A wonderful book about a woman finding her way in the aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic. Elinor is a woman of privilege born into a family whose money came from the cotton industry. Wanting to follow in her parent's footsteps, she marries a Lord in what she believes is a love match. Only after the wedding does she find out he only married her for her money. Confined in a house and marriage where she is unwanted and unloved, disliked and ignored she quietly begins to lose herself to keep the peace with her new family. When her father offers to take her, her husband, and their son on the maiden voyage of the Titanic she jumps at the chance to get out of the ever-judgmental eye of her MIL. Now finding herself in a strange city across the ocean, she's left with the choice of returning to her cloistered life with no say in the upbringing of her child and breaking free in this new world.

The writing reminded me of Allison Pataki. Especially The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post. Fans of hers would definitely enjoy this book.

The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn is the breakout debute by this author. It is a fascinating historical drama. As one can tell from the cover, this story has something to do with the Titanic. However it’s not what you think. This story describes life after the Titanic disaster by one of its passengers.

Elinor, our main character, is the old daughter of a self-made millionaire. Her father is a loving, jovial and memorable man who one will not soon forget. The relationship between father and daughter is wonderful. Elinor naively enters into a loveless marriage with a man who has a ‘title’. The only reason this marriage exists is because her new husband’s family is in need of her money, a fact neither Elinor or her father are aware of.

After missing her father and enduring the strict traditions of the English aristocracy, Elinor is
thrilled by the opportunity to escape her in-laws and their expectations when her father treats her, her husband and their 2-year old son to the maiden voyage of the Titanic. We all know what happened there. However, Elinor and her son survive the horror of the ship’s sinking, Elinor assumes a new identity, that of a working class woman/victim and attempts to make a new life for herself and her son in New York.

The story juxtaposes the strict traditions of the English aristocracy with the amazing opportunities of a bustling, vibrant and energetic young New York City. Having only grown up only less than an hour away, this was my favorite theme of the book. The descriptions of a young New York City are very vivid, well researched and well written. You can feel the atmosphere and the hope of these people as they begin their life in the land of opportunity. It felt like I was traveling back time.

Another overriding theme was how the book explored ones identity, determination, resilience
and the courage it takes to start over. It also had another overarching theme of that of the survivors of the Titanic which is not a subject I have not found in historical fiction before. Ms. Quinn brings that emotional struggle to light in such a thought provoking personal way.

As Elinor feels at the end of the book – there can be more than one kind of happy ending. I’d definitely recommend this one and will be looking forward to seeing what Ms. Quinn has in store for us next.

I would like to thank the author, Random House Publishing – Ballentine Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

💭When I saw the time period this book takes place, I had to request it from netgalley! Learning how wealthy wives and mothers were treated in Europe during this time period blew my mind! I was captivated by this story until the very end!

✔️loveless husband
✔️mother not allowed to mother
✔️titanic
✔️building a new life under a new name in America
✔️going from riches to nothing and back up to the top
✔️making your own family with people you choose
✔️heartbreak and strength

This compelling story set around the sinking of the Titanic really captured my imagination. The hopelessness that Elinor felt as the wife of the peerage, where her every move was dictated by tradition and she had no say in the raising of her son came through so strongly. When the Titanic sank, and she survived, she saw the chance to forge a new identity for herself in New York City. Despite her background of wealth and privilege, she fought to support herself and raise her son in freedom. Her story was so inspiring and kept me engaged.

The setting was immersive. From the estate of an earl to the opulence of the Titanic, to the chaos of New York’s Lower East Side, I could picture it all.

The plot was fairly straightforward but interesting with excellent characters. I loved the friendships Elinor developed in NYC.

This was an excellent and exciting historical novel and very worth the read.

Thank you to @Netgalley, Ballantine Books, and @randomhouse for the chance to review this ARC.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this arc.

The first part of the book flew by and before I knew it I was half the way through. Elinor’s life as wife to the heir to an Earldom is cushioned with servants, couture clothes, and comforts. But she’s also stifled and not permitted to see her baby son for more than 20 minutes a day. We see Elinor losing who she is and facing a lifetime of that. If that isn’t bad enough, she discovers another secret that devastates her.

This is contrasted with the relative freedom she has during the first few days on the Titanic. The Titanic sinking though, yeah that was wrenching. Yet it gives Elinor a second chance. Elinor decides this is her opportunity to reinvent herself and see that her son has a better, and loved life, too. She debates, rethinks, hesitates, and finally goes for it. Elinor is clearly misguided, she knows she’s doing lots of wrong things but she has reasons and actual personally experienced history for why she goes ahead.

She doesn’t get off scot free though. Elinor has PTSD nightmares of the sinking, waking with the screams and cries for help of the dying Titanic passengers in her head. Yep, loads of guilt haunt Elinor. She’s thankful though that Teddy seems to have no memory of that night.

Frederick and his family had lured and deceived Elinor to believe romantic untruths then squashed her like a bug with their sneers and condescension. They subtly threatened her with accusations of madness and being incarcerated in an asylum and steamrolled her personality to get her to fit in. Frederick had emotionally hurt Elinor in an additional way that I guessed. Elinor has so many reasons to hate this family. I’m torn about a scene which shows Elinor that Frederick feels the full, crushing weight of the thirteen generations that he’s trying to uphold. Maybe it makes Frederick not quite the total asshole.

Wow does Elinor get a wakeup call about her privilege in NYC. She might be scorned by the aristos in England but she was raised with wealth and advantages that these immigrants in NYC can’t even conceive of. Good on Elinor that she realizes this, pays attention to fit in, and dives into learning how to survive and contribute her fair share. It makes her feel good to be using her brain and talents again and earning her own money.

Elinor and Teddy also find something else in the cramped apartment – a family who takes them in without question and shares what little they have without hesitation. Though she tries to avoid telling any more lies than she has already done, there are times when Molly’s aunt talks about the family back in England and confides things to Elinor, who feels even guiltier.

Elinor has a real fear that her in-laws could discover Teddy’s alive and use their money to find him and snatch him away. When the possibility finally arrived, I worried about what she’d be tempted to do. There’s one final challenge when all might be lost. I was holding my breath again but Elinor remembers the negotiating skills her father had taught her and goes for broke.

I think this book is a testament to grit and determination. It’s filled with strong women who decide to change their own lives, reaching for the promise of a place that doesn’t hold people back but lets them dream for themselves and their children. I like that Elinor has to face some consequences because yes, she’s not totally innocent even if she’s got excellent reasons to do what she does. But as another woman who faced down her fears tells her “you are a strong young woman; you don’t run from things that frighten you.” B

An intriguing story about a woman who opts out and finds herself. Elinor is shocked when she discovers that her father-the Cotton King- more or less sold her to her husband's aristocratic but financially strapped family. And she's even more shocked by how the family raises children, seeing them for only 20 minutes a day. SO a trip on the Titanic becomes a chance to take her son and become someone else when she assumes the identity of the woman she hired to be her maid. Elinor is lucky, really lucky, to be accepted by Ruth and Anna, to have a place to live, and work to do. But there's always a specter out there. No spoilers from me. If I have quibbles it's that this is pretty rosy for Elinor, whose fears (while legit) become repetitive. That said, this is a page turner and I was rooting for her. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Good storytelling makes for a good read of historical fiction.

Although attempting to escape one's life and become someone else may be a tried-and-true plot device, this book gives the idea a new and exciting spin with its connection to the actual historical events of the sinking of the Titanic. It has a strong heroine who is easy to root for. Her driving motivation for everything she does is her overwhelming love for and devotion to her son, which makes her quite relatable. There are also plenty of warm and lovely found-family vibes between Elinor and the family that unknowingly take her in believing she is one of their actual family members. All in all, it's a beautiful touching story.

This was a well-written and descriptive novel about the elite class in Europe at the turn of the century. Similar to the movie Titanic and what Roses´ life would have turned out to be... the main character Elinor Coombs is swindled into marrying a man so he could keep his estate, and use her for her family´s money. It is no spoiler that the Titanic sunk, but Elinor then takes it upon herself to free herself and her son and make a new life in NYC. This historical fiction novel dives into what life was like for immigrants at the turn of the century and gives readers a glimpse of what Roses´ life possibly turned out to be after the movie.

Elinor appears to have a charmed life: the daughter of a self made cotton king who has been allowed education and input into her father's business. Her mother died when she was young, leaving Elinor and her father together. They appear to be devoted to each other and when Elinor receives a proposal from landed gentry, they both decide that this is what Elinor's future should be.

Elinor, who naively thought she married for love, soon finds that it was her fortune that her husband's family wanted. She tries to fit in and be who they want her to be but it is a struggle. She has her first child, Teddy, and finds out that how she wants to raise him is not how the Coombes family wants to raise him. Enter her father's gift of tickets on the Titanic: one for Elinor, her husband, Teddy and her father. Of course we all know how the Titanic ends.

While in the process of boarding the Titanic, Elinor's maid refuses to get on. Enter Molly, a maid who is heading to her extended family for a new life. Elinor and Teddy make it on a lifeboat but the rest do not. Elinor is confronted with the choice of taking on Molly's identity and disappearing in New York with her son Teddy. She finds herself a new family and makes a life for herself and Teddy that is more in keeping with what she desired.

I enjoyed Elinor and found her can-do attitude fit her story very well. It was an enjoyable story!

Frances Quinn’s latest historical fiction, The Lost Passenger, is set in the Edwardian Era. The story is told from the POV of the main character, Elinor Coombes. She marries minor royalty only to find that all her husband wanted was her dowry and her fertility.

I found myself immersed in the Elinor’s downtrodden life; she is a bit of prisoner in her in-laws manor. Her every move critiqued, and her access to her son limited. I completely empathized with Elinor’s disheartened state. It was completely understandable that she would jump at the chance to journey on the Titanic with her sone, Teddy. That would have been a big dose of freedom in addition to a grand adventure. It is no spoiler that the Titanic sank en route to the USA. Elinor takes advantage of the situation, assumes the identity of a maid/nanny who did not survive, and proceeds to make a life for herself in the lower east side of New York City.

Elinor is plucky character who shows grit and determination as she transitions from British upper class to a maid living in tenement housing in NYC. About 80 percent into the story, Elinor’s past comes back to haunt her, and Elinor must dig deep and be tough to weather the situation. Sometimes I questioned her street-savviness, but I enjoyed the character none-the-less.

The writing is highly descriptive, which does slow the plot pace. The author’s representation of immigrant life in the early 1900s felt authentic. Overall, a good read for fans of historical fiction.

This book made me think about the movie Titanic and what might have happened if the movie had gone on.
I liked Elinor/Molly more as the book goes on. She was strong and determined. It’s a good story for its time period. A good read for all historical fiction fans

Elinor is the daughter of a self made man who wants the best for her. She marries into an aristocratic family who is looking for money and an heir. She realizes this after she is married. She has a son who stays with the nanny and she only sees him 20 minutes a day. Elinor longs to escape. When an opportunity comes will she escape and will she be able to pull it off if she takes the opportunity.

It's nice to read historical fiction that is not about any war. This is story of a young woman who wants more out of life. However, a woman's role is to get married and have children. This is a story of striving for a better way. And maybe money isn't the answer to everything.

Thank you to #NetGalley, @franquinn, and #BallantineBooks
#TheLostPassenger

4 historical fiction stars

This one covers a lot of ground, from London socialites to the Titanic and then off to the Lower East Side of New York.

Elinor Coombes is the daughter of a self-made man who found success with mills in England. She’s got an excellent head for business, but the class rules of the day stated that she couldn’t inherit the business. (What garbage those rules were!)

As often happened in those days, she was courted by a handsome, titled man and quickly married. She thought it was for love but discovers that his family just really needed her money and a male heir. (Again, what garbage!)

Isolated and friendless in her new marriage and home with her in-laws, Elinor is miserable. She makes everyone happy with the birth of her son but is again stymied when a nanny is brought in for full-time care with her baby. She gets 20 minutes a day with him. When she protests, the doctor threatens to have her committed. This is just how it is done, she’s told. (Again, with the garbage!)

When her father surprises Elinor with tickets for the about-to-launch Titanic ship, she jumps at the chance. She convinces her husband to go and bring their young son aboard. The section aboard the Titanic isn’t that long, and we all know how it ends. What’s different about this story is that Elinor and her son survive while the rest of her party parish, including her beloved father.

Elinor knows that if she returns to England, she will have nothing, including her son. A trust was put into place that gives her in-laws guardianship if something happens to her husband. The mother has no rights whatsoever!

It's no surprise that Elinor sees a chance to start over as a new person with a new identity. However, she has to do it by lying to the family about the person’s identity she takes and with not a cent to her name. It's quite a different lifestyle from what she had in England. But she’s happier! And she gets her son. How long will this last, though? Can she keep up the ruse?

I really enjoyed this one by a new to me author, Frances Quinn. Can’t wait to read more from her.

To say this was a refreshing change to some of the historical fiction that has been out there recently sounds a bit odd, because historical fiction in itself isn't usually a "refreshing" story. But in the sense that it was so nice not to read something based around Nazi's and camps, I enjoyed having a historical fiction that was based on a different topic and focus. This is well developed and a rich story from beginning to end. Recommend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

This just wasn’t for me. I enjoy historical fiction very much so I may do another read when it’s traditionally published.

I never anticipated that I would be so immersed in this book! Just after reading only the first few sentences, I knew I would love this book. This unforgettable historical fiction novel is centered on Elinor Coombes, a wealthy English woman who survived the unsinkable Titanic and made a life for her son and herself under the guise of another passenger’s identity.

Elinor is the daughter of a self-made English businessman. She is an avid reader and a lover of Jane Austen. Determined to marry for love, she soon is swept off her feet by an Earl, but after a shocking revelation in her wedding day, she finds herself stuck in a loveless marriage. Living out her days in despair, she is gifted a ticket by her father to travel on the seas in the new unsinkable cruise ship, the Titanic. In a tragic turn of events, her entire world is upended but only through deception can she escape her woes and start afresh in America with her young son.

Elinor is such a resilient character. In the first half of the book she moves from one woe to another. Her marriage is a sham and is crumbling right at the beginning. She is discounted because she is a woman and is not named as an heir to her father’s business. She has a tough time dealing with the prejudices of the nouveau riche in the eyes of those with with a higher title (her in-laws). She is forced to watch her son from a distance as a nanny raises him. All of these issues were thrown at her before one of the most unfortunate disasters in history. This book was undoubtedly one of the best books written surrounding the Titanic’s history. The retelling of the events as the ship goes down is chilling.

Elinor does seem to rise from the ashes , but just when we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel, the rug is pulled from under the readers in a plot twist at the very ending. This was a stellar read!


If you are a fan of the sinking of the Titanic, you will love this book.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. This review is voluntary and all thoughts are my own.

The only child of a self-made man, Elinor Coombes opts for a social climbing marriage. Her husband's titled family needs money and her own father needs the social position that she can acquire. While she hopes her husband will love her, she soon realizes that the marriage is merely financial and she is left with little that makes her happy. While crossing the ocean on the Titanic, the impending crash and rescue leaves her with an option--restart over in New York under a different name, just her and her young son. But while she is building her new life, her old life and its memories are still close at hand, threatening all she has worked for.

This was another one of my favorites so far this year. While interesting, the Titanic subplot is just the vehicle for launching Elinor's new life, the true meat of the story so to speak. Her new beginnings in New York really show what a woman had to be capable of and what a person can do when faced with that adversity. Despite being hampered by her husband' and his family, Elinor takes control of her own life when presented the opportunity, deciding that her happiness is paramount for her and her son's future.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
JUST WOW! I couldn’t put down “The Lost Passenger” by Frances Quinn. Loved the amazing twist that I never anticipated or saw coming.
Elinor Coombes gets swept away and Marty’s a man who she thinks loves her. He only married her for her father’s money. Life as a privileged woman is not as grand one would think it would be. A trip on the Titanic changes everything for Elinor.
This amazing story is about a mother’s love for her child. Elinor showed her resilience time and time again. And she did it all for her son. Many thanks to the author, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#TheLostPassenger #FrancesQuinn #NetGalley #BallantineBooks #BooksSetInNewYork #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks #BooksAboutTheTitanic

This is the story of Elinor Coombs, whose marriage to an aristocratic lord of the manor has become a fairy tale gone wrong. When Elinor gets a second chance at a meaningful life, she seizes it—and the risks that go along with it.

This gripping, well-written book is filled with incredible, lifelike detail. I absorbed it in just a few days.

I highly recommend this book and thank Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an early read in exchange for a fair review.

Elinor is a bright young lady who spends her days assisting her father in his thriving garment business. She comes from a wealthy family and has been raised with caretakers and servants. She reads a lot and believes in happily ever after book endings. She meets Fredrick Stornton and is smitten, she is immediately swept off her to feet. She quickly marries. After her wedding day, she over hears a conversation where she learns that Fredrick married her out of family obligation for her wealth. Her families wealth will sure up his families lack of resources.

Devastated that her new husband doesn’t love her and trying to hide the truth from her father, she sticks it out and tries to make the best of it. She soon has a son and he is the light of her life. Her life is controlled by the strict family upbringing of her husband and his controlling family. She is only allowed to see her son 20 minutes a day and is not aloud to spend any quality time with him.

She is desperately unhappy. Then after two years of which she has not been able to see her father, he buys her a wedding gift for a first class trip on the Titanic’s maiden voyage. Thrilled to be getting away and with the luxury of spending quality time with him, she accepts his gift. When the titanic sinks, she has an option to never return to her previous life and begin a new life in NYC under false identities for both her and her son.

Around every corner there seems to be a threat that will surely disclose her location in exchange for reward money offered by Fredrick’s family.

This is a must read. Fantastic detail along with great story telling. I really enjoyed it.

Many thanks to Ballentine Books and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this book.