A titanic adventure with a plausible story. Strong female lead who finds out her husband isn't what he seems to be. A trip on the Titanic offers a respite from his overbearing family but as tragedy strikes and a new identity ripe for the taking. Can you ever really become a new person in a new land?

I read this book as an ARC from NetGalley and loved it! Towards the end, I found myself getting very upset with Ruth and her lack of empathy, but I always find it a good sign for a book when I get that emotionally caught up with characters. Definitely a worthwhile read!

If you’re looking for a nice historical fiction “beach” read, i.e., simple plot, basic characters, no pesky subplots, predictable ending, Frances Quinn’s “The Lost Passenger” is good. Set around the inaugural—and only—sailing of the Titantic, the story weaves an interesting first-story narrative into an intriguing juxtaposition of British aristocracy to New York Irish immigration. (A minor suggestion: Don’t read the preface. It gives too much away.) Due for release in February 2025, it’s worth the read.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely devoured this book. This is one of the best historical dramas I have ever read, and I never wanted the story to end!
Our main character and narrator Elinor cannot stand her life being married to Frederick, heir to the Winterton estate. She does not like his family and just wants to be able to care for her own child. When the opportunity to sail on the maiden voyage of the Titanic comes up, Elinor takes it and joins her father, husband, and child aboard the ship. Things don't go as planned and she ends up assuming the identity of a deceased woman to make a new life for herself in New York.
Now that's just the bare bones storyline right there. So much more happens - the suspense that the author creates is stellar and really gives the story a life of its own.
I loved how strong of a character Elinor is. I loved that she was placed in difficult situations and handled them all with grace. She tried so hard to stick to her morals and make appropriate sacrifices for her and her child. Her willpower really stood out to me, and I wish I was as brave as her!
Now, if you're looking for a story based solely around the Titanic, you won't find that here as the Titanic really is just used as a means to get Elinor to America - but it's still present and I enjoyed it. (If you know me, you know I love learning about the Titanic - the historical event, not the movie.) Elinor's story before and after the Titanic is really what makes this book a standout.
If you're looking for a feel-good story that includes family drama and a strong female character willing to do anything to protect her child, you will love this book. I adored it, and I feel so inspired to follow my dreams now!

Elinor, the intelligent and romantic daughter of the "cotton
king" comes from wealth, but not class. When she meets and
has a quick romance with a titled young man, she finds herself
married and expected to be the lady of an estate. She realizes
she has a lot to learn, but is up for the task. Later, as she travels
across the Atlantic on the Titanic's maiden voyage, her life
changes drastically once again. This novel has a mix of the feel
of Downtown Abbey, a Titanic disaster, and a Lower East Side
immigrant story. Even though that may seem like too much for
one novel, it wasn't, and I was engrossed in Elinor's story. I wish
I could have connected with Elinor a bit more, but regardless, it
was an enjoyable read.

I received a ARC for the review of this book; This was a story I could get behind. Enviable wealth that was missing the one thing money can’t buy, love! Add a dash of historical Titanic nostalgia and yoiuve got a recipe for a great read.
I was drawn in by the sad tale of this sweet girl who thought she might be married for a hint of interest and love. Realizing she has been pulled in to a grand ruse for her fathers money in to a cold and uninterested family we watch as she becomes sad and bleak as anyone would when you realize you have no allies.
While as a modern reader I know a “trip on the titanic” is never going to end they way the book character might hope you could see this might lead us to a new world, but how could she pull off all of the deception.
Elinor uses all of her gumption and drive that her working class father used to elevate his family to a wealthier class of life. She takes on an other identity and assumes her persona to escape her prison and be set free to a new life in America.
I admire that she embraces what would have been a very serious life style change and adopts Thai new family as her own. You’re cheering for her.
I don’t want to spoil the ending but you knew that something from the past would come forward to haunt her potential freedom and the irony of where it came from was very poetic.
Part of me feels that this is a coming of age story where a women learns to be a grown up and take charge of her life (and in a time when women’s were not exactly encouraged to take charge for their lives).
I enjoyed it highly and recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.
This story was extraordinary in its depiction of a mother's love and determination to succeed at an extremely difficult time for women.
Quinn's ability to weave the story through such powerful characters is remarkable!
Elinor is a naive young woman raised by her wealthy father who believes that she is marrying for love. She is belittled by her unfaithful husband and his family. Even the birth of her son doesn't help as she is allowed so little time with him and no decision making in his life.
Her father offers her little family a trip on the Titanic which results in tragedy but provides her with an opportunity to start a new life if she can disappear from her old world.
Watching the evolution of Elinore, the love for her son and her shear spunk was extremely enjoyable. This is a do not miss for fans of historical fiction and the Titanic. Quinn addresees what it was like for the survivors of this tragedy in a way that is honest and profound.
I highly recommend The Lost Passenger and look forward to Quinn's future books! Enjoy!!

This was a fascinating historical drama with ties to the tragic events that occurred on the Titanic. While I initially thought aspects would be predictable, I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t what I thought it would be. This book follows Elinor, a young woman who marries a man of a higher social class. She has to learn the norms of her new family and is miserable. Her husband, son, and father all set sail on the Titanic and after the tragic events, she has a hard decision to make to save her and her son. I love her resilience and ability to overcome challenges. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC.

This one was REALLY good.
The Titanic has always been a topic of interest for me. The author does a great job painting a picture of a naive but witty young woman falling for a marriage-for-money scheme in the early 1900’s. I found her point of view very endearing and had great sympathy for her when she found out she was duped by her husband who only saw her as a meal ticket and means of producing an heir while he maintained an affair with a childhood friend. Also, talk about in-laws from hell!
When the narrator’s father gets tickets for her small family, himself, and two “help” on the maiden voyage of the Titanic, the narrator sees her chance to spend time with her son who had been kept from her with accusations of hysteria (for wanting to be close to her son). She twists her husbands arm by threatening to expose the affair so he goes along with it. She is making the most of her time on the ship when the iceberg hits… she and her son makes it out but no one else from her party, including a new maid who filled in on the ship, make it out alive.
Knowing her life would be hell and her son taken from her to live a formal, loveless life of empty duties if she returned to England, she decides to take on the nursemaids identity and seek out her family in the US. She bore enough resemblance and they didn’t have any easy way of verifying her identity. They accepted her as their long lost niece and cousin and the question posed is… can she keep up the charade? And does she have the heart to lie, knowing the hurt she is causing?

A great read! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

With every book, you never know exactly what to expect. It’s like walking solo into a party full of strangers and hoping that you’ll have a good time. This was delightfully written with such ease I wanted to read another 300 pages or more.

When a book starts about an unsinkable ship, it has to be a reference to the Titanic. We remember it from the movie and I figured it would be predictable. However, it was like life when: “I never thought this would happen.” There were so many times I wanted to give Emily a hug for her strength along with her adorable son, Teddy. They encountered so much from England to America where immigrants were once welcomed.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author and won’t be the last. The story was filled with meaningful history for those trying to survive without running water and a comfortable bathroom. It came with the true meaning of a beloved family with its ups and downs. It’s a book where everyone can come away with good thoughts.

My thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of February 25, 2025.

I was graciously given an advanced copy of The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn on NetGalley from Ballantine Books and I loved it.
In short, this book is a historical fiction novel about a British headstrong woman who becomes trapped in a ‘high society’ marriage and is looking for a way to escape. Her father gives her and her and her little family first class tickets aboard the much anticipated first voyage of the Titanic. We all know what happened on that dreadful day to the Titanic, but what happens after?
I am always a little weary at reading books about the sinking of the Titanic just because I feel like it can be overdone and boring. While the events of the Titanic play a large part in this story, that is not the whole story, its mostly a catalyst for the main character’s journey.
As a woman and as a mom I can greatly relate to the main character. There are so many things about high society at the turn of the century that I never really put much thought into. High Society seems great, but was it? And how far would you go to protect your values and build the life for your child?

If you had the chance to escape from the terrible but luxurious life you were leading, would you give up everything (save your child) and to start over and live a completely different life? This book is a story of strength and resilience, and shows how far a mother’s love can go when faced with dire circumstances. I enjoyed the story line and the characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for my advance reader copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

Frances Quinn’s The Lost Passenger is a compelling tale of resilience, reinvention, and the strength of a mother’s love. From the opening line, I was hooked. The novel masterfully blends elements of mystery, history, and familial love, keeping me captivated until the very end.

The story follows Elinor, a young woman who marries for what she believes is love, only to discover she has been deceived. Trapped in a loveless marriage and denied a meaningful relationship with her son, she boards the Titanic with her family. When tragedy strikes and Elinor and her son become the sole survivors, she seizes the opportunity to rewrite her destiny. Under an assumed identity, she starts a new life with a family that offers her love and purpose. But the past is never far behind, and the truth threatens to unravel her hard-earned happiness.

Elinor is a standout protagonist—fierce, resourceful, and deeply human. Her journey of heartbreak, redemption, and self-discovery is both inspiring and heart-wrenching. The relationships she builds, particularly the maternal bond and her connection with her newfound family, are beautifully rendered.

The novel’s historical backdrop adds richness to the narrative, while the tension and unfolding mystery keep the pages turning. Quinn’s writing is evocative, drawing you into both the grandeur of the Titanic and the quiet struggles of Elinor’s new life.

The Lost Passenger is more than a survival story; it’s a testament to the power of starting over and finding love in unexpected places. Fans of historical fiction and emotional, character-driven narratives will find much to adore here. Highly recommended!

Thursday, December 5, 2024
The Lost Passengers
I think I've read every book written about the unsinkable ship , the Titanic. I love this book from the beginning. I keep in intrigued and really pulled me into the story! Though the book was extremely sad you will see the strength and love in the end. The character were well written along with the storyline. I highly recommend this book to you who like the Titanic and a great story.

I received this complimentary copy from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

If you had the chance to change your fate by disappearing and impersonating a dead woman, would you take it? This was the choice Elinor had to make when she was saved from the Titanic disaster but her maid was among the missing.
Elinor Haywood Coombes, wife of the heir to the Storton title, was tricked into a very unhappy marriage. Like many British castles, the Coombs estate and grand house were way too expensive to maintain by those who didn't work, so marrying into money was often their solution. When Frederick hastily asked Elinor, daughter of a rich dealer in fabrics to marry him, she thought it was very romantic, like her Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte novels. But she had been tricked-the only things Lord and Lady Storton wanted were her dowry and a male heir. When she had her baby, the family signed a legal document that if anything happened to Frederick, they would assume legal guardianship, leaving Elinor to abandon her son-this was intolerable. Frederick had also admitted that he was in love with Elinor's best friend and had been since they were children but she could not inherit, so they were unable to marry.
Elinor's father, two years earlier, had bought tickets for himself, Elinor, Frederick and their servants, on the maiden voyage of the Titanic. When their son Teddy was two, they all went on the boat-it was the first time she had seen her father since the wedding and his first chance to meet his grandson. Her maid servant refused to board the boat and luckily, a woman moving to New York to live with her cousin, agreed to be her new maid and take care of Teddy-her name was Molly Mortimer. She was lost in the Titanic tragedy, as were Elinor's father and husband, but Elinor and Teddy were saved in a lifeboat- what would she do now?
This was a great set-up for "Molly's" new life as an immigrant to America, where staid rules no longer apply and with hard work and some luck you have a chance to thrive. Of course, she has many obstacles to overcome-she has to convince her new family that she was their relative and make sure no one connected her to her old life. The story had a few unlikely coincidences, but I chalked that up to "truth is stranger than fiction", and they were necessary to driving the plot. I see this novel as a good book discussion title, as there are many issues to talk about; migration to New York's Lower East Side and its hardships, complicated British inheritance laws, and the Titanic and its aftermath. A good historical novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. All opinions stated are my own.
One hundred twelve years on, and we are all still obsessed with the Titanic. Long after the last survivor has perished, we are watching ill-fated dive attempts, plans to recreate the ship, and attending exhibitions of scavenged items from the ocean floor.
Personally, I will always pick up a titanic themed novel and will likely visit any museum available, so that’s where we start.
This is a novel of what might have been for a survivor seeking a chance to start anew. So many on that ship were going to America to escape something, or someone, and going to find a new life. But what if that someone was a woman of substantial wealth and privilege? We meet Elinor who is in a bad marriage and unwelcoming home. When she has the opportunity to become someone else to ‘save’ her some from the same fate as her husband, she takes it. But does she fully escape?
This book is really well paced and kept my interest throughout. The time on the titanic is relatively short but that’s not the story. I never found any of it to be overburdened with language or bad pacing. Elinor was flawed but you still root for her. There’s a tension in the air that keeps you page turning right until the last page. I’ve read so many books that fell so flat but I thought this one was really well done and captured my imagination.
4 solid stars. Well done.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6939299923

Sorry can't finish this book. I am at the part where she has had a baby and is fighting to get to see it. They are telling her she is crazy and I just can't read any more. I'm sorry. The book wasn't that interesting to me before that but I'm not going to continue. Sorry.

This book started sad, continued sad and after some more sad had a sliver of happy? It was fairly predictable, minus the last character that shows up, I kept waiting for the person she impersonated to show up, but she didn’t so that’s a plus, I will say, the plot kept me engaged and that’s why I actually finished it, however, this was a depressing story, and I didn’t particularly enjoy reading it. I kept waiting for a certain character to come back, but it ended up being someone else. Idk, what to think, but I guess I was just hoping for more. Also, I think my biggest problem was the writing didn’t flow and the voice was disjointed? If that makes sense??

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC

See my full review at https://michelleardillo.com/2024/12/01/book-review-the-lost-passenger-by-frances-quinn/.

This was a wonder read. Full of history (I learned some new things about my beloved hometown of NYC in the early 20th century)) featuring the doomed voyage of the Titanic, I was captivated from page one. Frances Quinn had me rooting for our heroine and filled with tension as to her future! If you love historical fiction. You’ll adore this! Highly recommended!