The premise of this book immediately reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, so I was intrigued!

Warning: this book is a sequel! I read it as a standalone, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the first book.

This is a WWII story, told from a very fresh lens. Vivian is a showgirl, who travels and performs for troops: she is married, and her husband goes missing and is presumed dead. Vivian then heavily leans on Father Antonio. She sends him postcards, and in the present day, those very personal postcards are up for auction.

How well do we really know someone? How well can we keep part of ourselves hidden from the world, and how do we decide who to let in?

When I first started reading this book, I forgot it was a sequel. The characters were very familiar and after a slow start, I was hooked. The book was reminicient of the Thorn Birds. Plus it continued to shine a light on the inequities in Hollywood post WWII. Vivi's story was a dichotomy of success and failures all woven together. Bleeker gives her fans a very satisfying read.

A Hollywood legend and her lifetime friendship with a priest are the main themes of this book. Starting when the actress is a young woman, the book details her rise in the entertainment world after a tragic marriage gone wrong (and the role of the priest involved with this) and the .consequences she faces for the rest of her life. I was not entralled by this book and struggled to finish it. I enjoyed the parts during WWII and the USO shows. I will not be recommending this book but thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to download it.

Nice follow up to When We Were Enemies -- I actually enjoyed this book more than its predecessor. It follows Hollywood star Vivian Snow post-WW II as she struggles with marriage, motherhood. her own parents, and her career while subconsciously pining for an Italian POW she met near her hometown in the Midwest. It wasn't a "feel good" novel and yet it was certainly realistic and kept me engaged.

Emily Bleeker, When We Chased the Light, Lake Union Publishing, November 2024.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first part of Vivian Snow’s account of her life that appeared in When We Were Enemies. In this, Vivian is so closely aligned with her real name, Viviana Santini, that her Italian heritage is a subtle but underlying strong theme in the novel. Her role as an interpreter, friendship with Padre Antonio Trombello, the beginnings of her career and ill-fated marriage are beautifully drawn throughout the story that also features her granddaughter, Elise. In When We Chased the Light, Vivian Snow comes to the fore, as she strives to accommodate her child, her sister, mother and father, love and her career. Her Italian heritage is the theme that underlies the postcards from Padre Antonio Trombello, contrasting with her Hollywood advances, problems, marriage, and death. With great sensitivity to her readers and linked with the role Viviana played in her first career, Emily Bleeker interprets the Italian phrases.

Bleeker is such a clever writer, at the same time as she clarifies the words used between Trombello and Snow by providing the English interpretation, she leaves a mystery about their relationship. This is a mystery that is not resolved and should not be. It is the dream to which only Viviana and Antonio need the answer. Like her great granddaughter, who purchases the postcards, it is enough to know that Vivian Snow’s life was not only that played out in the public eye.

I began by feeling a little disappointed in this work, as Vivian Snow lurches from man to man, prioritises career aspirations that belie her emotional responsibilities while fulfilling the financial ones she assumes, and neglect of her sister and daughter’s emotional needs while she gratifies the irrational demands of male figures in her personal and public lives. However, the realities of a woman fighting to maintain her place in the Hollywood system, her failure to overcome the rampant sexism that shadowed her, and other women, and her fortitude, are also compelling features of the novel. So, too, is the introduction of real Hollywood idols in this fictional account. For her great granddaughter, Kara, the postcards provide a history and valued gift. Her grandmother, Vivian’s daughter, Grace now the retired seventy-year-old former Hollywood actress, Gracelyn Branson, dearly wanted them retrieved. Such acknowledgement subtly conveys that a relationship as fraught as that between Vivian and Grace may not be all that it appears, reflecting the ambiguity of that between Viviana and Antonio.

This is a work of subtleties and harsh realities. Vivian and Grace are complex characters and worth giving a second chance, despite their obvious flaws. So too are some of the male characters, for example, Vivian’s harsh and loving father and Padre Antonio Trombello with his indecision and abounding love. The Hollywood figures who control Vivian and other women’s careers are less worthy, but never caricatures. Emily Bleeker has written a novel that fictionalises the heady combination of glamour and grime, power and powerlessness in the world that attracted Vivian and Grace, together with the delicate postcard relationship that may have been as much of a dream as that of a contented Hollywood career.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The book begins and ends with a modern day perspective but the majority of the story is in the past detailing the friendship between Vivian Snow, a USO performer turned Hollywood star, and Antonio Trombello, a Catholic priest who helped her at one of her darkest times and remained her devoted friend, confidant, and advisor. The story follows the ups and downs of Vivians career as well as of her personal life. She has moments of happiness and success, but many times of hardship and poor choices. Antonio sees all of her flaws but also all of her strengths and tries to help her be her best self. Staying close to her, however, makes him doubt his position as a priest also devoted to serving God. I enjoyed their story, but was never connected to the book and found myself rushing through it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I absolutely loved this book, this book could be a stand alone story, but I am glad that II read the previous book, “ When We Were Enemies “. The story of Vivian Snow, her rise from USO singer during World War II, to famous Hollywood star had it all, her humble beginnings, her devotion to her troubled family, her devotion to her Catholic faith, her troubled relationships with men and with her daughter Grace.. This book describes the cut throat Hollywood days of the 1940’s, the expectations for women and so much more. This book also touches upon grief, mental illness and a deep friendship and love that lasted a lifetime. I really enjoyed this book, I enjoyed the pace, the writing, and I liked most of the characters. I will be reading more books by this author in the future.

This is the story of Vivian Snow, a woman who slogs through life from a poor background as the daughter of Italian immigrants to the stratosphere of an extraordinary Hollywood career. Sadly, her fatal flaw lies in her choice of men and her seeming inability to see them clearly.

There is no joy in her relationships with men, friends, husbands and colleagues. Her most satisfying relationship is with her younger sister. Vivian is haunted by the extreme mental illness of her institutionalized mother.

The author transports us to golden Hollywood, freely dropping in the names of real characters.

There is also a strong religious strand running through this novel. Vivian remains strongly attached to her Catholic upbringing. Within that segment of her life is her enduring love for a priest and confident, Father Trombello. Sadly, her relationship with her daughter is deeply flawed. I notice that several recent novels have explored the tumultuous relationships between mothers and their daughters.

This is an interesting novel, but Bleeker has created a character who is mired in despair. I will recommend this novel, but it didn’t bring me any joy, despite it being very well written and researched.

Thank you Netgalley for this interesting novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the eARC.
Even though I hadn't read the previous book, I found it easily read as a standalone.
It's an exciting read about a girl who goes from travelling during WWII performing for soldiers to becoming an Oscar-winning Hollywood actress.
There are heartaches, total devotion, mother's love, terrible men and the glamorous, phony world of the Hollywood glitterati throughout the book.
I enjoyed it a lot and found it hard to put down.

I am a big fan of Emily Bleeker and this is my 5th book that I’ve read by her. Her writing style is easily digestible and well thought out. This book was a follow-up to When We Were Enemies and it was great to see where everything landed.


This book has a slow-burn romance and brings up discussions about grief and how important it is to process it. I liked this story, but there were times when it was too slow. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical romance.


Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an early eARC of When We Chased the Light by Emily Bleeker in exchange for an honest review.

Though it jumps about a bit (and there's some catching up to do if you haven't read the previous book), it's a very atmospheric and interesting read about what it was like in Hollywood after the war.

Vivian truly is a legend. I liked the book and the hollywood setting. The plot was interesting, the characters were enjoyable and I could understand everything they did. I liked the writing style but it’s not a book i loved

I’m a big fan of Emily Bleeker books! Since this is book two and I need to read book one of this series, I just wanted to come here and explain this. So on to book one and I’ll return and update my review at that time.
Thx for the opportunity to read this one early. Be back soon.

I read this book in just over 3 days. It was very well written although halfway through I didn’t realize it was Book 2 in a series so I almost wonder if I was missing anything vital to Vivian’s story or if this is truly a standalone novel. However, I did enjoy the story and I definitely got some Evelyn Hugo vibes throughout!

Bravo! This is the first book I have read by this author and I am so impressed. This story had me hooked from the beginning. I enjoyed the characters especially the main character Vivian Snow. She was a fighter. I admired her strength and tenacity. This book had it all, romance, intrigue, and mystery. It wasn't until I read the acknowledgments did I learn that this book was a sequel. It read well as a standalone. I will definitely read more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

What did you do over memorial day weekend? - Had my heart ripped out numerous times with Vivian and Trombello. I was not expecting this to be such an emotional book! But it was and it was beautifully written. I lost count of how many times I cried and how many times I yelled at the characters to make different choices than what they were doing. This book is going to stay in my heart for a long awhile.

A gripping story of love, celebrity, and unspoken realities is "The Secrets of Vivian Snow." The biography of Hollywood icon Vivian Snow is told in hand-drawn postcards set against the backdrop of World War II. The secret to her past is with her confidant, Antonio Trombello. An insightful investigation of familial ties and forgiveness.
Emily's historical fiction venture has been enjoyable, and I am grateful for the extensive study that she did.

Thank you for showing us more of Vivian’s story. It was so well written; I felt her joy, disappointment, longing, and loss. I highlighted so much of this book. This is one of my favorites:

“The little girl processes grief like a butterfly flitting from flower to flower, taking sips of the sadness but mostly remaining in flight away from the loss. I worry what will happen when her wings are tired and she has to sit in the heartache she’s running from.“

Anyone who has run from unprocessed grief will be able to identify with this imagery, and those who haven’t will understand it.

I’ve been enjoying Emily’s foray into historical fiction and appreciate the immense amount of research that was done.

Thank you for sharing your gift!

As a history major who loves a good love story and also suspense…..this book is it! Wow!!!! It was so good! Beautifully written, and so descriptive. The secrets that came with this one were enough to keep me up way past my bedtime. Wonderfully written! Add to your TBR

When We Chased the Light by E. Bleeker, published by Lake Union Publishing is the second book. The previous book is When We Were Enemies and I recommend to read the books in order.
This is a slow burn historical romance and tells Vivian and Antonio's story.
The Hollywood icon and the priest and her confidante exchanged postcards throughout their whole lives and these are now up in an auction.
A beautiful, quiet story, well written and beautifullly told.