I love it when I learn something new from a story. I did not know the National Pigeon service existed or that the British used pigeons to carry messages during the war.

The Long Flight home is about Susan, who trains pigeons and Ollie, an American who wants to join the RAF as a pilot. Through a series of convenient coincidences, Ollie and Susan are brought together on a mission to provide homing pigeons to carry messages from France to England.

It took me a while to warm to this book. I thought that in the first half of the book, the characters were one-dimensional and the dialogue was very simplistic. The characters did not seem to feel anything until the second part of the book. What kept me interested was the second half of the book, where I felt the characters took shape and the pace of the story picked up. However, the ending seemed a bit rushed and I would have been happy with a few more pages to put a polish on the character’s stories.

The book is well researched; I found the Author’s Note at the end very interesting and would have liked to know more about the Pigeon corps.

This was a fast read for me. Recommended for people who want to learn about a fascinating aspect of WWII history and for historical fiction fans. 3.5/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley, Hodder& Stoughton; Hodder Paperbacks, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this novel. Release date: June 25, 2019

Review will be posted on Instagram @lowkey.bookish

A fascinating story that deals with the little known use of homing pigeons during the World War Two. The novel is told through the two main protagonists Ollie and Susan and their experiences during the war. I found the story very interesting and easy to follow. The characters are likeable and believable. I would recommend this book to historical fiction fans.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.