A dual time line novel about family secrets and lies. Martha's father left her a pile of letters that send her to the UK to explore what happened during WWII- and she finds more than she ever expected. It's an interesting and emotional one.

This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

For me the book started slowly but then picked up the pace. I love books like this one that shows romance.

I really enjoy dual time-line books. And when one of those is during WWII, I'm all in! This was such a heartwarming story about family, friendship, love, loss, infidelities, hope, and discovery. The strength of a mother's love is a strong theme throughout the pages.

There are several moments when you will gasp out loud in shock and then there will be a twist that shocks you even more. Secrets that have been kept hidden for years are slowly revealed and as you travel through the pages. You will anxiously wait to find out what happens ... in the present and the past.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I was impressed that this is Sarah Mitchell's debut novel. I will definitely be reading future books by her. This is a definite one to put on your to-be-read list!

A beautifully written book. A father's memoirs not complete before he passes away. The 20 missing years gradually filled in by one of his daughters with so many unexpected twists. Based on his life during the 2nd World War, his daughter comes to realise she is not a member of the family she thought she was. Historically factual, delightful story and highly recommended.

Loved this - an easy to read romance that sweeps you up in the story and immerses you in the interweaving histories along the way.

Will definitely look out for more from this author!

I had high hopes for this book, but I just couldn't get into it. I read about 20% of it and it was just too slow of a start for me.

I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately the pace was super slow which made it a bit boring, and the main character, Martha, just did not grab me. I didn’t enjoy this book as I thought I would..

A story of love, mystery and life in wartime. It's told in the past and present which can sometimes be confusing in other stories but not this time. The past and present blend perfectly and is so easily followed. Lots of laughs and tears with this one. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this book.

A fairly slow gentle read that crosses between the days of World War 2 and modern times as an underconfident woman seeks some answers to a family mystery by retracing steps to find out about her father's past. Along the way she grows in confidence and learns more about herself. A good twist near the end made it an enjoyable read.

This is a fantastic book which I enjoyed very much. I love dual timeline books - this one is set in the present day and 1940s at the start of the second world war.

It is beautifully written in such an engaging descriptive style - I felt as if I was in Norfolk. Superb characterisation and an underlying theme of love. Full of twists and turns this is an emotional read which I just couldn't put down.

A very poignant story of family, friendship, loss, heartbreak, secrets, hope, redemption and most of all love in its many forms. I was moved by this book and it has stayed in my mind.

I can't wait for Sarah Mitchell's next book. Very highly recommended, a fabulous read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher foir the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Can I just take a moment to appreciate just how STUNNING this cover is?! This has got to be one of my all-time favourite covers that Bookouture have ever created - simply stunning!

Oh this is a little gem of a read! Instead of being a told a story set in the present day, us readers are lucky enough to not only meet characters from the present, but to be able to step back in time to where it all began....so to speak. If you're the type of person who enjoys finding out how things became the way that they are now, you are in an absolute treat as Sarah Mitchell has done just that with her characters, Martha, Connie and Sylvia. With Martha still grieving the loss of her father, anything she comes across reminds her of him, especially when she finds letters written to a mysterious 'Catkins'. Yes, I know, who is Catkins, and why were she and Martha's father in contact? If Martha delved into her father's past, would she end up unearthing things that she would have preferred not to know? Or will those letters end up being the key to finding out more about where she came from?

Such a sticky situation with no correct answer. My heart went out to Martha, but selfishly I was eager to find out the truth about her past and her future. I wasn't going to sit there and relish in it, nothing like that at all, I guess I was just curious about Martha's past. As I said to begin with, Martha's life is in the present, yet the story does switch between the 'now' and 1940, where the war was raging and uncertainty was rife. Especially for Sylvia. However, when I first came across Sylvia's character, I couldn't help thinking that there was a lot more to her that meets the eye, I just couldn't put my finger on what or why that was. Sylvia certainly is one of a kind and whilst I did find myself becoming emotionally attached to her situation, I struggled to feel complete empathy towards her decisions. That said, how can anyone judge someone's situation when they're not living it themselves?

The historical element to 'The Lost Letters' was beautifully written, and the characters were delicately crafted, creating a very spirited and emotive storyline for readers to lose themselves in. If you're after a storyline where the pace is faster than a train, you will be disappointed as the true beauty of this book isn't in how fast it flows, it's in how much it gets under your skin.

An enchanting, thought-provoking and dynamic read - I am looking forward to reading more from Sarah Mitchell in the future.

The story is narrated through two main timelines. One is in the 1940s and the other at the present time. I have always found myself more drawn to the past timelines in stories like this and this was no different. I was curious about Sylvie’s life. Hers was a story of worry and heartbreak during the war. On the other hand, I couldn’t help but get curious about Martha’s life. I was curious to find out her family’s secrets and especially figure out the identity of the mysterious Catkins. I also couldn’t wait for the two stories to connect so that I could find out how the two women were linked. This story started out really slow but the pace ended up picking up from the 7th chapter. This is an emotional, well-written family drama.

An absolutely beautifully written story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I will be looking for more from this author and would absolutely recommend.

A heart wrenching book of family decisions in wartime England. Mitchell's novel weaves together characters who are forced to make choices that are difficult and have ramifications for the next generation.

This was an exceptional, well written and engrossing novel about two women, a generation apart, who are connected by one man. Martha's father Lewis has recently passed away and left some puzzling reservations in a hotel and beach in an English beach town. He also left behind information regarding a mysterious correspondent who Martha and her sister are determined to learn more about.

The story goes back and forth between 1940 and the present day told from the viewpoints of both Martha and Sylvie who is a married woman and mother of two in 1940's England. Her son is quite possibly the result of an affair she had very shortly after marrying her husband Howard, who is away at war. The connection between Martha and Sylvia is a bit convoluted but makes for a real page turner here.

I strongly recommend this novel. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a review copy. This is my honest opinion which I will post on Netgalley, Amazon, Goodreads and Bookbub.

I enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend the story to those who enjoy this subject matter.

Past and present intertwine in The Lost Letters from Sarah Mitchell, featuring dual storylines during the present day and WW2 era England.

Martha, a middle aged woman from Canada has recently lost her father. He has left her letters to a mysterious person named Catkins, a beach hut in England, and little else to follow. With her own child away at college and time available, she travels to England to search for family history.

In 1940s England, Sylvia's husband has gone off to war with Germany, leaving her to raise their two children in England. A chance meeting with Connie leads to a lifelong friendship and secrets to be protected in the shadow of war, which eventually come to affect present-day Martha

The Lost Letters, in the very description on NetGalley, is touted as [p]erfect for fans of [...] The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Based on that, I had very high hopes for the book, and an idea of what it would be. Sadly, The Lost Letters is not an epistolary novel, despite the title idea or the purported premise. If you're picking it up based on that Guernsey-esque read, be prepared. It's not what you are likely expecting.

That said, once I put aside the epistolary idea, The Lost Letters is a well-written story. The chapters alternate between Sylvie and Connie in the 1940s and Martha in the present day. As one can expect, the dual storylines do intertwine, but not in a way that is easily apparent to the reader. Mitchell brings the story together in a satisfying conclusion that the reader should enjoy as well.

The back galley/publisher blurb really does not do this book justice. The comparisons set the book up to be one thing, yet the reader is presented with something quite different. The Lost Letters is a strong story on its own and deserves a much better blurb highlighting that. For me, the expectations were a hurdle to overcome when trying to enjoy the book on its own merits. The story is one worth checking out and I hope other readers won't miss it based on the galley references.

I love WW II historical fiction Sarah Mitchell has written a wonderful story in two time periods about giving up a child to keep them safe and having a chance at life during WW II. The second period is present time. In Canada, Martha’s father has passed away. Her father, Lewis, had planned a trip to England. He had reservations but passed away before the trip. Martha decided to take his place. Thus, Martha embarks on an adventure of her own self discovery and uncovering secrets of her father’s past. Sarah Mitchell did an excellent job researching what it must have been like to live in England during the bombings. A good read. I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley.

I loved the book!! I wasn't expecting that outcome when I started the book. I loved the story, characters and writing style. I loved how it alternated between the past with Sylvie and the present with Martha. My favorite parts were reading about the past with Sylvie and her family and Connie. I ended up liking some of the characters more at the end than I did in the beginning. Except for Janey, I never really warmed up to her. When Catkins was finally revealed, I figured out the mystery Martha was trying to solve.

Martha and Elizabeth's father , Lewis, recently died. He was writing his memoirs but had nothing from from his younger years. Before Lewis died, he booked a trip to England and had rented a beach hut. Martha decides to take her dad's place, plus she can visit her daughter, Janey, who is studying at Cambridge. Elizabeth discovered letters addressed to Catkins and a file on her dad's computer labeled Catkins. Martha tries to discover the mystery behind Catkins and eventually learns the truth about her father's past. Martha and her sister always knew their dad was evacuated out of England and sent to Canada as a child during the second World War but they never knew the whole story.

I loved the story and discovering everything as Martha did about her family. When I finished reading it, I couldn't believe the story was over. I wanted to find out if Martha stayed in England, what happened to Henry and so much more. I definitely recommend the book and look forward to reading more by the author. I also loved the cover of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author, Sarah Mitchell, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.