Title: Nineteen Steps
Author: Millie Bobby Brown
with Kathleen McGurl
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Historical Fiction
Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle + @williammorrowbooks for having me on this book tour!
Coming of age. Love. Friendships. Family. Heartbreak. Hope.
Nineteen Steps is a story inspired by Millie Bobby Brown’s grandmother Nanny Ruth. Nellie was such a special character and it’s clear how dear her grandmother is to her. What a beautiful tribute this book is! This is an important reminder to collect the stories, recipes and pictures of those before us. We must preserve history and our legacies!
Nineteen Steps begins in Autumn of 1942 and carries through the Summer of 1945. The prologue and epilogue take place in 1993 to nicely tie the whole story together.
Nellie and her family have survived The Blitz and she is trying to live a normal life as the assistant to the town Mayor, in her small village, Bethnal Green. Normal is not something Nellie wants longterm; she longs to see the world! When she meets an American airman and falls head over heels, she thinks maybe this dream could be a reality! But, with bombs still falling from the sky forcing them to shelter underground, one air raid goes terribly wrong for her town, causing a ripple effect for Nellie’s life.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I loved this story, but the execution felt off for me. And I hate saying that with all the controversy of the use of a ghostwriter. Some of the writing structure felt weird and got on my nerves that it was using the parents names instead of just referring to them as Mum and Dad. This is a quick sweet read, full of heartbreak (sometimes you just need that!) but also hope. Give it a shot!
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