There is no doubt that the war in Afghanistan left its mark on those service personnel who fought and died there. Six Poppies is an emotional story which, although fiction, is based on factual experiences and highlights the difficulties of adapting to life when you feel you have lost everything and of the horrors of PTSD, which so often goes untreated.

Carl and Sarah meet at Camp Bastion and although there’s an instant connection between them Sarah is the girl friend of Danny, Carl’s fellow soldier, and is therefore off limits. With emotions running high and danger never far away this group of soldiers bond together like brothers , they feel loss sharply and grieve keenly for those who never make it home. Back in England, Carl picks up the pieces of his life, honouring his lost comrades with a poppy design inked onto his back by a talented tattooist. However, even though his life is returning to some semblance of a new normal, Carl can never forget Sarah and the dream of what might have been…

This beautiful story is told from both Carl and Sarah’s perspective, we find out more about them, their lives going forward and the hurt they each carry within them. And as each beautiful poppy is etched painfully into skin we learn the significance of each one, the memories evoked, and the raw pain of not being able to do more for those who lost their lives. Carl and Sarah’s story broke my heart into a million pieces and as their connection becomes ever more irresistible so we learn more about the harsh reality of living life broken in mind and spirit.

Poignant, beautiful, emotionally charged, this is one love story which will stay with me for a long time.

I was drawn to Six Poppies by the cover, book title and military setting. The book is centred around the conflict in Afghanistan and four years after when they return home to the U.K. A journey of resilience and redemption captured my heart and soul and a deeply, emotional read and love story/triangle of two soldiers and a young woman.

In 2007 in Afghanistan, Carl meets Sarah, a young nurse, at Camp Bastian and feels a connection with her but he finds out she’s the childhood sweetheart of his friend/soldier, Danny and vows to keep his distance.
Although the story is deeply emotional, tragic and sad, it's a beautifully written story about love, friendship, remembrance, and hope. This one is for the fans/readers of military romances.

Trigger warnings, trauma of war, PTSD, suicidal ideation, death, domestic violence, cheating

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me the ARC.

A really tragic story from start to finish. It focused on a group of friends with Carl and Sarah at the centre but they weren't a couple. The military setting was core to this tale, with past (Afghanistan) and present (UK) narrative style.

I know I should have felt moved by this story and the heaps of tragedy but I just didn't connect with the characters or the plot. I don't think the writing was the kind of style that appeals to me in this type of fiction. I couldn't get down with the romance.

Thank you to Michael Joseph books for the review copy.



**Lots of content warnings with this book including PTSD, suicidal ideation, death, domestic violence, cheating**

My thanks to the Publishers via NetGalley for a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

I was drawn to this book by the cover and the premise of the story. This book would have been the perfect read for this time of year. I read this book at the beginning of November and finished it a few days before remembering all those that have passed away in wars and conflicts on Remembrance Day. Unfortunately, the book isn't published until 30th January 2025, so you have all got a bit of time to wait until you can engross yourself in it..

Remembrance Day from Wikipedia.

Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty. The day is also marked by war remembrances in several other non-Commonwealth countries.

This is a dual time frame story that is centred around the conflict in Afghanistan and the years afterwards. It features a love triangle between two soldiers, Danny and Carl that are friends and a young female nurse Sarah. As their lives are thrown together Carl and Sarah form a connection, but Carl soon realises that Sarah is a childhood sweetheart of Danny's. Carl makes a decision that he is better keeping his distance from Sarah, as he respects his relationship with his army colleague Danny.

As their lives are thrown together again, how will Carl and Sarah cope with what fate has in store for them?

This was a deeply emotional read, that centred around the characters of Danny, Carl and Sarah , both during the conflict in Afghanistan and in the ensuing years once home following the conflict. Unless you have been involved in similar situations, you have no idea how you would cope with the trauma of what you see and what happens to you, your colleagues, your friends or the people that live in the Country that you are fighting in.

This will be among my top books of the year and will stay with me for some time. Thanks for writing this story for us Lisa and I look forward to reading more books by you.

1.5 stars

1.5 stars.

I was interested in reading this book. The cover and synopsis drew me in, but unfortunately, I found it difficult to connect to the story. The style of writing wasn't quite right for me.

I felt it should have been made clear, trigger warnings before reading it, and dealt with many sensitive issues that were triggering.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from Netgalley. This was an incredibly well written and deeply moving novel. Carter sensitively explored themes such as grief, PTSD, and life in and after the military with realistic, likeable characters who I felt deep compassion for. I absolutely rooted for Sarah and Carl.

I went out of my comfort zone when choosing this book (I normally enjoy WW1 and WW2 fiction but thought I'd try a more recent war fiction title) and boy am I glad I did.

What a fantastic book which kept the reader guessing right until the end as to who the 6th Poppy would be for. It had me on the edge of seat when life got a bit much for Carl but I was rewarded with a happy ending! Living in Yorkshire I particularly enjoyed his time at home and out on the Moors with the dogs as could picture myself there.

My only negative is that it would have been good to have learnt more about life in Camp Bastion and the patrols and work carried out by the Army.

I will certainly look for more titles by this author and would highly recommend this book to other. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and of course Lisa Carter for writing such a good book and allowing me to read an Arc copy.

Beautiful love story! I couldn’t get Carl or Sarah out of my head after I finished! Very beautiful love story. 5:5