Loved it. There were so many relatable aspects in the book, and it was well written. I was able to put myself in the shoes of the parents at the opening of WW2, who had the unfathomable choice of whether or not to send their children away for their own safety. I still don’t know the choice I’d make, by the way, if I’m honest. I debated the entire book, asking myself what I would do.

I could also feel so strongly for Viv with the horrible environment of her parent’s house and control, wanting so much to whisk her away from it and be on her side. I loved the acceptance she had from the Levinson’s, and their overwhelming compassion, even with Rebecca’s initial bitterness. I hoped so deeply for Viv both in making her own way and in her determination to find her daughter. And I felt both disappointment and compassion towards Joshua as he faced his selfishness and and warred with his decisions. I thought it was beautiful and inspiring the friendships that Viv had in the women around her and how she wasn’t afraid to lean on them when she struggled.

The character development was beautiful. There was so much progression and growth in all the characters. War or any other catastrophic event pushes us to grow - or deteriorate - much faster than we normally would. I felt like this was an accurate rendition of how each character did so and it was beautifully imperfect, as life always is. Really enjoyed this and I had such a hard time putting it down, invested so deeply in the characters from a mother’s point of view.