The sub-genre of World War II historical fiction is saturated. A lot of people love to read about WWII because it was such a tragic time in the world yet there were so many brave men and women fighting and surviving and trying to cope with a world that seemed so dark.

… not unlike the world today, to be honest.

I’m not one of those people who loves the WWII sub-genre. I find the books to be so heavy and hard to read, and as a highly sensitive person, they take a lot out of me. After reading something like The Nightingale or The Storyteller, I need a palate cleanser. Or two. Or three. A few light-hearted romances or chick-lit novels to bring me out of my sadness and heartache.

The Way to London by Alix Rickloff is a novel about WWII, but it’s not a heavy read. It’s actually quite light-hearted, showcasing an aspect of the war that’s not really shown in novels: the people for whom the war was, well, not really happening. The rich people, the ones who weren’t losing fathers and brothers and sons and lovers. The ones who could pretend this war was just a little aberration from their daily life. As a character in the novel notes, “The rich can afford to wear blinders.”

When we’re introduced to Lucy Stanhope, she’s enjoying some time by the pool in Singapore, getting waited on hand and foot. She’s in a clandestine affair and trying to figure out what she wants in life – maybe to become a famous Hollywood actress? Her mom is a socialite who likes to pretend she’s not old enough to have an adult daughter (she insists Lucy calls her by her first name, Amelia, and not address her as Mother) and her stepdad is an important man.

But then Lucy makes a mistake and one that has lasting repercussions because she’s sent to live with an aunt in England. Lucy’s not happy about it and devastated about leaving the man she was having an affair with, but her anger soon turns into grief when she finds out that the war has come to Singapore and she was one of the last people to escape the island – and her mom and stepdad probably didn’t make it out alive.

As Lucy tries to move through her grief, she strikes up a friendship with Bill, a young boy who was sent to England by his mother before the war came to London. But the people he was sent to live with are not good people and the only thing Bill wants is to be with his mom again. And so, Lucy and Bill set off on a trip to London – a trip not without problems and strange detours and new friendships – to reunite him with his mom.

And through it all, Lucy has to confront the choices she’s made and define exactly what she wants from life. Does she want to escape to America to become a famous Hollywood actress… or is there more for her in London? Like family, purpose, and perhaps even love.

This book captivated me from beginning to end and I fell completely into this little world Rickloff imagined. The dialogue was so perfect that I felt as if I was sitting in the room with Lucy and walking the streets with her. The writing was beautiful and the pacing never felt off. Everything unfolded at a natural, defined pace. I also read the last 150 pages or so in one day because I could not put this book down and wanted to know how everything would come together for Lucy and Bill. And I was so darn satisfied with the end that this is a book I’ll be recommending to anyone who loves a WWII novel or a sweet coming-of-age story.

Goodreads synopsis:

From the author of Secrets of Nanreath Hall comes this gripping, beautifully written historical fiction novel set during World War II—the unforgettable story of a young woman who must leave Singapore and forge a new life in England.

On the eve of Pearl Harbor, impetuous and overindulged, Lucy Stanhope, the granddaughter of an earl, is living a life of pampered luxury in Singapore until one reckless act will change her life forever.

Exiled to England to stay with an aunt she barely remembers, Lucy never dreamed that she would be one of the last people to escape Singapore before war engulfs the entire island, and that her parents would disappear in the devastating aftermath. Now grief stricken and all alone, she must cope with the realities of a grim, battle-weary England.

Then she meets Bill, a young evacuee sent to the country to escape the Blitz, and in a moment of weakness, Lucy agrees to help him find his mother in London. The unlikely runaways take off on a seemingly simple journey across the country, but her world becomes even more complicated when she is reunited with an invalided soldier she knew in Singapore.

Now Lucy will be forced to finally confront the choices she has made if she ever hopes to have the future she yearns for.

You can connect with Alix Rickloff on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Her book is available to buy from Amazon, HarperCollins, and Barnes & Noble. 

Click here to add this book to Goodreads!

I received a copy of this novel for free from TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. All words and opinions, unless otherwise stated, are my own.

No affiliate links were used in this post.

Do you enjoy WWII novels?

I recently read – and reviewed! – Beatriz Williams’ novel, A Certain Age, and Cocoa Beach picks up right where that novel left off. In A Certain Age, we’re introduced to the protagonist in this novel, Virginia, who is the older sister of Sophie. Virginia has a young daughter and is supposedly married to a man she met while serving as an ambulance driver in France during World War I. But there are suspicions about Virginia’s marriage brought up during that book, and I was pleased to get all of my questions answered during Cocoa Beach.

When this novel begins, Virginia has received word that her husband has died in a house fire in Florida, and her presence is needed to settle his estate. So she arrives in Florida with her daughter, Evelyn, and lots of questions. During the course of the novel, she learns more about what her husband was doing in Florida and about her husband’s brother and sister, who gladly welcome her into their lives as they all try to grieve Simon’s death.

The novel alternates between present-day 1920s Florida and World War I, when Virginia and Simon first meet and fall in love. I love a good love story, as everyone knows, and there was something so precious about Virginia and Simon. Virginia is someone who has been overlooked her whole life and wasn’t sure how to deal with Simon’s attention, and Simon is charismatic and romantic and overzealous in his affection for Virginia.

This book took so many twists and turns, and I really wasn’t expecting it to be such a crazy novel. Every time I thought I knew what was happening, the novel took a completely different turn. I really, really loved how crazy the plot was and how I never knew who to really trust throughout the entire novel. At a certain point, I had to tell myself to stop trying to solve the mystery and just read the novel blindly.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the setting and time period. Of course, any novel set in Florida has my heart, and reading about Florida during the Prohibition era was fascinating. The 1920s is one of my favorite time periods to read about because it was such a great era – women coming into their own and honing their power.

I also cannot review this novel without talking about the writing, which was outstanding. Beatriz Williams writes in such a beautiful way that truly captures the essence of the human spirit. There was one particular part in the novel, and I hesitate to say anything more because I don’t want to spoil any part of this enchanting read, where I felt like I was fully immersed in Virginia and what she was going through. I felt so connected to her in a way I haven’t felt connected to a character in such a long time. I credit that to Williams’ outstanding writing.

This novel is perfect for people who enjoy a good historical drama and love a novel that has tons of unexpected twists and turns. While I wish the ending wasn’t wrapped up so abruptly, it’s still a novel I had no trouble giving 5 of 5 stars. Pick this one up!

Goodreads synopsis:

The New York Times bestselling author of A Certain Age transports readers to sunny Florida in this lush and enthralling historical novel—an enchanting blend of love, suspense, betrayal, and redemption set among the rumrunners and scoundrels of Prohibition-era Cocoa Beach.

Burdened by a dark family secret, Virginia Fortescue flees her oppressive home in New York City for the battlefields of World War I France. While an ambulance driver for the Red Cross, she meets a charismatic British army surgeon whose persistent charm opens her heart to the possibility of love. As the war rages, Virginia falls into a passionate affair with the dashing Captain Simon Fitzwilliam, only to discover that his past has its own dark secrets—secrets that will damage their eventual marriage and propel her back across the Atlantic to the sister and father she left behind.

Five years later, in the early days of Prohibition, the newly widowed Virginia Fitzwilliam arrives in the tropical boomtown of Cocoa Beach, Florida, to settle her husband’s estate. Despite the evidence, Virginia does not believe Simon perished in the fire that destroyed the seaside home he built for her and their young daughter. Separated from her husband since the early days of their marriage, the headstrong Virginia plans to uncover the truth, for the sake of the daughter Simon never met.

Simon’s brother and sister welcome her with open arms and introduce her to a dazzling new world of citrus groves, white beaches, bootleggers, and Prohibition agents. But Virginia senses a predatory presence lurking beneath the irresistible, hedonistic surface of this coastal oasis. The more she learns about Simon and his mysterious business interests, the more she fears that the dangers that surrounded Simon now threaten her and their daughter’s life as well.

You can connect with Beatriz Williams on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Her book is available to buy from Amazon, HarperCollins, and Barnes & Noble. 

Click here to add this book to Goodreads!

I received a copy of this novel for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All words and opinions, unless otherwise stated, are my own.

No affiliate links were used in this post.