Six days of luxury, a time to rebuild a shaky young marriage, a week of gaiety and beauty. Six days on the fastest, most opulent, newest ocean liner - the RMS Titanic. Among the many passengers we meet Hannah Martin, who is traveling with her husband Charles. Their trip is two-fold: a business trip for Charles while Hannah and her best friend Louise will stay in New York City for a fun-filled "girls week". Hannah hopes that she can repair the chasm in her marriage while on the Titanic while Louise, a bit of a rebel, is plotting a way to escape the arranged marriage that awaits her upon her return to London.

Donna Jones Alward's ability to paint a picture with her words shines in Ship of Dreams as she shares the sights, sounds, aromas, traumas, and emotions encompassing Hannah and Louise all while staying true to the historical integrity of the Titanic and the era. At times I was sure that I could smell the crispness of the ocean breezes and feel the shudders of the engines as the sailing speed was increased. She expertly wove in several of the real-life passengers from the ill-fated ocean liner from the Astor's and the Fortune's to well-known suffragettes, bankers and businessmen, many of who were essential to the storyline.

This sinking of the Titanic is, as it should be, a focal point of this novel. However, the true gist of Ship of Dreams is the relationships built (or broken) and the secrets that can change the trajectory of a marriage, relationship, and a persons future. Louise's secret was totally unexpected yet terribly clever!

If you love historical fiction (or Titanic fiction) then you won't want to miss this one. Very well written. I enjoyed the story.

This book is so much more than just a fictional look at what it could have been like to sail on the Titanic. I felt so many emotions from this book and loved how it pulled in so many life lessons that many people struggle to deal with.

Through Hannah and Louisa we learn about friendship and forgiveness when we have been deceived. We learn about struggles in marriage, losing a child and grief from a traumatic experience. All of this is done in such a way to make you feel hope and even joy at the end of the book. Ship of Dreams is so well written and thoroughly researched that I can't stop thinking about it.

I love anything set on the Titanic and I was looking forward to this book. Hannah and her best friend Louisa, are sailing on the Titanic, accompanied by Hannah's husband Charles. He has business in America and Hannah and Louisa plan on spending their time in New York, shopping and sightseeing. But this is not the only reason for Hannah travelling as she is hoping to reignite her marriage which has been dealt a blow and is slowly starting to fade.
Louisa has her own agenda, unknown to Hannah and has a well kept secret.
The first half of the story is very drawn out and sometimes repetitive. They seemed to go round and round in circles, never really solving anything or getting anywhere. Hannah is too meek and persuadable and Louisa the exact opposite. The sinking doesn't take up a lot of pages as the story is mainly about the girls before and after the event.
It definitely picked up here with their time on the Carpathia, arrival in New York and travelling on to Halifax.
There's a lot of description of the sumptuous conditions aboard the ship, the food and the clothes worn by the first class passengers. The epilogue is done in a different way which worked very well and allowed us a glimpse into the girls worlds in later years.
A good read but it did let me down a bit.

Many thanks to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

We all know what happened to the Titanic, but the hope and excitement of the travel also had Hannah and Louisa hoping other things.

Hannah is hoping her husband will be more attentive, and Louisa hopes her parents will forget about trying to find her a husband and to marry someone she doesn't want to marry.

They both are keeping secrets.

We follow both women until that fateful evening.

Will their dreams come true or will they be one of the passengers whose dreams are shattered?

Miss Alward's descriptions of the women's feelings, the glamour of the ship, and the disaster will have historical fiction fans and women's fiction fans devouring and enjoying every word.

SHIP OF DREAMS is about enduring hardships, ​lasting friendships, and connections. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Ship of Dreams by Donna Jones Alward is a historical fiction novel set during the tragic voyage of the Titanic. It follows two women - Hannah, reserved and practical, and Louisa, impulsive and ambitious - whose contrasting lives intertwine aboard the doomed ship. As someone who loves the Titanic movie and the history of the ship in general, I had high hopes going into this book. The first part moved quite slowly and took time to build momentum, but I’m glad I stuck with it. The final third offered a fresh and emotional perspective that you don’t often get in Titanic stories, making it worth the wait. Though not as gripping as I’d hoped throughout, the ending left a strong impression and gave me a new lens through which to view the tragedy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. Ship of Dreams is set to be released on August 25, 2025.

A Titanic retelling, but make it about Sisterhood and friendships that can stand the test of time.

Ship of dreams is not just a Titanic retelling, but the historical fiction aspect was very well done! The vivid imagery, the dialogue, the propriety- exactly what you’d expect from a story told in 1912. And you could picture yourself wearing the gowns and the jewels, and walking the deck of The ship of dreams.

I loved the fact that although fictional, the author wrote the main characters in such a way they felt very real and relatable. I do not want to give away details from the book that will be best discovered by the reader, but we all know the Titanic itself was not a happy ending. The profound grief portrayed by the characters was gut wrenching, especially as someone who has experienced profound grief and am often transported back to those feelings.

The epilogue brought me to tears. It was a beautiful testament of Friendship. Many things will change over the years, but if you have that one friend who will always show up when you really need them- this is life’s treasure.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy.

On boarding the Titanic, Hannah hopes to rekindle her marriage, broken by tragedy while her best friend Louisa has a plan to avoid marriage altogether. Both are carrying secrets that threaten their friendship when they are forced to face the trauma of a sinking ship.

This is a character-driven novel about two very different friends facing the restrictions of womanhood in the early 20th century. We get both perspectives and I enjoyed getting to know Hannah and Lou. Secrets come out and lives are changed irrevocably but somehow it fell just short of feeling like a real story. Still, it was a pleasant read.

Thanks to Netgalley and One More Chapter for the ARC.

As a fan of titanic the films set and visuals and romance. This also has all that and more again visually rich and a different spin on characters on board. To think that each and every passenger had a life and story on this final dramatic, unexpected disaster.

sweet, interesting book about the titanic with some characters that feel firmly grounded in their historical time. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

This is a historical novel about the Titanic where there is verange of wealth. Hannah Martin is hoping that days on the ship will help cure her issues and help heal her mind.

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