Little Souls by Sandra Dallas was a pretty quick read for me, which is always a good thing in my book. What drew me to this book was that it was about the 1918 Flu epidemic, and it was also about a sisterly bond. Dallas really showcased the relationship between the main character, Lutie, and her sister Helen. I loved that there was a little undercurrent of mystery to the book as well. The only thing I would change is that I'd like to see the other characters in the book become more in depth. I like when you really get to know your characters.

This book deals with a lot of really tough topics (rape, murder, incest, prostitution) while staying really sweet and full of love. Lutie and her sister Helen are dealing with the Spanish flu outbreak when their tenants downstairs start causing problems. Their daughter is being sexually abused by her father, and when the mother dies of the flu, the sisters vow to adopt Dorothy. Unfortunately, her father ends up dead, leaving them covering up the murder and trying to evade the police. A lot of heartbreak and tragedy occur, but the end is tied up with the sweetest bow.

This story of special women during the Spanish flu pandemic in Denver really hits home during this tumultuous time period of living through a pandemic. The strength of women shines through though as always. I received this novel as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Little souls is a historical fiction story about the Spanish Flu Pandemic. Sisters Lutie and Helen move from Iowa to Denver after the death of their parents, and purchase a home together. Helen works as a nurse, and Lutie is an artist working for a department store, drawing their ads. Both find young men to bring love to their lives during a time of sickness, and the war. Sadness and loss hits the girls through war loss, and illness, but their hearts are also expanded by taking in their renter's daughter, Dorothy as their new sister. This book has a touch of mystery and intrigue, danger, sacrifice, and a lot of emotion and love.

Set in Denver, Colorado during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, "Little Souls" centers around the lives of two sisters who moved there from Iowa. A murder, a mystery and many losses face them during this most challenging time period. Their story is one of great compassion for others when all else is falling apart around them and finding out that a "family" is not always the one that you are born into.

Publication date: April, 2022
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC ebook.

This book has a little bit of everything and is one I think most readers would enjoy! The story takes place during WWI and the Spanish Flu time period, so there’s your historical fiction. It involves murder, so there’s some suspense. Then add in a little romance. All of these elements are woven into a beautiful story of love, loss, sacrifice, heroism, and heartbreak. I enjoyed every single main character because they were heroic, brave, and selfless.
This was a captivating story so I’m glad I had the time to finish it in one day instead of breaking it up. I didn’t expect the story to end the way it did and I mean that in the best way.
Little Souls is definitely one to put on your TBR.

Little Souls
Sandra Dallas
St Martin’s Press
Release date: April 26th, 2022
Review date: September 5, 2021

Little souls: “It comes from some Roman emperor. It means the poor, the hopeless, the common people nobody ever notices. In truth, it applies to all of us. We’re all lost little souls in our way….” (Lutie, p. 78).

Little Souls, historical fiction, takes place in Denver, Colorado during the Spanish flu of 1918 and World War I. When their parents die, sisters Helen and Lutie move to Denver where they use their inheritance to purchase a modest home with a rental apartment in the basement. Helen, a nurse, tends to the sick and dying as the Spanish Flu of 1918 rages on. Lutie is a sketch artist in the advertising department at Newsome’s, a local department store. Their tenants are Mr. and Mrs. Streeter and their 10-yesr-old daughter, Dorothy. Mr. Streeter, an angry drunk, deserts the mother and child, leaving them to fend for themselves. Soon afterwards, the mother dies from the influenza and the sisters decide to raise Dorothy as their own sister.

I absolutely loved Dallas’s Little Souls. The characters are fully developed and distinct, especially her portrayals of Helen and Lutie. Sisters—yes, but very different. The story is about love, tragedy, sisterhood, despair, empathy, and secrets. I couldn’t put the book down as the sisters faced tragedy after tragedy and pushed through it with help from each other and friends. I recommend it highly.

5 stars

Warning: Pedophilia and rape are discussed in the book.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on April 26th, 2022.

I was already a fan of Sandra Dallas and was excited to be able to review this title for NetGalley and Macmillan.
In the midst of the Spanish flu, the daily lives of sisters Lurtie and Helen resemble our unstable lives as we live through the current pandemic. Helen is a nurse and comes home daily exhausted from the sadness and overwhelming amount of death she sees. Lurtie works for a clothing store and on the way home one day, passes a man left on the street, dead from the flu. Upset, she arrives home only to find another dead man in their kitchen only this one she knows! This book covers a variety of traumatic events and I was totally engrossed in the storyline of these lovable and smart characters. Well done!

I rate this as an okay book. Too predictable. Characters were good but a slow read. I prefer her other books.

Since we are in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic I was drawn to this story about the 1918 Pandemic. My grandmother was a survivor of this pandemic when she was 13 years old. She had some very interesting stories to tell. I am also a fan of historical fiction and this pandemic also took place during WWI. I have read this author, Sandra Dallas, before and have always enjoyed her books.
The main characters are two sisters, Lutie and Helen. One is a young nurse and the other works in a department store as a fashion illustrator. It is a story told in Lutie’s voice about family, romantic love and sorrow. There is a bit of suspense and some difficult events that the reader must navigate through. It is well worth the read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

Little Souls, by Sandra Dallas, tells the story of two sisters during and right after WWI. The sisters, Helen and Lute, purchased a house in Denver, after moving there after the parents’ deaths, and rent out the downstairs apartment. Helen is a nurse, while Lute is an illustrator for a department store. Helen is dating Gil, a doctor. Lute is engaged to Peter, a theology student. Of course, after WWI ended, the Spanish Flu started spreading across the country (and world). Dorothy, the daughter of the couple downstairs, begins living with Helen and Lute, who decide to adopt her informally as their “little sister,” and then formally as their sister.

This story was a lot deeper (meaning handling heavy topics) than I thought it was going to be, such as discussing rape and domestic violence (the book summary does mention Spanish Flu, so there’s death, and murder). But it also explores the topic of how much one is willing to protect those they love. I really liked the character Anna, Peter’s mother, and how she became woven into the overall story. There’s a bit of religion mentioned (Peter is overseas as a minister), but it didn’t come across as too heavy handed, which I liked. There’s a lot of tragedy in this story, but there’s also hope, love, and the bond of friendship. While the ending is a bit predictable, it was nice to have something go right for our main characters.

This book will be released in April 2022 by St. Martin’s Press.

Little Souls is about two completely different but close sisters Lutie and Helen . They’re grown women that moved to Denver from Iowa after their parents died. It takes place during WWI in the midst of the Spanish Flu pandemic. When their tenant dies of the Flu they take over taking care of her daughter Dorothy.
Through many twist and turns in this novel, you will see what strong bonds are made for all of the characters involved.
I would recommend this for anyone that enjoys historical fiction.

Set during the Spanish flu epidemic, sisters Helen and Lutie own a house together in Denver. Helen, a nurse, is engaged to a doctor while Lutie is engaged to a soldier fighting in France. When their downstairs tenant dies of the flu, Helen and Lutie take in Dorothy, the woman's daughter. One day Lutie comes home to find Dorothy's father dead on the floor and her sister holding an icepick. Together, they move his body to the street and leave a sign stating that he is an influenza victim.

Although this book had a slow start, it eventually picked up. The book itself was complex, weaving together different events throughout the story. The characters were well developed and engaging. Overall, well worth reading.

Little Souls by Sandra Dallas is a novel that takes place during the Spanish influenza time. There was great sadness, joy and love that took place during this time. As Luce tries to adopt Dorothy many things happen along the way.

Little Souls by Sandra Dallas is a tale of two sisters, originally from Iowa, who move to Denver following the death of their parents. They buy a home and become career women – Helen a nurse and Lute an illustrator for a department store. This story is set during WWI while the Spanish Flu is quickly spreading across the city. The sisters take on a young orphan, Dorothy, whose parents had been tenants in their basement apartment.

This was my first time reading about a pandemic during the COVID-19 pandemic and it was really interesting to see the parallels between now and that time – it gave me an appreciation for the evolution of science.

Little Souls was a quick read with likeable characters. Dallas created a number of obstacles for the two sisters and took us on a journey of love, loss and what family can look like. As a woman, I found some of the archaic expectations of women frustrating, but it contributed to the accuracy of the novel set in this time period. This was offset by the strong female characters featured throughout the novel.

The novel could have been a little more focused as there was tragedy after tragedy and the challenges were resolved rather quickly. The language of the time felt a bit forced in some areas and didn’t always feel authentic.

Despite the heavy content and the requisite tears, it still felt like a somewhat light right. If you enjoy historical fiction and want to read one with a few little twists, you will likely enjoy this novel. I will definitely check out some of the author’s other work!

Note that this book does contain some content that might be triggering, namely incest, rape, kidnapping and murder.

Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress and Sandra Dallas for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story of the Spanish Flu and end of WWI has a small cast of characters, centering around two sisters and their newly orphaned charge, Dorothy, who the older two come to see as their new sister. The story is full of pain and trouble for these three, but along with the villains, they're surrounded by a kind support system of boyfriends, makeshift families, and police detectives. Just be warned, the plot centers around abuse, assault, and murder, so if you can't read about that, this isn't the book for you.

Little Soul’s by Sandra Dallas
Genre - Historical Fiction
Rating 5 out of 5 stars

This was one of those books I sometimes get that are a drop everything and read kind of books. I was amazed when I got approved for this book.

This book was a page turner for sure. It is sent durning WW1 and The Spanish Influenza outbreak. I have to warn people this is not a light hearted book. It takes on some tough subjects. Although if you have read Sandra Dallas before you know that is how most of her books are.

There are a lot of deaths in this book and also some talk about the kids that were orphaned during this terrible time. I absolutely loved it. That may make me sound morbid but this era in time really fascinates me. Especially during this time in our history. I makes you stop and think of how things have changed and what we possibly learned from past mistakes or sometimes in the things they did that we may have not that led to disaster.

This book is about two sisters that are very close and their fiancé’s. It is also about an orphaned child that the sisters take in and am in the process of adopting. It also includes the worry and fear people had durning a time of great death and terror. There are many twists and turns and some talk about children who are sexually abused.

The ending turned out to be a bit predictable but was good anyway. I don’t give spoilers so I won’t tell you all what happens but this is going to be a must read of 2022! Also in the end the author goes into an very brief account of what happened during the Spanish Influenza.

Reviewers note: They are is a flaw in the start of the book but she corrects it in the end. This book has a tentative release date of April 26, 2022.

I have received this book as an ARC from Net Galley for an honest review. I really liked this book. It takes place during the Spanish flu epidemic, but that is not the main focus of the story. The book focuses on 2 sisters and their great love for each other and their willingness to help others. The characters are well written, the story is suspenseful - all in all a good read

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this book. The story couldn't stick with any one topic. It dealt with The First World War, the Spanish Flu, a murder, religion, deaths, rape and incest but nothing in enough detail. It felt rambling. Everything was resolved quickly . The story started off very good with vivid descriptions of Denver in 1918 and a murder mystery, but it then became like a parody of a film noir.

I loved this book. Taking place in Colorado in 1918 during the Spanish flu outbreak, many parts of this story hit close to home. It’s a relatable read considering the times we’re living in today. It tells the story of two sisters who are very close, despite their differing personalities and characteristics- one a nurse with a pretty serious temperament and the other a laid back, happy go lucky fashion advertiser. It’s about family, relationships, and the bonds that develop between the family you’re born with and the family you make.

Reminiscent of a Kristin Hannah novel. Would definitely recommend to others and I will be looking for more Sandra Dallas books for sure.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.