The Girl Without a Name by Suzanne Goldring
Publication Date: November 5, 2020
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Description from NetGalley...
“She left home, with the man she loved, and was never seen again…

August 2004. Billie has rushed to her father Dick’s hospital bedside. A terrible stroke has robbed him of his speech, and she is devastated to see her strong, invincible dad a shell of the man he was before. But when Billie finds a crumpled black and white photo in his wallet of a smiling, dark-haired girl she doesn’t recognise, Dick frantically tries to talk. Billie knows that he is trying to tell her something important, and she must ask the questions her father cannot. All she has to go on is the name he is just able to mumble. Ruby.

September 1940. As the bombs of the Blitz fall on London, childhood sweethearts Ruby and Stevie are falling in love. United by a shocking experience when they were evacuees, Ruby believes that she understands Stevie like nobody else can. But then Stevie is sent abroad, to a dusty and dangerous place… As Ruby waits, desperately, for letters with foreign stamps that never come, she begins to fear that the man she fell in love with is lost forever. And when Stevie does return, he is changed, and Ruby must make a difficult choice.
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Thank you to @NetGalley @bookouture for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts...
I enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and the two timeline worked well. The writing style was easy to read. I got caught up in the story and the characters. I can tell you that Ruby and Stevie’s story children were heartbreaking and heartwarming; Ruby and Stevie as adults were frustrating (especially Billie - unacceptable actions Stevie! And Ruby, you were no angel either) and there were twists and turns to a satisfactory and shocking ending. This is my first book from Goldring. Her description of the war and the circumstances were written and described well.

An enjoyable read with a real twist at the end.
Just loved the twin time aspects of the story.
It was very evocative of the time.
The historical aspects regarding the experiences of evacuees and the Lymouth flooding brought a hidden depth to the story.
Can’t recommend it enough

I didn't know what to expect but I really enjoyed this. The writing style was easy to read and I somehow felt the jumps in time from Ruby being a young girl to a young woman. That kind of timeline combined with a dual timeline of present day could make for a jarring experience, but it wasn't. I could keep up just fine with the back and forth timelines and they complimented each other well.

I thought this was going to be a sweet story about two kids that fell in love and parted ways due to the war. In one aspect, it was, but it was also a lot more than that. It dances between love and infatuation and makes you think about what love is and what it should be.

I found myself getting increasingly angry as I read this because of Stevie's treatment of Ruby and as I got closer and closer to the end of the book, I was so freaking annoyed that he seemed to just get away with everything. Well, maybe not entirely since the book starts off with him having a stroke, but you know what I mean. I was so happy and relieved by the time I got to the end. That's not how I thought things were going to go and I thought it was such a peaceful ending that made me reflect more on love.

Overall, a pleasant read that was surprisingly satisfying.

Ruby is sent to Barnstaple during the war in order to keep her safe from the bombings in London. She is placed with Mrs. Honey along with an older girl, Joan. Joan's brother, Stevie, is at another farm and Ruby has a crush on Stevie. After her mom is killed by a bomb her Aunt Ida takes her back to London. Ruby is living above their pub. Aunt Ida sounds nasty and only cares for herself and what work Ruby can do to make her life easier. Ruby reconnects with Stevie and they fall in love but when Stevie comes back from his National Service he is a changed man and they break up.

One afternoon Dick is watching the news and sees a flood in Boscastle and he remembers a flood from 1952 in Lynmouth. It upsets him so much and when his daughter, Billie, finds him he has had a stroke. When she takes his wallet from him she finds a hidden picture of a young girl and determines to find out who she is and why it upsets him so.

I found the characters pretty well developed. Ruby and Joan were lucky to be placed with Mrs. Honey and they thrived in her environment. Ruby was a gentle soul who was orphaned early but she never became bitter but continued to strive for a better life. Stevie was a tragic figure having been sent to that farmer who was brutal to the children put with him and Stevie ran away and went back to London where he would go into bomb sites hoping to find coins left behind. He had a passion for life and always looking for an adventure. Billie was a little less defined. She was tenacious in trying to get to the root of what upset her father but her eating and weight was brought up a lot and I'm not sure why.

London during the war was depicted well I thought with the bombed out buildings and then the restructuring. The life in Barnstaple seemed enviable even though the work was hard there was a rhythm to everything they did.

There is a bit of a mystery involved when Billie reads about an unidentified woman who died in the 1952 flood and there were a couple of surprises that I didn't see coming.

I would recommend this book to friends.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me the opportunity to read this story.

Thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review. 
This is historical fiction, 
Ruby as a young girl is sent to Devon during the war to escape the London bombings.  Ruby loved the countryside, her adoptive home the good food and the people she came across    
Sadly her mother was killed during the bombings in London and Ruby was brought back to live with her aunt and uncle, not many home comforts living above their pub.   Things seem brighter when her friend Stevie whom she met in Devon, their friendship turns to love.  
Alas though he broke her heart and took advantage of her again a few years later. 
The other half of the story is told by Billie who is caring for her elderly father, who has kept a photo of a young woman in his wallet for many years, he has a stroke and can’t communicate, seeing the photograph upsets him, bu Billie digs further into her fathers past to find out why he has been carrying this photo around  and that how the two stories come together.  
The ending was totally surprising, socking and sad all at the same time 
3.5 stars

Very enjoyable dual timeline novel. Readers who enjoy WWII fiction will like this story. It was interesting to read about Ruby and Stevie's situations when sent to the country. Stevie's life had tragic parts but also he was not very likeable in other instances. Love the twist at the end.

I can't get over how good this book was.  The Girl Without a Name filled me with so many emotions.  Emotions such as hatred and fear, to heartbreak.  Then finally to acceptance.

A page-turner for sure as you are transported back and forth between past and present.  You follow the lives of Ruby and Stevie from childhood during WWII, to modern day adulthood and beyond.

Sandra Goldring's in depth research, character development, and plot execution has made me a big fan.  An excellent read.  Five amazing stars.  I loved it!

I received a digital ARC from Bookouture through NetGalley.  The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Thank you to Sarah Hardy for inviting me to read this book. I was trying to reduce my blog tour commitments ready for returning to work, but the synopsis of the book hooked me and I quickly said yes.

Three characters tell this story, Nick (aka Stevie), his daughter Billie and Ruby. Billie is trying to find out who the girl is from the photo in her Dad’s wallet.

We are taken back in time, initially to 1939 as the children of London are evacuated to the countryside. This was my favourite part of the story, as told by Ruby. Mrs Honey, who hosted Ruby and Joan sounded lovely, but sadly this wasn’t the case for all evacuees. As the story moves forward, we find out more about how Ruby ended up back in London and what happened when Stevie went to Palestine with the British Army.

This is a no spoiler review, so I don’t want to give any hints about what happens. I enjoyed the story, as we travelled through the different era with Stevie and Ruby. We also keep returning to Billie, who loves her dad and wants to find out what happened to his first sweetheart. I hadn’t predicted the end, but once I read it, I was pleased that I was wrong. If you enjoy historical fiction, then I recommend reading this.

An emotional book to read with lots of twists and turns. I kept reading wanting to find out what happened to Stevie. As it  was l did enjoy finding out and do recommend it to be read.

This was a really well done book!! It is perfect for anyone who loves historical fiction. It is richly done and has a really nice way of connecting the present to the past.

After reading other books by Suzanne Goldring, I was excited to be able to read The Girl without a Name. #NetGalley gave me the opportunity to read this historical novel. The dual linear timeline takes place in England during WWII and the 1950's . Due to the upheaval in London, ,Ruby was separated from her Mum as a young girl .Growing up without family she always felt alone. She relied on her childhood friend, Stevie and he took advantage of her love. . #TheGirlWithoutaName has an interesting plot twist that surprises the reader,

Lots of twists and turns, surprises and some confusing moments.  Overall,  I enjoyed The Girl Without a Name.  It did not wow me but did keep me engaged for the most part.
The story is told between two time periods in England....the 1930’s to 1950’s and  present day.
The author certainly did in depth research when writing this historical fiction.  The historical aspect is quite intriguing.
Thank you to NetGallery, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Ruby was once a child war evacuee she meets Stevie! They meet again in their teens and become sweethearts during the WWII bombing of England! However, Ruby never gives up her virginity! Then Stevie is called up for Foreign Service and expects to marry when he returns even though he never formally asked. 
He returns, but he is different and he is dating wild women and stops seeing her and gets a lady pregnant! 

Years later Stevie has a stroke as a old man. He starts to try and convey to his daughter something about the picture in his wallet. It’s a picture of Ruby in her 20’s way after his father married his mother. What is it about this picture is dad is trying to make her understand? What is the point?  
There is a secret, The lady hasn’t been seen or she hasn’t talked to family for years? What does her dad know about this? Did he have something to do with it?

The author does a superb job in putting in twists and turns that keep you going from one scenario to a next guess! I loved the character development and the storyline!

I definitely would recommend this book!

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

I love a good historical fiction book. But this one has a different slant. While it begins during WII and the evacuation of the children to the countryside, it encompasses the record of the British assisting in the handover of Palestine to Israel and tackles the tough issues of PTSD.
It is the tale of one young woman searching to find out what really happened to her father during this time period and the search for the identity of the mysterious young woman in the photo of his wallet.
The author has created both a heartwarming and tragic story of two star crossed lovers. The ending will have you turning pages as it spirals towards a shocking ending! This book is well written and is sure to be a hit with fans of this genre.

This book captivated me from page one- it is set in the 1940s/50s/ and 2004 (present day). When Ruby first met Stevie in the country as a child escaping from the war, it was love at first sight. They went through so much together and while I adored Ruby, Stevie got on my last nerve!  He had a rough life and went through things I cannot imagine but I wasn't happy with how he started to treat Ruby. Ruby was an incredible character- one of my all time favorites. The twist at the end was perfect and I was so happy to see where it went. I highly recommend!

I have decided to give this book a low 4 stars. I felt that the story started off as a page turner and the pace got slower towards the end. It was interesting reading about the evacuation in World War 2 and what London was like in the 1940s and 1950s. Stevie’s time in the army was an intriguing and emotional read. I think I would probably have enjoyed this book more if it had been a bit shorter.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Throughout the novel, 'The Girl Without a Name' kept me rivetedly reading hoping for Ruby to overcome her circumstances. As a young girl, she was sent away to the Devon countryside to escape London's bombings. While living there, Ruby fell in love with the peaceful setting and people she encountered

When she was ripped away from her adopted home, her life fell into pieces. While those in charge should have helped her build a better future, Ruby felt like a missing puzzle piece attempting to snap into place but she wasn't the right fit. 

I love historical fiction and was soon captivated by the story. That being said, at the half way mark I became disillusioned with a protagonist's actions. I was so upset that it slightly soured the story. Thank you #NetGally for the early read in exchange for an honest review. 

Until the second section, I was looking forward to writing the review and sharing that I endorsed the book. Where I can understand the author's reasoning depicting dissociation and PTSD, I I was shocked by what transpired. Without giving anything away, taking love out of the equation, Ruby deserved better. While I was fuming about the chain of events, I encourage readers to finish the final chapters before making your decision. You'll just have to read #TheGirlWithoutaName to discover the truth.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2004: Billie's father Dick suffers a stroke.  As he recuperates, she finds a faded black and white photograph of a young woman in his belongings.  She doesn't recognize the woman and her father is unable to speak clearly enough to tell her who it is, but it is not her mother.  Billie decides to try to uncover the mystery.

World War II:  As German planes begin flying overhead in wartime London, young Ruby is sent away from her London home to live with strangers in the safety of the Devon countryside.  Among the children sent on the train with her are mischievous Stevie and his older sister Joan.  Ruby and Stevie become fast friends despite their very different experiences living with families in the village.  But eventually they return to their lives in the city, and lose touch with each other for a few years.

This book slips easily back and forth between time periods, from present day (actually 2004) to the late 1930s, through World War II, and into the 1950s.  It is clear that the author carefully researched the time periods as well as real-life historical events that have a connection to the story.  While I liked the book, there were a few plot holes, wny Stevie appeared to change not only personality-wise, but in name, as he is known as Dick by Billie and her family later on--when did "Stevie" become "Dick?" This is never explained.  And the ending fell rather flat for me.

This Book Captivated completely from the end of the first chapter. Events that happened in Devon both in August 1952 at Lynmouth & not so long ago in Bostcastle , which I actually visited some months after the awful event & saw how the Village was still clearing up & also trying to make a living too. This Book illustrates how many men were effected by what we today call PTSD because it wasn't manly for them to talk about their experiences & women were not considered worthy to be told about these things so they bottles it all up , many turning to Alcohol ,others becoming violent towards family members & others such as the Farmer who hurt Stevie when he was evacuated during the War ( his abuser had suffered in the Great War) .
As Stevie's daughter tries to find out what upset her dad & possibly brought on his Stroke ,she begins to unfold a Man she never knew ,a man with secrets , but she knows that one of these holds the answers , Can she find it ,will she find it , you will have to read the Book which I highly recommend & discover the name (s) of The Girl Without a Name ! #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/11bc11d0026952991f96874534f30a6fb6dbed74" width="80" height="80" alt="25 Book Reviews" title="25 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>#<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>#NetGalley#Goodreads#Amazon.co.uk#Instagram#fb

I love this cover! I thought the story was good, Stevie was kind of a jerk. It was so sad towards the end and I was so surprised by the twist at the end. 
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy