I really enjoyed this book, a little slow at the beginning but once into it, it was excellent. I really liked the twists and turns, the ending was good but an epilogue a few years later would be a great finale. The descriptions of what life was like on a fam during World War 2 were inspiring and certainly left the impression of really hard work.

Absolutely loved this book - so much so it's taken me 2 weeks to read because I didn't want it to end. I enjoyed this book from the first page to the last!

Jack and Gwen's story stretch over the war years, The amazing descriptive farming writing is so brilliant I was practically transported to the ploughed fields and country life.

I would say a couple of parts of this book were a little predictable, but at the same time, there were lots of plot twists, that kept me hooked.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ for a copy of this in return for an honest review.

Superbly written, I really enjoyed Jack and Gwen's story which is set around world war 2.

I absolutely loved Jack from the beginning although the ending felt a little rushed and convenient.

I would definitely recommend this author and this book. Thanks to Netgalley.

Set during WW2 , this is the story of a farmers daughter, Gwen, who becomes pregnant by the son of the local squire. She doesn't tell him but accepts the offer of marriage from their farm labour, Jack.to save face and disgrace in the village. Jack goes off to war but promises not to return as he has his own reasons for disappearing.
A lovely story of unrequited love.

I quite enjoyed this book by Anita Frank. Its set in wartime following the story of Jack and Gwen. The characters were believable and I enjoyed the style of writing, although I must say that I did find the story line predictable and found myself speed reading through some of the book.Having said that, it certainly wouldn't dissuade me from reading more from Anita Frank.

FANTASTIC!!! Absolutely loved this story.
Well written and portrayed. Scenes set so perfectly I could picture them.. Poignant and captivating

I had seen on a Facebook group about this book and their description made me request to read. I was thankfully accepted.

The return is a beautiful story about love, life and the war. I really liked the storyline. Loved the characters and of course Jack! Throughout I was routing for him and prayed him and Gwen would fall in love.

I liked the backstory of Jack and how he ended up working on the farm.

Overall an enjoyable read, thank you NetGalley and HQ for allowing me to read and review this title.

I knew from the moment that i read the synopsis of this book, that i would love it. I was right.

There is a mystery straight away, you want to know what Jack did, why is he running away, why should he not come back? You want to know whay Gwen's story is as well and honestly i was quite surprised! I guessed a few things but there were lots of twists and sub plots that i didn't see coming!

All the characters were written beautifully. Its powerful when an author can make you hate a character - I'm not a fan of Gwen, even till the end - but Muriel, Jim, Jack were all interesting and well developed!

Ending was great as well, really enjoyed this one!!!

My kind of book! So vividly was this story told that I was immediately transported into the farming world of the second world war years. I could smell the smells, see the colours and sense the weary satisfaction of a job well done! Just before the start of the War, Gwen, a young farmer’s daughter thinks she is love with a man above her station when Jack, a Geordie appears on the scene looking for work on her father’s farm. Jack falls for Gwen but she is too smitten with the man not worthy of her affection. A promise is made when things become complicated and Jack, a man of his word, vows to never return to the farm which has become his home! This story has a great beginning, a ‘read more’ middle and a wonderfully conclusive ending! Loved it!

Two and a half stars.

First let me say that I found the blurb for this book very misleading - I even went back and reread it after I was half way through the book and I stand by my views.

This is what I thought the book was about based on the blurb. (view spoiler)This is not that book. (view spoiler)

Frankly, this was disappointing. I would describe it as a Catherine Cookson novel with more details about farming techniques and set in the Southern Counties. Or maybe a poor man's Thomas Hardy set in WW2.

Since the blurb is so misleading I don't think I can even go into details about the plot, suffice to say it was pretty predictable (actually now I think about it there are some very strong similarities to Far From the Madding Crowd) from start to finish. Told in alternating time frames in 1939 and 1945 we see how Jack Ellison meets and marries Gwen before he goes off to war, and then when he returns. I didn't find Gwen a particularly sympathetic character, she was naïve and stupid both pre-war and after the war ended. Jack was more sympathetic but we didn't see enough of his POV.

I am surprised at all the gushing reviews from other authors, but then I always seem to oppose the majority.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Nicely written and a good premise for a story. However much as I enjoyed it I felt the ending was a bit too convenient. Having said that I did think it had good characters and read very well.

The Return tells the story of Gwen and Jack, and how their lives intertwine from the pre-war months in 1939, to the closing weeks of WW2 then to peace being declared. The dual timeline deals with each part of their life story, and how they come to be linked together. The mystery of Jack’s vow never to return is gradually revealed in an interesting and well written story. The characterisation is strong, especially of the main protagonists Gwen, Jack, young Tom, Jim (Gwen’s father) and Ted his lifelong friend) Muriel, the farm housekeeper, and the Land Girl, Norah.
The narrative describes, in great detail, how harsh life as a working farmer is before, during and after the war, and how relentlessly hard the farmers and their workers have to toil to keep their heads above water. But it also describes the camaraderie and willingness to help each other out, amongst the farming community.
I really enjoyed reading this book, it is a war story with a different perspective, and eventually, a love story. It held my interest from the first page, and kept me reading until late at night to the satisfying end. I recommend it.
I will look for more of this author’s work. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

The Return is an incredibly poignant, moving, and powerful book that encapsulates the true mixture of emotions and dilemmas during the wartime era.

Gwen is 19, headstrong, and determined to get her way, whatever the consequences and despite her fathers efforts to stop her. Jack is running, from his life, his family and a shameful incident in his past. He’s determined to enlist, as war is coming. He shouldn’t linger at Gwens farm but can’t tear himself away just yet, whatever the consequences.

The story is set between 1939 and 1945 with a dual time line as the tale evolves. It is well written and obviously well researched but for some reason I didn’t warm to Gwen. She was too naive and self centred for my taste, but this is what some 19 year olds are like. It also felt a bit slow at first, but built up to an enjoyable pace. The rest of the characters are believable and entertaining, especially Jack and Tom. A nice read if a bit predictable. 3 1/2*.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

THE RETURN by ANITA FRANK was an interesting read of 400 pages. The characters were memorable and liked and disliked in equal measure. I tried to like the main character, Gwen Ellison, but unsuccessfully and I struggle for a reason. The story is set in WW2, 1939-1946. The style of writing was good, The chapters alternated in timeline and narrator. At times there was too much description and I ''switched off from the story'', this caused the fluidity of the storyline to stop and start. I did continue to the end of the book, albeit a bumpy reading journey! I found the book too long.

I would give this a 4 star rating.

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

This is a pleasant historical novel, told in two timelines; the beginning and the end of WW2. It concerns Jack, who has fled his native Newcastle after getting into some trouble. He ends up in a country farm in Berkshire, living a rural life as a farmhand. He gets involved with Grace, the farmer's daughter, and then goes off to war. But what has happened in Newcastle and why does Grace not want him to return from the war? The reader is not kept long waiting for the reveal of the secrets, which are all entirely predictable from the start. There are lengthy descriptions of the farm and farming which make the novel over-long in my opinion. This kind of novel is old fashioned with two dimensional characters and plot lines which have been used before. It does not have enough tension to make it a page turner, but I did read to the end and spent a pleasant afternoon.

A well written book with a good story line, although it was a fairly predictable end it was still an enjoyable read. My main criticism was that it was in places over descriptive, I really didn’t want to know that much about farming practices and machinery of the 1940’s. I would actually give this book 3.5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this story about Jack and Gwen. The story is set around world war 2. I was pulled in from the beginning and couldn’t wait to see where the story went. Jack was a true hero, and I loved him from the start. I was so disappointed in Gwen’s choices and how she could not see what was right in front of her. Great read. Highly recommended.

I received an ARC of #TheReturn from #NetGalley & @HQstories in exchange for an honest review.

Lovely book. Interesting to read about life on a farm during the war.
Jumps back and forth a lot but you get used to that.

Jack Ellison’s war is over, but the battle for his family has just begun.

When Jack left for the war, he made a parting pledge to his pregnant bride, Gwen, that he would never return. It was, after all, best for everyone that he didn’t.

Now, as celebrations erupt for Victory in Europe, Gwen is terrified that Jack will renege on his promise, threatening the life she has built for herself and their son on the family farm.

But war has changed Jack, and he is coming home, determined to claim a place in Gwen’s life – and her heart.

As events of the past come back to haunt them, Jack and Gwen find themselves facing their greatest battle – and it is a fight neither of them can afford to lose.

In this sweeping historical story with huge heart, Anita Frank weaves a glorious tale of love and loss, secrets and promises.
Something to get the mind working, heart racing and having you on the edge of your seat. Great writing, great characters and a great storyline.