Millie Bobbie Brown tells the story of her family’s experiences during World War II in this book that’s ghostwritten by Kathleen McGurl.
18 year old Nellie Morris meets American airman Ray when she’s about to put her baby sister Flo on a bus to the country, and at the last minute she cannot bear to go through with it. She brings Flo home with her, a decision she’ll regret later. Nellie was rather snippy with Ray so she’s surprised when he asks her to come to a dance. Nellie and her neighbour go to the dance together, where she falls in love with Ray.
When Nellie’s father and Flo are trampled to death in the Bethnal Green tube station after the air-raid alarm went off, Nellie blames Ray because the car he drove backfired. She assumes that that was the reason for the panic. However, she later finds out that someone tripped and fell, which caused a chain reaction and this is why 173 people died in the disaster. She writes to Ray, begging his forgiveness, but by this time he is missing in action.
I wanted to love this book, the premise is good and I’m a sucker for WW2 historical fiction. However, when I compare this to the two Kristins (Hannah and Harmel, the reigning queens of WW2 historical fiction) it falls short. Long boring descriptions, and it just didn’t hit the mark.
Read for the Read Between the Lines Reading Challenge 2024.
Prompt 44: A Number in the Title.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
