Very heartbreaking book! Was hooked from the beginning. These kind of stories are always ones to touch the heart and you will shed some tears.

I enjoy reading historical fiction books that take place during WWII. This is an emotional read about heartache, relationships, and strength of character. I appreciated learning about the lumberjills, something of which I never knew. This demonstrated one more way women played an important role during the war. The characters were well developed. While you begin the book thinking that will focus on Ethel and Karl, you come to realize that John and Lily are the primary figures. You will be on an emotional rollercoaster as you open the book and become immersed in the story. Get the box of tissues close by because you’ll need them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

The Orphan’s Secret by Shirley Dickson opens with a proposal. Lily Armstrong’s boyfriend proposes by letter. It is wartime Britain and John Radley has 4 days leave from his training camp before a posting overseas. A few days later Lily is Mrs Radley and John goes off overseas with the army.

Lily and her family settle into life in wore torn Britain all Lily wants from life is to be a mother but things don't go as planned and to get her mind of the miscarriages she has Lily volunteers to drive ambulances. She then gets an opportunity to travel to Scotland to work for the Land army as a Lumberjill. Here she meets Ethel a woman who has fallen in love with a German POV and is carrying his child. Ethyl is thrown out of the Land Army for impropriety. Jill is leaving at the same time, as she finds out she is pregnant yet again. When she finds out Ethyl is an orphan and has nowhere to go Jill invites Ethel to come home with her.

This is the first book by Shirley Dickson I have read and I have to say I’m very impressed. The story took me on a bit of an emotional roller coaster through Jill’s eyes with love, joy, tragedy, cruelty, happiness and sorrow. There were a heap of topics covered during the story such as forbidden love, out of wedlock pregnancy, miscarriage, wounded soldiers returning home, and death. The author also leads the reader to give thought to the concept of whether lying by omission is a lie. I mean if you don’t actually tell a lie but allow people to think it is the truth without telling the real story, is it your fault?

Very thought provoking


With thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for my copy to review

WWII fiction at its best, this one played on my emotions and tugged my heartstrings from the very start! Make sure you have a box of tissues close by, you will need it!

Highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys wartime fiction that features the hardships and plights that woman and children faced during this period. This is the first book I’ve read by this author but it will not be my last. The cover is absolutely stunning!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this eARC. All opinions are my own.

A spellbinding wartime saga that will break your heart, The Orphan’s Secret is the latest tear-jerker by Shirley Dickson.

With the Second World War showing no signs of slowing down, Lily has learned to treat each day as a gift and not to take anything for granted. With Hitler’s bombs relentlessly raining down on England, everybody has had to grow used to tragedy, anguish and heartache and Lily is no different. Her soldier husband is fighting on the front line doing his duty for king and country and she prays every night that he will emerge from this cruel war unscathed and that she will be able to welcome him home and embrace him again.

One hot July night during an air raid, Lily and her pregnant friend Ethel seek refuge from the bombing in a shelter where the latter gives birth to a beautiful baby girl amidst the wreckage and the ear-splitting sound of sirens and explosions. While her friend cuddles her newborn child, Lily rushes home to grab a blanket and the unthinkable happens. Ethel has been killed during the raid leaving her baby behind. A devastated Lily vows to do whatever it takes for her friend and in a split second makes a life-changing decision that will have serious consequences that will echo down the decades.

In order to save baby Joy, Lily is forced to live a lie and keep a devastating secret close to her chest for years. But when the shocking truth is revealed, Lily finds herself having to face the repercussions of the decision she had made that ends up changing the life of the people close to her. Will they ever forgive her? Or will they end up casting her out of their lives for good?

When reading Shirley Dickson’s The Orphan’s Secret make sure there is a box of tissues within reach because this book will make you cry buckets. Emotional, dramatic and poignant, The Orphan’s Secret is a terrific saga that tells the story of a strong, loyal and selfless woman you cannot help but be drawn to. Lily is a woman who makes an impossible decision under difficult circumstances and even if you may not always agree with her choices, she is a brilliantly layered character that it is hard not to care for.

A superb wartime saga that tugs at the heartstrings, Shirley Dickson’s The Orphan’s Secret makes for perfect wintertime reading – don’t miss it.

This is a story about family, friends and love during World War Two.
After reading the blurb I was really looking forward to reading this book, and although the plot was well thought out I felt the presentation let it down due to over explanation and repetitiveness. Having said that however I am sure many people will enjoy it as the characters are well drawn and the story is interesting.
I give this book 3 stars.

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

Shirley Dickson really knows how to tug at your emotions and this one was no different. But what was different to her previous books was that the story does not specifically revolve around a child or children but is the story of Lily whose greatest desire is to have a child with her soldier husband John. But her journey there is not an easy one and fraught with many heartbreaks along the way. A child is the primary focus by the end of the book but, unlike Shirley's other historical tales, not throughout.

The year is 1941 and Lily Armstrong has the most exciting news to impart to her family. John Radley has just proposed via letter and they are to be married next week during his four-day leave! However, her excitement dwindles when her mother refutes the idea as ridiculous particularly in such a short time. But her father, who rules the home, overruled her still angry mother who then left the house in a furious huff...only to return some time later drenched and cold from the rain and full of apologies for her only daughter.

Her wedding day was a memorable one ending with a couple of nights in a guest house that John had rented for their shortened honeymoon. Lily's greatest fear was having to spend her wedding night under her parents' roof whilst her brothers played some childish prank like filling their bed with flour or such like. At least at the guest house they could enjoy their time together...maybe even start a family. Although Lily didn't want the life of drudgery she saw her own mother suffer after bearing five children and two miscarriages and wanting something more for her life, she couldn't wait till she and John became parents. It was her greatest desire. For Lily had the heart of a mother. But fate had other plans...and Lily endured heartbreak after heartbreak.

With John away fighting abroad, Lily wanted to do something. Life at home was relentless in drudgery and life at the house John's mother have gifted them was big, empty and lonely with no one to share it with. She desired more from her life before settling down and with John away what better way than to serve the war effort. She trained and volunteered to drive ambulances, ferrying the injured during air raid after air raid. Then one day she heard the Women's Land Army were recruiting and felt she could see herself working the land for the war effort. And so she joined the Women's Timber Corp and was sent to Scotland where she was trained in felling trees. There she met the vivacious and frank Bella Campbell who had a story of her own to tell...but one she wasn't quite yet ready to share.

Then one day, Lily was seconded to another camp where they needed a driver desperately before she finished her own training. She was disappointed to leave Bella but the two women promised to keep in touch. But upon arrival, the air was thick with discord when news of one of the women apparently fraternising with one of the German POWs which was strictly forbidden. The woman in question, Ethel, was ostracised by most of the corp but Lily decided to reach out and befriend the young woman...and in turn, some of the other women softened towards Ethel. And then Lily got the surprise of her life when Bella turned up at the camp with the news that she was to work in the stables.

When things take a turn and Lily realises that she is pregnant, she decides to do everything she can to ensure this child survives. But then she also discovers that Ethel, too, is with child and with the realisation that they can no longer do the heavy work of Lumberjills, Lily decides to invite Ethel to come home with her while they await the respective births of their babies. Ethel, having been orphaned, has nowhere else to go and Lily welcomes to company of someone else in her large and sprawling home in South Shields. Whilst there, Ethel works on a colourful blanket she calls a memory quilt in which she has stitched many squares detailing aspects that tell the story of her life...which she is making for her baby. Lily in enthralled by the idea and asks Ethel to tell her what each square means and the story behind them. The final square has yet to be added, which will feature Ethel's time in Lily's home, with which Lily has extended the offer to her friend indefinitely.

But then fate intervenes and everything changes in a heartbeat. A promise made in the huddle of a backyard shelter to the reality that it becomes. But the decisions made will have irrevocable consequences leaving a trail of deceit and guilt and the possibility that whatever the outcome there will be no guarantees. And so the journey of heartbreak continues...

The story begins in 1953 with a young girl and her younger brother playing hide and seek, in the process coming across a colourful hand-stitched blanket that had the little girl in awe of its creation. When her daddy opens her bedroom door to remind her that bedtime was long past, she shoves the coveted quilt under her covers before her father can see. But alas he has and she is then prompted to ask what it means. And so the plot segues back to 1941 where Lily's story begins...

THE ORPHAN'S SECRET is not so much as the orphan's secret but Lily's and as the story unfolds it is clear that it is Lily's story and no one else's. From the beginning the reader is privy to Lily's most devastating heartbreaks and silent thoughts as she experiences the intense pain of loss and heartbreak time and time again. And yet she is a strong woman, as the generation who lived through the war were. The stoic stiff upper lip of the British as they endured day after day and night after night of relentless bombing as what had originally been dubbed as "the phoney war" dragged on for six long years. The story follows Lily from her betrothal to John and their marriage, most of which was lived apart throughout the war, and the ensuing years from VE Day up to 1954 as events slowly played out and the mystery of the prologue becomes clearer.

This is Shirley Dickson's fifth historical novel and I have read every one of them since she debuted with "The Orphan Sisters" and one thing I enjoy spotting is each book's relation to each other. Every book features, either in actuality or in reminiscence, the orphanage Blakely Hall run by Mrs Knowles (I believe her name was) which is where the journey began in her first book with sisters Etty and Dorothy who spent many of their formative years there until they were released for domestic service. Each subsequent book since has featured another young girl who has come from or spent some time in the orphanage. There is also the often-made reference to funeral direction Mr Newman who features in passing in almost every book too. I like how Shirley Dickson has kept each book tied to the other without it being a series. Very clever of her.

As with the unfolding plot in THE ORPHAN'S SECRET, you will be taken on an emotional rollercoaster through heartbreaks and happiness, sorrow and joy as often taboo topics of the time feature - forbidden love, pregnancy out of wedlock, miscarriage, still birth - along with the more common themes of air raids, wounded soldiers, death and loss. The author also explores the question of whether a lie of omission is really a lie and it's a question you will find yourself tying yourself in knots over also.

As with most historical tales of this time, THE ORPHAN'S SECRET is a heartbreaking read but one that offer a little hope by the book's end. Even amidst the secrets, deceit and guilt.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE ORPHAN'S SECRET, as I do every Shirley Dickson novel, and I have no hesitation in recommending it to others who enjoy wartime fiction and those featuring the plights of women, children and orphans.

I would like to thank #ShirleyDickson, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheOrphansSecret in exchange for an honest review.

This is a powerfully written book. You are immediately drawn in to the story and transported through time. Ultimately this is what led me to DNF the book even though I knew resolution was coming. I just can’t handle the sad right now. I still rated it 4 stars because the DNF lies solely with me and my issues and not the book.

It's 1941 and Lily and Ethel meet while working with the land army as Lumberjills in the forest. Bot of them are expecting. Lily's husband, John is away at war, Ethel is not married and has gotten pregnant from a POW, Karl, a German. When they realize they are both expecting they leave the service and go to live in Lily's home. Lily is comforted to have Ethel share her home, and Ethel, being an orphan, has nowhere else to go. One night as they huddle in the backyard shelter they make a promise to each other that if something happens to either of them, they will take care of each other's child. During a bombing, as planes fly over the house, one mother and one child survives and the promise is kept. Now, there is a secret that must be kept as well. A secret that is kept for years, until a question is asked and John needs to tell the truth.

Lily is the main character in this story. This book opens in 1953, then returns in time to 1940 and moves forward slowly until returning to 1953. The story begins with the story of Lily and John, their friendship, brief romance and marriage. I loved Lily's family, they were a large, crazy, loving family. They were all great friends, outgoing and quick to tease, no wonder Lily made friends everywhere and was so well liked. Lily and John lived apart while he was away fighting, but had enough time together for her to get pregnant more than once. Difficulty carrying a child to term was heartbreaking for them. I do not want to give away the story, so will not say anymore about the plot. This is a story of love, heartbreak and happiness during WWII. Giving birth during a German raid, miscarriages and still birth are tense and emotional and this book had me in tears several times. Making a split decision in difficult times can change the course of more than one life, and keeping a secret is difficult as well. I always enjoy when I learn something new from a story. I enjoyed learning about the "LumberJills" something I did not know about. I knew the Land Girls worked on farms, but these women were in Scotland working in the forests. One more way the women kept the lights on at home. Shirley Dickson has penned an emotional, at times heartbreaking story that I very much enjoyed. I recommend The Orphan's Secret to those who enjoy Historical Fiction, especially reading about those left at home.

Love this genre of book and was not disappointed at all, never read about the lumberjills before so was excited to read about their effort with the war
Wonderfully written and the characters were brilliant. Could not put it down

An emotional book to read set in the Second World War. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and loved the characters and the storyline. When l started to read l wanted to find out what happens. I was not disappointed . Thank you for allowing me to read this exciting book.

Oh I loved this book and have already searched for more by Shirley Dickson. There are many books written over this period of history and many versions of various love stories and mysteries but somehow this one just had it all right. It included an aspect of the work done by women in the war ie as Lumber Jills that I knew nothing about but also a wonderful recounting of unlikely friendships and love.
One of my favourite books so far this year!

Love this author and her style of writing which hooks you in from page one. Based on Lily and her personal struggles through the war years and how she wishes to be independent even when she marries - I do not wish to disclose the storyline however there are plenty of ups and downs and it’s quite an emotional roller coaster. Really enjoyed and would recommend

The Orphan's Secret
Shirley Dickson
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#bookouture #bookontour #booktour #bookreview #bookrecommendation #theorphanssecret #shirleydickson #wwii #womensfiction #allthefeels

1941 - World War II is in full swing. And Ethel falls in love with the enemy - Karl, a German prisoner of war. When Ethel finds herself pregnant, she finds a friend in Lily- also a pregnant women whose husband is in the war.
They build a lovely friendship and promise to care for each other's babies.
Lily and Ethel's baby survive. But Lily's husband comes home. Will Lily tell him the truth?
This book just yanks out every emotion. And the history - very informative account of the life of women in England as well as ways women helped the war effort. Excellent read.

This book is amazing!

It's set during world war 2 with a family who has to learn how to ration and survive.

It's emotional and pulls at the heartstrings and will have you gripped from the start to end.

“An orphaned baby who needs a home, and the woman who risks everything to provide it”


I have read several WWII novels recently and whilst all have had very unique and enjoyable storylines, from this book I was hoping for something individual and inspiring – and boy did it come through on all fronts – including the hammering a pack of travel tissues has taken, which I keep on my desk for just such emotional reads!

This was another of those stories where the main theatre and focus of events, was life on the home front for those left behind when the troops had gone off to war, although there were one or two flashes and snippets about life and conditions on the frontline too. Women stepped up to take on some of the roles which had traditionally been filled by their male counterparts, often taking them way outside of their comfort zones both physically and emotionally. However, surprising even themselves, it was amazing just how quickly they manged to adapt to the changes, taking things in their stride and making a remarkably good job of it all.

I was taken on a journey which lasted some fourteen years, from just after the outbreak of war, right up until 1954, and boy, was it one heck of an emotional rollercoaster of a ride. The skill and consummate ease with which Shirley was able to add in subtle twists and turns to the storyline, was just a joy, even though each one left me more wrecked and tearful than the last, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough in my need to know what happened next.

An extremely well-structured, multi-layered, poignant and wonderfully textured storyline. Totally immersive and rich in atmosphere, often intense and emotional, but with some genuinely intuitive and unscheduled lighter moments of touching compassion and compelling humour. Despite the fact that I couldn’t escape the obvious horrors of wartime shortages and enemy bombing raids; from the industrial mining and shipyards of South Shields, to the relative serenity of the Scottish Highlands, the assured observational and highly descriptive narrative, blended with some excellent conversational and honest emotional dialogue, to offer a genuine sense of time and place, which had great depth of vision, making it a seamlessly inclusive experience for me, as a casual observer.

Lily, like so many other young wartime women, is way ahead of her time and strives to realise her dream of independence and individuality, capitalising on the opportunities the war effort has thrown her way. Ultimately though she is forced to make the life-changing decision of whether to pursue the path she has chosen, or if, after all, blood is thicker than water. Having made that decision and at peace with herself, she then faces her biggest challenge yet. Which path will she now choose, when truth, openness and honesty set her on a collision course with her own inner emotions and longings. There are no guarantees, as either decision might have damaging and irrevocable consequences, even though her actions will always be taken with the best of intentions.

Shirley has carefully created and drawn, a substantial cast of well developed and genuinely authentic characters. Not all are immediately easy to relate to, but that has much to do with their northern upbringing and outlook on life, so scratch the surface a little and their true canny sense of humour and easy friendliness rises to the occasion, notwithstanding the usual vagaries of family dynamics. Yes! they are often complex and emotional, volatile and vulnerable, raw and passionate; however they are always reliably genuine and believable, addictive and often amusing.

A work of cultural and societal fiction, based on and wrapped around the reality of some well established historical facts, written sympathetically and lovingly from the heart, with care and deference to the subject.

Aside from the WWII theme, which features strongly in all author Shirley Dickson’s novels, to date they also have the commonality of focussing on protagonists who share the same background experience of having been raised in orphanages, or been abandoned as children, often resulting in emotional suffering and very damaged childhoods.

Was the ending the ‘happy ever after’ moment I felt that I, and indeed the characters deserved after so much sorrow? Now that would be telling! However the joy of reading is that everyone’s experience is unique, so where will your journey take you?

Lily Armstrong had been heartbroken time and again. She did the best she could during a time of war, with her husband John away fighting. After she married she and John wanted to be parents. Lily had the heart of a mother. No doubt she would be an excellent mother. Unfortunately, she had lost more than one baby. Wanting to do more than just wait for John during the war effort, Lily took on a job as a Lumberjill in the forest. It was then that she met Bella and Ethel and they became fast friends, especially Lily and Bella. Ethel was orphaned, alone and pregnant during the war.

With John still away fighting, at some point, Lily took Ethel in and with both of them being pregnant at the same time, Lily begin to have hope that she would have this child. Meanwhile, World War II continued at a fever pace leaving Lily wondering for her own health as well as for John’s safety. Ethel did have her baby, although Lily lost hers. Suddenly, with dangerous bombs dropping, and not being able to find safety in time, Ethel lost her life. Sadly, this left her precious baby Joy without a mother or a father.

The story segues back to 1940 and we meet Lily and John and we see the effects of war and how Joy eventually came into their lives. She knew marrying John would be trialsome as he would soon be called to war. The story was quite tragic and it was clear to see how much love Lily had in her heart and wanted so much to have a child.

As the story develops, it is clear that it is not about Ethel. It is about Lily. From the very beginning, we as a reader begin to understand Lily and the intense pain of loss she experienced time and again. We learned that she is a very strong woman and is most certainly a fighter. This became a story of a woman’s capacity for love despite the most difficult of times and heartbreaking experiences. There is another message in this fabulous story but I will leave it to the reader to see what that message is.

I was pulled into the story from the very beginning and completely gutted as I continued to read on. Although the story dealt with very sensitive topics such as miscarriage and stillbirth, it was still a very good read, especially as we get to the latter part of the book. This is an incredibly wonderful story of hope and love by Shirley Dickson and definitely deserves five stars.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

World War II rages on throughout Europe, and Lily sees every day as a gift. Lilly’s husband is a soldier, fighting for his country and she hopes and prays every day for him to safely return home to her. As the bombs continually fall from the sky, Lilly’s best friend Ethel, is nine months pregnant and she seeks refuge in a shelter. Ethel gives birth to a baby girl, and shortly afterward Ethel is killed leaving her new daughter, Joy, an orphan. In order to save Joy, Lily does what she has to, the only thing she can do. The secret Lily holds so tightly for many years, until one day the truth is revealed and she wonders if she will ever be forgiven. This story is filled with so much emotion. It was incredibly heartbreaking and phenomenal at the same time. This unputdownable must read is one that will have you reaching for Kleenex for sure. It is sure to be remembered for years to come. I love this author’s writing style and I look forward to reading more of her books.

Thank you Shirley Dickson for such a wonderful, heartbreaking and inspiring story. I truly enjoyed every bit of this book. A phenomenal and absolute must read. I loved the everything about this unputdownable book. I can’t recommend this book enough. It has to be read now.

What a heart wrenching read which will keep you wanting to read on. The story is about a friendship that has everlasting consequences for them both. Lily has a secret to keep even from her husband John but how long before the truth comes out.
Get the tissues ready as you will need them.

Tissues are a must need for this book! You will experience all of the emotions! Literally all of them.

I adored this book and all its characters, Lily was my favourite, her strength was amazing, I especially loved reading about her time as a lumberJill. Her and John’s relationship was heartwarming and I was completely drawn in by what they faced and how they got through it.

Wartime reads really show peoples strength of characters and this read really demonstrates the measures people would undertake for others and how communities came together.

I’m excited to catch up with the authors other books.