Book Synopsis:
1941: For the townspeople of Poole on the Dorset coast, the war feels like it’s right on their doorstep. And with more and more men leaving to fight, one fisherman’s daughter is determined to do whatever she can to help. Peggy volunteers to use her skills on the water to work with the flying boats alongside the RAF based in the harbour. But when she is asked to undertake a special mission, she will have to make a terrible choice – between her duty to her country and her only chance of happiness.
1998: Rebekah has travelled halfway around the world to take up a role on Brownsea Island. This tiny island off the coast of England is a treasure trove of natural wonder, but it still carries the scars of fighting. And when Rebekah discovers a lost letter from the war, hidden all this time, she becomes determined to deliver it, fifty years later.
But the idyllic Dorset harbour hides many more secrets, and Rebekah’s search for the truth will change her life in ways she never imagined possible…
My Review:
The Island Girls is an absorbing, heartbreaking read perfect for anyone who likes dual time line historical mysteries.
The story is told in two time lines one follows Peggy through the second world war and the other, more recent timeline, follows Rebekah as she works on Brownsea Island . I did slightly prefer Peggy’s timeline as I’ve always been fascinated by anything involving the second world war, particularly if it involves an area I didn’t know about previously. I hadn’t heard anything about the sea planes before so I really enjoyed learning more about their vital role they played in the war.
As someone who’s been on holiday to Dorset many times before I loved the setting in this book as I could really picture what was going on. I absolutely love Brownsea Island and think it’s a really special place so it was fun following Rebekah as she works there. I didn’t know much about it’s war time history though, only it’s connection to the Scouts, so I enjoyed learning more about it alongside the characters.
I thought the book had a great pace to it and there always seemed to be something happening to keep my interest. Even in the slightly slower moments I found myself just enjoying hanging out with the fabulous characters. There were some really heartwarming moment which I loved along with some quite hard hitting moments that made me cry as I read. It was interesting to follow Rebekah on her mystery to discover more about the letter and it was great to follow the stories as they slowly merged together. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’d definitely be interested in reading more from her in the future.
Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the tour and to Boldwood for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Rachel Sweasey is a debut historical fiction novelist. She lives in Australia, but bases her fiction in Poole, Dorset, where she grew up and which provides the inspiration for her WW2 stories. Rachel writes dual time-line stories, and is inspired by the writing of Kate Morton. Rachel’s first book, The Last Boat Home, features the Poole RNLI lifeboat and the part it played in the Dunkirk evacuation, and also a delicious love affair on the shores of a gorgeous Mediterranean bay on the Cote d’Azur.
Rachel’s second book, The Island Girls, is due for release on 21st October 2024 and also features Poole with a focus on the flying boats that operated in the harbour during WW2. Beautiful Brownsea Island is an important part of the setting where an Australian ranger, Rebekah, learns secrets that tie Poole to her home in Brisbane.
You can follow Rachel on Facebook and Instagram by searching for RachelSweaseyAuthor, and there you’ll find a link to sign up for her newsletter.
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