Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Well written dual timeline, historical novel.
While this book was slow moving it was interesting and kept me reading. I love books related to the titanic as well so that caught my attention right away.
Very enjoyable read.

Unsinkable is told in two timelines involving two women. Violet Jessop, a real survivor of the Titanic, and Daphne, a fictional character who was part of the Special Operations Executive during WWII.
Their stories intersect through shipwrecks and war.
I so wanted to love this. I am a sucker for anything about the Titanic and I was looking for a historically accurate tale of Jessop.
I did get that but I found the book slow going and seemed to lose interest when the rimeshift was made to Daphne. No fault of the author as much as individual taste.
The description of Jessop's experience on the Titanic is wonderfully depicted. Her thoughts as the ship goes down is as dramatic and moving as any I have read.

Thanks to @@netgalley for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Two incredible stories, intertwined by fate, and partially based on a true story. This left me stunned.
Violet Jessop survives a shipwreck and immediately returns to work on the sea, now employed as a stewardess on the Titanic. Incredibly, she makes it off the ship and survives, departing the sinking ship with an infant curled up in her arms. Years later, she continues to work, trying to care for her siblings and mother. When the Great War breaks out, she becomes a nurse, alongside her four brothers who go into battle. Not long after she finds herself on *another sinking ship, the Britannic. While parts of the story are fictionalized, Violet was a real person who went through all of these historic events.
Between Violet's passages, the story also fast forwards to the 1940s, as Daphne Chaundanson, who survived the Titanic sinking when she was a baby, is now working as a special ops agent in France during World War II. With a love of languages and the overwhelming desire to make her father proud, she goes through the unimaginable while trying to defeat the Germans. Both women have their own secrets and stories and fate is likely to bring them together more than once.
I thought this was a beautifully written story through both perspectives. I've always been drawn to stories of the Titanic and while that was just a small part of this novel, it instantly had me hooked.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Harper Muse. This is out now.

This book was fantastic! I enjoyed both story lines and characters. It was exciting and could not wait to find out what happened to the characters, I could not put this book down. Read it in two days and have been recommending it to everyone. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and will look for other books by Jenni L Walsh.

Two women, three sinkable ships, and a lifetime of history. After surviving the sinking of the Titanic, Violet continues with her life and have two more brushes with death on ships. Daphne becomes a Special Operations Executive agent during WWII and sees the damage war can cause.

The settings were brought to life with detailed descriptions. I could picture Violet as she sat in the lifeboat and watch the horrors of the Titanic sinking around her or Daphne as she watched an entire building of people be herded by the Germans into a truck. Both women saw horrific things but I also could feel the hope that they had as they worked for the good of themselves but even more the people they were working to save.

Unsinkable is the story of survival and family, I love learning more of the history of Titanic. The history shared about WWII was not new to me, but I am always looking for more to learn. WWII history is my favorite to read.

Thank you Harper Muse for a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The book alternates between Violet and Daphne. Violet is a real person who survived the sinkings of the Titanic and Brittanic as well as Olympic’s collision with another ship. Ms. Walsh brought her to life well. Her story opens with the boarding of the Titanic. Daphne is not a real person but a composite of a number of real women. She lives in 1942 and joins the Allied Resistance in France and has many harrowing adventures. The two have a tenuous connection, not revealed until the end (I guessed it at 70%), so it feels like two completely different stories.

I was more interested in Violet’s story, probably because of the title and cover, which have nothing to do with Daphne.

My main complaint of this book is that it is in present tense. It does not work for this story at all. Instead of making the action feel immediate and immersive, it made me feel far removed from it. It felt like a friend telling me what happened to them, not a storyteller making events come to life. It was all telling, not showing. That didn’t make it bad, but I felt so far away from the story, I never felt fear or tension for the characters. It was more like reading a news article about them.

I received an ARC from NetGalley. I assume (hope) the typos in the book will be corrected in the final proof.

my rating: 3.5 stars

Unsinkable follows two different characters and timelines. The Violet Jessop one follows a real woman who survived multiple ships sinking. I loved seeing a fictionalized tale of her story and how and why she continued to go on ships and provide for her family while also doing it for herself as well. I also loved seeing the way she saw the ship in the book and how she felt about certain things that had been happening since the Titanic first took off.

The second character we follow is Daphne Chaundanson and she is a fictional character. I did like her story as well, and seeing the special operations she was a part of during WWII. Having said that though I didn’t enjoy her parts as much as I could have if her story had been it’s own book or novella.

For me I love the thought of this book, but it just didn’t end up working for me as much as I hoped it would because of how much of the story wasn’t about the Titanic or the sinking at all. We got about 50/50 of each story, which is okay, just not what I was expecting because when the book was first pitched to me it sounded very Titanic-focused. So as I kept reading and it got less and less about the Titanic the more I started losing interest in it. This is just a personal thing for me, and I know a lot of people will still love this book.



Overall it’s a good story and was well throughout and I did enjoy the ending. I just wish they had been two separate books so we could have gotten more of each of their stories.

There is definitely an audience for this book, but I don't think I fit into that audience. Mostly due to personal preferences. I was very interested in the historical aspect of Violet Jessop's story. I love stories about working class women during the time period of 1900-1920's. And the fact that this story followed her real life story made it even better. But I just never connected with Daphne's character and I tend to avoid stories in the WWII era.

If the book had the one timeline with Violet and fleshed out her story more, I probably would have loved this book.

UNSINKABLE by Jenni L. Walsh was on so many “most-anticipated” lists, including mine, and was the perfect first read of 2024. It lived up to the hype. Historical fiction? Check. Dual Timeline? Check. Strong female protagonist? Check, check! There are two!
Walsh kept me on the edge for my seat wondering what would happen next with Violet and Daphne. It was interesting to find out that Violet Jessop was a real person who survived three ships sinking. Obviously, fictionalized but based on her memoir. Daphne was based not on one person, but a compilation of the many women who were a part of the Special Operations Executive, French Section. It was fascinating to read the Author’s Note and find out how Walsh found inspiration for UNSINKABLE. I love how Walsh took the inspiration and developed the characters and wove together the dual timeline storylines.
If this is not on your TBR, it should be. It will be on the “best of” lists for 2024 and not to be missed!
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#Unsinkablebook #jennilwalsh #harpermusebooks #historicalfictionbooks #historicalfictionnovels

Told in dual timelines, Unsinkable is a historical fiction about two women in different periods of time whose lives intersect over war and shipwrecks. An interesting read for sure.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for my ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for this copy of Unsinkable. I am providing my thoughts and opinions on what was an entertaining read.

Two, seemingly disparate, stories of Violet and Daphne separated by thirty years. Coincidentally, each with their own fear of water and sea voyages. Little did I know how interconnected their lives really were. The history of the Titanic and two world wars are threaded through both their lives. We only know how closely until almost the end of the book.

I can’t say this was the best book I’ve ever read, but it was entertaining and kept
me interested in how it would settle out. A solid piece of work.

How can you not be anything but captivated by the story of the Titanic? The grandeur, the confidence in the ship’s integrity, the tragic fall out. Interestingly enough, despite being a historical fiction fan, this is my first read that directly involved the sinking of that beautiful ship and what an incredible story it was.

The story is told from two points of view - that of Violet Jessop, a real survivor of the RMS Titanic shipwreck, who would go on to earn the nickname Unsinkable after surviving another 2 catastrophic disasters during her lifetime - and Daphne Chaundanson, a character modeled off of the women who put their hearts and lives on the line to support their country during WWII - in this case as a Special Operations Executive. Both women navigate families, relationships and responsibilities in the backdrops of significant tragedy.

The story transitions smoothly between the two timelines and points of view and intersects in ways I didn’t see coming. The commonalities in the life experiences of the characters - despite being so starkly different - is such a good reminder of how connected we all are. The sacrifices that women make for their families, themselves and - sometimes - their countries - are worth acknowledging, and celebrating.

I most enjoyed Violet’s story, as it was so different from anything else that I’ve typically read. And while the sinking of the Titanic was just a starting point for her story, the narrative gave life to an event that is generally so much larger than life in in lore and historical significance.

If you love strong women overcoming obstacles in various walks of life, historical fiction or anything Titanic, I would highly recommend this read. So well researched while also being pleasantly readable and appropriately evocative of the time periods for each of the main characters.

This was an interesting story with timelines taking place in World Wars 1 and 2. I enjoyed Violet's story more, but both timelines had their interesting points. I find it fascinating that a woman would choose to go back into a line of work that almost took her life several times. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction and who are interested in the Titanic.
Thank you Netgalley and Harper Muse for the review copy.

Loved this book! It’s told as a dual timeline with two great main characters. I loved both of the women, but Violet’s story was my favorite. This book was well researched and well written. I loved learning about Violet Jessop. It was also interesting to read about both WWI and WWII in the same book. I thought the author did a really good job with the dual timeline. Highly recommend this one!

This was a dual-timeline historical novel, with one timeline set in WWI and the other in WWII. Unfortunately, because there was only one small detail to tie the two timelines together (and easily overlooked), the book felt very disjointed as it shifted back and forth between one time and the other. It is only in the final pages that everything finally comes together. But until then, you're left wondering why these two stories are being told within the same book.

It was interesting though to read the author's note at the end and find out what the inspiration was for the story and that one of the two timelines was based on a real person. Unfortunately, it was the timeline with the person I found most frustrating because of how she let life pass her by out of fear and a desire to protect herself from further pain.

Regardless, the writing is good and the stories were interesting.

Thank you to Jenni L. Walsh, Harper Muse and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This was another no for me.

The dual timelines are usually tool to engage the reader, the connect more people to the story. In this book, the concept didn't work. It felt disjointed and unnecessary.

Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy of this book.
It's a well-researched historical novel told by two women, Violet and Daphne, separated by the two World Wars. It begins with the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. The title refers to the courage and hardships shared in different ways by both. The connection between them is cleverly handled by the author. One problem I had was that the first person narrators differ in both in age and background (one with a hardscrabble life, the other highly educated and multilingual) but their voices were almost indistinguishable, Otherwise, this novel would be intriguing for those who enjoy learning about women's lives in wartime.

2 unsinkable women, one in World War One, one in World War Two. Violet works on Ocean liners, surviving the sinking of the Titanic with a baby in her arms. Daphne, motherless, with a famous father with no time for a child, joins the resistance in world war 2. Their lives intersect at a time and place and shows the amazing lives these women lived.

Historical Fiction with strong female characters inspired by real people. Please read the authors note at the end.

-First things first: The cover is stunning!
-Violet Jessop is a stewardess/wartime nurse trying to provide for her family. She survives multiple ship sinkings, including the Titanic, and returns out to sea each time. This woman’s determination is like no other.
-Dual POV. Daphne Chaundanson is an agent in France during WWII with her own challenges and missions. I found her so captivating. Her fears and reactions really resonated with me.
-The connection to one anothers storylines and the ending was okay (I needed a little something more but I think most people would like it). BUT the characters and their journeys make this book extra special.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Quick and Dirty
-dual POV/timeline historical fiction
-Titanic & WWII storylines
-fast-paced and plot-driven
-closed-door romance subplots

What Worked
Jenni Walsh is a repeat author for me, so I knew this book would be good. What I didn’t expect was the action! At times I would get so lost in this book that I didn’t realize how much time had passed. I was so swept away in the action scenes, especially the Titanic scenes which I loved! There are flashes of brilliance in this one, from nods to her previous work (Call of the Wrens) to the interconnection between the two storylines. I enjoyed learning what made Daphne tick, so it’s safe to say I connected most with her as a character. And, as always, I loved the WWII storyline which was filled with lots of action, intrigue, sabotage, and nail-biting moments.

What Didn’t Work
I struggle with the duty first, love/happiness second trope. I wanted so many great things for Violet, but time after time she made choices that I struggled with, chiefly choosing her family obligations over everything else in her life. To me, this trope reinforces the idea that women have to choose between competing forces: family vs self, personal success versus family obligations, etc. While I do love family stories, I want to see my female heroines chase their dreams. This was the only fault I could find in this one, which is truly a personal issue.

Read This If
Those who enjoy emotional rollercoasters will likely enjoy this, as will those who enjoy a bit of action. Fans of Kelly Rimmer, Noelle Salazar, and Kate Quinn will appreciate this one!

Similar Reads
Call of the Wrens, The Paris Apartment, The Paris Notebook, The Roaring Days of Zora Lily