Book Synopsis:
What if the key to your present lies in the past?London, 1939On the eve of the Second World War, Canadian Maggie Wyndham defies her family and stays in England to do her bit for the war effort. Torn between two countries, two men and living a life of lies working for the Special Operations Executive (SOE), Maggie’s RAF sweetheart locket is part of who she is…and who she isn’t.San Francisco, 2019Over twenty years after Maggie’s death, her daughter Millie and granddaughter Willow take a DNA test that’s supposed to be a bit of fun but instead yields unexpected results. Willow has always treasured her grandmother’s sweetheart locket, both family heirloom and a symbol of her grandparents’ love story. But now she doesn’t know what to believe. She embarks on a search for the truth, one she doesn’t know will reveal far more about herself…A gripping and heart-breaking dual timeline novel about love, loss and buried secrets, The Sweetheart Locket is perfect for fans of Lorna Cook, Rachel Hore and Suzanne Kelman.
My Review:
The Sweetheart Locket was a beautifully written, heartwarming and emotional read that I’ll definitely be recommending to others.
The story follows Willow in the present day and her grandmother Maggie during WW2. I did prefer the war timeline slightly more as it provided me with a new perspective of woman’s roles during the war which I found very interesting. I loved reading about Maggie’s war time experiences and her interactions with her fab group of friends.
Willow’s story was also very interesting and I enjoyed following her journey as she tries to discover more about her family history. There are a lot of similarities between Maggie and Willow’s stories which I thought was clever. Both woman grow a lot during their journeys which I loved, especially seeing how much stronger and independent the two become.
Overall I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more from this author. The story unfolds at a good pace and I was soon fully absorbed in the story. WW2 is one of my favourite eras to read about and I always enjoy finding new areas that I haven’t explored yet. The daily sacrifices ordinary people made are awe-inspiring to read about and always bring a lump to my throat. This is a book that I’ve continued to think about long after reading.
Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orion for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Now based in Canada, Jen Gilroy is a full-time writer. She lived in England for many years and worked in marketing communications and academic editing. She is a dual British/Canadian citizen with a postgraduate degree in geography (with a focus on British cultural studies and social history) from University College London.
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