Lovely heartwarming wartime story of a girl brought up in an orphanage and her determination to find
out about her family.

💫 Book Review 💫 
The Forgotten Orphan by Glynis Peters
@onemorechapter @harpercollinsuk

Thank you to the tagged publishers for this gifted copy of The Forgotten Orphan for an honest review. 

The book steps into historical fiction with baby steps. It’s a story about a young orphan girl named Maisie who grows up in an orphanage filled with discipline and pain. Her twin brother was adopted by a family and she has no connection or knowledge of her past. 

As the war rages on, she finds herself at the cusp of womanhood and with the task of finding homes for all the kids in the orphanage. The loneliness of having no past leads to excitement when she meets a young Canadian man named Cam who offers her a chance of happiness even as the world is falling apart around her. 

The novel had a beautiful premise but felt more appealing to young adults who may be just starting their reading into historical fiction. I enjoyed it but I needed more from it.

The Forgotten Orphan is about as far away from a traditional orphan story as it’s possible to be. For a start the protagonist, Maisie, is an older teenager, and secondly, she is in the middle of a world at war. That said, it is a story of friends, family and loves lost and found, and it doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of life and death in World War Two.

From a personal point of view I loved the fact the book was set in Southampton, a city I know well. It was well researched and well written, with a host of characters I came to care about. Family saga, wartime tale, love story – this book was all of these and so much more than the sum of its parts. 

This review will appear in Frost magazine on 30th November.

I cheered for abandoned orphan Maisie, at every turn. Her twin brother has been adopted and she is left in an orphanage with a very unkind Matron. Life is hard.  WWII begins and Maisie has no where to go as the orphage is turned into a hospital to treat the wounded. Maisie becomes a war nurse and meets her true love, Cam, a Canadian paratrooper.  Such beautiful writing and such a heartwarming ending. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

A Redhead named Maise

Maise arrived at the orphanage with her twin brother as a very young child. Her brother Jack was adopted, but she remained at the orphanage. It was a sad and unhappy place to be, but it was home to Maise. She is a take charge person and when the war started the Orphanage was converted to a convalescent home and hospital for wounded and returning soldiers. Maisie had nowhere else to go so she stayed as the housekeeper and later trained as a nurse's aide.

One day returning home from a trip to town to visit her friends she met a young Canadian officer at the bus stop. She never thought she would meet and fall in love. She is happy, but a secret from her past and an old friend from the orphanage try to steal her happiness.

Maise is a take charge person on the outside with a heart as soft as a feather pillow on the inside. She rolls with the punches and comes up fighting. She strived to always do her best regardless of the conditions. This is one courageous girl, especially during the war.

You could feel the sadness, you could experience the torment but written in a gentle way. I definitely felt the love between Cameron and Maisie. The Characters were wonderful and very well written into the story, even the character of Simon. The atmosphere and the surroundings were portrayed very well. I could almost feel the room shake from the bombs falling. I loved the beautiful descriptions of the Canadian wilderness, it sounded so lovely and so peaceful.

This book was very well written, a joy to read, and I recommend it.

Thanks to Glynis Peters, Harper Collins U.K., One More Chapter, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy for an honest review.

I highly recommend “The Forgotten Orphan”’ by: Glynis Peters.  This book is an emotional moving 5 star must read. This is my first hook by this author, I was not disappointed.

Wow I just finished reading The forgotten Orphan by Glynis Peters and what an amazing book this is.
When Masie Reynolds was small, she arrived at the Holly Bush Orphanage with her twin brother Jack. In time she watched the other kids get adopted and even her brother Jack got a new family of his own. But never Masie with her red hair. The people at the orphanage thought she was trouble so their she stayed. But Maisie was fair from trouble. She was always looking after the other kids without a thank you or any love. Even though her life was hard she was always positive. And vowed that she will one day meet her brother again. The orphanage is the only life she knew. The only respite she had was with her friends Charlie and Joyce. She was at the orphanage until it closed and turned into convalescence home for the soldiers that got injured in the war. She had no meaning in life until she met Harry Cameron or Cam for short, a Canadian soldier and then her life changed.
Thank you Harper Collins One more Chapter for the copy of The forgotten orphan. I absolutely love this story. The is a heart wrenching story of Maisie trying to find someone to love her and finding her own place in the world. But with every obstacle that came towards her she seemed to overcome it. She put others first always before her own. This is such a beautifully written story. If you are a fan of historical novels like this one you will love this one too. I highly recommend.

Sometimes you need a book which will challenge and shake you and immerse you in a world you may not relate to.  This beautiful, beautiful book is powerful and poignant and full of hope even when circumstances are horrendous.  What human beings are capable of can be beyond comprehension.

Maisie's life starts out just like that...horrendous.  She and her twin brother are forced apart when they are young children.  Not only is Maisie forced to deal with extreme sorrow but the orphanage she is placed in, Holly Bush, is a terrible place filled with unbelievable cruelty, so much that she learns to tune it out.  But it still hurts.  Her heart breaks every time she is passed over for adoption.  

World War II begins several years later and changes Maisie's life in so many ways.  The book starts with her childhood then we journey with her into young adulthood.  Heartache and despair are constants in her life.  She then meets gentle and kind Canadian paratrooper, Cam, who treats her far differently.  Though she experiences the tragedies the war brings, her new life also reveals glimmers and glimpses of happiness.

This book completely transported me...I could envision the settings and characters as though they were real.  And these stories so easily could have happened.  My heart ached and rejoiced with Maisie!  

Read this if you are intrigued by the WWII era and/or historical fiction along with mysteries, surprises and romance.  It's refreshingly different.

My sincere thank you to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this captivating book in exchange for an honest review.  Much appreciated.

Maisie, an orphan turned war nurse, has an amazing story to tell. From the age of four, she was left with little knowledge of her past at the door steps of an orphanage. Her twin brother was promptly adopted leaving her behind with an awful head Matron who disciplined her relentlessly.

When WWII struck with continuous bombings and death, Maisie found herself at the head of the orphanage racing to find all the children homes before the orphanage was shut down. Wartime took over her only home and she was absorbed into the role of homemaker, maid, and eventual nurse. 

Unexpectedly, she met the love of her life, Cam. He swept her off her feet. This new found confidence helped mold her into the woman she was meant to be. 

Glynis Peters takes us on a walk through a woman’a life during the war. Waiting and wondering what their future holds and if the men the waved good bye would return unharmed. 

I am a sucker for historical fiction. Anything WWII and I can’t put it down. While I did enjoy this book, there were times I felt the author jumped from one thing to the next without guiding the reader with her. I know Maisie enjoyed poetry as an emotional outlet, but I wasn’t a fan. I found it hard to connect to those poems throughout the book. 

Overall, this book was a good read. I am thankful for the advanced copy and opportunity to give an honest review. 3 out of 5 stars for me.

Maisie Reynolds abandoned  and separated from her twin, Jack as a child at the orphanage always felt unloved and not wanted. Her bright red unruly red hair made her feel  as if no one would ever want her.  She was treated so bad by the leaders of the Holly Bush Orphanage. 
Taking place during World War 2. She grew to be a very strong woman, but always wondered  about her past and who her parents were. She loved the children of the orphanage and finally became their leader. She meets a Canadian Paratrooper, Cam, and falls in love with him. So emotional and full of surprises that will keep you reading and wanting Maisie to find happiness. 
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC and I am submitting my voluntary and honest review.

Maisie, an older orphan who has been endlessly mistreated, and lost in the orphan system is trying to cling to any hope of finding a home and also her twin brother who was adopted away from her long ago.  Through events at the start of the war, the orphanage comes under her supervision briefly and is given a job in the orphanage building when the military takes it over.  With this sliver of hope, Maisie begins to finally find and build a life of her own.  She meets a Canadian military man Cam and thus begins a beautiful and tender relationship that spans the years of the war.  It's a beautiful, heartwarming story of love, war, strength, and hope.  Highly recommend!

Oh, The Forgotten Orphan is a book that will NOT disappoint. It will make you feel all of the emotions like a good book should. It gives so many good details that you can just see what is happening in the book play like a film in your mind but so much better than a film would ever be. The details didn’t leave anything out and didn’t leave me with any lingering questions. I feel like each main character was given ample time in the spotlight. I learned so much about each character and the war they were facing.

“This book was provided to me by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. All opinions are my own.”

Maise, with wildly curly red hair, has lived in an orphanage in England her entire life. She has
 her twin brother when she enters the orphanage., but he gets adopted.  Maisie watches many of the children getting adopted, but she's never adopted.  Eighteen and still living at the orphanage., Maisie helps convert the orphanage to a hospital for soldiers. With the war raging around them. Maisie helps care for the soldiers in at the former orphanage. 

Maisie builds a life of her own. She works hard and makes friends. As the war rages around her, Maisie meets a young Canadian soldier who she becomes smitten with. 
The war continues and Maise grows. Into a strong woman.  

An incredible story with WWII going on simultaneously. 

A bit of a mystery and twist in the story as Maisie searches. for information about her mother.q

A tragic story of an orphanage where a little girl suffered torment and loss. She eventually leaves to devote herself to help the wounded in the war. Through many trials and tribulations, she finally finds love and happiness far away from all the heartbreak of the past.

Historical drama set round an orphanage which becomes a military care home.The orphanage becomes our heroine   life after she fails to be adopted,she grows up there working hard even after it closes She overcomes much,learns the truth and finds happiness.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for this ARC in return for my honest review.  I'm a big fan of historical fiction, especially set in WW2, so I really enjoyed this book. I went through a range of emotions reading this and I think it will appeal to a lot of readers,

Genre Historical fiction 
Rating: 5/5
Plot: 
From the internationally bestselling author of The Secret Orphan.
A world at war
A secret from her past
A chance to be together…
A moving and compelling historical novel about love, second chances and resilience in the darkest of times
Southampton 1940
Abandoned when she was tiny, Maisie Reynolds was separated from her twin brother and forced to grow up in Holly Bush orphanage – a place where she has never known love or kindness.
But with the world at war and Hitler’s devastating bombs coming ever closer, fate has other plans for Maisie and a secret from her past changes everything.
When she meets handsome Canadian paratrooper, Cam, Maisie learns that love might not be lost to her after all – but not before her past life and D Day bring a tragic twist to her happiness.

My verdict: A fab piece of fiction from Glynis Peters! If you love Ellie Dean and Kitty Neale, you’ll love this heartbreaking and equally heartwarming narrative all about family and not just biological family but the family that you find along the way in life. Not only does this deal with the atrocious results of war and PTSD but also adoption, child abuse, child trafficking, first love, poverty and briefly prostitution.
Glynis Peters writing is almost lyrical whilst at the same time being realistic about the time period and it’s social prejudices. I love the mixture of forms that added extra elements to the narrative, for example Maisie’s poetry records her transition from girlhood to womanhood ultimately showing how deeply she feels things and despite not being shown any love or remote kindness in her childhood she is shown to be compassionate and caring especially towards her patients.
The letters between her and Cam show how resilient she is especially when it comes to finding her brother and discovering the nature of her origins. With Cam we see her start to feel secure and how they both learn to trust one another and we start to see them allowing themselves to be vulnerable.
I love how she advocates through Maisie how cathartic writing can be and how it can help you grasp big changes and make sense of a mixture of your feelings by putting them in context and perspective.
Overall, a very romantic and at times gritty love story and even with the secondary characters with their own subplots, it is still an emotional rollercoaster with a heartwarming ending.
Peter’s gratitude for those who served and helped during World War Two shines through in this novel and her passion for the time period is evidently apparent. I applaud her for writing a novel that is in a sense a love story and a characters quest for belonging while not shying away from the gritty and at times horrific consequences of war.
Thank you to Netgalley for helping* me discover this underrated historical fiction author. I was reminded of Sebastien faulks Bird Song when reading especially regarding the emotional toll a war can take on a person. I implore you to read this. It’s like sticky toffee pudding on a cold winters day, a hug within a book.

Key Themes and Tropes

Historical fiction 
WW2
Orphan
Soldier
Love overcomes all tragedy
Perseverance and strength in adversity


REVIEW
I love me some historical fiction and I love books set in WW2. I am a known sucker for pilots, soldiers and love conquering all. This book had all of that and more. The author pulls us in to tell the story of Maisie, a orphan who has spent her life within the walls of the local orphanage. Maisie, about to turn 18,  is a bright light to all who cross her path. The author depicts Maisie as a selfless, humble, and grateful young girl,  deserving of a love that has not yet found her. I was immediately drawn to her character, her determination and her strength, becoming invested in her past and her future. The reader follows Maisie’s struggle to discover a way forward as the only home she has ever known is being taken over to become a government rehab hospital for returning soldiers. The authors attention to the details of the time (the rationing, local dances to boost moral of troops etc.) lend credence to the storyline. 
As a reader I was rooting for Maisie and hoped she would find love and peace in the end. Overall a great read, perfect for historical fiction lovers.

This was an absolutely amazing story. It gave me a look at a different side of WWII to think about. This is a historical WWII fictional book but I choose to believe there is a lot of truths weaved in. 
This storyline centers around the life of Maisie Reynolds, a young girl who was separated from her twin brother when she was eight years old, and was forced to grow up in Holly Bush Orphanage, a place where no one has ever been nice or kind to her, let alone shone her any kind of love. She feels as though she’s not lovable. 
With the world at war and bombs dropping closer and closer, as Maisie gets ready to convert  the orphanage  into a hospital for the injured, a secret from her past changes everything. 
Maisie is  talked into going to a dance and she sees handsome paratrooper Cam again. She leans that love might be possible for her but not before Maisie settles her past and the tragedies of D Day bring a tragic twist I never saw coming to her happiness. 
The plot kept a steady pace. Character development was wonderful. There were several characters but they were very easy to differentiate. 
I was very impressed with this book. I had a hard time putting it down. It just grabbed ahold of me and wouldn’t let go. I’ve never read a book from this author but this book will definitely not be my last. 
#OMCreads #NetGalley

This was a heartwarming novel of WW2. I love the character of Maisie and her experiences. Would love to see her character in another novel continuing her story.  
In reading this novel you will smile, feel sad and happy. feel anger and joy! The full gamete of emotions!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.