interest. I really enjoyed Violet’s storyline. Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Muse and Jenni Walsh for the ARC.

This is the story of two dauntless women. One, based on a real story, is Violet who survived the sinking of the Titanic only to board other ships and survive other sea disasters. Her story was compelling and I wanted more! The other was Daphne, a WWII spy who was sent to collect intel on the Germans to help the British. I enjoyed some of her backstory but not as much as Violet. Overall, this was a good read and I would recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. 3.5 stars

I can’t resist a book that involves the Titanic, so I was happy to receive an ARC of “Unsinkable,” by Jenni Walsh. The novel is told from two perspectives: that of Violet Jessie, who worked on the Titanic as well as the sister ships, Olympic and Britannic. Her story begins on April 10, 1912, the start of Titanic’s ill fated maiden voyage, and follows her various postings both at sea and land ending on her last posting on the RMS Andes in 1945.

The second protagonist is Daphne Chaundanson, covering the years 1942-1945. Because of her fluency in several languages, she is recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) to work with the resistance movement in France, finding drop zones for supplies, safe houses for downed pilots and refugees, helping those same pilots and refugees escape to England and carrying out sabotage on German targets. The connection between the two characters isn’t revealed until the end of the book.

It was heartening to see Titanic’s lesser known sister ships Olympic and Britannic featured in the book; however, being a Titanic fan, I would have preferred to have read more about this topic and less about German occupied France, since there are so many books that have been dedicated to this topic in recent years that there doesn’t seem to be much new that can be written about this area of history. That being said, Daphne’s resistance activities were thrilling as she tried to evade the Nazis while she carried out her dangerous activities under the ever watchful eyes of the occupying forces.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am fascinated with all things Titanic and also with female spies working with the resistance in WWII France. What could be better than a story that ties the two together? Violet Jessup survived 3 sinking ships: Olympia, Titanic and Brittania, and her story is inspired by an actual person. Daphne is a fictional character and the two are both Unsinkable, courageous and surviving against incredible odds. In this dual timeline novel their stories are entwined.

I really enjoyed this read. I liked that there were dual perspectives and each chapter changed the character. I was more drawn the Violets sections. Daphne was also very interesting. I like the little twist at the end of how their two stories intersected. I also enjoyed the romance that was sprinkled in. Both of these characters were storing and independent women who over came multiple situations where they could have died. They are both unsinkable!
I would recommend this book to historical fiction lovers.

I received this eBook from Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review.

DNF. I wanted to love this book but sadly I could not get into it. I am sure other readers will love it but since I didn't finish I will not rate it on Goodreads. The writing style made it a little confusing.

The story was well written and interesting. I liked learning about the different ship wrecks. I couldn't connect with the characters, but it was still a good read.

While I am usually a fan of this author’s books, I had difficulty warming up to the characters and thought the two storylines were a bit disjointed. It was, however, interesting to read about the sinking ships and the secret missions the women undertook, as well as the men they met along the way!

I really enjoyed this book, great story and i was hooked from the start the two stories combine well

Unsinkable was an account of two women in two separate time periods who, unbeknownst to either of them were thrown together at a key moment in history. Violet Jessop is a young woman who feels an obligation to support her family when her mother falls ill. She works as a stewardess on several ocean liners and does some time as a nurse during the war. She survives a shipwreck and two sinkings, including that of the infamous Titanic.

Daphne Chaundanson, who lost her mother to a tragic accident and whose father is a famous but distant parent, grows up to be an educated and self reliant young woman. While living in Paris, she is recruited by the Special Operations Executive to act as a spy during WWII a task which she completes with great dedication and courage.

Both women show great courage and both experience loss, but they persevere and continue on, until chance brings them together and the two divergent story lines connect in a satisfying ending.

It was interesting that Violet Jessop actually lived through the events in the book, and although Daphne is an invented character, she is based on many of the courageous women who served as spies during the time. Their meeting at the end, though unlikely, seemed a good way to end the tale.

I will absolutely read anything with Titanic in it. I’m slowly getting into historical fiction, and I really enjoyed this one. I was afraid I’d be bored, but this kept me interested. It was a very creative plot and well written story.