Title: The Nightingale

Author: Kristin Hannah

Rating: 5/5

Review: This is my favorite book! This book takes place in France during WWII and tells the story of two sisters finding out how to handle themselves in a period of war. The story has a dual timeline, occurring between the present day and past events from the war, which is crucial to the heartbreaking execution of the ending. The sincerity with which Hannah writes is moving and brought so many of my emotions to the surface throughout the progression of the story. I will be honest - I cried quite hard when I finished reading this. It is a captivating, emotion evoking, and beautifully written piece of work.

Title: Salt to the Sea

Author: Ruta Septyes

Rating: 5/5

Review: I read this book in one day - that is how enthralled I was with the writing. I had never heard of the event that the book was based on - the sinking of The Lusitania during WWI. I was invested in the lives of the characters that Septyes created. This book is multiple perspectives, containing 4 different POVs, which I am not usually the biggest fan of. However, it adds so much to the story since the characters have diverse backgrounds with different reasons to seek passage on The Lusitania. The story is a beautiful sum of Septyes' research, her writing style, and a tragic event that makes you mourn for people you never knew.

Title: They Went Left

Author: Monica Hesse

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: The story follows Zofia, a girl trying to find her brother in the aftermath of WWII. Hesse was able to craft a book that is heartbreaking an hopeful at the same time. The time Hesse put into researching this period of history pays off and her attention to sensitivity about the topic is obvious. I was excited for Zofia's story to intertwine with that of the other people she met at the displaced persons camp. However, I was disappointed by the subplot. I felt that the side characters were often overlooked and not as developed as they could be. Similarly, the blurb for the book depicts Zofia's journey of finding her brother to be her paramount goal and the romantic plot that emerged overshadowed that at times.