A emotional historical read that definitely packed a punch. I felt many emotions throughout the whole thing. A really brilliant book

A beautiful duel time line story about two beautiful and women
One set in war torn London during the Second World War and one in the present day.
Both women are special in their own way and the way their stories and destines are linked is very clever.it is a very satisfying read.

This was just amazing, beautiful and mindblowing!!!
And the way the two different POVs are there is pretty in depth and makes the book better and the end is just heartwarming.
Makes me wonder how great the letter book would be in these days especially with the war.
And the beautiful writing style plus the romance, definitely a 5 star no doubt, absolute fav.

This is a new author to me, and I absolutely loved her book. This book is based during World War Two and also the present day. Elsie is a nurse during the war, and she gets the idea to start a scrap book for patients to write in. During their stay in hospital they can jot down memories or draw pictures or write notes to their loved ones. The hospital is now a care home and during renovations Elsie’s book is found in the basement. Stevie decides it would be nice to do a new book for the care home residents and also with the help of Finn to look into the history of the original book of Elsie’s. It is lovely the way the two different generations intertwine as the story unfolds. A fab read that I definitely recommend.

We follow Nelly and Elsie in London in 1940 as they set out on a mission to give the injured soldiers during the war an opportunity to write letters and memories to their loved ones in case they don’t make it home. We also follow Stephanie in present day, as she works to uncover the stories of Elsie and Nelly- and we learn what secrets they brought to the grave with them as we do.

This book had such a great plot line and so much potential, and my biggest issue with it was that I felt for every “mystery,” that needed to be found out or explained, the answer was ✨magically✨ stumbled upon shortly after it presented itself.

That being said, I was drawn to Elsie’s character and her story quite a bit. I loved the idea behind this novel and think that for most historical fiction lovers, it’d be a great read!

Thank you to @netgalley and @harpercollins for access to this new release, published 03/30, in exchange for a review. 🤍

Fabulous historical fiction, told through dual timelines. Human kindness and the words that need to be said to loved ones before it is too late. Very emotional read.

I really liked this, even if it's not my kind of book, I requested the book because I wanted to discover new horizons, and to be honest I really liked the story! I loved the double timelines from present to 1940, where we are taken back to the WWII period during the Blitz in London centered around a hospital and the main character, Elsie, who was a nurse there. The characters really come to life in this book, and while it was hard to imagine a time like this, it sucked me in. I loved the idea behind the "book" of the latest letters that Elsie came up with in hopes of giving others an outlet to write their thoughts or messages to loved ones in their moment of uncertainty and emotion. Nowadays, Stephanie works in what used to be the hospital where Elsie worked, which is now a home for the elderly. I loved the side of research that Stephanie, along with other characters, invested in to make the story known and honor those who were once part of it.

Many thanks to @netgalley and @hqstories for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

“ A beautiful historical novel that puts a smile on your face as you see the true depths of human kindness. Through her characters the author showed how people banded together to write what may have been their last words to console their family members.”

🌸🌸 𝔹𝕆𝕆𝕂 ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙇𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙇𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙗𝙮 𝙆𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝘽𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩 🌸🌸


𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙇𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙇𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 1940 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙙𝙖𝙮. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥, 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚. 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙨𝙤. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙥𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣. 𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙄'𝙫𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙆𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝘽𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩.


𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙆𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡. 𝙎𝙚𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙝 𝙖𝙡𝙗𝙪𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙀𝙡𝙨𝙞𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙮, 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨. 𝙄 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚'𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙜 𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙮 (𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙮), 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙧𝙮 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚.

𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮, 𝙒𝙒𝙄𝙄 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 & 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨.


***𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙃𝙌𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬.***

The Book of Last Letters
by Kerry Barrett

A beautifully well written dual timeline book about two very different people. The book is set in1940/41 and present day and it will have you totally enthralled from the first page to the last.

The characters in this book are fabulous. They cover every human emotion possible at times when people are at their most vulnerable and prove the goodness of everyone at times of great tragedy in war torn London. It shows there is horror ,humour , love and kindness in us at times of adversity. The two woman are of similar ages and coping as best they can with what life has thrown at them.

I loved this book from beginning to end a must read definitely.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.
I liked the dual timeline of this book, linked through the building (previously a hospital and now a care home) and the practice of nursing. The historical details of nursing in that time were accurate and the sense of life in wartime was conveyed very well whilst care home life was portrayed sensitively. I thought the descriptions of how Stephanie felt in her panic attacks were excellent, allowing the reader to understand how overwhelming the feelings are and I loved how Micah and Stephanie helped each other. All the characters are portrayed very well and the plot was interesting, engaging and full of highs and lows even though Helen's background was predictable.
I enjoyed the story and narrative style so much that I have signed up to follow this author.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ for the copy of The Book of Last Letters. This was a WW2 historical novel that doesn’t center on the concentration camps. The book was too long and could have been edited down to get rid of some of the descriptions and superfluous scenes. I liked the two stories, although they both bored me at times at first, maybe because I never connected to the writing or to the characters other than Elsie. Elsie turns out to be a great friend and I loved finding out what happened to her! Her story was the emotional heart of the book. The book was really long and could have been edited down to get rid of some of the descriptions and superfluous scenes. This would be a great beach book for a lazy summer day. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Fantastic book. Really good story line and I love a book told through a dual timeline. Look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ

I LOVED this book. It was beautifully written and great characters. I can’t wait until I can read more by this author.

I absolutely loved this book! It was a breath of fresh air, and I fell in love with the story and the characters.

Beautifully written, set in the present day and during the Second World War and based on a true story, what more is there to write. Excellent and thoroughly recommended.

London's suffering; night after night the Luftwaffe is blitzing the city, destroying homes and lives. As a nurse, Elsie sees a lot of loss, and she's experienced her fair share, too. Her beloved brother, Billy, died on the shores of Dunkirk. Thankfully, her best friend, Nelly, helped her through what were surely her darkest days. Knowing how short life can be, Elsie begins a scrapbook for her patients, a book they can use to capture their memories, thoughts, last wishes, anything that captures their wartime thoughts and feelings. Soon, the pages of Elsie’s book are full, including a few pages meant only for her eyes. Will her secrets stay secret, or will she be discovered? Only time will tell…

As much as I wanted to love this book, it just didn’t do it for me. It's a solid WWII read: brave female lead, plenty of wartime drama, highly immersive world building, and lots of emotion. Where it went wrong for me was the modern story. The dual timeline worked, but the modern day MC, Stevie, just didn’t grab me. I struggled to connect with her. Her anxious disposition and self-doubt was a bit of a turnoff for me. I also felt like the modern-day romance felt a bit forced, but I completely get why the author included a happy ending for Stevie. The storylines were, in many ways, mirror images, which created an interesting juxtaposition between the female leads. I did love the fact that this was based on a true story (at least the past timeline). I also loved the friendship storyline between Elsie & Nelly. Even though it wasn’t my favorite, I still recommend this one if you enjoy dual timelines and WWII fiction.

Emotional book which recalls the war in London and where a nurse looked after the wounded patients. She started a book where the patients could write memories, letters or notes to loved ones in case they don't recover. The nurse fell in love with an injured RAF got pregnant, and in the end left to live in Ireland and got married and had three other children. There is also stories about present times, were Stephanie who was previously an art teacher applies for a grant of £1000 and wins it to paint a mural on the side of the old person home we're she works based on the letters from the nurse in the war. Stephanie also gets the residents to write in a note book, she also falls in love with a man called Finn. Both stories are about women who are lonely, find love but unsure if they are good enough for their lover. Both fall in love in the end.

I loved this book and enjoyed the story moving between the present and the past. The war story was told sensitively and showed the horror which London went through in the Blitz and the personal tragedies which took place.

The present showed the kindness of people but also how tragedy can happen at any time and it's people who can help and you should always let people in to help. The stories were interwoven and I had other suspected links which weren't to be too!

Another highly enjoyable read from Kerry Barrett as the writer presents a dual timeline set in the Second World War and present day.

I must say that I cannot read too many books about the Second World War because I find they start to read quite similarly. Therefore, I did approach Barrett’s novel with a degree of trepidation, despite really enjoying another book by this author twelve months ago. However, my concerns were immediately dispelled as I was quickly pulled into a narrative that was heart-warming, saddening, emotional and very enjoyable.

The two females in this story are very similar, fighting their own battles and trying to make a difference. In 1940, Elsie is realising she didn’t actually know what a busy nursing shift was until she experienced nursing in the Blitz. With daily swarms of patients, Elsie is surrounded by different degrees of injuries. Seeing some airmen not recover prompts Elsie’s idea of a book of final letters, notes, drawings etc, that could then be passed on to loved ones, should the worst happen. I loved the idea of this book of remembrance, and, as the characters said, it was a fantastic way of recording history as the war was unfolding.

The book of letters proves very popular and heads all around the hospital. Yet, this is not a symbol of morbidity, but of hope and remembrance. It seems to be cathartic for patients to write final messages, providing a sense of peace should they not leave hospital alive. At the same time, it also becomes a tool for Elsie to discover that one of her patient’s has feelings for her.

Stephanie works at Tall Trees, the hospital that once was. The discovery of this lost book prompts Stephanie to become involved in a mural project. Working alongside historian Finn, Stephanie feels inspired to paint once again and find more about Elsie’s experience of the Second World War. Therefore, whilst the present day narrative is about Stephanie overcoming personal demons, it is also furthering readers understanding about Elsie, therefore merging the two timelines together.

This was a really poignant story, particularly regarding Nelly and Stephanie’s grandmother. It is a reminder that life can be taken away unexpectedly and to make the most of the opportunities you are given. I think this is why the book of letters became so popular for Elsie, as patients realised that life during the war was so unpredictable. It’s a charming yet old-fashioned way of communicating and I think this is one of the reason why Stephanie’s patients are more reluctant to write their own messages.

I enjoy Barrett’s writing because not only is it historical and interesting, but the characters and plot are as well. I felt equally invested in both time periods and don’t think Barrett used the medical or war themes too heavily. There was a decent balance and this made the story far more immersive to read. Furthermore, Mr and Mrs Gold are an enigma in the book and, whilst I suspected the true nature of their characters, loved the mystery surrounding them, especially how they help Elsie towards the end of the story.

Although there are some sad scenes in this novel, I really enjoyed the plot and happy ending. I love the fact that this is inspired by a true story and the concept of lost letters really brought the historical element alive. I can’t wait to read more by this author in the future.

With thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.