The Lies We Leave Behind is a beautifully written heartbreaking story. I loved how it unfolded and toggled back and forth between present and past. I have not read Noelle Salazar before, but I will definitely be picking up others. Highly recommend!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

Such a moving story of the heroism that took place during WWII. I enjoyed how the author had the story set in the present day but then went back to the war days. Just when the story was getting hard to read, it would switch back to the present day. I don't want to put any spoilers in but the characters in the story will live on in my memory for quite some time

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

The Lies We Leave Behind by Noelle Salazar
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Release date: November 5, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC.

I sat down two nights ago to make a TBR list for the next few weeks, intending to start with a different book, and the next thing I knew, I was 80 pages into The Lies We Leave Behind. This book follows the story of a flight nurse, Kate, through her experiences during WWII. This heartbreaking but hopeful tale sucked me in from the very first chapter. While the last few chapters seemed a little rushed, I thought the overall pacing of the story and the plot was well thought out. I read the book very quickly and it never felt slow. The dual timeline worked well with the story and never seemed confusing.

I have read many WWII historical fiction books and this one has been one of my favorites. If you are a fan of WWII historical fiction, love stories, and books that make you cry, I highly recommend The Lies We Leave Behind.

This is a heartbreaking WWII love story between a flight nurse and a soldier, told in dual timelines by Kate in the past and William in the future.
While the book seemed a bit choppy, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this one. I connected with Kate immediately and was rooting for her and William every step of the way. The characters and setting were very well written.
I appreciate the ARC and will be purchasing this book for our library.

Noelle Salazar has quickly become one of my favorite historical fiction authors.

Kate Campbell is a naval flight nurse serving in the Pacific. When she gets injured she is forced to return home to recover. Kate is eager to return back service as soon as possible but this time she is sent to England. There she meets and falls deeply in love with William, but when her past calls she cannot ignore the answer.

What can I say? I enjoyed every second of this story. There is so much there to unpack; love, loyalty, pain disappointment. The story hooked me and I couldn’t let go. Loved it.

Thanks so much to the author, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC!

This author truly excels in crafting compelling narratives within this genre. In this latest novel, she weaves a powerful story of resilience, love, and the profound strength of her female protagonists. Her characters are anything but passive—they are bold, determined, and embody a strength that resonates deeply with readers. I was completely engrossed in this book from start to finish.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book.

Excellent plot, Excellent prose and truly believable characters. I really enjoyed this latest historical fiction novel by Noelle Salazar. I never saw the ending coming. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this one. I will Highly recommend to friends and family!

This author is a master at this genre of book as she has created another novel of live and loss and the strength of the female characters she creates in her novels . Her characters are strong and courageous not the wilting violets we see among readers nowadays.
I loved this book
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me

I loved this story…even though it was a little bit of a sad ending for me. But absolutely worth the read. All of Noelle’s books are great!

ARC Review ✨️

☆Kate☆

This author is new to me, but I quickly fell in love with her writing. This story was so easy to get into, and I was left in suspense throughout a majority of it. Kate is a naval flight nurse working during 1943 in the Pacific. After she sustains an injury, she is sent home. Upon returning home, she heads to England, where she meets William. A relationship quickly sprouts between them. I love historical fiction, and this one was amazingly intriguing! I couldn't read it fast enough!! It's absolutely a must-read for me!

Thanks so much to the author, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Netgalley for the ARC!

This eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kate Campbell is a naval flight nurse working in the Pacific in 1943. After an injury causes her to be sent home to recover, she decides her skills are still needed and is sent to England to continue her work. There, she acts as a nurse on flights bringing injured soldiers from the battlefield in France back to England. On one of those flights she meets William and they develop a relationship while he recovers in England. However, William is called back to the frontlines and Kate’s past comes back to haunt her, putting their relationship to the ultimate test.

Salazar remains my favorite historical fiction author with this book. Her descriptions and details make it so easy to close my eyes and picture myself in the scene. Her storylines are intense and beautifully written leaving me breathless. The story she creates in this book is so intriguing and full of twists that I could not put this book down and was shocked at where the story led.

The first half of the book was a solid story and honestly, by the halfway point, I wasn’t sure where the story was going to go because it felt wrapped up in many ways. Then the second half of the book hit and suddenly I wasn’t sure where the story was going to go because of all the plot twists. While I have always resonated with all of Salazar’s heroines, I had a harder time understanding Kate’s thought process, especially in the second half of this book. Kate started out as a grounded, intelligent nurse, but then she started to make a lot of questionable decisions based on her emotions instead of listening to reason. While this drove the plot forward and showed another side of Kate, it was frustrating for me to read. This book also had a different ending compared to Salazar’s other books and while it was satisfying, it was also heartbreaking. Prepare to go through a rollercoaster of emotions with this book, but all worth it.

I love love love loved this book! Besides the fact that it's quite accurately set in my favorite historical time period, this author does a wonderful job of creating strong female characters. This book read like a wonderfully spun book of loss and courage. A wonderful love story as well. I am happy to have discovered a new wonderful author and will continue to read any book she publishes!

This is a heartbreaking WWII love story between a flight nurse and a soldier.
While the book seemed a bit choppy, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this one. I connected with Kate immediately and was rooting for her and William every step of the way.

4.5 stars rounded up

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy from Net Galley for free. This review is voluntary and mine alone.

A beautiful heartbreaking love story of a soldier and flight nurse during World War II. This story alternates between the 1940's and early 2000's to share the FMC and MMC's point of view. The details and writing style really help. you picture this story as you read.

Being my first book by Noelle Salazar, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. I immediately connected with Kate Campbell, but the story was predictable in some ways and unusual in others. Her desire to help others as a nurse in the South Pacific came through the prose. The conditions she lived in with other women during WWII made for some vivid and horrifying depictions of what life was like for women brave enough to offer their services to the war effort.

After an injury sidelined her, she returned home to recover, realizing they may send her to another post. When she receives an assignment to England, she develops an infatuation with a flyboy, and the author's prose beautifully portrays their love. The storyline saddened me, and I couldn’t see this as a historical romance. It was more a depiction of how people felt about life during the tumultuous times of WWII, when life was short, and people made the most of each minute as death stalked them all.

The settings became characters in themselves, with captivating dialogue. But with so many subplots that turn and twist, I sometimes felt I was reading a copy of several stories crammed into one. I loved the ending, even though it made me sad.

The book was a good read if you like dual-timeline reads. This one kept me rereading sections because I had difficulty tracking who was telling the story and where it was heading.

It's a good, strong 3.5 to 4-star book. I will read more of the author's work.

I received this book as an Advanced Copy from Net Galley for free. This review is voluntary and mine alone.

This is my first book by Noelle Salazar and I like this book well enough to read her others, but it definitely wasn’t my favorite. It was interesting to take my personal experience of being a military spouse and translating it to the book. I feel like i was able to sit in Kate’s Shoes and really understand her. The characters were well developed. The story was full of emotions and very heartfelt. I can’t put my finger on it but it just felt like this story was missing something to make it all the more special.

The Lies We Leave Behind
By: Noelle Salazar
Pub date: November 5, 2024
Publisher: MIRA

Salazar writes some beautiful historical fiction novels based on real life strong women. I have enjoyed all her books and this one will be added to my physical books. Thank you MIRA for the gifted eARC, as this is one I will want to read again.

The story is one about our heroin Kate Campbell who is a nurse flying in wartime to transport the wounded and caring for them. Her life has been very difficult and her calling as a nurse has helped so many. She was in the Pacific in 1943 and after an injury she is sent home.

After healing she is sent back overseas to the countryside. Her life took a drastic turn as she tries to heal from her past.

A dual timeline kept me engaged as William a retired veteran and the journey he has been on during and after the war.

I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this INCREDIBLE story. Salazar is an auto-buy for me and if you are a historical fiction fan, I highly recommend this one as well as The Flight Girls, The Roaring Days of Zora Lily and Angels of the Resistance.

The Lies We Leave Behind provides an intimate and emotionally charged story of the immense loss that can come from war and the coinciding political ideologies held by families. The story is told from different viewpoints and from different time frames. We are first introduced to William, who will be looking back on his experience during WWII. It is a surprise visitor who triggers his journey of remembering and discovery. Next, we are introduced to Kate, whose version is being told from the WWII era. Kate’s story reveals the struggles she has faced throughout her life and the lies she had to tell in order to survive. We learn of her immense love of caring for others and the path this love leads her down. We see the relationship between her and William. We learn more about the lies Kate has had to carry and will continue to carry with her. We see how these lies and her longing to help others shape her decisions.
The details provided throughout the story offer a beautifully written unraveling of the lies, with a final revelation that completely alters William’s life.
While there are some slower moments throughout, the details provided are vital to overall story development. This is an absolute must-read for any reader of historical fiction.

Pretty average and mostly predictable, but Kate was a well drawn character. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Compelling story of love and duty and what lengths some with go through to save the ones they love. A young woman shows up at the home of a soldier who fought in WWII and to fill in the story of the nurse he fell in love with, who disappeared during that tumultuous time. The POV shifts from the former soldier, William, to Kate, th'e nurse he loved. The story goes in a direction not foreseen in the initial telling, and shows us the impact love has on the decisions and directions life takes.

My kindle copy had a weird formatting problem. (I'm guessing it's formatting), where every few pages, there would be a line with a number then Noelle Salazar. ___NIcolle Salazar - as a line break, every few pages, and a couple of typos.

Overall, great story,, very much enjoyed.