I've been a fan of Julia Kelly's work since The Last Garden in England was released in 2021 and I had the to opportunity share an interview with Julia. In 2022 came The Last Dance of the Debutante which turned out to be yet another page-turner, and just this month Julia's latest novel, The Lost English Girl arrived. The storyline was intriguing and sometimes heartbreaking as it often is in novels set during this time period, but that fact that through it all the main character Viv made it through every hurdle with sometimes nothing more than pure determination to keep her going.

Once again Julia Kelly shows that she is a deft, informed and talented writer of the genre. In a corner of the market that some might say is oversaturated with stories of war and women, Ms. Kelly finds undiscovered corners and reveals them to the 21st century reader.

The Lost English Girl by Julia Kelly. Pub Date: March 7, 2023. Rating: 4 stars. I was ecstatic when I received this novel to review because I have enjoyed other novels by Julia Kelly. She writes historical fiction that creates a world the reader can immerse into and feel a part of. This novel is no exception in the fact that she highlights family dynamics, pregnancy out of wedlock, religious affiliations and war time woes all in one story. In this novel, the reader is taken on a journey of sacrifice of a Catholic woman who becomes pregnant by Jewish man outside of marriage, in which decisions are made and ultimately as war becomes more apparent their child is sent to the countryside for "protection." Grief, perseverance, sacrifice, love and heartbreak all during the time of war are portrayed throughout this novel. Tough topics were highlighted, but important for this time period. I really enjoyed this novel and recommend for historical fiction readers. Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley #thelostenglishgirl

The Lost English Girl by Julia Kelly was an engaging and poignant historical fiction novel. Julia Kelly brilliantly explored the topics of inter-faith marriage, out of wedlock pregnancies and Operation Pied Piper during World War II in England in her newest book, The Lost English Girl. It was well written and impeccably researched. The characters were well developed and portrayed the sentiments of what they were experiencing during those times. The setting was Liverpool, England during the mid 1930’s where big bands played in ballrooms, war still seemed distant and young women were expected to act in certain ways.

Viv Byrne grew up in a strict and observant Catholic family In Liverpool, England. Her mother outwardly favored Viv’s older sister, Kate. To their mother, Kate represented the “perfect” daughter. Kate had married a Catholic boy from the neighborhood, had three beautiful children, a husband that loved her, and a comfortable home of her own. Viv’s mother showed little to no affection toward Viv. She was often the target of her mother’s verbal and emotional abuse. Viv never knew what she did to trigger it off. All she knew was that it didn’t feel good or right. There were times when her mother wouldn’t speak to Viv for days or weeks at a time. Other times, Viv had to endure her mother’s ranting and complaining. Her father was never able to stand up to the wrath of her mother. He was weak, overshadowed by her and always took her side. Viv grew up feeling unloved and ridiculed.

One night, Viv convinced her mother to allow her to go to the Locarno Ballroom with her good friend Sylvie. It was there that Viv was introduced to the handsome saxophone player, Joshua Levinson. Viv was infatuated with Joshua’s good looks and the easy conversation they shared. When he asked her out on a date she accepted without hesitation. Their first date led to a second date. Viv really thought she liked Joshua a lot. At the end of their second date, Joshua took Viv for a drive. They stopped at a secluded spot he used to frequent with his family. Viv wanted Joshua to kiss her. She was overcome with desire. One thing led to another and when all was said and done everything became awkward and almost embarrassing. Viv started to ignore Joshua’s calls and avoided seeing him until she couldn’t anymore. Viv soon discovered that she was pregnant. She confronted Joshua and without any hesitation he offered to marry her. In those days, interfaith marriages were frowned upon. Joshua promised to do right by her. Viv and Joshua got married but Viv’s mother spoiled it all. She offered Joshua a large sum of money to go away. According to Viv’s mother, Joshua had done what was required of him. He gave their unborn child his last name and legitimized the child. By marrying Viv, Joshua would be forced to give up his lifelong dream of becoming a famous musician. The money proved to be too tempting. Joshua accepted it and sailed to New York. It saddened and angered Viv to realize that Joshua had been swayed by her mother and the money. He had broken his promise to her. Joshua had promised to stand by her and support her no matter what. She told Joshua that she wanted nothing to with him then. He was never to contact her. Viv went home to live with her parents. She gave birth to a very precocious baby girl. Viv named her daughter, Maggie. The love Viv felt for Maggie was so encompassing and strong. The relationship between Viv and her mother, though, never improved. Viv became a servant to her mother. Her mother never showed any love or affection for Maggie. Her mother continued to care more about what others thought about her. Her reputation came before her love for Viv or Maggie.

When England declared war on Germany in World War II, the English government devised Operation Pied Piper. It was established to evacuate school age children out from the cities where most of the bombings were occurring and resettle them in the countryside. Viv was being pressured by her parish priest, her mother and even her sister, Kate, to send Maggie somewhere safe. Maggie was only four years old. She needed her mother and who but her mother could protect her best? Slowly, Viv acquiesced to the suggestion. Her priest had told Viv that there was a respectable and wealthy Catholic family that was willing to take Maggie. The couple, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, were unable to have children of their own. The Thompson’s welcomed Maggie and generously gave her all she could ever want. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson did not make it easy for Viv to visit with Maggie. Did they have an agenda? Were they purposely trying to keep Viv away from Maggie? Viv decided to go back to work in the postal service where she had worked before Maggie was born. This time she secured a position as a postie, delivering the mail. Viv was determined to save enough money to be able to afford the bus fare to visit Maggie more often. She was also determined to save enough to move out of her parent’s house and afford a place for her and Maggie to live after the war.

Things had not gone well for Joshua in New York. He never caught his break or secured a spot as a saxophone player like he had hoped. When Joshua found out that England had entered the war, he traveled back to England and joined the Royal Air Force. Joshua became a navigator. Much to his dismay, Joshua was confronted with outbursts of antisemitism in the RAF. Joshua regretted the choices he made the day of his wedding. He thought of Viv often and wondered about his child. Would Joshua ever get to meet his daughter?

I really enjoyed reading The Lost English Girl by Julia Kelly. This was the fourth book that I have read by her. Her books just seem to get better and better with each new book she writes. The Lost English Girl was about motherhood, unconditional love for a child, the trauma associated with evacuation and resettling, interfaith marriages, the stigma associated with pregnancy outside of marriage, betrayal, courage, separation and family. In her notes, Julia Kelly disclosed that some aspects of this story were based on one of her own family member’s history and occurrences in their life. I really enjoyed that Julia Kelly chose to convey both Viv’s and Joshua’s point of views to tell this story. It will be exciting to see what she writes about next. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Gallery Books for allowing me to read The Lost English Girl by Julia Kelly through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Publication was March 7, 2023.

Master storyteller Julia Kelly kept me glued to her new book, The Lost English Girl. I connected to this book in several ways. My mother-in-law served four years in the WAAF during WWII as a transport driver. She met my father-in-law, an American serviceman, and they married. He was Catholic and she was Anglican. Marrying into different religions causes problems. Our main character, Viv whose family is Catholic, gets pregnant in 1935 on her second date with Joshua, a Jewish musician. They get married to give the baby a name. Unknown to Viv, her parents give Joshua money to disappear. He goes to the U.S. to pursue his musical career as a saxophone player. Viv’s mother is not a warm person and treats Viv and her child, Maggie like dirt. The mom is too concerned with appearances. At the beginning of the war, children are moved to families away from the big cities to the countryside, as well as Canada. Maggie is taken in by a childless couple, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, and Viv goes to work for the postal service.

Kelly does a great job exploring what it was like for women during the war as well as the prejudice that Joshua faces because he is Jewish when he returns and joins the RAF where he trains to be a navigator. The reader will be exposed to both of their stories through the war. Something happens at the end of the war that rocks Viv’s world. This story made me angry at times, made me laugh at other times. I found myself talking to the characters at times. My thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

Viv Byrne and Joshua Levinson are teenagers in Liverpool in 1935 when they meet. In a moment of passion, Viv becomes pregnant and Joshua says he will do the right thing and marry her. But Viv is Catholic and Joshua is Jewish, and her “devout” parents manage to drive him away on their wedding day. He heads off to America to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz musician while Viv returns to live with her parents and raise their daughter, Maggie. As World War II is looming, England recommends that children be relocated from large cities which will clearly be the targets of German bombers to the countryside. Maggie is sent to live with a well-to-do couple and Viv gets a job as a postie which allows her to move out of her parents home, and to visit Maggie from time to time. When the bombs fall on London and eventually Liverpool, Joshua returns to England and enlists in the RAF. While Viv and Joshua remain estranged, their lives are drawn together over the course of and after the war as they deal with the absence of their daughter.

Another interesting aspect of World War II of which I was basically unaware - the “relocation” of the children. The author’s note at the end of the book notes that some 1.5 million children were moved from large English cities to the countryside for safety from the German bombers - and it is interesting to wonder how they were affected in the long run. Overall, this was an easy and enjoyable read. The book moves back in forth in time (1934 through the end of the war) but it is always easy to follow the time and character changes. The ending was somewhat predictable (at least to me) but how the author gets there does not affect the reading of the story. My thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.

Once again, Kelly proves to me a top-notch and fierce Historical Fiction author.

Liverpool, 1935
Viv Byrne is a catholic girl who is marrying a Jewish boy, Joshua. An unplanned pregnancy has them getting married under the hardest of circumstances.

Joshua has big dreams of becoming a Jazz musician and traveling the world so he is having a hard time with the idea of settling down. An unlikely offer has him going to the states to pursue his dream leaving Viv behind to raise their child.

Five years later… Viv makes an incredibly difficult decision to evacuate her daughter Maggie to the countryside for her safety. She ends up with a well-to-do family and the mother is friendly at first. Clearly she wants Maggie to be part of her family.

As the years go by she finds out something happened to Maggie and the family. She tries to move forward with her life.

This story is gut wrenching, especially page 53. 😭I heard Julia’s interview with her sister Justine and when she mentioned that page, I knew!

The author notes really tell you more details about some of the evacuations. Kelly always has unputdownable books that I must read in one sitting!

The Lost English Girl by Julia Kelly is based on a family story handed down through her British mother’s side of the family. Set in Liverpool, England, on the brink of World War ll, Kelly examines the daily life and choices of Viv Byrne, Catholic, and Joshua Levinson, Jewish, in alternating points of view. Viv wants to escape her strict mother’s scrutiny and Joshua dreams of playing saxophone in a band, not becoming a tailor like his father.
At the emotional core of the novel readers are immersed in the social and religious situations facing Viv and Joshua. Each family plays a prominent role in how independent decisions impact others as Viv and Joshua deal with responsibility and duty. The internal and external conflict of Kelly’s characters builds as the war continues. Viv is dealing with separation, becoming a “bread winner” and finding her voice while Josh copes with being a foreigner in the U.S. and guilt related to his decisions.
Beginning September 1, 1939, approximately 1.5 million children were relocated to the English countryside for protection from bombing strikes. Known as Operation Pied Piper this political and historical account of parents sending their children away connects readers to Viv as she is faced with making gut wrenching decisions. Kelly explores the psychological impact of the evacuation on children through the lens of Catholic and Jewish families. She sites abandonment issues, including anger, rejection, disappointment, and the pains of family reunification after years of separation.
Through the war years Viv and Joshua grow and change in many ways readers will appreciate. Kelly introduces conflict between characters that creates emotional angst; specifically, a priest that Viv’s family relies on and actions of Viv’s sister, Kate. Their questionable choices are in direct contrast to Joshua’s father. Kelly’s depiction of Mr. Levinson’s empathy and extreme sensitivity to Viv and her feelings makes him an absolute role model and a bridge to current social and religious climates.
Through this harrowing story readers will feel empathy for families fleeing the Ukraine when Russia invaded in 2022. The Lost English Girl- a story of choices and how much the human spirit can withstand to find ways back to those we love.

The Lost English Girl
By Julia Kelly
Pub Date: mar 7
Gallery
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This book broke me in a million pieces. The writing is so engaging.
I highly recommend anything this author writes, I can’t wait to see what’s next,
5 stars

It's 1934 and Viv Byrne, is 18 years old, living in a strict Catholic home in Liverpool with a stern mother and a weak father. When she meets jazz musician Joshua Levinson, she is swept up by his looks, his talent and his interest in her as well as a new feeling of independence. Their brief time together results in pregnancy. While the two barely know one another, Joshua, who is Jewish, proposes and Viv's parents agree to the marriage believing that this is the best option. But Mrs. Byrne sabotages the marriage by giving Joshua money to go to New York to fulfill his dream of playing in a band. Left alone, Viv is determined to be the best mother to her daughter Maggie. But when the war closes in on England, children are evacuated to the countryside. Viv is devastated but agrees to send Maggie to live with a childless couple, arranged by their priest. Joshua ends up coming back to England to serve in the Royal Air Force. A series of occurrences provide heartbreak for these interesting, well-developed characters trying to make it through wartime.

Julia Kelly has become an auto-read author for me. The Lost English Girl is beautifully written and presents the anguish felt by parents during this horrible time who had to make the gut-wrenching decision to send their children away for safety. Viv is an especially appealing character - strong and resilient. Historical Fiction fans - don't miss this one.

Viv has made a terrible mistake and she has gotten herself pregnant and by Joshua, a Jew, not a good Catholic boy. Her parents are not happy and on the day of their wedding, her mother buys Joshua off and he leaves Viv and her unborn child to pursue a musical career in NYC. Then the war breaks out and Viv must evacuate her daughter, Maggie, to the countryside for safe keeping. But, Maggie is not as safe as everyone thought.

This story will tear your heart out. I do not see how parents evacuated their children. The trust it took! I understand why and I do know many children were saved this way, but how agonizing! And Viv tried her best to keep Maggie with her. But the forces were just too powerful. And oh…it was heartbreaking to read about their separation and Viv’s struggle to visit Maggie.

Then there is Joshua, Viv’s estranged husband and Maggie’s father. He made a terrible decision at the beginning of their marriage. And y’all know I don’t read the blurb…so I read his decision with a cuss word coming out of my mouth! But, he shows back up Viv’s life when she desperately needs his support. And you will have to read about that part yourself and see if you forgive him!

This author has done it again! I have enjoyed all of her books and this one is one of her best! I have thought a little bit about the children who were evacuated but I don’t think I have ever read a book completely devoted to that area of the war.

Need a book which will have you wanting more…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review

With whispers of war with Germany, the British government orders the evacuation of school-aged children from post cities and other locations likely to be bombed in Operation Pied Piper. While we know children were evacuated to the countryside, this is the first book that I've read that has focused on the toll it took on mothers and children.

The Byrnes are a working-class Catholic family in Liverpool. It's no secret that the eldest daughter Kate is the darling of the family. Viv though hasn't had it as easy in this household where their mother rules with an iron fist. While getting pregnant out of wedlock with a Jewish man wasn't exactly her plan, since Joshua has agreed to marry her she sees it as her way to finally get out from under her mother's thumb. But Mrs. Byrne is never going let her daughter live with a Jewish man - it's bad enough that she has to marry him - she must though because an illegitimate child would be even worse.

Viv's daughter is too young to be evacuated but the family's priest knows a childless couple in the country who is willing to take her in. Viv is reluctant to let Maggie go as she feels her daughter is the only thing that makes living in her parents' home bearable. But she also doesn't want to have Maggie in harm's way when she could be safe away from Liverpool.

It is a heartwrenching decision and Kelly really shows the worry and fear that parents faced. Often mothers had to face both their children and their husbands being away.

It's not my favorite Julia Kelly book, but The Lost English Girl is still an enjoyable read. I worried that the arrangement with the Thompson (the couple that takes in Maggie) might not be on the up and up. I wonder how many children went "missing" after the war with foster parents not wanting to return the children.

The story is told in third person, but some chapters follow Viv while others follow Joshua (a couple even focus on Maggie). The 1930s and 1940s were a changing era. Women were finding more independence but both the Catholic and Jewish religions were still strongly rooted in traditional roles (more for Catholics than Jewish which we see in the fact that Joshua's sister is supported in her desire to go to university).

I liked that this was set in Liverpool as it isn't a setting of many of the books I've read as Yorkshire and London seem to be the more popular settings.

If you are looking for WWII novel that focuses more on the homefront and the struggle many women faced, then you should pick up this book.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Wednesday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2023/03/wwii-fiction-to-read-for-womens-history.html

I have read every book Julia Kelly has written since The Light Over London, and this was by far my favorite! I thought all the characters were fleshed out well, and I found the story interesting. I knew that small children were evacuated during the war, but no historical fiction I have ever read has touched on the subject quite like this. I also enjoyed that this was more a story about family and a mother's love for a child rather than a love story like most historical fiction set in this period.

The Lost English Girl was engaging from the very beginning when we meet Vivian who is young and kept under the thumb of her parents in early 1930's London. Viv falls in love with jazz musician, Josh, and they soon find themselves having to get married which changes the trajectory of both of their lives.

Fast forward to 5 years later with Josh having fled to America to pursue his dream leaving Viv and their daughter to stay in her parent's home with every move scrutinized. London is on high alert for bombings and entering WWII. Vivian's parents take it upon themselves to speak with their priest to find a home for Vivian's daughter, Maggie. During that time, many families relocated children to the country with foster families to help keep them safe. Even though she did not want to be separated from Maggie, Vivian wanted what was best for her daughter and agreed to the fostering. However, she made a point of visiting her at least once a month with scraping money together for bus fare to get there.

Tragedy strikes both London and the countryside where Maggie was sent and the two of them think they will never see each other again. I could not get enough of Vivian's story and how she navigates having her strict parents, the relationship she forms with her estranged husband's family and the eventual search for her daughter. As readers, we learn about so many things that happened during the war. Not only were children relocated, but there's reminders of how women worked jobs typically reserved for men only and the prejudices that came between people in regards to religion. As a mother, my heart broke for Vivian as she struggled with essentially being a single mom, having to live by her parents rules as an adult and still try to make the right decisions for her daughter.

Julia Kelly's latest masterpiece, THE LOST ENGLISH GIRL, is mesmerizing and captivating.

A spellbinding tale of betrayal, hope, and perseverance infused with jazz tunes set during the backdrop of WWII. Hauntingly beautiful— the novel grabs you from the front cover, page one, to the satisfying conclusion.

I LOVED this book!

A thought-provoking tale based loosely on the author's family history and actual historical events, THE LOST ENGLISH GIRL will leave you with a greater empathy and understanding of the lives of those who have come before us.

Set in Liverpool in the 1930s during WWII, we meet two young teens. Vivian, Catholic, and Joshua, Jewish. Both desire to escape their environment for bigger dreams.

Vivian (Viv) finds herself pregnant. Joshua agrees to marry her. They barely know one another. She has no support from her family. They are shamed. Her mother reminds her she is like Viv's aunt Flora, the family cautionary tale.

However, Viv's strict Catholic mother (despicable woman) is more concerned about what people say than her daughter's happiness and a spineless father. The mom forces her to marry and then pays Joshua, an inspiring jazz musician, to leave the country and move to New York.

They part ways, and Viv is stuck living a nightmare with her horrible mom and dad, everyone shuns her, and she loses her job. She is practically a slave to her mom. Her sister Kate is some help but again goes along with the mom and betrays her.

Viv has a beautiful daughter, Maggie, but her mom has nothing to do with her. Her mom is verbally abusive, and Viv is trapped.

She wants to get away so badly and build a life for herself and her daughter, Maggie (Little Bear), but financially she can't.

Then Operation Pied Piper, which began in the fall of 1939, relocated (evacuated) children to the countryside due to the war (bombs and air raids). Viv does not want to send her daughter away and fights it.

But her mom forces her, and Father Monaghan (I disliked this man) arranges a private foster home that is relatively affluent at Beam Cottage.

Viv is heartbroken to leave her young daughter. Torn with each visit and letter. She worries about Mr. and Mrs. Thompson (the hosts-wretched woman), who thinks Maggie (Margaret) is theirs, giving her everything money can buy. Viv is concerned and worried and writes letters and visits as often as possible.

Mrs. Thompson uses her wealth, possessions, clothes, riding lessons, tea parties, a fine home, room, toys, and other tactics to gain Maggie's love and disrespects Viv.

Due to the war and men going to serve, Viv lands a job at the postal service as a mail carrier. Her in-laws are on her route. Anne and Seth and their daughter Rebecca (Joshua's family). Viv did not think they wanted anything to do with her daughter, but she learned her letter was kept from them.

I loved Joshua's parents! —when her own parents are cold, unsupportive, and uncaring. They take her under their wings with full support with a strong bond.

She finally gets away from her hateful parents and rents a room in a home with a lovely lady.

In the meantime, Joshua learns of the war, enlists in the RAF, and returns to England.

Meanwhile, the countryside where Maggie lives is unsafe, and the hosts' house is bombed. Are they dead?

Through the help of Joshua, his connections, and his parent's support, Joshua and Viv are frantic to find out what happened to Maggie once a clue surfaces and a betrayal that Maggie may still be alive five years later.

Deeply evocative, Maggie and Vivian will grab you by the heartstrings from heartbreak to hope. Vivian is the heroine in this beautifully written tragedy blended with loss and love. She is courageous and will fight to the bitter end to get her daughter back.

Topics: classism, racism, privilege, greed, pregnant teens, religion, parents separated from children, war.

Perfectly paced and bittersweet, this is a heartrending, captivating tale of survival against all odds. The strong bonds of mother-daughter, family, first love, motherhood, and fate will sweep you away.

In chapters alternating from Viv's, Joshua's, and Maggie's POV, the author cleverly unravels her characters' deepest secrets and emotions.

Meticulously researched and beautifully written, the author provides a wealth of information in her Author's Note, her family history, and inspiration for the novel: Details on Religion in Liverpool, Evacuations during WWII, and the Cost of Those Returning Home. The aftermath of those sent away during evacuation and how they coped mentally (both children and parents).

Viv and Maggie will steal your heart, and you will need some Kleenex when reading. I enjoyed seeing Joshua step up to the plate as a father and adore his family.

If you enjoyed this story, I recommend Patti Callahan Henry's The Secret Book of Flora Lea (May 2, 2023) about the Pied Piper evacuation, two sisters sent away to the countryside. One goes missing for years, and a courageous sister is determined to find her. These two books are five stars and on my Top Books of 2023.

Thank you to #GalleryBooks and #NetGalley for a gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also ordered the hardcover and audiobook narrated by Danielle Cohen and Raphael Corkhill.

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JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: March 7, 2023
My Rating: 5 💙Stars ++
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Another terrific book by Julia Kelly. There are a swarm of emotions readers will experience while reading this book about Liverpool and WWII.
My sympathies lie mostly with Maggie, the little girl who was a sunny sprite and who was sent away for her “safety” yet didn’t fully comprehend why.
Vic’s parents were simply horrid, especially the mother. What a cold fish! I cheered as Viv and Kate finally stood up to her.
The Thompson were also bad, just slightly less.
I never warmed up to Joshua. He was very selfish and although tries to atone for it, it wasn’t enough, in my opinion.
It’s a great read about keeping one’s chin up and putting life back together after being knocked down many times/

The evacuation of children from the areas at risk for bombing in 1939 Britain created a ripple effect that lasted for years afterward. Not only were families dealing with sending husbands and sons off to war, they were also deciding whether or not to send children away to safety. Children as young as five years old were relocated for years -- undoubtedly many misunderstood why they were not with their parents. What happens when the family is reunited? There are years of separation to bridge and unknown experiences that have yet to be shared whether good or bad. In this latest title from Julia Kelly, she explores this theme with Liverpool as a home base. Additional themes exploring religion and work choices are included as well. In 1935, Vivian and Joshua marry in haste to give their unborn baby a family. The two families clash due to religion and Joshua leaves to pursue his dream of making it in the music business as a saxophone player. In 1939, Viv is a single mom with a 4-year-old and is pressured by her Catholic family and their priest to send her little girl Maggie to the country for safety. Meanwhile Joshua returns home to join the RAF as a navigator. The widely separate paths of Viv and Joshua will diverge due to a family crisis. What kind of future can they build after all of the mistakes in the past? Julia Kelly has once again given us a story that is rich in history and heart. If you find the theme of evacuated children to be a compelling one, you can also try Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash.

Thank you to Gallery Books and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Viv's life changes when she falls pregnant with Joshua's child. She might have married him but he takes money from her family and flees to the US while she remains in Liverpool and deals with the disdain of her family and others because Joshua is Jewish. Their little daughter Maggie is a joy, a joy who Viv is forced to send away when the children of the city are evacuated. Viv starts to rebuild the life she had before Maggie even as she writes to her and goes to see her, always concerned because the family Maggie is living with has so much more than she does. And then the bombing starts, changing everyone's lives again. You will feel for Viv, who loves Maggie, likes her job delivering mail, and manages to walk a fine line with her parents who are, frankly, hateful. Your heart will catch in your throat more than once. You will tsk Joshua but then see him grow up. Those who regularly read WWII fiction will appreciate that this is a different angle on the homefront and that Kelly has done her research (don't miss the afterword). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Great storytelling makes for a very good read that's emotional without being melodramatic.

4 1/2 stars.

This is the third book by Julia Kelly that I’ve read, and I have to say she has stepped up her game every time.

Viv Byrne Levinson, Kelly's protagonist, is heartbreakingly sympathetic. For much of the book, her life's path is decided for her. One reckless moment of abandon forces her into a marriage to a Jewish man she barely knows and turns her into a pariah in her devoutly Catholic family. When war comes to London, she's again forced into a choice involving her daughter, one that has long-reaching consequences.

Kelly is among the best when it comes to writing strong character arcs, especially female character arcs. I loved watching Vivian grow a spine and stand up to the people controlling her life. Vivian's husband has a story of his own, and he too grows and changes over the course of the book. I began the book disliking him and finished liking him immensely.

I read this book in two days, largely because Kelly’s plot contained two major twists that had me unable to stop reading. Curse her for making me stay up late.

All and all, The Lost English Girl is an enlightening look at family, motherhood, war and anti-semitism. I enjoyed learning more about Operation Pied Piper as well.

I look forward to Kelly’s next historical fiction.

Title: The Lost English Girl
Author: Julia Kelly
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5

Liverpool, 1935: Raised in a strict Catholic family, Viv Byrne knows what’s expected of her: marry a Catholic man from her working-class neighborhood and have his children. However, when she finds herself pregnant after a fling with Joshua Levinson, a Jewish man with dreams of becoming a famous Jazz musician, Viv knows that a swift wedding is the only answer. Her only solace is that marrying Joshua will mean escaping her strict mother’s scrutiny. But when Joshua makes a life-changing choice on their wedding day, Viv is forced once again into the arms of her disapproving family.

Five years later and on the eve of World War II, Viv is faced with the impossible choice to evacuate her young daughter, Maggie, to the countryside estate of the affluent Thompson family. In New York City, Joshua gives up his failing musical career to serve in the Royal Air Force, fight for his country, and try to piece together his feelings about the family, wife, and daughter he left behind at nineteen. However, tragedy strikes when Viv learns that the countryside safe haven she sent her daughter to wasn’t immune from the horrors of war. It is only years later, with Joshua’s help, that Viv learns the secrets of their shared past and what it will take to put a family back together again.

I do love Julia Kelly’s novels, so this was a no-brainer. There was some hard stuff in this novel, though. Viv’s mother was a terrible person, and it was gut-wrenching to read her treatment of Viv. Joshua wasn’t exactly a catch, but his journey was good to read. Poor Viv. What a terrible thing the first part of her life was, until she grew into herself and realized she had the strength to make her own life. Let’s be honest: Viv is a better person than I am, because I’m not sure what I would have done to Mrs. Thompson. This is a solid read, and I ended up plowing through 3/4s of it in one sitting, eager to find out what happened.

Julia Kelly is a bestselling author. The Lost English Girl is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review.)