Lifeboat Girls

A BRAND NEW emotional and heartfelt WWI saga of friendship, courage and a close-knit harbour community from the BESTSELLING author of The Last Boat Home! Perfect for fans of Dilly Court, Rosie Goodwin and Kitty Neale.'I was swept up by this beautiful story of love, loss and the courage of so many during the war' Helen Parusel Can their friendship help them weather the storm?Young Julia Fowler’s life revolves around Poole Harbour and its lifeboat – her older brother Wilbur is a volunteer crew member, and every blast of the mortar fills her with fear for his safety.When news of the Titanic disaster reaches the town, the close-knit seafaring community is rocked to its core. One of their own has been lost, and grief hangs over the harbour. But Julia and her friends – Kathy, Flora, and Betsy – are also discovering new opportunities for themselves, stepping up in a world that is slowly beginning to open doors to women.Yet change is never easy. Opposition rises at home and in the community, and tensions grow as the country edges closer to war. Julia dreams of a better childhood for her younger siblings, even as the world around her becomes increasingly uncertain.As the girls navigate heartbreak, responsibility, and the stirrings of romance, they must rely on their friendship to guide them through darkening times.Will it be enough to see them safely into the future?Praise for Rachel Sweasey:'Spanning continents and decades, this sweeping epic stole my heart' Renita D'Silva‘I loved this dual time-line read. Set in the start of WW2 and present day it deals with loss and war and finding love when you don't expect to ever love again. This was a great book and I highly recommend this one.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️‘Loved this book. I got totally immersed in the characters and their lives, loves and loss. The mix of fact and fiction and the two different time lines worked very well.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️‘A brutally honest account of how both men and women coped with the changes in their lives. This author writes so authentically about grieving that at times I simply had to stop reading. Anyone who has lost someone will immediately identify with the visceral pain felt by the characters. The settings were gorgeous and the descriptions of French food made me long to go back.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️‘Loved it, sadness and joy, ups and downs. Hope there will be a sequel!’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️‘Fantastic read, was enjoyable – even cried at one part I felt I was inside the book.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rachel was born to English 10-pound-pom parents in sub-tropical Brisbane, Australia, and when the family moved back to Poole, Dorset, she was just 5 years old. She then grew up against the stunning backdrop of Poole Harbour where she sailed and played on the beaches of Brownsea Island and Studland, and walked across the Purbeck Hills, all of which inspired her imagination and provided the setting of her debut historical fiction novel set in WWII. Rachel’s first husband, a Poole RNLI lifeboatman, died in a diving accident in 1992. Rachel married her second husband in 1996 and they moved to Brisbane where they raised their three children. Rachel studied for a BA in Literature and worked in publishing as an editor before writing her first novel. She is almost a Secondary English and History teacher and is writing the second of three books contracted by Boldwood – all of which feature WWII and Poole.