A breathtaking love letter to the power of story to ripple across time. The cadence of Henry's writing is very much tuned to the world of fairytales and I found this immersive story of family, loss and rediscovery to be painted against a lush and beautifully descriptive landscape.

I really enjoyed The Secret Book of Flora Lea about a missing girl during the war. This is great book to recommend to fans of historical fiction. It was a lovely, hopeful story with a few twists and turns. This sits on our "favorites" table at our bookstore!

Beautiful prose, beautiful story, I throughly enjoyed this one! I work at a bookstore and have recommended this book to a few people. Thank you for sending me a copy of this book!

A multigenerational story of love, devotion and the bonds of sisterhood.
The Secret book of Flora Lee is a little bit of historical fiction mixed with a history who dun it and leaves you asking yourself what you would do, what lengths would you go, and how hard are you willing to fight for family?

Patti Henry is one of my favorite authors and Once Upon A Wardrobe is the 5 star book I'm always chasing the high from. I liked but did not love The Secret Book of Flora Lea.

The plot being set in Operation Pied Piper was wonderful. The very realities of entrusting humans you do not know with your child is heartwrenching and I thought Patti did a great job of making you feel like a parent during the Blitz. The bond between sisters and the threads of first love throughout your life were also encapsulated well here.

What did not work for me were the many plot holes and red herrings. The author wants you to think various people may have stolen Flora or that Flora may still be alive and when you get to the culminating event it felt forced the tied in to too much of a bow. For as hard and as broken as this time period was, I expected the story to at least match the reality and not be so cleanly tidied up. The characters for the most part felt surface level and for the trauma that was endured, I just needed the book to have the nuance necessary to walk with the characters through this.

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry. Pub Date: May 2, 2023. Rating: 4 stars. In this intriguing and mysterious historical fiction novel, the reader is taken on a journey of sisterhood, rare books, a secret story and old family secrets. In this dual time line story, the reader is taken between WWII and 1960s era in which a long lost sister who was presumed dead randomly shows up through a story she shared with her sister. The hunt for Hazel to find her long lost sister who may not be dead after all is at the focal point of this book. I found the characters mesmerizing, the storyline unique and heartwarming as well as great pacing of the novel. This author's books are exquisite and this one is no exception. I highly recommend to all historical fiction readers. Thanks to #netgalley and #atriabooks for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #thesecretbookoffloralea

I absolutely loved this book! I am still wiping away tears. It hit every note. I was dying to solve the mystery, yet I did not want to miss a moment. I felt similarly about the love story aspect. I was rooting for the characters on the edge of my seat. Dying to know the ending and not wanting to miss a moment of the journey. The characters are rich and complex, and the settings are vivid and lush. The world of Whisperwood is magical and brought back things from my childhood that I had forgotten. I was completely drawn in by these characters and held there fast by the surrounding world. The book speaks to the power of hope and truth and the toll and risks those things demand. It insightfully delves into the pain we carry alone when we suffer in silence. Much of which we needn't have, either because nobody was putting it on us or because sharing it would have lessened our burden and brought us together. It is a testament to the power and importance of story, magic, and books. I think we forget that as we age, much to our detriment. Bookstores are wondrous places, and the people that work in them are some of the best I have ever met; this book honors that beautifully. There are lines in this book I want to carry with me for the rest of my life, and I wait excitedly for publication day when I can finally share those with others.

This book was an absolute delight, it had everything: war, romance, history, drama, suspense, and fairy tales. What more could you ask for? This was an all absorbing story that was meant to be savored, and I did. I really loved the characters, the dreamlike scenarios of Whisperwood. It was a really great read!

4.5 stars // This book was the most magical historical fiction novel that I’ve ever read. It follows two sisters who are part of Operation Pied Piper (the evacuation of over 1 million children from London during WWII), how they cope (creating a fairy tale world called Whisperwood), the people they meet, and the aftermath when younger sister Flora goes missing and is presumed dead.

This was lovely and fantastical and I very much enjoyed it.

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry is a captivating story that blends past and present. Set during World War II in London and the countryside, it follows two sisters, Hazel and Flora Lea. They travel to the outskirts of Oxford, where Hazel creates a magical woodland called Whisperwood to help Flora Lea escape the realities of war. The book beautifully portrays the countryside and the impact of war on children, making readers feel like they are part of the story. It's a touching and immersive read.

Excellent story. Evocative of the eras. Love does conquer all in this fascinating story of families and friends separated by war and other circumstances. Very imaginative use of storytelling as a way to connect.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Only author Patti Callahan Henry can draw you into a story so well that you lose track of time. While I think this story started a bit slow, it more than made up for it several chapters in. I kept trying to guess what happened to Flora and was surprised. I couldn't love this story more.

DNF - I attempted to read, but it just wasn’t capturing my attention at the time. I haven’t mustered attempting again Thank you for the opportunity! It just wasn’t for me.

I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, but when I do I always pick the good ones. This story had historical fiction, sisterly bond, friendship, mystery, AND romance. I was completely immersed from beginning to end. I absolutely adored Hazel and her character growth. The writing was smooth and loved the different timelines.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my eARC

The Secret Book of Flora Lea is a beautifully written story about two sisters and their life during WW II. I enjoyed the two time frames of wartime and the 1960’s. The author brought this book to life through her descriptive and creative writing style.

A special thanks to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = 4/5

The Secret Book of Flora Lea is just lovely. I usually alternate between reading and listening to the audio version and I found it so engaging. I loved the setting and the back and forth between Hazel's life in the early 40's and 1960. I also loved the mystery surrounding Flora's disappearance and the book that turns up that tells the stories that Hazel made up for Flora when they were children. I found myself rooting for Hazel and Henry. Once you start, you will not want to stop! This was my first book by Patti Callahan Henry but it will not be my last!

The narrator, Cynthia Erivo, was amazing! I will happily listen to more books by her in the future.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 2 May 2023

I have read one other book by this author, and i enjoyed that book quite a bit. I struggled with this one. I felt a bit like she was trying to create the same magic from CS Lewis, and I just couldn't put myself into the atmosphere that she was trying to create.

I'm tired of the dual timelines as well. They are more often than not easy to anticipate what happens next, and at times difficult to follow. It forces the reader to try to two story lines.

I think this author is very talented. But this book wasn't my thing. Surviving Savannah was very good, and I'm sure I will check out what ever book this author decides to grace us with next.

I really enjoyed this novel. It felt like an adventure from start to finish, with well executed flashbacks. This story is part historical fiction, part childhood fantasy tale, with a little mystery to keep you intrigued throughout. I really enjoyed how Henry wove the tales together to create a whole experience and really promoted getting to know each of the characters. I am also thankful that there were answers and a feeling of finality at the end!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

A wonderful historical fiction read that captivates from page one. I will be reading more from this author!

A wonderful story of sisters and a story of a childhood story that helps them through hard times and leads them to a new future 20 years later. A little slow moving at times, but definitely worth a read until the end.