This book was super hard for me to get into. Unfortunately, I did not end up finishing it. The premise was interesting but I couldn't connect with the characters.

A lovely, gut-wrenching story about true love torn apart by war. An exotic setting, a downton-esque feel, and excellent writing kept my captivated. I really enjoyed this and will be seeking out other titles by Ms. Ashcroft.

DNF.

Life is too short for books which fail to hook you in, and even though I'm not a reader of romance, the fact that this was set in India, British India at that, made me want to dive into it.

Here's a problem, though - my country might have been exotic two-three centuries ago, but in 2020, it's a little difficult to swallow the same sort of image being perpetuated, especially when the history of the British Raj is available with ease and in varied forms.

The one mention of "Indian waiters" really had me scratching my head in disbelief - this is a story set in India occupied by a foreign power, so quite obviously the waiters will be the colonised folk. Did their ethnicity require a mention?

It took me out of the world of the book, which was rather thinly described (Bombay was not a city bursting at its seams in 1913/14; it is so now).

I also did not find the protagonist Maddy, nor her infatuation with Luke, interesting enough to keep reading.

This might be a book other people will enjoy. I did not, the one-tenth of it that I read at least. It did not seem to me worthwhile to invest any more effort in reading it than I had.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martins press for providing me a copy of Meet me in Bombay by Jenny Ashcroft for an honest review. 

This story is beautiful and heartwarming. It deals with love and separation and never giving up. This book takes place in 1913 and there is a war going on. After Madeline and Luke are married Luke is called off to go to war. Then one day Madeline gets devasting news that Luke has been killed. Grief overtakes Madeline and she has a hard time believing this to be true. 

I enjoyed the story and the characters from beginning to end. A fantastic read.

Thank you to St. Martin's press and NetGalley for allowing me to read Meet Me in Bombay so that I may provide an honest review.

Historical fiction is at its very best when it transports us to a different place and time and Jenny Ashcroft has accomplished in spades in her book. Meet Me in Bombay. The love story between Maddy and Luke was one of the most beautiful that I have read and was highly emotional due to Ashcroft's expert crafting of extremely likable characters. Further enhanced by a host of well-developed supporting characters, I found myself laughing and crying along with their happiness and heartbreak.  The ending left me in tears and was so poignant that I think I will reread it in the coming days.  Upon finishing, I immediately messaged all my reader friends to make sure they mark their calendars for the release of this book. This was my first book by Jenny Ashcroft and I just ordered all of her others.  Absolutely fantastic!!

The start of the book was very interesting. The characters were well developed and the I loved to hear the description of Bombay. The storyline was really captured and kept me wanting to read. But the last section of the book drug on a little and got very slow. I was tempted to skim to the end.  This was disappointing since I enjoyed the beginning.

Historical Fiction is my favourite genre and books like this confirm to me exactly why it is. A truly vivid story that came alive on the pages. I loved the setting, discovering Bombay and thought the romance of the novel was well done. I found this a truly cosy enjoyable read and thank you so much for the chance to read in advance. An author I will keep an eye out for.

For fans of historical fiction, particularly British colonial history, this is a romantic story set in pre-World War I Bombay, India. Madeline Bright is a young deb whose arrival in Bombay seems destined to play out within the usual restricted British society circle. However, a maverick man appears on the scene and captivates Madeline, taking her out of her comfortable expectations. Their love story is filled with passion, obstacles, and pathos.  The setting of Bombay is wonderfully woven into this romantic, turbulent story.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.  The descriptions are incredible. I felt as if I was kn Bombay in 1914.  I learned a lot and this is an enjoyable historical fiction.  This is the first book I've read by Ms. Ashcroft but it won't be the last.

Madeline returns to Bombay after completing school in England, and begins to adjust to the new climate and culture.  She meets Luke Devereaux on New Year's Eve and their short meeting had a large impact on her.  Their relationship finds a way to grow, and they marry right before World War 1 begins.  The world changes, and Maddy & Luke are forced into separation as Luke leaves to lead some troops.  But...he promises to return to her.
By the second half of this book, I could not stop reading, and was up way too late last night reading to the end of this book!

Meet Me in Bombay by Jenny Ashcroft was an incredibly emotional historical fiction read. Y'all, this one is some kind of ride with my feels. The story begins in 1913. Maddy is in Bombay, and she meets Luke. Luke captivates her. She isn't who her family might expect her to fall in love with (and in fact, there are some other individuals that come into play with the plot), but she is absolutely swept away by him. Their love is deep and true, and they are so captivated by each other. As they are finding love, the world is in turmoil as World War I looms. This has a huge impact on Maddy and Luke, and the story then explores what this means. This is a story that drew me in, as I was rooting for Maddy and Luke. However, being drawn in meant I was emotionally captivated, and this one put me through some twists and turns with that journey. This is one that kept me reading as I rooted for love, but also had to wade through the challenges they found along the way. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this January 2021 release. This is definitely one to get on your list!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I cannot say enough good things about this book. Maddy and Luke's romance begins on New Year's Eve, 1913. Maddy has just returned to Bombay from England, where she finished her schooling after years away. The two catch each others' attention at the crack of Midnight and their story begins. Through small adventures exploring Bombay, they slowly start to fall in love until tragedy strikes and World War I throws their lives into heartbreak.

This book is a romance. There's no doubt about that. But there's so much more to it! Ashcroft brilliantly paints Bombay, a gift for anyone who's dreamed of visiting India. The characters are complex and intriguing. Each character has both good and bad and it was hard to root against any of them, even when the drama started to pick up. They pulled me into their lives until I was up WAY too late reading. There are many WWI romances out there, but I've not read one I've enjoyed quite as much as this one. It will be on the top of my recommendations list for quite a while.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. I really enjoyed this story. Love historical fiction and the romance was nice too. The author did a great job with the characters making them life like and not one dimensional. Did a great with the descriptions of each setting felt as if I was there.

Meet Me In Bombay by Jenny Ashcroft is a historical fiction novel that centers around soldiers in India during World War I. I know next to nothing about the first World War so its always nice to learn something new. I particularly enjoyed the setting of Bombay, I don’t read many books set there so it was a welcome change.

Check it out:

It’s New Year’s Eve in Bombay, 1913, and Madeline Bright, new to the sweltering heat of colonial India, is yearning for all she has left behind in England. Then, at the stroke of midnight, Maddy meets Luke Devereaux, and as the year changes so do both their lives.

Bold and charismatic, Luke opens her eyes to the wonders of Bombay, while Maddy’s beauty and vivacity captures his heart. Only her mother disapproves, preferring the devoted Guy Bowen as a match for her daughter.

But while Maddy and Luke are falling in love, the world is falling apart. World War I is on the horizon, and Luke will be given no choice but to fight. They will be continents apart, separated by danger and devastating loss, but bound by Luke’s promise that they will meet again in Bombay.

I loved the love between Maddy and Luke, I cant recommend this enough for fans of historical fiction.

Coming in January! Pre-order here.

Looking for a warm-hearted, engaging historical romance with likeable characters? This story of Maddy and Luke, set during WWI in India when it was still an English colony, definitely fits the bill! It has all the elements of a good romance - lots of chemistry between the characters, love, heartbreak, loss, and hope. The story moved along at a good pace with some good unexpected “will they, won’t they” moments.  A great read that I got so caught up in that I stayed up until 1 am on a work night to finish it!! Look for “Meet Me in Bombay” on January 19, 2021!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really well-written novel, with overlapping timelines and a moving, desperate love story. I had been a little overwhelmed with WWI and WWII historical fiction, but the suspenseful separation of the lovers and the beautiful setting in India made for a welcome difference. Not to give too much of the plot way, but I found myself thinking of everything from James Hilton's Random Harvest to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as I read.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC for the purpose of an unbiased review.

Thank you Netgalley for this amazing book. It’s a lovely love story set in WWI at 1913. Madeline Bright came to visit her parents in India after studying for many years in boarding school at United Kingdom. There she meets Luke Devereaux. He gives Madeleine an old guide book that would help her to explore the interesting places in Bombay. Soon they deeply connect to each other but the war just makes them torn apart. I highly recommend this book. I would suggest the readers not to do too much about the synopsis and the storyline and just pick this book, start reading and I am sure you would be amazed by it. 
I really loved the writing and the story is really intriguing. It kept me engaged throughout the book.

I feel I can’t leave this review without first talking about the romanticism of colonial India written within it. This book centers around white British colonizers in Bombay, while the native Indian characters are all regulated to the background & to mostly subservient roles. From the beginning this really rubbed me the wrong way & colored my feelings of the book the entire time I was reading. 

With that in mind, I do want to leave a review of the story itself. I was drawn to this book originally because of the beautiful cover & because I love historical fiction. However, I didn’t love this book. The main male character had a very interesting story arc - I did find myself rooting for him as he was one of the only characters I didn’t find infuriating. There were some good twists I wasn’t expecting (& others I did) & while I do think there were some strong sections in this book, ultimately I really think it should have been shorter.

Also, I hated how the female lead was portrayed - she was always making decisions based on how a man would feel about them (one of my biggest peeves). In fact a lot of characters were very unlikeable. At the end it was wrapped up nicely, if not a bit unbelievably, & I was left questioning how I felt about this book. Ultimately I decided on 3 stars. 

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! The characters are relatable and enjoyable and the love story / mystery compelling. But for me the absolute best part were the scenes of India, the glimpses of local life and locales as well as the expat/ British colonial life in 1914. 

This book flew by for me and was such a refreshing, entertaining read. Highly recommend.

What a refreshing and excellent novel!

At the heart of this stirring novel is a beautiful tale of mystery and romance. 

Can love survive while the world is falling to pieces? 

Maddy and Luke adore each other.. but is love enough during the treachery of WWI?

A surprising, touching novel.

Highly recommended.