Thanks to Atria Books & NetGalley for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

This book was everything I expected from Patti Callahan Henry. It’s a beautifully written, engrossing and unique story, with likeable characters, and even a bit of a mystery. This was a dual timeline between the 1940s and 1960s, centering on two sisters who are sent to the countryside through an evacuee program to avoid the bombing in London during World War II.

Fourteen-year-old Hazel tells her five-year-old sister Flora Lea a special story all their own. “The name of their new land came to Hazel right as prayer, a name that already existed, that had waited for them, a name of secrets, of the earth and its rivers, just like the two sisters: It’s called Whisperwood and the River of Stars.”

The stories always began in the same way: “Not that long ago and not so far away, in a land that is right here,” Hazel whispered into the dark, “there was a land where anything could happen, where we might become anything we wish, where a river of stars runs through its woodlands. Keep your eyes open for hidden doorways! They’re everywhere, but visible only to those who are worthy. And we are worthy.”

Trish Todd, VP & Executive Editor of Atria Books, says that author Callahan “has poured all the love of books into this novel, illuminating how we tell ourselves stories to protect the ones we love, to keep our memories of them alive, and to seize onto the hope that imagination and storytelling can offer.”

This is an unforgettable novel that I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful historical fiction novel set in London and the English countryside.
I loved the jump between time periods over twenty years when a woman named Hazel goes through an incredible and memorable adventure after she discovers an illustrated book about a magical land. The book potentially holds the key to discovering her missing sister Flora.
This book was beautiful, inspiring, and incredibly charming. I loved the descriptions and the time period. The pacing was great. I love magical realism. This book did not disappoint!
I highly recommend this book and author!

Patti Callahan Henry has done it again. ‘The Secret Book of Flora Lea’, is a well written and very interesting book, that incorporates The Pied Piper operation in London during WWII, I. Which London children were sent away to save them from expected bombing. Unfortunately like the fairy tale, not all of the Pied Piper children encountered happy endings. Quite an enjoyable book.

A make-believe world created by sisters ends up in a book. But one of the sisters has been missing and presumed dead for almost 20: years and the other has never breathed a word of it to anyone. Where did the book come from? Who knows their secret? Is Flora alive?

I really wanted to love this book. I liked the premise and the idea of the mystery. But I did not care for the repetitive writing. Yet I kept reading to find the answers to the questions. The climax of the story had me scratching my head a bit. I did like that it wrapped up everything and left no loose ends. Not a total miss, but not the book I’d hoped it would be. 2-1/2 stars for me.

ARC ebook edition was provided by Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book. I didn’t love it, but I definitely liked it. Characters are interesting. Some predictability but not so much it diminished the storyline.
Because of lack of time to actually read a book, I purchased the audible version.
Cynthia Erivo was excellent to listen to. She really set the tone and pace of the book to perfection.

My honest review is freely provided in return for the kindness by NetGalley and the author/publisher in providing me with this book. You can find my reviews on Goodreads.

Whisperwood is a world where we all want to escape to. Hats off to the creative storyline told from the perspective of a 14-year old evacuee.

Losing Flora deeply scarred Hazel who couldn’t allow herself to be happy until this was resolved. Hazel searches for her missing sister, having never given up hope she is alive, we learn the story of Whisperwood. The dual timeline and the characters work, and there’s just a hint of fantasy when they imagine they’re in Whisperwood which is the center of this story - their escape and coping mechanism. The devastation of WWII was not covered, and perhaps that’s in keeping with the perspective of a 14-year old.

There were slow parts, and it felt like a long book, but it’s beautifully written.

A new Patti Callahan Henry book is cause for celebration! The Secret Book of Flora Lea transports you to another time and place with beautiful prose and masterful storytelling. It's a mixture of WWII historical fiction and a mystery as one sister searches for answers after the disappearance of her younger sister. A beautiful story about love, fairy tales, and the bonds of sisterhood.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Hazel and her sister Flora Lea are among the children evacuated from London to the English countryside during the Blitz. One day, Flora goes missing, never to be found. Years later, Hazel is working at a rare book dealer in London, about to start her dream job at Sotheby's. She has a cozy apartment and a devoted boyfriend, and her life seems to be on track. Processing new arrivals for the shop, Hazel opens one package to find a book that is a modern fairy tale of a make-believe land called Whisperwood. She recognizes the stories immediately as the ones that she made up for her sister Flora Lea.. Does this mean that Flora is alive? Does someone know what happened to her?
A mystery, a missing person, a never-ending fairy tale. This book seemed like it would tick all the boxes for me. I have enjoyed the author's previous books, and I liked the story at the beginning. But then it just got too long with too many side characters and repetitious scenes. I did a lot of skimming and finished the book - the solution was good even if the ending was a little too tidy, but it just took so long to get there. Maybe I've had enough of World War II fiction. Wished I had liked this one more.

This is the perfect book for a book club to discuss. I loved that it was part historical fiction and part mystery. I loved that I found myself lost in the pages of this book until too late at night and woke up thinking about the characters. I'll be suggesting this title to lots of different types of readers this summer and fall.

This book is another winner by Patti Callahan Henry! A few pages in, I was already desperate to know what happened to Flora and if any of them would be making it out of the war safely.

Hazel and her sister Flora are billeted in rural England with an almost magical family. Hazel creates stories about a land she has named Whisperwood to help them cope. But one day, she turns her back and Flora, who has been on the riverbank, has disappeared. Years later, a child's skeleton is found in the river, but is it Flora's? Yet there is a woman who gives reason for Hazel to think she's Flora, but is she?

I was burned out on WW2 historical fiction (there's too much, and a lot of it is poorly written and/or researched) as well as dual timelines but this book is incredible.

During the London Blitz of 1940 thousands of British children were evacuated to the England countryside to avoid the bombs falling on the city. Fourteen-year-old Hazel along with her five-year-old sister Flora safely arrive to a cozy village but are unsure of their new environment. To cope, Hazel tells stories to Flora and lets their imaginaton take them away from troubles. Their favorite tale is escaping to Whisperwood with a sparkling river. But tragedy strikes when Flora vanishes and only her beloved teddy bear is found near a river. Flash ahead twenty years and Hazel works in a rare bookshop and what arrives but a children's book set in a mystical place called Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Is Flora alive and the writer of this book? Hazel vowed to find Flora and this is the only promising lead. Patti Callahan Henry pulls in the power of a story but also has created a fine family drama with several clever twists keeping readers guessing on what really happened to young Flora.

The Secret Book of Flora Lea is an exceptional read by Patti Callahan Henry. Henry weaves the magic and healing power of story into this captivating dual timeline masterpiece. I have read all of Henry’s books and believe that this one might be my favorite. I highly recommend The Secret Book of Flora Lea to lovers of historical fiction that includes a little mystery and family drama. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This book was a new twist on a World War II story...
Hazel and her younger sister Flora are sent to the countryside during WWII, to live with another family and be safely away from the city during the bombing. While there, Hazel makes up stories about a magical land called Whisperwood, she tells her little sister these stories to help relieve the stress and anxiety of the ware and being away from home. Then one day, Flora goes missing and is never found again. Twenty years later, Hazel comes across a book about her magical land Whisperwood. Who wrote this book? Could Flora have survived and wrote this, or told someone else their stories? Hazel begins a quest to find out.
The book alternates between present and past, telling of Hazel's search, and telling of the time during the war when they were living in the country.
I won't tell you how it ends, but I will say it was a sweet story with a nice ending.
I definitely enjoyed this book.

Henry’s author’s note explains how she learned about Britain’s Pied Piper Operation and how this became the perfect setting for her novel. She explores the power of fairy tales, of sisterly bonds and the allure of first love. This enchanting historical mystery has lovely writing and is a bit of a slow burn. I really enjoyed listening to Cynthia Erivo’s narration of the audiobook. This is a solidly satisfying story with a great ending.

Patti Callahan Henry writes magic without a hint of science fiction. This book provides wonder and whimsy as a means of escape for both its characters and its readers. The characters show the depth of love and the depth of despair. In a subtle nod to Narnia, Henry takes readers back to the countryside of WWII England where children were evacuated to to escape the bombing in the cities. In the country without their mother, elder sister Hazel helps her younger sister Flora cope by creating a world they can escape to through their stories.
When that magical world invades her present twenty years later readers see a different side to Hazel. This Hazel has a hole in her heart. Desperation turns her life upside down as Hazel makes sacrifices to uncover the truth of her past. While the story unfolds slowly in the beginning, Henry once again prevails as a writer on top of her game.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

I enjoyed this book. I thought the story was well told. I found the main character to be insufferable and immature throughout the whole story, though. I wish she had grown more. She just seemed to make selfish choices and had the 'ends justify the means'. Otherwise, It was a sweet story of sisterly love..
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley for the purpose of review.

I enjoyed this book very much! This is an author that I've read before so I knew that I would enjoy this book. I found the characters very likable and the plot easy to follow.

This is a book that has beautiful prose. We take trips through history and see a family having dealt with war and loss.
Hazel and Flora are lovely characters and I enjoyed reading their story and the story of the Whisperwood.
A lovely book that will be great for book clubs.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Review will be posted on 6/7/23
It's 1960 and Hazel Linden is working at a bookstore when she comes across a novel entitled Whisperwood. It's the exact story she created and told her younger sister twenty years ago. This is more than a case of who stole Hazel's story, as this is a red flag and a major clue. Hazel's sister, Flora, disappeared twenty years ago; could she be the author of this story? Is she still alive? Hazel and Flora left war torn London for the British countryside during the Blitz and while there, Flora disappeared. All that remained was her teddy bear. Hazel should have been watching her as Flora was only five years old, but she snuck off for a few minutes with Harry, the boy whose house she is staying at in Oxford, and lost track of Flora. The police assumed she fell into the River Thames. Twenty years later, Hazel can't help but wonder if this book is a sign that she lived as no one else knew this story. Whisperwood was created as a way to comfort her sister, much like a well loved blanket. Hazel takes it upon herself to come up with a plan to figure out if Flora is still alive after all these years. Patti Callahan Henry's The Secret Book of Flora Lea is a magical historical novel filled with beautiful prose, a tale of sisterhood, and the power of stories.

Hazel is such an interesting character in The Secret Book of Flora Lea. My heart broke for her and Flora when they had to leave their mother behind for an unknown house in the countryside. I was aware of Operation Pied Piper during WWII, but Henry brought it to life in this story in a way that I hadn't really thought about it before. It seemed so heart wrenching and to send your child away to an unknown location seems unfathomable. Once Hazel and Flora reach Birdie's house in Oxford, it seems idyllic, but so much goes wrong. Hazel, being a teenager, has feelings for Birdie's son, Harry, and this distracts her from watching Flora on that fateful day she disappears. While living in an unknown house, they share the made-up tales of Whisperwood and that is why it's such a red flag when she comes across the book twenty years later. Hazel has never really forgiven herself for losing sight of Flora and her subsequent disappearance. I can only imagine how this haunts their mother as she sent them away with the best intentions.

The narrative jumps back to the 1960s with Hazel on the hunt for Flora years later due to the discovery of the Whisperwood novel. She goes on a bit of an adventure looking for Flora and in turn, is reunited with Birdie and Harry, whom she hasn't seen since Flora's disappearance. She unearths some other unsettling truths as well.

Henry's prose is beautiful throughout The Secret Book of Flora Lea. I loved all the magical/fairy tale undertones in the story and the power of storytelling in general. It felt like there was a magical undercurrent running throughout the tale and I really liked that aspect. Fans of historical fiction, as well as stories of sisterhood will enjoy this moving novel.

Is The Secret Book of Flora Lea on your summer TBR list? Are you a fan of Patti Callahan Henry? Let me know in the comments below.

"We're always safe in Whisperwood." The concept of finding safety in stories and fantasy when real life is a nightmare was what really caught my eye from the outset of the book.

Overall, this book was nothing short of a magical read for me. The premise was knock-your-socks-off good, and the writing was ethereal.

I loved Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's The War That Saved My Life, so the beginning of the book gave me good vibes to start with, but this book delivered in such a unique way that they may not even be comparable. The sisterhood was fantastically written, and the lingering trauma from wartime survivors felt very aptly described.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC.