For the entirety of the book, you are asking “how is this possible?” and aching to know if Flora was still alive and who she was. The slow-burn was captivating. The multiple perspectives each played a vital aspect to the plot, no matter how small the part may be. As the truth crept closer, I couldn’t make myself read fast enough. I pleaded with characters who couldn’t hear me to make actions that could positively alter their future. By the time the climax hit, it was a like a storm came rushing in, leaving no stone unturned. While I had suspicions throughout the book, the rushed ending jolted me back to reality and took me by surprise based on how thorough and slow the rest of the book had been. There could not have been more build up, but the peak of the mountain dulled in comparison to the hike up it. I am not normally a fan of an epilogue, but I do think it was necessary to seamlessly tie up loose ends and allow for me to end the book happy.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book and an honest review. .

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read! It describes a girl’s experiences when she was sent to live with a family in a safer area during WWII.

In 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel Linden and her five-year-old sister Flora left London for the safety of the English countryside. Though they were fortunate to find a loving home with Bridie Aberdeen and her fifteen-year-old son, Harry, Of course, the girls missed their mom and their London home, so Hazel comforted Flora by telling her stories about a magical, make-believe world called Whisperwood. No one other than the Linden sisters knows about Whisperwood -- it's their secret.

A year after their arrival in the countryside, Flora disappears on the banks of the river. The police conclude that she drowned even though they never find a body. Feeling responsible for her sister's disappearance because she left her sister alone briefly, Hazel refuses to believe Flora is dead.

In 1960, Hazel works at a rare book shop and comes across a new book by an American author, Peggy Andrews, about Whisperwood. Certain that this book is proof her sister is alive, Hazel risks everything (her job, her relationship with her boyfriend) to search for the truth.

The author skillfully alternates between two narrative timelines to build suspense. The characters are vibrant and realistic. Henry's depiction of Hazel allows the reader to see how her sister's disappearance has shaped her life. The mystery of Flora's disappearance will keep readers guessing until the very end. This title would be a great choice for book clubs. Highly recommended.

"Despair leads us to stories, of course. We invent them so we can live in a world with meaning."

And so Hazel invented a story for her younger sister Flora Lea when they were sent from London to the countryside during the Blitz in WWII, away from their mother and everything they'd ever known. She created an entire world to which she and Flora Lea would escape: Whisperwood. Then Flora disappears by the riverbank and Hazel blames herself and their story.

Years later, Hazel still believes Flora is alive but despite years of searching, was never able to find a trace of her. When a fairy tale book shows up at the bookstore where she works, containing the secret stories of Whisperwood that Hazel told to Flora under the name of an American author, she knows Flora must have survived, and she renews the search.

This book has everything story-lovers are looking for: mystery, drama, romance, tons of books, magic, history, and more. The message of the book is the power of stories to sustain and carry us, and it's absolutely moving at times. Hazel's love for Flora, which overcomes even Flora's supposed death in the river, is overwhelming and courageous. But most of all, I loved hearing about their love for Whisperwood and the way their created world provided an escape during the harshest and most terrifying time in their life.

The characters of this story were beautiful too: Hazel, the embittered, strong survivor. Flora, the innocent child lost for years. Bridie, the hippie. Harry, the dreamer and artist. Peggy, who is finally set free. All of them are so relatable and so tied in to the power of stories. Even some of the not so lovely characters are well-rounded and interested.

If I have anything negative to say about this book, it would be that the pacing sometimes felt slow in the middle. I was waiting for it to pick up speed a little more.

I am a recent but avid Patti Callahan fan. I loved Becoming Mrs. Lewis and Once Upon a Wardrobe, and this book is very much in her style. Her writing is absolutely beautiful--she writes like a poet and paints a picture with her words so that I sometimes have to slow down to read it. I can't wait for her next book.

"What a fairy tale is meant to do," she said, "if it's meant to do anything at all, Tolkien says, is give us new perspective in our world, the consolation of a happy ending. A recovery of sorts. Like we leave that world to see ours anew."

This was an utter delight—perhaps Henry's best work yet! I'm saving my full review for our Modern Mrs Darcy 2023 Summer Reading Guide, but I devoured this novel. A book about books, set in the world of books and reading, featuring modern (that is, 1960s modern) determined to live life on their own terms while staying true to their first love of family? Perfection. I can't wait to recommend this to every historical fiction fan I know.

I was really invested in this story, and hated to see it end.
This is a duel time period story, one part 1939 where two sisters Hazel 15 and younger sister Flora 6, are evacuated from their home in London for a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War, as part of an operation called Pied Piper. Here they are chosen by a family to stay with until things are better at home. They end up in Binsey, Oxford shire where the Aberdeen family takes them in. Mother Birdie and son Harry are the perfect family, so warm and caring.
Hazel has always comforted Flora with a fairy tale she has made up called whisperwood, and when flora is scared or missing her mom, they go out into nature and add to the fairy tale.
But one day when they were out Harry and Hazel, who have an attraction to one another other, leave Flora sleeping for a few moments near the river and when they come back, Flora has disappeared.
Now we go to 1960 where Hazel is working for a rare book shop, where she has worked for 11 years, but about to leave for a new job at Sotheby’s. As her last ting to do at the book store she needs to catalogue some new rare books that have come in and discovers when she opens the last packet, that is a fairy tale called (Whisperwood and the River of Stars) it was her story , sent from America, with a set of original paintings. The first thing Hazel thinks of is how is this possible and could Flora be alive, as no one else had ever been told about their fairy tale.
I am going to leave it here and you need to read this book to find out all of the wonderful connections and to see what has happened to all of the wonderful characters In this story, their connections to each other.
A different type of war story, a mystery, a fairy tail, friendships and romances. So good. This author is an engaging writer.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria books for a copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for this electronic copy for my honest review.
I could definitely see how PCH was pulled to this story when she first learned of Operation Pied Piper. A program established to send children away from London to protect them from the bombings during WWII. The premise just blows me away that the government came up with this plan and that families went along with it but even more so the way the plan was carried out. The parents would put their children on trains to go live with strangers while the parents remained in London.
PCH took those factual events developed characters added a touch of a fantasy storyline and created a believable novel of family, friendships, sorrow, love, truth, lies and drama.
The beginning of the story was well written and hooked the reader from the start. The middle of the story had moments of slowing that did not keep up the pace and was not the page turner that one might anticipate from this author. Personally, I did not care for the choice Hazel made in the ending and I believe the author could have chosen either of two roads for Hazel to take and could have worked the story out.

Hazel, 14, and Flora Lea, 6, are sent to the country as part of the Pied Piper Project to evacuate children from London during the war years. Tragedy strikes when Flora Lea is presumed missing. Years later, while working in a rare bookstore, Hazel comes across a first edition book called Whisperwood, a magical land that only Hazel and Flora Lea shared in stories. This discovery leads Hazel on a journey to find her long lost sister.
Well-written and researched, Patti Callahan Henry weaves a tale of magic, myth, and mystery, invoking the spirit of C.S. Lewis' Narnia classics.
Highly recommended for lovers of historical fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

At first, I thought this novel would be cozy reading, a bit fluffy. I was pleasantly surprised to find there was more substance to this WWII novel, set in flashbacks and then in the present day of 1960. Hazel mourns the young sister she lost when they were billeted in the English countryside when children were evacuated to avoid London bombings. The story moves between her present life and her need to find what happened to her sister, then flashes back to their time staying with a family. The ending was satisfying, and I enjoyed this journey that the main character follows.

Huge thank you to net galley and Atria books for providing me with an arc to this beautiful story. This amazing book combines a fairytale with WWII and is told in 1960 with flashbacks to the days of the war. Two sisters, Hazel and Flora Lea are evacuated from England under operation Pied Piper. The eldest sister Hazel makes up a fairytale to comfort Flora centering around a land called Whisperwood. They soon fit in comfortably with a family of a mother and son settling into a lovely life, when tragedy strikes. Flora goes missing by the dangerous river and is presumed dead. Years later, Hazel comes across a fairytale about these stories that were original only to the two sisters. As a result Hazel commences a search for who wrote them and how they learned of Whisperwood. It is a remarkable tale of young love, remorse, forgiveness and the love of family. A must read for both historical fiction fans as well as coming of age novels. I devoured it!

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley!

I really liked the premise of this book. It showed so much promise! However, the story didn't get me hooked, and I found myself skimming the pages to try to finish it. I'm disappointed I didn't like it as much as everyone else did.

Hazel and Flora Lea were evacuated to northern England during the war and taken in by a lovely woman and her son. This was the story of many children during World War II in Britain because of Hitler's bombing raids on the major cities. If there was any hope of the children surviving, they would have to be moved to a safer place.
Hazel would make up fairy tales to tell Flora to help comfort her in the dark days of the war. When Flora goes missing, Hazel shut herself off from those stories and the places she created in her mind. Years later, she comes across a book that is a retelling of many of her stories leading her to believe that her sister is still alive. She starts a compulsive search for Flora including contacting the author and the publisher of the book, She goes back to the place where she'd been evacuated to, enlists the help of the people she lived with, and even goes to the detective in charge of the investigation from when Flora disappeared. This incessant search ruins her job, her relationship with her boyfriend, and almost her sanity.

Patti Callahan Henry has juxtaposed Hazel's and Flora's story during the war with Hazel's search some fifteen years later. When Flora is finally found, it is rather surprising to Hazel as to who she is. The circumstances and situations that brought Hazel and Flora back together were completely unexpected. I dearly love when I cannot predict where the author is going with a story. There were a couple of characters I absolutely did not like, but that's to be expected in any book. Most readers of The Secret Book of Flora Lea won't like them either. They were not written to be likable, but they were necessary to fill out the tapestry of the story to bring more color and more contrast to the plot.

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and one significantly identifiable birth mark.

Atria Books provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This is a beautifully written book about the Pied Piper Project during WWII which sent the children of London to the country or Canada in order to be safe during the Blitz. This particular story is about Hazel Linden and her younger sister, Flora who take the train from London to Binsy with Hazel’s schoolmates. The girls are fortunately chosen by Bridie Aberdeen and her son, Harry who is just about the same age as Hazel. Hazel makes up stories about a magical land called Whisperwood to comfort Flora, it is kept a secret between the two girls. The story is told in dual time lines by Hazel. In the 1940s timeline, the girls, while missing their mother, enjoy a somewhat idyllic life in Bridie and Harry’s cottage until one day when Flora disappears. In the 1960s timeline, Hazel is employed by a bookshop that specializes in rare books. One day a book by a young, new American author comes in and perfectly tells the story of Whisperwood. Did someone overhear their story? Is Flora still alive? The build up and twists and turns of the story kept the pages turning. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this beautiful book.

Patti Callihan has written a fabulous book in my opinion. It incorporates the importance of children’s books with historical fiction from WW2, a combination that I think would appeal to a large audience audience. The characters are convincing, there is a love story, and most important there is the need for finding one’s true sister who was long thought missing—how connected sisters can be even during the terrible times of war. And the theft of a child demonstrates the tremendous longing for a child that many women have. And a intriguing, heart-warming and wrenching ending all based on the idea of a missing/stolen book. Sounds perfect to me, I loved it and I think you will too.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the Advanced Review Copy.

This book was magical.

Hazel and Flora are evacuee children from London in WWII, and end up in a home in the outskirts of Oxford, surrounded by joy and imagination. When Flora disappears, it all comes crumbling down. This story of Hazel reclaiming her own story as she searches for her lost sister was heartbreaking, but beautiful.

I was disappointed by the authors inclusion of the f word, one openish door scene, and many sexual references. The kind of thing make me think twice about recommending it to my family. That was sad to me, as these things did not move the story forward.

It you love fairy tales and stories and history and satisfying endings, you just might love this book!

I received a free #earc from @netgalley , but all enthusiastic opinions are my own!

There hasn’t been a book I have read by this author I didn’t enjoy. The dual time line was so interesting. The author has a way with words that keeps me looking for her next book.
Thanks for the advanced copy.

I have long been a fan of this author and while her earlier books are better to me . This was well written and engaging dual timeline novel .
It is definitely worth the read
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read and review these books

Love a dual timeline and historical WWII fiction, The Secret Book of Flora Lea was right up my alley. Heartbreaking and lovely tale of sisterly love with a little bit of fairy tale involved! This was a favorite for sure!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC.
Hazel works at a rare book shop when she comes across a book written and illustrated about her secret stories of WhisperWood that she only created and shared with her sister Flora Lee to comfort her. Her sister, that disappeared on a farm while they billeted on the countryside during the war as many other kids did during Operation Pied Piper. So is it possible that her long lost sister is in fact alive? Hazel does everything she can to find out! #TheSecretBookofFloraLee #PattiHenryCallahan #AtriaBooks #May2023

Books, family, fairy tales. war and London. Give me all of it… Kind of! Admittedly, this took me a couple of chapters to get hooked and I almost put it away a few times. At about the five percent mark, things start to develop and all of the colorful descriptions start to work themselves out.

I am glad I kept going and trusted the cover— Ha! Yes, that cover made me push ahead and it was as magical as I had hoped.