In this World War II story, two teenagers return to London after being sent to live in the country during the Blitz. The city is in ruins, and the two teenagers have no adult caretakers, so they end up with slightly grumpy bookstore owner. Because of its subject matter, this book can be very dark at times, but it’s still a fantastic book, even though it scares the hell out of me right now as the United States seems to be headed the way of Germany in the 1930s.

This was interesting. I wanted to try something out of my comfort zone and this was definitely it. I don’t think I could’ve read this but listening to it was great. Loved the narrators very much.

I really felt like I was there and while I’m not normally a history fan, I found I really enjoyed learning about this. Messed up as thst sounds bc it’s about war. It was gripping and compelling. Glad I challenged myself to try something new!

Definitely recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free audio-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very character driven story revolving around 3 main characters Charlie, Molly, and Oliver. The story takes place during WWII while bombings and attacks are rampant. The characters are all dealing with different kinds of loss, tragedy, family issues, and trying to find their place in all of the chaos.

If you like a character driven story and a slow pace initially, I think this story will be great for you. Especially if you like this author's work. This is my first dive into Baldacci's work, and it was a little too slow with too much conversation and not enough action initially, but it picked up greatly later on in the story.

The plot started kicking off a little more around 30%, and it was depressing with many negative things happening back to back. Realistically, though, it is a WWII story, so this isn't shocking. You just wish for a little bit of hope and light for the characters. You feel for the characters throughout the story, and the author does a great job of providing a terrifying and tragic atmosphere of the time.

Listen to the author's note at the end as well as it is a great message that is noted throughout the book.

Put this one on your TBR for April as it is releasing on 4/15/25, and you won't be disappointed!

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook for my honest review. I love David Baldacci novels and this is no different. This book follows multiple individuals as they try to survive thru the trying times of WW2.
The narrators did a wonderful job bringing the story to life and were very clear in their reading.