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Violet is a high school teacher who's husband has disappeared over a year ago and there are still rumors as to where his loyalties lie. Her 10 year old daughter, Ella, is harboring a big secret.

WWII historical fiction set on the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii. A little bit romance and a little bit mystery, but not very strong in either one.

The writing was good and I overall enjoyed the story I just wish the author would have picked a direction and gone with it.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Review will be posted on 3/26/2020

Violet Iverson and her daughter, Ella, live on the beautiful island of Hawaii. The year is 1944, so her life isn't one long tropical vacation. Her husband disappeared mysteriously a year ago and rumors are still circulating about why he left and where his loyalties lie. The setting is war torn Hawaii, so things are getting very serious. With her husband gone, Violet relies on her female friendships more than ever and they decide to open a pie stand for some income as well as the happiness of the soldiers on Hawaii. Despite the women's best efforts, suspicion now falls on them, not to mention the prejudice that is running rampant towards the Japanese on Hawaii. Violet meets Sergeant Stone, who has come to her aid more than once, and despite her best efforts, she starts to have romantic feelings for him. Once he is sent on a secret mission to Iwo Jima, she is starting to panic even more, because what if he doesn't return and she is left alone again? Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers by Sara Ackerman is a vivid escape to wartime Hawaii and the novel depicts the powerful relationships between females during this time period.

Violet is a character that I immediately was interested in. She is now a single mom since her husband mysteriously disappeared and at this point, she doesn't expect him to return. There are some suspicions around his disappearance, but she doesn't have any leads whatsoever. Violet and Jean, her best friend, open a pie stand for the soldiers on Hawaii to help support themselves. When she meets Sergeant Stone, her life changes forever. I really loved the ups and downs of their relationship and I could feel for Violet when she realizes that he has to ship out for a mission to Iwo Jima. There's so much uncertainty, but Violet knows she can count on her girlfriends and the love for her daughter in Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers. Together they can conquer whatever comes their way.

Then there's Ella, Violet's daughter. Every other chapter is narrated by her and I enjoyed the varying point of view in Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers. Readers have an inkling that Ella knows something about her father's disappearance, but doesn't want to divulge the information. Slowly readers put together the pieces of the puzzle. Also, I appreciate how this novel highlights how the war impacted Hawaii through a child's eyes, especially when it comes to the suspicion around the Japanese on the island and their treatment.

Ackerman does a wonderful job depicting Hawaii in Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers. I can count on her to take me to such a lavishly beautiful island despite the fact that the war is upon its shores. Her descriptions are so vivid and authentic; I felt like I was there.

If you love WWII fiction, especially novels that take place in the Pacific theater, give Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers a try. I know I am definitely going to pick up Ackerman's next novel Red Sky Over Hawaii, which is due out this June.

Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers, by Sara Ackerman, is set during World War II, shortly after Pearl Harbor, when anti-Japanese sentiment was at its height. The story focused in alternating sections on a mainlander schoolteacher and her daughter, but their ohana includes another teacher, boarding with them, their Japanese neighbors, the soldiers stationed nearby, and more.  The women start a pie stand for the local soldiers, and despite the serious themes, this book will definitely make you hungry for Hawaiian fusion food.

***Note: I received a free ebook copy of Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers from NetGalley in exchange for a review.***

While I am not a reader of romances, something drew me to this book -- and I fell deeply in love with it! Other reviews have hit the major points about it. I will just add a couple of things that stood out to me.

This is a story about love in many forms. Love holding out hope for a missing spouse, new (and emotionally challenging) romantic love, love between parent and child, love between friends, and more. All of these complex, beautiful relationships added up to a powerful story.

On a separate note, Sara Ackerman, a lifelong Hawaiian, writes beautifully about the Hawaiian environment -- the foliage, the rough terrain, the nuances of seasons, and more. It's the depth of her knowledge and familiarity that adds to such an engaging portrayal of place.

And finally, on a personal note -- I grew up listening to stories from my grandmother's time abroad as a WWII nurse. One aspect that I never quite understood was her love for the family that billeted her in the UK for about a year. She remained close friends with them for over 50 years. This story finally helped me understand the power of the normalcy that communities bring to soldiers and other members of the military. One of the characters in this story explains that concept beautifully.

Highly, highly recommended. I can't wait for the author's forthcoming novels!

I have been reading quite a few books set during the time period of WWII, but this one is unique in that it is set in Hawaii. Hawaii after the bombing of Pearl Harbor was, quite naturally, a changed place. Anyone of Asian heritage, regardless of how long they had been living on the islands, was suspect. Young Ella and her mother Violet live in this atmosphere. Ella has suffered from severe anxiety since the disappearance of her father. Air raid drills and the increasing military presence only add to the problem. Some very special GIs and their unusual pet bring some much needed light into this little girl's world. I enjoyed this different view of wartime America.

This was a definite slice-of-life piece of historical fiction with a bit of mystery and romance thrown in (though neither overwhelmed the day-to-day feel of the story). The themes of female friendship and racism seen through the eyes of young Ella really carry the narrative forward and give the adult reader a different perspective on the subjects. The Hawaiian setting, apart from being beautiful, has the benefit of providing a home front perspective, added to the number of soldiers on the island for the military perspective, added to the high Japanese population for the Japanese-American perspective - really solid choice. I would definitely recommend this as a unique and simultaneously easy yet complex WWII novel.

Did not have the time to read this book. Will probably read it at another time.

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I love mystery stories, unique locations and the WWII time setting , so upon learning that Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers had all three, I was anxious to read it. The story is interesting but very much reads as the freshmen effort it is.

Hawaii in 1944 is an island under a great deal of cultural strain. More than half the native population is of Japanese descent, and after Pearl Harbor, that ancestry marks them as possible enemy combatants or spies. Indeed, for some of the haole (mainlanders) it is less ‘possible’ and more ‘probable’. Life still goes on, though, even in war time and for many people, personal concerns outweigh national ones. A year after her husband Herman disappeared, Violet Iverson’s daughter Ella is still picking at her freckles, creating scabs across her skin. She is still wetting her bed at night. She often wets herself during air raid drills at school. She rarely speaks to anyone but her mother and their housemate Jean. Psychiatric visits and medical intervention have been of no help in getting Ella to deal with her grief. When she asks to go to Japanese school, Violet realizes that it’s not the best climate to do such a thing, but eager to give her daughter any support she can she arranges for Ella to go.

At the same time this is happening, marines arrive in their small town of Waimea. One of those marines is Jean’s brother and it isn’t long before he and his friends make a routine of swinging by Violet and Jean’s house for dinner, conversation and laughter. They bring Roscoe with them, a lion cub, who becomes instant buds with Ella. The two quickly form a strong bond.

Despite this happy distraction though, the overall mood on the island is tense. The Japanese school is closed by soldiers during one of its evening classes and the teacher is arrested and sent to a camp. Needless to say, this is traumatic for the young students in attendance, especially Ella. Then Violet and her friends, who have a pie stand near the military base, are accused of spying. Their strongest ally is Roscoe’s trainer, Parker, a man who is as smitten with Violet and Ella as his lion is. They are released from military custody after the charges are proven false but that isn’t enough to completely alleviate the suspicions caused by Herman’s disappearance. He had been known for his sympathy for the native Hawaiians and his resolve to see them treated with respect, justice and tolerance. His views were not popular at the time he disappeared and are even less popular now that the war is heating up. There has been more than one whispered accusation of treason being the reason he is gone. Nevertheless, determined to build a life for her daughter and herself and to finally find the answers she needs for closure, Violet sets out to discover the truth behind what happened to her husband.

Women’s fiction tends to be character driven and one of the major problems in this story is that the characters are sketched rather than fully drawn. We get background information about them, but that information tends to be simple factoids, not insight into who they are as people. When a story is driven by characters and the characterization is weak, it suffers overall, which is what happens here.

The author tries to prop up her underdeveloped characters by including major events – the war, Herman’s disappearance, Roscoe – but the reactions to these life-altering occasions actually underscores the fact that we didn’t know these people. As an example, take the story of Herman and his disappearance. His absence allows the romance between Violet and Parker to bloom but because he is missing and not dead, it serves as a major impediment to it as well. It’s also listed as the cause for Ella’s strangeness but other than that, the man isn’t missed. It’s as though he walked out of his own life one day and after a cursory search, everyone just continued living without him. That might have worked if he were a bad or abusive figure, but he is written as kind and almost heroic, which makes it inexplicable. So why don’t these two genuinely miss him? Why aren’t we seeing them work through their pain, rather than just vaguely referencing it?

Another problem is that this book reads much the same way a poorly mixed casserole tastes: discordant and haphazardous. The pieces never quite come together to form a harmonious whole. The romance between Violet and Parker doesn’t really mix well with Ella’s oddness; the racial tension – which is an important point in the story – doesn’t mix with the story of Roscoe the lion.

Because I felt like I was moving in and out of different narratives, I found it hard to get invested in what was happening. I didn’t care about Violet and Parker’s love story because the missing Herman meant they didn’t really have a future. The impact of the unfair treatment received by the Hawaiians of Japanese ancestry was lessened by the fact that we didn’t really know the individuals being abused. While I know that Roscoe is an actual historical figure, his presence in this storyline was distracting. I would have preferred a human friend for Ella in his place.

There are some good points. Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers tells a unique tale. Hawaii experienced a very different WWII than the American mainland did and reading about that was fascinating. It’s clear the author has done her research; much of what she includes are actual events and she does a fabulous job of showing how the islanders responded to the war, to the troops and to the very real threat to their lives.

The racial tension is also interesting to read about. The author does a good job of showing how attitudes toward the Hawaiians changed after Pearl Harbor and also how ridiculous most of the prejudice was. Snippets of the rumors people of that time were spreading about the Japanese showed how much racism is based on ignorance and fear.

I also liked how the author captured some interesting, everyday life moments such as the foods eaten on the island and how women slept with their hair curled around grape juice cans to achieve that just right look.

Readers will have to decide if the novelty and historicity of Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers will be sufficient to interest them in it, since I can’t really recommend it on other grounds.

I really enjoyed this WWII historical fiction story! The setting for WWII was different than most European-based WWII stories I’ve read. I loved how it was set in Hawaii and the descriptions made me want to jump on a plane and go. The story’s viewpoints switched between Ella and her mother, Violet and there was the mystery of what happened to Ella’s father and Violet’s husband, Herman, who is missing from the beginning of the book. This aspect definitely kept my interest! I loved all of the other characters too, between the other women in the book and the soldiers, especially that Roscoe! I would definitely recommend for anyone who loves WWII historical fiction, mystery and stories about love and family. If you enjoyed Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, you will enjoy this book.

A sweet, touching and compelling mystery/historical fiction novel about life on the "Big Island" of Hawaii in 1944. After Pearl Harbor, much changed about life in the idyllic village. This is the story of 3 women and a girl, a missing father, and the soldiers who are now occupying the island. I have read many books about WWII, but I think this is the first about life in Hawaii. Although the main story is about the relationships among the women, there are certainly bits of commentary about racism and the value/morality of war that are undercurrents throughout. There's enough "meat" here to appeal to those looking for historical fiction and political commentary, but enough romance and character development to appeal to readers looking for a story about family and interpersonal relationships. The writing is lovely and the descriptions of rural Hawaii will whisk you away to the islands. (The story is based on stories from the author's grandmother's life during the war.)

Ella and Violet tell a wonderful story about Hawaii in 1944. Ella who is 8 has a secret she won't tell in order to safe her mom from death. A time of Marines training to go on towards Japan, time of internment, spies, missing father, friends, and a friendly lion.

This was an amazing book! I loved the plot and the characters. It was good to read a book that talked about the prejudices that Japanese-Americans faced on Hawaii. I loved the pictures that the descriptions created in my head about the island!

The book was slow to start & I had a little bit of trouble getting into it. However, once the story gained momentum I didn't want to stop reading. The setting on the big island of Hawaii during World War II shed light on the particular problems citizens of Hawaii had during the war- real threat of physical attack that mainlanders were mostly spared, and the problem of what to do about the Japanese community members that were so interwoven into the Hawaiian multicultural communities. When I was in school, Japanese internment camps in the US were not covered much in history classes. Perhaps we did not want to own up to this shameful part of our history by teaching about it to school children. It was only in college that I started learning and reading about this aspect to World War II. This particular story does not "cover" the camps in a real way. However, they are lurking in the background as a place residents are sent to for questioning and perhaps permanent detainment. Although discrimination against Japanese-Americans was common in the US during the war, I think the setting of Hawaii and this particular story sheds light on it from a little bit of a different perspective.
This story is actually about a white American family, the loss of the father/husband of the family, and the mystery surrounding his disappearance. However, the events of the war & the threat of attack from the Japanese, and subsequent treatment of the area's Japanese residents play a large role in everyone's lives at the time. The heavy influx of soldiers training nearby further adds to the complexity of the story & the times. I enjoyed the alternating narration from mother to daughter throughout the story. Their ages and roles in the family and community provide differing insight and depth to the story.

A touch of romance and mystery make this novel about WWII Hawaii even more intriguing than the setting.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a must read, with the setting Hawaii after Pearl Harbor. I was drawn to the characters and the story, feeling like I was living in Hawaii of the 1940’s, and as applicable today as neighbors turned on their Japanese neighbors. Violet and her daughter Ella felt comfortable and close to their Japanese friends, defending them as people not as the enemy, despite the war with the Japanese. Ella has a secret she is keeping, and Violet is sure it has to do with her husband’s disappearance. Enter Jean and Setsuko, Violet’s Friends, and a mixture of some marines stationed locally, and a lion, you have a novel you won’t want to put down. Highly recommended.

Absolutely stunning! The vivid description of life in Hawaii during WWII made me feel like I was there. Secondary to the plot, the scene creation and immersion were some of the best I've ever read.

The plot itself was wonderfully paced, with some parts fast moving and some parts slow, fitting a natural progression of events. The slow anguish of a missing, beloved husband against the bluster of a company of marines who one day swarm the island and the next are off the fight without even knowing where was beautiful.

Violet's heartbreak over her husband, her protection of her daughter, her loyalty to her friends were all incredibly realistic. The chapters from Ella's point of view scattered throughout reminded the reader of the innocence being destroyed by these events, yet Ella is able to remain a good soul.

Oh, and there's a lion :)

In Hawaii in 1944, the friendship between the protagonist and her Japanese friend is sorely tested. Friends decide to bake pies for the American troops waiting for deployment, relationships develop and fall apart. But the friends stick together. Heartwarming and charming story.

Takes place in Hawaii in 1944. A family tries to make sense of their life after the husband/father disappears amid rumors of spying, etc. I had a very hard time getting into the story.

Hawaii, 1944: Marines come to Hawaii for training, and one is the brother of Jean, a local teacher, who lives with fellow teacher Violet and Violet’s daughter, Ella. Her brother and his friends visit often with their mascot, Roscoe, trying to cheer up Ella, who has become withdrawn since her father vanished without a trace a year ago. Life on the home front is as challenging in Hawaii as it is all over, especially for the large Japanese population residing there, but people still manage to have fun, fall in love, and enjoy the beauty of the island. An enjoyable read , for both teens and adults.

n the midst of World War II, tensions are high in Hawaii. Violet’s husband has been lost somewhere in the Pacific, and as if the horror of that situation isn’t bad enough, there are those who question whether he had been loyal to his country or not. Violet and her friends try to pass the time by making pies for the soldiers that are stationed on the island. All the women know is that the soldiers are on a top-secret mission. In the midst of all this, racism rears its ugly head, and the Japanese residents of the island begin to be discriminated. Violet takes a stand for them and is accused of spying for the enemy. She’s saved by a tough marine sergeant, a man she might be able to learn to love, but as he prepare to ship off to Iwo Jima, she question whether she can risk her heart being broken again. A lovely historical novel that demonstrates that while ignorance and prejudice can destroy, love and knowledge can redeem