When we were Enemies follows present day Elise (granddaughter) and WW2 era Vivian (grandma). I loved the flashbacks between the two. The historical aspect was fascinating and kept me hooked on what was coming next. The documentary angle in present day was not super engaging, but I enjoyed hearing the secrets and come to light moments throughout the book. The twist was fairly predicable from the jump, but was still written well and seamlessly.

Introverted, camera-shy Elise Branson may have more in common than she thinks with her movie star grandmother, Vivian Snow. For one thing, both have had aspects of their lives that they would rather keep out of public view.

About to marry a wealthy and prominent man, Elise is persuaded (or rather, more or less coerced) into allowing her wedding to be part of a documentary on her grandmother's life. Since it is her mother's partner who is making the film, she feels cornered on the issue.

But as Elise finds the pressure on her building - both because of the film and the arrangements for her wedding - unexpected elements of her grandmother's life start to emerge. And they do not dovetail well with the Hollywood glamour and official story of Vivian's life...

Vivian's work as a translator in an Italian POW camp on American soil brings a little-known slice of US history to our attention. Dealing with a domineering Italian father and the social constraints of the conservative values prevalent in 1943, Vivian finds herself making choices she may come to regret. But those are the very choices that make up the DNA of the life that Elise is living today.

This story is told in dual timelines, and that works well. In Vivian and Elise, the author has created relatable and interesting characters who are both strong women. This is an effective piece of story-telling, and a good contribution to historical fiction for this otherwise somewhat overdone time period. It gets 3.5 stars.

Elise is the daughter of an award winning actress Gracelyn Branson and her grandmother was 1940's Hollywood icon Vivian Snow. Elsie’s new boyfriend Hunter pops the question and her mother’s latest partner Mac wants to make a documentary about Vivian Snow, he thinks it would make sense for Elsie and Hunter to get married in Indiana and in the same church as her grandmother and combine the two love stories.

Vivian Santini lives in Edinburgh, Indiana, with her little sister Aria and her strict Italian father. Vivian applies for a job at Camp Atterbury, prisoners of war from Europe are incarcerated here. Vivian works as a translator and they need an extra person to communicate with the Italian POW’s. Vivian sings at the USO club, it’s run by two local ladies and provides entertainment for the troops.

Vivian falls in love with soldier Tom Highward, he’s handsome and Vivian has no idea he comes from a very rich and influential family in Philadelphia. Vivian also meets father Antonio Trombello, he’s an Italian POW and Tom doesn’t like the prisoners, and he hates it when Vivian talks to them and it's part of her job.

Elise arrives in Edinburgh, she likes the small town atmosphere, and she visits the beautiful Holy Trinity Church where her grandparents were married and meets Father Patrick Kelly. Elise goes to the camp, visits the museum and it’s now used as a place for refugees from Afghanistan to live. Mac starts filming the documentary, it makes Elsie feel really uncomfortable and she hates being in the spotlight. Elsie starts looking into her grandmothers past, she’s shocked by what she discovers, all isn’t what it’s been made out to be, is it because Vivian wanted to keep her humble origins a secret or a much more complicated reason?

I received a digital copy of When We Were Enemies by Emily Bleeker from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. The Dual timeline story is set in present time and in 1943, told from the two main characters points of view Vivian and Elsie and I had no trouble following it.

A narrative about a family dynamics and history, what it's like to have famous relatives and they do have skeletons in the closet. Four stars from me, I really didn't like Gracelyn's character and I think she was shallow. A story about love, loss, longing, jealousy, racism, self-discovery and one of the characters deciding they want to take a different path in life.

In an effort to appease her mother and honor her grandmother, Elise Branson agrees to a role in a documentary set to showcase her grandmother’s life in Indiana. Her grandmother, Viviana Santini, was a secretary and translator in an Italian POW camp at Camp Atterbury Internment Camp by day and performed her patriotic duty under her stage name, Vivian Snow, as a USO (United States Organizations) singer by night. Both Elise’s mother and grandmother enjoyed a celebrity life, but Elise wants no part in it. When the film crew unearths secrets in her grandmother’s life, it derails Elise. She’s stressed about the documentary coinciding with her wedding to one of New York’s richest bachelors, Hunter Garrot, and trying to balance feelings of pride and joy with those of guilt and obligation. Dealing with secrets that have the power to change her future is not something Elise has planned on during this momentous time.

What you will get: a wonderful saga featuring two women, generations apart, who deal with devastating family secrets and choices.

I’m always hesitant to pick up another historical fiction book set during WW2 because of what I feel is a limited scope, but Bleeker has brought something new to the table. I’ve not read of a camp on American soil for prisoners of war captured in the European theater as a setting before, nor characters in the USO or the Thunderbolts, nor how Italians were treated during the war years. I’ve always been curious about how Italians were treated both before and after their country switched alliances. Not only did Bleeker impress me with her unique plotline, she also amazed me with her ability to place me directly and effortlessly in her 1940s timeline. I really felt the pressure young teenage girls felt when wanting to spread their wings but were unable to do so due to strict rules, both at home and at work. I revisited the immigrant experience and learned a little about what it must be like to be the sole provider at such a young age.

Both timelines deal with the Importance of friends, and making difficult choices and are sprinkled with wisdom highlights.

I appreciated the theme of ‘being stuck’ and what it’s like to be ‘stuck’ regardless of what actions one takes towards freedom, at any point in our lives and regardless of where we live.

‘And just like inside my father’s house and inside Edinburgh, Indiana - I’m stuck

I also appreciated the notion that our view of love is greatly altered by our upbringing and was fascinated by how it impacted so many relationships in this book.

I hope the rumour is true - that there’s a sequel in the works….

I was gifted this copy by Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
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When We Were Enemies by Emily Bleeker is a poignant exploration of family secrets and the intertwining lives of two women, Elise and her grandmother Vivian. Elise, reluctant to be in the limelight unlike her actress mother and iconic grandmother, finds herself exposed in the midst of a documentary about Vivian's life. The novel skillfully weaves between 1943, where Vivian supports the war effort and discovers a love with a soldier, and Elise's present day struggles with the revelations that threaten to unravel her family's history. The author delivers a powerful narrative, exploring the consequences of hidden truths and the choices that shape the destinies of these two captivating women.

I greatly enjoyed this fresh and interesting take on a slice of WWII history that I hadn't been aware of...the POW camps in US for Italian soldiers. I enjoy duel timeline narratives and this one hit the precise right balance between present-day and historic POVs, and I genuinely loved both protagonists.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Strong Growth All Around. While this book is no WRECKAGE - Bleeker's debut that was also her most gut-wrenching to date - as someone recently said on social media, authors have an entire lifetime to craft a debut novel - and then the lucky ones are expected to crank out a new one every year thereafter (or even more often).

Here, Bleeker actually shows remarkable growth in her writing even from her previous, also dual-timeline, tale. While yes, her direct family still plays a role in even this tale (which I suspected while reading certain parts of this tale, and Bleeker confirms in the author's note), here it is a bit more oblique, with lots of extra research thrown in. And speaking of the research - Bleeker manages to bring forth both the era of the book remarkably well *and* the particulars of a particular section of WWII that most outside of the town Bleeker set this tale in are likely unaware of. Specifically, the treatment of Italian POWs in prison camps within the US prior to Italy's defeat and switching sides late in WWII. In both her treatment of these characters and in her detailed view of the world they live in, Bleeker shows here that she can do full historical fiction with the best in that space - and combined with her sense of drama, arguably better than many within it.

But Bleeker's growth as a storyteller isn't the only story here - indeed, it is more of an "long timer" view that even really allows one to see that particular story. No, the actual story here shows remarkable growth within two key characters the book uses as its endpoints - grandmother Vivian in 1943 (when my own eldest uncle was born, adding a touch of the truly "real" for this particular reader) and granddaughter Elsie in more present-day times. Both live fully in their worlds with all of their relevant struggles, but both show how those struggles can be overcome - and how essential friends are, no matter the period you find yourself living in.

Overall truly a remarkable work, and a truly easy Amazon First Reads selection, for those so inclined to participate in that program. Very much recommended.

I've been a fan of Emily Bleeker's suspense fiction for many years, but this novel. Wow.

This time, the author had me at the dual timelines. With her atmospheric portrayal of WW2-era rural America, complete with POW camps, the USO girls, she showed us what it was like for a young, unmarried woman to come of age in an era of over-bearing fathers, few dating options, and trying to support her entire family on her wages alone. And her voice! Young Vivian Snow had star power and stage presence that even she didn't appreciate. Couple that with the tandem storyline of her modern-day granddaughter who, while caught up in the media-blitz of planning her own wedding, discovered fragments of Vivian's life before she became the toast of Hollywood.

As the grandmother-granddaughter's stories progress, readers will gasp, fall in love, be outraged, and will champion these women through their journies of self-discovery. The ending is equal parts shocking and tinged with hope. It'll leave you breathless and feeling like you just witnessed something epic.

Brava, Emily Bleeker. Brava!

I had the privilege of reading the ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Kaye Publicity.