Readers will be completely blown away by Kate Hewitt’s latest entrancing historical novel, The Girl on the Boat.

Sophie Weiss has no reason to remain in Germany. Forlorn, heartbroken and devastated, Sophie boards the SS St Louis desperate for escape after the Nazi had taken everything from her. Devoid of hope and full of anguish and sorrow, Sophie doesn’t see much reason to go on – until she befriends fellow Jewish passengers Hannah, Rosa and Rachel on board. Their friendship makes Sophie believe that there could be happiness in her future despite of the many challenges ahead.

When the four women’s worst fears are realized and their ship is refused entry at a port they thought would be safe, they are all terrified of being sent back to Europe. Salvation comes in the form of an old friend’s of Sophie’s father who offers to take her in. But if she accepts his offer, Sophie would have to leave her friends behind as there is only room for her. Quickly, Sophie takes the emerald her mother had given her and gives each of her friends a piece with a promise to meet in Paris when this nightmare is over.

Sophie has been given a second chance, but how can she embrace her freedom when her friends have been left facing an uncertain fate? Sophie vows to do everything she possibly can to help her friends – even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice and paying the highest price of all.

Kate Hewitt is a master storyteller who writes unforgettable novels of love, friendship, courage and hope that never fail to hit the spot and The Girl on the Boat is no different. A stunning wartime tale packed with pathos and emotions about the ties that bind and the power of friendship with a terrific heroine, The Girl on the Boat is another superb historical novel from the talented Kate Hewitt readers will never forget.

This is an unforgettable WW2 story where fiction mingles with fact. This is the first in the series titled the Emerald sisters.
It begins in Germany 1939 as the Weiss family board the St. Louis boat bound for Havana.
On board are three other Jewish girls hoping for a better future in America. As the boat arrives in Havana the passengers are not allowed to disembark. However, just as the boat is due to sail off Sophie Weiss is allowed to disembark. Relucañtantly she is persuaded to leave the boat but not before she has divided her dead Mother’s emerald between the 4 girls with the promise to meet after the war in Paris at Henry’s by the Eiffel Tower on June 17th.

This book contained Sophie’s story over the next three years as she struggles to make a new life in USA without her friends and family to support her.

Can’t wait to read the next books to find out how the others faired in their struggle to survive. Another good story Kate!

I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I don't usually read historical fictions. This genre isn't my go-to genre, however once in a while I like to read something like this. I am glad I got access to this book. Its well written, and depicts 4 very brave, strong women during the second world war.

I am so looking forward to all the books in this series of 4 women who are trying to escape the Nazis. Such hope and friendship the girls share. They are separated with the promise to meet in Paris after the war. Pieces of an emerald are shared among them and offer opportunity for each of the girls.

This was a page-turner of a story. It's a historical fiction book that starts on the St. Louis, a boat of passengers, mostly German Jews, who were fleeing Nazi Germany and headed to Cuba. It's told from the perspective of Sophie, who's traveling with her half-brother Heinrich, stepmother, and her father, who was arrested and detained after Kristallnacht and still has nightmares of that time. During the cruise, she becomes friends with Rosa, who is traveling with her parents, Hannah who is traveling with her sister, and Rachel, who is traveling with her husband. When it becomes clear that they won't be allowed to land in Cuba, Sophie has the opportunity to go to the US and stay with an old colleague of her father's in Washington DC. Heartbroken to leave her friends, she breaks apart one of her mother's old emeralds and hands one to each of the girls, vowing to meet a year after the war.

My thoughts:
I loved Sophie's story as she navigates her life in the US before they head to the war. I know the real-life story of the St Louis, so it was heartbreaking to see from Sophie's perspective, the lack of interest from Americans about what was happening on that boat and the welfare of the people on the boat. It was interesting to see the comparisons made between the race laws in the US and the ones in Germany with the Jews. Anyway, I loved Sophie and hope the other books shed more light on the rest of her story. I'm currently reading the 2nd book in the series and I'm looking forward to the other stories.

Thanks to @bookouture, NetGalley, and the author of this ARC.

Sophie is fleeing Germany with her family & they board the SS St Louis to go to Cuba. While on the boat, she makes friendships of a lifetime with three other women - Rosa, Rachel, & Hannah. After being refused entrance to Cuba, Sophie is somehow able to go Washington DC through a connection of her father. From there you follow her as she learns how to live in a new country & live without the people she loves the most - feeling guilty for how blessed she is for being able to escape the fate her friends & family now face. I could’ve kept reading & following Sophie’s next endeavor. I look forward to reading the next installment of the series following Rosa!

Sophia's Escape

A story of the St. Louis, the last ship to leave Berlin during the reign of the Nazi's. Headed to Cuba it was denied entry at Cuba leaving several thousand Jewish refugees nowhere to go.

This first book in the Emerald Sister series is the story of three young Jewish women that meet on the St. Louis and befriend each other. Sophia, Rachel, Hannah and Rosa. Sophia has an emerald her grandmother gave her. She splits it in four pieces and gives on to each of the girls and keeps the other herself. They promise that they will meet at a cafe named Henri's after the war in Paris.

Sophia gets a chance to go to America and leaves the St. Louis leaving her friends behind. She is excited about going to America, but she is guilty because her family and friends are left behind.

This book is the story of the friendship of the girls and the voyage from Germany to Cuba. It then focuses on Sophia and her time in America. She soon finds her benefactors are not as they seem and is on her own in a strange country. It is the story of how she survives and makes a life for herself while worrying about her friends and family.

It was an interesting book, I liked hearing about the St. Louis and the refugees on board. I am now awaiting the stories of the other girls on the boat.

Thanks to one of my favorite author's Kate Hewitt for bringing the story to life and writing yet another great Historical Fiction Series. Thanks to Bookouture for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and review.

First I must say I read this book a while ago and forgot to review it, When I went to read the second book in the series I remembered and now will do my review.

I am a huge fan of historical fiction adn this book this book didn't disappoint at all. Sophie Weiss boards the SS St Louis to leave Germany to escape the heartache and loss she has suffered at the hands of the Germans. On board she makes friends with Rosa, Hannah and Rachel and but all does not go as smoothly as she had hoped and the friends are separated in the hopes they will reunite in the future.

This is a wow of a read and one that will grip you and take you on a journey of heartache, fear, emotion and so much more. The story and the writing is brilliant, the characters so real and it is the perfect length and pace. It is a book I couldn't put down and couldn't wait to read more of the books in this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Girl on the Boat by Kate Hewitt is the first book in the brilliant new The Emerald Sisters series and I loved it. This book is set in Germany in 1939, Germany was allowing a few Jewish people to leave its shores to start a new promising life. Sophie Weiss and her family boards the SS St Louis to the United States, as they have no reason to stay in Germany. The Nazis have taken everything from them, and their only hope is escape. Sophie meets fellow Jewish refugees Rosa, Hannah and Rachel on board, the friendship they form gives Sophie hope that there can be happiness in her future, after all.

This journey to their new life was hard, tiring and long, their worst fears is about to happen, when their boat is refused entry at a port they thought would be safe to go to. Panic and being terrified of being sent back to Europe, the women cling together and desperately wait for news.
Then, at last, word reaches the ship that a friend of Sophie’s father is willing to take her in — but there is only room for her.

Sophie, has something that is so precious with her, quickly she unpicks the lining of her coat, revealing her late mother’s emerald hidden in the lining. She hands a piece of the precious stone to each of her friends, and the women promise to meet in Paris when this nightmare is over.

Watching the SS St Louis grow smaller on the horizon, Sophie’s heart begins to break.

How can she embrace her freedom when those she loves face an unknown fate?

What can she do to help them? Gripping her emerald with a fierce determination, she fixes her eyes on the boat: I will find a way to help you, no matter what…..........

This book is beautifully written and you will be gripped from the beginning till the end.

I highly recommend this book......another 5 star book from Kate.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this book even though it was harrowing subject matter. The strength of friendship and desperation to survive. Can’t wait to read the next one. Would recommend this book.

A fantastic historical fiction which discusses the SS St Louis ship during World War Two. I can’t wait to read the other books in this series

We follow the story of Sophie Weiss as she travels on the St Louis from Germany with her family hoping to seek refuge in Cuba, only to discover that they may not be allowed to leave the ship. During the journey Sophie has managed to become friendly with Rosa, Rachel and Hannah, this group of friends manage to support each other through the long arduous journey.
When Sophie’s stepmother insists that she leave without them Sophie is devastated at the prospect of possibly never seeing her father and younger brother again.

While I enjoyed the story I found some sections dragged out and actually only deducted a star because about a quarter of the book is taken up with promoting other book by the same author.

Four young women, fleeing Nazi Germany with their various family members, meet on the ill-fated St. Louis en route to a new life in Cuba. Their trip there seems carefree and reminiscent of their pre-war days, albeit with tinges of antisemitism and Nazi oppression. Upon arrival at the port of Cuba, they spend a few days waiting as they are not allowed to depart. Sophie Weiss, one of the girls, is offered a miraculous save – a sponsorship for her, and her alone, to live in Washington DC, with a colleague of her father. Knowing that she will be leaving her friends behind to return to the terror of Europe, she breaks an emerald into four pieces, giving each of the girls one. The four girls then promise to meet at a specific café in Paris in June after the war ends.
The story then follows Sophie through her triumphs and challenges living in Washington, DC, exploring not only the life of a German foreigner but also learning about class, privilege, racial discrimination, heartbreak, intelligence, and espionage. She follows from afar as her friends and family are flung to various parts of Europe, uncertain of their futures and her own.
This is the first in a four-part series, which I imagine will chronicle each girl's experience. Through foreshadowing, we know there will be a meeting at the café in Paris after the war, but not all girls will attend.
In this novel, the author does a beautiful job detailing life in the United States at this precipice of World War Two. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough, and I look forward to reading the other three books in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book and provide feedback. This story is quite slow to start in my opinion but once you get past it, its worth it until the end. I love a good spark to finish the story and read on, but this felt a bit unfinished.

This story is gripping and emotional, inviting readers to imagine the fear and loneliness and hopelessness at so many levels. The story follows a strong young woman, doing her best to look out for her family when everything seems to be against her. It follows her through immigration and the navigation of impossible situations. She has courage and backbone and a willingness to work hard. Whatever it takes for the ones she loves.

This novel peels back the facade of idealism, acknowledging the uglier parts of the 30s and 40s. The parts no one wants to admit to. The ones we'd like to pretend never happened. It calls out the duplicity of patriotism and racism and apathy. Through it all, this is a story of love. Of hope. Of growth. Of one girl growing up to find her place in a brutal, changing world.

This book is definitely part of a series. It leaves some questions unanswered. I think I was expecting it to function as the first of four connected stand-alones, if that makes sense, but it's clear when this book ends that there's still more of the story to be told. Book Two, The Girl With a Secret, releases April 12.

In the first book in a new World War II historical fiction series, readers embark on the St. Louis, a ship sailing from Europe with hundreds of Jewish refugees onboard, including protagonist Sophie, her father and stepmother, little brother Heinrich, and her new friends Rosa, Hannah, and Rachel. When the ship reaches Cuba, however, they get refused entry and everyone is sent back to Europe -- except for Sophie, who makes it to the United States. Readers then follow Sophie as she gets a job and acclimatizes to Washington DC in the years before the US enters World War II. Watching from the sidelines knowing her family and friends are still in potentially dangerous territory with a Nazi state on the rise, Sophie tries to stay in touch with her family and friends while doing her bit in the States. Hewitt’s characters are wonderful, each with a complex backstory that impacts their decisions, and there are a few characters with an air of mystery to them that are sure to be relevant in future books. Location is key, and Hewitt (through the character of Sophie) draws some concerning comparisons between the Nuremberg Laws and segregation that are particularly pertinent to Sophie’s story.

The Girl On The Boat is the first installment of a four part series about four young women who set sail as Jewish refugees on the SS St Louis en route to Cuba. Fleeing Nazi persecution, these women form a unique bond on the journey, one that they promise to never let go of despite not knowing what’s ahead of them.

The first installment is Sophie’s story. She’s fleeing Germany with her father, step mother and little brother. Her life has been somewhat sheltered since the Night of Broken Glass, she has no real friends until she meets Rosa, Hannah and Rachel on board the St Louis. But when Cuba refuses entry to the refugees, Sophie is miraculously granted a reprieve and is allowed to leave the ship thanks to an old friend of her father’s in America. The guilt she leaves with is something she carries on her shoulders every day, especially when there is so much uncertainty for those she cares about. Sophie finds work and friends in a Jewish community center in Washington DC. A chance encounter with a naval employee offers her an opportunity to do more for the war effort and she soon finds herself heading back to Europe undercover.

I throughly enjoyed this story and can’t wait to read the next installment of this series! Thanks so much to NetGalley, Bookouture and Kate Hewitt for an early glimpse at this lovely story!

This book hooks the reader immediately, with the prologue opening in Paris, in June 1946 in a cafe where the four "emerald sisters" had promised each other to meet on this particular date and time. Three of them show up and we learn that one didn't survive the war. No names are given...absolutely brilliant writing!

Next, we said on the SS St. Louis, the doomed ship with 1000 Jews fleeing Germany and it is here that we meet all four young women who will ultimately be the emerald sisters. It's heartbreaking and shameful to read about their voyage. This first book follows Sophie to D.C., one of only a handful of passengers to get off the ship in Havana. She is shocked at the segregation policies in America, as they are so similar to the Jewish restrictions in Germany. I was shocked reading the very same political language being used then by Americans who didn't want to be involved in a war in Europe and the political rhetoric in America today. The America First Committee was virulently anti-Jewish and anti-immigrant, parroting Hitler's hate speech. I was so absorbed in the story that I didn't realize that the book was coming to an end. Since this is only the first book in a new series, it ends in 1942...YIKES! I still don't know who survived so I can't wait to read the next one. You don't want to miss this outstanding book.

Such a heartfelt emotional book! Really enjoyed this and can’t wait for the next
One! Thank you Net Galley

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

What a well written novel. Not only do we have experience in the St-Louis and mixed emotions and classes on board, but we also have a unique viewpoint of life in America during this time. I enjoyed most of Sophie's experiences and her non-Prejudice mind set to the black community. Great book