Review of If I Were You by Lynn Austin

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About Lynn Austin

For many years, Lynn Austin nurtured a desire to write but frequent travels and the demands of her growing family postponed her career. When her husband's work took Lynn to Bogota, Colombia, for two years, she used the B.A. she'd earned at Hope College and Southern Connecticut State University to work as a teacher. After returning to the U.S., the Austins moved to Anderson, Indiana, Thunder Bay, Ontario, and later to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

It was during the long Canadian winters at home with her children that Lynn made progress on her dream to write, carving out a few hours of writing time each day while her children napped. Lynn credits her early experience of learning to write amid the chaos of family life for her ability to be a productive writer while making sure her family remains her top priority.

From bestselling and eight-time Christy Award–winning author Lynn Austin comes a remarkable novel of sisterhood and self-discovery set against the backdrop of WWII.

1950. In the wake of the war, Audrey Clarkson leaves her manor house in England for a fresh start in America with her young son. As a widowed war bride, Audrey needs the support of her American in-laws, whom she has never met. But she arrives to find that her longtime friend Eve Dawson has been impersonating her for the past four years. Unraveling this deception will force Audrey and Eve’s secrets—and the complicated history of their friendship—to the surface.

1940. Eve and Audrey have been as different as two friends can be since the day they met at Wellingford Hall, where Eve’s mother served as a lady’s maid for Audrey’s mother. As young women, those differences become a polarizing force . . . until a greater threat—Nazi invasion—reunites them. With London facing relentless bombardment, Audrey and Eve join the fight as ambulance drivers, battling constant danger together. An American stationed in England brings dreams of a brighter future for Audrey, and the collapse of the class system gives Eve hope for a future with Audrey’s brother. But in the wake of devastating loss, both women must make life-altering decisions that will set in motion a web of lies and push them both to the breaking point long after the last bomb has fallen.

This sweeping story transports readers to one of the most challenging eras of history to explore the deep, abiding power of faith and friendship to overcome more than we ever thought possible.

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MY REVIEW


Eve, a scullery maid to a wealthy family in England and Audrey, a member of the family become close friends even though Audrey's mother forbids it. When the war breaks out they decide to enlist together. It's worse than they could have ever imagined.

Mistakes are made by both women. Eve compounds hers by sinful behavior. She has turned away from God but believes she is being punished and God has rejected her.  Can she obtain forgiveness?

The story is full of betrayal, guilt, and deception. Friends drift apart worried that their relationship of being more like sisters, will never be the same. Lives are shattered, but can they be saved?

The relationships are very real and the backdrop of the war was very well researched. It is one of the best historical novels I've read this year. The story evoked many emotions as I lived through the characters in the book. I had tears in my eyes at one moment and laughed at Eve's behavior the next.

The author's writing style was easy to read and I can't wait for the next novel to come out. Highly recommended and one of my favorite authors.

I won this book in a giveaway on Goodreads and voluntarily chose to review it. All opinions are my own.