A beautifully layered, emotionally resonant story set aboard the Titanic — one that lingers long after the final page.

I truly loved this book. It’s more than just a Titanic story — it’s a story about women, about quiet strength, impossible choices, and the courage it takes to reclaim your own life when the world is asking you to give it up.

From the very first chapter, I was drawn into the emotional journeys of Hannah and Louisa. Hannah’s storyline especially resonated with me — her quiet desperation, her attempts to hold together a marriage already splintered, and the burden of secrets she can’t share. And Louisa? Bold, idealistic, and defiant in the face of societal expectation — I admired her spirit. Watching these two women confront impossible decisions as the ship sails toward disaster was both heart-wrenching and deeply moving.

What I appreciated most was that this isn’t a disaster novel in the traditional sense. The iceberg may be inevitable, but the true story is about what these women carry — and what they choose to let go of. The themes Alward explores are timeless: the roles women are expected to play, the weight of unspoken grief, the courage it takes to choose yourself, even when the world says not to. The writing is elegant and immersive, and Donna Jones Alward does such a thoughtful job weaving history with emotion. There’s a quiet dignity to this story — one that honours not just the tragedy of the Titanic, but the lives of women who lived through it (or didn’t) with love, fear, regret, and hope.

If you love historical fiction that’s emotional, immersive, and character-driven — this is one to add to your list. I’m so glad I picked it up!

4 stars — heartfelt, resonant, and beautifully written. Donna Jones Alward has delivered a Titanic story with real emotional weight. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.

I am usually a sucker for anything Titantic related but this just coudn't draw me in. I struggled for a long time but just couldn't do it. I found it... boring. Maybe the Titantic has been over done.

loved loved loved this novel, the characters, the character development, the emotions and feelings. It was just an all around great read. Highly recommend to anyone, not just people who love the Titanic.

Ship of Dreams is a captivating read that will have you wanting to read the book in one sitting.

It is the emotional story of Hannah and her best friend Louise who are passengers aboard the ill-fated Titanic.

We meet quite the cast of characters aboard the ship and you cant help but project what is about to happen to them.

Hannah desperately wants to save her marriage and Louise is trying to escape her domineering parents.

Hannah and Charles are dealing with a loss that put a rift in their marriage and just as they begin to reconcile their differences diaster strikes.

In the meantime Lou has her own secrets and has met the engaging Reid who she cannot stop thinking about it.

The second half of the novel is when diaster strikes as the ship hits the iceberg and the passenges are fighting for the lives.

Donna Alward Jones describes the chilling scene perfectly as the women and children are put in life boats and the men remain aboard. I can not imagine the strength that took for both sides.

Ship of Dreams is indeed about dreams: those that come true, those that turn into a nightmare and how we learn to deal with both sides through the support of friends, family and strangers.

Ship of Dreams is a book that will stay with me for a long time and I hated it to end.

I highly recommend your get your copy of Ship of Dreams and settle in for a page turning compelling and totally captivating read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for the privilege of reading and reviewing Ship of Dreams.

Hannah Martin is happy to be sailing on the new Titanic to America with her husband, Charles. She is hoping to use the time aboard to mend what has been a strained relationship with Charles since the loss of their first child. While Charles is away on business in the states, Hannah is looking forward to spending time with her spirited friend, Louisa, who is working on a plan to avoid having to wed her father's choice for her back in the UK. When the unthinkable happens, and the Titanic begins to sink, Hannah, Charles, Louisa, and her lover, have to make choices while time is quickly running out.

This is a beautifully written story about a friendship that stands the test of time and distance. The descriptions of shipboard life are detailed and create a lavish backdrop against which the ensuing devastation stands in stark contrast. A most enjoyable read, in spite of the dire event it covers.

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

The subject matter drew me to this book. I was interested to see how the author would handle this tragic disaster, after-all it is very well documented and has received considerable media coverage over time. To the author’s credit, she focussed on the four main first class passengers and not the horrendous scenes encountered by passengers in stowaway., when the Titanic sank. The bonds of genuine relationships between Hannah and Louisa were tested, as too was the discord between Hannah and her husband. There is the anticipation of when and what happened when the vessel eventually sank. A nice bit of artistic license, with secrets and passion. A story well told and comfortable enjoyable reading.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers HarperCollins On

3 Stars

I would have rated this lower, but the aftermath of the shipwreck was genuinely sad (of course it was) and the description of the waiting room in Halifax genuinely tugged on my heartstrings.

That being said, I am really sorry to say that I didn’t enjoy much else about this book.

What I liked:

- depictions of identifying the bodies in Halifax and discussions of the ‘Ship of Widows’, survivor’s guilt and women’s groups arriving to offer support.
- the pacing (for the most part).

What could have been better:

- The writing: until we got to Halifax, I didn’t think this book was particularly well-written. It suffered from a lot of telling rather than showing, endless descriptions of clothing and meal times, a constant who’s who of famous figures on the ship, run-on sentences, a very overly-modern use of dialogue and verbiage, and repetition. The first 60% of this book was so dull the only thing that kept me going was knowing that they were in fact on the Titanic and that I could count down until the ship would sink.
- Knowing that they were on the Titanic: since I knew the history of the ship, everything that happened on the first 60% of the book didn’t feel like it mattered. I wasn’t invested in any of the characters and it felt very foreboding - but not in a good way. The amount of times people referencing having fun in New York, their future plans, and even that they weren’t in a rush or had time made me roll my eyes. It wasn’t tense, it was almost tongue-in-cheek. If we didn’t know what ship they were on at first that might have helped and allowed for a much more organic ability to relate to and empathise with the characters.
- Louisa: perhaps unfairly at times, I found Lousia very frustrating. She came from such a background of privilege and, though I firmly support the suffrage movements of the time, was so heavy-handed about her views that at times it felt like a caricature. Like a ‘not like other girls’ prototype, which wasn’t helped by how much this story was influenced by much later discussions about the Titanic and inequality of the time period. She resorted to theft before even entertaining the idea of seeking employment.
- The historical anachronism in dialogue and discussions of the tragedy: one glaring thing to note is that Louisa and Hannah were in first class. A lot of the discussions about Titanic and what it said about the time period happened a lot later (as always) so it felt like some of the things raised on the Carpathia and in Halifax felt premature.

Overall, I think this book had a lot of potential, but I would say my enjoyment came mostly from the real history and academic discussions of the Titanic and its impacts. There is a lot to enjoy here in this book if you do as well, but I still think its execution could have been a lot better.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the eARC - this is my honest review*

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC.

NOTE: There is a typo in Chapter 2, in Hannah's POV. "It was Charles and Hannah together that created tension, with me caught firmly in the middle, defending one to the other." Hannah should read "Lou" in this case.

4.5 Stars

This was an entirely enjoyable historical fiction of two best friends aboard the Titanic and their complicated love lives. The pacing was quick and I found myself invested in both girls and hoping for their success.

A few things I did not love:
- The first page mentions the girls figures (referencing "baby fat," body type, etc.) and there were a few mentions of cryptic displeasure at the idea of weight gain. While I don't think it's historically inaccurate, I did find it pretty unnecessary to the story, even given the later revelation about Hannah.
- Immediately, you have the hint that there was a miscarriage or stillbirth or bereavement with Hannah and Charles. This was a powerful plot point and I appreciated the author's depiction of grief, it can be a trigger for some people. It was not a trigger point for me, but it is still an early focus of the story.

Things I really loved:
- The feminist icon that is Lou Phillips! And Reid Grey, good for you, sir!
- The feminist messaging that there is not one type of feminist. Wanting a family does not mean you are unsupportive of the cause, necessarily. The discovery of self, deciding to prioritize your happiness, and pursuing your dreams was a great theme to the book, and one I don't usually see in Titanic novels.
- The romance/relationship plot was not heavy handed and did a nice job of focusing on these characters and their lives, rather than the events of the Titanic. The sinking of the ship is rather short, which I felt was a good, though unexpected, choice. Most people who are picking up Titanic historical fiction are perfectly aware of the facts of the sinking, at least the most important ones. I enjoyed the focus on the ship and it's amenities, rather than on the disaster. And I REALLY enjoyed the Halifax addition. I don't know that I have ever read a Titanic historical fiction that included the Mackay Bennett.
- The ending of the epilogue was wonderful. It had my lip quivering, though I did not cry.

This was a wonderful story of female friendship, grief, strength, and resolve in following your heart. I would recommend this to anyone interested in those themes, as the historical element is not overwhelming.

Wonderful!

Spice level: Closed door, implied sex scenes. Nothing graphic or explicit in nature, though it is a prevalent topic throughout the book.

I love anything to do with the titanic and I wa so excited to find this book inspired by events and people lives during that particular time period. I really enjoyed this one and hope to read more from the author soon

I can always appreciate how much time and research goes into novels set on the Titanic to make the setting and timeline as accurate as possible. Weaving in fictional characters and storylines with the grim reality of what happened on that ship is such an impressive skill.

I really enjoyed the build up in this story, and the descriptions of the ship, but mainly how the author spent time with our characters in the aftermath as they tried to come to terms with what happened.

For me, the writing style (including the dialogue) just felt really casual and modern, which did take me out of the story and therefore I didn’t find the book as emotionally impactful as I wanted it to be. Obviously the emotional aspect is the main reason why I wanted to read this one, so I couldn’t help but feel disappointed by this.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read but not one that will stick with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ★★★★

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for sending me an early copy of this arc.

Ship of Dreams brought me on an emotional roller coaster. This book left me emotionally wrecked in the best (and worst) way possible.

At its core, it’s a story about love, friendship, and finding the courage to choose your own path in life. The character development was beautifully done and I found myself fully invested in each of our character’s journeys. I only wish the plot had just a bit more drive and momentum as it felt slow and drawn out at times. Still, the story overall is a thoughtful and well written read that’s definitely worth picking up if you enjoy character driven stories with real emotional depth.

3.5 Stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the advance digital edition of Ship of Dreams by Donna Jones Alward. She lives in Nova Scotia, where I grew up. Her previous book, When the World Fell Silent, was a 5-star read for me. I enjoyed this informative, fictional history, told in the aftermath of the Halifax Explosion by two women who survived all the death and destruction. I was less engaged in this book that followed the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, although it did have a Halifax connection. Bodies of the victims that could be identified were brought to Halifax to be identified and buried. 212 bodies are buried in Forrest Hills Cemetery, and a smaller number in two other Halifax gravesites. The story is told from the perspective of two long-time friends, Hannah and Lou, who love one another like sisters. They are boarding the Titanic as first-class passengers and will travel from England to NYC in luxury.

I rate my books not by literary standards or storyline, but by how well they enhance my enjoyment and provide useful information. The first section of the book was overly emotional and sentimental. The Titanic didn't hit the iceberg until about 60% into the book, but there was always a sense of dread and forboding for the reader, and the passengers were unaware. The opulence of the Titanic was thoroughly researched and well-described. The two women did too much moaning and groaning about the men in their lives. A considerable amount of time was devoted to descriptions of clothing. They wonder if their styles of dresses and hats will fit in with those of the other wealthy passengers, or even outclass them. I did not know that the corset laces and dress buttons on clothing worn by fashionable women required assistance in dressing and undressing, as well as having their hair styled. If no friend was available to help, the duties fell to the ship's stewardess.

Hannah is quiet, cheerful, unobtrusive and dedicated to her friendship with Lou. Hannah is accompanying her husband, Charles, who will continue on for a business trip. She and Lou will spend their time exploring the sights in NYC before returning home. Hannah's and Charles's marriage has become cold due to a past tragedy, and Hannah hopes to rekindle their romance on the journey. Lou is estranged from her family. Her father demands she marry a man of his choice, or be disinherited. She has been writing friendly letters to Reid and hinted that he join her on the Titanic. She wants a fling with him before arriving in NYC, no strings attached. Lou finds herself falling in love with Reid, feelings that she denies and rejects. Lou has a secret, illegal scheme to create a life for herself without Reid or her father's choice of a husband for her.

Lou likes attention and is unconcerned with societal restrictions. She is outspoken, outrageous, and has indulged in a series of affairs. She is also kind-hearted and deeply immersed in the suffragette movement, advocating for women's right to vote and equal wages. Hannah supports Lou's involvement, but is too withdrawn to participate actively.

Hannah is pregnant, and Lou urges her to tell Charles, hoping this will solve her marriage problems. When Hannah learns of Lou's secret, she becomes angry, which causes a rift in their friendship. Not until the Titanic sinks do they reconcile. The story explores themes of deep friendship despite personality differences, disaster, tolerance, grief, forgiveness, trust, profound loss, and the process of moving on.
Hannah and Lou continue to keep in touch by mail. Hannah has returned home, but Lou is afraid of boarding another ship and remains in the United States. Letters reveal the passage of time, including the fight for women's voting rights, Lou's new responsibilities, WWI, Hannah's young boy growing into manhood, WW2, and what happens next for the two separated friends.

Recommended as a fact-filled look at the Titanic disaster and its aftermath. The publication date is August 26/2025

The passengers set out full of hope, adventure and
the thrill of being in the maiden voyage of the Titanic.

The first few chapters were filled with the opulence, the beautiful gowns and the interesting people on board.
Of course we all know what happened on the fateful night and the events that unfolded.

It’s a heartbreaking story of the four main characters, their losses, their bravery and how they lived their lives afterwards.

Thank you to the publisher abd Netgalley for the copy of this book.

Ship of Dreams is beautifully written and emotionally powerful. Donna Jones Alward brings the Titanic to life with rich detail and unforgettable characters. I had a hunch about one of the plot twists and was pleased to be right, but that didn’t soften the heartbreak. As with any Titanic story, the ending hurt but I couldn’t put it down. A moving, memorable read.

Hannah and Louisa are two best friends traveling on the Titanic for a voyage to New York. Lately, Hannah’s marriage to Charles has seemed strained and feels as though they are not connecting anymore, and she’s hoping this voyage will turn the tide for them. Louisa is set to marry a man chosen by her parents, though its the last thing she wants for her life.

*** Dual POV
*** Strong female friendship
*** Resilience in hard times
*** Different love stories
*** Historical women’s fiction

I really enjoyed this one! Obviously, this novel is different in the sense that its based on history so that catostrophic event is not a surprise. However, delving into the lives of these two young women and all the people they meet in this fateful voyage was truly so engaging. I especially loved reading through the aftermath of the sinking, and how these women felt and struggled in moving forward.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

voyage over the sea where no one expected what would happen to the ship of dreams. In this new story of the titanic you follow two best friends. One who’s marriage is struggling, the other struggling with the idea of getting married to someone she doesn’t love.

A heartbreakingly sad novel which still has the hope and love. These main characters may be fictional, but that definitely doesn’t make their stories less heart wrenching. The story is incredibly well researched. You just get transported back to the wonders of the Titanic the unsinkable ship. You see other people who where really on the ship. You see all their wonders at the beauty of it all. It was really well written, like the characters had a lot of depth. Struggling with things in their own ways, but with such different personalities. They had their faults and that was good because that made them human. There were really strong women who speak loudly about the rights for women. But you also had those that do it in a quieter way and it was nice to see that they where not faulted for it. Furthermore the pacing was really well done. Which I expect would have been a challenge with the small time frame you are working with. But it didn’t feel too rushed it was done in a good way. The last 200 pages really hook you to the story with all the different plot lines and the character development. You also have that voice in the back of your mind reminding you this is the Titanic it is going to sink, but you just wish it was an alternative history so you didn’t have to see their heartbreak. Which felt so real, partially because the author shows how all the different people dealed with their grief.

It is a lovely novel although it really has the tragedy of it. It gives you hope and love as well. I really recommend this book for people who are really interested in the titanic as a fictional novel. And anyone who is in for a wild ride of emotions together with these characters.

This is one of the first fiction books I've read related to the Titanic. I loved Alward's descriptions of the ship and the awe that the passengers must have felt in the first few days of the sailing. I think she did a great job of capturing the setting and those feelings. I felt that the book moved along slowly for the first few days of the sailing, which I suppose would have been the same feelings that Hannah and Lou had, given their personal circumstances. You understand the tension between Charles and Hannah, and you can imagine the culminating moment that allows some of that to be stripped away. One can easily imagine the vivaciousness of Lou and how Reid would be drawn to that while keeping up a charade of mystery surrounding their previous relationship. I loved the added intrigue of the jewel thief, though it certainly took an unexpected twist through the middle of the book. The book really picked up speed with the sinking of the Titanic. I appreciate that Alward didn't trauma dump on that experience for either character, but used it as a pivot point for the story. The second half of the book was emotional, raw, and beautifully written. It felt as if you were sitting in the room with Hannah and Lou. There are no magical, easy, happy endings for the characters (as well all know), but I appreciate the truth in the trajectory of the character arcs. It's not a book that will change your life, but it's a quick read with an enjoyable authenticity and humanity of characters that are extremely well conveyed.

I found Ship of Dreams to be a different kind of Titanic story. The main characters, friends Hannah and Louisa ("Lou") are close but also very different - they met at boarding school where they became each other's family. Hannah is married to Charles but their marriage has hit a rough patch and she is hoping that the time aboard Titanic on the way to New York will give them the time needed to heal after suffering heartbreak a few years earlier and growing apart. Lou is running away from her upper crust family, who want her to marry a man she does not love or be cut off financially. The descriptions of their time on the ship were rich and detailed - at times I felt like I was sailing with the two women! No spoilers but of course we all know what happened to Titanic. Will Charles be one of the lucky men who survived? Will Lou's beloved also survive? I was disappointed in the abrupt ending of the book. Still, I enjoyed Donna Jones Alward's easy-to-read writing style and I found the characters likeable. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Ship of Dreams was a wonderfully endearing story of friendship, love and acceptance. The disaster of Titanic is so captivating and Alward made it completely new again, with an intimate and personal portrayal from the two very different perspectives of Louisa and Hannah. The center of this novel is about relationships—sharing love, heartbreak, grief, trauma, humor, forgiveness and the courage of moving on. I very much enjoyed this and am looking forward to more from this author!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a hard review is hard to write for me because I don’t read a lot of historical fiction and I’m also a huge Titanic nerd like it’s just a special interest for me. So if a book even mentions the Titanic, I get really excited, so obviously I had to get this one because it’s literally about the Titanic and historical fiction form which, the Titanic sank a while ago, so it would have to be historical fiction. I also really liked the cover and the title.

The first 18 to 19% were really really great really well written, we have the character dynamics between Charles, Louisa, Hannah and Reid. We are learning about the relationships, social norms and learning about where they are politically. We’re are also learning about the purpose of the trip.

22% in there is a reference to the Titanic being the “Ritz” of the ocean.
I immediately was confused and intrigued because I was wondering when the Ritz was like opened and after some research, it seems like the first Ritz Carlton in Montreal, technically opened in 1912 this still made me slightly annoyed to be honest. I’m just not sure how accurate it would be for someone on the ship to be mentioning the Ritz because it seems like the Ritz Carlton is something that kind of gained more popularity later in the 1900s and is like modern day a reference however, I might be wrong. I just fought that the Ritz Carlton had been founded much earlier than 1912 if they were going to make references to the Titanic being the “Ritz” of the ocean and this might be possible because the Titanic was technically brand new as well and like newspaper spread stories, but it was referenced in a way that took me out of the story a bit because the Ritz seems like a newer brand than the age of the Titanic ship would be culturally.

This is a small gripe for me and a personal thing, but it might be a big thing to other readers as well for me.

It pulled me out of the book enough for me to want to check on the pacing of the rest of the book and see where I was so I kept on with the book after this 20% mark and was slightly disappointed that it seemed like the next 20% was really more character development, which makes up for 40% of the book being focused on character development and not really about the Titanic.

However, character development is really important for a story, but it was the main focus of the book and that was why this novel started to become a little bit boring for me to be completely honest however, this is not a thriller, so I need to set expectations properly, which is why I’m keeping this at four stars - because this is historical fiction. It’s not a horror. It’s not a thriller. It is slow paced, and the characters are the star of the show. I need to find a thriller or horror that is about the Titanic that actually looks good.

This is more historical fiction and I was just kind of thrown out by historical and accuracy. I also was slightly annoyed because the ship, like the whole sinking thing, doesn’t seem to happen until about 60% into the book and I understand that this would be the rising action and the intense thing that happens, but I would prefer for this conflict to have been placed way earlier in the book and further to have just been a lot more emphasis and action on all the characters interact while the ship is sinking, etc., versus a lot of the book being based around the character development of these characters - I picked it up for the Titanic historical event so that’s just me. This should be brought up much earlier and not towards the second half like ending of the book because at that point, I’m just waiting in suspense like I know what’s gonna happen. The thing is, that one could easily argue that a romance book didn’t have kissing early enough in the book so I know that this is a very personal thing for me and once again, I don’t read a lot of historical fiction and I think this is why I tend to read a lot of fantasy and children’s books and non-fiction so my brain I think it’s just gonna point out that inaccuracies and it’s going to ruin it for me.

If you are someone that will be totally A-OK with slower, pacing and more of a historical fiction type of book with less spooky scary vibes. I think you’ll enjoy this one. I enjoyed most of this book and just had a few things that really weirdly bugged me?

Thank you for the ARC. I appreciate the opportunity to leave honest feedback voluntarily.