*3.5 // As with Salazar's previous books (I've read all except for Zora Lily), LIES brings out the heart and grit in her character develoment. From Kate's starting chapters in the Pacific to her chapters in England, I learned so much about flying nurses. Like so many others during this time period, they went through so much! The lead up to Kate's backstory was very much anticipating energy and I felt I was more looking forward than being in the present moment. The twists were so twisty, though, and I loved the action of the second half of the book!! I'm normally not a dual timeline fan, but since the contemporary timeline scenes were few, it didn't interrupt the flow of Kate's storyline. Another engaging story from this author!

This sweeping novel takes you from the war torn Pacific theater to the skies over Normandy to the danger behind the German lines. I loved the romance and guessing game as to how the threads of love, duty, and betrayal would weave together. It’s a poignant novel that tells a little-known aspect of the war, one that leaves you gasping at its murky intrigue and uncertainty. Highly recommended for those who love WWII novels!

I really enjoyed this book. The sacrifices Kate made throughout her life and her love story with William. It was a heartbreaking story of love, loss and freedom. I love reading about nurse stories from WWII

This was a beautiful and emotionally charged novel! I haven’t read a ton of historical fiction but I love anything set in WWII so I really enjoyed this one. The writing was beautiful and engaging and I cannot wait to read more of the authors work. I absolutely loved the chemistry and the way the romance played out. The characters were complicated but relatable. If you enjoy historical fiction mixed with romance this one is for you!

The Lies We Leave Behind
Noelle Salazar

Heartbreaking yet hopeful, The Lies We Leave Behind is equal parts moving historical fiction and angsty love story. While dual timeline, the story primarily follows a WWII flight nurse, charged with transporting and caring for wounded soldiers. Through a captivating blend of history, mystery, and romance, Salazar weaves themes of love, duty, loss, and family secrets. The Lies We Leave Behind is an emotionally charged, quickly paced novel you won't be able to put down.

I wasn’t expecting this story to turn out how it but, but damn was it good. I was drawn to Kate, she was strong and brave, as you would expect in a nurse caring for injured soldiers.
I wanted so much more of William & Kate and really fell hard with them. I did enjoy how the story unfolded and was hoping for something else but was pleasantly surprised with the actual twist. My heart ached for both Kate and William.

This is my second book by Noelle Salazar, and she is becoming an auto-buy author and a favorite.

Quick Look
-WWII fiction
-dual timeline, dual POV
-male MC you’ll love
-tons of twists

My Thoughts
If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, then you already know that I’m a Noelle Salazar stan. As soon as I got my hands on the advanced reader copy of The Lies We Left Behind, I dove in and was finished in only a few days. Y’all, I LOVED William, and hearing from a male main character’s perspective was such a delightful change of pace. I will venture to say he has now become one of my favorite MMCs of all time. I also really enjoyed the romance, finding it just the right amount of tension and spice (door ajar). While it’s entirely fictional, Kate’s character is based on the real-life flight nurses of WWII, heroines in their own right. Having never heard of flight nurses serving in WWII, I was thrilled to discover another fun fact about female military service, thanks to this author. Being a sucker for sister stories, the tale of Kate and her baby sister sucked me in and kept me engaged, wanting to know more about their lives before the war and what happened to her little sister. The ending may be the only thing I didn’t love, mostly because I struggled with Kate’s choices. I understand them, but it hurt my heart and brought tears to my eyes. The many twists and turns kept the plot moving forward, sometimes at dizzying speed. But the overall tension and suspense of this book were top-notch!

Noelle Salazar’s The Lies We Leave Behind weaves together a historical fiction mystery set during WWII. This book details the love story of Kate and William. Kate has a secret past, and when the past catches up to her, and with the chaos of WWII, she makes a dangerous mission across enemy lines. Salazar did a great job showing how love can blind us. This has officially taken the place of my favorite Noelle Salazar book.

Five big stars for Noelle Salazar’s newest! I have read and loved two of her other books, so I had high hopes for this one — and it delivered!

Noelle has a gift for writing sweeping historical fiction tales that immerse you into the setting and the characters’ worlds. What I love most about her books is the emotional pull I feel while reading. The pacing is perfect, the flashbacks are well executed, and the story is engaging.

Everyone who loves historical fiction should add this one to their list!

Historical fiction is becoming one of my new favorite genres. This book drew me in right away. I was very interested in reading the POV of a flight nurse during WWII. When it comes to history there are so many things I never thought about. Like how do pilots fly injured people out of battle without getting injured themselves? Pretty wild.

Kate is such a wonderful character. I love the energy and passion she brought to the story. There is a lot of depth to her character and her backstory is excellent. I also quickly attached to other characters as well. Kate’s bunkmates added friendship and humor to the story, which helped during the tense moments. And what can I say about William? He is a great American soldier who has so much love for Kate. I can't imagine being in his position during the war. Not knowing if you're going to make it home and if the person you love is still alive.

There were a lot of tense moments throughout that kept me wanting to see what was going to happen next. The beginning started off slow but the ending really picks up. It was predictable at times, but it didn’t take away from the emotion of the story. This story was heartbreaking and wonderful.

Read if you like:
🪖 WWII
❤️ Romance
🤐 Secrets
❤️‍🩹 Caring for Others

Noelle has such a talent for writing amazing historical fiction novels that fly by in the matter of minutes. Gathering my thoughts for this but loved it!

I took a break from editing my own book to dive into one of my most anticipated reads of the year. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve picked up any historical fiction so this was a refreshing read. I love strong female characters, especially in historical fiction where it’s easy for women to become dulled, and this book delivered. In a market so saturated with WWII, the storyline and backstories were unique enough that it didn’t get lost in the noise of everything else.

P.S. Noelle Salazar also wrote the book The Flight Girls, and as a historian who spent months writing a historiography on the Women Air Force Service Pilots of WWII, couldn’t recommend that book enough.

The Lies We Leave Behind is a historical novel. In 1943 Kate Campbell is working as a flight nurse in the Pacific. When she is assigned to a post in Britain, her life changes.

I wanted to read this novel because I love historical fiction and am particularly interested in the World War II time period.

This was an engrossing read. I found the work of a nurse in the Pacific interesting, and a topic I have not encountered often in historical fiction. I also liked the 2003 timeline and its connection to the earlier time period.

I recommend this book for other fans of historical fiction. It is a beautifully written book with strong characterizations.

Not my favorite by this author unfortunately. While still solid, her other books have been outstanding. Still, I appreciate the research that goes into her writing, as well as the blend of genres represented in her works.

When Kate, a military nurse, meets William, an injured soldier, while serving in England during World War II, she told herself that she shouldn't let her heart get involved. But the pair falls in love and they promise themselves to each other for the future and say good-bye when William returns to the battle front.

As Kate waits, she receives word of shocking news back home. She leaves England and suddenly finds herself in danger as she hunts for a family member whom she was led to believe died years ago. No matter how long she is away, she never stops loving William and vice versa.

Will William and Kate reconnect "forevermore"? Or was their love affair only meant to be for a season?

I'll be honest. I considered DNF'ing this book about 30% in because it moved so slowly. If it hadn't been an ARC, I would have. But I am SO glad I kept with it! The story picked up once Kate and William's stories were connected. There was one recent night that the plot was so thick with drama that I binge read till way past my bedtime.

One thing I didn't care for was the ending. It was very abrupt and I think it could've been been fleshed out a bit more. I closed the book wanting more that part of the story. However, I will say, one other thing I didn't love is that the book was incredibly long--416 pages is way too long for a book in my opinion. I think so much could've been cut out and we still would've had a fantastic plot.

Thanks to MIRA for the gifted copy of this book.

Following dual timelines of a flight nurse during WWII and 2003 Seattle, Noelle Salazar tells an emtional story of bravery interwoven with despair, love and separation, and *complicated* family dynamics to say the least. While this was not my favorite from Noelle and thought the pacing could have been better and Kate could have made much better choices, Noelle is still a go-to historical fiction author for me.

Noelle Salazar is fast becoming a favorite of mine. She writes books that hook you from the start and proceed to hold you captive. They pull at your heartstrings. Make you think. Give you hope.

This is a love story and a WW2 story about two people who are fighting. One fighting for the betterment of the world. The other fighting to keep the soldiers alive.

William is a soldier. He wants nothing more than to keep people alive. To give them the freedoms to live the way they wish. To practice their faith and live in their homes free from the worry of being sent to camps. Or killed and left in the streets. While there is not talk about this you just know that is why he is the way he is. He's a good man.

Kate is a nurse. A naval flight nurse. She flies with wounded soldiers. They are taken to the area hospitals and tended. Kate helps them. She is a good nurse. Dedicated to her life. To her part in the war. To helping as many as she can to survive. Kate has a few secrets but she's a good and very decent person. She's been through so much in her life already yet still keeps on giving.

When William and Kate meet it's magic. Kate fights her feelings but eventually she can't fight it anymore. They fall deeply in love and intend to marry. To move back to the US and start a life together. As soon as this war is over.

William goes back to war and Kate goes looking for her sister who she thought had died eight years earlier. What happens to Kate now is so sad. So hopeful. Kate realizes that she is pregnant and can't wait to tell William. But life gets in the way. Or war that is. On her quest to find her sister Kate has to go back to the home she lived in as a young girl. Face some demons. She goes through so much.

This book is told from two time lines. In 2003 by William. In 1944-1945 by Kate. You get to know each character and a few other characters along the way. You get a good look into each of their lives. How things happen the way they did and how it plays out.

As with most historical novels this one brought some big ugly tears to my eyes. I also had a couple of chuckles. I wanted things to be a certain way. Of course I did. But this author did such a good job. I was not disappointed at all. From start to finish this book held me. It moved me. It was excellent.

A must read.

Thank you #NetGalley, #HarlequinTradePublishing, #MIRA, for this ARC.

Five big stars.

Kate is an army nurse during WWII and she does not want to complicate her life with anything frivolous like love. She spends her days flying to the front lines to pick up the wounded and bringing them back to base. Then one day one she falls hard for William, one of the wounded soldiers, and sees a new future for herself; but then her past comes back to haunt her and she disappears into enemy territory to confront it. Can she make it back safely and can she still have the future she and William envisioned?

I will start by admitting this was probably not the best week for me to read a WWII novel, but that being said it did hold my attention and I was definitely into the story. However, while I enjoyed the novel I kept waiting for a little more, I’m not sure what I was waiting for - maybe a deeper darker secret from her past, more from the second part of the novel? This is not a historical romance, it really is historical fiction and I do always like learning about another way in which women helped the war effort and this was one I didn’t know about (the flights were treacherous). In the end the story keep me entertained but I’m not sure this is one that will stay with me. I really enjoyed her last novel so I look forward to her next.

3.75

Thank you to Mira, HTPHive and NetGalley for the ARC to review

The Lies We Leave Behind by Noelle Salazar
Historical fiction
5 ⭐️

HIGH recommendation if you like war time historical fiction.

I wanted to read this one because I always love learning about the roles women played in war, and I was hooked from the first chapter, though that’s not where the “twists” stop. The introductory chapter includes a knock on the door and a character asking the homeowner "Did you know this person?" which is always a great hook, for me. The book is told in dual timeline and dual POV between Kate, and a veteran named William.

Kate Campbell is a nurse in WWII in the South Pacific shuttling injured soldiers from location to location when she, herself, is injured and sent home to recover. Eventually she returns the war to serve, and a wounded soldier captures her heart but then has to return to military duty. (Wait…Have I ever had a historical fiction book boyfriend!?)

I loved Kate: she was determined, and her love for her job of helping heal was very apparent.

I also rated Angels of the Resistance by Noelle Salazar highly! So I definitely plan to read more of this author’s backlist.

The Lies We Leave Behind by Noelle Salazar is a gripping WWII novel. This is definitely one of my top 3 books of the year. I will be looking for more books by this author. It is an emotional, heartbreaking, captivating love story that kept me on the edge of my seat till the very last page.

Kate, a flight nurse during the war meets William, an injured soldier. They fall in love but Kate has a huge secret that could disrupt any chance at happiness. How will Kate's future be determined by her lies and choices?

I love this story and would highly recommend it to everyone but especially historical fiction lovers. Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced copy of this book.