Title: The Codebreaker's Secret
Author: Sara Ackerman
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: 4.8 out of 5

1943. As war in the Pacific rages on, Isabel Cooper and her codebreaker colleagues huddle in “the dungeon” at Station HYPO in Pearl Harbor, deciphering secrets plucked from the airwaves in a race to bring down the enemy. Isabel has only one wish: to avenge her brother’s death. But she soon finds life has other plans when she meets his best friend, a hotshot pilot with secrets of his own.

1965. Fledgling journalist Lu Freitas comes home to Hawai'i to cover the grand opening of the glamorous Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Rockefeller's newest and grandest project. When a high-profile guest goes missing, Lu forms an unlikely alliance with an intimidating veteran photographer to unravel the mystery. The two make a shocking discovery that stirs up memories and uncovers an explosive secret from the war days. A secret that only a codebreaker can crack.

I’ve really enjoyed all of Ackerman’s books that I’ve read, and this was no exception. A fascinating look at the codebreakers from World War II—and something I had basically no knowledge about prior to this. I loved both storylines equally—which is unusual for me—and I was fully invested in all the characters. The writing is excellent and I did not want to put this down!

Sara Ackerman is from Hawaii. The Codebreaker’s Secret is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/MIRA in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog post live 7/31.)

Every time I think I've covered reading every area possible of WWII, I'm proven wrong. Such was the case with The Codebreaker's Secret and I am thrilled!

Set in Hawaii during WWII and the 1960s, this book provides two captivating timelines. It's quite an emotional read as well as it is centered around grief and loss. The characters are wonderful. I found myself particularly attached to Gloria. Isabel's friendship with her is so sweet. On the same note, I also loved the friendship Lu and Russi forged in the 60s timeline. Those were my best takeaways.

I found the ending a bit unrealistic, but it did provide closure. All in all, this was a touching and adventurous story with a part of the war not often discussed. I'm excited to look up the Pearl Harbor codebreakers now. I'm also excited for the release day so I can purchase a copy to keep!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for providing a free ARC to read and review.

The Codebreaker's Secret weaves an astonishing tale that will take you captive from the first page. Sara Ackerman produces magic with her pen. Her characters are vivid, rich, and detailed. They are intelligent, adventurous, and charismatic. You will feel like they are your long-lost friends by the end of the book. Friends that you do not want to say goodbye to. Ackerman's descriptions of Hawaii will sweep you to the islands. The hot muggy air coating your salty skin, the waves crashing in the background, and the fragrant flowers tickling your nose. All of this combines to make for one amazing story that will make you beg for more.

What I loved most were the connections between the two timelines. The characters and their stories overlap in a delicious way. The romantic entanglements that keep you on edge and add to the rich storyline. The history of the codebreakers also shines through. I had no idea that over 10,000 women were codebreakers during WWII. There is nothing better than a mix of history with fiction. If you need to escape to Hawaii, you must add this book to your list. Thank you to Sara Ackerman, Mira Books and TLC Book Tours for gifting me this captivating read.

Historical fiction is my favorite genre especially one with a dual timeline. This book delivered on that and more. The dual timeline is 1941 and 1965. That added a different spin because the second timeline was not current, so I got a double historical fiction novel.

This book is also a different kind of WWII historical fiction novel because is set in Hawaii. I have been to Hawaii so I had no problem picturing the beautiful scenery and even some of the food that was included in the book.

I also loved both of the lead female characters. Both of them were strong women in times that that was not so common. Both Izzy and Lu felt so real to me and I loved their stories.

Lastly, there were a couple of mysteries in the book that kept me turning pages. I could not put this book down once I started it.

A resounding 5/5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and MIRA for the eARC of this book.

The Codebreaker’s Secret
By: Sara Ackerman
Review Score: 4 Stars

Five Key Feels

-I love the world that Ackerman creates.

-Isabel is an awesome character, her story is amazing.

-The descriptions of Hawaii were so beautiful, and added so much depth to the story.

-The time jumps were amazing, and I loved how they laced the story together.

-No spoilers, but the plot twist about what happened to Gloria was so well written.

———

The Codebreaker’s Secret was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing. Thank you for allowing me to read this wonderful book!

Release Date: 8/2/22

Sara Ackerman’s new book is amazing. Honestly. I love that this book was set in Hawaii, as I usually read World War 2 novels set in Europe.

I love the dual timelines between Isabel and Lu, and how their stories link. Matteo’s story is so interesting as well, and weaves so effortlessly into the stories of Isabel and Lu.

I was hooked on this book from the start, and couldn’t put it down! I had to know what happened!

Sara Ackerman is becoming a must read author for me. I highly recommend checking out The Codebreaker’s Secret when it comes out August 2nd.

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I think I’ve read all this author’s books and this is the best one yet. It has dual timelines. I found the timeline set in the past much more interesting. I had a hard time getting into the other one, it took me more than half the book to get interested. That’s probably just me.
There’s plenty to like about this book. It has interesting characters, some romance and two mysteries. Plus it’s set in Hawaii. I loved it!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

I can never seem to resist a WWII historical fiction story, and especially when it promises a refreshing angle. I liked the sound of the Pearl Harbor setting and female codebreaker character The Codebreaker's Secret offered, and the post-war storyline showed a lot of promise with the disappearance of a high-profile guest and an exposed war secret. And I have to say that this story definitely delivered for me! It turned out to be a well written, intriguing and engaging piece of historical fiction and it has made me want to try more of this author.

The Codebreaker's Secret uses a dual timeline structure; one set in 1943 and one in 1965. Each timeline has its own POV, switching between female codebreaker Isabel Cooper during the war and female journalist Lu Freitas in 1965. The two timelines are completely separate initially, and you wonder how the two will combine apart from the Hawaii setting... But it will all make sense in the end, and I really enjoyed seeing the two timelines slowly revealing more connections between them. There were a few developments I most definitely didn't see coming! The two timelines complemented each other perfectly and the result was a very well balanced story with two characters that will speak to you. I usually tend to much prefer one timeline over the other, but in this case both were equally strong.

It really shows that the story is well researched and I enjoyed learning more about female codebreakers in the US during the war. The Pearl Harbor setting added a little something extra too, and the descriptions of what it was like working there were thorough. I also loved the descriptions of the setting itself, and it really made Hawaii come alive for me. The 1965 timeline was likewise intriguing and the missing guest added a lot of suspense to the plot. Lu herself wasn't as strong as a character as Isabel, but between the mysterious disappearance and her partnership with Russi while they investigate what happened things ended up balancing out.

I'm keeping this review short because I want to avoid spoilers: the coming together of the two timelines and the reveals of the different plot twists are so much more effective if you go in blind. What I can say is that The Codebreaker's Secret is a well researched, well written and captivating WWII historical fiction story that offers you mystery, secrets, dept as well as romance. The two timelines come together beautifully and you will love how everything is wrapped up in the end. This book is perfect for anyone who enjoys the genre!

I love Ackerman’s WW2 Hawai’i stories! I’m amazed how much she’s able to reveal about what it was like to live on the islands during wartime.

I loved reading about the origins of the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel! Venture capitalist Laurance S. Rockefeller was inspired to create this great hotel and Ackerman reveals the process of narrowing it down from 9 winning designs, to the challenges along the way to completion. It’s with the third opening celebration, the House Party where only a select few are invited, that we meet Joni Diaz and journalist Lu Freitas who works for Sunset Magazine. Lou has been hired to cover the opening and is digging into the stories of the hotel and its people, who it seems are more interesting than the guests. I’m a lot like Lou, I don’t function without coffee, but I’d like to be more like Joni, flamboyant and carefree! Ackerman’s characters feel like my best friends when I’m reading.

Equally wonderful and fully satisfying my geeky side, is the plot featuring Station Hypo at Pearl Harbour. This was one of the main codebreaking units in the Pacific and Isabel Cooper, the only female, works as a cryptoanalyst here. She’s gifted with narrowing down cribs (a way to unlock a code) and is essential in her work with the Japanese cipher machine, Magenta. I loved her personal growth and watching her balance her grief, work and romance.

The setting is spectacular because the author was born and raised in Hawai’i. She unlocks the land of colour for readers, has us longing for chicken long rice and lomi lomi salmon, allows us to breathe in the rich plumeria and the oiled hardwood, and gently cools us down with warm breezes and swaying palms.

I loved learning about the difference between the naval code JN-25 and the diplomatic code as well as Operation Vengeance. Neither of these felt like an info dump, but were well infused in the narrative. Last, but not least, let’s agree that this is a spectacular cover!

Now I’m craving shave ice…

I was gifted this advance copy by Sara Ackerman, Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Sara Ackerman how provided luscious, vivid descriptions of her beloved Hawaii as well as intelligent, interesting and well-developed characters, and how she made the story come to life , she told it in such aaway that it felt to me like I wasn't reading a story but was watching a movie, in fact this would be make a good movie . Other thing I loved was how you not only got a bit of history but also a touch of mystery that played out though out the story.

My least favorite cover trend is the woman on the cover with her back turned and the scenery being bland but indicative, similarly this book was a little bland for me.

Full Review to Come on August 2nd! This was a very breathtaking novel set during WWII in Pearl Harbor. All of the characters were very realistic! The overall message is about friendship! I also love the mystery element!

A female codebreaker who goes to Hawaii to join the crack male team in The Dungeon working on breaking the Japanese naval code? Who also wants to track down a pilot and the best friend of her brother who was shot down at Pearl Harbor and find out more about her brother’s last days? As a WWII history geek, I snapped up the opportunity when NetGalley and Harlequin offered an ARC of THE CODEBREAKER’S SECRET—even though it was a dual-timeline story, a format I don’t really like.

I knew Sara Ackerman would provide luscious, vivid descriptions of her beloved Hawaii as well as intelligent, interesting and well-developed characters, and she didn’t disappoint. As expected, I was much less invested in the 1960’s timeline. When Hawaiian native Lu Freitas’s editor offers to send her back to Hawaii to cover the celebrity-filled grand opening of Rockefeller’s newest luxury resort, she grabs the chance to escape writing the social column. Although I liked Lu, loved the setting (filled with details about the opening of the Mauna Kea Beach Resort, an actual event) and was mildly interested in the mystery she teams up with a world-weary older photographer to solve after the celebrity actress who befriends Lu disappears, I was always anxious to return to the WWII setting.

Here, too, the disappearance of one of Izzy’s friends sparks a mystery, which is not solved until the dual timelines eventually merge. As the novel progresses, it is weighted more and more to the 1960’s story. Although both plotlines are given a satisfying conclusion, I would have preferred much more WWII and less 1960’s.

But that’s just my prejudice, and fans of dual-timeline historicals will be sure to love this character-driven story that provides a spice of enticing detail about World War II codebreaking work.

1943 - We broke the code….we broke the code…well everyone didn’t….Isabel broke the code that the team had been working on for months.

Breaking the code opened a position for Isabel in Hawaii where her brother’s plane was shot down during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

It was interesting to learn about how they intercepted messages and decoded them during the war.

Isabel couldn’t wait to get there so she could find places where her brother had been. She meets his best friend, Matteo Russi.

1965 - We meet Lu Freitas who is a journalist that gets no credit and is writing stories about the new Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. We met Matteo Russi again.

While she is investigating, a friend, Joni Diaz, goes missing.

The tension heats up when a body and a ring are found.

Is it Joni’s or Gloria’s from 1943.

Is there a connection between someone at Pearl Harbor in 1943 and today?

THE CODEBREAKER’S secret will appeal to historical fiction fans, mystery fans, and women’s fiction fans because of some romance, but it mostly will keep your interest for the history part.

I never knew about the codebreaker team at the Pearl Harbor site. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

I just loved this dual-timeline story! The first timeline takes place during WWII with Isabel joining the war effort as a codebreaker after her beloved brother, Walt, is killed by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, and her growing relationship with Walt's best friend Matteo. The second timeline is in 1965, twenty years after the war, in Hawaii, with journalist Lu covering the opening of a fancy hotel on the big island and becoming friends with the very same Matteo Russi who is an important part of the first timeline. It took a while for the timelines to mesh but when they did, the story unfolded and made perfect sense, even with a few plot twists along the way. Walt is not forgotten by his sister and the last line of the novel is just beautiful: "Maybe that was the secret to dying - to live a life with so much heart that, when you go, you are never really gone." I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

One thing I love about recent historical fiction titles is how authors are exploring new and different settings, time periods, and lesser known events among bigger time periods. In this case, we have codebreaking but in the Pacific, not the European Theatre, and a second timeline that is twenty years later. The two timelines dovetail in a lovely way toward the end. With characters to love and root for, and a tropical setting so meticulously described that you are swept away to Hawaii, The Codebreaker's Secret is a a must-add to your bookshelf this summer.

This book was such a fantastic surprise. I love books about code breakers, but this was more. A WWII experience from a new perspective. Part romance, part code breaker suspense, part history, all told through fantastic characters and a fun plot line. Highly recommend!

As usual with Sara Ackerman’s books, this was an engrossing read centering around a codebreaker in 1943 and a journalist in 1963.

In 1943, Isabel Cooper is working in Washington DC as a codebreaker. When she gets the opportunity to be stationed in Pearl Harbor, she jumps at the opportunity because that’s where her brother, a pilot, was killed in action during the attack of Pearl Harbor. I’m 1963, journalist Lu Freitas is covering a hotel’s grand opening and she meets a photographer. When a dead body is discovered, these two stories end up being tied closely to each other.

I always love when I see strong women, and both Isabel and Lu fit this description. Particularly, they’re both doing jobs that were typically filled by men during those time periods and they’re doing those jobs well. I’m always iffy on dual timelines because I almost always tend to love on time period and really dislike the other. It’s not the case here, I did prefer Isabel’s timeline but as the stories started to tie in together in the second half of the book, I really started to get into Lu’s story more. A nice story with accurate historical details, great characters, a little bit of mystery, and amazing descriptions of Hawaii.

Thank you too Harlequin and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Excellently written and fast paced, the mystery of the disappearances of 2 women are strangely linked. The codebreaker working for the US government has come to Hawaii after her brother has died in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Few women are recognized as having the brains and ability to break the Japanese codes and she is the only one in the codebreaking group. Her roommate supposedly drowns under mysterious circumstances. Twenty years later a young journalist returns to the Big Island to report on the opening of a luxury resort. A female singer/celebrity who has become her friend mysteriously disappears. The story comes full circle in a very satisfying and believable way.

I was so excited to read the latest from Sara Ackerman!

Things I loved about The Codebreaker's Secret:
-Hawaii. Sara Ackerman's descriptions make me want to go back there
-Strong female characters. I love that both Izzy and Lu are talented women who fight to use their skills in a man's world.
-I really appreciated the portrayal of Matteo's PTSD, especially since it wasn't acknowledged during that time period.

Things I didn't love as much:
-I enjoyed the dual timeline, but things dragged a bit. I definitely preferred the WWII timeline to the 1965 timeline.
-Things wrapped up a bit too nicely at the end, it was a bit of a stretch for me.
-The swearing was a bit more than I prefer in a book.

Overall, I enjoyed this story a lot. It was interesting learning about codebreakers, the experience in Hawaii during WWII, and the hotel in the 60s. I recommend this story to anyone who loves dual timeline and historical fiction novels!

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, NetGalley, and Sara Ackerman for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

This is the story of Isabel, a talented codebreaker during WW2, who gets the opportunity to relocate to Pearl Harbor to work on deciphering some of the most complex code. Her brother's death at Pearl Harbor provides the inspiration she needs to work hard. She meets his best friend, and begins to learn more about her brother's life on the island.
Forward to 1965 - Lu is a journalist who has traveled to Hawaii to cover the opening of a new hotel. She rubs shoulders with high-profile guests and finds herself tangled in some mystery. Clues and stories are uncovered to provide more perspective on the past.