Review: The Last Letter from Juliet

Title: The Last Letter from Juliet

Author: Melanie Hudson

Publisher: 23rd August 2019 by Harper Impulse and Killer Reads

Pages: 304 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: historical fiction, WW2, romance

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

Inspired by the brave women of WWII, this is a moving and powerful novel of friendship, love and resilience.

A story of love not a story of a war

A daring WWII pilot who grew up among the clouds, Juliet Caron’s life was one of courage, adventure – and a love torn apart by war. Every nook of her Cornish cottage is alive with memories just waiting to be discovered.

Katherine Henderson has escaped to Cornwall for Christmas, but she soon finds there is more to her holiday cottage than meets the eye. And on the eve of Juliet’s 100th birthday, Katherine is enlisted to make an old lady’s final Christmas wish come true…

Me Before You meets The English Patient in this stunning romantic historical novel from award-winning author Melanie Hudson.

My Thoughts

 ‘I shook my head. ‘... I’ve never wanted to become focused on any big goals or aspirations. I’ve seen too many men forget to live in the moment because all they can see are the goalposts ahead of them. I live for today, right now. No promises. No expectations.’ 

What a little gem this book proved to be. I absolutely loved it! I have not read any of Melanie Hudson’s books before, but the appeal of a dual timeline historical fiction adventure was a no brainer. I am happy to say that both writing and story delivered. 

Dual timelines are difficult to deliver and I worried about Katherine in the present timeline initially, but so strong is Juliet’s story (from the historic timeline), that she swept us all up in her story and reflections of days gone by. The writing is so engaging and easily transfers between past and present. Bring into the mix Melanie’s research undertaken regarding the bravery of the A.T.A. girls (Air Transport Auxiliary) during World War II and it makes for quite a tale. Where Melanie truly delivers is how she ties modern day Katherine to Juliet’s reminiscing - brilliant! 

‘She would have walked with the same image painted in her mind. I liked that, it peeled away the years. The field where she landed the Tiger Moth would be just up the road, too, and I suddenly wanted to stand there, in the place where she stood, to find the exact place she met Edward, the place she fell in love, to absorb myself in someone else’s love story for a while.’

Although I did not feel as much for Katherine, her interactions with Juliet were priceless, the ending pure poetry. There are many characters to engage with here, from romantic interests, to the other ‘Attagirls’, to those fighting the Nazis on continental Europe. I loved so much about 'The Last Letter from Juliet', and highly recommend it. It’s new and interesting take on WW2 events, tied together with such a  heartwarming and moving story is sure to impress. 

'Some days come along in life that are so significant they stay with you for eternity. Such days remain as bright and clear in my mind’s eye now as on the day itself and usually fall into two categories–days so terrible I would rather forget them, or days so wonderful I want to remember them forever.'

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.