I’m thrilled to be a part of the beginning of a new series, #TheEmeraldSisters!

This series will tell the stories of the bravery of four girls planning their lives during the time of the Second World War. Sophie, Rosa, Hannah & Rachel (“four friends forever”) forge an instant bond in difficult times. Book 1 is a wonderful #historicalfiction novel that touches your heartstrings in all the ways, with Sophie’s story just as things are starting to ramp up in the brutal world of World War II. I read it in two days. Several harrowing events happened that were worse than I thought had actually happened during that time, which led me to research myself. Sophie’s story ended and left me very eager to read the next friend’s story.

Thank you, Kate Hewitt, Bookouture, & netgalley for my early copy! All opinions are my own.

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Thank you Bookouture for inviting me to be part of the Books on Tour for “The Girl on the Boat” by Kate Hewitt. Kate Hewitt is such a great author- she writes historical fiction just as well as women’s fiction. She is a must read for me!
If you are looking for a book that will tear your heart out but leave you with hope, this book is for you! Sophie is a Jewish girl on her way to Cuba and befriends three women on the ship. This is based on a true story. The Jews were allowed to leave Germany but weren’t allowed to go to any other country. Hitler wanted to show the world that they weren’t welcome anywhere in the world.
I am looking forward to the next book in this series! Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#TheGirlOnTheBoat #KateHewitt #NetGalley #Bookouture #BookLove #BooksSetDuringWWII #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks

The persecution of the Jews in Germany was bad enough but even on the boat taking them away from Germany, Sophie and her friends faced taunts. Hoping to reach the safe haven of Cuba, with visas in hand, their hopes were dashed. It was only Sophie who managed to escape with a group of six and go to Washington and make a life for herself there.

The other three girls got dispersed through Belgium, France and England in their search for a permanent home. The promise they made to each other to meet on a particular day was one they all intended to keep, despite whatever was thrown at them.

In this story (I presume sequels will follow) we see Sophie’s life from the time she landed at the Tyler’s mansion to her unceremoniously being kicked out, to the life she found for herself, her love and then the tragic loss followed by a surprising change in career.

Like all WWII stories, each story is unique, heart breaking and precious. This was no exception.

Oh wow, this is such a fast paced, emotional read! So much happened in such a short space of time and I didn’t want to put it down.

Sophie is leaving Germany for Cuba, and then onto New York, onboard the SS St Louis. However, as a German Jew in 1939 travelling with her family and other Jewish people, they are treated horrendously.

The book is based on a true story of how the ship couldn’t dock despite all on board having visa’s and passing medical examinations. It is again another example of how awful it must have been to be Jewish at the time, and that behaviour wasn’t just isolated to Germany.

I loved Sophie as a character! She’s incredibly brave although a bit young and naive, it’s a coming of age story too as we see her grow to play a more proactive part in the war effort. It focuses on some of the more normal things that Sophie missed out on as a child due to the regulations designed to restrict Jewish people’s lives, even something as basic as having friends. It’s a different take on WWII historical fiction that I haven’t read before.

I can’t wait to read the second book and pre-ordered it as soon as I finished!

Thanks so much to @bookouture for the chance to review this lovely book!

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The Girl on the Boat by Kate Hewitt is the first in the Emerald Sisters series which is set initially as the world is on the brink of the outbreak of World War Two and then goes further on to detail the first few years of the war. There is a brief prologue but one with plenty to sink your teeth into sets the scene but it left me with a burning question which only made me want to get on with reading the story.

May 1939 and the world is on the brink of war as Hitler seems determined to continue invading countries and gaining land not to mention the persecution of Jews in Germany has been ramping up with each passing year that he is in power. Sophie Weiss and her family are about to board the cruise liner the SS. St.Louis docked at Hamburg which is carrying thousands of Jewish refugees across the Atlantic to Cuba where they can then make their way onwards to America. The new German society as created by Hitler has no place for Sophie and her family and with visas granted they are hoping for an improved standard of living free from absurd and restrictive laws. All Sophie can dream about is the new and wonderful life that awaits her in America.

Sophie is travelling with her father Josef, stepmother Margarete and five year old brother Heinrich. But for all intents and purposes Sophie is the leader of the family. The one that holds it together when times are tough as her father, a former Jewish lawyer, falls apart following his capture and incarceration for two weeks by the Nazi’s. As they begin their journey across the ocean and adjust to life onboard, Heinrich’s physical and mental state rapidly decline to very dangerous levels as paranoia sets in. But perhaps what he is feeling, saying and believing may very well be true and the panic he feels is justified. Sophie is a fighter and this only truly became apparent I would say in the second half of the book. In some ways she was very naïve that once they were on the boat she felt that things would be ok for her family and their future would be secured in America but the further they travel the more she starts to come to her senses and she realises that prejudice, hatred and anti Semitism follow them where ever they go.

I did feel the sections of the story that focused on the journey over were too long and I was just waiting for them to arrive in order to see what would happen next. Yes,it did serve the purpose of introducing us to three other young women of different backgrounds yet all united with Sophie through their religion but I felt it could have been shorter allowing for other sections of the book to be longer. Sophie makes friends and forms a deep bond with Rosa, who is travelling with her parents but she holds very different opinions from them. She is confident, assured and filled with courage and audacity. Rachel is travelling with her husband Franz who has been recently released from Dachau. He is traumatised and struggles to communicate or exist on a daily basis. Finally, there is Hannah with her sister Lotte who are hoping to reunite with their father in Cuba.

But as they reach Cuban shores things turn from bad to worse as there are delays with disembarking and after weeks they are forced to turn around having never touched foreign soil. But before this occurs Sophie is given the chance to leave thanks to an old acquaintance of her fathers who lives in Washington. Sophie wrestles with her conscience but Margarete forces her to go in the hopes that they will all soon be reunited. An emerald once belonging to her mother is treasured by Sophie and she cracks it into four shards giving each girl one to act as a talisman.The women are separated but agree to meet in Paris in June a year after the war ends. That’s if it ever will and if it does who will be victorious in the fight of good against evil.

When Sophie arrives in Washington she is broken and distraught as she feels immense guilt that she was the one to get off the ship and her family members and friends were left behind. She feels lost and untethered as she now potentially has the life that she has craved but at what cost? Staying with the Tyler’s soon proves not all that she was promised and circumstances change for Sophie and this is where I felt she started to become more independent and the fighter began to emerge from within her. During this time in Washington, I thought the author drew fantastic comparisons between the racial segregation the black community was facing with the similar circumstances the Jewish people were facing in Germany. It wasn’t in your face but well thought out and moulded in well with the overall themes and issues being explored.

Having a good chunk of the book set in America was brilliant because I found I gained a lot of information and a new perspective as to how America viewed the war when it began and how they were very reluctant to join in. When times are tough as they are for Sophie she can’t understand why the U.S is not jumping straight in to assist the British and it made me realise how truly alone the Brits were for a significant time in their fight against Hitler.

There are snatches of information given as to what has happened to Sophie’s family and the other women but I’m glad details were scant as I will wait, although impatiently, for the future books for this to be explored in further detail. Sophie certainly grows and matures throughout the later half of the book and although she goes through a life changing experience I do think she emerges all the better for it as it only served to fuel the fire within her for the next stage of her journey. A role she undertakes is never one I thought she would accept at the start of the book and I was dying to know more and that’s partly why I was disappointed with the abrupt ending.

The Girl on the Boat was a promising start to the Emerald Sisters series but I found it ended very abruptly at the 77% mark when I was reading this on my Kindle. I’m used to books finishing around the 90% mark but I thought this was just a bit too much to finish so early. The overall concept of the book in that the focus will be on four young girls, each assigned to a different place and we will follow their adventures and trials and tribulations during the war years is brilliant and clever. Initially, I thought would each book follow a different girl but the way this one ended now I’m not so sure as there is so much more to learn and discover with Sophie as she has entered a pivotal and exciting yet dangerous time in her life. To be honest, I wanted to read more of this so I was left slightly confused and perplexed as to whether book two will continue off from the very end point of book one or whether Hannah, Rachel or Rosa will be the focus?

There is so much that could potentially happen and there is a lot of scope to play with so I am very eager to see in what direction Kate Hewitt will take things. I also love the fact that given the brief prologue which set the scene for the books as a whole, well there was one statement there that I am dying to know the answers to and circumstances around but I know that I won’t get a definitive answers perhaps right until the very last book and that’s what will keep me coming back to read more about the Emerald Sisters. I really do hope that we get the next instalment at some point this year as I very much felt that the ending left the reader on a precipice of very exciting and treacherous times ahead.

Sophie has suffered immeasurable loss in her young life. She’s about to lose even more.
The sad story of the St. Louis is told through the eyes of Sophie who escapes from Germany.
Although she’s lost she gains friends on board.
Hewitt kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire book. I couldn’t shake the impending doom that lurked over my head because I knew the fate of the ship.
And then even more doom emerged, but the shard of emerald was Sophie’s constant companion.
My favorite person was Esther!
The book ended too soon and I need the next one!

The Girl on the Boat (The Emerald Sisters Book 1) by Kate Hewitt

The first installment of the Emerald Sisters series. This is the must read for those who are big fan of WW2 historical fiction.

Heartbroken, emotional and touching story. All the characters are so likable. I enjoyed reading the part the Sophie found the emerald gem that her mother hid in her coat. I could immediately imagine her feeling.

This series would do great on screen! I can’t wait for the next installment.

Many thanks to NetGalley, bookouture and the author for my copy.

Pub date: Feb 8, 2024

A great start to a new series set in WW2 with Sophie being shipped out of Europe before it is too late with an emerald family heirloom. Making friends on board with three other girls they vow to meet back in Paris when it is all over. I loved Sophie's story and the only downside is that I now have to wait for the stories of the other girls, definitely a series for fans of this genre of book and ending on a cliffhanger to ensure you read the next installment

A lovely book which immediately makes me want to read the next one. A dual time-line which I always enjoy. Starts in 1939 and up to present day I raced through this one. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

The first Emerald Sisters story is definitely going to be a favourite of mine. It's the outstanding story of Sophie as she meets fellow travellers on the boat SS St Louis, when they are separated they make a pact to meet up when the war is over and they are all safe. I really like Sophie as she is compassionate, kind and a lot braver and stronger than she realises. How the Jewish were treated is atrocious and as a human I don't think I could live with myself if I treated another human that way simply because of their religion or the colour of their skin. The story is very absorbing and I felt like I was living it. Before I knew it I had come to the end of the story which ends on a cliffhanger and I really wished I had book 2 because I just wanted to continue reading. So I am very highly anticipating the next book because if it's anything like this one, I have to have it!

I really could not put this book down, it’s heart-breaking, heart warming and incredibly well put together.
The research that must have gone into writing this is a credit to the author. You’ll need tissues.
Set just before and leading into WWII we follow Sophie Weiss and her families journey on the SS St Louis on it’s way to Cuba giving almost 1000 Jews a glimpse of freedom and a new life, away from persecution.
Her dad is broken by the events of the Kristallnacht, her stepmum keeps him as calm as she can, whilst caring for young Heinrich, Sophie’s half-brother.
There they were on a ship where they didn’t know if they were liked, accepted or loathed. Hope for a new life what they all have in common, even with that silent rumble of fear.
Sophie befriends Rosa, sisters Hannah and Lotte and Rachel Blau. Together they see the good and bad sides of the ship and witness some horrors, learning that some Jews were more privileged than others. Surprisingly there were children travelling alone in hopes of reunions.
Arriving on the shores of Cuba they learn they are trapped in a floating prison when no one wants these hopefuls or at this point hopeless Jews on their shores.
The 4 friends go on their separate journeys, will they find their feet and stay alive?
Sophie winds up in the US learning a new way to live in a place that has its own discrimination towards some of its own people.
Before I tell you the whole story, let me stop here to say I fully recommend this 5 Star read.

A family in their way to freedom. The oldest daughter Sophie makes friends with three other girls . But when they are about to arrive in Cuba something changes. Only Sophie is allowed to enter the U.S. The friends decide to meet each other in Paris a year after the war ended.
Sophie’s family and friends are forced to go back to Europe. Will they ever meet again and put the emerald back together they shared?
This is the first book in this series and tells the first part of the story, I can’t wait to see what Sophie will do for her friends and family.

The Girl on the Boat is the first of a WW II series by Kate Hewitt which begins in the queue to board the ill-fated SS St Louis traveling from Germany to Cuba, but never allowed to dock or allow its passengers to disembark. While on the boat, four young women pledge their friendship and when one is allowed to board a police boat and taken to a small airplane, Sophie is distraught and the other three are torn between envy and despair. Sophie is picked up by a chauffeur and taken to a mansion, the home of a supposed friend of her father. The maid there is kindly but she doesn’t meet the residents until later. Neither of them appear to care about one another or her. She stays for several days, knowing she had to do something, but what? The decision is taken out of her hands when, after a party, the man of the house, drunk, follows her to her bedroom. She is saved by his wife, but is bluntly told she needs to leave. She is saved by the kindly maid who takes her to a relative who owns a boarding house. She then makes her way to the Jewish Community Center where she hopes to find work. Meanwhile she helps out at the boarding house and sleeps in the attic with the daughter of the cook. She eventually gets a job and is moved up to paid tenant. Her life moves forward, including a young naval office from Wisconsin with whom she falls in love. Her life moves forward but she never forgets her friends and family and watches the news carefully.

Sophie is a terrific character. She is a German Jew but was lucky to escape and now she wants to help in the war effort. She finds a spot working for the war office but discovers there is more to it than meets the eye. She continues to worry as she faces some hatred for Jews even here in the US and watches a the negroes seem to be in the same situation as Jews had been in Germany. The trouble with reading books like this is that you know where it is heading. It is history. And it is in the opening pages of the book. We just don’t know who or why. It is an enticing read. The story of the St Louis is heartbreaking, as are the feelings of the American government and the American people. It is easy to forget how we acted in this most crucial time in history. In many ways we have as much to be ashamed of as we have to be proud of. This type of historical fiction is the purview of Hewitt. It is an excellent read.

I was invited to read The Girl on the Boat by Bookoutre. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Bookoutre #KateHewitt #TheGirlOnTheBoat

The Nazi’s have taken over more areas of Germany, and so many families have been ripped apart. Sophie Weiss is among the many that have lost everything. Her only hope for survival is to escape and leave behind the homeland she once knew and loved. She boards the SS St Louis destined for a bright future and a safer place to live. While on board she meets fellow Jewish refugees and immediately befriends Rosa, Hannah and Rachel. Then their worst fears surface when the SS St Louis is refused entry to the port. Their fear is that if they can’t dock then they will be sent back to Germany. Then Sophia finally receives news that a friend of her father’s will take her in, but she is the only one. Sophia is devastated and heart broken knowing that she has to send her new friends back. Hidden in the lining of her coat is a beautiful emerald that belonged to her late mother. She gives each of the girls a piece of the beautiful gem with the promise to each other that they will meet in Paris as soon as the war comes to an end.

The Girl on the Boat written by author Kate Hewitt is a phenomenal a novel. I am a huge fan of author Kate Hewitt as she is an auto-buy author for me. I loved the storyline and especially Sophia. She had such a big heart and compassion for strangers that were in the same situation. Rosa, Hannah and Rachel were equally lovable, they were so young and trusting of Sophia. I was heartbroken and yet I was encouraged by the hope that they all had, the hope of the War ending and the hope of a better life afterwards. Keep the tissue box close by because you will surely need it. This unputdownable gem of a read is definitely a favorite of mine. I loved everything about this story from cover to cover. I was hooked from the very first page. I was very happy to see that this the first installment of the new Emerald Sisters Series. I cannot wait for the next book in this series. I highly recommend this ten star read.

Fist in a series and based on the true story of the SS St Louis that left Hamburg, Germany in 1939 with one thousand Jews on board, it is a beautifully told story of friendship and determination as we meet four young woman, Sophie, Rosa, Hannah and Rachel, this book is Sophie’s story and it is so very good.

Sophie arrives in Hamburg with her father, step-mother and young half-brother she is filled with hope that their lives will turn around in Havana and being away from The Nazis is just what her father and their family needs.

When she meets three other young woman she is thrilled that she now has friends and plans are made to enjoy this boat trip and that at the end they will meet for cocktails together ready to start a new life but things don’t go the way they planned when the ship is refused entry to Havana, her step mother insists that Sophie leave the ship and go to Washington and where a friend of her father’s is willing to take her in, it is the last thing she wants but she must go, she breaks up an emerald that belonged to her mother into four pieces and all girls have a piece with a plan to meet up in a Paris café one year after the war.

Sophie gets on with her life in Washington, finding work and making new friends as war breaks out in Europe, it has not been easy for her being a Jew and wishing America would join the war, but she goes on worrying about her family and friends who are now in countries affected by war. When she is asked to take on a new role where she works she jumps at the chance to do her bit for the war effort she is determined to help no matter what.

This is an emotional story, I loved Sophie, everything she has gone through and still she cares and stays strong, I am eagerly awaiting book two now and continue this awesome story, I do highly recommend this one to any reader who loved a fabulous historical fiction.

My thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my digital copy to read and review.

A new series from Kate Hewitt and I can’t wait for the next book!
What an emotional and wonderful story.
A story of friendships and survival.
Perfect reading for historical fiction fans. The historical aspect was very well written and so informative.
The ending left us on a cliff hanger with its abrupt ending. But, thats why there will be a book 2 coming!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Girl On The Boat’, book 1 in the Emerald Sisters series written by Kate Hewitt, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

It’s 1939 Germany and Hitler’s regime is persecuting Jewish people for simply being born as Jews. Sophie Weiss is onboard the SS St Louis with her father, stepmother and brother as it heads to Havana and safety, and meets three young Jewish women, Rosa, Hannah and Rachel, who become firm friends and they vow to meet again one year after the end of World War II. But the ship isn’t allowed to dock in Havana and whereas Sophie is taken off to stay with her father’s contacts in America, everyone else is denied the safety of landing and are scattered in countries throughout Europe.

‘The Girl On The Boat’ is the heartbreaking and often harrowing story of Sophie and what happens to her after she leaves the SS St Louis. A vivid picture is painted of her life in America, those she loves and loses, and what she does to help others survive, and includes much that I was already aware of such as the bombing at Pearl Harbour. The story comes to an end in 1942 as Sophie continues her fight against Hitler and has been beautifully written with interesting characters and true facts, and although I didn’t want it to end I’m looking forward to the next book in this outstanding series.

First in a series of 4 books, this book introduces us to a group of extraordinary young women fleeing the brutality of the Nazi regime. After meeting and forging and unforgettable friendship on a ship bound for Havana, this books tells us the more detailed story of the ‘Emerald Sister’ Sophie.
The ship the St Louis was really so this story is very much part fiction and non-fiction combined.
A good start to a series, ends so you are looking to read the next to follow on the story of these women and what they are to do to lead a life after Germany and WWII.

Sophie and her family are leaving Germany and hopefully landing in Cuba or America. Life however has other plans.
I thought this was a good start in this new series.
I did think it ended a bit abruptly. I’m looking forward to learning more of Sophie and her friends journey.

The Girl on the Boat is told from Sophie’s point of view. She is a Jewish refugee who, along with her family, fled from Germany after the terrible Kristallnacht pogrom in 1938. This was before the annihilation of the Jewish people was a well known fact, even to many Jews themselves.

I was surprised to learn this. I hadn’t known that the Nazi’s let any of them go. Sadly, many countries sent them away, refusing to assist them due to vicious propaganda. It was on one of these boats that Sophie befriended 3 other girls. All fleeing for their lives.

I immediately liked Sophie. She has strong character and even though she’s terrified she is able to be a support to her family. Unfortunately all the girls end up separated from each other and their families. Before being spread across the globe Sophie shares a piece of an emerald with each girl, vowing to remember each other and meet again.

Sophie ends up all alone in America. Much of the story is about her struggle to survive alone with her only wish to be united with her family. She ends up receiving help from a black woman and it was this relationship that brings to light the similarities between black and Jewish racism. Something I would have never thought of.

Sophie does a lot of ruminating about how bad she feels to have the privilege of being in America while her family is suffering. She dwells on it constantly. I felt like author really wanted me to imagine how it would feel.

Sophie finally finds some stability and plans for her future and that’s where this novel ends on a cliffhanger.

One of the major plot points of the story is the conspiracy theory that the United States knew of the attack on Pearl Harbor but allowed it to happen to convince American people to support the war. I hadn’t hear of this before so it caused me to do additional

Overall, I liked the book and learned some new things. As for the blurb on the Goodreads page, this book reads more like Kristin Harmel rather than Kate Quinn. To me, Kate Quinn’s books are on the adult side where Kristin Harmel’s are young adult.

TW: attempted rape, racism, suicide misogyny

Many thanks to Kate Hewitt and Bookouture for the ARC via NetGalley!!