Anything Titanic-themed? Count me in, and this novel exceeded my expectations! This beautifully crafted historical fiction brought to life the resilience and courage of its main character, whose journey to independence was both inspiring and heart-wrenching. Set against the backdrop of the Titanic disaster, it vividly portrays the challenges faced by women of the era, reminding readers that wealth doesn’t equate to happiness or freedom. The tension, survival, and unwavering will to persevere kept me gripped to the very end. A must-read for any historical fiction fan looking for a fresh perspective on this iconic tragedy.

I have read several books based on the sinking of the Titanic but this is definitely one of the best. The main character starts out as a young naive girl but grows into a strong self sufficient woman. Due to a confining situation after marriage to an Earl's son she decided to take on a different identity after the sinking of the Titanic and stay in NewYork and make a life for herself and her son instead of returning to England. Her husband went down with the ship so had she went back to England her son would've been brought up by her in-laws in a way she didn't approve of. Her life in New York was difficult but turned out for the best.
Thanks to the author and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this really good book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Elinor grew up sheltered and trapped in a fictional fairytale world. She had no mother to guide her and teach her the ways of the world. Her father, the "Cotton King," taught her about the business world, but this didn't do her much good, as a woman in her time and culture wasn't taken seriously in business anyway. She ended up married to a cash-poor earl's son who needed her daddy's millions to keep his money pit of a crumbling castle standing. Her husband didn't really love her, wasn't faithful, her in-laws were dreadful, she was kept away from her beloved father (who financed the whole thing), and she barely got any time to spend with her son. So, when the Titanic sank and she was presumed dead, I really couldn't blame her for taking the opportunity to start a new life in New York.

Elinor assumes the identity of lady's maid Molly, and tells a series of whoppers in order to live and work with Molly's relatives in New York. For a while, she gets away with it, but she's always looking over her shoulder and wondering if she will eventually be trapped by her web of lies.

I loved the character development in this book, the creation of atmosphere in the time and place, the relationships, and the tension. I recommend this book to fans of Downton Abbey, and fans of other period and class dramas.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for providing a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Last Passenger involves a young woman – Elinor, who grew up in England. Her father owned a successful business that she would love to take over someday but because she’s not a male, that’s not possible. She begins to attend balls in hopes of attracting a beau and when she finally does and marries him, she finds out that the family just wanted her for her father’s money to shore up their estate that’s been in the family for years and for her to produce an heir. The husband doesn’t love her and makes no qualms about it.

Her father had promised her that when the Titanic was completed, the family would take the first voyage on it. Of course, we all know the story of the Titanic sinking. Elinor and her son survive. She decides to take on her maid’s name – Molly and go live with Molly’s family so that she can raise her son in peace and not go back to England and live with her horrible in-laws. Because Molly’s family had never met Molly, she was able to assume her identify.

I felt like I had read the story in another book or maybe I read too many books with the same plot line. In any case, it’s a lovely story and worth reading.

3.5 stars 🌟 This historical fiction novel set in the era of the Titanic gives Downton Abbey and Jane Austen vibes. Elinor comes from a wealthy family and marries into English nobility. She realizes on her wedding day that this was strictly for the financial gain of her husband's family. Trapped in a loveless marriage with a controlling family, Elinor's family gets invited by her father to travel first class on the Titanic. We know what happens to the Titanic. She uses the tragedy to claim a new life for herself in America. This is a story that not only gives insight into what it means to be a survivor but of resilience and the courage to create your own life story. It sheds light on class and that wealth doesn't always equate to happiness. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but the pacing is slow at times and somewhat repetitive in the middle.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Frances Quinn for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked the writing and the story. I think there is more depth with the characters than I was expecting but I loved how I could connect to them.

Elinor is true example of what it means to survive. How to survive in a marriage of convenience, how to survive the Titanic sinking and losing it all, How to come out of the wreckage and make a new life for her and her son. I think Elinor's story really shows how life has seasons and surviving those lows, make the best parts come to fruition.

It's a poignant story about different levels of tragedy and how to live through it. I truly enjoyed this book and recommend it.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the eARC.

This book was really engaging. I loved the backstory of the relationship between the couple. I also loved the fierceness of the main character and watching her grow from an impressionable naive girl to a very resourceful and indecent woman.

I also loved the theme of caring for others even if the are not family. It was aiso quite fitting that the huge department store was the end result of the main character’s journey.

Elinor sees an opportunity to start a new life when the Titanic sinks and she survives. Leaving a controlling aristocratic family behind, she creates a new life for herself and her son in New York. Secrets abound. A good story. I’m always drawn to books about the Titanic.

Frances Quinn skillfully creates a micro world in lower New York that exists in the shadow of the Titanic disaster of 1912, yet is not fully defined by it. It is difficult to achieve a successful novel that contains the sinking of the Titanic without making it a cliche, but Quinn has done so. The historic details of New York in this period are meticulously presented and immerse the reader fully into the new world of the woman at irs center, the lost passenger.

I thought this was a truly amazing book. There were so many strong characters. The author gave me an actual dislike for ‘the bad guys’ and pride for ‘the good guys’. There are so many Titanic themed books but I think this one will stand out to me for quite a while. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this and provide my honest opinion

It’s a great story of survival and learning to cope with some of life’s most difficult circumstances. It’s also a story of how a woman reclaims her power and sense of self.

Thank you to Netgalley and Frances Quinn for the chance to review this ARC copy. This historical novel, set before, during, and after the sinking of the Titanic was a gripping read. A tale of a mother who has to make impossible choices, this book had me on the edge of my seat. The characters and plot were well-written, historical facts were well provided, and it was an interesting point of view on a different take on this story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

I very much enjoyed this book, even though it felt like the storylines from before and after the sinking made it feel like two entirely different books. I thought the characters were well fleshed out and found myself really rooting for Elinor. It painted a vivid picture of life on the Lower East Side in the early 1900's. My main criticism is that the ending was far too neat. While I wanted a happy ending for Elinor, it just didn't seem plausible that everything fell into place the way it did and that all obstacles she faced were so quickly resolved.

I loved everything about this book. The beginning was all English society. Women treated like pawns in the marriage game. It’s really sad to think how women were looked at back then. They could not have a say in anything. If they wanted something “unusual” they were deemed ill. Based off some other reviews I read, some people thought the beginning of Elinor’s backstory was too long and drawn out but I disagree. I liked all of the background story before they got onto the Titanic. Without it, Elinor’s choices further into the book wouldn’t make as much sense.
I loved the part of the book when they were on the ship. I wish that part was explained more and a bit longer because I love Titanic stories. Even so, it was written very well. Such a timeless tragedy. The author really made me imagine what it would have been like to be in Elinor’s position the night the ship went down.
When she got off the ship it was a great story about a woman seeing an opportunity to change her life for her and her son. A beautiful story about a woman seeking independence after a tragedy and life in a bubble.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this advanced copy.

This book was a delight from start to finish. It's an interesting story of how one women fights for her place in a world where the odds are stacked against her. I love how the book paints a picture of how a happy ending can be different for everyone.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. I had a hard time putting this book down because I wanted to know what would happen next. Of course we all know the story of the Titanic, but what if you wanted to change the direction of your life due to it sinking? That's the choice faced by Elinor when she has to quickly decide to go forward or backwards.

a young mother fakes her death on the Titanic and relocates her and her son to New York. very good historical book.

WoW! What an unexpectedly wonderful story!

I want to thank the publisher for the privilege of reading this pre-publication for my honest review- which is so easy to provide because I was enthralled with this book!

At its core this is another version of a “Titanic” novel, but it is also so much much more! The plot is unique. The daughter of a wealthy mill owner marries an Earl only to discover that that the man was not in love with her, but married her for her father’s wealth which helps his family hold on to their familial home and keeps the Earldom alive and the family manse sound and staffed. The Earl’s family sets about changing all of the “lower class” elements of Elinor’s character - her less than perfect accent and diction, her wardrobe, her manners, her ambitions. When she gives birth to a son they set about preparing him to eventually be lord of the manor - which will entail sending him off to private boarding school at age 7 because that is simply what must be done. She is allowed only 20 minutes a day to care for her sin by herself - otherwise he is placed in the care of a nanny.

Her new family will not invite her adored father to their mansion for visits because they consider him too gauche. When “the cotton king” (her father) offers to buy Elinor, her husband and their son tickets to join him for the Titanic’s maiden voyage to New York, Elinors accepts as a way to escape her new but unhappy life. She and her husband and son will sail with her father enabling her to spend some much needed time with her father as he gets to know her son.

Of course, the Titanic’s destiny is all too well known. Elinor and her son, Teddy, are placed in a life raft. Her husband, and father will follow in another boat when they locate Elinor’s hired lady’s maid who had tuned back to retrieve her savings from their cabin. As fate would have it none of them survived. Elinor is faced with a choice. she can return to her loathsome existence in England where her son will be reared more by her in-laws than by her or she can assume the identity of her lost maid and begin her life anew in New York. This is what she decides on…..which makes for an amazing story of grit, resilience, ambition and friendship that may knock your socks off as it did mine.

The plot is delicious : a new, unique, Titanic story. The characters are beautifully developed and the reader will find themselves cheering Elinor on as she works to make a new life for herself and her son. She finds her strength, her ambition, her talents and a new family in New York. Each character is so believable!

I could say so much more but it would most likely sound like hyperbole and anything more might also divulge too much……and spoil the reading. I loved this book and will be looking for more from this gifted author!

"The Lost Passenger" is an intriguing historical fiction book about the Titanic tragedy. I loved reading about Elinor's journey in the book. Her resilience, strength as a mother, ability to make fast decisions, and fight to become independent and find the "American dream" were truly inspiring.

The first half of the book gives readers a better look at British aristocracy and how it affects different types of people, which I found interesting. The second half of the book focuses on Elinor’s life as Molly in New York. Some parts of that section were not fleshed out completely, but I thought the stolen identity plot was believable when I researched that many people boarded the ship with stolen passports. I still could not believe Molly's family believed Elinor immediately.

I thought the portrayal of the Titanic was well-balanced. The reader could feel the pain and the sense of the unknown, while also understanding how the tragedy impacted Elinor. The tragedy played an important role in the book, and I truly enjoyed reading it. I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Thank to NetGallery and to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for my copy of the book.

As a lover of historical fiction I really enjoyed this book. The setting of England and New York in the early 1900’s was so interesting. Reading about the rich British society and their strict hierarchy about keeping their wealth in the family was not new but still intriguing. The story of the Titanic was well done and played well into the book. I also loved the characters, especially Elinor and how she used her strength and grit to get what she wanted. This would make a great movie!
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the ARC!