Elinor Coombes is a young woman in England who comes from a humble background, but her father, known as The Cotton King, just happened to make it big. She is a bit of a Princess Di character, because when the local aristocrat courts her and quickly proposes marriage, she is charmed by the fairytale romance of it all. She quickly leans, however, that her husband married her strictly for money and it is a marriage of convenience only for him. Elinor is brokenhearted and refuses to accept her lot in life quietly. Then she produces a male heir, and her husband signs a will saying that his parents will have control of their son Teddy should something happen to him.

Then Elinor's father treats her and her family to a trip on the inaugeration journey of the Titanic. We all know this will end in tragedy, but for Elinor it becomes a way to escape the old life she hates.

I enjoyed several aspects of this book. It gave a great picture of how the class system affected society, and that just having money wasn't enough to overcome snobbery of birth. The description of the sinking of the Titanic was very well done and realistic. Then the details of how Elinor, who has never had to take care of herself, is able to start a new life and the details of how she did it seem very real.

I enjoyed entering this era of history through the author's story. The writing was gripping and the character of Elinor was admirable.

Thank you to NetGalley, Frances Quinn, and Random House for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Frances Quinn has created a great piece of historical fiction. I can't wait to read more by her! I love the setting for this book. Her descriptive writing makes this book come alive.

This is an unusual historical fiction novel taking place in the early 1900s with settings in both England and NYC. When Elinor finds herself in a loveless, basically arranged marriage with her only duty to provide a male heir, she sees no happy future for herself or her young son. When her father treats her and her family to first class tickets on the infamous Titanic, she envisions a short reprieve from the life she is trapped in, but the sinking of the ship and her and her son’s survival allows her an opportunity to take on a new identity and a life of hardship but at least, with prospects of a better future, especially for her two year old son, Teddy.
I really enjoyed this book for several reasons. First , I liked the Downton Abbey vibe and how Elinor’s circumstances were similar to the TV show with the exception of her horrible in-laws being nothing like the Crawleys. Second, Elinor was a great character and well developed by the author. Her survival instincts and sacrifice for her son’s future showed her to be a resilient and strong woman. Third, I loved the depiction of the time period both in aristocratic England and in the lives of hardworking immigrants in NYC. And in addition, the author was so creative in her storytelling. She managed to make her character find a unique solution to her dreary and hopeless life in the face of a tragedy. And Elinor was not callous about what happened to her - she obviously suffered from PTSD and she was extremely sensitive and grateful to the family who gave her a second chance. All the main characters in America were very likable and the horrible in-laws very hateable. Overall, the book is very creative and well written with engaging depictions of the times.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

Elinor Coombes always dreamed & read of fairytale endings & finding love like Elizabeth Bennet or another character from one of Jane Austen’s novels. She finds her self in a loveless marriage & living a nightmare. After not seeing her father for too long, Elinor, her husband, & their son go on a trip with him on the Titanic. From there, she experiences more trauma, but figures out how to escape her old life. What a good read - I loved this one & how it was written!

Elinor was tricked into getting married to a groom who was only marrying her for her money. Even though his family was aristocrats, they needed the money and then looked down on her and she found herself unable to even raise her son on her own. Desperately unhappy, Elinor holds out hope when her father writes her with tickets for the maiden voyage of the Titanic. Even if it's only for a few weeks, a break from the family she's struggling with would be a huge help. When she and baby son survive the sinking Titanic, she makes a quick and panicked decision to take on her maid's identity to protect herself and her child from being taken back to England.

I thought it was really wonderful to read the story of Elinor's growth and journey once she gets to New York, and she has to begin again and start fresh, far from her wealthy upbringing. I thought she was a brave character and the way she started fresh and moved forward for her son was great.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

"The Lost Passenger" by Frances Quinn was a wonderful novel about reinvention, motherly love, and bravery. Loved the vivid descriptions of the titanic, living in a stifling titled family in England, and early days of NYC with the immigrant population making their way in the new world. A very enjoyable book. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

Love this historical fiction! A mother is forced to make a difficult decision after she and her son survive the sinking of the Titanic. Beautiful story of courage and love.

I've read quite a few historical fiction novels that connect in some fashion to Titanic. I really enjoyed Quinn's interpretation and novel! The catch was quite good and unusual in a good way. I look forward to reading more from Quinn.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I love historical fiction and one of my favorite themes is anything related to the Titanic, so I was immediately drawn to this book. A young mother with her son starts a new life in New York after faking their deaths on the Titanic. I was not disappointed thankfully. I was drawn and invested in Elinor as the main character. I found myself hooked and unable to put it down, wanting to know what would happen next. It is a gem of a historical fiction read and if you love them as I do, you need to pick this one up.

A compelling plot, well defined characters, and absorbing prose combine to create a wonderful historical fiction story. This is one of the best tales that I've read in a long while. I was invested in the story from the beginning, and the author did not disappoint throughout the course of the book. I was cheering for Elinor and couldn't help but fall in love with little Teddy. This is a book for any historical fiction fan. I'm happy to recommend it wholeheartedly.
My thanks to the editor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

This book has stuck with me for a long time. I enjoyed reading a different view of the Titanic disaster, but it was more about Elinor’s unwavering commitment to making a better life for her and her son. Giving up all the riches and privileges she was used to and had, to live a merger but happy life controlled by her alone and not the men in her life was inspiring and thought provoking.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the book for me. I wonder if maybe it had been written from after the Titanic sinking with flashbacks, it would’ve been more interesting, but frankly, I didn’t want to read chapters about her marriage when the description promised starting over. I was already invested in her running away that I didn’t actually care to read about all the reasons why she wanted to run away.

The Lost Passenger, by Frances Quinn, has the makings of a great historical novel - a Titanic setting and riches to rags plot - and it doesn't disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Elinor Coombes who turns the disaster of a sinking ship into an opportunity to flee a terrible marriage and connect with her young son. Her resilience is inspiring! I believe this would be a great summer read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC; all opinions are my own.

A superbly researched, well written book about taking chances and the different ways that freedom and living a good life can be perceived. The way that living in luxury isn't necessarily the same as having a fulfilling or 'good' life.

This book was well-written and I was so curious to read about this young woman who's life faced what seemed like endless trials and tests, but who always found herself managing and making through each. The characters that Frances Quinn wrote all felt sincere and were a reminder that it is never too late to be honest and truthful, even if what you are sharing may be hurtful. It also was a great reminder to readers that sometimes doing the right thing may be difficult and go against set norms.
Highly recommend this read.

As someone utterly obsessed with the Titanic and all its history, I grabbed this as quick as I could.

A romantic take on the tragedy. One that sees the journey for some of its passengers in a much different light.

Gets you thinking about the motives and stories of some of the Titanics, less remembered travelers.

A heartfelt reminder that times were certainly much different at one point.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Lost Passenger
By: Frances Quinn
Published by: Random House- Ballantine
Pub Date: 2/25/25

When Elinor meets who she thinks of as the love of her life a bargain is made and she marries Fredrick. But when her life is nothing what she thought and she is truly miserable her father surprises her with tickets on board the RMS Titanic. Her life changes again when the ship sinks with her husband and father on board. She finds a way to find her own happiness and keep her son with her.
This one falls in the historical romance genre, it was well written and who doesn’t love a Titanic story.

This was all incredible!! My son is obsessed with Titanic so from the very beginning it was fun anyway but the story was just so poignant and wonderful.

I really wanted to love this book; the premise was awesome and I love any and everything to do with Titanic. That said, this book just didn't do it for me. The pacing was wildly uneven, and had a lot of "stop and go and stop/hurry up and wait" involved. I couldn't stick it out, so unfortunately I DNFed around the 50% mark.

Thank you Dell Books and NetGalley for the DRC of The Lost Passenger. All opinions in this review are my own.

DNF at 15%

I loved the premise of this one, but unfortunately, I had issues with the pacing. Elinor Coombes is trapped in a loveless marriage and pretends that she died on the sinking of the Titanic in order to start a new life in New York. After reading a decent amount of the book and listening to Elinor complain about how terrible her life is, I got impatient about her actually getting on the Titanic. After reading some reviews, it seems like it doesn't happen until about midway through and although the book picks up, I'm not willing to wait around until then. I wish the parts about her marriage had been interspersed throughout the book instead of the beginning.

I have another book, The Bonesetter Woman, but the same author so I am willing to give her another chance!