Thanks to Anna Stuart, Bookouture, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review a complimentary copy of the book.
A Letter from Pearl Harbor is a dual timeline novel, which goes between a grandmother and her 2 granddaughters, Robyn and Ashleigh. Grandmother Ginny, at her deathbed, has entreated her grand daughters to complete a treasure hunt that she created for them. As they work through the clues, they learn of Ginny's life, secrets she kept and how she and her friends survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. The girls also discover, through doing the treasure hunt, how to love each other and get along.
I found this book enjoyable, likely as I really enjoy historical fiction novels as well as Hawaii.

A lovely story of determination, resilience and grit for strong women in two different eras, connected through family. A little predictable at times, but a good read nonetheless. Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

A Letter From Pearl Harbor is a story of love, loss, learning and second chances no matter the situation. The story is narrated to us in two timelines, one in the current day from Robyn's point of view and the other through letters and the narration in her grandmother's point of view set in 1941. Robyn and her sister spend one last night with their grandmother who is on her deathbed. At this point, she tells them that she had a terrible secret and has set up a treasure hunt with clues scattered across Hawaii to tell them her story.

The sisters, Robyn and Ashleigh have their own share of demons to deal with. Ashleigh got into an accident which led to her being confined to a wheelchair and stuck without the use of her legs. Robyn moves to Hawaii (perhaps following in her grandmother's footsteps) and works there, giving up a sports scholarship that she was not ready to devote time to. The sisters have unresolved feelings of resentment towards one another which are tackled through the story.

As we follow the girls on their hunt for clues, we get to know their grandmother better. Her story is set in the time of WWII when the was had still not come to America, but there was a hint. Then one day, Pearl Harbor is bombed by the Japanese and everything changes. In the midst of this bombing, a lot changes for Ginny and thus her priorities change. Determined and full of purpose, she goes to England in the hope that female pilots will be allowed to be a part of the war efforts.

This is a heartbreaking story that brings to us the realities of war, the frustrations, but more importantly how loss affects the people who still live. Additionally, as we discover Ginny's secrets, we find out just how decisions can affect not just your life but that of the others around you and how the goodness of people can go beyond holding grudges and prove to be healing. Through her story, Robyn and her sister also learn to accept who they are, accept each other and form better bonds with each other and those around them.

Though the war is a part of the plot, the main focus is on the women who train to be pilots and participate in the war efforts. Their determinations, achievements and friendships form the backbone of this story. A truly well-written story, this book is worth reading especially for the messages it contains.

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

Inspired by true events, A Letter From Pearl Harbor by Anna Stuart is a moving and unforgettable historical novel about love, loss and courage. Split between two timelines, it tells the story of Ginny McAllister, one of the first female pilots at Pearl Harbor in 1941, and her granddaughters Robyn and Ashleigh in 2019 as they set out to solve the treasure hunt Ginny left for them just before she died.

I was instantly transported to the Pearl Harbor of 1941 as Ginny flew her little yellow plane above the sparkling seas. I could feel the tension as the story began to unfold, with the choices she is forced to make having heartbreaking consequences that haunted her for the rest of her life.

Beautifully written by Anna Stuart, A Letter From Pearl Harbor is set in both England and Hawaii, moving seamlessly between the dual timelines as the story is cleverly woven together, slowly uncovering its secrets little by little as the sisters begin to work through the clues, eventually revealing the truth of what had really happened to Ginny during World War 2.

I loved this book. It is a well paced, gripping story full of intrigue and suspense that is steeped in a history that is brought vividly to life by the author. With characters you can’t help but like and root for, A Letter From Pearl Harbor kept me reading long into the night. Anna Stuart’s writing is superb, capturing my imagination from the very first page and not letting go until the final page had been turned.

There is so much more I could say, but this is a story you really need to discover for yourself. A truly fascinating and inspirational tale of love and loss that will stay with me for a long time to come, A Letter From Pearl Harbor is a moving and memorable historical novel that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

I recently discovered Anna Stuart and I must say she is a fantastic writer. I first read her book The Berlín Zookeeper and now A Letter From Pearl Harbour.

This book focuses on the lives of two sisters - Ashleigh and Robyn. Their witty, funny grandmother of 98 - Grandma Ginny dies and leaves them with a treasure hunt in order for them to know how her life was during the world war II when she was at Pearl Harbour in 1942. After the funeral, both sisters return to Honolulu to pick up on the trail she left for them.

This book is drama at its best. It's written in dual timelines, so we get to see the sisters fixing the puzzle while going on with their lives and also grandma Ginny from 1942. I like books that discuss the war period and in this I learnt quite a lot. There are a lot of historical events that actually took place in real life and also mention of real people.

If I was to rename this book it'd be Queen Of The Skies. Because Ginny was a tough lady that showed everyone around that just because she is a female doesn't mean she's anything less. No. She is MORE. And she proved that. Ginny is a sweet lady, kind and carefree. I love her friendship with her friend. They're two incredible women and I'm glad they found their happy ending at last.

The book is quite emotional as well. Reading about the loss of all those people was heartbreaking. And then the accident that happened with Ginny's friend! It was just too much. I wept so hard at all the violence that happened during the war. Tbh this book has left a deep scar in me.

It's so wholesome. It's emotional, heartbreaking, amazing. It tells a tale of love, friendship, loss, loyalty and most importantly, hope. Never lose hope.

Reading this book reminded me that life is easy. You just have to go through it with a cool head. After Ginny felt she was the cause of her friends' accident, she felt that she wouldn't be able to move on. But her boyfriend whom I absolutely respect, came back and told her she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. I love that scene.

I truly enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait to read more of Anna Stuart books.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for the arc copy of this book.

1941 Ginny is a pilot in Hawaii but the Japanese are approaching... 2019 Ginny sets a treasure hunt for her granddaughters as her dying wish, trying to repair their fragile relationship while teaching them about her past.
A Letter From Pearl Harbor is a dual timeline novel set during the Second World War and the modern day.
Robyn lives and works in Hawaii, unaware of her grandmother's history there. After Ginny's death, she returns with her sister Ashleigh. They have a prickly relationship after Ash suffered a catastrophic injury while forced her to be in a wheelchair. Ash thinks Rob is wasting her life and opportunitites. Meanwhile Rob thinks her sister needs to make the most of her potential, wheelchair or not.
Granny Ginny wanted to reconcile the girls so created a treasure hunt from her deathbed. Together they travel around Hawaii to the places that Ginny loved. We then see flashbacks to events in the past as Ginny works as a female pilot as war looms. There is an added poignancy to the plot as real historical figures intermingle with the fictional ones.
I enjoyed the mystery element to the treasure hunt and the journey of discovery and self discovery that the sisters go on. Around a third of the way through, Ginny describes herself in a letter as a coward. This raised my anticipation as I tried to reconcile that image of her with how she is represented in the past and present so far. She lived with a secret for decades...
A Letter From Pearl Harbor is a wonderful tale of loss and change, grief and gratitude.

This was such a inspirational and moving story about not only WW2 but also of family and forgiveness. Ginny’s story was full of ups and downs, hard times that had to be navigated and even though it took a while she was able to grow and create a beautiful life. Ash & Rob were such an interesting duo. The sisters had a lot to work through personal already with the death of a loved one but also as sisters. The two were also able to overcome as they learned about their grandmas war life. Both timelines were fun to read and I enjoyed this read.

I loved this historical novel about Pearl Harbour, the characters are engaging and the storyline pulled you in from the first pages so I read it in one sitting. It works really well in the dual timeline and with the different voices and Hawaii is definitely on my wish list!

I loved this from beginning to end. Historical fiction isn't normally my go to genre but I love anything based around WW2 and especially Pearl Harbour. This was very well researched and I loved the characters and storyline.
Highly recommend

Robyn heads to England just before her grandmother dies. Seeing her sister Ashleigh is not easy for her. The two were once close but have become distant since Ashleigh had a bicycle accident that left her in a wheelchair. When they were children, their grandmother set up quite a few treasure hunts and the sisters really enjoyed them. The last wish of their grandmother means that Ashleigh must accompany Robyn to her home in Hawaii for one last treasure hunt. Challenges abound but the sisters follow through and with a series of letters and clues they work together as their grandmother had requested.

Soon Robyn and Ashleigh learn that their grandmother had a secret for years and they slowly learn about their grandmother's life and time during World War II. Not only do the sisters have a lot to learn about their grandmother, they have a lot to learn about each other. In fact, the time they spend together affords them the opportunity to grow closer together again. They stumble along and do not always agree, but they have a remarkable time together.

This was an excellent book from beginning to end. I had this review copy as an audiobook ARC and it was masterfully narrated by Laurence Bouvard. Her voices were marvelous, especially when we heard Grandmother Ginny's voice during the letters the girls were reading. As this story was delivered, the sisters lives were evolving, but we also got to see parts of Ginny's life during the war. Her experiences were amazing and it was wonderful to watch the sisters learn so much about her life at that time.

The settings in this book were well done, made even better as we learn about female pilots during WWII. This story had a wonderful impact on me, but that grew even stronger when reading the Acknowledgments at the end of the book. The fact that this was based on a true story was so very impressive.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I absolutely adored this book, I was supposed to be on the blog tour bit got bad news the day of my stop and never managed to get my thoughts together and for that I can only apologise.

But the friendship dynamics and everything were incredible, this was a story I devoured and was sad when it ended because I needed more.

The bombing of Pearl Harbour is the catalyst for this dual timeline adventure, based on a true story. An intriguing legacy sends UK sisters Robyn and Ashleigh Harris on a treasure hunt around Hawaii to uncover the tragic secrets their grandmother Ginny has kept about her time as a pilot there during the bombing of Pearl Harbour.
I liked the mystery and adventure here - author Anna Stuart paints a convincing and enthralling picture of Hawaii as the peaceful oasis (despite being a military base) it was before the Pearl Harbour attack, and the terrifying, harrowing scene of war it became on December 7, 1941.
Then she returns us to tranquillity, but keeps the tension nicely ratched up with Robyn and Ashleigh's continuing quest for answers which will reveal truths, not just about Ginny, but about their own lives. Will they - and especially wheel-chair bound Ashleigh - be able to draw on their granny's resilience to face their own life challenges?
But what really made this story shine for me was Ginny herself. We meet her as a 100-year-old woman on her deathbed, and yet her strength, confidence and courage shine through every bit as much as when she was a young woman who'd followed her military pilot brother to Hawaii and fought to make her own dreams of serving her country come true. She's funny, feisty, loving and loyal, with very human flaws that make her all the more relatable to the reader.
A super story that also gives a good insight into a part of WWII history we might not know much about.

This fiction is based on historical events.

Ninety-eight-year old Ginny McAllister’s is at the twilight of her life and has one last wish for her granddaughters Robyn and Ashleigh before the lights go off: go to Hawaii and complete a treasure hunt containing clues to her past...... Her story promises to be epic.

Told in two timelines through the viewpoints of older and younger Ginny and her granddaughter Robyn “A Letter From Pearl Harbor” is a captivating story of courage, resilience, love in unexpected places, about family and the horrors and after-effects of war.

The historical part of the story brings us to Oahu in the fall of 1941 where Ginny is a pilot and flight instructor. In her words she recalls her experiences before, during and after the surprise military strike by Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the U.S naval base. As the sisters unravel clues after clues we follow Ginny and her friends facing all the obstacles they encountered as brave women pilots in the early 1940’s. At the time when the mindset of American was not in favour of female pilots ferrying missions. To add poignancy to the plot real historical figures intermingle with the fictional ones and we learn the struggles these women had to face to be recognised: Jacqueline Cochran, Nancy Love make a cameo appearance in this segment although flipping the pages we come across important figures of the times as well as civilians and military heroes.

As the story flips flops back and forth in time we discover that the characters are a total contrast to each other. By the end, the girls learn to live and love and make their dreams come true. The characters are well-crafted and easy to love.

The storyline flows smoothly; the tempo is slow intercepted by well place action and fascinating facts and details to keep us engaged till the very end. I find the way it is penned to have originality.

Right from the start I enjoyed this book. It was easy to establish the characters and get involved into their lives. A book that is historic about that terrible day in Pearl Harbor. It was sad, but also encouraging to read how you should find a was to move on through tragedy. I highly recommend this book.

An interesting book set across two different timelines - Ginny in WWII and Robyn and Ashleigh in the present day. Based on a true story as well, which adds to the interest.

Ginny was a pilot at a time when women just didn't become pilots, end of. Nevertheless, she was able to get flying lessons and discovered she was very good at it. When war broke out, she wanted to do her bit. She was in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese bombed it.

Robyn is Ginny's granddaughter. She enjoys her life but there are some aspects of it which could be improved. She also has a turbulent relationship with her sister, Ashleigh. Ashleigh is bitter and prickly, which doesn't help.

Ginny sends both young women on a treasure hunt, which serves to educate them about her past but also forces them to spend time together and to communicate a little better. There is also a bit of romance in the mix, in both timelines, which was nice too :)

Really interesting history about women pilots in WWII and I learned a bit about Hawaii as well.

Recommended read. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

This is a story within a story, moving from present day to WWII and back again. I love these engaging reads where I have to keep going to see how it all turns out! Fans of WWII stories will enjoy this one, especially with the link to present day. I enjoyed the characters and their development, and found the story memorable.

I took part in the blog tour for this book; full review at drbethnolan.com

I enjoyed this dual timeline book which visits 2019 with sisters Robyn and Ashleigh , & 1941 with their grandmother Ginny. Both years set in Hawaii. I loved the way the girls are set the treasure hunt in order to learn about their grandmother’s life. The purpose being to make the girls question their own lives and why they make the choices they do. The story is so cleverly thought out, blending in the history of Pearl Harbour, which itself was very interesting hearing how it affected those in the moment.
My first book by this author, certainly won’t be the last.

Robyn flies back to the UK from Hawaii to visit her precious grandmother on her deathbed. Granny Ginny has been holding on to see her, having been the main woman in Robyn’s life with her parents away working. But that’s not the only reason – she’s set Robyn and her sister, Ashleigh one final treasure hunt….one that will reveal a dark secret from Ginny’s past. Surprisingly the treasure hunt is in Hawaii so after the funeral the sisters set off there to solve it. What unravels is an intriguing and riveting story of Granny Ginny’s past and her life and service on the island, as well as the revelation of the secret she was so ashamed of, she couldn’t confess to their faces. But with a tricky relationship between the sisters, will they be able to work with each other one final time to fulfil their Granny’s dying wish? And will they want to know the secret that will be revealed?

I’ve loved previous books of Anna’s so I was looking forward to this and was blown away. Told through a dual timeline, we have the present day, a letter from Ginny and then we’re transported back to the 40’s along with Ginny. I love the mix of history and a riveting story, and instead of being set in Europe, Hawaii was a new and interesting place. The tragic and unexpected events at Pearl Harbour are beautifully, but heartbreakingly covered by Anna and you will shed a tear or two. It must have been horrific to experience, and Anna really brings this to life and puts you in the thick of it. It was fascinating to read about how women pilots may have been treated in America at the time of WWII and how this was different in Britain. The women are battling to be able to serve their country in a meaningful way and this comes across so well, and will get you contemplating what it must have been like for them.

The characters are fantastic. I loved Granny Ginny and although younger Ginny makes some terrible decisions, I couldn’t help by love her. Lili is a wonderful character and I really warmed to all the characters in the 40s. Robyn and Ashleigh have a strained relationship and it was heartwarming to watch the work together throughout. Ashleigh is a pretty grumpy to start with but she has every reason to be….

Anna covers quite a lot around a physical disability in this and its really thought-provoking – how one mistake can cause such life changing events and the person has to try and manage not only the physical changes, but the psychological changes too.

Again, as will Anna’s previous books, the writing is truly engaging. I love a dual timeline, and I love how we got to read part of Granny Ginny’s letter before moving on to be in the 40’s with her. I felt like I was transported all over the place and it was thrilling. I just wanted to keep turning the pages to see what would unravel next. And I absolutely loved the treasure hunt!

So without me going on forever, this is a fantastic book! If you’re looking for a brilliant historical fiction novel set in WWII with fantastic female characters that will break, yet warm your heart and really get you thinking then this is for you. Highly recommended by me.

Sisters Robyn and Ashleigh Harris embark on a 'treasure hunt' organised by their grandmother, Ginny, before her death. It is a quest that they must do together, but is made more difficult by Ashleigh who is confined to a wheelchair and not the easiest person to get along with.

A chest containing a letter is left at various locations around Hawaii. Through these letters and the places they visit, Robyn and Ashleigh learn of their grandmother's past during World War II. They follow Ginny's trail from her arrival in Hawaii, to how she became a civilian flight instructor, survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and her role as a pilot ferrying planes in England, finally revealing a tragic accident that helps Ashleigh come to terms with her disability.

Once again Anna Stuart has delivered an emotional story around the events of World War II. Her focus this time is the attack on Pearl Harbor from the perspective of a female pilot caught up in these events. A lesser-known detail that Stuart makes use of is that some civilian aircraft were in the air at the time. She places Ginny in this life and death situation, in a Piper Cub surrounded by Japanese planes. It is a powerful piece of imagery that will always remind me of this novel.

The relationship between Robyn and Ashleigh is a rocky one. Robyn believes that after nearly ten years Ashleigh should have come to terms with the accident that put her in a wheelchair. Ashleigh resents that Robyn has stayed away for so long, only returning to England because their grandmother was ill. Through Ginny's quest, they discover surprising things about her and each other that will force them to re-evaluate their lives, acknowledge their differences and find the courage to take a chance on love and what life has to offer.

A Letter from Pearl Harbor is full of those historical details that successfully evoke another time and place. I enjoyed all aspects of this dual-time narrative, but my main interest was Ginny's experiences as a female pilot during World War II.