I hate to leave a negative review for anyone because I think authors are brave for putting themselves out there for criticism. But this book just wasn't for me. I only finished it because I had received a free copy and needed to leave a review. I have read books by Joanna Davidson Politano before and they have been very good! This one just didn't float my boat.

I didn't connect with the characters and got lost a few times. Maybe other readers will have a different opinion.

This book was a voyage of discovery and healing. It ends with a romance but not before the 2main characters have learned to love and appreciate themselves . In particular, lily has a chequered past and is running away from a previous lifestyle. She uses story and disguise to change identities and keep hidden. In finding herself, she makes a connection with God and finds meaning and purpose. The story has some unexpected twists and turns but ends with people reconciled to themselves and each other

Wow! This amazing book blew me away! Joanna Politano's writing takes the reader on a journey that is complicated, sometimes dangerous, and filled with surprises! Each page kept me guessing and trying to figure out what was going to happen next.

Lily Temple is a true artist, a storyteller who skillfully hides nuggets of truth within her tales. Peter, I loved from the beginning! He listens, and in that listening, he gleans information pertinent to his job. Together, they make the perfect team!

I enjoyed the aspects of the film industry. How worlds were created by illusion and fairy tales.I also loved the references to the gardener and how he longs for people to draw near and understand.

In this book, the lost are found, the broken are made whole and truth prevails. For me, it challenged my way of thinking about eternity and the story that our life tells.

I was provided a copy of the book from Baker Publishing Group via Netgalley through Interviews and Reviews. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I will preface this review by saying that I love Joanna Davidson Politano's writing and have enjoyed every book she has written. Unfortunately, for some reason that I can't put my finger on, The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple had me struggling to finish it.

That said, the writing was superb as always, and the author has done a fantastic job of weaving in a faith element that will speak to your heart (if you keep on reading, which I did). The problems for me began in the first few chapters, as I had a hard time following what was going on. I loved the quotes at the beginning of the book from various fairy tales, which added to the whimsy of Lily. And as I got to know the characters, the story became clearer, and I enjoyed it.

Lily was definitely a mystery, and investigator Peter Driscoll was perceptive and kind as he tried to determine if she had stolen the legendary Briarwood Teardrop. As he gets to know her, he enlists her aid in another case, and the two begin to trust each other.

The book is beautifully written, but it wasn't my cup of tea. However, this will not deter me from reading another book by Joanna, as she is a brilliant wordsmith, and I look forward to her next book.

The mix of real life people and imagination in "The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple" by Joanna Davidson Politano set in 1903 England made for a fascinating story, quite different from many I've read lately. The author uses rich words and imagination in this mystery of flicker film actress Lily Temple (who is fictional). There are twists and turns in this book as Lily's story is revealed. The author also uses a story within a story as well in the fashion of fairy tales. Each chapter has a fairy tale quote at the beginning which was a cute intro to the chapter.

I really liked the imagination and slow build of the story. The real history of early movies, or flickers as they were called in the day was extremely interesting. The author also brings in real life early movie maker George Smith and his wife Laura Bayley into the story as well as the setting for their film studio and film techniques which is a cool detail to this story. The book did take a few chapters for it to pick up for me but I'm glad I persevered because the ending was incredible. I liked how she used gardens and the master gardener to show God in our lives. This is a Christian fiction book and the faith theme is woven very strongly in the last half of the book which I loved reading about.

Thank you to NetGalley and Revell publishing for the chance to read this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Enchanting!!! The author is such a talented wordsmith and I enjoyed every thought-provoking moment of this captivating story. In the Elusive Truth of Lily Temple several threads are beautifully woven together keeping the reader guessing, while sprinkling nuggets of truth, beauty, whimsy, suspense and love along the way.

"The more fiction wove through my heart, the clearer the truth became. Because there was a great deal of truth in fiction-the sort too important to just be spoken outright. What heroism looked like. What it meant to love authentically, and more than anything else, who the rescuer of our souls was. That was the truest story." Amen to that!

I love captivating fictional stories that share not only thoroughly enjoyable tales, but also beautiful truths. The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple takes you on just such a journey. I got lost in this wonderful whimsical story and savored each step along the way. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read an early ecopy. All opinions are my own. My own per-ordered paperback will have a special place on my keeper shelf along with all this author's other stories!

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I've heard of the author but not read any of their books so was thrilled to read this

I can see this could be a bit of a marmite situation - some will love it some will find it difficult to connect to the writing style

I think it may be you would need to be in the right mood to gauge

I loved it - its different to a lot of authors I read and more I would say of a literary offer

I had a hard time getting into this book and finding a way to connect to Lily. She did not seem like the kind of character I could be a fan of nor look forward to reading her story.

I liked the premise of this book which promised history , mystery, romance and silent cinema. We meet Lily Temple and Peter Driscoll at a screening and I was brought up short after reading Peter's feelings on meeting Miss. Temple- 'God wished to grant him this glimpse of serenity, of perfect beauty'. So I looked up more about the author, and read 'I'm Joanna and I love Jesus'. I also found the writing too whimsical. Clearly Joanna Davidson Politano has a strong following and her books sell well but this book was not for me, and unusually for me I didn't feel able to finish this book. Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

In many ways, this entire novel felt like a riddle. There were layers of meaning and multiple conclusions and often times I got lost amidst all the pieces of the puzzle. It would speed up only to slow down once again. Although I often felt like I was going in circles with the plot, the words were so intricately strung together and beautiful that I didn’t mind getting lost in it. In some ways the writing is incredibly deep and thorough but I also felt like we never dove beneath the surface. I love the poetic writing with this novel but I also feel that it lacked the balance of mundane happenings mixed in with the lyrical tone. This story was capable of so much more but in the end it just left me feeling dizzy and unsure. I’d give this book 3/5 stars. All three of those stars are for Politano’s incredible writing, I will try her other books and hope for better luck with them. *I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

I loved this book. Absolutely loved it. Since this is Joanna Davidson Politano's latest release, I'm not surprised. The sheer beauty of the writing, the variety of interesting settings (something of a departure from her previous books, which usually focus on just one setting), the intriguing, whimiscal and delightful heroine, and the hero I was ready to fall in love with myself are only a few things that I loved about this book. The subtle nods to George MacDonald, and all the fairy references, were the icing on the cake. Now don't mind me while I shove this book into the hands of as many people as possible while telling them "READ THIS!"

The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple is a story with a beautiful message that I rarely hear in works of fiction about God, truth, stories, and eternity. As an avid reader of C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, and many of the fairy tales that Politano quoted at the beginning of each chapter, much of this story felt like being reacquainted with a piece of home. Politano created a garden of a tale that is, at times, as verdant as it was heartbreaking in its beauty and truth.

I wanted to love this story more than I did because of the truth that I share with this author's perspective. However, the pacing of the story and the different threads of the narrative made it difficult for me to remain fully engaged in Lily and Peter's story. There were two many minor characters to keep track of and, unlike the author's intent, they did not come full circle into the story of Lily and Peter. I think I understood the author's intention of using the stories of some secondary characters, like Adelaide Walker and her soldier or the little girl Mila; they seemed to point to the types of stories that Lily yearned for and would have herself one day. Yet knowing the purpose and feeling like they fit into the story were two different things while I read this book. I get it, but it was not as much value added as the author would have liked, at least in my opinion. I think Politano could have made a more compelling story with about a third less content: there's the Eden-like garden, the magic of the cinema, a missing jewel, an injured soldier in a hospital who was presumed dead, private detective work, a mysterious girl, a lost gardener, an unjust and powerful judge, fake identities, romance, family heartbreak, shipwrecks, and passages to France. The book spun in in every direction. Yet still, Lily and Peter's story plodded along during the final chapters and I felt myself skipping whole paragraphs. It was too much without enough driving the main story forward. Where the main story did drive forward, it got increasingly more winding, contemplative, and repetitive. I'd love to see a lightened version of this romance without so much going on in the background.

"This was impossible . Simply impossible. 'No one truly knows me.'
'Then, Lily . . . I’m no one.'"

There's no way I can write a review as elegantly phrased as the author has written this book, so I'll just put it simply: I LOVED this book.

Okay, to give you a little more detail, I'll tell you there are tightly woven mysteries tugging you across every page. There's allegory and whimsy, romance and danger, emerging faith and deep devotion.

I've had a difficult time focusing on books lately, but The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple fished me out of that fog completely. And I already can't wait for whatever the author writes next!

Thanks to the publisher for the copy to honestly review.

Lily is a silent-film starlet with a hidden past. Peter is a investigator trying to locate a beautiful gem. The two are brought together to solve a mystery while Peter is secretly investigating Lily herself. Can the two solve the mystery and find something more than just the gem? I absolutely loved this novel! The chemistry between Peter and Lily is special and is beautifully told in this story. This was such an amazing tale! I would definitely recommend this book to any friends and family.

Thank you to Net Galley and Revell for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
I have read all of Joanna Davidson Politano's books, and I find her writing to be exceptional. This book was no exception. The characters and setting were well-written. I did think this book got off to a slow start, and I wasn't sure where the story was going. After the story got going, I became more interested. I would say this story is a Gothic Romance with a little Fantasy thrown in.

Joanna Davidson Politano's The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple is a fabulous piece of historical fiction. I loved the characters, plot and setting. No complaints here. I loved it. Five stars.

3.5 stars
The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple is an intriguing historical fiction novel.
It is full of mystery, intrigue, secrets, and a cast of interesting characters. Peter and Lily were both fun characters to follow. I liked getting to know both of them better as the story progressed.
I did have a hard time getting into this one. I’m not really sure why. The characters were intriguing and the writing was engaging but it just took me awhile.
Politano is a very talented writer. She keeps her reader engaged and draws them into her story quickly. This was my second book by her and I hope to read more!
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*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to post a positive review*

The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple is everything that I love about historical fiction.

A funky strong female character and a love interest who is worthy of her and much more than just handsome, rich and unavailable.

Peter meets Lily when searching whilst searching for the legendary sapphire the Briarwood Teardrop. Lily is a mercurial actress who appears to be all things to everything. There are other side stories including an introduction to early film making which provide an interesting side note.

I loved this novel and am grateful for the slow unfolding of the central mystery of who is Lily Temple, and the other mysteries that unfold and come back to the beginning. As all stories do.

This is going to be one of the big novels of 2024 so do yourself a favour and read it as soon as possible.

Joanna Davidson Politano is an artist. A magician with words. Her stories are rich, layered, and enchanting. The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple is just the latest gem in her story crown.

Reading a JDP story is a lot like walking through fog. You will see glimpses of things here and there, but it's not until you get out that you see what you've caught glimmers of this whole time. Even then, at least for me, I have to read her stories a second or third time to really grasp what she has created. Which is fine, in my opinion, because it means I get to enjoy the story in a new way over and over again.

One of the things at which Joanna excels is the rich truths that are woven throughout her stories. I was enthralled with the garden and the breadcrumbs and what they meant for Lily. I always learn more about God and my relationship with Him when I read a JDP story.

There is a character created by Jennifer A. Nielson named Jaron. He is one of my favorite literary characters of all time and Lily is one of only a few others who is like him. Her brilliantly clever ideas and spunk made me grin. She's also very mysterious. It was fun to get to know her through Peter's excellent questioning and listening skills.

I did end this story with some unanswered questions but maybe they will become clear the next time I read it, because there will be a next time. I think this might be my third-favorite Joanna Davidson Politano story!!!! (First place to A Rumored Fortune and second to The Love Note)

Thank you to Revell and NetGalley for this gifted copy!*
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Synopsis: “Would that this could be my story, instead of the one I had to live. For once, I wished someone could truly save.” Lily Temple is a beautiful actress weaving seamless stories in silent films, but she is also a woman of great secrets including the necklace she often wears. When a stranger begins to follow Lily, her instincts tell her to flee, landing her right in the path of private investigator Peter Driscoll. As Lily helps Peter discover the truth of an unsolved romance, he is determined to learn the truth about her and the necklace she wears. Lily’s mysterious identity has many layers from a troubled past, but even her master storytelling ability can’t save her from what she’s really running from and searching for.

Analysis: If ever a book were to have layers, I would say it is this one, but Joanna Davidson Politano weaves them together beautifully. There are stories of mystery, fairytale, and romance just to name a few. I wasn’t fully prepared for all the details, but I absolutely loved how it all came together. This book kept me turning the pages for more! I had to know who Lily really was and how all of the storylines connected. Lily’s guarded heart left me hoping for her to discover the beauty of true love. And steady, insightful Peter was the perfect one for her. Perhaps my favorite thing about this book is just the spiritual depth that it brings to storytelling. Lily Temple may be a good storyteller, but ultimately she points us to the greatest Storyteller of all.

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.