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𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮, 𝙖 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙖𝙘𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡.

When I got back into reading, I was always picking up historical fiction. Lately, I haven’t been reading much so I was excited when I was provided an early copy from the publisher. The synopsis sounded so interesting and emotional.

WWII is probably my favorite era to read about when I pick up historical fiction. This one is inspired by a true story about a ship carrying British children evacuees to Canada. Alice King is a teacher who decided to chaperone this voyage with children on board. Two of those children belong to Lily Nichols, a recently widowed mother.

This story was beautifully written and told. I loved this author’s way of storytelling. Alice and Lily were both likable and I liked the alternating POVs. My blood was boiling when a torpedo hit the ship, Alice and the surviving children were saved by a lifeboat… where they spent the next few days at sea.

Honestly, I went into this one not expecting to love it. I just haven’t really cared for this genre lately, but I really enjoyed this. It was moving, emotional, and so compelling. This is a story that will stick with you for a while, it was very memorable. I learned a lot about the real events with this story, and it breaks my heart for the families who were affected. I would highly recommend picking this one up.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley for the review eARC and PRH Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Child Death, Death, Grief, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, and Medical Content

This historical fiction is a story of war,
hope and survival. Lily was a wife, a mother and a school teacher but when war takes over the country she needs to find the strength within to do what she can to help save a boat full of children. I read a lot of historical fiction but this as one story I never read about before.

Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor.

I loved this book. I am a huge fan of historical fiction, which generally means I've also read a lot about WWII. And what I loved about this book is that it was a side of WWII I didn't really know much about. It is inspired by a true story of a young teacher who evacuates children to safety across the Atlantic, from Britain to Canada.. But when a Nazi U-boat torpedoes the S. S. Carlisle carrying a ship of these children, our two main characters Alice and Lily find their lives fully entwined in the most harrowing way.

I really can't imagine finding the bravery of either of these women. To put your own life at risk in order to help shepherd these children to safety. Or (even harder for me as a mom to three), to send your children across the world in the hopes that they will stay safe from the war all around you. It just breaks my heart even contemplating that one!

I highly recommend reading this book. I've already purchased copies for family and friends!

Thank you @berkleypub for the free book and @prhaudio for the audio version as well. #penguinrandomhousepartner
#berkleypartner #berkley #berkleybookstagram

1939-1940:
In an effort to keep their children safe from German bombs and other effects of war, many British parents decide to evacuate their children to live safely in other countries during the war.

LILY is a widowed mom, who makes the agonizing decision to send her two children to a place where they should be safe, even though she will miss them terribly.

ALICE is excited to be selected as a chaperone on the S.S. Carlisle and she is assigned to a small group of children. Lily meets Alice briefly as she entrusts her children into her care.

Soon Alice and several other chaperones and children leave on the S.S.Carlisle as they voyage to Canada. The first few days pass uneventfully, but when the ship is hit by a torpedo, everyone is forced to evacuate the ship. Chaperones and children are not necessarily together as people rush toward the lifeboats. Some people fall into the churning waters and are swept away. Others never make it off of the ship. Alice makes it into the last lifeboat along with 6 children and 29 men. As search parties rescue survivors, they miss the last lifeboat, which has drifted farther away than anyone realized.

The page-turner moves at a good pace as it unfolds through two perspectives: Lily, as she mourns and worries at home, and Alice as she floats for days on a lifeboat and loses all hope of being rescued. I enjoyed Alice’s perspective more and felt I was right there with her as she suffered through endless days, dehydration, hallucinations, and more. Once I started this book, I could not put it down!

What a gripping story, set in WWII England in 1940. As the British public fears an invasion by Hitler, in addition to the horrible bombing of civilians, parents are faced with the choice to evacuate their children. In this work of historical fiction, based in the real life sinking of the SS City of Benares, children, called seavacuees, are sent overseas to safety. The portrayal of Lily, and her agonizing over whether to send her children to safety, is heartrending. Alice is the main character in the story, a volunteer looking to escape her humdrum existence, finding more than she expected as she embarks on the journey with the children. I cried, I bit my lips in anxiousness, and just couldn’t put the book down. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Alice has had a shock. She has found a downed airman and he dies right in front of her. From then on, she is determined to do her part in the war. She decides to escort a group of children away from the bombing in London to safer shores.

Lilly is a widowed mother of two. She makes the horrendous decision to send her children to a safe place, away from the blitz in London. Little does she know her life will be forever changed.

The ship carrying these children and Alice is torpedoed after their navy escort leaves them unattended. You can just imagine the heartbreak. A few manage to get on a life boat. It is a lifeboat not counted. So it stays for days out a sea. What these children and Alice experience is horrendous. And you will need to read this to see exactly how they are rescued…YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY!

Talk about an emotional read. This novel unravels you! I cannot imagine being a mother and having to make a decision to send my children away. And then not be able to save them. This book pulls at every heart string you have. And to know it is based on real life events. GEEZ!

Hazel Gaynor has done it again!

Need a fabulous story based on real events…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

In 1940, as the Germans were breathing down English necks, the British government decided to evacuate children off the island completely. The SS City of Benares set sail to Canada in September, carrying 123 children known as sea-vacs. Their parents were assured that a convoy of warships would escort the steamer, as German U-boats heavily patrolled the Atlantic. Instead, the warships abandoned the steamer halfway through, and the Germans attacked. Ninety-eight children were killed. In the confusion, the lifeboats were miscounted. No one realized that boat #12 hadn’t been recovered. With six boys, one woman, and 39 men, the boat sailed for eight days before being spotted.

This gripping saga inspired historical fiction author Hazel Gaynor’s latest novel, The Last Lifeboat. In her telling, the S.S. Carlisle is the doomed ship… and two women are forever changed. Alice King, looking for a way to contribute to the war effort, volunteers to escort children to Canada on the ship. And widowed Lily Nichols, hiding a sad secret, agrees to send her beloved son and daughter to strangers overseas.

For the rest of the review, click on the link below.

This was a very powerful book about the human nature and perseverance. I love historical fiction and this is one that I will be adding to my recommended lists!

Alice King is a teacher and librarian who lives a sheltered life with her mother in Kent, while her younger sister Kitty lives a much more glamorous life in London. Alice longs to do something to help the war effort but isn't sure what she can contribute, until she hears about the need for escorts to accompany English children being evacuated to other British Commonwealth countries as a part of Operation Pied Piper. She is accepted as an escort and looks forward to finally having an adventure. In London, war widow Lily Nichols agonizes over whether to evacuate her children, eventually opting to trust the government and send her children on one of the evacuation ships. But disaster strikes a few days into the voyage, and the two women along with Alice's sister fight to save the evacuated children.
Based on a true story about the SS City of Benares, part of a fleet traveling from Britain to Canada and back. The convoy was torpedoed by a German U-boat in September 1940 after their military escort turned back toward Britain. The ship sank and 35 people including a number of children spent a week in a lifeboat before they were rescued. If you know the story of the Pied Piper, it would be hard to come up with a more ill-omened name. Well-researched, riveting reading. Highly recommended for readers of historical fiction.

4.5 stars rounded up.
Such a captivating yet heartbreaking and intense tear jerker that touches you so much more once you find out it's based on a true story. Beautifully written details. Highly recommend if you are a fan of historical WWII fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this eARC.

I couldn't put The Last Lifeboat down. It is beautiful, heartbreaking, and absolutely wonderful. I have waited to attempt a review because I couldn't come up with the words to do it justice, and I still can't.

The Last Lifeboat is told in two POVs, a mother of two children that were evacuated from England and a young woman that is a chaperone on the children's evacuation ship. It shows the sacrifices that people made during the war, and the strength they had when it would be so easy to just give up.

The Last Lifeboat reminded me a lot of The Nightingale. I highly recommend The Last Lifeboat to historical fiction fans, specifically those that enjoy WWII novels.

Thank you to Berkeley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Lifeboat is a harrowing tale of survival, resilience, and family. I'm a big fan of Hazel Gaynor's historical fiction - she writes in a way that truly brings the story to life and transports the reader. Reading the story of Alice and Lily, I felt like I was feeling what they were feeling and experiencing what they were experiencing.

What's remarkable is that this is based on a true story about a woman who signs up to help transport children to safety during World War II. I had no idea this was something that happened during the War and found it absolutely fascinating to learn about.

I highly recommend you check out The Last Lifeboat (or really anything by Hazel Gaynor!)

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!

Hazel Gaynor’s Berkley debut is a winner! Inspired by real events, The Last Lifeboat is a compelling, heart-wrenching story of disaster and survival on the sea as British children are being evacuated to Canada during World War II. Told from two points of view, we follow Alice King on her adventure turned survival journey as she does her best to care for the children, and Lily Nichols waiting at home for news of the son and daughter she sent away for safety.

This is by far one of the best, but also most distressing works of World War II homefront fiction I have read. The growth of these characters through the torment of these events, the sense of community that grows around them, the terror and the relief of any small ray of hope are so visceral and so skillfully done.

Highly recommended.

This review refers to a temporary digital galley that I voluntarily read through NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. A positive review was not required and all opinions expressed are my own.

The Last Lifeboat is Hazel Gaynor's way of bringing the reader into an amazing story unlike any other I have ever read before. The joys and pains I went through will be carried with me for a life time. Being drawn into this time and place with characters like Alice, Lily and Arthur and joining them on their fights for survival was an epic read. I am highly recommending this to Library Reads and all patrons.

Oh WOW! Whenever I read historical fiction novels concerning children during WW2, I get anxious! The Last Lifeboat; full of excitement, fear, hope and tragedy was inspired by a true story. The British evacuation of children, Operation Pied Piper, was a well meaning program to protect children from harm by moving them to locations safer than their family homes. This is the third book I’ve read this year about relocating children from war zones each telling a new prospective.

Schoolteacher Alice King wanted to do her part in the war effort so she applied to be a chaperone to escort children to Canada. She proudly accepted the responsibility when she was notified of her acceptance. Two of the children in her care belonged to Lily Nichols who was recently widowed and had deep reservations in letting her children leave. With some guidance, she convinced herself that they would be safer if they left England.

Families were promised that their children would be protected on the SS Carlisle but when a Nazi torpedo hit the ship en route to Canada, many lives were lost. When news of the attack reached the families, there was outrage and devastation. Lily wouldn’t accept that her child was one lost to sea when there appeared to be a missing lifeboat.

Lily put her math skills to work by checking the maps and tide schedules to determine if the search crews missed something. Meanwhile, on the missing lifeboat, Alice cared for the children she was able to save from the sinking ship. The bonds she formed with the lifeboat passengers were touching and hopeful. She did her best to help everyone on board as their spirits of being rescued diminished.

World War II is underway and children were being sent away to other countries for their safety. Lily Nicholas had thought to keep her young children with her despite the perilous events surrounding them. However, bombing in England has become far too regular and she makes the decision to send her children to somewhere safe.

Alice King has taken on the duties to escort children to different countries. When the ship that Alice and the others are on is torpedoed, those who survived are evacuated to lifeboats. Alice and a small group of children get on what is the last lifeboat.

In this emotionally riveting story, readers see things from both Lily and Alice’s points of view. Lily is understandably anxious about the fate of her children and Alice is focused on keeping the children on her lifeboat safe with hopes of rescue. They have eight days of unspeakable horrors and danger while desperately awaiting rescue.

What an incredible novel. Although this is a fictional story, by reading the author’s note at the end of the book, readers can see the amount of research that went into writing this compelling novel, as well as the history of the true events with the organization that got over 20,000 children out of London during the war.

Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

More Like 4 and a half stars! ✨

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Pub for my advanced copy of The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor.

This is my first Hazel Gaynor novel and it will not be my last!
I absolutely adored this book and fell in love with the characters.
My life has changed a lot over the last couple of years. I have struggled with reading books in a physical sense. This book was so easy to fall into and not want to come out of. It was very easy to read / follow.
I especially loved the two POVs the author chose to follow and that she chose an event within WWII that I was not familiar with.

Overall- Highly Recommend. I look forward to reading more by this author.

This well-written and well researched novel is one of the most emotional World War II era novel that I've read in a long time. It's based on real events and highlights the heroism of the people in involved.

It's 1940 and England is sure that Germany will be bombing them and many people even believed that Germany would try to invade them. The government wanted to keep the children safe. Some children were sent from the large cities to the rural areas of England as part of Operation Pied Piper. Another push by the government was to send children to Canada or Australia for the duration of the war.

Lily is the widowed mother of two children. They live in London and she wants her children to be safe but she also wants to keep them close to her. She finally decides that to keep them safe, she needs to sign them up to be sent to Canada. The government reassures her that the boat with the children will have a Navy escort and should be safe from German U-boats during the journey

Alice is a quiet unassuming kind of person. She's content working in a library and teaching school. Her mother keeps telling her that she needs to do something to help the war effort and she decides to sign up to be an escort to a group of children going to Canada. She's nervous and excited about the upcoming trip.

The trip goes well and after most of the people get over their sea sickness, it looks like smooth sailing into Canada until a German u boat torpedoes their ship and sinks it. Alice manages to get into a life boat with several children and other adults. They spend days on the sea, hoping for rescue while the parents at home are dealing with the loss of their children. Alice and Lily's lives and the lives of Lily's children are meshed together as everyone fights for survival.

The novel is told in alternating chapters by Alice, fighting for her life in a lifeboat and Lily, dealing with her fear that her children are lost. Both women are trying to be brave under terrible circumstances. The scenes on the life boat are gritty and real and the reader will be rapidly turning pages to find out if they all survived.

The author has done a tremendous job at her research. I read a lot of WWII books and this is the first one that I can remember that is about children being sent from England to other countries for safety. Be sure to read the author's comments at the end of the book to find out the brave women that this story was based on.

Wow. What a heartbreaking story. The resilience and will to survive was so strong. War was so scary and even when you thought you were safe, you in fact weren’t. I love Hazel’s writing and you can tell she puts a lot of research and heart into her books.

This book was incredible and the fact that it was inspired by a true story makes it even better. The two main characters, women during WWII, were strong, brave and amazing. Their hopes and dreams were real, their concerns and challenges believable. I could feel the emotions clearly through the book and felt for the characters from the start. Just an incredibly well researched and well written book. A must read for all historical fiction lovers.

1940 - Alice King wants to do her part during the war. So she helps evacuate Britain's children to countries overseas. Lily finds herself struggling to keep her kids safe from bombings in London, after she loses her husband. She decides the best option to protect them is to send them overseas in a risky evacuation scheme. When a Nazi Uboat hits the S.S. Carlisle, carrying children to Canada, a single lifebot is in the Atlantic. Alice and Lily find themselves connected from a far.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.