A beautiful story that spans the life of Ellen, through her childhood to old age. Love, loss, heartbreak, this book has it all. I sat reading with tears rolling down my face. This will be a book I read over and over and still cry as though it’s the first time. It’s joined the list of my all time favourite books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

With thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for an advance copy in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
I expected a traditional type of wartime story when I started to read this, but it has turned out to be so much more. It’s a story full of feeling and emotion, there are times when the story hurts and the author transmits Ellen’s hurt so well in her words, my heart ached for her situation. It’s a story about love and family bonds, even when you’re not blood family, and how true love lasts for a lifetime.

It's 1940, and as bombs fall on Southampton, Ellen Parr finds a little girl seemingly abandoned on a bus. Bringing her home, she and her new husband, after a few false starts, raise her as their own. But why is Ellen so attached to Pamela and does Pamela really have no family in the world? As the war ends, Ellen's world comes crashing down but a mother's love for her child isn't one that's easily severed. Spanning decades, this is a powerful novel of love and loss and what family really means, even without blood ties.

I must admit the premise of this book isn't my usual type of read but I was intrigued and I like novels set during the second world war. I was very moved by We Must Be Brave - though it was a slow burner it really grew on me and its depictions of Britain - class, society, culture - over the decades was a wonderful read. I have to admit shedding a tear or two as well - one of a handful of books to make me cry this year.

I really enjoyed this novel and feel it might be on its way to a TV drama or film once published...

I adore Historical Fiction and this book does a fabulous job at looking at the spoils of war, most notably the terrible lives many children lived because of war. In this instance, the story revolves around a newly wed named Ellen who stumbles across an abandoned child named Pamela. They quickly form an unbreakable bond, and this is explored as the time period progresses alongside the war.

I liked Pamela and Ellen's relationship. It is clear that the author has dedicated a lot of thought to all of the relationships in this book in fact - particularly between Pamela and Ellen but also between other women Ellen encounters and their unique interactions, and most notably Ellen's relationship evolving with her husband.

There are some really beautiful moments in what is ostensibly a tragic book, but also some hard hitting messages about family and what it means to be part of the family that chose you, not necessarily the family you are born into and I adored this message.

Having said that, this book did have some problems for me and I think most of those lie at my feet rather than being a problem with the book. I really enjoy Historical Fiction and this book just didn't quite reach the high standards I've become used to from the genre (the likes of The Nightingale, for instance, which really stand out from a crowd). This book blends into an already genre. Equally, the writing style (which largely consists of dialogue) just didn't work for me - I prefer world building and sense of urgency within the writing, rather than within the conversations within it.

Nevertheless, an interesting take on the genre which beautifully captures what family really means.
ARC provided free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Although slow at times, "We Must Be Brave" is a delightful exploration of the life of a woman who rescues a lost child from the chaos of war, and realises that her life was missing something before that moment. It's a heart-warming tale of fulfilment, friendships, secrets and love in all its forms, with excellent period detail and a wonderful ending that'll bring a tear to your eye.

I liked the description of this book, but I found it didn't really live up to my expectations. Ellen Parr rescues a small girl who is on a bus out of Southampton after an air raid. When it transpires that her mother has been killed and there doesn't appear to be a father on the scene, the child lives with Ellen and her husband for the next few years. Eventually the child is reunited with her family. The rest of the book tells of Ellen's life up until then and after. I found it very long and quite frustrating, although the ending was satisfactory. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

The book starts during an air raid on Southampton in WW2. A child is found on a bus, with no sign of any parents, so she is taken to a nearby village where a newly married young woman and her older husband take her in. After a rocky start, they develop a comfortable and loving relationship. Eventually, the child's father turns up …
Throughout the book, parallels are drawn between three storylines of young girls - the adoptive mother, the girl from the air raid and a schoolgirl some years later. The author develops the relationships and characters well, but occasionally the parallels appear a little contrived.
Despite this, the book is a very enjoyable read - evoking the struggles during WW2, the problems left over from WW1 and the changes in England in the post-war years.
Definitely recommended.

Not my usual kind of book but I really enjoyed it. Characters were interesting and a good storyline. Would highly recommend.

This is a story about different relationships and love. It spans decades and tells how Ellen took Pamela to live with her during World War 2 and the love they had for each other. Overall it is a beautiful story. I feel though that is muddled and rambling in places and I felt lost in places.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This is an enjoyable tale of rural life in southern England, mostly set just before and during WW2. The hardships suffered at a time before benefits, the NHS, etc are described in a way which allows the reader to empathise with the characters. Ellen herself is a complex person who goes through many trials and tribulations before finding a better lifestyle. All the children in the book are lovingly described and there are some interesting dynamics between them and adults such as Ellen, Lucy, William and Althea. A heartwarming read.

For me, the book had three parts, the beginning where Ellen first finds Pamela, she loves her to bits and Pamela grows to love her. There is however a niggling fear in the back of Ellens mind wondering when the bubble will burst and Pamela will be taken away. I think I was so desperate to find out what happened in the end that it spoiled my enjoyment of the middle chapters, this was entirely my fault and nothing to do with the writing. I did, however, love the ending.

I felt that this book was very emotional and touching and handled a difficult subject well. However, I found the lack of punctuation made it really tricky to read, I don't know if this is just an issue with this version or if that's how the book is written.

I gave this novel three stars partly because I didn't enjoy the style of the narrative and was frankly irritated by the lower case "i" throughout. The early poverty of the protagonist and the resulting impact on her future relationships was harrowing and beautifully portrayed. I think the story lost its way after Pamela was sent to Ireland and never really got back on track. A book of two halves.

A poignant and tough read. Well written and worth sticking with, this book offers enjoyable characters and a new view.

A moving emotional read, sweeping the 20th century. During ww2 4yo Pamela is left on a bus, Ellen takes her home to keep the little girl safe and we’re off from there. It’s a beautiful read, with emotional storytelling without ever descending into cheese.

A story about love, sorrow and the ability of people to carry on despite everything.

This will be a massive hit come the New Year!

I couldn't get through this at all due to the terrible punctuation and lack of any order in the book. I understand it's an arc but this is one of the worst I have read to date on how badly turned out it was. Sorry just couldn't enjoy it because of that.

Newly-married Ellen Parr finds a young girl apparently abandoned at the back of a bus that’s taken people from Southampton as it is bombed in World War II, and efforts to find the girl’s parents fail. Ellen and her husband take the child in and the story develops from there, as Ellen finds herself, rather unexpectedly coming to love the child as her own.

The novel subsequently follows the life of Ellen going forwards and also backwards as we hear about Ellen’s own childhood, and without giving anything away deals with love and friendship on all kinds of levels and between generations … and inevitable through pain and loss as well.

I felt the author told Ellen’s story beautifully, although at times I felt the narrative dragged rather and was not helped particularly by the backwards and forwards timelines.

I didn’t warm especially to the character of Ellen; rather, I found the character of her husband Selwyn and her good friend William the more attractive characters. I was moved to tears in places and thought the story was concluded with great skill and beauty. All in all, a pleasant gentle read with some very good moments but but I probably wouldn’t keep this book on my shelves or persuade other people to read it as on the whole it was rather slow moving.

Unfortunately I could not finish this book as I felt bored by the story.

I do like the cover though.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. What an emotional rollercoaster ride this book was. This is a story set in WWII and the hardship that people enjoyed. Warning you will read this book and finish with tears in your eyes.

An interesting book, not exactly gripping but a very well written slow burner that kept me reading. I enjoyed the flashbacks to Ellen's childhood that really gave an insight into how and why Ellen became who she did. Spanning the whole of the 20th century gave this book such authenticity.