This enchanting historical story, set on the Cornish Coast, is told in dual timeline (Second World War and current day) from two women's perspectives: Olivia, an elderly lady now in her nineties, and her niece Becky. The author, Jane Johnson, drew me into this world of secrets and lost love with her rich portrayal of the characters, including the crumbling Chynalls house which has a personality and many secrets of its own.

After her mother's death, Becky discovers a letter from her mother's cousin Olivia, pleading with her to come to Cornwall and help her renovate her house Chynalls, which Becky remembers visiting as a child. Struggling with grief from the loss of her mother, fear at a possible return of her own cancer, and questioning a complicated love relationship, Becky spontaneously heeds the call of Cornwall, only to discover the urgency of renovation has increased: the feisty old woman has been hospitalized and will not be allowed to return home until the renovations are completed.

I loved how this story weaved seamlessly back and forth in time, and through both timelines gave me deeper understanding of how the characters of Becky and Olivia (and even Gabriel. Olivia's salty parrot) had tremendous grit and resilience, an inner strength that saw them through grief and loss, to emerge even stronger on the other side. In addition to a view into small town prejudices during WWII in Cornwall, this story traveled with characters to Morocco and Algiers.

The peek into what life was like in a small coastal town/island during the Second WW was fascinating, as was Becky's growth from a fearful, timid, zero-confidence woman through a journey of self-discovery of her inner strength to walk away from a bad relationship.

Honestly, three key characters (Olivia, Becky and Gabriel) were so prickly at the beginning that it did take me awhile to see behind that. Eventually though, the story so enveloped me that I found myself sobbing at one point while reading, not from a sad passage or depressing direction, but from an overwhelming emotional connection to the characters. That is magic - when the shift happens: from characters in black and white on a page to "real people" in your mind's eye as you read their story.

Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced reader copy of this book, and allowing me privilege of reading this story in exchange for an honest review.

So sorry when this book was finished. I enjoyed reading about the lives of Olivia and Becky. Two very different women with interesting parallels. The characters were very well developed and for the most part were very likeable but there were at least one or two unsavoury characters which added an element of interest to the book. The two cross paths when Becky's mother passes away and when her and her brother were going through her mother's correspondence discovers Olivia is in need of help. She leaves her boyfriend Eddie and heads off to the Cornwall coast. Becky is able to help her elderly cousin enormously and solve some mysteries of her own. Olivia has fallen and landed in hospital. She needs repairs done to her house such as an indoor toilet and grab bars before Olivia can be released to live at home.

Olivia's time is during the Second World war while Becky is in the present time. Without giving anything away, they both have had some huge challenges in life and some aha moments. The parrot Gabriel certainly provided some comic relief. I found the author tied everything up in the end and did not leave an loose ends.

The book brings out a multitude of feelings - sadness, empathy, anger and laugh out loud moments. There is really something for everyone in this well crafted story. It certainly checked a lot of boxes for me.

Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

There are several things that I liked about this book. First, I appreciated the range of diversity in the characters. Often books that take place during the World War II era have characters that are French or English or German. It's nice to see in a book other countries and their residents who have been impacted by that war. I also appreciated both young Olivia's and Rebecca's unapologetic sexuality.

I found the underlying mystery to be quite interesting and the resolution of said mystery a fairly fresh concept that I don't know if I liked. It seemed almost like the author couldn't decide how bad she wanted the bad person to be.

What I didn't like were unrealized, yet important or seemingly important character hurdles, obstacles, hopes, and desires. I don't need a book to always go chapter and verse as to why a character is doing something - because it's obvious that they're doing it for the sake of the story - but I also need to have a little bit of insight to the character's decisions and frames of mind when they make the decisions that they make. I feel there wasn't enough motivation behind the choices in this book.

Additionally some characters made significant choices that seemed out of the blue just to make them more vile in the reader's mind. In some cases Rebecca almost seemed like a damsel in distress where she could have been given more agency and more character strength.

I wish there was more time fleshing out young Olivia's relao, and I wish that the final wrap-up was a bit more drawn out as it seemed very rushed by the end

This is my first time reading a Jane Johnson book and I will certainly be looking for more. This story is about Rebecca who has just lost her mom and is grieving, when she hears from an elderly relative in Cornwall who is looking for help. The setting travels between today and WW2. . I loved this book so much I have ordered it for my mom for Xmas. I received an ARC from Netgalley for an unbiased review.

I received an advance copy of this book through netgalley from the purpose of reviewing it. I've read one other book by the author, years ago, and remember thinking positively of it, which is what drew me to request this book.

The setting is fantastic and the author's descriptions of Cornwall make me want to visit. The author is a good writer, but unfortunately, this book was difficult for me and I couldn't even finish it.

While the plot is fairly compelling, it falls flat. The characters are just not fleshed out and they make decisions that baffled me. Why the present day character throws over her entire life to go care for an elderly relative she's only met once as a child makes no sense. Another issue I had was that the supporting characters were all either completely horrible, or completely saintlike. There were no nuances. And frankly, the 2 main characters were not that endearing either.

What made me finally put the book down, though, was the gratuitous violence towards women in it. There is a rape that is brushed over and only seems to be there as evidence as to how awful the neighbours are. Then there is an attack on one of the main characters, that goes on pages and pages, and once that ends, the other character is terrified for her life as the neighbours have broken into her house. I closed the book at that point because violence against women as a plot device for character growth bothers me tremendously.

From reading other reviews, clearly some loved this book. I personally found it very disturbing.

2 stars, simply because of how well the author described the setting.

The Sea Gate is a lovely historical fiction novel, set in Cornwall, England. It is a story about Rebecca, a vulnerable woman reeling from the death of her mother, who goes to help her mother’s elderly cousin, Olivia, who has fallen ill. Helping to restore her dilapidated house so that Olivia can continue to live in it, Rebecca discovers hidden family secrets from the past that involve murder, mystery, jealousy and forbidden love during WWII with repercussions still being felt in the present.

Told in alternating view points, we learn the story of Olivia, a young, forward-thinking girl facing many hardships with grit and determination and we watch Rebecca find that same inner strength and resilience as she delves into the past and helps Olivia. The plot unfolds at a good pace, and the writing is beautiful, particularly the lovely vivid descriptions of the Cornwall seaside and countryside. This is a well-written and engaging read. Thanks to Simon and Schuster for this advanced reader copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

What a poignant story of love, loss, war and happiness. This book tells a sweeping tale of life in Cornwall, England during WWII and then switches to present day. Olivia is a feisty young girl that is way ahead of the rest of the small village she lives in. She is strong and able to take care of herself while while also accepting foreigners, something that her village and much of England cannot seem to do during the war.

The parts of the book written during present time include a 90 year old Olivia and her distant relative Becky, who hasn’t seen Olivia since she was a small child. Becky steps into Olivia’s run down house and uncovers in mystery after another. This story is told as a love story and it unfolds beautifully with each chapter. I couldn’t put it down as I was so enthralled with the characters, places and events. The characters are realistically flawed which simply endears them to you even more.

The book also touches on a different area involved in WWII than most war books, Algeria. You get a picture of the abuse the citizens suffered under the French and I learned a bit more about the war. The author has such a wonderful way of describing places and things that I could smell tobacco and spices at times. Simply an intense and moving novel that anyone would enjoy.

Oh my this is a good one !!!!! Totally a page turner for me , Olivia a spunky Lovely character who has survived tragedy and sorrow , her cousin enters her life to help and discovers so much mystery .. a little romance , a bit of humour a truck load of mystery in a very old house with a hidden cellar door , What more can u ask for .. this author is on her way to being one of my favorites

A compelling novel of sorrow, love, murder, and loss that draws a parallel between two women separated by more than half a century. One of the best stories I've read and look forward to more by this author.