This Titanic-inspired drama had an intriguing premise—reinventing yourself after a tragedy and seizing freedom in the wake of loss—but the execution didn’t quite deliver on the emotional stakes. Elinor’s story had compelling moments, especially her decision to disappear and forge a new life for her son, but some plot points felt overly convenient or rushed, and the tension fizzled in key moments.

Still, the historical setting was vivid, and the novel offered an interesting look at the class constraints of the time and the cost of survival. A solid read if you enjoy character-driven historical fiction with a twist of reinvention.

Such a great historical novel! The life of wealthy Elinor was presented in such a way that, despite her privilege, the reader felt sorry for her lot in life. When she saw the chance to change her future after surviving the Titanic disaster, she took it. Her humility and appreciation for what she now had, and not what she lost, was palpable.

The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn

Review:

The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn is an immersive and engaging Historical Fiction Novel that captured my interest and imagination within the first few pages. The author did a beautiful job of capturing the challenges of being a woman in a time when aristocratic tradition, customs, practices, and values of the wealthy, social elite dictated a woman’s decisions and future happiness.

I loved the story of Elinor Coombes, and the unfolding of her journey from being a woman with no voice and little control to one who is able to forge a new future for herself and her young son with strength and fortitude.

Elinor joins her father, husband and son, Teddy, on the Titanic’s maiden voyage to America. Trapped in a loveless marriage and having to endure the cold atmosphere and huge constraints placed upon her and her son in the ancestral home of her husband, Elinor is only too happy to embark on the transatlantic trip across the ocean.

When the ship goes down and Elinor and Teddy are the only survivors of her traveling group, Elinor makes a life altering decision to assume the identity of someone else thought to have died on the ship. What unfolds is a story of how Elinor’s indomitable spirit persists despite a future that is challenging and wrought with danger, adversity and the ever-present threat of her great secret unraveling. Despite everything, Elinor knows that this second chance at a life of happiness with her son, is a gift and she does everything to ensure that Teddy’s future is secure and happy.

She opens her heart to a generous, giving and hard working family who take her and Teddy under their wing, who share their meager amenities and home with them while they get their life on track following the disaster of the sinking of the Titanic. Elinor uses her creativity, verve, and tenacity to start a new career for herself and provide for her and her son, while becoming more and more a true member of the new family she has in Ruth, Per, their children, and Anna. I loved their characters and enjoyed the build up of Elinor and Teddy becoming like one of their own. They extended unconditional love, support and comfort to Elinor and Teddy and that allowed Elinor to find herself and realize her own sense of value, strength, and independence.

I appreciated the themes of love, friendship, finding one’s strengths through hardship and overcoming adversity through the security and comfort of people who love you, that wove throughout the story.

The Lost Passenger is a keeper for me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I’d like to thank Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC of this wonderful novel.

3.5 stars!
I devoured the first half of this book! The story was giving Princess Diana- trapped in nobility like a puppet to be used for an heir and a spare. I loved every bit of it and wished that portion of the book had lasted longer. Once the plot came to the Titanic portion, the pace really slowed down and I had a hard time staying interested.
I would definitely read this author again and would recommend to anyone who loves historical fiction or has an interest in the Titanic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

The cover of this book doesn’t do it justice. I kept putting off reading this book because of the cover, but when I finally did read it I loved it. This book had me hooked from beginning to end. This book is a survival story and asks the question what would you do to escape a bad situation.

Elinor has to accept that her life isn't like the books she reads. Her husband only married her for her money and then proceeded to school her in the ways that marriages like theirs would work.
Heartache is all Elinor has until she sails on the Titanic and realizes she has an out.
I liked the time on the Titanic the best because I've always been fascinated by the story.
I like Elinor's pluck and determination but I did wonder if she ever told her son the truth about his background.

With her head filled with novel love stories, Elinor Coombes marries into an aristocratic English family only to find herself valued more for her father’s fortune than for love. She is quickly confined by rigid social rules, which keep her from her infant son. A gift of Titanic tickets offers a brief escape. When the ship sinks, Elinor seizes the chance to flee her old life and takes on the life and name of a dead woman.

This was a sad tale. While I liked Elinor at the start, I was amazed just how quickly she fell for the man who was to be her husband. I thought her father, who was supposed to be a renowned businessman, would have seen the danger. While I sympathised with her situation, it felt as though she made no attempt to be anything except miserable, which feels awful to say.

The second half of the novel was more interesting. I liked seeing her try to make something of herself and make mistakes in a life she knew nothing about. The tension of the secret she kept was palpable. I enjoyed it much more than the set up.

Overall, it was an interesting read. Those looking for a novel set around the Titanic tragedy will enjoy this one.

I throughly enjoyed this book. I loved how it was all encompassing of Elinor’s life and her journey before and after the Titanic.

This book made me really admire the choices she made and had me wondering what I would have done if I were in her position.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the early ebook of “The Lost Passenger” by Frances Quinn!! This was a great historical fiction novel of a woman who takes advantage of the sinking of the Titanic to make her escape, along with her small son, from her wealthy but abusive husband. Without providing spoilers, Elinor’s struggles to make her way while avoiding detection from anyone from her past life offer many challenges- both expected and unanticipated! While definitely historical fiction this has some thriller-type twists!This was a 4-star read for me and I would highly recommend!! Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ebook! #The LostPassenger #NetGalley

Elinor Coombes has a seemingly perfect life. She's married the heir to an earldom and has more that most people could wish for. But she is miserable in her life. She doesn't have real love and her in laws are keeping her son from spending any real time with him. When her father offers them the chance of a lifetime to sail on the Titanic's maiden voyage, Elinor jumps at the chance to get away for a little and get some much needed one on one time with her son. When the Titanic goes down, Elinor and her son survive on a lifeboat. When they reach New York, Elinor sees a chance at a new life. If she can keep her identity hidden, she can start over. She will always be looking over her shoulder, but it's worth it for a chance at real happiness.

This story is entirely original and so well written. I loved Quinn's storytelling and character development. There were so many threads that tied together beautifully. Highly recommend as a historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC The Lost Passenger.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

The premise of this book is great: a passenger who survives the Titanic decides to take on a new identity and start a new life. The storytelling and writing is great. However, much of the first part of the book is backstory, chronicling how the heroine got roped into marrying into the British aristocracy. She claimed to not know that the earl's son was mostly interested in her father's money, but this fell flat for me. According to Edith Wharton's The Buccaneers, Downton Abbey, and other books and films many of us have seen, it was very common for aristocracy to marry rich young ladies mostly for their money.

I wish this book had dealt more with the premise of the heroine on the Titanic and the aftermath of her survival at the onset, but overall, this was a pretty good book.

The Lost Passenger is a wonderfully written historical novel that tells a story of betrayal, survival, second chances, and finding our own way.

After Elinor marries Frederick, she learns he tricked her into marriage for her money. After the birth of her son, she learns he will be raised by a nanny and she will be limited in her time with him.

Elinor’s father had promised to take her on the maiden voyage of the Titanic so the entire family, Elinor, Frederick and their son Teddy join him. While the family enjoyed the trip, history tells us the ending. The author described the ship and its opulence well.

Elinor and Teddy survived the trip but her father, husband and maid did not. Elinor knew if she returned to England, Frederick’s family would take her child from her so she took on the name of her maid and started a new life in New York.

The determination of Elinor to make a new life for herself and her child made for a gripping story.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed The Lost Passenger. While it was a little repetitive and a little too convenient at times, the overall story and message of the power of love and affection was truly moving and transportive.

Some of the things that I really loved:
The relationship between Elinor and her father and how their connection led to Elinor’s ability to run her own cart and eventually open her own shop in New York and passing that on to Teddy.
The amazing cast of size characters - Ruth, Anna, and Per are so welcoming and supportive of Elinor even at the end when they knew she lied to them.
The detail surrounding the Titanic was so immersive. It’s clear that Frances Quinn did a lot of research because it was so detailed, I felt like I was transported.

Thank you so much to Dell/Random House and NetGalley for the eArc.

I enjoy books centered around the Titanic so this was a pleasant read but it wasn’t different from other books about the Titanic. While I felt for Elinor and how trapped she became in her life and marriage, the taking of someone else’s identity to escape is not new but I did like how she used her skills from life with her dad to start her new life. I was intrigued by all the characters and found Elinor’s strength and determination to forge her own path inspiring. Overall, an enjoyable read.

Thank you, NetGalley, Frances Quinn, and Ballantine Books for this eARC!

I've always loved reading anything and everything about the Titanic, and this was no exception! This was such an interesting take on a well-known topic, and it definitely kept my interest throughout.

This is one of those stories you read and you think, what an amazing concept! And then, as doesn't always happen, the author completely delivers on the promise you felt when you read the publishers summary. Go ahead, read it now, I'll wait, because I don't want to rehash that.

Quinn performs a feat I love to see in historical fiction, she takes an event that we think we know so much about, and then, she surprises us with an entirely novel take on it. An empowering story about imperfect people doing their best to survive in this very imperfect world.

I loved every single page of this gripping story! Elinor felt so real that I found myself thinking about her and the characters in her life as if they were real people.
I've read other books that involved the Titanic, but this story, through Elinor's eyes, felt even more detailed and in-the-moment. All the subplots were interesting in themselves and the newfound family Elinor embraces once she arrives in New York was especially heartwarming.
Enjoyed this historical fiction book from beginning to end! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this must-read book. Loved it.

I enjoyed this book about a woman who escapes the sinking of the Titanic and starts a new life for herself. The story is well thought out, I cared about the narrator and her situation. The writing was slightly pedestrian - nothing special but perfectly satisfactory, and I would recommend this to readers of historical fiction.

This is definitely one of my favorite books this year! I loved the story and how it developed so effortlessly.