Yesterday’s Tides by Roseanna M. White

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Bethany House

Publication Year: 2022

Purchase and Synopsis

5 Stars

Holy cow… I honestly struggled to think of how to write this review because it’s just so darn amazing, I had no words left after finishing it! 

Yesterday’s Tides was a dual time-line with one in WW1 and one in WW2 and some of the most amazing writing for both that I’ve read in a long time. This book rose to the very top of my 2023 reads and I have a feeling it will hold its spot at number one by the end of the year. 

THE SUSPENSE in this book is out of this world. The emotions that I felt and the intensity of which I was wrapped up in the lives of these characters hasn’t happened to me with a book in an incredibly long time. 

If you are a fan of Roseanna’s and you’ve read even some of her other books, you are going to be in for a treat because nearly every one of her previous series shows up as an easter egg in Yesterday’s Tides. 

The way both storylines intertwine and then finally overlap had me turning pages late into the night and listening to the audio book when I had to drive simply because I couldn’t put it down. 

The historical insight to both time periods and some lesser known history about them both was beautiful and a touching tribute to Ocracoke and the codebreakers in Europe all at the same time. 

The characters will melt your heart, make you root for them, all while being constantly thrown to the wind with the chaos and miscommunications, and crazy array of circumstances that will leave your heart shattered, only to be graciously put back together by the end of the book. 

I don’t want to go into too much detail because I don’t want to spoil anything, but this book may just be my favorite of Roseanna’s. I honestly can’t tell you how special it is, words fail me. She somehow keeps coming up with ways to top her own work each time. 

If you love spies, either world war, ill-fated love, and till-death-do-us-part loyalty, then you are going to ADORE this book! Go get a copy, you won’t regret it!

Content: There is a storyline surrounding racial prejudice and laws in the 40’s that prohibited intercultural marriages. One character is incredibly racist and several others pop up in the pages. Mentions of a woman who was taken prisoner and forced to be a mistress for a German officer. Handled tactfully and tastefully IMHO, and well written to explain the dire measures some were forced into for survival during WW1 and 2.

*This book was given to me free of charge in exchange for my  honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and in no way influenced by the author or publisher.