Nineteen year old Lutie and her older sister Helen live in Denver, CO in 1918 during the Spanish flu of 1918. Helen is a nurse and Lutie is an artist. Both girls have loving boyfriends and are expected to marry soon, but Peter, Lutie's beau has joined the war effort and is going to France. Helen's boyfriend Gil is finishing up his last year in medical school. Soon their lives change forever.

This was a beautifully written book and really brings to light the tragedy of the times. They are somewhat reminiscent of what we are experiencing now with the pandemic. The story of the two girls and little Dorothy who they take in as their little sister after her mother's death from the influenza is a heartfelt story.

Little Souls by Sandra Dallas This is a very well researched and beautifully written novel. Ms. Dallas has such a wonderful way with words and descriptions that you feel you are in that period of time. I have enjoyed ever single novel written by Sandra Dallas and always wish there was another waiting for me. Thank you St. Martins for the opportunity to read this book.

Quiet the story of a difficult time in the past! Not much quilting as usual but good story of how we made do with what we where given.

Sisters Lutie and Helen are living in Denver at the end of World War I. Helen is a nurse and Lutie is an artist who works on advertisements for a department store. They own a home and rent out the basement to bring in a bit on money. They develop a friendship with the daughter of the couple, Dorothy, especially when they realize that the father is abusing both Dorothy and her mother. When the influenza kills Dorothy's mother and her father disappears, Lutie and Helen take Dorothy in and treat her as a sister. Lutie meets a theology student, Peter, and they fall in love. He feels that he must go and fight in order to bring hope to the troops. As the pandemic worsens, secrets start to come out and soon Lutie and Helen are having to make choices in order to protect their family. When Peter is killed, Lutie develops a close bond with his mother and she starts to learn that everyone has a difficult past.

Interesting that during this pandemic stories are being written of epidemics during other time and places. Interesting characters and story line. A good read

Tragedy of their parent’s death find, Helen and Lutie deciding to move to Denver from Ohio. Helen, a nurse, has learned of nursing jobs available in Denver and is ready for a new start. Lutie is an advertising designer. World War I is begun and Lutie’s new boyfriend enlists and is soon sent overseas. Helen’s boyfriend is a local doctor and is fighting the Spanish Flu that is running wildly through Denver. The sister’s have rented out their basement to a family with a 10 year old daughter. The mother dies from the Spanish Flu and the father who has a history of abuse has disappeared. Lutie and Helen take in the young girl to keep her out of foster care. Lutie comes home from work one day and discovers the absent father dead on the floor. The story continues as the influenza continues to spread, tragedy hits their home again, the police begin to question Dorothy’s father’s death and an “uncle” appears wanting custody of Dorothy.

Sandra Dallas's tells the story of Lutie, Helen and Dorothy; she weaves in many twists and turns and hits on every emotion possible while providing a history lesson about the Spanish Flu. This was my first Sandra Dallas novel but will defiantly not be my last. Thank you Sandra Dallas, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me an advance copy in exchange for my review.

Little Souls is a timely and informative book centered around the 1918 flu pandemic which devastated America while WWl was in full swing. Little Dorothy’s mother died of the flu, her father was nowhere to be found, and Dorothy found a new home with sisters Helen and Lutie, forging a new family unit.

Little Souls triumphs in its telling of what it means to be a family, and of our enduring capacity to love and be loved even in the most difficult of circumstances. Some of the characters I adored, while other characters were deplorable. This was simply a marvelous book.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

I wasn’t sure if I would be able to relate to life during a pandemic in Colorado during the early 1900s, but I was -heavily- invested in this story right from the beginning! I have always loved the beauty of Sandra Dallas’ work, but this particular story of sisters, secrets, and society in 1918 was inevitably like a beautiful quilt when completed. It’s rare for a novel to make me tear up, but these characters felt just like family, and I was a little heartbroken every now and then. This is an absolute brilliant story, and it solidifies Sandra Dallas as a true artist of words.

An interesting story about a time in history that is timely with having just been through the Covid pandemic. It is a story written about the Spanish flu and a family in the city of Denver. Historical facts are always interesting to me so I really enjoyed learning things I did t know.
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the copy.

If you enjoy historical fiction set in America, this is your book! It is especially interesting as it is set during the influenza pandemic of 1918 and focuses on the lives of two sisters and their adopted sister. As a reader, I was immediately drawn in and did not want to put the book down until I finished it. Though the ending was predictable, it was a very satisfying ending and all of the historical details and phrasing were also fascinating. I'd definitely read more from this author.

Because my two Grandfathers served during WW I and my Grandmother almost died from the Spanish Flu, I was very interested in reading Little Souls by Sandra Dallas. I found the historical facts, data about the Spanish Flu very fascinating . The characters are very believable. The plot was somewhat predictable but I still enjoyed the historical novel .

Another winner from Sandra Dallas. Her writing always takes you to the most I threshing time and places. This novel takes place in Denver during the Spanish influena. Lucie experiences loss due to both the flu and World War being fought in Europe. However, she finds Dorothy, around girl who is living a horrible life with her Father and takes her in. Murder,intrigue and reconciliation are part of the fantastic storyline. Dallas has a way of transporting her readers to another ti e and place.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is the perfect time to read this book and I'm so happy I received an ARC! Apparently Sandra Dallas had written a draft of this book a while back but there wasn't much interest in the Spanish Influenza until the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
This book is very well written and sucked me in from the start. The parallels between the Spanish Influenza pandemic and the COVID-19 pandemic are frighteningly similar, such as not knowing how it's spread to misinformation and overreaction to some of the myths. Plus the mystery aspect makes this book addicting.
My mom is a huge Sandra Dallas fan and is really jealous that I got the opportunity to read this way before she will get to. I hope this book is a best seller when it's published!

Wow,Wow,Wow!
I loved this book and read it in a day!
I was glued to this touching historical fiction story about resilience, family, friendship, death and hard times.
Although it will not be published until April,2022, it takes place during the influenza pandemic in 1918 when people were devastated by this awful deadly flu and World War I was also in full force.
It brings many similarities to our own journey with Covid-19. Not an easy read at times.
When a little girl loses her mother to the influenza, she needs to find a family who will love and care for her.
She comes with many awful secrets and fears.
Can sisters Lutie and Helen help her, include her and be her "sisters" during this unprecedented time in our history?
It is definitely a page turner and you will surely need and want to read this beautifully told novel!
Well done!

thank you to ST Martins press and Net Galley for providing an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. You can easily read the summary of the book plot for yourself as the publisher describes it. I agree with another reviewer that the character development is a bit shallow. However the plot takes place over a short period of time so I'm not so sure how much "development " there actually could be. What I did like was that the book grabbed me in the first chapter and made me want to continue to read. The author gives you a background story as to how the sisters came to Denver but doesn't overdo it -- just enough to answer your questions and then get back to the plot. The author states that she started writing it before our pandemic and then put it down, not thinking there was much interest in this time period. She took it up again during Covid. I'm sure there will be more pandemic stories coming along -- but after going through our own recent pandemic, it makes you appreciate what people went through at the time and how powerless I'm sure they all felt in dealing with it. It was a good read, kept my interest, I thought the writing was well done, and I will recommend this book when it comes out.

Sandra Dallas has a true talent for storytelling and she did not disappoint in Little Souls. This is a story about love and loss, families and how different they can be on many levels, and of horrible things and wonderful things that we as humans do to each other. I enjoyed many of the characters and despised others, as was intended. The time period they lived in and what they had to go through to survive was painted with a detailed brush, which helped me to relate to the characters on a human level. I would highly recommend this book to those who enjoy history, and to those who just enjoy a great book! Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

Little Souls by Sandra Dallas is a particularly timely and relevant story. Taking place in the winter of 1918, the Spanish flu is running through the country as WWI drags on. Sisters Lutie and Helen find themselves taking care of Dorothy, their honorary sister, whose mother died of the influenze and whose father has disappeared. Helen is a nurse who has been caring for patients who have become ill with the Spanish flu. Lutie is an artist who designs advertisements for a department store, who falls in love with Peter, a ministry student who joins up to serve his country and ends up questioning his faith.

Little Souls is a story of love, loss, tragedy and coming together as a makeshift family who is there in times of sadness and joy. I had a lump in my throat at times and had to blink back some tears. This is another great book by Sandra Dallas that I look forward to reading again.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Little Souls was a book that I could not put down. I found this book to be very relevant and relatable given our current concerns about the Covid-19 Pandemic. It shows us a time in history during the Spanish Influenza Pandemic that is parallel to what societies concerns are today and how they managed it. Myths abounded as to causes and cures, people died and people survived. This is a great story about power of sisterhood, loyalty, and secrets that direct lives. What will one do to protect those they love the most?

Helen, a nurse and Lutie, a fashion advertiser are two sisters who relocated to Denver from a small town in Iowa for new adventures.who are caring for a little girl, Dorothy, daughter of their renter who died from the flu and the father had left them. One day on her way home from work, Lutie encounters a Spanish Flu victim in the street dying where everyone watches in fear. But the greatest tragedy of that day is when she then arrives home to find her sister standing over a dead man's body, who happens to be Dorothy's missing father, in the kitchen holding an ice pick. They then place the body in the street to pass the murder, although committed in self-defense, as an influenza victim.

Lutie must then deal with protecting her sister, missing Peter her fiance, who is serving in the war, and keeping Dorothy away from her nefarious relatives. Fortunately, she is helped by her wealthy fiance's family, who also are harboring their own secrets and Gil, Helen's doctor boyfriend. We find that we are all Little Souls in need of care. I liked that this book had a strong female protaganist who found what is important to survive what life deals you. Reading this story will help you to realize that strength comes not in solitude but in caring for others. I can't wait to read more from this author.

This story is set in Denver, Colorado in 1918. Spanish Influenza has hit the area hard and many men are still away at war. Helen, a nurse, and her sister Lutie, an artist, are living in a house with tenants in the basement.
After a series of tragic events, they become "sisters" to the little girl living in the basement. The story that follows is both heart-breaking and heart-warming - laughed and cried throughout the story.

I have never read any stories by Sandra Dallas, but based on this one I will definitely be checking out more. Her writing style is very easy to read and the characters seem believable. Their actions, thoughts, and words seem realistic for the time period, which makes the story so much better.

Definitely put this on your 'to read' list, but have a box of tissues ready... you are going to need them.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free advanced copy to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.

Two sisters, one a nurse, and how the 1928 Flu affected their lives. it. I wasn't thrilled with this book, really predictable. I will not be recommending it,