Strangers in Time is a gripping and heartfelt story of survival, resilience, and the power of chosen family. I especially enjoyed the audiobook narrators, who truly brought each character to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio | Grand Central Publishing for my advance copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book gave me all the feelings - and I loved the characters. The narration was top tier and it MADE the title. The author's note at the end explained the goal of the title and Baldacci managed it - Charlie, Mollie, and especially Ignatius will stay with me for a very long time.

Usually, I will read modern-day thrillers by this author. Strangers in Time is historical fiction novel which is also a thriller. I felt that it takes a long while for the three main characters to meet up, but then the story pace really picks up. This was an interesting take on the viewpoints of Londoners who lived through World War II.

Book: 4 stars! ⭐️
Audio: 5 stars! ⭐️
Huge thanks to Hachette Audio, Grand Central Publishing & NetGalley for the ALC! 💌

Premise first— it’s 1944, London is getting bombed to bits, and three strangers—two teens and one heartbroken bookseller—collide in a city that’s barely hanging on. There’s Charlie, scrappy and stubborn, surviving any way he can. Molly, freshly returned from the countryside with no family in sight. And Ignatius, the kind of man who gives off “bookstore dad with secrets” energy. Together, they form an odd little trio in the middle of war, mystery, and survival.

Now hear me out—this book? It’s not like other WWII stories.
It doesn’t shove trauma in your face for the sake of being dramatic. It feels personal. Quiet. Heavy in a way that sneaks up on you.

Charlie cracked my heart wide open.
He’s a kid doing what he has to do—stealing, skipping school, hustling—just to stay alive. But what got me was his moral compass. The kid’s not heartless. He’s just real. Life’s messed him up, and he’s still trying to do right by his gran. I wanted to protect him so bad.

Molly? She’s a soft girl with a hard shell.
Rich past, broken present. She’s back home expecting love, and finds… nothing. No parents, just memories. But she doesn’t crumble. She builds herself again. Her strength was quiet but sharp. Like she’d bleed for the people she loves but wouldn’t let you see her cry.

And Ignatius... the book man with a storm in his chest.
Grieving, guilt-ridden, but still standing. He runs a bookshop that becomes the safest place in a city constantly on fire. The way he cared for Molly and Charlie? Gentle. Protective. Honest. And yet—he's got layers. Secrets. Things that might just break the fragile family they’ve found.

Also, plot twist: it’s not just war stuff.
There’s legit suspense. Strange people following Molly. Shady things happening around the bookshop. Whispers of a truth Ignatius never saw coming. The tension builds slow, then hits hard. Like, what just happened?? kind of hard.

The found family vibes hit SO HARD.
It’s not just a trope—it’s the soul of the book. Three broken people finding comfort in each other when the world’s literally crumbling around them? That’s my kind of story.

And oh my god—the audiobook??
RUN, don’t walk.
Full cast, distinct voices, atmospheric as hell. It felt like living inside a film. From the alarms to the whispers, it’s rich and immersive in the best way.

This book doesn’t scream—it aches.
It lingers.
It asks what survival really means.
And how sometimes, family isn’t blood—it’s who holds your hand when the bombs fall.

Final thoughts?
This book is grounded, raw, and human.
Not every battle is fought with guns. Some are fought with kindness.
And this book proves it.

4 bold stars for the story
5 for that unforgettable audio
Add this to your TBR if you love: historical fiction, found family, subtle mystery, and stories that don’t sugarcoat pain but still find hope.

I received this book as an arc on a whim I put in for it since Baldacci is my dads FAVORITE author. To be honest my dad is probably right that I shouldn’t have started with this book , however I did and I’ll rank it as mediocre at best. It’s just a medial book about 3 very different people who come together to offer each other familial comfort in the most difficult time and circumstances of each other’s lives DURING WW2. A pallet cleanser to say the least. It shouldn’t take nearly 60% to set the stage for an ending like that. I was quite interested and invest in the last 40% though , devastated by the ending but also fulfilling- felt in some ways forced in tying all loose ends.

This is probably one of my favorite audiobooks to have listened to this year. I loved that there were multiple narrators to help give life to the characters. I used to read a lot of David Baldacci's work when I needed a genre shift, so when I had access to this - I hopped right on it. His writing style never fails to pull me into the story. I absolutely loved it, and I couldn't stop listening (thank goodness for headphones). Overall the narration of the story was well done, and I really loved the plot despite how dark some of the story got. I very much recommend listening to this rather than reading it, which I don't think I've ever said about a book before.

Great audiobook. I was locked in! The narration was wonderful. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.

I listened to the audio of this book, which brought it to life. It’s a long book, and several people, including the author, narrated it, which helped with character changes and keeping dialects true. All the narrators were great and made the story real. I highly recommend the audio.
An emotional book that puts you back in the mind of a boy who has suffered a lot of loss in his young life experiencing Paris streets during the bombings of WWII. Dodging bombs and trying to stay alive and get enough food. A young boy needs to do whatever he can to help his grandma and himself to not starve considering the very few rations and availability of food. Not old enough to be hired or fight in the war he quits school and steals - but only from those who have enough that they won’t miss it he justifies. But then he makes a big mistake and his true heart of honesty emerges. Also, a young girl returns to Paris after being sent away for the last few years to keep her safe she returns to find her family is not there and her affluent status has been reduced to nothing. She finds her strength is formidable and a chance meeting with a poor and dirty but kind boy changes the chances for survival in a war-torn city. The story made me feel sad the events of war were true even if the characters were fiction. Having family that fought in the war I find it's heartfelt and sad for all affected. It is a definite must-read. Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio, this is my personal honest opinion.

what a beautiful story, and, as i read from another review, heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. This story takes place in a terrible time, and these characters go through terrible things, but they find each other, and support each other, find that they can trust each other.

i really enjoyed the audiobook, and i really appreciate the many different voice actors making the story come to life.

thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

Strangers in Time” grabbed me right away. The mix of historical detail and emotional storytelling made it one of the most memorable WWII novels I’ve read in a while. I couldn’t put it down.

A tale of 3 characters from different class and experiences during world war II era London. A boy of the lowest class in the lowest of lows that somehow maintains a moral compass, an utterly optimistic and girl with an idealistic vision of the world, and a book seller with golden heart, but a mysterious side all find their lives intertwined through loss. The audiobook with its different characters was very well performed, it was so hard to have to stop listening. A great read. Baldacci has done it again.

David Baldacci’s Strangers in Time is a gripping and fast-paced thriller that weaves together elements of mystery, psychological tension, and speculative fiction. Known for his sharp narrative style and tightly plotted stories, Baldacci once again delivers a work that is both compulsively listenable and emotionally resonant.

In this audiobook edition, the voice performance adds a compelling layer to the story, enhancing the suspense and characterization with impressive range and control. The narrator (or narrators, if multiple) effectively embodies the emotional tones of each scene, heightening the listener’s immersion and engagement throughout the book’s runtime. The pacing is well-matched to the story’s tone, with moments of intensity contrasted by slower, more reflective interludes.

Thematically, Strangers in Time explores the fragility of memory, the consequences of past actions, and the strange intersections between fate and free will. Baldacci introduces a protagonist whose journey is both personal and high-stakes, balancing internal conflict with external suspense.

While the audiobook excels in production quality and performance, the narrative’s complexity—particularly involving timelines or speculative elements—may require listeners to pay close attention to detail. However, this also speaks to the depth and sophistication of the material, making it ideal for fans of intricate thrillers.

Overall: A solid addition to Baldacci’s body of work, Strangers in Time stands out as a strong audiobook experience. With expertly paced narration and a story rich in tension and intrigue, this title is well-suited for both established fans and new listeners drawn to cerebral thrillers with a speculative edge.

Found family within a WWIl war time setting with great narrators.
The story follows three main characters and the bonds they develop throughout the story. Molly returns to London, a city under siege, during the height of Germany's bombing campaign to discover that's not all that has changed since she was sent to the country five years prior. Her friendship with Charlie and Ignatius turns into a found family which surpasses the constraints of social class, age, and gender.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the advance audiobook for this story. I really thought the narrators brought the story to life and it was nice having a cast instead of just one narrator. I'm a huge Baladacci fan, and while this is a different genre than my norm (as well as his usual) - it was excellent. All opinions are my own.

I thought this story was charming. Three characters with very little in common are drawn together in a found family tale that was a new spin on a WWII story. I enjoyed this a lot.

Another brilliant novel by one of my favorite authors. I enjoyed Molly and Charlie - the main characters in this WWII thriller. The star though, has to be the audio narration, which was so well done that I felt like I was in a movie. I could visualize the characters and feel their emotions. I also enjoyed the authors note at the end, read by the author himself! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! Four out of five stars for me!

David Baldacci is a brilliant wordsmith, and a gifted author whose works serve to vividly enchant his audience time and again.

This story supplies a smattering of insight on a small sample of "other" groups' perspectives during WWII... through
Baldacci's elite character development we experience exactly how devastating this war was for EVERY SINGLE PERSON fighting to survive the years' long wrath of that harrowing, historical period.

This book needed to be written. There was no more capable author than Mr. Baldacci. He shares a respectful, yet ostensibly credible, eye-opening tale about one thing we often overlook during times of war... This book is about human beings and the accompanying human condition, which is necessary for our survival.

Beautiful book. Highly recommend! ORDER TODAY!!!

Note: I would normally shy away from historical fiction related to the WWII-era. The material I was exposed to during my adolescence impacted me profoundly. Those experiences taught me the depth of the heart-wrenching, gut-splitting, dreadful, soul-searching questions and thoughts that may be evoked by reading such content. However…

STRANGERS IN TIME now competently FILLS a previously undetected, yet blank, empty space on my BookShelL_F...

I really enjoyed the story—David Baldacci delivers another gripping, imaginative tale that kept me hooked from start to finish. The characters were especially strong; I found myself invested in their journeys and really cared about what happened to them. However, I listened to the audiobook version and struggled with the narrator. The performance didn’t quite match the tone or pacing I expected, and it pulled me out of the story at times. I’d recommend reading the print or eBook version instead if the narration doesn’t click for you.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Well written, fascinating historical fiction. I enjoyed the WWII aspect and thought the author did a great job bringing it to life. I would read more by this author in the future.

3.5/3.75

I love historical fiction. My favorites are ones that you really learn about something in a specific time period that you wouldn’t really know much about. Or ones that really make you emotionally attached to what the characters are going through, again, in a specific time in history. This book is set around 1944/1945 and is a story about 3 characters that ended up becoming very important to one another. It’s a good story, I just didn’t learn anything new in this one. It’s more a fiction story for me. Which was a cute read and it ended well.

I had been on a bit of a break from WWII-themed books, but when I saw that David Baldacci had written a novel in one of my favorite genres—historical fiction—I couldn’t resist giving it a listen. I’m always a fan of audiobooks with multiple narrators, and this one definitely delivered with the perfect accents. Combining historical fiction with mystery and suspense, it was everything I hoped for and more!

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

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