This book started out good but soon became one I skimmed through just to see how it would end. It’s the story of a boy who was separated from his mother in a WW2 bombing and ended up being sent with other orphans to Australia, only to be mistreated in a boys’ home before being adopted. The writing, characters, and plot weren’t very well developed and at the end became very sentimental to the point of being maudlin. I enjoyed learning about this true part of history but was glad to be done with it. I am surprised at the high rating on Goodreads but can’t really recommend this one!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance copy of this book. All opinions here are my own.

This WWII historical fiction book was a different focus. Children are sent from England to Australia when the orphanages are full and cannot accommodate additional children … whether they are orphans or their parents have put them in care until they can retrieve them later. The boys are expected to work hard and they are abused in horrendous ways. While the story will touch your heart. It moved slowly and I found it difficult to stay focused.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This book was well written and has an interesting plot. A young child is sent away to Australia from England during WWII. The plot is that the mother and son are trying to reunite with one another. I found this to be a good piece of historical fiction and one I will read again.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

This is a historical fiction book that is all about orphaned child that is from London being sent to Australia from a better life, but of course they did not get that better life. I have to say there is also a lot about Whites dating Blacks in the book to. I did like this book, but it did not hard my heart hard like some historical fiction. I found some parts boring. The characters where not super developed to me, and I did not care about the characters like some other historical fiction books I have read. I do love some things this book covers, but I just wish those items was covered better. I would say overall it was just ok. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Headline) or author (Gill Thompson) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review that is my opinion of the book, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

I received a copy of this book from net galley. This review contains spoilers The author had characters you were interested in and invested in. The book is filled with lots of emotions ranging from joy to sorrow and forgiveness keeping the reader glued. It was a heart renching story and leaves you hoping for a happy ending for the characters. A air raid happened and a mother and son are separated. The son thinks his mother is dead the mother has no memory. The son is sent to Australia with false promises of sun and oranges only to find abuse and hard labor until the Sullivans take him in. Life is better for him but his adoptive father kept the secret his mother was alive as she was searching for him and sending letters. As an adult he seeks justice for his friend Sam and discovers his mother is indeed alive. Very emotional book and held my interest

Parts of this are a tough read because of the missing child, it's very anxiety-provoking. However, it's also a compelling, well-written read.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This story broke my heart. It was a bit drawn out and descriptive for my tastes, but was something I'd still recommend to anyone who's looking for something that will give them all the feels.

Thanks to Quercus for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Oceans Between Us is an intriguing, well-written, and emotional debut from Gill Thompson. I have read many historical fiction books about World War II and am shocked that this is the first time I've learned about England deporting young children to Australia. Ms. Thompson receives five stars for a creative plot. The novel is engrossing, and the tension for the mother (Molly) and son (Jack) to reunite is the driver. However, I found myself frustrated and in disbelief that Molly never took much action to make this happen. She and Jack both seemed to drag their feet to some extent, but in the end they finally made it happen. And in the end they had different lives, although they still loved one another.

A very well written and entertaining book. Great plot and character development. I received an arc from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

This is a well written heartbreaking story. This book will open your eyes to a part of history that should never be repeated. The author brought the story to life with her words and you could feel all the emotions. If you like historical fiction you need to read this book. Thank you Mobius via NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received a copy of The Oceans Between Us by Gill Thompson from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

4/5 stars. The debut novel by Gill Thompson is a remarkable story based on true events that happened in England during World War II. It was a heartbreaking read knowing that this situation was faced by so many unknowing children and families. Being taken from their homes to orphanages after air raids in England and shipped off to Australia, not knowing if your family was alive or dead, must have been devastating. The children were promised a life full of sunshine, fresh fruit, and horseback riding. Only to find that the land they were supposed to be saving with their fresh genetics was not the promised land they had hoped for.

Right from the beginning, you felt for Molly, Jack, and Kathleen. I couldn’t imagine Molly’s pain when she finally remembers that she had a son. The guilt would have crushed me. I was sucked right into her story. Kathleen’s story grabbed me as well. Knowing the pains of longing for a child and not being able to have one touched home. I could understand her desire to have any child to call her own. (That did not prevent me from wanting to bash John over the head a few times though.) Jack’s story took on a whole other level of sorrow that made you want to hold and protect him.

The story was well written. It had great character development and the characters seemed to stay true to themselves. I did find that the last few chapters seemed rushed after all the build-up. The epilogue helped to answer some, but not all questions. Because of this, I dropped my rating down one star. Overall, it was a book that I would definitely recommend to others that enjoy historical fiction and a well-developed story.

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This book is historical fiction based on the actual events of children being transported to Australia after World War II. It is heartbreaking to imagine thousands of children being sent to another country alone and scared. The author did a brilliant job of conveying the struggles that parents had finding their children that were sent away and the impact that being sent away had on the children. I enjoyed this immensely and highly recommend it. I cannot believe this is the author's debut, as it was so well written.

This was a heartwarming book that showed the bond between mother and child and families as a whole. This story follows multiple families from different dynamics. This is a must read for any historical fiction readers.

I love historical fiction as I like learning as I take my precious free time to read. This story brings to light a piece of history from the WWII era that people need to know. The author brilliantly brings to light the themes of love, loss, abuse and how societies differed. This is not a beautiful story as it’s tragic how these orphans were treated but it’s a piece of history people need to know as to not repeat this type of behavior. One can sympathize and also learn to forgive.

Meanwhile, in an orphanage is a little boy waiting for his mother. Unfortunately--and based on real events--the boy is sent to Australia after the war with many other children.

I won't give away any more of the plot. This is one that you have to read and soak in. But, as a mother, I can say I was anxious for so much of this book.

One of the joys of reading, for me, is when a story has the ability to bring the reader into it and you feel a part of the story--like you're there. But that can be bittersweet in a story like this where you're not sure of the ending and it breaks your heart a little bit each page.

The fact that this story was based around events that actually happen just breaks my heart even more.

Gill Thompson did an amazing job of bringing the reader into her story and enlightening the reader as to events that should be remembered.

A wonderful, powerful story that I'd recommend across the board.

This book opened my eyes to a part of history that I hadn’t heard of previously. The relocation of British “orphan” children to Australia after World War II is a unknown chapter of history. The story of Molly and her son Jack is heartbreaking but reflects the story of many families in Europe at the time. The ending was a bit too tidy for me but this book still rates 4 stars for me.

After an unfortunate accident, a young boy is left alone in an orphanage. He is shipped to Australia to what he thinks will be a better life, but it ends up being child slavery. All this time, he feels in his heart that his mother is alive and never gives up looking for her. The story follows various perspectives, and you definitely feel empathy for all three main characters. For me the most interesting part was learning about a new facet of history I'd previous not heard of.

This is based on true events. It's about shipping children from England off to Australia from the 40's to late 60's. The children were told they were orphans which wasn't always the fact. They were told that it would be a grand new life. In reality they were treated as slave laborers.