Absolutely loved this book, didn’t want to put it down. Twisted love story with many facets. Intriguing, engaging, well written with so much thought. Gave an insight to how the world was in WW11 but brought through to modern day. Must read.

Oh my, this was so good. I'm an absolute sucker for stories with World War II as a backdrop, and this certainly was no exception. I might even have shed a few tears along the way. Damn you, Natalie!

It took a few attempts to get into the book and to persevere and finish it. I didn't warm to either of the main characters (past and present) at all. I also feel its too predictable for the girl in wartime to get pregnant; it's the storyline in probably 75% of books about young girls falling in love with servicemen. The book did have some twists and turns although again most you could see coming. It lacked keeping the reader on the edge of their seat and wanting to keep reading more.

Saying that I liked the writing style and it was easy to read just sadly not the storyline for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and author for allowing me to read an Arc copy of the title.

I enjoyed this WWII novel that spans decades for one family. Though it was bittersweet. It was still a good read.

Natalie Meg Evans pens an engaging dual timeline story that focuses mostly on the English Homefront and the effects of racial discrimination and cruelty that marks a family for multiple generations. As she seeks to recover her grandmother's locket, Ruby unearth's secrets that have torn her family apart.
Told from the alternating viewpoints of Irene(1940's) and her granddaughter in the present day, readers will slowly see strong themes emerging, connected between the two stories. While at times Irene displayed great strength of character, other times, she seemed beaten down. But that only made her story seem all the more realistic. Ruby was my favorite. I loved her tenacity as she continued to seek answers, discovering truths that have the power to heal.

Content warning-probably not suitable for young readers. Acts of violence and rape.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publsiher and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A wonderful story full of mystery and love. Full of laughter and tears. This is a book you'll rememer.

A really enjoyable tea. I really like the different time lines, family dynamics and the suspense kept me wanting to find out what happened next. Would recommend.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review *

I don’t know how to begin the review. There are so many words I can use to describe this story, but there is not enough time in the day for that. The Locket was so emotional that I still think about the story. Everyone knows I love reading historical fiction and have read more than I can count through the years. What I loved about this book is that it had a mix of suspense in the plot; who doesn’t love a good mystery? I didn’t want to put the book down, and I was curious about what Ruby would discover about her grandmother next. I wondered if the locket would ever be recovered and what would be discovered there.

I love historical fiction that is told in dual storylines, especially if there is a connection between the two; I loved reading Irene’s story about how it all happened and how she fell in love. Somehow, I felt it would be a story I would love, and once again, I didn’t know I would fall in love. You couldn’t help but love Irene from the start; she was such a powerful character. She was one of those strong characters that you couldn’t get out of your mind. Irene went through so much in her life, and despite what she had to deal with, it didn’t stop her; she kept on going. Irene felt real to me, and I felt like I was transported to 1940 while reading her story.

Ruby was as strong as her grandmother had been. That was one of my favorites about this one; it was told from grandmother and granddaughter’s point of view, and the way that it connected the two stories. Theo and Irene, I loved the two of them together; I don’t think that anyone, maybe Irene, was as happy as Theo was. I have rooted for them all through the book and hoped they would find a way to be together. The connection that the two of them shared that’s what love is. Characters weren’t only what I loved about this book, but also the plot, not the one you could pull yourself away from. I felt everything the characters felt: love, fear, anger, and hope.

The Locket was the first novel that I read by Natalie Meg Evans and now I cannot wait to discover her other work.

Following the life of Irene Boulder who lives at Oak Apple farm with her family, Irene goes to a village dance where she meets Theo Robinson and they are both besotted. Their love faces many restrictions, not least because of the colour of his skin. Theo’s Lieutenant bars them from seeing each other as Americans & Blacks are usually segregated and being under their supervision while in the forces it is their duty to ensue this is followed. The issue Theo has with this is more the way that Lt McBeth carries this out, usually by giving Theo all the worst jobs as punishment. An other barrier between them was local lad Norman
When Irene and Theo seal their love during a secret meeting he gives her a locket , making her promise to keep it hidden or he’ll be in trouble they could never envisage the trouble this would cause in the future.
In the present day, Irene’s granddaughter Ruby has arrived from France to sort out the house ready to sell as it was left to her in the Will. Before she flew from France she promised her mother Amanda that she’d look out for the locket which had been left to her along with all the jewellery. The problem with this is there doesn’t appear to be any jewellery in the house, although Ruby does find her grandmother’s old diaries, and so begins the unravelling!
I loved the twists in the story and the facts of segregation, racism. I didn’t realise that when an underage mother was having a child her parent had to give permission for a section.
I could see the characters in my mind, Ruby was my favourite.

The Locket is the new book from Natalie Meg Evans set during World War Two. It’s told in the dual timeline format which works very well as the story deftly moves between the war years and the present day. There are a lot of strong themes throughout this book which sadly still exist today and I felt they were perfectly woven into the story. Racial discrimination and segregation, abuse of power and cruelty are just a few themes that spring to mind and to be honest I didn’t expect to encounter such strong emotions whilst reading this book. The pitching of said themes was expertly done. I didn’t at any stage feel as if they were being forced upon you or thrown in your face instead they melded well into certain events in the story and not everything was piled upon the reader at once. Over the course of a story that got better and better as it went along the reader can see the bigger picture starting to emerge and one thing is for certain you shouldn’t take things at face value. Instead, the main character in the present day, Ruby, has to work that little bit harder to uncover the truth as she searches for her grandmother’s locket. In doing so, she will uncover a remarkable story that will shed a light on her family history and through the process hopefully healing will occur from trauma.

The book opens with a brief prologue in the small village of Flixfield in Suffolk. It’s 1943 and the residents are feeling the effects of the war. A new American airbase is opening nearby and GI’s have been sent ahead to prepare the ground in order to get the site built. Irene is 19 and is attending a local dance in the village hall. She feels she lives a boring humdrum life living with her parents who have a farm whilst she works at the local jam and pickle factory. The war has put paid to any hopes of her leaving the village and the thoughts of being a farmers wife for the remainder of her days sends shivers through her spine.

Local farmer Norman, who is in late 20’s, has his eyes on Ruby and is determined to have her as his wife. Norman is forceful and controlling and to be quite honest at times I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I know social norms and expectations were very different at the time and society had certain rules and presumptions in place but still the carry on and the talk from Norman was quite frankly ridiculous. I felt that Irene was being backed into a corner and that at some points her parents wished for her to marry him and then at other junctures they saw the light and were conscious of their daughters long term wellbeing and happiness. Norman is a bully but also a coward at the same time. He fails or either just turns a blind eye to what is going at right under his nose and because of this there will be serious repercussions for several people, one person in particular who I wouldn’t have thought, and these actions and total disregard will affect people for countless years.

I loved that Irene was forceful and strong willed. She knew what she wanted in life and always followed her heart and mind even if society was contriving against her. She wasn’t going to be pushed into any corner like a meek lamb and although she has to hide a fair bit of what she goes through in the book, her heart was always in one place and despite circumstances changing against her she always remained true to her one love. That person being Theo, whom she meets at the village dance. Sergeant Theo Robinson has recently arrived from Georgia, America to help construct the airbase and when Irene sets her eyes upon him she is instantly smitten. I thought this quote was perfect in summing up how Irene felt about Theo. ’When someone looks back at you as though they see you. Really see you, with all your layers, corners and secrets, you cannot go back to being Irene who works at the jam and pickle factory’.

The only problem with Irene developing these feelings, well the problem according to society, is that Theo is black and here is where the themes of racism and discrimination begin to rear their ugly head. No one is happy that Irene would dare to fall in love with a back man and from this many issues and problems arise. From this point on, there are innumerable twists and turns to Irene’s story and to say much more regarding this would spoilt things. Suffice to say, I became totally caught up in everything unfolding and I found myself racing through the chapters eager to see what would happen and of course to discover how Irene’s story connected to what Ruby was experiencing in the present. Irene and Theo’s aspect of the plot was brilliantly developed and explored and it makes you realise how important it is now that we are allowed our own choices as to who we love.

In the present day, Ruby is newly arrived in Flixfield from France. Her life has imploded. She has lost her job and her fiancée, the circumstances of which are explained in more detail later on in the book and now she has returned to sell Apple Tree Farm. She had inherited the house from her grandmother Irene and her mother Amanda, who lives in France, had gotten jewellery which mysteriously went missing when being sent to her. Tenants have left the house in a state and Ruby knows work will have to be done before it can be sold. Ruby hasn’t been back to the area since her grandmother’s funeral as pandemic restrictions curtailed travel. An unfortunate incident on her first night there leads her to meeting Will Keelbrook, a handyman of sorts who can turn his hand to anything. She soon discovers that he is the godson of her Great Aunt Philippa who lives across the road at Westumble Farm. Things between Philippa, Ruby and Amanda have not been good and there is a lot of resentment and anger there mostly on Philippa’s part.

Philippa is now 88 and as cantankerous as ever. She has a huge chip on her shoulder and to say she is not friendly is an understatement. She never seems to say exactly what people want to hear. Instead, she skirts around issues and the reader can easily see that she is telling lies and hiding secrets. When Ruby discovers diaries from Irene that were nearly burnt in a suitcase, a whole can of worms is opened up and a fascinating yet heart-breaking story unfolds. Philippa certainly knows more than she is letting on and I loved that Ruby kept pushing her to answer the many questions that arise the further she reads through the diaries. What happened to the locket that Ruby reads about that was given to Irene by Theo? Why were the diaries burnt? What happened all those years ago during the war that led to secrecy, trauma, bitterness, resentment and anger? Ruby is determined to dig deep to find the answers to these questions and so much more. In the process of doing so she learns an awful lot about her family history with numerous surprising revelations. The reveals just keep coming in the last quarter or so of the book and I was enjoying every minute of it. It was emotional and shocking and you just feel immense sadness for all involved that things occurred the way they did.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Locket, I felt it was something just that little bit different from what I have read before from Natalie Meg Evans and I appreciated this and the time spent researching and developing the story. Tackling the themes in the manner in which she did was brilliant and it shone alight on an aspect of the war and society that I don’t give enough thought to. Irene and Theo really get under your skin but in a good way and you are rooting for Ruby the entire time that she will find the answers and that some form of reconciliation and acceptance will occur. With the nights drawing in and the weather turning, The Locket is definitely a book to curl up as you will enjoy every moment.

I’ve read most of Natalie Meg Evans books but this one wasn’t for me. I found it leaned more towards romantic fiction more than historical and it failed to hold my interest sufficiently. I’m sure others may love it.

A dual timeline that I very much enjoyed and appreciated.
I was close to my grandmother, so I pretty much understood what Ruby is going through.
Like Ruby's grandmother, mine had a World War 2 history, too. Their stories were very interesting. I should have written a novel about their experiences, but I was very young at the time.
I really didn't want this story to end. It was sooooo good that I finished it in a day.
I think that if 2 people were meant to be, then who are we to interfere?
I loved Ruby's story but my favorite was Irene's and Theodore's story.
I felt like I couldn't get enough of it.
My heart broke for them.
Life shouldn't be like that. People should love whom they want to. Instead of interfering.
This story was very well written and I loved every minute of it.
A story of courage, love, and determination to survive against such a setting as this book is.
A wonderful story I can't say this often enough.
Secrets do have a way of coming no matter past or present
5 stars! I highly recommend this book
My thanks for a copy of this book.
I was NOT required to write a positive review of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Emotional and heart-broken read.

The story had a dual timeline, 1942 in England and present times. In 1942, Irene was 17 years old. She was a daughter of the local farmer. She met Theodore, who was there to build the US airbase. They fell in love but Theodore reminded her to keep it as a secret, because Theodore was black.

Back to present time, Ruby went to her family’s farmhouse for the first time after the loss her grandmother, Irene. Ruby found her grandmother diary and knew she was finding her long lost jewelry, which was a locket from Theodore.

This was going to unravel her grandmother heartbroken wartime secret. A secret may shatter the family.

This is definitely a 5-star read. Not only a wartime novel, it’s a story about love, prejudice and family. Irene and Theodore did nothing wrong, but born in the wrong time…

I love the writing style of the author. Beautiful flow. The characters were all cleverly created and so likable. The Locket is in my re-read booklist. I wonder will I have another deeper feeling when I read it again in the future.

This is an emotional and heartbreaking historical fiction that I have read.

Heartbroken Ruby returns back to her grandparents' farm house after her grandmother Irene passed away. While going through things, Ruby comes across Irene's diary that described the life Irene had during the World War II.
In 1943, Irene, daughter of a farmer meets Sergeant Theodore Robinson and immediately the sparks fly between them. However, Theo is Black while Irene is White British and it was a time when Jim Crow laws are full in force and segregation is common back then. Irene is madly in love with Theo until she finds out that she was carrying Theo's baby.

This was a very realistic historical fiction and the author must have done tremendous research about that certain era--the time as I mentioned earlier when segregation between white people and blacks are full in force. I actually enjoyed Irene's part but I also liked Ruby in the story. Irene is a courageous and brave woman who would defy at any odds and culture to be with her true love and because of that Irene, Ruby and Will are like my favorite characters in the story. The writing is well written and mesmerizing and the author did a good job of drawing the reader into the story, making them feel like they are also a part of the story. The story is divided into present and past dated 1943. It was really interesting to read about what life was like back then. Overall, this is an emotional and heartbreaking story that will make you cry--worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Many thanks to Bookouture for making me a part of the blog tour. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

From the very start of The Locket I was drawn into this dual time narrative and followed with real interest this rather evocative WW2 story about Irene Boulter, a young woman who just happened to fall in love with a man who her village community didn't approve of. Fast forward eighty years later and Irene's granddaughter, Ruby, is determined to solve a mystery which has been kept secret for far too long.

Spanning the war years, and its subsequent repercussions, we experience the joy, and heartbreak, of a relationship which caused real problems in a rural village which didn't like to stray too far from the straight and narrow. Recreating a time of bigotry and prejudice leaves a real mark on the story and the author explores this difficult time really well so that I had a real sense of the emotional connection between Irene and Theodore, and yet also suffered, alongside them, the pain of betrayal and ultimate heartbreak.

I enjoyed the modern day story very much, it sits comfortably alongside the wartime elements and I became totally immersed in Ruby's search for the truth as she discovered just what occurred in 1942 which caused Irene so much unhappiness. The way in which the fragmented pieces of lives torn apart during the war were revealed in emotional detail with neither the historic, nor the modern, overshadowing the other.

Moving seamlessly backwards and forwards in time The Locket is a beautifully written story about long hidden secrets and lives which had been changed by circumstances.

England, 1942: The war ranges on and tempers continue to flare. The German’s must be stopped but it seams like an impossible task. Irene is the daughter of a farmer and she meets Theodore one night at a dance in the village, it was love at first sight. Theodore is from Louisiana and is stationed in England, his assignment was to build a US Airbase near her father’s farm. Everyone they know, in the military and their village is against their relationship. They will stop at nothing to tear the two apart. Decades later, Ruby returns to her family’s farm after her grandmother Irene passes away. Ruby searches the entire farmhouse looking for anything she can salvage about her grandmother’s past. She finds Irene’s diaries and only one piece of her jewelry, a locket from Theodore. Ruby must find the truth of the past before she loses hope in her future.

The Locket written by author Natalie Meg Evans, is a heartbreaking and completely enthralling story of bridging the past and the present. This is a time slip novel of love and courage and never giving up. I loved everything about Irene and Theordore’s story and I really liked Ruby and the fact that she would stop at nothing to find the truth. This was an unputdownable book for me because itwas so well written, and I couldn’t wait to find out the ending. I loved the description of the village and the people that lived there. This is a wonderful and very emotional story that I highly recommend.

The Locket is a breathtaking, compelling new historical fiction novel from author Natalie Meg Evans. Set against the backdrop of rural Suffolk during the Second World War, it is the story of a forbidden romance between Irene, a young local white woman, and Theo a black US Air Force airman based locally. The story is told through a dual-timeline narrative, moving between Irene’s story in the 1940s and her granddaughter Ruby’s story in 2022/23 as she moves into her late grandmother’s home and reads her wartime diaries for the first time. The book perfectly combines the story of this forbidden romance with a mystery fuelled by family secrets and I was hooked from the very first page.
Natalie Meg Evans has a magical storytelling ability which makes you feel like you are right there in the 1940s. As someone who was born and raised in East Anglia, I really enjoyed the small touch of including Suffolk dialect as it really helped the setting to further come alive on the page. I did find the story to feel slightly slow and drawn out at times but the pace quickly picked up again.
Both Irene and Ruby were beautifully written protagonists with such depth to their characters. I also thought Philippa was a fantastically written and very complex character through whom the long-lasting impact of child-abuse was shown. Theo was another fantastic character whose charm had me immediately falling in love with him and it was heartbreaking to see the disgusting treatment he experienced simply due to the colour of his skin.
As the story focuses around racism and particularly the prejudice experienced by the black members of the US military based in the UK during the war, it is incredibly hard-hitting but equally such an important read. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that prior to reading The Locket I was ashamedly ignorant to the racial segregation that existed for the US troops based in the UK but Theo’s story has really opened my eyes and encouraged me to educate myself further on such an important topic.
Overall, The Locket is a powerful and incredibly gripping piece of historical fiction which is both heart-breaking and heart-warming.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I have posted an extended review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk and the post is linked.

I enjoyed this book greatly. I like reading WWII genre. This gave me a different view of the war. A true love story that kept me up late reading. Ruby goes back to her grandparents house to put it up for sale. She finds many secrets there. It jumps from her story to her grandparents. A must read.

My heart about broke reading such an emotional story.

A time slip taking place in England 1942 and modern times. Each features a romantic couple, the one in 1942 is Irene, a 17-year-old farmer’s daughter, Irene, and Theo a service man stationed far from Louisiana, now proudly serving in the US Air Force and there to build a US airbase just across her father’s fields.

The modern times story features Irene’s granddaughter Ruby and her romantic partner. I will admit my favorite part of the story was the historical time period.

Irene falls fast when she meets Theo at a town dance, but Theo warns her they must keep their romance a secret, see Theo is black and a romance such as this is just not accepted in this time period.

The descriptions of the prejudice people and the treatment of Theo including beatings just for a romance with a white woman disgusted me. What business is it of anyone who someone dates or socializes with, nobody’s affair but the two it involves. And this includes the church minister involved in bigotry.

There was just no combatting prejudice and bigotry at this time and Theo was beaten, sent away and jailed. Before this though, when their romance was fresh and new, they were engaged, and he gave her a beautiful engagement ring hidden in a locket. My heart breaks for the injustice and ruined lives here.

Many years later Irene’s granddaughter, Ruby comes to the farm where Irene lived and finds her grandmother’s diary.

She is determined to find out her grandmother’s secrets, she had no idea about her grandmother’s past or where the locket is located. Will digging up the past cause pain to her family, especially and older generation member or will they hold the key to unlocking the past?

Brilliantly written, I had such a hard time putting this down. The perseverance the past generation showed in the face of adversity is amazing and must be commended! Five stars but I wish I could give it more!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This is a dual- timeline novel that I thoroughly enjoyed reading, set in WWII and the present.

Ruby has come to her Grandmother’s house, which has been left to her in her Will, following having her heart broken.

As she’s sorting out the items in the house she comes across some diaries, of Irene, her Grandmother’s past. What she didn't expect to find however, was written snippets from grandma Irene's past, knowing she was never told the truth whenever she asked her any questions.

She’s looking for the one thing her mother wants, a locket.

The story had so much happening as you read, you learn about the racism, lies, abuse and so much more that took place in the 1940's,

Reading about what happened to Irene and Theo was hard reading, what family members did at the time which impacted on Irene along with the other members in the family.

Will Ruby be able to put right the wrongs that happened all those years ago?

The story was so well written and I highly recommend this book.