I always look forward to a new book by Kathleen McGurl and this didn't disappoint.
Enjoyable throughout although tinged with some sadness, it was a very good immersive read. My one negative point is that I finished it far too quickly!

It’s 1911 and Emma has accepted a job on board ocean liner Olympic, leaving her family behind as she sets sail. We follow the story of three sisters, who all set sail aboard at least one of three sister ships.
In present time, Harriet is packing up her house to move somewhere new. She finds her grandmothers travelling trunk and inside is a photo of three sisters. Who is the third person as her grandmother only mentioned one sister?
As Harriet learns more about the past she also finds herself moving forward with her own life.


The two stories are intertwined in such an exquisite way that only Kathleen McGurl can do.

This book is heart warming and moving, emotional in so many ways - you will need a big box of tissues at the ready!!
For me, the title has several meanings once I read to the end.
It’s so hard to write a review that sums up this masterpiece without giving things away to a would be reader!
I was fully enraptured by the end of the second chapter and just couldn’t put it down. As the story alternates between Emma’s story and Harriet’s you find yourself on a cliffhanger and needing to keep reading!
The historical facts throughout this book are clearly well researched and put together in a way that leaves you wanting to know more and you find your questions answered as you progress.

I have loved previous titles from Kathleen McGurl and didn’t think I could enjoy another one even more, I was wrong, this story wowed me! It moved me, it made me cry (on several occasions!), it held my attention from the start to the end and stayed with me for a long time afterwards.
I would recommend this to everyone!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and most importantly the author, for the chance to read this book, in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful read this book was! Told from past and present, this book follows the story of Emma in 1911, working on the ocean liners of Olympic, Titanic and Britannic, and Harriet, in present day, who is trying to unravel her grandmother’s secrets. I loved the dual timeline, and whilst I enjoyed both stories equally, Emma’s storyline definitely had the edge! Harriet was a lovely character who is contemplating downsizing following her husband’s death. I did feel for her throughout her story, with her one daughter, who she sees regularly, barely coping with her son’s cancer diagnosis and then she hardly hears from her other daughter who is estranged from the family. Emma was also a great character, and thanks to the history books and the author’s descriptive writing I could just imagine what it must have been like for her to be working on these majestic liners!

The storyline switches between the two times easily and each has their own storylines with them cleverly weaving towards the ending of the book. Both perspectives flowed well and I found myself hooked into their stories very early in the book. This is definitely a book about family relationships and how complex these can be. It does though also have a little mystery for the reader to try and work out, and I have to admit I was surprised with the twists I found in this book! I certainly didn’t see them coming and thought it was a great way to add that something extra to an already captivating story!

I really enjoyed this book and am already lining up others by this author to carry on the magic that she seems to put on every page. A book full of history, family and love which will enthral you from the very beginning! Would definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, HQ Digital, and HQ for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

Yet another Kathleen McGurl that I completely devoured! In my opinion, there aren't many authors that can consistently write a dual timeline historical fiction with equally compelling timelines, but Kathleen McGurl is definitely one of them. (I know I will for sure continue reading her books and suggesting her to other lovers of the hist fic dual timeline trope.)

Regarding the historical timeline, I love, love, LOVED reading about life as stewardesses on the ship(s), and I loved all of the historical bits that were mentioned in the book. (I do think my slightly above average knowledge of the history of these particular ocean liners hampered some of my potential enjoyment of the book, because there were quite a few things that were supposed to be a surprise that I already knew were coming.)

I had a couple of squabbles with the modern day timeline, namely that I super didn't like the characters and kinda wanted to smack the eldest daughter upside the head (bad decisions were made), and to a lesser extent wanted to smack the youngest daughter upside the head (you're being a prat). All of that being said, I think there was a satisfactory ending to the novel and I liked how the two timelines connected.

I love the fact that this book focuses on life at sea, and I have found this journey quite turbulent and unpredictable, much like life at sea itself! I think writing a historical fiction book on this topic is original and refreshing.

I like, in principle, the idea of a time slip and a connection between the past and present. However, in this case, I definitely preferred reading about the ‘past’ based chapters, as this is where I felt most of the shocking twists and gripping narrative happened.

The character development is strong throughout, though. The author deals with quite a cast of characters from both the ‘past’ and ‘present’ timelines and develops their personality in such a way that they appear realistic, and I was definitely able to feel sorry for them, for a variety of reasons, during emotional pinchpoints of the story. My favourite character was definitely Emma. She was loyal, brave and selfless. I admired these qualities in her.

Overall, this has been a book which in many ways is twisty, gripping and unpredictable. It is emotional and heart-wrenching, and carries an important message about family loyalty. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of character driven historical fiction.

"I'll never forget you."
Oh my days, McGurl knows how to write some harrowing stuff.
I've loved dual timelines for a while, and McGurl does it with ease. I read The Forgotten Gift last year and loved it, still think about it now. Well, this one will definitely stay with me. I received a widget for this title, and I admit (owing to how much I enjoy McGurl's work) I downloaded it without reading the blurb.
Wow, did I need preparing for this one. The scenes on the Titanic were shown with terror and heartache, and this was probably not wise to read when I am struggling in my personal life since a bereavement. Harriet's story was an excellent addition alongside, and showed how past mistakes can keep the fractures in a family alive.
This book captured the emotions beautifully and I will not forget this one in a hurry.
Breathtaking.

I discovered Kathleen McGurl's bo0ks during the first lockdown and could not believe how I had missed them - dual timeline is one of my favourite genres and I found myself quickly reading my way through her back catalogue. She writes so well, combining historical and present day themes, with wonderful characters and cleverly woven stories.

I jumped at the chance to request a review copy of The Lost Sister, her latest novel.. It didn't disappoint! The historical story is set from 1911 and focuses on a family of three sisters in Southampton and the great liners of the day, including Titanic. The modern day story centres on newly widowed Harriet and her two daughters, Sally, who she is close to and whose young son is fighting cancer, and Davina, from whom Harriet and Sally are estranged and who they haven't seen in years, keeping in touch through rare phone calls.

Harriet finds a photograph of her three girls, one of whom is her grandmother - yet only one sister has ever been mentioned. Harriet sets out to solve the mystery of the lost sister of the title. Through clever use of the dual timeline narrative, we learn about the three sisters and their fate.

When this is interwoven with the modern day story and the illness of Sally's son, we have a wonderful tale of family, love, loss but ultimately reconciliation and redemption. Its really well written and has none of the confusion that these dual time line stories sometimes have.

I would thoroughly recommend this and other books by the author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy.

What a emotional roller coaster ride this book is! So well written. Have tissues nearby! There are two storylines the first starts in 1911, Emma and her two sisters, Ruby and Lily. The other is Harriet in the year 2019 with her estranged daughters Sally and Davina. They are all interconnected as the story traces the family history during difficult times. Tragedies on the Atlantic, depression, World War 1 and the love of family. I couldn’t put it down, but then I also didn’t want to finished it. It is that good! A definite must read.
I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story.

This is a duel timeline book.
In present day after the death of her husband , Harriet has decided to downsize and buy a house a bit nearer to her daughter , whose little boy is going through treatment for cancer . Her other daughter Davinna left home years ago and is only in touch by phone now and again.
As Harriet looks through an old trunk belonging to her grandmother she finds her grandmother's uniform from when she worked on cruise ships. There is also a photograph of her grandmother and her two sisters which is strange because her grandmother only spoke about one sister who died young.

In 1911 Emma, the oldest of three sisters ,the other two being Ruby and Lily who was the youngest.
When Emma decides to work on a cruise ship , Ruby is angry at being left at home and expected to help her mum look after Lily who is often poorly. She is also staying out late and telling lies to her family.
Emma comes home on frequent visits and when her mum tells her about the rumours surrounding Ruby she asks her if she wants to have a job on the ship with her. When they go to sign on the ship, Ruby decides not to do what Ruby tells her. She goes her own way and seals her fate.

Both these stories are attention grabbing. The story of the three sister ships and the three sisters who served on them. Heartbreaking stories of survival and loss among the sisters and their friends on board.
Just as heartbreaking is Harriet yearning for her estranged daughter and trying to get through life without her other daughter Sally bossing her too much making her feel she has to do what she says to keep her happy.
Other stories crop up as Harriet researches her family online and finds out the story of her grandmother and her sisters.
Such a good read and I cried a few times through the book.

In 1911, Emma leaves the family home to become a stewardess onboard the ocean liner Olympic. Leaving her two sisters, Lily and Ruby, behind, she promises to be back soon. Nothing ever goes according to plan, however, and soon the sisters’ lives are changed for ever. In the present day, Harriet finds her late grandmother’s travelling trunk in the attic. Finding a photo of her grandmother with her sisters, she is confused. She knew that her grandmother had a sister who died young but who is the other girl? She soon finds herself learning about the three sister ships Olympic, Britannic and Titanic and discovering what tore the sisters apart.

It is always a pleasure to feature on a blog tour for a Kathleen McGurl book and more so when the subject is something that I have a great interest in – RMS Titanic. The story of the Titanic has been well documented but the fate of her sister ships is less known and it was clear to see the research that has been undertaken by the author in order to tell their stories. Most fiction about the Titanic tends to focus on the passengers, so it was pleasing to read about a member of staff, giving a different perspective of life at sea.

The two time frames each have their own plot, linked neatly together by a family connection. We also see the common theme of complicated sibling relationships running throughout both eras. There were many parallels between the two sets of characters, Ruby and Davina being headstrong with no concerns about how they are perceived by the outside world and the more staid personalities of Emma and Sally.

I am a fan of genealogical fiction and so I particularly enjoyed reading about Harriet’s desire to find out about her family and her use of DNA testing. This gave the story another superb layer, helping to contribute to the several twists and turns that the author has included, one of which, in particular, knocked me sideways!

It is no secret that I am a huge fan of Kathleen McGurl’s dual timeline novels and this one is another wonderful read. An accurate portrayal of family relationships with a plot that is both heartwarming and heart wrenching, I thoroughly recommend reading The Lost Sister.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Lost Sister by Kathleen McGurl. I truly enjoyed this book. The Lost Sister has a dual timeline - one timeline is contemporary and the other is in the early 1900s. In the contemporary storyline, Harriett has lost her husband and decided she should downsize to a smaller home. Her older daughter comes over to help her sort through the items stored in her attic. As they sort, they reminisce and laugh and come across an old trunk that belonged to Harriett's grandmother. Harriett begins to sort through the old trunk and her interest is piqued upon finding a picture of her grandmother and two sisters. Her grandmother never said she had two sisters, only one. Harriett sets out to find out to determine if there was a third sister. Her daughter also has a very ill son recently diagnosed with leukemia. So while she tries to figure out the sisters mystery, she is worried about her grandson and also about her estranged other daughter. The other timeline is told through Emma, the oldest of the Higgins sisters. Their father died young so their mom is raising the three girls. Emma learns of a new ship, the Olympic, which is sailing to New York and determines that not only would she love the adventure of working on the ship, she would be able to contribute more to the family's income. Although Emma loves working on the ship, she does not like leaving her mom home with her two younger sisters, Ruby and Lily. Ruby has become rather rebellious and upset that Emma is gone for three weeks at a time. Lily had tuberculosis as a young child, and she still has bouts of the illness. Emma's love for sailing carries her on many adventures which eventually involve each of her sisters. Sometimes in the dual timeline stories, I do not like the contemporary storyline very much, but in this book, I really enjoyed both timeline stories. I could not put the book down in order to learn the stories of Harriett and Emma. There a few twists and turns and one I did not see coming which kept me intrigued.

This book is two stories. One story is from the early 1900’s when ships sailed from England to New York and the other story is in the present. The story in the present is about the granddaughter of one of three sisters from the 1900’s story. It may sound confusing but it’s not. I enjoyed the 1900’s story the most because it was a time period I love to read about. It’s also a story of three sisters finding their way, mostly on steamships.
The granddaughter’s story is about learning of her past and helping a sick family member.
The thing I loved most about this book was all the small things that later turned into story changing events. I also loved how each chapter switched stories so you were never wondering about a story for very long. I would recommend this book to historical fiction lovers and people who enjoy a healing story.

This was an intriguing mystery that I found completely immersive. The dual timeline is split between 1911 onwards and the modern day . The main protagonists are Emma , who is a stewardess on the Olympic liner in 1911 and Harriet , who is in the process of downsizing house after the death of her husband.
Harriet discovers the sea chest belonging to her grandmother in the loft . After investigating the contents she discovers a photograph of her grandmother and her two sisters This comes as a shock to Harriet who only knew of one sister , her grandmother stating she had died young. Who is the other sister and why was she never spoken of?
The storyline unfolds a chapter at a time between the timelines. I found it really interesting reading. The author has captured the nuances of the family dynamics really well in both storylines.
I really enjoyed this book, there were twists and turns throughout the storyline and I thoroughly recommend it

I'm quite fascinated by anything to do with the Titanic and was aware that there were two other White Star liners, her sister ships the Olympic and Britannic. With this book also being about three sisters, my interest was piqued as I wondered if they would suffer the similar fates as the ships - my lips are sealed on that of course! This is also a dual timeline story and the part set in the present featuring Harriet had some parallels to the story in the past. For example, Harriet goes on a short cruise on the Queen Mary II with a friend, which gives her a sense of what life might have been like for her grandmother working on the great liners in the past. The Queen Mary II was the biggest cruise ship of its time just as the Olympic and then Titanic were the biggest ships of their time.

Another common feature was difficult sibling relationships and mother/daughter relationships. Emma, Ruby and Lily in the early 20th century were very different kinds of people. Emma was the hardworking responsible, eldest daughter and the narrator for most of that part of the story. Ruby was the middle daughter, harder to like, a bit of a handful and a bit flighty. The youngest daughter Lily was so sweet and having been ill for much of her young life, was well looked perhaps a bit babied, by her mother. In the present day, Harriet has drifted apart from her brother, though not because of any great falling out. She also has an estranged daughter and grandchildren she never sees. Her daughter Sally who stayed nearby always looked out for her mother, although was a bit over-bearing at times, However, with another issue having a huge impact on her life, I could see why she was so protective of her family. The author portrayed all these relationships very realistically and they felt like an accurate portrayal of the sometimes strained relationships within families

Kathleen McGurl had me fooled for quite a bit of her story with her clever way of writing about the sisters and what Harriet knew about her past. Just as Harriet found out things about her ancestors that she hadn't known, the author took me completely by surprise at points too. I found the story revolving around the ships and the sisters particularly fascinating, especially knowing what happened to each of the ships. I was reading eagerly to find out the fate of the sisters. The contemporary storyline was more of an unknown of course making it just as absorbing a read. This is a story of secrets, sacrifice and loss but at the same time manages to be a very uplifting read. A lovely story blending historical fact and fiction with a compelling contemporary strand too.

The Lost Sister is a dual and parallel storyline of three sisters in 1911 and of Harriet and her family in 2019. The cover of this novel is so beautiful and it just pulled me to request it through NetGalley. And the novel absolutely does not disappoint. I love historical details in my books and this novel is full of details regarding White Star Line ships Olympic, Titanic and Brittanic called three sisters. These three ships and their voyages play a major role in the novel. I loved how the author interspersed the story of Emma, Ruby and Lily with the historical details of these ships.
This wonderful novel is full of strong and courageous women. Its a novel of love, family ties and challenges. A very gripping story that once you start has to be finished. I highly recommend this book!

"The Lost Sister" is about 3 sisters in 1911-20, 3 sister ships of the time and two modern-day sisters. The ships are Olympic, Titanic and Brittanic, and we all know what happened to the Titanic. As usual with this format of novel there are some obvious parallels between the two groups of sisters. That being said this is a well written story about family relationships with a variety of characters.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

An enjoyable easy read women's fiction. Set in two time period - early 20th century and current day, the book tells the story of Harriet and her grandmother. I preferred the stories of Emma, Ruby and Lily with their work on the Olympic, Titanic and Britannic ships. Although Harriet's story had some sadness it was all a bit sugary and predictable.
This is an honest review of an advanced complementary ARC.

'The Lost Sister' is a beautiful and poignant novel that artfully weaves past and present together with a focus on family dynamics. I was heavily invested in both stories, caring about the characters of Emma and Harriet and their predicaments, turning the pages quickly to discover what would happen next. Kath McGurl has a delightful sense of humour, and at times, I smiled at things characters said and did. She also knows how to tug at the heartstrings and I also shed tears, especially when reading the historical sections of the novel. I thoroughly recommend this captivating story – 5 stars from me!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. I was gripped from the first chapter, I don’t think I’ve ever read anything as heartbreaking as this story. I’m not really into historical stories but this stood out for me as I love to hear about the titanic. Such a heartbreaking tragedy, I fell in love with Emma’s story. I never expected it to turn out as it did. Harriet had a happy ever after, delighted for her and her girls. Very well written, great storyline and characters. I would have liked to know if ruby did make it to New York though. This is a story that will always be on my mind. It’s not one you will forget. Brilliant book, I look forward to reading more from this author.

THE LOST SISTER by Kathleen McGurl

The Lost Sister has dual-time narration, between 1911 and 2019. In 1911, responsible sister Emma Higgins has left her employment at a local hotel, to take the chance of seeing the world as a stewardess on board the Olympic, a sea-going vessel. She hopes that her mother can keep their little family together, while she's gone for the three-week voyage. Ruby is the wild child sister, never satisfied with anything and always pushing the rules of home and society. Lily is the sickly sister, she has had a devastating case of TB as a youngster and seems to catch any little illness that comes along. Emma and Lily are close. Ruby and her mother are close.

The Olympic is a sister ship to the Titanic, the Britannic is also a sister ship to the Titanic. At one point, all three sisters go to sea, Emma is the sister who goes on board each of the ships, with her two sisters. Each ship has its own adventure.

In 2019, Harriet has recently lost her loving husband and has decided to consolidate her holdings and purchase a much smaller home. She finds a trunk in the attic that was her grandmother's and begins to go through all of the mementos enclosed in it. It was her grandmother's trunk that she used for her sea-going excursions.

There are parallels in the dual timelines, of missing sisters who have taken a path away from their loving families. There are unexpected twists in the story that catches you off guard that make it a memorable and favorite book.

It is an interesting take on the Titanic disaster of 1912. Highly recommend.

Thanks a million to #netgalley for the complimentary copy of #thelostsister I was under no obligation to post a review.