Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to reads and review this book. This book focuses on Hazel, her husband Joel, and Hazel’s sister Ruthie during the tumultuous Vietnam War era. Hazel is a young wife in the south working at a Piggly Wiggly Market and her husband Joel who is an auto mechanic, who is ultimately drafted and sent to Vietnam. Hazel’s sister Ruthie is a young nurse who volunteers to go to Vietnam . The majority of the book focuses on each of their stories and experiences, as a stay at home anxious wife, a young soldier and as a young nurse. I thought that this was an excellent book, well written, well researched, at times so gut wrenching and difficult to read, but at times very heartwarming and shows the goodness of people. This book also had some sub plots that added to the background of the story, but in my opinion did not add to much to the progression of the story. I would highly recommend this story to anyone who is interested in the Vietnam era.

Wow, just wow! Tennille Marie has truly outdone herself with this one! I loved Our Kept Hearts so I knew I needed to continue on with these characters and I am so glad that I did! This book is a dazzling blend of raw emotion and poetic storytelling that grips you from the very first page. The characters are so vividly drawn that you feel like you’re right there with them, experiencing every joy and heartbreak.

I loved that we got to experience the hardships of war from three different viewpoints. One as a nurse, as a mother at home agonizing over the safety of her husband, but also her sister, and of course, a soldier himself. I felt for each of them and was so invested on how they must be feeling.

This isn’t just a book; it’s an experience that will leave your heart a little scorched but oh-so-full. I hope we get a third installment so we can sleep easier knowing that all three were able to conquer tragedy and heal from the effects of war.

Thank you NetGalley, Purple Iris Printing, and the author herself for my copy!