This is a beautiful novel. Her writing style captivated me from the first page.
The characters are believable and relatable. It has many twists and turns and some were a surprise

Incredibly detailed, full of twists and turns, though I did find it a trying to be a little too clever for it's own boots at times. Still a very good read though.

Why did I wait this long to read this book?
I loved it her book they are fantastically written as always ,I do enjoy the way it switches between the past and the present it hooks me and really like the characters. A really great read again one of my fav authors

This was a really good read, with several twists and turns to keep me wanting more and I was totally wanting to know what happened next!!! This book really tugs on your heartstrings. Loved it! The characters are well developed and believable. I'm looking forward to more books by this author.

The Lost Sister is a compelling historical fiction novel by Kathleen McGurl. It's a gripping story of three sisters that will keep you turning the pages,

The writing is well done, with the story told alternating between past and present. The author does a fantastic job developing parallels between the different generations of this family. Well done! And the descriptions of traveling by sea at the time makes you feel like you are there, experiencing all the fear and heartache.

This is well worth a read the next time you're in the mood for a historical fiction read. It's a story of family that will take you along on their emotional journeys. The characters will draw you in and the mystery will keep you invested throughout.

The Lost Sister is a heartbreaking novel about family, loss and redemption. In 1911, Emma leaves her hotel job to work as a stewardess on the Olympic, travelling across the Atlantic to New York. Her mother and two sisters, Ruby and Lily are left behind, but due to an unfortunate situation her sister Ruby soon wants to join her.
In the present day, Harriet begins researching her family tree after finding an old photo of her grandmother. There begins a story full of unexpected events where the past helps Harriet bring her family closer together.
This was such an enjoyable read, full of historical facts and a real insight into life aboard an ocean liner. The families and their individual issues within it are incredibly relatable. A great read.

What a great family saga! A mixture of modern day and early 1900s stories, intertwined with the common theme of lost sisters. From the sister ships of the White Star Line, to the three sisters who served on the ships, to the grandchildren of them and the next generation. Events result in the break up of each relationship, and Harriet is now trying her best to bind the history, the present and generations together. Wonderful!

This is the first book I’ve read by Kathleen McGurl. This sounded interesting and I ended up getting a moving story with sometimes complicated family dynamics and a theme of second chances.

In present day, Harriet finds a photo of three sisters, one is her grandmother. We the. Switch to 1911, when Emma, Harriet’s grandmother boards the Olympic as a stewardess. Emma has two younger sisters, but she only ever mentioned one sister. Harriet’s need to discover the truth of the sisters leads to a journey on all 3 of the infamous White Star ship, the Olympic, Titanic and Britannic.

I tend to like historical fiction with a bit of a mystery, and we have that here. Another plus is that I thought the author did a great job bringing this era to life, with extravagant ocean liner travel turned quickly into dangerous sea traveling with the start of WWI. I was able to connect more with Emma’s character, but typically in books with dual timelines, I tend to enjoy the historical characters more. I really enjoyed this!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found the characters one dimensional and predictable. I normally love a dual timeline novel but this was not for me.

A really wonderful piece of historic fiction. We have all heard the tragedy of the Titanic but though I was aware of the sister ships I did not know their fates. This is a great story of three sisters and three sister ships. Emma the oldest takes a job on Olympia crossing the Atlantic. This leads to two of the sister then joining Titanic. A really heart wrenching story. So gripping and I loved the stories of life onboard these huge transatlantic liners.

Oh my goodness what a book it was so enjoyable I could not put this book down.

It is a dual timeline and we have three sisters who end up on the three ships that are linked with them. Then we have a granddaughter of one of the sister’s in the present with problems in her family.

The family have never been close will it bring change and make them realise that family is important.

There is twists in this book and I really enjoyed it kept you guessing would it turn out right in the end.

Would read more of this author..

A very enjoyable read, I particularly enjoyed the segments set in the early 20th century and found that storyline very engaging. I think that Harriet should maybe have done some more digging into her family history to bring the two timelines together a bit better.

I liked this novel.
The stories of a women from two generations were told in separate by intertwining narratives. In the early 1900s, three sisters worked on various ocean liners in different capacities. They encountered the well-known historic Violet Jessup, who famously survived the sinking of the Titanic, as well as other maritime disasters. I have read biographies of Jessup and enjoyed how the author incorporated a fictionalized version of her into the story. A primary plot point of the novel involves how these sisters are related to the modern day protagonist and from which of them she is directly descended. The author kept me guessing, which was a lot of fun, as the story unfolded.
The modern day storyline was less intriguing, at least at first. The protagonist had an agonizing number of serious issues in her life. In one instance a relative tried to abduct her adult daughter in an effort to force her to renew her relationship with the family. This was absolutely absurd. The author did not develop the character who masterminded the scheme, so it is difficult to put his actions into the context of personality or motivation. It just felt forced and ridiculous; unnecessary drama in a story with enough drama already.
This storyline improved as the novel progressed. Overall, I enjoyed the 1900s story and characters more.
I would recommend this book to those interested in the Titanic and women's fiction.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever been on a cruise ship? Did you ever think of the life the people that worked had on their time off? Come take a trip looking for The Lost Sister. Kathleen McGurl has set this story in England and has warmly worked up a head of steam with The Lost Sister aboard the ships 3 sisters worked on and where all 3 of them were on ships that sank,. But one was never found…or was she?

I really enjoyed this book especially as I am going through the process of downsizing with equal frustrations. The characters were real and got into my mind - happens with a good book

The Lost Sister is a well-written story of love and loss, but also hope and forgiveness.

An engaging read with a good pace and a plot that flows well across the dual timelines. The author has done an excellent job of creating the many parallels between the present day story and the 1911 - 1920 story. One family, different generations 100 years apart, but both timelines reflect family dynamics as well as symmetry with the three sister ships.

I enjoyed the mystery element of the book and the twists in the plot, although I found I had already predicted much of where the story led.

This is the first novel by Kathleen McGurl that I have read; I recommend it and would be happy to read further novels from this author.

Thank you to the publisher, HQ Digital for a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

1911. As Emma packs her trunk to join the ocean liner Olympic as a stewardess, she dreams of earning enough to provide a better life for both her sisters. With their photograph tucked away in her luggage, she promises to be back soon – hoping that sickly Lily will keep healthy, and wild Ruby will behave. But neither life at sea nor on land is predictable, and soon the three sisters’ lives are all changed irrevocably…

Now. When Harriet finds her late grandmother’s travelling trunk in the attic, she’s shocked to discover a photo of three sisters inside – her grandmother only ever mentioned one sister, who died tragically young. Who is the other sister, and what happened to her? Harriet’s questions lead her to the story of three sister ships, Olympic, Titanic and Britannic, and a shattering revelation about three sisters torn apart…
This was a compelling and thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish with a great storyline, interesting cast of characters and all capped off by skilful writing

To think that last that I only discovered this gem of writer last December just blows my mind. This is already of my list of the best books of 2021 and The Forgotten Gift was on the list for 2020. I can’t wait to see what McGurl does in 2022!

This is a dual timeline novel, but it’s not at all confusing and the different eras are clearly defined. The two protagonists of Emma and Harriet are seamlessly combined to tell one gripping story. It’s the first time in a long time that I was left open-mouthed at certain twists in this tale. This book is about a period of history we all know about, or have at least heard of. The fact that the story isn’t predictable, is testament to just how deep McGurl goes into her research of events and the time period.

“The last of the entire family.”

McGurl’s writing is exquisite and captures the excitement of travel in the early twentieth century. I felt completely connected to these characters. I felt all their emotions keenly. For me, the story was over too soon: I had felt so invested that I wanted just that little bit more to read.

In short, I couldn’t put this book down! I was desperate for the characters to grow and discover. It will stay with me for a while.

Set over a dual timeline The Lost Sister is partly set in the early 1900’s, where 3 sisters all go to sea on 3 sister ships. The other storyline follows Harriet, the granddaughter of one of the sisters.

I don’t think that the book is as good as it could have been. I really didn’t connect to Harriet’s element of the story and always just wanted it to get back to the three sisters which I enjoyed much more. I don’t think that Harriet’s story should have made up half of the book.

Overall it was ok but I have read much better dual timeline stories.

When Harriet is clearing the attic, she comes across her grandmothers trunk and when she opens it, she is shocked to find a photograph of three sisters - Harriet’s grandmother had only ever spoken of having one sibling, who had died young. Harriet becomes determined to uncover the secrets of her grandmother’s family. As Harriet searches for the truth , what will she learn? And how will it impact her own family?
The story is told in two timelines, and whilst part of me would like to have seen Harriet do more research into finding more about her grandmother, I liked hearing Emma, Ruby & Lily’s stories. The historical part of the story is based around the three sisters & also three sister ships: Olympic, Titanic & Britannic, each having a significant impact on the family. I appreciated that the author had done good research & equally that the “titanic story” was a relatively minor part, it’s so easy for the famous story to overshadow other things.
The three Higgins sisters sail on the Olympic, the Titanic, and the Britannic. Oldest sister Emma becomes a stewardess on the Olympic. Middle sister Ruby causes a scandal and joins Emma as a stewardess on the maiden voyage of Titanic. During WWI, Emma joins youngest sister Lily, a nurse serving on the Britannic. Two of the ships sink, lives are lost & others changed forever.
I was invested in both timelines – in the past I wanted to know more about the sisters, and find out how Harriet ended up in possession of a trunk when at least 2 were lost when ships sank! In the present I wanted Harriet to find out the truth, but also wanted to see her family reconciled.
Overall this is a lovely novel filled with tragedy, mistakes, lost opportunities and family rifts, yet also with love, loyalty and a passion for the sea. It will appeal to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, or has an interest in the White Star liners of the era. The writing is vivid and the storyline is woven together well. Not actually knowing until close to the end which of the Higgins sisters is “lost” and which sister is the grandmother actually made it more intriguing.
Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book free via NetGalley. Whilst thanks go to the author & publisher for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are my own.
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