Thank you to Net Galley for providing an early copy of The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor

What does a parent in England decide to do when bombs are falling and there is a chance to save children by sending them to other countries? Widow Lily Nicholls in The Last Lifeboat must make this horrendous decision. However, she has not been given all the facts and, when tragedy strikes, she is faced with the guilt of making the wrong choice.

Alice King, a British schoolteacher, has applied for and been accepted to accompany children as they travel by ship to new countries. Based on the true-life experience of the SS City of Benares, their ship will be torpedoed, and no one expects the occupants of the lifeboat to survive.

Readers will become immersed in the day-to-day struggles of those on the lifeboat as well as those who must come to terms with the idea of never seeing their beloved children again.

Within the backdrop of war are moments of peace, beauty and compassion leading to a riveting conclusion.

Hazel Gaynor is the queen of historical fiction I don't think it is possible for her to write something that I or the majority of humanity won't devour. I enjoyed both Alice's and Lily's points of view equally. I look forward to Gaynor's next novel and to be honest I'm glad this one is finished so that I can catch up on my sleep at night as this book was keeping me awake waaay past bedtime. A HUGE thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC. 5 stars!!

Good one! Interesting perspective from another side of WWII that you don't read much about. Pace was excellent, kept me turning the pages long after bedtime. Wonderful, dynamic characters.

"A clear glass orb, a swirl of aquamarine running through the center..." A precious marble.

"Her heart felt instantly lighter at the sight of the sea...the sense of possibility and freedom...Imagine where all the world's oceans may take us."

Kent, England, May, 1940
"In time of crisis, Alice King turned to books while others danced and knitted their way through the war. Alice intended to read her way through it...reluctant to step outside the familiar...". She was a schoolteacher, however, school closures followed the announcement of war. She missed the "unpredictable exuberance of the children, their curious minds, their innocence." Could Alice do something "reckless and unexpected...something brave?"

Clapham, London, May, 1940
"[Lily Nicholls'] nights now passed in a restless pattern of fear and worry...nights long and lonely...how could she carry on and raise Georgina (10) and Arthur (7) as a young widow? Lily was informed that children from areas most at risk from enemy bombing raids could be evacuated overseas, and at government expense.

The New Children's Overseas Reception Board [CORB] anticipated sending 20,000 children as sea evacuees to Australia, New Zealand and Canada. A wireless address by the program's founder claimed that the children would be accompanied by volunteer escorts...teachers...clergymen...who would be with them throughout the journey. "Evacuee ships will be under naval escort and will sail in convoy."

Should the children stay or go? Both choices were frightening. With a "sense of resignation," Lili filled out the paperwork for Georgie and Arthur. Of the 200,000 applicants, 20,000 children were chosen for the "CORB" scheme, Lily's children among them. They would depart on the SS Carlisle bound for Canada.

Alice King's father would have said, "Be the hero (heroine) of your own life." Alice applied to be a volunteer. She understood children. She felt an affinity with the sea. Alice's first assignment as volunteer was to collect Georgie and Arthur Nicholls at their home. Alice King was "the bridge connecting Lily back to her children...Alice King was now one of the most important people in her life."

Starting in 1939, approximately 5oo men and women signed up to send monthly installments from their personal diaries, events and thoughts impacting their daily life, to Mass Observation. On September 10, 1940, Diarist #6345 wrote, "war arrived just after four Saturday afternoon. The East End was burning by five. Black Saturday they're calling it. Unimaginable destruction...No words can ever capture what we have seen." September 10, 1940 was the same day the seavac children would leave by train to Liverpool where they would board the SS Carlisle.

Ninety children escorted by "Aunties" and "Uncles" were among the passengers on board the SS Carlisle. September 17, 1940 was the first night it was considered safe for the children to finally sleep in their pajamas, not fully dressed. The British Naval Escort, believing the vessels were in safe waters beyond U-boat range, had left. Just after 10 PM, the SS Carlisle was hit by a torpedo. "There was no protocol to follow when you found yourself in an open lifeboat in a furious storm...the lifeboat pitches violently as another monstrous wave smashes into them...the ocean is in no mood for mercy...terrified souls crowded into a narrow lifeboat."

"The Last Lifeboat" by Hazel Gaynor, although a read of historical fiction, captures the terror as well as the resolve of the 39 souls aboard lifeboat #12. Alice King, the only woman in the lifeboat, fiercely protects her charges...five boys and 1 girl. When will help come? This reader felt the full gamut of rollercoaster emotions...fear, hope, compassion, devastation, acceptance of starvation and dehydration....but...the lifeboat, as a community continued to carry on despite the odds. An unputdownable read!

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy reading Historical Fiction and especially books that are a little bit different in their content. The setting of this book is World War II, however, the story is that of the children evacuated from Britain for their safety. The book expresses the emotion of the parents who make a heartfelt decision to send their children away to keep them safe. The children in this book are sent by ship but in this case the ship sinks. What happens to those children is what you will find out in the story so no spoiler alerts. I found this book very interesting and written very well.

THE LAST LIFEBOAT is a winner for fans of historical fiction. Gaynor handles the time period and different viewpoints beautifully and really fleshes out this mesmerizing story from history. Her research is woven seamlessly into the narrative, and the sensory details are spot on. My one complaint is that the pacing could be a little faster and the book slightly shorter. However, this did not impact my enjoyment of the book as reflected by my five-star rating. And check out that GORGEOUS cover -- it's absolutely stunning!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy of The Last Lifeboat in exchange for a fair review. This review will appear on Goodreads.
Hazel Gaynor does it again. Her historical fiction is propulsive and evocative!
Once again we learn an unknown (or not taught) tidbit of history. This time, the children of London are being evacuated (no, not to the country, but by boat!) through enemy infested waters of the upper Atlantic, in hopes for safety in Canada or the USA. A ship is torpedoed, and what unfolds is a mothers angst, a sisters heartbreak, and the terror of a nation as they watch the recovery and rescue of their precious little ones.
Imagine your city under constant bombing and you have to make the choice to keep them close and in danger, or send them through the fire in hopes they will find safe arms on the other side? A brutal choice, and a decision made based on the trust in the agency behind the scheme, How desperate the families!
Throughly enjoyable in an historical fiction way…not for the storyline but for the story. This is book club worthy as it’s clean, without any graphic violence or language.
4*

THE LAST LIFEBOAT is everything you could want in a historical novel, and so much more: suspenseful, emotional, spellbinding. I read with my heart in my throat as Hazel Gaynor expertly swept me away into a mother's angst, a survivor's desperation, a child's innocence caught in the middle of a war. A triumphant, remarkable story from an author at the top of her game.

Hazel Gaynor has written an extraordinary historical fiction that is unputdownable! A ship carrying children and others escaping the war is headed for Canada when it is torpedoed by a German submarine. Her vivid descriptions put you right in the boat with the others as they struggle to survive. We follow their lives as well as one of the moms who placed her children in this program for their protection. Through her determination we witness a search and survival story like no other. Congratulations on a well written story that highlights another aspect of the war! I will be highly recommending this novel! #TheLastLifeboat #HazelGaynor #NetGalley

What a great read, In fact I found it difficult to put down. I loved it and would love a follow up book.. we’ll done.📖📖📖