The pictures that Hewitt describes of the landscape is beautiful and vivid. The plot is a romance that broke my heart.

Quiet Rosie and her more confident cousin, Violet, join the war effort via the Canadian Womens Army Corps and despite the hard work, they do enjoy doing their bit.

When Rosie meets a handsome officer, Thomas, her life changes in so many ways.

Unfortunately, Thomas is due to participate in D-Day and she doesn't know if she will see him again....

Great story writing as usual from this author. I have been enjoying the whole series and this one didn't disappoint either.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

An Island Far from Home is the 5th book in the Amherst Island series but the first one I've read. There were lots of personal reasons that I really enjoyed this book - like the main character Rosie, I too am a Canadian living in England and I also attended the same university that she did in the opening chapters - Queen's University.

It was a happy blast from the past reading about Ontarian locations like Barrie and Napanee and so I was drawn in quite early on to discover how the CWACs would fare in their training at home and overseas.

Rosie is a shy and retiring character at the beginning of the novel, plagued by memories of childhood poverty after the Wall Street crash and stays quite reserved in the shadow of her brighter and prettier cousin Violet. That all changes after they both sign up to be CWACs and Rosie is chosen for officer training and adventures abroad.

Through loss love and heartache, Rosie finds who she truly is, all set against the backdrop of WW2 London.

Overall I would recommend this book. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an early release copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another great read from this fantastic series by Kare Hewitt. Moving on to the second generation this story features Rosie and her much more outgoing cousin Violet who encourages her to join the Women's army Corps and reluctantly Rosie agrees. As we focus on her journey where she finds herself enjoying the work more than she expected,,she ends up being posted to England where she meets Thomas an airman and they eventually begin a relationship. She faces lots of new challenges and some heartbreaking consequences but as the war comes to an end she finally makes a decision on her future. A great story, fantastic characters and another 5 🌟read.

Wow! Amazing book! "Broken calls to broken." Rosie knows this better than anyone else. I loved everything about this book: the story, the setting, the characters. My heart broke for Rosie, but she is someone who will persevere and overcome. This is my first book by this author, but it certainly won't be my last! A definite must read!
I was provided an ARC copy from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Kate Hewitt’s An Island Far From Home is an emotional historical tale about love, courage and hope sure to bring a tear to your eye.

1941, Canada and Rosie Lyman and her cousin Violet have just joined the Canadian Women’s Army Corps. Rosie is apprehensive and scared about leaving her life in Ontario behind and entering into this strange and challenging world, however, homesickness quickly proves to be the very last thing on her mind as she becomes completely consumed by her new job. When she is selected for officer training and a placement overseas in London, little does Rosie realize that her entire world is going to change – thanks to one man who will come to mean the world to her: handsome Lieutenant Thomas Crewe…

Thomas looks just like a matinee idol and Rosie immediately finds herself drawn to his good looks, his charm and his intelligence. The pressures of war and the demands of both their jobs might not exactly leave them much time for courting, but they both treasure the stolen moments during weekends when they can be together and forget – even if just for a little while – about the world being torn apart by this horrible conflict. Rosie wonders whether she will ever have a future with Thomas and when she hears that he will be flying in the D-Day invasion, she wonders whether the man she loves will survive this battle – or whether he will perish and leave her heartbroken.

You can always rely on Kate Hewitt to deliver a spellbinding page-turner that will keep you enthralled from beginning to end and she has done it again with An Island Far From Home. Beautifully written, wonderfully evocative and guaranteed to tug at the heartstrings, An Island Far From Home is an unforgettable story about the ties that bind, the sacrifices we are forced to make and the lengths we go to for love that you will thoroughly enjoy.

Heartwarming, dramatic and mesmerizing, An Island Far From Home is another triumph for gifted storyteller Kate Hewitt.

Canada, 1941 Rosie Lyman and her cousin Violet decided to join the Canadian Women’s Army Corps. Rosie is missing her life back in Ontario and second guesses her decision to join the Army. Soon she is selected for officer training and her first assignment sends her overseas to London. She adapts to, and enjoys army life. When she meets Lieutenant Thomas Crewe, they spend as much time together as possible and soon find themselves falling in love with each other. Rosie found the one man that literally completed her. He was the one that she lived for and found purpose in her life. But when D-Day approaches their biggest fear is the possibility of Thomas being sent to the front line.

An Island Far From Home is the fifth installment in the Amherst Island Series by Kate Hewitt. This was a wonderful read and I really enjoyed the characters. Violet seemed to have a lot of drama that followed her but I still enjoyed the storyline. This is a wonderful book that can be read as a standalone, but I would highly suggest reading the series from the beginning. I definitely recommend this book.

This book introduces the next generation of daughters of the Lyman family- Rosie Lyman and Violet Lyman- and their journey of life as they live it in the midst of WWII.

Although this is book #5 in the series, it has its own unique feel about it and as such not many of the old characters make an appearance. Rosie is similar to her mother Ellen in terms of looks and temperament but her experiences during WWII are vastly different from what Ellen went through in the previous war. And there is still more in store for Rosie...

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture and the author for Kate Hewitt for the e-Arc of the book and for also letting me be a part of the Bookouture books-on tour. I have been in a very bad reading slump lately but I tried to finish reading this book in time for posting my review.

Kate Hewitt has a way with writing books that are hard to put down. The Amherst Island series has captured my attention from book one. Now on the 5th book in the series set in WWII Canada, the strong female protagonists never disappoint. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone so if you have not read the series, this is a great place to start!!

In this book Rosie joins the armed forces and we follow her journey through training and deployment. It is a quick read that you will love if you enjoy historical fiction or just stories about women making their own way in life.

An Island Far From Home is another of the Amherst Island books by Kate Hewitt. I have enjoyed following this family through many trials and traveles. How it is time for the next generation: Rosie Lyman and her best friend and cousin, Violet Lyman, are at Queens University. Rose is there to study, Violet is there for fun. Violet’s newest idea is to to enlist in the Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC). She is all in, Rosie is not so sure. In the end they both enlist and are off to training. After basic training they are separated and sent to different jobs in different places and for the first time Rosie is alone. Eventually she gets sent to England as part of the signal corps. She approaches a man in a bar one night and he turns out to be the love of her life, a difficult thing during wartime.

This new book brings all the warmth and interest found in the earlier books. Rosie is a good character: when forced on her own she finds she is a warm and loving woman; one who does not make tons of friends, but the ones she makes are good ones. Hewitt has made her a very sympathetic character; one who lives an entire life in a few years as happens during a war. She discovers that the appearance one gives off is often not at all the reality that lies within a person. Her world expands dramatically. It is an endearing chapter in this family saga.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of An Island Far From Home by Bookoutre, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Bookoutre #KateHewitt #AnIslandFarFromHome

When Rosie Lyman’s life took a very different turn during the dark days of WWII, she was forced to make very difficult decisions. An Island Far From Home is the touching fifth book in a compelling series by Kate Hewitt.

While growing up, Rosie shattered her father, when it came to his work as a lawyer. Soon to finish school, Rosie had visions of joining her father. However, that was not to be the case, and she ended up following her cousin and joining the Canadian Women’s Army Corps. Wow her wife did not go in the direction that she expected, she excelled at whatever she said her hand at. Meeting an American admin name, Thomas brought live into Rosie’s life.

Duty was first in her life, especially when tragedy ensued. While love was a factor, heartbreak was an even bigger factor in Rosie’s life. While the story has a big focus on the love that Rosie found in her life, it also explored her relationship with her cousin Violet, who had been her very dear friend. The cousins could not have been more different, and it was explored as to the roles that each of them played. This powerful story was very intriguing and provided history about women’s roles in the Canadian armed services, all while showcasing excellent prose.

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

I loved the other Amherst Island books so couldn’t wait to read the end of Rosie’s story. I was not disappointed. Rosie is a lot more mature in this book but still the same shy, nervous girl she was in book one. I liked seeing how she’s grown and changed or not changed as the case for some things. An Island Far From Home is set during WW2 and has plenty of trauma as Rosie find herself doing her bit for the war despite reluctantly joining the CWAC. There’s also plenty heartache as Rosie falls in love and pays a high price to discover everything is not as she hoped. I laughed and cried reading this. It’s a joy to read.

I found Kate Hewitt through Netgalley some time ago and have always enjoyed how she writes her novels. She writes WWII novels and also fiction that revolves around social issues. Ms. Hewitt is one author that I always choose when I see her books available on Netgalley.

I really enjoyed being back on Amherst Island as this is the fifth book in the series. It took me a minute to reacquaint myself with these characters but once I did, I really enjoyed reading the story of Rosie and Violet. It was fascinating to see what these women did during WWII but also disappointing in how badly they were treated.



Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

An Island Far from Home is another wonderful surprise in the Amherst Island series by Kate Hewitt. This historical series has moved in time to WWII. Rose and her cousin, Violet, join the Canadian Women’s Army Corps being sent to London. Two close cousins who are so different in personalities show individual women’s efforts in winning the war. Violet more of an extrovert while Rosie is more self-contained within herself.

The time in the CWACs bringing love to Rosie but also suspense, heartache and resiliency. Such an interesting story from a historical women’s perspective while serving during the war. The challenges of serving, the sense of duty and the personal sacrifices made by so many in so many different ways. I hope that Rosie’s story continues since it ends as the war does. Worth reading.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was eagerly waiting to resist the Amherst Island series from Kate Hewitt and she delivered with The Island Far from Home which is book 5, focusing on the next generation of Amherst Islanders, cousins Rosie and Violet. Rosie always to be the quiet, shy young woman who'd rather melt into the wallpaper than be the outgoing, confident woman that Violet seems to be. Violet signs up for the Canadian Women's Army Corps and persuades Rosie to join her. When at the end of their initial training, Rosie is chosen to undertake Officer training much to Violets chagrin. Rosie happily does this training and is then chosen to go overseas but has to revert to being a Private! Coming to England is quite an adventure for Rosie and she participates in all she can, although falling in love wasn't on the agenda. A fantastic start to reading about the next generation of Amherst Islanders. Loved it

Rosie Lyman and her cousin Violet joined the Canadian Women’s Army Corps in 1941, to do a little towards the war effort. The training was hard, exhausting, but at the end of it, Rosie was sent to England to work in an area where she had to sign the Official Secrets Act, so keeping hush about her tasks became second nature. Violet arrived in England some months later, working in a different area, though the cousins did see each other when they had leave.

Rosie met Lieutenant Thomas Crewe at a dance, one she'd been reluctant to go to. She had always been a quiet, reticent person, shy and timid, especially around men. But Thomas opened something up inside her, and it wasn't long before they saw one another as often as they could. Thomas was often sent overseas with his division, and as D-Day approached, he was fearful of being sent to the front line...

An Island Far From Home is the 5th in the Amherst Island series by Kate Hewitt, and I've been following it since the beginning. This one was another great episode, although it became rather predictable, unfortunately. The ending was abrupt, so obviously there is going to be a #6! Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘An Island Far From Home’ by Kate Hewitt in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
It’s August 1941 when Rosie Lyman’s cousin Violet signs up to join the Canadian Women’s Army Corp (CWAC) persuading Rosie to go with her. Rosie is quiet and shy to Violet’s gregariousness but gradually settles into the routine as training commences in London. She meets Lieutenant Thomas Crewe and they fall in love with both declaring their feelings for each other and their intention to eventually marry. Thomas is sent to France to fight and Rosie relocates to the Isle of Man where she’s employed deciphering morse code messages.
‘An Island Far From Home’ is the story of a young Canadian woman’s experiences of life in the CWACs during the Second World War and as with all of Kate Hewitt’s books it’s been beautifully written and so easy to read that I’ve finished it in a day. Although a work of fiction it’s told me more about the united efforts of those men and women in Canada, America and England than I was aware of as they fight together to defeat the enemy. The characters are wonderfully described as are the locations as Rosie leaves her home in Kingston, Ontario and moves around England, making me feel as if I’m there with her. This is the fifth in the Amherst Island series but the first I’ve read and I’m now going to looking for the previous titles. This book has been a joy to read and although the last chapters brought tears to my eyes I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.

A heartbreaking yet heartwarming story about Canadian women doing their part for the war effort. There was information about the women that I found interesting.
My heart went out to Rosie as she is such a wonderful lady and I wanted more for her in the story. I can’t really go into it because that will give the story away. I want to know more about what happens to her. I am hoping for another book in the series?
Definitely a heartbreaking story of wartime romance.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Here is another great but heartbreaking tale set In WWII.
Canadian women choosing to serve so another man was free to fight.
Many of their tasks were mundane but vital. Long before internet, those who listened to messages coming over the wire grew to be so in tune with their unseen counterpart that the smallest deviation would sparks suspicion.
Men and women together equaled wartime romance. Never knowing how long one had to live made for some poor choices.

I haven’t read the previous titles in this series. In book 5, Rosie and her cousin Violet join the Canadian Women’s Army Corps. Rosie is shy and withdrawn, which makes the other CWACs think she’s stuck up. Violet is outgoing and pushes Rosie into situations she’s not comfortable with. Rosie’s appointment to officers’ training and a posting overseas strikes a blow at their friendship. After all, Violet is the one who was so intent on enlisting.
In London, Rosie meets Thomas. She thinks she’s gotten to know him and that they’ll marry. She makes a decision that leads to disaster. This was a common situation in the war, but it cast a pall on the story.
I liked the way Rosie managed friendships with some of the more difficult women, like Nancy and Sandra. I assume there will be a book 6 that features Rosie’s redemption.