This was the first time I've read a book set in Ireland during WWII and in the modern setting in this dual time time. I learned about a part of WWII history that I didn't know about with Ireland and WWII. As well as a sweet family story.

The book is told in two time periods - end of WWII Ireland and present day USA.

Evie is older and wants Rainey to take her back to her home estate - Aisling in southern Ireland. Rainey loves time with her grandmother and wants to know more about what she hasn't told her. When Evie was young in Ireland her best friend Harding has lost her parents and is going to leave Ireland for America and wants Evie to come with her.

When Rainey and Evie make it Aisling, Rainey discovers a trunk of letters that help Evie remember her past but help bring answers for Rainey.

Lovely book set between 1940s Ireland and present day. Great characters and setting and loved how all of the old stories and mysteries come out and you can just imagine the characters from the village that have never forgotten the past in a place that hasn't really changed in essence.

Oh my goodness! This was a heartbreaking, romantic, eloquently written story of Ireland in 1945 when “the Emergency” (what neutral, yet extremely poor, with astounding unemployment Ireland referred to World War II) ended. The author does a beautiful job capturing the friendship of young, naive 14 year old Evie and the beginning of her friendship with Harding in this tremulous setting.
The second timeline of this historical fiction is today when 93 year old Evie survives a bout of pneumonia and wishes to travel with her granddaughter, Rainey back to her home, Aisley, in southern Ireland for some mysterious unfinished business. Rainey and her Grandmother uncover so much sadness and pain, but need to keep digging to get all of the answers.
I loved the friendships, the familial discoveries and so much love which overfilled and spilled out of this story. I was deeply moved and found much of my own story of loss and pain in Evie’s story. But she was so brave to return home over 70 years later to finally heal.

This is a highly recommended story and a 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read from me.

#bookreviewmaureenvandusky

Really interesting to see a dual timeline story, between WWII and “present day”. An intriguing mystery to be solved, but the ending was… meh

Another beautiful book. I enjoyed this story and only wish I could have listed to it read in authentic Irish voices.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was really wonderful!

In post-WWII Ireland Evie meets Harding and their friendships forms in a way that will change everything - for the both of them. Not just friends, Evie and Harding become family and Evie is left forever changed because of lively Harding. Years later, Evie, now ill has one last request for her granddaughter Rainey - to return to Ireland with her and face the mysterious past she left behind all those years ago.

Told in dual timelines and perspectives from both Evie (past) and Rainey (present), THE LOST LETTERS OF AISLING is about friendship, family, and romance. This book could be a Lifetime movie with how it reads and the mystery behind it just makes it all that much better. The characters are all unique and defined in a way that you can't help but to care for each of them. Harding, while flawed, is high-spirited and fun, Evie is kindhearted and generous, and Sullivan, oh sweet, sweet Sullivan.. I felt so bad for him, but loved that the moment he could be near Evie again he was right there in an instant.

THE LOST LETTERS OF AISLING is such a heartbreaking, but beautifully written story; one that I could not put down.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I was immediately drawn into the story. There are so many twists and turns, little surprises that pop out, a mystery and a love story that spanned years. I did shed some tears numerous times.

The cast of characters is amazing! I connected with Evie from the beginning. She is tenderhearted, kind, compassionate, and loving. She suffers so much heartbreak in her life. The love story between Evie and Sullivan is sad, but I'm so glad that they reconnect at the end.

There are definitely some difficult issues in the book. There's rape, murder, conspiracy, and loss. But there's also the strength of love! Love that lasts even when there's only a memory!

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A love story about families, friends and a lost child. Rainey travels from Chicago with Evie, her 93-year-old grandmother to Ireland.

Evie has secrets about her past and wants to find hidden letters she left in her family home just after World War 2.

Rainey also has a secret she needs to share with her best friend.

Set mostly in Ireland in Kislee, a small town on the coast in the present time with flash backs to the late 1940’s and early 1950’s.

Evie led a sheltered life and is often left with staff at Aisling in Kislee, while her parents travelled overseas. Evie’s life changed when she meets a young woman called Harding.

Lots of action, twists and turns from Evie’s past as secrets are unravelled when Evie and Rainey arrive at Aisling in Kislee. I loved the descriptions of Aisling and the location around Kislee.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a chance to read this E-Book. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

In post-WWII Ireland, Evie is looking for her purpose and place in the world when she meets and befriends the vivacious and secretive Harding. Their friendship alters the course of Evie’s life forever. Rainey is Evie’s granddaughter in modern-day America. She’s not thrilled with her career path and not sure how to make a change. After Evie falls ill, she requests that Rainey accompany her back to Ireland, to visit her childhood home for the first time since she left under mysterious circumstances. Their stories are told in dual timelines and perspectives, with Evie narrating the past and Rainey narrating the present.

This historical fiction novel read like a mystery, which I adored! It was engaging and it kept me on my toes. The storytelling is beautiful and immersive. The deep relationships are what truly made the story; I shed a few tears at the end (both happy and sad), which is rare for me.

This story has Hallmark or Lifetime movie written all over it…and in all of the right ways! Dual timeless which only henhanced the telling of the story. I was initially growing irritated with how simple Evie seemed and Rainey’subplot with Tia. As the story continued those things that irritated me became intregal to the overall story and their evolutions as characters. I truly loved this story and how Evie’s life really came full circle.

Good read - it was an enjoyable story, even after reading many many WWII era novel, this is a solid 3-star for me.

Dual timeline story you won’t want to put down.

The book starts in 1945 in Dublin just as WWII is ending. Teenage Evie is wealthy but lonely because her parents don’t spend much time with her. She becomes close friends with a young woman named Harding who changes her life.

In present day Chicago, Rainey’s 93-year-old grandma is sick and asks to go back to Ireland one last time before it’s too late. She wants to retrieve some letters she left there 70 years before when she fled to the U.S.

This is a heartbreaking story I didn’t want to put down. It is a story of female friendship, parent/child relationships, a reminder of what matters most in life, and some romance. There are many secrets and a lot of surprises throughout. I received a digital ARC through NetGalley to use for my review.

Evie has kept a secret for 70 years. A secret she has held close in her heart. A secret about Evie's past that she has never shared with her daughter or granddaughter. A secret that transformed her life and made her into the woman she is today. A secret that had its origins on a day different from any other. It began in Dublin on May 7, 1945, when Evie was 14. Evie has never returned to Ireland after she left for America. It is time.

I love novels written in dual timelines, connecting the present to the history of the past. In this beautifully written novel, time alternates between present-day and post-WWII Ireland. Individuals impacted by events of the period, relationships never forgotten, and oft as heart-wrenching as heartwarming, revealing the light of kindness, friendship, love, hope, and forgiveness, and the darkness of experiences wrapped in fear, cruelty, loss, survival, and secrets.

Thank you to Cynthia Ellingsen, NetGalley, and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read an eARC of this novel.

An amazing story that weaves between WWII and present day. Two Irish best friends from the US diving into 1940's Dublin. I loved the characters and felt like I was in Ireland. Such a beautifully written historical fiction. Definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for access to this book. The Lost Letters of Aisling is a very well written historical fiction piece that takes place in past and present in Ireland, past being during years following what was known as The Emergency AKA WWII. Rainey & her grandmother Evie have a strong relationship and it was a beautiful story of their journey for her grandmothers last wishes to her home she fled. The past was both happy and heartbreaking as you get to learn about Evie’s childhood and the heartbreak of losing her best friend and Alby. In the present, Evie got to return home to have her final wishes and the story wrapped up well with her family getting to learn about the history she long kept hidden.

I love Ireland, and anything Irish. So this beautiful story based on the lives of two Irish best friends (from the US) set in the tumultuous times of the Irish rebellion grabbed me. Cynthia Ellingsen's writing style reminds me of Jojo Moyes, but the plotting and writing need much catching up to do. The story is an emotional roller-coaster ride, and the parallel life stories of the grandmother and granddaughter intersect well. Both become the sole drivers of their lives, though very differently. However, there are large gaps in the grandmother's life that leave the reader parched at the end, and her blind devotion to her friend does not seem reasonable. The hasty end leaves the plot hanging like a fishing net, not quite on the ground. Ellingsen is a good writer but the language needed more polish and certainly better editing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. #Netgalley #Irishromance

I enjoy dual timeline novels and Cynthia Ellingsen's The Lost Letters of Aisling, which takes place in present day United States and post World War II Ireland, doesn't disappoint. Rainey, an overworked scientist, heeds her dying grandmother's request to return to Ireland to find love letters she left behind when she emigrated to America. What emerges as the reader shifts between eras is a gripping tale that is a a testament to the power of enduring love between couples and between parents and their children

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.

A lovely dual time line novel. I liked that the majority of the story is set in 1945 Dublin, giving the reader a different take in the genre. Good characters and storytelling made this a good read.