While this story started out being interesting and had a neat looking cover, sadly it is not a book I can recommend due to a shocking amount of foul language and some inappropriate sexual content.

Language: there are many, many uses of sh*t and dam*, dam*it. Cr*p is used once, se*y and as* are both used a couple times.

I received a complimentary e-book from Harlequin Trade Publishing through Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and the thoughts above are my own.

I’m such a big fan of Noelle Salazar, and I couldn’t wait to read this book. There are dual timelines, which doesn’t bother me, but I feel like I should mention that since I know some readers don’t like it. If you adore historical fiction as much as I do, then you will love The Lies We Leave Behind. I truly admired the heroine, Kate, a war nurse during World War II, for her courage, bravery, and resilience, and there was also a bit of mystery involved in this story, trying to figure out what secrets Kate was hiding about her past. You get a little bit of everything with this book - romance, love, loss, heartbreak - and I was fully immersed from the beginning to the end. Speaking of the ending, it was very bittersweet, but that’s all I'm going to say about it because I don’t want to leave any spoilers. Overall, I highly recommend this book to everyone.

The Lies We Leave Behind weaves between the past and present as a brave flight nurse, Kate Campbell, goes back and forth to the front to bring back wounded soldiers. William, one of her charges (who we meet in the present day after he's recently lost his wife Olivia to cancer), instantly falls for her. While Kate is resistant at first, she eventually falls for him... the only problem is she can't tell him who she is or what secrets she's kept buried from, even those she calls her friends

This book will keep you ensnared until the very end (although some of the scenes detailing what Kate endures later in the book I had skim.) While the book was very engaging, and the characters of Kate and William are ones to root for, I found the ending bittersweet.

It's 1943 and Kate Campbell is serving her country during WWII as a flight nurse in the Pacific. She spends long days and nights attending to wounded soldiers as they're flown off the battle field. A personal injury sees her reassigned to England where love and old secrets await.

I first discovered Salazar through The Flight Girls and immediately fell in love! She knocked it out of the park again with Zora Lily. She always finds a way to tell new, unique stories from the past.

I really loved the plot concept of this story. Always love learning about the roles women played in the war...especially ones I haven't heard before. I also really liked the unfolding of Kate's previous life.

However, the execution left me a bit wanting. I can't quite put my finger on it but something was missing...supporting character development, story flow or more detailed plot points. It felt a bit choppy and abrupt at times.

3.5 stars (rounded up)

This is a captivating historical fiction novel that transports readers to the tumultuous era of World War II. The story follows Kate, a fearless nurse who flies to the front lines to rescue wounded soldiers. The well-researched historical details bring the setting to life, making you feel as if you’re right there with Kate, experiencing the harsh conditions and emotional turmoil of wartime.

Kate’s character is deeply compelling, driven by a personal need to contribute to the war effort despite the dangers she faces. Her journey is both heart-wrenching and inspiring, especially as she navigates the complexities of love and duty. The romance subplot adds a layer of depth to the story, with Kate’s relationship with an injured officer providing moments of hope and tenderness amidst the chaos of war.
The writing is beautifully evocative, capturing the resilience and strength of women during this challenging period. The narrative is well-paced, keeping you engaged from start to finish. While some plot points may feel predictable, the emotional depth and historical richness more than make up for it.

Overall, The Lies We Leave Behind is a poignant and powerful read that will resonate with fans of historical fiction and those who appreciate stories of courage and sacrifice.

This was a really, really good story. I loved the way it went from the present and then took you back to the time in the war. The characters were all great and the way they were detailed made me feel like I knew them.

This story had it all. Historical Fiction, love, grief, loss with a little twist of mystery figuring out Kate's past.

I would highly recommend this read for historical fiction lovers!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest review.

#TheLiesWeLeaveBehind #NoelleSalazar #NetGalley

If you like historical fiction with a side of mystery and romance, then you’ll love The Lies We Leave Behind. The book opens with William in the early 2000s. He’s a widower and grandfather. Next we meet Kate who is a flight nurse in WWII in the Pacific arena until she’s injured and invalided home. When she has recovered enough to return, she is sent to England where she meets William. Kate’s backstory is revealed piecemeal. The first transition to her storyline had me flipping back to seek the connection between the timelines. Otherwise, the novel held my attention from beginning to end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Kate Campbell has lived and survived what seems four lifetimes in this fictional story inspired by a flight nurse in WW2 - her childhood, Pacific and England nursing injured soldiers, Germany trying to find her sister, South of France in retirement. Kate is fearless, intelligent, and strong as she navigates the Pacific theater flying injured soldiers to better medical facilities until she is injured. When she recovered, she was sent to England to fly soldiers from the battlefields in France back to England for better care. This is where she meets and falls in love with the badly injured William on a flight. I loved the first half of this book, but here I'm struggling with the Kate's motivation to find her sister and return to the family she did not like in Germany. She continued to be determined, brave, and strong to survive what life threw at her, but didn't feel her desire and connection to her mother and sister. William has his own storyline in this book as an older man who is visited by Selene with a link to Kate. William tells some of the story from his perspective and helps to fill in the missing pieces to his and Kate's story. The story's conclusion wrapped things up nicely, which allows me to give this a 4.5 stars.
I felt the nurses in this story were portrayed well as I could feel their dedication to their patients and their desire to blow off steam after a long shift. The author does such a phenomenal job crafting the settings and the feelings of the characters that I felt I was in the hospital, airplane, or English countryside. I was surprised by some of the actions and incidents that took place and it kept the story at a fast pace. There are many characters that you root for as the story progresses and I enjoy how the author makes care for the secondary characters as well.
If you are looking for a WW2 based story that includes nurses, strength, and courage, I highly recommend this book.
#TheLiesWeLeaveBehind #NetGalley #historicalfiction
Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
Review will be posted to Goodreads, BookBub, Twitter/X, Instagram October 6-7, 2024 and to Amazon and Barnes and Noble on pub day.

Another really good WWII story with a different storyline, this time depicting the life of a flight nurse. I have read many books on WWII and I never thought of the nurses that cared for the injured men on their flights out of combat to the safe areas for treatment. The writing is excellent, the authors research was stellar. She has the ability to make you feel like you are on the plane with them.
I truly enjoyed the story, giving it 5*****. Not only is it a love story, but it has heart, family, dedication and sacrifice. Well done.
I thank Harlequin Trade Publishing along with NetGalley for providing this Galley edition for no requirement other than my offer to provide an unbiased review.

The Lies We Leave Behind is a captivating read that will stay with you long af ter the final page.

Kate Campbell is a flying nurse during WWII and she like so many others put their lives at risk to fly into battlefields and tend to the wounded then transport them back to base.

All while under enemy fire.

It is there she meets William , an American soldier who is wounded and they are instantly attracted to each other.

Kate is strong yet fallible, she has a past that she shares with no one.

Fate intervenes and the couple are separated.

The story is told in a dual time line which works very well and gives both sides.

Nicole Salazar takes the reader on an emotional journey both during and after the war .

No spoilers here , it is a trip the reader must take on their own.

Highly recommend The Lies We Leave Behind. I hated the book to end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harelquin Trade Publishing?Mira Books for a fascinating read.

The Lies We Leave Behind tells the story of Kate, a young woman with a secret past who believes she has found her calling as a behind the lines nurse in World War II, and William, an America soldier who meets and falls in love with Kate after he is wounded and winds up in her care. The story alternates between Kate’s first person account of her life before, during, and immediately after the War and William’s a account not long after the death of his wife in 2003. A somewhat mysterious woman, Selena, shows up on William’s doorstep with information that answers many of the questions about what happened to Kate.

I was not bothered by the shifting time lines and alternating points of view. Kate and William were likeable characters and most of the other characters were fleshed out enough to be believable. I appreciated that Salazar did not take the easy way out with many of the plot twists and did not go for the Hollywood ending that would have been so predictable. I would have preferred more of a reckoning by Kate with her past and I thought there were several instances where her narrative included more contemporary phrases and references that seemed out of place in a 1940s story (can we please retire “in that moment?) The writing seemed to lose focus in a couple of places but, overall, the story progressed nicely and I did not become restless with the narrative.

Worth a read. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Noelle Salazar is one of my go-to authors for historical fiction that keeps me engaged and turning the page; The Lies We Leave Behind did not disappoint! Kate Campbell, a WWII flight nurse is focused on what is important. Caring for the lives of those in her charge with no time left for romantic complications. She also has secrets that need to be kept hidden. When she meets a wounded soldier who is both handsome and charming her present and future is turned upside down. Can she fall in love in the middle of a war with her secrets tucked securely in the past? The choices she makes will have consequences leaving the reader wondering if there will be a happy or bittersweet ending to William and Kate's romance.

The dual timeline is engaging and kept me completely engrossed and the descriptions and heart in both of the timelines is phenomenal. Noelle knows how to write a gripping story with well developed characters, a love story that makes you believe in love again but does not shy away from an ending that will leave you satisfied but brokenhearted all at the same time.

Be prepared for a rollercoaster of emotions that will leave you completely satisfied at the end and waiting for Noelle's next book to come out. Because we all know it is going to be as great as this one and all her others.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for an early review.

I went into this book blindly, I had read no descriptions of it before I opened the book. I was sucked in from page 1, a window mourning the death of his wife with his daughter and granddaughter visiting and cleaning out her items. An unexpected knock at the door sets the story in motion. The story after that was predictable, but intriguing.

I was pleasantly surprised with the WWII story line, and these women nurses seem like modern women. I enjoyed the first half of the book immensely. The second half of the book was almost a second book entirely, the book taking a large twist and then trying a bit to turn into a thriller. The second half seemed a bit more scattered, and tried to cram too many story lines into a short amount of book. I wanted to keep going and find out what was going on and how our main character was going to get out. I was very interested while reading the book, though as stated the second half didn't seem quite as tight. I wanted to hear more about the nurses and their time on base. A decent read that will lead me to pick up more of Salazar's books.

I had immensely enjoyed reading the previous books of this author's so was extremely delighted to be afforded the privilege of an advanced copy of her historical fiction "The Lies We Leave Behind" granted by NetGalley and the publisher.

And once again, I was not disappointed!

I have always judged a book by four criteria:

1. Do I continue to think of the characters after completing the book?
2. Am I relieved and/or saddened when I have finished the book?
3. Did I feel the emotions and thoughts of each character to the point of feeling like I actually knew them personally?
4. Are the historical facts accurate and also enough that makes me want to learn more?

Not only did the characters stay with me afterwards but to the point that I did not want to start reading another ARC book immediately so as not step on the personalities whose lives I'd been a part of.

This historical fiction is centered around a war nurse, Kate Campbell, who flies back and forth from the front to medically assist the wounded. Against her own wishes, she falls in love with a wounded soldier and makes decisions that would affect both of their lives. It is during this time that she decides she must go back to her childhood home to complete something she had been unable to before.

The horrors that she witnessed bring the reader into more of an understanding of not only what war nurses endured but also how devastating this period in history was; not only for those serving, but also how it tore families apart.

Rarely do I recommend that a book be made into a movie. THIS book is definitely one of those!

I highly recommend this book.

Thank you again, NetGalley, for the privilege of reviewing this book.

I love historical fiction, especially when it involves women during wartime. Hoenstly, I think this is what makes up a good majority of my personal library. The Lies We Leave Behind is a book I will gladly add to my shelves once it is released. This book has everything I love: a strong female lead, a propelling storyline, a historical setting, and romance. I will be recommending this book to all my friends who also love historical fiction as well as any reader who loves this genre!

This was an interesting book where we follow a flight nurse’s story of her time in the Pacific region during World War II. Then we follow her reassignment to England where she finds the love of her life. There are quite a few subplots, and it was a bit difficult to follow. The settings were described so realistically that you felt like you were there, experiencing life in a medical camp on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. The descriptions of the small villages and life in England also worked their charm into the story. A good read.

“The Lies We Leave Behind” is by Noelle Salazar. This book is set during the later part of WWII. When we first meet Kate, she is a nurse stationed in the Pacific. After an injury, where she is sent to the US to recover, she is then assigned to the same nursing job, but now stationed in England. In England, she meets an American soldier and, over time, becomes engaged to him. Later she discovers that her previously thought dead sister is still alive - and Kate decides to find her sister - who is living in Germany. I thought this book began very strongly - Kate is a no-nonsense nurse, able to roll with whatever she faces on her flights and in the medical arena. Even after Kate met William, it still appeared that Kate was still able to face things head on and deal with situations as they cropped up. Unfortunately, once she learns about her sister still being alive, for me Kate suddenly became so obsessed about finding her sister that Kate acted more impulsively, opposed to the methodical person she’d been for the first half of the book. Additionally, I’d be so wrapped into Kate’s story, that I forgot that this is a dual-timeline book - and “reconnecting” with William’s story felt awkward, but I’ve no idea how to suggest a smoother transition (besides, maybe, labeling the chapters with the speaker’s name and an approximate date). I did have some issues with the time leaps - I never could quite figure out how long Kate and William were dating before they got engaged - and when she ended up in Germany. I cannot say that this book was what I expected it to be, but it wasn’t quite what I expected. It did hold my attention.

Firstly… thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this beautiful, poignant book. I am a huge fan of wwii historical fiction and this book was wonderful. The two timelines blended so seamlessly together and I felt all of the emotions of Kate and William.

I can’t recommend this book enough. It will tear your heart apart and put it back together.

The story of a nurse during WWII. She takes care of wounded soldiers. She is content until her past shows up and comes between her work and future. Loved it!

The Lies We Leave Behind by Noelle Salazar tells the story of Kate Campbell who is a flight nurse near the end of WW2. She ends up in London where she meets William and they fall in love. But the war is still going on and interferes in their plans. There is the past story line WW2 and the present storyline. But it flows so well, you have to keep reading! The characters are wonderful! There is a lot of research that went into this book. I had a book hangover for a couple of days! If you like historical fiction I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA Kindle edition for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.