I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Last Lifeboat is another engaging read from Hazel Gaynor. And once again, she provides insight into a part of history that I didn’t know much about (although it is a topic that has become quite a hot commodity with authors as of late). While the evacuation of children in Britain to the countryside in Operation Pied Piper is much more well-known, I was fascinated to find out that there were efforts to send children overseas, with similar complications for the families involved, and even more complications for the people trying to orchestrate it, thanks to the greater potential for maritime disasters, especially during wartime.
Gaynor captures two perspectives of this situation beautifully. While the ship and characters are fictional, Gaynor draws on real events to depict what happened to the SS Carlisle, and you get a sense of the harrowing nature of the events they faced. Alice, one of the women accompanying the children on the voyage, is inspired by a real person, and I admire how she put herself in a situation outside her comfort zone a bit by taking on this position as the childrens’ teacher, and has to take on even more responsibility in taking care of them for days when the ship sinks and they’re forced to go off into a lifeboat for days.
Lily, meanwhile, is mother to one of the children sent overseas, and I love how her perspective captures the complicated choices wartime and other difficult situations prompt parents to have to make for the sake of their children. Parents like Lily put their trust in others, and don’t anticipate that their children will essentially be left to their own devices in the event of disaster.
Gaynor masterfully intertwines the two women’s narratives, displaying the connection between them even though they don’t interact. Both are dynamic characters who are easy to root for, and it’s one of those books where I felt the book was well balanced between them, and the arcs of Alice and the children fight for their survival and Lily’s concern over her children’s fate are equally engaging
I really enjoyed this, and I’d recommend it to fans of historical fiction about parts of history that aren’t as well-known/talked about/depicted in fiction and media.

This is based on a true story and what a interesting, heartbreaking, and heartwarming story it is I can see why the Author wrote about this incident that occurred during WWII.
At the time when bombs where falling the propaganda at the time was parents get your children out of here.
So parents thinking they were doing the right thing put their children on a ship not knowing the outcome of what was about to happen. But what unexpectedly happen was the ship was hit with a torpedo and was sinking with all those children aboard. Told by two different POV’s one being a mother Lily who put two of her children on the ship and one named Alice A librarian who volunteers to take the kids and travel with them. The author writes about this stories in history beautifully. Although this was a heartbreaking story I did find it interesting learning about what happen and what the women and children went through during this place in time. Thank You @netgalley for letting me read this

This is a part of ww2 people probably don’t know much if anything about. Parents sent their kids out of war zones on boats to Australia and Canada so that they would survive vs be killed by bomb raids. The main character volunteers to take a boat of children on one such passage. We learn her backstory and the harrowing ordeal to get to safety.
The book started out with a bang and you’re foisted into the horrible circumstance of a boat being torpedoed. The rest of the book kind of snakes along and I feel badly saying this but I was bored. I don’t know if it’s a me thing/this wasn’t what I wanted to read about or maybe this just wasn’t for me. It’s certainly a compelling story but it felt a bit stiff for my liking.

An Amazing Story

This is a must read if you like to read about courageous people. It is heartwarming , heartbreaking, and sad. You will need the box of tissues for this one.

I loved that the book told the story of Alice, the teacher that volunteered to accompany children on a boat through enemy targeted waters from London to Canada, and it also told the story of Lily the mother that send her children to be evacuated from London on the ship with Alice.
The perspectives from Alice and Lily are both interesting to read and I loved reading the two different stories. I love how both women are so courageous after a torpedo hits the ship.

I cannot imagine the feelings that either woman felt. One a teacher responsible for children on a lost life boat and one a mother that lost her husband and sent her children, her only remaining family, on a treacherous journey in hopes they might escape the bombs being dropped on London. The objective of both women is to keep the children safe. That they only had thoughts for the children and did everything they could to help them survive a horrible war.

This as an amazing story, I think it deserves more than the 5 stars I can give it. What an awesome job this author did writing a book based on a true story and on fact while incorporating fictional characters that fit those parts so perfectly.

I loved every page and I would most definitely recommend it.

Thanks to Hazel Gaynor for writing a great story, to Berkley Publishing for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy to read, enjoy and review. All the words in the review are my own.

The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor

During all the life and death stresses of parents during WWII London and the surrounding areas was the decision of whether to send their children across the ocean to safety. Both choices had great risks. Staying put could the children in the path of being maimed or killed due to the frequent (often nightly) bombings at home. Sending the children away on ships put the children at risk of being on a ship that is torpedoed by the Germans.

The Last Lifeboat is historical fiction that has parallels with the real life torpedoing of the SS City of Benares. I'd avoided reading the details of this event for so long but I'm so glad I read The Last Lifeboat. It's a heartbreaking story but one worth reading as Gaynor relates the events with compassion for all involved (parents, volunteers, crew, and rescuers). There is also the sense of standing back and watching the horror as might be the experience of watching the unthinkable happening to you and those around you. There is the sense of panic and chaos but also the sense of being too numb to feel. There is the numbness from the wet, cold, and hypothermia but also the emotional and mental numbness of seeing and experiencing the worst that can happen.

As I started this book, I didn't want to get to know the characters yet I couldn't help being drawn to them and hoping they could all survive but knowing that was not going to be the case. Between each chapter are Mass-Observation diary entries by volunteers recording their thoughts, feelings, and experiences during this time. These entries just added to my feelings about what was happening to all those suffering from the war and its deprivations and made the plight of everyone all that much clearer to me. Reading historical fiction sends me seeking more and now I've read a lot about the SS City of Benares and its sinking. I know I'll be reading more by this talented author.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.

Will spotlight on instagram/lindsaykinah for publication day. Have already put up group spotlights of various Berkley books several times with this included.

Hazel Gaynor, the author of ” The Last Life Boat,” has written a captivating and intriguing historical fiction novel. The genres for this book are historical fiction, fiction, adult fiction, and drama. This novel is based on a true story of a young teacher that escorts evacuated British children on ships and boats. The timeline for this story is set during World War Two and takes place in London and at sea. One phase of evacuating children, when Germany was bombing London, was for parents to decide to send their children by boat to other countries. Some adults were the escorts. The author uses poetic licensing to include fictional characters. The author describes the characters as complex, complicated, and courageous.

In Kent, Alice King, a teacher, decides to become an escort for young children to evacuate Britain’s children by sea. In London, Lily Nichols is trying to decide about her children’s safety and decides that they will be safer at sea.

Unfortunately, a Nazi U-boat torpedoes the ship with the children. Lifeboats are dispensed, and chaos occurs. There is also a major storm at sea, with many losses. There is a question of recovery and how the ship could be unprotected.

This action-packed, suspenseful novel had me on pins and needles. Hazel Gaynor has done extensive research, and her writing is amazing, as are her vivid descriptions; I highly recommend this thought-provoking and memorable novel to others.

This book was so terribly sad yet uplifting in its own way. I have never read any of Hazel Gaynor’s work before and I am kicking myself for it. I loved this book so much. The story is told from two points of view. First, we have Alice who is adrift at sea in a lifeboat, she is waiting to be rescued with 34 other passengers…many of them children she is looking after. The other point of view is Lily, she is mom to one of the children in the lifeboat and has a daughter who was rescued and is on her way home.

The book is based on true events and that’s what made it all the more harrowing. I just can’t imagine having to live through that and what those poor souls went through. The author is a master at evoking the emotions of the time period and the events that happened during the war. Her descriptions of being lost at sea were spot on and I could taste the salt and smell the sea air. Gaynor’s research was meticulous and her writing style was very engaging. I can’t wait to check out Gaynor’s backlist, she writes a compelling story. All. The. Stars.

Based on an actual event that took place on Sept. 17, 1940, "The Last Lifeboat", by Hazel Gaynor tells the story of the first evacuation of children from England to Canada, the U.S., New Zealand, and Australia, that was meant to save them from the constant bombing of the Nazis and even Hitler's "eventual" invasion of England. Seen through the eyes of parents whose children were on board this ship, family members of the children, those tasked with caring for the children, and t,hose on board the last lifeboat, after the ship was torpedoed, this novel gives us a harrowing report of those involved and the amazing resilience of the human spirit.

This amazing novel is so beautifully written and tugs at your heart strings from the very start. It is so much a love letter to the heroism of those involved and is definitely a page turner. I highly recommend it.

The Last Lifeboat draws on a specific event during WWII to craft a well researched and written novel. As part of Operation Pied Piper, children were not only sent from London to the English countryside, but also to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. This story covers a transport boat heading to Canada. Gaynor has written a compelling story of those on the boat and those still at home.
The story alternates between Alice, a young teacher looking to do something meaningful during the war who signs up to help transport the children, and Lily, the mother of two young children trying to make the decision of whether to send her children.
The SS Carlisle no sooner loses its convoy then it is torpedoed and sinks. Alice, six children and a handful of men make it onto a lifeboat. It’s a trial for Alice to keep the children distracted from the growing number of hours they’ve been adrift and the horrendous weather. Gaynor accurately presents the mercurial moods of the children- despondent one moment and then wondering if they’ll get to meet the king when they’re rescued. As the days go by and supplies dwindle, things become more and more dire. Meanwhile, Lily has been told her son didn’t survive and she is demanding answers.
While this is a book of fiction, Gaynor draws heavily from the torpedoing of The City of Benares in September, 1940. She has done her research well.
I applaud Gaynor for her ability to make some of the quiet moments mean the most. As when Lily remembers a small moment of life when all was right. Or Alice’s “encounter” with the whale.
Multiple characters, not just Alice and Lily, are fully fleshed out. My heart was in my throat waiting to see who, if any, would survive.
My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this book.

Beautifully written a haunting historical fiction novel based on a true story.During ww2 women decided to send their children to foreign countries to keep them safe sailing on boats that were attacked only one lifeboat full of children survived I was so involved in their story I was sad when I read the last page.#netgalley #berkleypublishers

With bombs blasting London every night, the British government offered families the opportunity to send their children to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or the US. In 1940, one such ship heads toward Canada 90 children on board. It is struck by a U-Boat torpedo, sinking the ship.

One lifeboat is rescued, with the belief that all others had sunk. But that's not true--one lifeboat was missed. This is the story of those on that boat.

This is an exciting story, filled with appealing characters and a number of surprising twists. I liked that Hazel Gaynor does not ignore the class aspects of the tragedy. This was my first novel by Hazel Gaynor and after finishing I immediately bought another. Is there a better testament to how good The "Last Lifeboat" is.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for a digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Another look at a forgotten WWII incident. During the Blitz, London parents were offered an opportunity to send their children to safe zones: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa. Couched in terms that made the journey seem safe, hundreds of families sign up. A u-boat attack on one of the ships carrying Seavacs uncovers the flaws in the plan. Told from several points of view, the reader is treated a full story of the tragedy and those involved. A touching and compelling read.

The Last Lifeboat is a lovely, well-written book of little-known World War II history. I have read alot about this war and knew about evacuated British children... but not that they were sent abroad en masse on ships! As a parent, I cannot imagine how one would make such a decision. To keep your children in a city being bombed or to send them overseas alone... I just can't imagine.

I really enjoyed the parallel stories of Alice and Lily, how Alice fought to survive with a group of children in a lifeboat for days, and Lily as she never gave up. I also enjoyed Lily's friendship with Kitty (Alice's sister) and how together, they fought for their loved ones who were missing at sea. This story was heartbreaking and beautiful. This author put so much heart into it! It was well worth the read.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

In the beginning, I had a hard time keeping the two main women in the story straight as to which one I was reading about. That is until the boat launched, then it was very easy to follow. I really enjoyed this book and wanted to keep reading to find out what happens next. It is a great book, very well written and I felt so much emotion for the people. I highly recommend this book!

During WWII thousands of children were evacuated from the large cities in England to the countryside; hundreds were evacuated by sea to the USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, and commonwealth countries. This is the fictionalized story of one such evacuation ship that was torpedoed and sunk by a German u-boat. Told from the perspective of one of the “aunties” who acted as escorts and one of the mothers who sent her children, hoping for their safety. Gaynor skillfully crafts her story based on a true event, seemingly well researched, the book is well written. The dual storylines of a mother at home unwilling to accept the deaths of her children and the “auntie” in the last lifeboat that no one seems to know is still out there - play out along side each other for a complete and moving story.

This is a story of two women and how circumstances of WWII London connect them. Lily Nichols has lost her husband and now must make a hard decision about how best to keep her children safe, to evacuate or not. Alice Kent is a quiet school teacher who would like to do her part in the war. She volunteers to accompany children on an evacuation voyage. The "seavacs" are a group of children being shipped to Canada and Australia to keep them from the dangers of war torn England. The ships are supposed to be safely guarded enroute but the unthinkable happens and Alice's boat is hit. The book alternates between those in the lifeboat and those back at home.
This is a review of an e-Galley provided by NetGalley.

I received an advice copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed "The Last Lifeboat." Many of us have heard of children evacuations to the English countryside during WWII but there were also evacuations via sea to Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
A young schoolteacher and temporary librarian, Alice King, finds herself searching for purpose during WWII. She finds that purpose in helping evacuate British children overseas. Lily Nichols, as a widow with two young children, debates sending her children on the evacuation boats, as do many other parents. Alice King becomes the escort for Lily's children on the S.S. Carlisle to Canada. Aboard, Alice finds enjoyment in taking care of her new charges and the thrill of meeting new people. However, the unthinkable happens, and a German U-boat torpedoes the S.S. Carlisle. Aboard the lifeboats, many lives become unexpectedly entangled. Hazel Gaynor does an excellent job of conveying the desperation, loss, and co-mingling of different walks of life that happen during war. I could taste the salty sea, the un-ending storm both physically and mentally on the survivors but also was moved by the resiliency of humans and our ability to connect on many different levels.

Alice King and Lily Nichols had never met until the day Alice volunteered to be an escort for her children and other children on the SS Carlisle (SS City of Benares) from London to Canada.

The SS Carlisle was surrounded by a convoy of Royal Navy ships that were to protect the SS Carlisle from German U-boats, but the ship was torpedoed and sunk. Where did the convoy go?

This left everyone scrambling to the lifeboats as they watched the ship sink along with those who didn't make it out.

What horrible news for the parents whose children were on the ship.

There were no other lifeboats in the water except for Lifeboat Number 12 that had been miscounted and mixed up with another lifeboat that was thought to have been rescued.

How did the other lifeboats make it to safety or did they?

Why are they the only lifeboat in this vast ocean?

We follow Alice, the children, and other adults as they wait for a rescue boat for eight days in the rough waters.

THE LAST LIFEBOAT is based on true events and tells us this heartbreaking story through Ms. Gaynor's marvelous research and writing style.

You won't want to stop reading to see how it all turned out.

You will cry and cheer along with the characters when they are rescued and as some of the children are reunited with their families.

You will also cry for those who perished.

You will find lots of interesting information about what is kept in a lifeboat for emergencies.

This is another event I was not aware of....were you?

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

The Last Lifeboat
By Hazel Gaynor
Pub Date: June 13, 2023
Berkely
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Inspired by a true story, a young teacher evacuates children to safety across perilous waters. Fascinating story told through the POV of Alice and Lily.
I loved reading the historical note at the end . This author did their research well!
5 stars