First published 2023
Eighteen-year-old Nellie Morris emerges from another night in London's underground shelters as air raid sirens wail overhead. The year is 1942, and she counts herself fortunate that her family remains intact despite the constant bombing. When Nellie meets Ray, an American airman stationed near London, he opens her eyes to possibilities beyond the war-torn city she knows. Their romance grows as Nellie imagines a different future, but tragedy strikes during an evening air raid that shatters everything she holds dear. The incident tears her world apart and forces Nellie to confront devastating loss. Yet even in her darkest moments, she discovers that love can survive the worst circumstances. Brown draws from her own family history to tell this story, specifically honoring her grandmother Ruth's wartime experiences. The novel follows Nellie as she navigates grief, rebuilds her life, and learns that happiness can emerge from the deepest sorrow.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, coming-of-age, world-war-ii
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: London
Period: 1942
320 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow