This story had me in my feels. The alternating storylines were glorious and I enjoyed seeing this strong line of women in their growth and evolution side by side. The way these women could heal was so emotional and personal it really showcased how deep we can connect with others.

The Moonlight Healers by Elizabeth Becker alternates between two different storylines, tracing the lives of the Winston women across generations. It begins with Helene, a young French nurse in World War II who discovers her extraordinary ability to heal pain through touch. Guided only by her mother’s journal of remedies, Helene uncovers a perilous consequence of her gift, while in present-day rural America, her great-granddaughter Louise accidentally resurrects a friend, embarking on a journey to explore her family's mystical healing legacy and the profound truths about life and death.

This book captured my attention immediately. Although I usually don’t enjoy alternating storylines, this one intrigued me so much that I couldn’t put the book down. The writing was excellent and accessible, with a gradual buildup that kept me eagerly turning the pages.


Overall, this is a captivating read that I’d recommend to fans of Historical Fiction and Magical Realism. It would also make an excellent choice for a book club! Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this book for review via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

The Moonlight Healers is a heartbreaking and beautiful book. If you’ve worked in healthcare or been a part of end of life care this book will probably make you cry.

I loved how the magic was related to a mother’s touch initially. The ongoing mother daughter relationships that are spotlighted in the book are complex and understandable. It deals with subjects like relationships, war, death, end of life, moral dilemmas and how a gift can be a blessing and a burden with sensitivity. I enjoyed the dual timelines, both stories kept me interested.

This book was a solid 4 stars until the last couple of chapters. Those last chapters hit me hard enough to add the final star. This isn’t a fluffy, feel good, beach read(unless you want to cry on the beach, which is totally valid), it’s a powerful story that might change the way you view “healing” and have you asking questions for a while. It’s definitely worth the read

I loved everything about this book! It kept me turning the pages and I actually appreciate it how the story went back-and-forth in time until both of the stories met in the middle. There is a lot here about healing, loss, grief, death, love, relationships, marriage, and the power of women, and all of it is written beautifully and with tenderness and consideration.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Moonlight Healers by Elizabeth Becker is a heart wrenching story about a family of healers who can take pain away from those suffering, but their special gift comes with a heavy price, one that will force the women of the Winston family to bargain with fate.

This story follows generations of the Winston women, first with Helene, a young French nurse who discovers her healing ability while serving in a war hospital in France during the second world war. When she touches someone in pain, she can take their pain away, drawing it out of them with her therapeutic touch. With only her mother's old journal of healing remedies to guide her on her healing journey, Helene will discover a deadly consequence to her ability. In modern day Appalachia, Louise the great-granddaughter of Helene, accidentally heals her friend back to life, setting her off on a journey to learn more about her family's healing magic. In this multi-generational tale, a family of women healers will learn the depths of pain and the true meaning of life and death.

I was very moved by this story about healing which I have not read much of before in fiction. There have been many books published recently that focus on folk healing in fiction, but this book's ideas were simpler and focused on the technique of laying on of the hands which is sometimes used in traditional healing settings, despite it being an alternative therapy. The author wrote about dying and suffering in an emotionally eloquent way that had me tear up at times. I loved the bits of magic, with the moon and an old grimoire type journal adding some whimsy and mystery to the plot. The author handled topics such as the trauma's of war and palliative care with respect, and her background as a nurse contributed to her sensitivity and grace of such topics. Despite all of that, I think the story could have incorporated the moonlight aspect more or even included additional magical components or even some background information on Louise's ancestors who first discovered their healing gifts to help balance out the heavy themes.

This story spoke to me on a deep level and I am so glad that I had the chance to read it. If you love magical realism stories or are a holistic health practitioner, or even someone who works in medicine, I would highly recommend The Moonlight Healers by Elizabeth Becker.

I wanted to finish this book, but unfortunately I found it triggering, so I made the decision to stop. The healing the book emphasizes is helping others go into death and ease their pain, and the tone is darker than I expected.

That’s to say my decision was not affected by the quality of the writing or the story. I could see this being a popular book club pick.