I read this captivating book in only a few days, and I am already wishing for the sequel! I think the fact that it was historical fiction made it even more interesting to me. It was really sad to read about Katie McAlister's experiences throughout the book, and sobering to realize that children actually went through that or worse when they were sent from England to Canada. I enjoyed the clean romance between Laura and Andrew, and I was really rooting for all of the characters as I read the book. All of the loose ends are not tied up at the end of the book, because as I said before, there is a sequel, but there was enough closure to make for a happy ending. I highly recommend this book and will be anxiously awaiting book two in 2020!

Unbeknownst to her, Katie McAllister’s mother has fallen ill and been taken to the hospital. This has left her three younger siblings fending for themselves at home as Katie lives and works on an Estate an hour away. The children are put into an orphanage until their mother is able to return home. By the time Katie finds out about their situation and arrives to take them home and care for them the children have already boarded a ship with many other orphans bound for Canada and a new life.

I really enjoyed reading this story inspired by true events. British orphans were shipped to Canada to start a new life. Some finding themselves in a home they always dreamed of but a lot were forced to doing long tiring hours of labour and treated unfairly. The author developed characters that I easily became attached to and I wasn’t quite ready for it to end.
I am definitely looked forward to reading the next book in this series.

Carrie Turansky is a prolific author of primarily historical fiction. With this book, she begins a new series detailing the lives of three children whose mother has been taken to the hospital and because of that, they ended up in an orphanage.

The supervisors at the orphanage told the children their mother had died and gave them the opportunity to go to Canada to be adopted. This turn of the century orphan immigration was largely operated illegally. Parents were not given a chance to claim their children nor the chance to give their permission for the children to go.

Garth and Katie, the twins, and Grace, the youngest child, are set up in separate portions of the orphanage. Katie and Garth are not supposed to communicate with each other, but they pass notes through the fence to keep up with each other. That is how Katie finds out that Garth is on the next transport to Canada. Katie talks to her matron about passage for her and Grace, not knowing that their oldest sister, Laura, is coming for them.

Laura engages the aid of the lawyer, whose mother was her employer, to help her get her siblings back.

This is definitely a great book to read, based on true events. The orphan immigration was run mostly on bribes and other illegal activity. Some of the children were abused by their adoptive parents, and it made a sad story in the history of England and Canada. Four strong stars.

My thanks to NetGalley.com and WaterBrook/Multnomah for providing the galley I read.

I love a Historical Fiction book where I can learn new facts about history. I have a strong desire to read and learn more about the Orphan Trains here in the US. When I say the content of this novel, I was excited to read it. Carrie did a wonderful job of portraying what life must have been like for the poor in London. They had the same situation that we had here in our big cities with so many homeless children. I found it a little slow or hard to get into at first, but once I did, I was taken away to another place and time. Carrie has a special ability for making a setting come to life. I enjoyed hearing about the McAlister family and will be waiting to hear more about the other siblings. I received a copy of the book from WaterBrook and Multnomah through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed reading No Ocean too Wide, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

The McAlister family’s matriarch falls ill, leaving no one to care for the twins, Katie and Garth, and the youngest, Grace. The children are taken from their apartment and sent to live in a children’s home for orphans.

The eldest sibling, Laura is off working as a lady maid to a well-off family a train ride away and hears of the family’s troubles and heads back home right away to check on her mother and get her siblings back.

Unfortunately, it’s too late and her siblings are already on a boat to Canada. Laura must use every resource at her disposal to get her siblings back home and together again.

Child orphans and emigration to Canada is not a topic I’ve read about yet, and I quite enjoyed it. Laura was a formidable protagonist and it was interesting reading about her journey to being her family back together.

4 stars!

I struggled to read this book. I love to read books based on history and for whatever reason fell short for me. I wish I would have liked it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

No Ocean Too Wide by Carrie Turansky is a chase across the Atlantic Ocean to find family. I heard about the orphan trains in America with Jody Hedlund's series, Orphan Trains, but I didn't know London was sending over orphans to work in Canada too. The historical aspect backing this story was fascinating. I really liked the part where Turansky didn't shade away from the harsh realities of what happened to some of these servants. She was honest and showed the effects on the children as they laid in a hospital. The plot flowed nicely, moving from one part of the story to the next. The characters wanted nothing more than to be together. I liked Laura. The romance between Laura and Alex seemed to move along nicely, but then Turansky ended the novel with the predictable, yet slightly unconventional way, for Alex and Laura to earn their happily-ever-after. I could have done with their romance stringing along a little longer. Maybe into the next book. Overall, No Ocean Too Wide is an original, yet unpredictable story with four siblings trying to complete their family again. I really can't wait to return and see how Grace and Garth come home. Fans of Jody Hedlund's series might want to pick this series up and compare the two.

I received a complimentary copy of No Ocean Too Wide by Carrie Turansky from Waterbrook-Multnomah Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

Carrie Turansky weaves a novel of romance, adventure, and family interactions based on historical events from England in the 1900s. The story keeps the reader engaged while giving a history lesson about orphans from England being shipped off to Canada in hopes of a better life. I had no idea there was ever a program like that, so the story was very interesting. The characters were well developed and very believable. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next book in the series.

No Ocean Too Wide by Carrie Turansky is a very interesting book. I requested to read and review this book through Netgalley.com. I give it 4 stars out of 5. The reason I only give it 4 stars is I felt it could have ended better, even though it is the first book in a new series. Another reason for a missing star is that at times it got too rambling and things were repeated especially towards the end of the book.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. It is a Christan, historical fiction book. It is not a preachy book, but it does show people using their beliefs in a nice way. I was drawn to this book as my great grandfather was put in an orphanage in England by his father in the late 1800s after the death of his mother.

This book looks at how orphanages worked in the late 1800s until the early 1900s. It is not a preachy kind of book and it is not condemning nor praising how the system worked.

The main characters were fairly well developed and believable. The story was also believable. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Even though this was an advanced reader copy, the editing was very well done. I appreciate that in a book.

I would recommend this book to my friends.

I wanted to love this book. I have very much enjoyed Carrie Turansky books before but this one just did not resonate with me. I am sure that it is just me and not the author. Others may love it.

I have enjoyed all of Carrie Turansky's books thus far, and had great expectations of her newest book, No Ocean Too Wide. I was interested in reading about orphan children sent from Britain to Canada in search of a better life. Carrie Turansky does an excellent job of giving the reader a balance of adventure, romance, heartbreak, and joy.

The main character is Laura McAlister. After leaving her loving family for a lady's maid position, she is devastated to learn her mother is very sick. When Laura arrives back at the family flat, she finds that all of her younger siblings have been taken to the local children's home. In an unexpected turn of events, she teams up with her former employer's son, Andrew Fraser to discover where they were all taken.

This book is light on romance, light on Christianity, and deep in Canadian history.

This poignant story of the McAlister siblings touched my heart. It’s hard to imagine children that young being placed on a boat in London; shipped to Canada; and then becoming basically indentured servants for families in Canada. It seems atrocious to us today, but that’s what happened with thousands of children in the early 1900’s. Some were placed in very good homes, but some found themselves extremely mistreated with no one to advocate for them. The author has done a wonderful job of incorporating the facts about these children and presenting their difficult situations to us through the story of the McAlister family. My heart ached for Katie, Garth, and Grace as they found themselves separated from each other and having little hope of being reunited. Their adult sister, Laura, risks much to travel to Canada to find them. Her faith is severely tested, and she has to trust God’s guidance and her friends’ support to accomplishment what seems impossible.

There’s a love story that builds all through the story between Laura and Andrew. Separated by social class and economic status, Laura has no choice but to trust Andrew to help her with her search for her siblings. Their relationship does not always run smoothly, and they both have much to learn about faith and trust. I enjoyed reading this book and since all was not completely settled at the end of this one, I’m eager to continue the McAlister family story.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This book was surprisingly very very good. The sibilings were easy to follow and sympathize with and it was a part of history I was not familiar with.

A richly woven and beautifully written story. Honestly, there are not enough words to describe how amazing this story is. You'll just have to read it for yourself, I highly recommend this one.

"No Ocean Too Wide" is a romance set in 1908 in England and Canada. This is the first novel in a series, and it appears that this family's story will continue throughout the series as the family was not completely reunited by the end of this book. Historical details about the immigration of British orphans to Canada were the focus of the story as Andrew and his boss were carefully investigating the system. I cared about what happened to the characters and liked them. However, everything that could go wrong did go wrong...repeatedly. I started to dread picking up the book because I knew something even worse was going to happen to these nice people.

I was baffled by some things in the story, though. Katie saw the people that took her sister, Grace, and knew where they were at when it happened, but she later said that she had no idea where Grace was or how to find her. Also, by the end, it's like the insurmountable issues standing between Andrew's and Laura's romance never existed.

I believe this was meant to be Christian fiction, but the story seemed to show a God that did not care about the orphan and the widow. The presumably Christian people running the orphan homes were harsh, judgmental, and exploited the children. Worse, when Laura lied and later stole something, it turned out to be a good thing that she did. Every time she did the right thing, it seemed like she encountered obstacles because she had done so. Basically, the story seemed more depressing than uplifting. There was no sex or bad language.

Laura McAlister is working as a lady's maid while her mother does sewing for a shop owner, trying to make ends meet and care for her three younger children. When Laura gets word that her mother is ill and hospitalized, she heads home to London only to find that her siblings have been sent to a children's home. When she goes to get them back, that is more complicated than she anticipated as Garth, Katie, and Grace have actually been sent to Canada as part of England's orphan emigration program.
Andrew Frasier, the heir to the estate where Laura was employed, is a solicitor who, along with his partner, is working on investigating the emigration program for the British government. While he has long admired the program and its leaders, Laura's story brings to light problems with its management. He promises to help Laura find her siblings and get them back--but will he be able to keep that promise?

This was a really engaging, interesting story. At times it was actually painful to read (the parts written from Katie's perspective, in particular) because it felt so real. This is a really fascinating piece of historical fiction, with some gentle romance that makes it all the better. I wouldn't have minded a bit more romance, but all in all, it was very well done and definitely makes me want to continue the series to find out what is next for the McAlister family.

I read an ARC provider by the publisher, WaterBrook & Multnomah, via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a bit slow at the beginning, but I had no idea how it was going to end, so the suspense kept me going. The history it covers is fascinating - I wasn't really even aware that Britain sent orphans over to Canada, much less that there were issues of social justice involved, and this book did such a wonderful job of going over everything and explaining it without sounding like a history lecture. I loved Laura, Andrew, Katie, Rose, and Henry - they all worked together so well in order to achieve justice. And the ending was a complete surprise, which I loved.

I really only have two complaints for this book. First, the fact that Laura was able to think fast enough to travel with orphans to Canada to find her siblings and was brave enough to do it was impressive to me, but everyone focused on the less-than-ideal parts that got her there. If she hadn't done those things, she wouldn't have been able to save her sister, so while they weren't "good" they were understandable, and I thought everyone in the book should have appreciated her more for her actions. My second complaint is that there was a bit more "knight in shining armor rescues damsel in distress" that I would have preferred. As I mentioned previously, I thought that Laura was incredible in what she did to save her family, and yet there are several scenes where she is seen as an emotional and incapable woman who needs to be saved by a man.

Overall, I am so glad I read this book, and I cannot wait for the second one to come out to find out what happens to the McAlister and Frasier families. No Ocean Too Wide officially comes out in June of 2019, and I highly recommend reading it. It covers such an interesting and relatively untouched part of history, and all of the characters are so lovable that you can't help but care about all of them and what happens in their lives.

No Ocean Too Wide
By Carrie Turansky
James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Laura’s family is facing hard times at home. Her father’s death two years prior has everyone working hard to keep afloat. Laura has been working away from home a lady’s maid. After receiving news of her mother’s illness and hospitalization Laura leaves her position to help the family however when she arrives home her younger siblings have already been taken from the home and placed into a children’s home. After tirelessly trying to see her siblings Laura discovers that her siblings have been scheduled to be emigrated to Canada to start new. Laura takes action by using a false name to get hired by the emigration facility that trains the children for service once they get to Canada. All is well until her previous employer’s son shows up.
Andrew Fraiser has no need to work but felt called to do more than idly sit. His decision to become a lawyer has not pleased his father but he is determined. Taking a case with his best friend and mentor investigating Children’s Homes has brought him face to face with his mothers Lady’s maid. Without understanding her presence, he goes along with her charade.
I found this book to be both enjoyable and also sad. The truth that this story is fiction but based off of history makes it alluring. Families were separated for many reasons and Children’s Homes were often overcrowded and underfunded. What a sad fate for these families. The challenges Laura and Andrew faced in searching for Laura’s siblings is a snapshot of a larger problem.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion which I share here. https://simplyannehere.wordpress.com

guys this book was one of the best I've read this year. I've been struggling to write a review because of how amazing it was.

(also, there might be minor spoilers, but they're all included in the blurb, so they're not really spoilers? just a warning. )

I absolutely adored this book. What a completely enchanting, inspiring, and heartfelt read. I remember feeling emotional after I finished it (which happens in like, oh, 1 out 200 books) because the themes of loyalty, love, and trust were so strong.

So, so many things made this book a five star read for me, but I think the characters were at the head. Their struggles were written so well, but they also had strong character traits that really made me want to root for them. Katie, for example, the main MC, had a lot of trust in her siblings and mother, and I really admired that. I loved the sense of loyalty Garth showed when the siblings were sent into the orphanage, and eventually to Canada. I really enjoyed reading about the whole orphan placement thing--it definitely encouraged me to research and learn more about that process.

Laura leads a really unique separate part of the story that might seem completely unrealistic, but it was written SO well that I never even for a moment thought "no one would do that...?", so all the kudos to Carrie. Turansky's writing style also flows so well. It's exactly the type of writing that I like to read, and I cannot wait to read more of her stories.

This is one of those books that I want to buy and reread, over and over again, and, not to be dramatic, but I'll be scouring the markets for the second book when it releases. 5 stars.

London, 1909: Katie McAlister and her siblings first lose their father 18 months earlier and now their mother.

Her brother steals bread and gets caught. Three of them get sent to the Grangeford Children’s Home.

Their oldest sister Laura works as a lady’s maid for a wealthy family, the Frasiers, an hour’s train ride north of London.

Young Mr. Andrew Frasier comes back from Italy. At the same time, Laura receives the sad news. Andrew is very helpful with arranging Laura’s leave, talking to his mother, and giving her some money. Him freshly trained as solicitor later helps her case.

Once the kids are sent to Canada, Laura enlists Andrew’s help in fighting the system.

Told with a very simple prose. Descriptions are very general, for example, Katie worrying about them being orphans, would it mean them begging and stealing as other children she’d seen on the streets. I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters, which seem to be not well-developed and the descriptions didn’t grasp my attention.

The story at some points comes across as not believable or lacks sophistication. And I was also very surprised to see it being made into a series. A standalone book would give a stronger point of the story.