This was an excellent read from the start till the end. The title certainly fits the story something the reader won't notice till further along in the story. The story takes place in a dual timeline both 1951 and then also in 1999. The characters are well put together and interesting, it's in the film projection/cinemas.
The story is mainly about Connie Harris and then of course Charlie Smith. We also get to know people who cross Connie's and Charlie's lives, family and friends. As the storytelling unravels we meet new people, the stuggles as well as mysteries involved in this book. This book was a cliffhanger and difficult to put down. The dramatic events that needed resolving in the book were not predictable and the author kept me guessing, then the story took another turn. I am happy to have read this new book by an author that was published for the first time.
Thank you
Charlotte N

Great book, set in a dual timeline, exploring the different characters from the different timelines, yet still seamlessly meeting to tell the story. A great book and well worth 5 ⭐️

A dual timeline novel set in the 1950s and 1990s working well in both periods. A good storyline line, I loved the Casablanca marriage proposal, and both of the characters of Connie and Charlie. I found it a bit slow and long in places but a good 4* read

I enjoyed this one a lot - a relatively novel approach to the usual war storyline. The main character lost her mother, was dealing with an atrocious father, and was more or less abandoned by her older brother. She worked at a local theater, for a relatively unlikeable manager but the job was her sanctuary where she had girlfriends and met the love of her life. She kept her homelife secret from almost everyone, which would prove to be to her detriment - and the basis for 75% of the book.

The dual timeline worked well, and I liked out all characters were interrelated but not in a forced way. Finally, the ending felt real and believable and fit with the rhythm of the story.

Still wiping a few tears from my face. Wow. So difficult to write the review without giving away part of the storyline. The Forgotten Life of Connie Harris is a dual timeline. Although I had strong ideas about a third of the way through on how the plot might develop, I was still not prepared for the ending. Well done!

Releases Sep. 5th. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I’m in the same online writing group as the author so I was fortunate to have read an early copy of the book as a beta reader. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Dual 1950s and 1990s timelines are cleverly woven together to tell the story of cinema usherette Connie who, after a whirlwind romance, goes missing and leaves her poor fiancé behind. Years later, an abandoned film reel is discovered in a dilapidated Devon cinema and it reopens the mystery of Connie’s tragic disappearance.

It’s a super story and a real page-turner – great characters, super plot and loads of emotion that really brought a lump to my throat in lots of different places.

There's a terrific sense of place. Here's one small extract describing the Devon countryside:

"Glimpses of life flickered past, then they were climbing, up and up, the car straining in first gear against the gradient of the road. At the top, the moor opened up on all sides. Vast swathes of bracken, heather and gorse covered hills sat under immense skies, an unending horizon."

Wonderful writing!

For me this was perfect a cozy romantic historical fiction. I took it slow as its a long read but as its clear and concise in its narrative i never got confused in scenes or with characters. With cinema and film the theme, its glamour is revisited and imagined beautifully. A darker side emerges early in this novel with the main character and the grittiness of contrast in real life and the fantasy of the big screen was a suprise to me but it worked well. Overall loved this very very good.

“The Forgotten Life of Connie Harris” is by Carryl Church. Let me start with the positives: this was a really sweet book. The two timelines (1950s and 1990s) were woven together very well. The writing was clear and understandable. The characters were easy to keep apart - as were the timelines. I liked the inclusion of movies as a plot point - especially “Casablanca” being used in a cute way. Where this book failed for me was that it was, at times, a bit long. Also, I thought it would focus a bit more on the movies, not on the mystery. Also, I have to admit, I figured out what the mystery was going to be pretty early on in the book, so when something was revealed I wasn’t surprised. I think for a debut novel, this was a well written book, but it didn’t blow me away as much as it could have. I did like the care the author took with the history of film, theatre, and film preservation. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I was fortunate to be a beta reader for this novel. We belong to the same supportive writing group – The Half-baked Manuscript Club. Carryl’s is the first to appear in print perfectly baked. I have made every attempt to write an objective and honest review.
Romantic Fiction is not my go-to genre, but this had me hooked. A clever dual-time story set in the 1950s & 1996 Devon. Blending 20th-century post-war history and characters is a perfect foil for romantic historical fiction.
I can assure you this stylish page-turner from debut author Carryl Church – The Forgotten The Life of Connie Harris will make you think again about female-led romance.
The story will make you sigh and tap your feet with frustration. As you see, doors slide shut, preventing the forgotten life of Connie Harris from being found.
Carryl Church explores Tiverton, and Exeter damaged by war, the people and its buildings. She creates 1950s Exeter with a mixture of hope of a secure future overshadowed by the Cinema’s manager’s controlling power. Sliding doors of missed opportunities deny Connie’s forgotten life from being revealed in its full technicolour glory until...
The chance finding of a decaying spool of film and discarded newspaper by seemingly unconnected people in 1996. The present will collide with the past as the jigsaw of clues reveals a hidden life.
Happy ending? The writing is perfect, but there is no such thing as a saccharine-sweet resolution. We have an ending full of exciting possibilities forty-five years after Connie’s life was hidden but never forgotten.