What an interesting visit to Poole and the Dorset coast of England!
WW2, Flying Boats, air raid shelters and spy missions….combined with detailed descriptions of Poole and Brownsea Island, past and present. Bonus trip to Australia, too!

I enjoyed this look back in history and I liked all of the characters.

Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

This was such a lovely dual time-line read. I know Poole very well so that made it all the more enjoyable. I found out a lot of interesting things about Dorset during the war and was sad to finish it. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Sooo good ….loved the anguish and emotional pull of the characters!!
Rebekah and Peggy are sooo tough ….also the resilience of Hans was astounding !!

The book opens with a compelling prologue by Peggy, instantly drawing me in and sparking curiosity about what would unfold. However, despite the strong start, the early chapters felt like there was a focus on excessive descriptions and context, which I felt detracted from the character development. Unfortunately, this focus on description made it difficult for me to truly connect with the characters or become fully invested in the storyline. While the initial hook was strong, I felt that the story ultimately struggled to maintain momentum, leaving me disconnected and disengaged.

This was such a lovely book. It's the perfect book to curl up with in an afternoon. The story was cute and easy to follow and had a good cast of characters. I highly recommend it to other readers.
💝 Thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Peggy is the daughter of a fisherman, she knows the waterways of Poole like the back of her hand and she helps transfer passengers and supplies from the flying boats and is a member of the British Overseas Airways Corporation. The area is strategically important to England and the RAF is stationed nearby and the pilots fly over protecting ships and their homeland. Peggy is asked to try and locate a possible German spy, and by doing so she has to choose between her country and the man she loves.

The story has a dual timeline and is told from the two main charters perspectives Peggy Symonds and Rebekah Martins, set in 1941 and 1998 and it’s easy to follow.

Rebekah is from Brisbane, Australia and loves her job working as a wildlife ranger on Brownsea Island, known for its wildlife and red squirrels, woodlands and walking trails. Rebekah meets historian Paul and he’s visiting the island for the first time and the Dorset coast. Rebekah shows him around, he stunned by the beautiful views of Poole Harbour and the Isle of Purbeck. They discover a lost letter from the Second World War era, they want to solve the mystery of what happened and hopefully deliver the letter to its recipient.

I received a copy of The Island Girls by Rachel Sweasey from NetGalley and Boldwood Books in exchange for an honest review. The author grew up in Poole and now lives in Brisbane, Australia and she perfectly blends facts about both countries in the engrossing and well written narrative. Full of vivid descriptions of Poole, Brownsea Island and Brisbane and Queensland.

A story about war, love, family, sacrifice, refugees, fear, coincidences, history, starting over, being sun smart, and discovering the truth. Ms. Sweasey has defiantly improved the quality of her writing in her second book and the flow of the plot. I did read and enjoyed her debut novel The Last Boat Home and certainly I noticed the difference. I highly recommend The Island Girls, for fans of dual timeline fiction with a touch of mystery and romance, and for readers with an interest in English war time history, the Dorset Coast and land now owned by the National Trust and five stars from me.