A love letter to nurses. A wonderful book with magical Realism and historical fiction. Set in 2019 Appalachia and 1940's German occupied France. The Winston family has the ability to heal and their stories of Love and Loss. I really enjoyed this book. The narrators did a fantastic job telling their stories.

3.5 ⭐️
Magical, multi-generational, matriarchal tale spanning decades from war-torn France to modern day Virginia. This story primarily follows two women from a family of healers, Louise and Helene, and how they learned of their special abilities, its limits, and how healing and being healed isn’t always what you think it will - or should - be.
The narrators of this audiobook were outstanding! I was instantly captivated and drawn into the story, and it was very easy to discern which character was which in a family where it could have gotten murky if it wasn’t done with as much precision. If you like an immersive audiobook that is acted out with one or two voices this is for you!
The story was really lovely. The elements of romance were almost secondary to me, but were also a touching backdrop to the familial relationships between the female family members. The contrast between romantic developments and family drama built a really unique tension that made sense to the larger aspect of the story which I won’t give away (no spoilers!).
Overall, a highly recommended read.
There were many poignant and touching scenes.
I would have enjoyed knowing more of Helene’s story. I felt that could have been a book in itself. A whole series could have been made from each generation of healer, Elizabeth Becker did a lot of character building but I wanted more.
When listening I got the sense that Becker had experience with some aspect of healing herself and come to find the author herself was a nurse!

They got me, gal. I knew it would, but just stating it for emphasis. I cried, a lot.

"We can't stop death, and we shouldn't. The greatest healing we are capable of is in death, to let a person die with peace, with dignity."

Thank you, NetGalley, for this Advanced Listener's Copy! I enjoyed every moment. And a VERY Happy Pub Day to this very heartfelt, and extremely empathetic novel that serves as both a love letter to caregivers and nurses-born from the mind of a very anxious nurse, at the time-but also, as a testament to the power of love within the family and outside of it.

"... that even in a life of duty, there was space for love."

Through dual timelines, we explore the life of a great-grandmother during WWII in France as a contrast to her great-granddaughter's life in Virginia decades later. The power of love, especially a mother's love, is poignant within the plot and you will feel your feelings throughout. The way the author is able to guide us through Louise's struggle to grasp the gift she has been given is testament enough to just how powerful and beautiful this story is.

I went into this thinking it was going to be one thing, which is was not, and I'm truly grateful for that. This was both inspiring and surprising. Congratulations, Elizabeth Becker! And kudos to the narrators, they did an absolutely fantastic job.

"Death can contain multitudes..."

I received both an ALC and an eARC from the publisher of this story, and I’m absolutely enthralled. The audiobook is beautiful, the narrators did an excellent job, in fact the audiobook adds an extra touch with the accents for dialogue that truly magnifies the story.

The moonlight healers is a beautifully written, haunting, and powerful story that will tug heartstrings, and feel like a blanket of understanding to nurses, doctors, and healers everywhere.

As a medical professional I found this story to be a powerful testament to the work of nurses and healers, a look into the beauty and grief that comes with the profession. When sometimes the hardest thing is the right thing, and also the power of letting someone go, for their dignity rather than trying to cheat death for our own selfish desires. The complexity of mother and daughter dynamics, the way we want to shelter our children from the world, especially in the medical field where we see so much pain that we may cling to the pureness of children staying little. And how sheltering them isn’t always protecting them, but rather we need to prepare them to face the darkness of the world by giving them tools along the way.

Absolutely brilliant.

This book has a lot to say about the ways we face both life and death. It delves into the complexities of caregiving and family and legacy. And it's a heartfelt, thought-provoking story. Definitely worth the read.

This was a strong dual timeline debut about a family of women with the ability to heal people but their gift comes at a price. The opening grabbed me from the start where a car crash almost kill's a girls friend but in her panic she's able to save his life only for it to having long-lasting repercussions. In the past we get to know more about her grandmother and her time serving as a nurse during WWII and helping heal soldiers. Great on audio narrated by Cassandra Campbell and Bailey Carr (two favs), this was an enjoyable listen and perfect for fans of books like Emma Donoghue's The pull of the stars. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I really wanted to like The Moonlight Healers by Elizabeth Becker, and at first, I thought I would. The way the story jumped back and forth in time between two women in the same family was very interesting, and I liked how the magic was woven into the world. It was also easy to listen to.

But honestly, that’s where my enjoyment ended. The characters felt really flat, like they existed just to move the plot along rather than being actual people with depth. And speaking of the plot... not much happened. It just kind of dragged, and I kept waiting for something exciting or emotional to pull me in, but it never did. By the time I finished, I felt like the audiobook was just easy listening rather than something I listened to for actual enjoyment.

So, while the structure and magic had potential, everything else was kind of a letdown. Not the worst book I’ve ever read, but definitely not one I’d recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Louise is from a long line of Winston women with magical healing abilities. Louise was unaware of her abilities until she brings her best friend back to life after a car accident.

Right before the accident, he confessed his love- but this doesn’t deter her college plans. However, finding out she may be a magical healer…. That changes her plans a bit as she travels to visit her grandma in the mountains to learn more after her mother kept this secret from her.

There is the present POV and past of the early origins of the women healers who had to practice in secret- in the moonlight. I thought it was the perfect pacing between past and present to make the story come together.

Beautiful story of self-discovery, family, and life and death. Not what I was expecting- more women’s fiction with some fantasy and history, little romance.

Loved both narrators!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 2/11/25!

This book deserves ALL the stars! I'm not usually a fan of books that bounce between the past and the present but this was so seamlessly done I didn't have any confusion following along. The story is simply put, beautiful. So very beautiful. The audiobook was calming yet captivating and I could not stop listening. This book will be a fantastic book club selection as it has multiple elements to discuss. Absolutely going on my read-again list.

I really enjoyed this book and how it explored familial bonds, consequences, magical secrets, and the dedication of caretakers. As the story develops we as readers learn more about the secrets passed down through the women of the Winston family, and learn just how closely each of the 4 genereations have abided by their morals surrounding the healing abilities.

Each character struggled cominng to terms with their healing magic, and I loved that we were able to explore each of their stories in varying details with the split timeline. Some of the discoveries of their abilites and its limitations, as well as characters reactions were a bit predictable to me, however, that did not ruin my enjoyment of the story. As much as we did discover about the consequences each of the women faced by their use of magic, I wish we had seen mor negative impacts, and more of the aftermath on the page, rather than a simple recounting of the events.

As heavy and impactful as the topics of the novel were, the story still felt lighthearted, not ina joking matter, however, I think maybe a more serious undertone could have helped me feel the weight of the story even more.

I receieved an arc audiobook, and the narrators were phenomenal! The accents carried on were realistic and consistent throuhgout the enitre book, and it greatly aided in putting me into the characters shoes.

4.5 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. This was an absolutely beautiful story of a family’s ability to heal. Both narrators brought so much depth to these characters they really bring the story to life. This isn’t my usual kind of read but my goodness this was so beautiful. The ending really got me. If you enjoy historical fiction with a dusting of magic this will be right up your alley! I will absolutely be reading more from this author!!!

This is a perfect read for people who enjoyed the books of Sarah Addison Allen, a book about the power of Hope, magic and the redemptive power of love

I wanted and expected to love this but unfortunately, it was so boring for me. I read reviews stating that it had a beautiful ending and I sadly will not make it there. I had to DNF at 50% because the story was moving along so slowly, I had no real attachment to any character by the halfway mark, and the writing felt very young.