Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. The Girl in Lifeboat Six by Eliza Graham begins with Romilly, a young girl from London, taking a job to accompany a minor and his grandmother on a trip to New York following her mother’s death. The only thing standing in the way of her new life is the unforgiving Atlantic Ocean full of German U-boats. The story started out rather slow introducing the characters but it was done in a way that made it easier to connect and sympathize with them following their life changing experiences. Once the characters were introduced the action picked up very quickly and I had a hard time putting it down. The story took an abrupt turn once they reached New York and was definitely not something I was expecting but quite enjoyed. Overall it was well written and I do hope the author plans to write a sequel. I would definitely read it as well.

I really enjoyed this book the description and book cover caught my interest, a good few surprises along the way and i hope there is a book two.

Surviving a torpedoing during World War II sounded like an interesting topic. America isn’t in the war yet, and the British desperately want it to join in. Aboard ship, Romilly meets Ed, a charming but mysterious young man. They both survive and Ed gets Romilly involved in schemes to manipulate America to enter the war. I tried to read through the whole book, but skipped around. Romilly never won me over and I didn’t appreciate the manipulation. It happened, yes, but I don’t want to read about it.

Complicated Story. This tale is one of those stories where the front half and back half are wildly divergent, and thus one's feelings of the overall tale may become more complex and nuanced - even as this book gets ever more preachy towards the end, even though it too started out more nuanced.

The front half of the book, spending roughly 30% of the front of the book establishing the various characters and their relationships, as well as the esteemed luxury liner they all find themselves on in the early periods of WWII - before December 1941. The next 20% or so is then spent in disaster/ survival mode, showing what happens with these characters as the worst happens and they are now in a desperate fight for survival. Indeed, this section even feels very reminiscent of the tales of the Titanic survivors, though I suppose those are only the most famous of the unknowable number of people over the course of human history to survive a ship sinking in the northern Atlantic ocean. Through these two sections in particular, we get a very good degree of nuance and showing, as The Imitation Game said it best "sometimes it is those no one imagines anything of that do the things that no one can imagine".

The back half of the tale begins to focus more and more on the aftermath of the sinking - and of British efforts to get America involved. This is where, as an American who has studied the relevant histories in some depth and who had direct family involvement in the era... the tale gets a LOT more complicated, personally. The writing is still great, and the tale itself flows very well. But my own thoughts and reactions to the tale became much more complicated.

At the time of the setting of this tale, one of my grandfathers had already enlisted in the US Army, knowing a war was on the horizon. It would be two more years, as the US military built up to the event now known as D-Day, before my other grandfather would come into the Army. While I never knew this second grandfather - he died weeks after my birth - I learned quite well his legacy in my own life, from the stories of my grandmother (his ex-wife) and my dad (who has made his point in life to largely do the opposite of what his own father did). The first grandfather, I shared the last 20 years of his life with the first 20 years of mine, and knew him as little more than a somewhat stereotypical southern US farmer grandfather. By the time I came around - and apparently even when my mom was growing up - he *NEVER* spoke of his time in WWII. I learned much when I got both of their service records about a decade ago now, and this is where my more complicated feelings about this book come to bear.

The first grandfather clearly believed similarly to our characters here in the back half of the tale, that Hitler *must* be stopped and America *must* join the fight. no matter the reason or cost. (Thinking of this now, it sounds eerily similar to statements some make about another ongoing European war in 2023...) Both of my grandfathers were at the Battle of the Bulge, and this first grandfather got a Silver Star and a Purple Heart because when he was ordered to clear a building on a particular corner in a tiny hamlet of a town, the Germans in that building came out in body bags, and he came out with an injury severe enough to send him to the field hospital. That was 38 years to the day before my birth, when his oldest son was something like 18 months old and my mother - his next to youngest child - was far off. He would die 58 years and a few weeks after that day, apparently the most decorated WWII veteran in his home County at the time of his death.

But that other grandfather. He was at the Bulge, but he was AAA infantry - and at that point, AAA infantry was being used for little more than cannon fodder for German tanks, sometimes literally being told to make do with broomsticks painted black to look like rifles. He was in the Division that liberated the first concentration camps on the American side of the war, though I have no record of where he individually was at that time. From hearing the second and third hand stories over the years, these experiences changed him - and little for the better. Nothing excuses what he became... but it was these very experiences, this very change that he had resisted for so long... what would have changed in *my own life* had that grandfather never been there, had the US never been in the war at all?

So getting back to the book, when the back half here is spent trying to manipulate the press into manipulating America into a war, when it is a tale of working to manipulate the press to make certain domestically popular positions as unpopular as they are in other nations - particularly nations America spent literally two *other* wars breaking away from... it becomes a much more complicated tale, both in the setting at the time and in the current environment where press manipulation is all too rampant - and equally, inaccurate cries of press manipulation (itself a press manipulation) are also all too rampant. Reading it with my own history of the war then and my own thoughts on the war now, the tale becomes much more complicated in this back half.

And yet, in the end, it really is a great tale, solidly told, and sometimes... sometimes we need those complicated stories that roil our hearts, without destroying them. Sometimes we need those complicated stories that make us think, both of our histories and of our current realities. Sometimes we need a tale that while escapism on its face, isn't quite the escapism we were expecting and instead confronts us with these Big Complicated Ideas.

If you're looking for a more "pure escapism" "Summer Read"... maybe this isn't that. And maybe you should read it anyway.

Very much recommended.

The thing I love about historical fiction is I can learn about history through a different lens and learn something new with each book; that continued with The Girl in Lifeboat Six. Here we meet Romilly Brooks, who has taken a job as a nanny accompanying Freddie, an eight-year-old boy, and his grandmother from London to New York. Running away from everything she has ever known; she sees this job as her escape and salvation. Having experienced the hardships of wartime London, with its rationing and devastating bombings by Hitler's forces, stepping onto a luxurious ocean liner feels like entering a completely different world. But can Romilly truly escape the war, or will it persistently shadow her as German U-boats lurk beneath the waves?

This book was full of twists, turns, and emotions that I was not expecting. Most historical fiction regarding WWII I have read has told been told from the side of those in London, but it was interesting to see what was happening in America during that time. A wonderful story that is full of characters I won’t soon forget.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publishers for allowing me to read The Girl in Lifeboat Six in return for my honest opinion.

In 1941, Romilly Brooks has recently lost her mother, she applies for a job as a nanny and is shocked when she's hired. Romilly is to travel with eight year old Freddie Landau and Mrs. Dekker aboard the Lucknow. Freddie has been staying with a host family in England and his grandmother wants him to live with family in New York.

The ocean liner is grand, Romilly hasn’t seen so much food in years, the ship is being escorted only part of the way and after that they should be out of range of the German U-boats. The captain makes it very clear from the start, everyone must always wear a life jacket, take part in the drills and make their way straight to their assigned lifeboat.

Romilly meets fellow passenger Edward Witney, he handsome and charming and she wonders why he isn’t fighting in the war. She notices him talking to a lady with short black hair, no one knows who she is and Romilly thinks he's keeping a secret. One night a German torpedo hits the ship, Romilly and Freddie are thrown into the cold Atlantic Ocean. Romilly knows they have no chance of survival in a small raft, eventually they see the lifeboat six, but it’s full and someone makes the selfless decision to trade places.

I received a digital copy of The Girl in Lifeboat Six by Eliza Graham from Storm Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Ms. Graham has written an emotive story about children being sent across the sea to safety during the Second World War, but the Germans were prowling the ocean waiting to destroy any allied ships and with no regard to who was on board. Surviving against the odds, Romilly has to deal with the flashbacks about the harrowing time shes with young Freddie and the others aboard the lifeboat and wondering if she made the right choices.

I felt a real connection with the characters of Romilly, Freddie, Smoky, Mrs. Dekker, Ahmed and Ruth. The narrative includes information about the lobbying from aviator Charles Lindbergh and the America First Committee, they didn't want the US fighting in the war and of course this was prior to Pearl Harbor. Four and a half stars from me, at nineteen Romilly was mature beyond her years and her relationship with Freddie was heartwarming, I have been a fan of Eliza Graham’s novels since I read You let Me Go, and I highly recommend both books.

Thank you for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

I had not read any other books by the author so came to this one with no idea what to expect.

What I got was a well researched well written book about a harrowing aspect of WW2 - the transport of children to a new life in a new country rather than evacuation to another part of the UK.
I do think it would have been good to point out that this was entirely a work of fiction though based on events that did happen and were well recorded in history.
I had no idea that the U-boats had been able to travel further and hence wreak more havoc. My husband told me that they had developed means to refuel at sea and hence increase range.

This was harrowing - the descriptive prose when Romilly and the others were in the sea was excellent. It was almost possible to know what she was feeling purely through the words on the page.
The part that didn’t ring as true for me was when she was in New York and ‘working’ with Ed.
This was also a part of WW2 that I had no idea about. I am not old enough to remember any part of the war but I understand there was controversy over the USA joining both wars.
I too found the end slightly disappointing though I could understand why Romilly felt she couldn’t run away anymore.

A very different read on the events if WW2 that kept me till the end - in fact I was surprised I was at the end.

Thank you again

This is one seriously powerful World War II story dripping with courage, strength, loss and love. Love for a parent, a child and friend. Plus, the early start of a romantic interest. But the danger that some of these characters faced had my heart in my throat. The various harrowing events at the centre of this novel created such tension, it was as taut as a bow string! And when that arrow flew, the damage was mind numbing.

I have read a number of novels lately on the topic of the torpedoed passenger ships of World War II. Each one has been excellent in their own right with various external focuses but this novel’s different approach and plot really shook my heart. Romilly is an intriguing character. Two weeks after her mother passes away, she accepts a companion position that involves being a nanny to eight year old Freddie and his grandmother on a voyage to New York from London.

I kept forgetting Romilly was nineteen years old as she seemed so mature for her age. She is also much stronger than she thinks. Even though she appears to be running away from her problems at home, we can easily sympathise with her need to escape a war targeted city. Her survival instincts are on alert and from the very start once boarding the ship, she is paying attention to her surroundings and the safety measures. Her careful observances prove useful and, when the ship goes down after being attacked by a German U-Boat, she knows what to do. But, of course, an unexpected event occurs to set her off track temporarily. Freddie dashes off to retrieve his frightened dog. Romilly goes after him causing them to lose their spot on Lifeboat Six. Yet she still handles the diversion well—even though it puts her and Freddie in an incredibly difficult situation. Survival is number one in her mind and she will do all she can to save the boy, his dog and his grandmother. Even the handsome, intriguing Edward she meets on the ship is in need of her help. She does everything in her power while the ship is going down. When Edward is thrust overboard, she tries to get him out of the freezing water and on to a life raft. What follows, creates even more tension and despair when his fate looks grim.

The story is so well presented you fall into its embrace and it offers a clutching hold to the very end. I could hardly breathe in spots! I will not spoil the experience for others but I will say Romilly’s journey continues on land and there are many obstacles yet for her to face (and unexpected twists!). We see how difficult it was for survivors seeking refuge in America. Finding a place in society, dealing with a different culture. Even their response to plenty of food and other comforts would have felt foreign to those who had been on rations and lived in constant fear. Eliza provides a broad and informative picture.

A further note on Freddie: I found him to be such an amazing child so perceptive and connected to his surroundings. He had to face so many changes and loss at such a young age. His warm attachment to Romilly is understandable—her devotion and compassion for this boy was admirable. Their connection would have been made stronger partly due to their struggle together to survive. It was a joy to watch their relationship grow but also heart-breaking when they were briefly torn apart.

The historical inference of what might have happened on the ship, Charles Lindbergh, the London bombings and New York of 1941—appear to be authentic representations and well researched. I personally felt totally transported to the settings and events and was immersed in that world—both fictional and real. This story offers a sweeping view of New York city at that time as seen through the fresh eyes of Romilly. We get a clear idea of what it was like for those who tried to escape the London bombings and the refugees leaving other parts of Europe to find peace and safety. It was a difficult era and I certainly felt the author took us on a complete and unforgettable journey.

I cannot praise Ms Graham enough for delivering such a moving and heart-gripping story that I most definitely and sincerely recommend. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for my review copy.

A lovely story, very addictive and interesting. I loved this one. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book by Eliza Graham. I was absorbed and couldn't put it down. it has strength, loyalty, love and heartbreak through it. definitely recommend this for fans of historical fiction...

The Girl in Lifeboat Six by Eliza Graham is a harrowing and heartbreaking story of the horrendous repercussions of war which devastated and uprooted families and lives. Nineteen-year-old Romilly Brooks is in London during the Blitz and after losing her mother decides to escape to New York. She accepts a job nannying eight-year-old Freddie who, with his grandmother Mrs. Dekker, also flee England aboard the Lucknow. Mysterious Edward Witney befriends reluctant Romilly. My favourite relationships which developed were those between Romilly, Mrs. Dekker and Freddie.

The story is mostly told by Romilly but also Mrs. Dekker's perspective which was well done. Their emotions and feelings about the ship, the war and their pasts are gradually revealed and I could feel the trepidations and unease. When the ship is torpedoed by Germans, lives again are changed in an instant. Several are killed. All survivors must make a life afterward in new-to-them North America. People's courage and perseverance under dire circumstances such as these always amaze me.

The sea voyage setting and historical information including U-boats and Charles Lindbergh are told with finesse. Though fiction, the author describes her inspiration on real events. It is obvious she wrote with heart.

My sincere thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this lovely book.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book.. I found this a very well written story, about a young lady who leaves England in 1941 after the unexpected death of her mother. She accompanied a young Czech boy and his grandmother to New York. The characters are very well written and their emotions are explored with care. Each of them had experienced hardship and was trying to move on, either by choice or because Freddie was too young to decide for himself.
I had very recently visited The Titanic Quarter in Belfast & The Titanic Experience in Cobh, so the experience Romily encountered on board the ship and the lifeboat were very familiar to those of the Titanic passengers 20 years earlier. The outcome for the main characters was not as I had expected, but they grew in strength and courage. The ending was unexpected and I would love to read more.
I can highly recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction. You quickly become immersed in the storyline, I couldn't put it down.

This was a well written book that kept the reader engaged to see what would happen next. My students would enjoy this book. This is a book that I am going to recommend that they read.

I just reviewed The Girl in Lifeboat Six by Eliza Graham. #TheGirlinLifeboatSix #NetGalley Wow! I love books based on history and boy was this book captivating! The characters, their development throughout the book. The attack. It draws you in as if you are there living and breathing the experience. I look forward to reading more books from Eliza Graham she has definitely become one of my go to authors!

I was completely engrossed in this immersive story of a young woman finding her purpose in a world that has completely changed around her.
Romilly leaves Blitz-battered Britain behind in the wake of her mother’s sudden death. She’s still in shock and mentally adrift, but starts to bond with her new employer Mrs Dekker and her grandson Freddie, who are Jewish and seeking safety from persecution in America.
It’s no spoiler to reveal that their ship goes down. My heart was in my mouth during the evocative scenes depicting the sinking and its aftermath.
Romilly is a remarkable character who learns her own inner strength as she overcomes the events that threaten to overwhelm her. As she declares, “Perhaps we all have to be a bit fierce, Freddie. Just to get by. Not all the time, not with everyone. But when it matters. Most people are kind.” It seemed to me that this was the heart of Romilly’s story. Despite the cruelty of war, and the people who would wreak destruction or stand by and allow others to suffer, there are still good people, and Romilly is one of the best. She is brave and principled, but not perfect. Eliza Graham is too skilled and insightful a writer to fall into the trap of making her, or any of the other characters, an angel. They are interesting and well-rounded.
I’d love to read a sequel to this book, as I am left feeling Romilly’s story has bags of potential to develop further. Whatever happens, I’ll look forward to reading whatever story the author writes next.

I LOVED this book! I was so emotionally invested in this story and these characters! Highly highly recommend

This was something totally different for me as i am more into murder mystery's.
A really enjoyable read and i found it really interesting to learn about the USA before they joined the war,
I felt slightly let down by the ending though.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

The Girl in LIfeboat Six grabbed me from the start. WW2 prior to the US entry into the war was a difficult period of isolationism vs support for our allies in Europe who were battling the onslaught of Nazi Germany. This novel begins with evaclation (primarily of children) from England but then shifts into a story of survival, courage, political strategy, romance and coming of age in a turbulent world. The main characters are well-developed people I would like to know. But the ending was abrupt, leaving me hoping for a sequel.,

Thank you to Storm Publishing, NetGalley and the author for the advance reader copy. I enjoyed being introduced to a new author.
I look forward to reading more books from Eliza Graham.

The Girl in Lifeboat Six by Eliza Graham tells the story of a strong, courageous woman during WWII who faces adversities as she strives to survive. It is an action-packed tale of loss, new relationships, and new cultures. The strength and courage necessary to overcome and find a purpose drives Romilly (main character) to find who she really is.

A copy of the book was provided for my review but all opinions are my own.

The Girl in Lifeboat Six by Eliza Graham was given to me as an ARC by NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my honest review.

As a history major, I am always thrilled to find an honest depiction of how the United States acted before entering WW II. People tend to have a romanticized version of our country and reading how things actually were is a pleasant surprise on our not so heroic entry into the war.

The story of the U-Boat attack, their fight for survival and the aftermath is compelling and drew me in.

This is my first book by Eliza Graham, but definitely won't be my last.