The Ship of Dreams by Donna Jones Alward is a beautifully written and character driven story. It is also about the strength and power found in female friendships, the bonds and courage required to find one’s own path.

Rather than focusing solely on the disaster itself, Ms. Alward uses the doomed voyage as a backdrop for this story. The reader finds two best friends on board the “unsinkable” ship. Hannah Martin, conventional and yet a deeply sympathetic character, boards the Titanic hoping that six day voyage might bring her and her husband closer and heal the damage in her marriage. On the other hand we have Louisa Phillips, Hannah’s best friend who totally embodies the spirit of rebellion. She is not willing to succumb to her family’s plans for a loveless marriage. She is a willing participant in the Suffragist Movement. The chapters alternate points of the view of these two women.

What makes The Ship of Dreams your atypical historical fiction novel is Ms. Alward’s divergence into the roles of women during this time when marriage was the only path to a secure future. This was before the Vote and before women could own property and where arranged marriages were the order of the day.

The author’s extensive research shows in her breathtaking descriptions of the Titanic’s interiors and the rigid social hierarchies that governed life aboard ship. The ship weaves it’s romantic and elegant appointments into the greater story. It creates a beautiful back drop of growth, and resilience and new found awareness of all the main characters. The actual sinking of this historic ship serves to highlight what truly matters to each character. Another aspect of the story is healing from grief, forgiveness, and moving forward albeit one step at a time.

This story was wondrous. I loved that Ms. Alward included the Astors, the Browns and other real characters from the Titanic. Hannah and Louise's friendship was what everyone hopes to have in their life. Although Louisa had some moments of questionable behavior the fact that she found an opportunity to redeem herself made me forgive her. Hannah’s desire to please everyone is eclipsed by a strength she never knew she had. I really enjoyed this book. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Alward has in store for us next. Very well done.

I would like to thank Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter, the author and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a huge Donna Jones Alward fan. I read her first historical fiction novel, When the World Fell Silent, and now it's living in my head. So of course I had to read Ship of Dreams. I enjoyed the fresh taste on the Titanic disaster and the enduring and poignant friendship between two women of that era. Not quite as absorbing and exciting as When the World Fell Silent, but still a very enjoyable read. Looking forward to the next book by this author as well

A story set on the Titanic which focusses on the friendship between two women. Overlong in places, I liked the characters and their eventual journey to Halifax. I learnt nothing new about the ship sinking, but I enjoyed the scenes on the Carpathia.

I have read a lot of Titanic novels as the story never gets old . This story is told in two points of view . Louisa and Hannah are two different women but the best of friends who board the Titanic. Hannah finds herself in a marriage that is failing . While Louisa finds herself in the arms of Reid Grey. There are twists and there is tragedy. The Ship of dreams takes you on a wonderful, beautiful and tragic journey that changes both women’s lives but never their love for each other. Highly recommend this book! Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced copy!

I love Titanic stories and think we don't have enough, so I leapt at the chance to read SHIP OF DREAMS. Sadly it wasn't the historical fiction for me; I've not read the author before so don't know if this is her usual writing style but found it clunky and not engaging enough. That two stars for both a stunning cover, and that I liked the last third where we see the aftermath of the sinking in Halifax; a perspective often left out.

If you are going into this book looking for a Titanic retelling you are not going to find that here. The wreck of the Titanic is more or less happening in the background, with the primary focus being on the two main characters and their relationships between themselves and others.
Overall this book is a good read - however it did feel like a lot of time and effort was put into descriptions of things that weren't necessary while leaving out details of things that felt more important. There are points that also felt a little drawn out and repetitive. However, I did appreciate the overall story of grief and friendship.

Two best friends board the Titanic. Hannah is hoping the six day trip across the Atlantic on “The Ship of Dreams” will bring her and her husband back together. Louisa’s trip to New York serves a dual purpose, to spend time with her best friend Hannah, and to escape her father’s demands that she marry or be cut off. But Louisa has a plan to see herself set up for the future and out from underneath her father’s control. As the two woman embark on a journey they hope will change the course of their lives they have no idea how much will change one dark April night.

The thing about reading a book set on the Titanic is I always have a clock ticking down in my head. I know what’s coming but I have no idea how it will effect the characters I am growing to love. This book takes place almost in it’s entirety on the ship. Both Hannah and Louisa are incredibly enjoyable to read about, very different woman but they make you root for them.
Thank you to @onemorechapterhc and @donnaalward and @netgalley for letting me have an advanced copy of #theshipofdreams to review. Look for it August 25, 2025.
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Six days of luxury, a time to rebuild a shaky young marriage, a week of gaiety and beauty. Six days on the fastest, most opulent, newest ocean liner - the RMS Titanic. Among the many passengers we meet Hannah Martin, who is traveling with her husband Charles. Their trip is two-fold: a business trip for Charles while Hannah and her best friend Louise will stay in New York City for a fun-filled "girls week". Hannah hopes that she can repair the chasm in her marriage while on the Titanic while Louise, a bit of a rebel, is plotting a way to escape the arranged marriage that awaits her upon her return to London.

Donna Jones Alward's ability to paint a picture with her words shines in Ship of Dreams as she shares the sights, sounds, aromas, traumas, and emotions encompassing Hannah and Louise all while staying true to the historical integrity of the Titanic and the era. At times I was sure that I could smell the crispness of the ocean breezes and feel the shudders of the engines as the sailing speed was increased. She expertly wove in several of the real-life passengers from the ill-fated ocean liner from the Astor's and the Fortune's to well-known suffragettes, bankers and businessmen, many of who were essential to the storyline.

This sinking of the Titanic is, as it should be, a focal point of this novel. However, the true gist of Ship of Dreams is the relationships built (or broken) and the secrets that can change the trajectory of a marriage, relationship, and a persons future. Louise's secret was totally unexpected yet terribly clever!

If you love historical fiction (or Titanic fiction) then you won't want to miss this one. Very well written. I enjoyed the story.

This book is so much more than just a fictional look at what it could have been like to sail on the Titanic. I felt so many emotions from this book and loved how it pulled in so many life lessons that many people struggle to deal with.

Through Hannah and Louisa we learn about friendship and forgiveness when we have been deceived. We learn about struggles in marriage, losing a child and grief from a traumatic experience. All of this is done in such a way to make you feel hope and even joy at the end of the book. Ship of Dreams is so well written and thoroughly researched that I can't stop thinking about it.

I love anything set on the Titanic and I was looking forward to this book. Hannah and her best friend Louisa, are sailing on the Titanic, accompanied by Hannah's husband Charles. He has business in America and Hannah and Louisa plan on spending their time in New York, shopping and sightseeing. But this is not the only reason for Hannah travelling as she is hoping to reignite her marriage which has been dealt a blow and is slowly starting to fade.
Louisa has her own agenda, unknown to Hannah and has a well kept secret.
The first half of the story is very drawn out and sometimes repetitive. They seemed to go round and round in circles, never really solving anything or getting anywhere. Hannah is too meek and persuadable and Louisa the exact opposite. The sinking doesn't take up a lot of pages as the story is mainly about the girls before and after the event.
It definitely picked up here with their time on the Carpathia, arrival in New York and travelling on to Halifax.
There's a lot of description of the sumptuous conditions aboard the ship, the food and the clothes worn by the first class passengers. The epilogue is done in a different way which worked very well and allowed us a glimpse into the girls worlds in later years.
A good read but it did let me down a bit.

Many thanks to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

We all know what happened to the Titanic, but the hope and excitement of the travel also had Hannah and Louisa hoping other things.

Hannah is hoping her husband will be more attentive, and Louisa hopes her parents will forget about trying to find her a husband and to marry someone she doesn't want to marry.

They both are keeping secrets.

We follow both women until that fateful evening.

Will their dreams come true or will they be one of the passengers whose dreams are shattered?

Miss Alward's descriptions of the women's feelings, the glamour of the ship, and the disaster will have historical fiction fans and women's fiction fans devouring and enjoying every word.

SHIP OF DREAMS is about enduring hardships, ​lasting friendships, and connections. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Ship of Dreams by Donna Jones Alward is a historical fiction novel set during the tragic voyage of the Titanic. It follows two women - Hannah, reserved and practical, and Louisa, impulsive and ambitious - whose contrasting lives intertwine aboard the doomed ship. As someone who loves the Titanic movie and the history of the ship in general, I had high hopes going into this book. The first part moved quite slowly and took time to build momentum, but I’m glad I stuck with it. The final third offered a fresh and emotional perspective that you don’t often get in Titanic stories, making it worth the wait. Though not as gripping as I’d hoped throughout, the ending left a strong impression and gave me a new lens through which to view the tragedy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. Ship of Dreams is set to be released on August 25, 2025.

A Titanic retelling, but make it about Sisterhood and friendships that can stand the test of time.

Ship of dreams is not just a Titanic retelling, but the historical fiction aspect was very well done! The vivid imagery, the dialogue, the propriety- exactly what you’d expect from a story told in 1912. And you could picture yourself wearing the gowns and the jewels, and walking the deck of The ship of dreams.

I loved the fact that although fictional, the author wrote the main characters in such a way they felt very real and relatable. I do not want to give away details from the book that will be best discovered by the reader, but we all know the Titanic itself was not a happy ending. The profound grief portrayed by the characters was gut wrenching, especially as someone who has experienced profound grief and am often transported back to those feelings.

The epilogue brought me to tears. It was a beautiful testament of Friendship. Many things will change over the years, but if you have that one friend who will always show up when you really need them- this is life’s treasure.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy.

On boarding the Titanic, Hannah hopes to rekindle her marriage, broken by tragedy while her best friend Louisa has a plan to avoid marriage altogether. Both are carrying secrets that threaten their friendship when they are forced to face the trauma of a sinking ship.

This is a character-driven novel about two very different friends facing the restrictions of womanhood in the early 20th century. We get both perspectives and I enjoyed getting to know Hannah and Lou. Secrets come out and lives are changed irrevocably but somehow it fell just short of feeling like a real story. Still, it was a pleasant read.

Thanks to Netgalley and One More Chapter for the ARC.

As a fan of titanic the films set and visuals and romance. This also has all that and more again visually rich and a different spin on characters on board. To think that each and every passenger had a life and story on this final dramatic, unexpected disaster.

sweet, interesting book about the titanic with some characters that feel firmly grounded in their historical time. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

This is a historical novel about the Titanic where there is verange of wealth. Hannah Martin is hoping that days on the ship will help cure her issues and help heal her mind.

A beautifully layered, emotionally resonant story set aboard the Titanic — one that lingers long after the final page.

I truly loved this book. It’s more than just a Titanic story — it’s a story about women, about quiet strength, impossible choices, and the courage it takes to reclaim your own life when the world is asking you to give it up.

From the very first chapter, I was drawn into the emotional journeys of Hannah and Louisa. Hannah’s storyline especially resonated with me — her quiet desperation, her attempts to hold together a marriage already splintered, and the burden of secrets she can’t share. And Louisa? Bold, idealistic, and defiant in the face of societal expectation — I admired her spirit. Watching these two women confront impossible decisions as the ship sails toward disaster was both heart-wrenching and deeply moving.

What I appreciated most was that this isn’t a disaster novel in the traditional sense. The iceberg may be inevitable, but the true story is about what these women carry — and what they choose to let go of. The themes Alward explores are timeless: the roles women are expected to play, the weight of unspoken grief, the courage it takes to choose yourself, even when the world says not to. The writing is elegant and immersive, and Donna Jones Alward does such a thoughtful job weaving history with emotion. There’s a quiet dignity to this story — one that honours not just the tragedy of the Titanic, but the lives of women who lived through it (or didn’t) with love, fear, regret, and hope.

If you love historical fiction that’s emotional, immersive, and character-driven — this is one to add to your list. I’m so glad I picked it up!

4 stars — heartfelt, resonant, and beautifully written. Donna Jones Alward has delivered a Titanic story with real emotional weight. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.

I am usually a sucker for anything Titantic related but this just coudn't draw me in. I struggled for a long time but just couldn't do it. I found it... boring. Maybe the Titantic has been over done.