Two women. Two stories of survival, family, and finding one’s own happiness. One connection that reshapes both their lives forever.

Violet’s character is based on the experiences of the very real Violet Jessop, a woman who survived three maritime disasters aboard the Olympic, Titanic, and Britannic, earning her the nickname ‘Unsinkable.’ I liked how the author explored the ‘why’ of Violet’s character. Why did she continue to get on ships - over 200 sailings when she finally retired - after multiple near-death experiences?

Daphne’s character is a composite of thirty-nine women of the Special Operations Executive, French Section (SOE F). I was also fascinated by Daphne’s character and how the author brought to life the incredible contributions of so many brave women during WWII.

I found both women’s stories to be interesting and I was surprised at the connection between them when it was revealed. My only complaint - while I do appreciate a HEA, I found that this one was too coincidental and unrealistic, which is why I give the story 4 stars.

I didn’t enjoy the writing style of this book. Everything was skimmed over so quickly and I never felt connected to any of the characters. There was zero character development. I loved the premise but the execution was lacking.

Full disclosure, I received a copy of this title from Netgalley, however, have voluntarily chosen to write a review. All opinions are my own

Unsinkable is scheduled for a January 9, 2024 release

Two women linked through time and one tragic event

The tragedy of Titanic is very well known all over the world. Her passengers were the elite in society, but not much is known of the crew. Aside from the more infamous names of Smith, Lightoller, and, Bride how many other crew members come to mind? Unsinkable by author Jenni L. Walsh tells the remarkable story of Violet Jessop, a first-class stewardess who survived the sinking of not only Titanic, but also her sister ships Britannic and Olympic. Told primarily from Violet’s point of view the reader comes to know Jessop as a person who is drawn to the sea, even after experiencing many mishaps. Beginning with the events of April 14 1912, when Jessop has a baby thrust into her arms as her lifeboat is being lowered into the sea, and continuing on through several world wars and other events Walsh flawlessly weaves the known facts of Jessop’s history in with fictional details to bring to life this once little known Titanic survivor.

However, Jessop isn’t the only focus of Unsinkable. With the narrative taking place in dual but somewhat concurrent timelines this story also follows the life of Daphne Chaundanson. The daughter of a very famous playboy actor, having lost her mother in a tragedy at sea when she was an infant she has been raised by a series of au pairs, and boarding schools. Never quite feeling that she was wanted by her famous father and always sworn to secrecy as to her parentage, Daphne developed a desire to learn languages and spent her younger years chasing that one elusive accomplishment that will gain her father’s affections. When war breaks out and her beloved Paris is occupied, Daphne joins forces with a resistance group and begins a life as an undercover operative in a spy network set to disrupt and bring down the German forces.

What initially seems like two completely different stories slowly begins to merge until these two ladies find themselves face to face in the most unlikely of places.

When I initially saw this book and the title, I immediately knew that I had to read it. As a life-long Titanic fan I love reading retellings, imaginings, and stories of those famous and mundane who were on the ship. Unsinkable was no exception as Walsh has created a story that I feel any Titanic buff will enjoy. Having only heard of the name Violet Jessop in recent years, Unsinkable tells her story in a way that is compelling and resulted in my researching more of this remarkable woman. Even without the fictional portion of the story, Violet’s tale alone would have made this a great read, but with the addition of Daphne, the infant grown up, and following her life throughout its twists and turns until her and Violet’s final meeting take a great story and makes it epic. I came for Titanic, but Unsinkable was more than just another Titanic retelling. It is a well written story of two driven women of very different backgrounds who are determined to survive, thrive and make their way on their own terms.

If you are a fan of women’s fiction, historical fiction or just are here for Titanic and her sister ships Unsinkable will be an unforgettable read.

What I liked: I think with most duel timelines, I usually like one storyline more than the other. In this case, I felt like Daphne was a bit more interesting. Her joining a spy network, a famous father, and mysterious past - sign me up. Violet is very duty-bound but she’s tough - surviving three shipwrecks. I can’t imagine the trauma and guilt surrounding that.

What didn’t work for me: this may be on me but I felt like this was marketed as Titanic historical fiction and most of the novel doesn’t take place on Titanic.

I wanted a bit more depth to the characters. It’s an enjoyable read but I felt like a lot of the drama and emotion was surface level.

Who should read it: You like historical women’s fiction, the book is not Titanic heavy - the title refers more to the women being able to overcome a lot of hardship. There is a WW2 heavy storyline so if you’re burned out on that timeframe, you may want to look elsewhere.

In Unsinkable, we follow the lives of two women: Violet, who survives the Titanic and goes on to be a nurse in WWI and survive yet another sinking, and Daphne, who joins the French Resistance in WWII. The two women share a connection, which the reader can figure out quite early on.

I found both stories to be compelling, and I had no problem switching between the two. I did find a few passages repetitive, as their inner monologues went over their own motivations several times throughout the book. Otherwise, I found the depictions of life aboard a ship or German-occupied France to be quite immersive and well-researched.

One minor gripe I have is the use of Spanish in Violet's chapters: as Violet was raised in Argentina, she speaks Spanish as a second language, but there are several mistakes ("Dios míos, quatro") which even if they could be explained as Violet's mistakes, took me out of the story a bit.

The ending seemed a bit rushed, and while I understand what the author wanted to give the characters from reading her excellent author's note, it's not what I would expect to happen in real life. It reminded me of the ending of Titanic, with Rose reuniting with Jack after she dies.

All in all, I would recommend this book. It's accessible historical fiction, based on the lives of real women (yes, Violet did survive several sinkings!) 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows the lives of two courageous women, written masterfully by Jenni Walsh.
One is a young girl working as a stewardess on cruise ships in the early 1900’s. As fate would have it, she was a survivor of the Titanic disaster. Despite her terrifying experience, she continued on sea voyages, and became a nurse on a hospital ship during WW1. Following the war, she returned to cruise ships.
In total, this “unsinkable” woman survived three disaster at sea, but completed more than 200 voyages around the world.

The second woman is a volunteer during WW2 as a secret agent, working in France to help rescue people. She survived capture by the Nazis, and continued working undercover until the war ended.

Both women experienced danger in their jobs, as well as also love and sorrow.

How these women’s lives are intertwined is finally revealed at the end of the book.

This amazing book chronicles the true life experience of Violet Jessop, the Titanic survivor. The second woman, Daphne, is a fictional character, based on real war-time events.

The author’s notes at the end reveals the amazing amount of research done in order to honor both the real and fictional characters she presented in this book.
Her work is a fantastic chronicle of both history and fiction
That you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the ARC, and the opportunity to read and review this book.

This story was one I could easily get lost in. I loved the characters, and learning about these real-life people. It was inspiring, and the story flowed well.

This story has:
The Titanic
World War
Strong females
Sweet romance
Dual POV

An entertaining and easy read!

TWO BOOKS SQUASHED INTO ONE

For me, dual timeline books - like this one - have to be handled very well for them to actually work. There has to be a connection between the two stories and they need to add something to each other. If they don't, it might as well be two separate books. Sadly, that's how this book felt.

👎 What I Disliked 👎

Timelines: What do the two different timelines give to one another? How does both timelines enrich the story and reading experience? The short answer is - nothing. Honestly, the connection between the two stories was very flimsy. They didn't cross over. They didn't add to one another. Reading one didn't make me understand or appreciate the other more. So why even bother doing dual timelines? This should have been two different books. Then perhaps some of the other issues, I had with this book, would also have been fixed.

Depth: Our two MCs, Violet and Daphne, are both strong and resilient women. They face hardships head on and don't back down. But they also both carry heavy emotional damage, which guides their actions and their motivation. Its a real shame, that those emotions and those motivations are never fully explored or explained. I found it a bit difficult to connect with these women, because they kept on telling me about their baggage without really showing me, what was going on inside of them. Why did they each keep turning towards danger and hardship? I never really felt like I got the full answer, and in the end I simply stopped caring about it. I needed a lot more emotional depth.

Ending: Finally, the ending was also a let down. I actually considered DNF'ing this book numerous times, but kept on reading for the ending. I needed to see, if the timeslines would actually start to make sense at some point (it didn't). And the ending was just the final nail in the coffin for me. It was rushed and too neatly tied. If it had been a Christmas present, the bow would have been three times as big as the actual present. It was just disappointing.

This book was different than I expected, but I really enjoyed it! I found both main characters in the dual timeline to be intriguing, my only minor complaint is that the ending felt a little rushed to me. Highly recommend for people who enjoy historical fiction, especially ones with strong female characters!

This is a nicely connected, dual timeline story. I'm less inclined to read World War II fiction these days, so my preference was for the Violet Jessop storyline with her remarkable luck in surviving multiple shipwrecks- including the Titanic. It's fast paced, with quick chapters in the alternating viewpoints, and solidly plotted.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Unskinable by Jenni L Waslh.

When I was younger, I was slightly obsessed with the story of the Titanic. Maybe that had to do with Leonardo DiCapario being in the movie Titanic...or the treasures that were unearthed from the sea.

This book has dual timelines for two strong willed women. We start the book with Violet who is abroad the Titanic, then switch to Daphane in April of 1942. You follow them both through tragedy, love, loss, scary situations and so much more. I truly enjoyed this book and I believe that it will make for a wonderful book club book. There are author notes at the in which she writes at the real Violet Jessop and the fictional characters she brings into the story.

If you are looking for suspense, historical fiction, love, loss and finding your true place this book is for you. Buy it, read it and love it.

Thanks to the author, publisher(s), and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book! Walsh creates a dual timeline novel that will appeal to fans of Kate Morton, Melanie Benjamin, Kate Quinn, or Susanna Kearsley. Violet Jessop is unsinkable in life and in work. She works tirelessly to provide for her family's future, putting all ideas or dreams of her own aside in order for her family to have a better life. Daphne Chaundanson wants to feel wanted by the one person who has sworn her real identity to a secret that must never be shared. Walsh deftly dances between the two stories, weaving their threads together to a jolting and satisfactory conclusion.

What a GREAT BOOK!

Jenni L. Walsh did a brilliant job, and I cannot thank Netgalley enough for allowing me to read this before release! This was 100% the best book I read in 2023!

It has been a few days since I finished this book (I have read 2 other ones since it), and I still think about it and have a hard time putting all the FEELS I felt into words.

Beautifully written, based on true stories, this was nothing less than a masterpiece of history, emotion, life, and choices! I teared up, laughed, smiled, giggled, blushed, feared, hoped...

YOU DEFINITELY NEED TO PICK UP THIS BOOK NOW!

While I love Walsh's prose, and while this story was capitvating at parts, I felt that some areas were a bit clunky. She glossed over a few exciting moments I'd hoped to hear more about, and I thought that the ending was far too convenient to feel authentic.

The two storylines progressed similarly, and when they intersected at the end I couldn't help but feel disappointed as there was such a tenuous link between the two women. Ultimately, I wanted more Titanic content and I think that was my problem as I did not set my expectations accordingly.

This beautiful work of historical fiction follows two separate woman from 1912 to 1945.

Violet begins her journey by boarding the Titanic, and a lifelong at sea quickly follows. She experiences WW1 as a volunteer nurse and steward, but is consistently weighed down by her obligation to her family. Her story absolutely broke my heart the most. I was rooting for Violet to learn her self worth the entire time, and cried when she finally chose herself first.

Daphne is the quiet daughter of a famous movie director, and is desperate to prove herself during WW2. Her ambition for being an undercover agent quickly changes when she witnesses the tragedy of war. Throughout her mission, Daphne takes multiple aliases and finds who she truly was all along.

If you love historical fiction, strong FMC, and romance, I strongly recommend Unsinkable.

Thank you for the opportunity of receiving an ARC, and I am leaving this review willingly.

I always rush to read any book, magazine article, interview about the Titanic whether it is fiction or historical fact. It was a breath of fresh air to find a historical fiction that IS NOT WW II, Nazi or anything like that part of the storyline. I did like the dual storyline between Violet (1912, in the past) and Daphne (current, WW II; did not bother me). I was torn between intrugue and boredome while reading this. Let me explain...

Violet and Daphne are both heroines in their time helping others and saving themselves. I thought they were strong heroes. The actual storytelling is what bothered me. I usually follow dual storylines well, but it felt disjointed and not fluid. Plus, it was boring....

Violet's story in 1912 was way more interesting than Daphne's in the 1940's. I found myself skim reading through Daphne to get to anything about Violet.

Would I recommend this? I do not know. Would I read this again? No.

Thanks to Netgalley, Jenni L Walsh and Harper Muse for an ARC in exchange for honest review.

Available: 1/9/2024

I was provided a free advanced copy of this book from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
This is a fictionalized story of the life of Victoria Jessop, Miss Unsinkable. She was the Olympic mishap, and survived the sinking of both the Titanic and Britannic! She worked as a stewardess with a stint as a nurse during the first world war. Even through all of her incidents she continued to work as a stewardess on ships for many many years! We also learn about Daphne (a fully fictional character) who joins the Special Operations unit as a spy in France during WWII. These two women's lives are connected by their tenacity, hard work, unsinkable drive, and maybe a bit more too!
This was a really interesting story hearing about these two siblings, as well as some of the similarities and differences between the two wars. If you are a fan of historical fiction add this one to your TBR list! It is set to be published on 9 Jan, so go ahead and check it out soon!
#NetGalley #Unsinkable

This is a little difficult for me to rate. Part of the time it seemed to go so slowly; then it picked up and I didn't want to put it down. It was actually two different stories set in different generations, and I just knew they had to connect at some time. SO I kept reading to learn how. Otherwise, I might not have finished during the slow periods. Over all, I have to say that it was pretty good, and I did enjoy learning more about the Titanic.

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

A good read about two resilient women- Violet and Daphne- that spans WWI and WWII. Violet's story is based on a real woman who survived three (!) sunken ships and kept going in order to support her family, Daphne, with a talent for languages and a desire to prove herself, works for the SOE in France. If I have a quibble it's that these two deserve their own novels- especially Violet, whose life was new to me. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. For fans of historical fiction. Don't miss the afterword.

I LOVED this book. I absolutely loved the individual stories and eventual intertwining of Violet and Daphne. Both women are brave and smart and strong, and I enjoyed the love stories not being such a huge part of the book. I enjoyed the plot, the history, and the character development. I will definitely be recommending this book!