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 … 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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Lynn Austin hits another home run with this WWII time slip novel.
Nothing I write in this review will come close to expressing just how AMAZING If I Were You by Lynn Austin truly is. This book blew me away. The characters are so well crafted they jump off the page. The plot is so engaging I read well past my bedtime. The timely messages are desperately needed for today’s audience and so hope-inducing that I could not help myself, I cried tears of gratefulness and joy. This book is filled with serious HOPE! And, the historical detail is SO well done I felt like I was in WWII-era London. How truly terrifying it must have been for the thousands and thousands of innocent men, women, and children who suffered the nightly bombings in London. I cannot comprehend how they made it through SIX years of that terror. If I Were You is hands down THE must-read novel of 2020.
How we treat others matters more that we sometimes can ever know. Every day it is a choice we make to either love others or not. On this earth, some people are called to serve others while others are served, but NO ONE should EVER treat people as “others.” When we treat people like they are nothing more than commodities who serve our purposes, we go against God’s heart. In 2 Chronicles 21, Judah’s king is a man named Jehoram. In verse 20 it states, “Jehoram was thirty-two when he became king; he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. He died to no one’s regret.” Isn’t that awfully heartbreaking?! I know that when I die, I don’t want people to sigh a breath of relief and say, “Thank God!” Can you imagine no one caring when you die? King Jehoram must have really treated people awfully.
In If I Were You, there are two minor female characters. One is rich and one is poor. One treats others as if they were property. She is selfish towards them and she NEVER considers the welfare of others. This rich woman lives her life for herself alone. The poor woman happens to be this rich woman’s Lady’s Maid. She is warm, compassionate, long-suffering, and so wise. She is a very lovely woman and she cares a great deal for her boss. It actually confounds quite a few people that this lovely woman would love her boss. I’m not going to lie, there are a couple of moments in the novel where I questioned this lovely lady’s sentiment towards her wealthy, insufferable, hardhearted boss. What struck me so much about this pair is how others reacted after their deaths. The rich woman reminded me of King Jehoram. When she died very few shed a tear. But when the lovely Lady’s Maid died it really ripped everyone’s, including my own, heart out. It’s a devastating loss and people reacted accordingly. The lesson here is clear: no matter our station in life, we must treat ALL humans with dignity, kindness, and respect. Anything less makes us a Jehoram — a person whose leaving brings a sigh of relief to others. Is this the way you want others to feel when you leave a room, or God forbid, when you die? These two women definitely give the reader quite a bit of food for thought.
If I Were You by Lynn Austin is a marvelous story that I will not soon forget. This is a story that reaches into the reader’s heart and makes a lasting impression. I HIGHLY recommend this novel. You will not want to miss this beautiful story.
I received a copy of this novel in eBook form from Tyndale Fiction via NetGalley in order to review. I also received a paperback copy of this novel from Tyndale Fiction as well. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I’ve been a fan of Lynn Austin for a long time and the last book I read was Wonderland Creek. I thought this book was top notch but then along came this book If I were you.
I was thrilled when I seen this book! I prayed and had my fingers crossed that I’d get it. I did!!! I happily grabbed it up and I just now finished it. I sure wasn’t disappointed!
I loved Audrey and Eve from the get go. They are two amazing women whose friendship has with stood the test of time.
I love when they support each other when needed.
Friendship is a feeble thing at best in my experience. Usually it’s when someone wants something.
I commend Alfie. I wanted to like him but in the end I felt sorry for him. People like that never change.
Austin describes the London Blitz so well that I thought I was actually there.
I can’t imagine living in fear day after day but yet having the strength and courage to go on doing what we have to do either in order to survive or to help others.
Why does God allow these things to happen? I believe it’s so that we will draw closer to Him in our time of need. All we need to do is ask.
This book deserves more than 5 stars. It’s fantastic!!
I most definitely recommend this book! You’ll not be disappointed.
My thanks to Netgalley and Tyndale for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.
In the midst of a war that challenges mores they’ve always known, two young women from opposite classes, connected through fragile mothers bound by circumstances they cannot change, forge a strong sisterhood as ambulance drivers. After the horrors they endure, nothing, it seems, can tear their relationship apart, until devastating loss and a tangled web of secrets and shame builds a wall neither can traverse. Or, can they? Lynn Austin’s If I Were You is a powerful story of heart-wrenching loss, our desperate need to forgive and be forgiven, and the loving sacrifice found in true friendship. A compelling read celebrating the strength of faith and the power of sisterhood, beautifully written.
Lynn Austin writes wonderful characters – when you put the book down and wander away, you wonder what they’re doing while you’re gone. Her stories are amazing, and her history is accurate and compelling. Love her books!
Lynn Austin has created another masterpiece! This epic story is one that you will want to add to your personal collection! I absolutely loved walking in the shoes of these two dynamic characters. The personal growth, challenges faced, and honestly just everything these two friends endure, brings this story and these characters to life and left me feeling like I was part of the adventure!
This is a powerful story of friendship, forgiveness, and learning to let go of the past and move forward. You won’t want to miss the opportunity to pick-up a copy of this book to read for yourself!
(I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)
This book will hands down be added to my favorite reads this year! WOW. I was quickly sucked in and couldn’t put it down. I’ve been in a big reading slump lately but I had no problem keeping this one in my hands. Even though I like reading WWII fiction in general, I liked that this one was different. The cast of characters gave the story a Downton Abbey meets WWII vibe and I ate that up. I liked that the ending of this story was hidden. I genuinely didn’t know how things were going to work out for Eve and Audrey, and it kept me turning the pages to find out. I highly recommend this one!
*I received a copy of this book from Tyndale House. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.
If I Were You looks back to WWII in England and the unlikely friendship of Eve Dawson and Audrey Clarkson. Eve is a servant and Audrey is from an aristocratic family. Yet their friendship is made stronger through their service to their country in the awful war. Ms Austin takes us to diverse places during the years of 1939 through the end of the war and beyond. The girls do their part in the boat rescue of soldiers at Dunkirk and end up at ATS ( Auxiliary Territorial Service) Motor Transportation Center as drivers of ambulances and trucks just like Princess Elizabeth. This book is rich in depiction of the war years and what people went through in their daily lives. The scenes of bomb shelters and the aftermath of the bombings is heartrending.
Faith is a strong component in this story. Both Audrey and Eve grow during this time. Ms. Austin shows how we are all fallible and how forgiveness is healing to those doing the forgiving and those who are forgiven.
Quote: “That was the destructive power of sin and lies- they harmed the innocent along with the guilty. Hitler’s lies had dragged the entire world into six long years of hell.”
The message is hope in the One who bestows forgiveness, because none are exempt from condemnation. But “ The Good Shepherd had come to fetch His lost sheep and bring her home.”
This was a sobering look at the devastation of war. At the same time, friendship, love, forgiveness and faith resonate through this book.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher on behalf of the author. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.*
This book grabbed me and never let go until the last page was turned. I was with Eve and Audrey right from the time they met, with the bombs as they dropped, as they fell in love, suffered tragedies and just tried to survive.
The prologue drew me in, and I love the the author answered everyone of my questions that came up as I read this novel, and they may not be what I wanted to hear, but I know what happened.
This book is powerful in its emotions, and we are watching as it unfolds, and just when you think all the terrible things are over, nope, keep turning those pages. What a wonderful movie this would make, right up there with the best films.
You don’t want to miss this one, it is a treasure, and a keeper.
I received this book through Edelweiss and the Publisher Harlequin, and was not required to give a positive review.
I enjoyed this book and learning about women serving in the military in England during WWII. It was interesting to learn about the upper and lower classes, life of the servants in wealthy households, and the difficult war time.
Two young girls dare to cross English social barriers and embrace each other in friendship. Audrey comes from an aristocratic and privileged family. Nobles, Britain’s finest of families. Eve comes from a poor family. Her mother is a lady in waiting for Audrey’s mother. Eve at such a young age is a housekeeping maid forced to scrub floors and clean away ashes from the fireplaces. Aristocratic children are forbidden to befriend commoners like Eve but despite what’s acceptable and what isn’t the two girls form a friendship that lasts through a war and the years afterwards. This is their story about all the struggles, mistakes and most importantly forgiveness because that plays a strong part in this story.
This is by far my most favorite book I’ve read in 2021. It was beautifully narrated . Lynn Austin brought World War Two back to readers with such a clarity that it all seemed to be so real. I was completely drawn in from the beginning. The author didn’t rush the story, which actually began before the war and ended in the post war years. I loved all the characters because they were strong and each one played an important role in the story. The importance of forgiveness was a strong point as the story came to an end. Definitely five stars and if I could I would give it six stars.
I recommend this book to readers of WWII novels. All fans of the Author will enjoy it.
I borrowed an audio copy of If I Were You from the Hoopla library. A review was not requested. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
Title: If I Were You
Author: Lynn Austin
Pages: 464
Year: 2020
Publisher: Tyndale
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
What an amazing and moving story that grips the heart of readers from the beginning and doesn’t let go even after the last page is turned. The two main characters in this novel, Eve and Audrey, appear in The Wish Book Christmas published in 2021. Their story in that novel made me want to delve into their past that was vaguely referred to in the previous book.
In If I Were You, audiences will be captivated by experiences both women had in London during WWII. Audrey comes from the aristocracy, or so it appears, living with everything money can buy, except the one thing Audrey longs for, love and approval. Eve has never had anything of value per se except love, family and a home until one day when tragedy strikes. Eve must now work to survive, along with her mother, in the home where Audrey resides.
The tale uses flashback as a means of slowly revealing what these two women go through and the unlikely friendship that develops. As time goes by, they begin to grow apart until one day Audrey arrives in America five years after the war. Eve has been living in America this whole time as if she were wealthy and as if she was her best friend.
Now the past comes to the present and these two women must face what each has been denying for years. Will their friendship survive the truth that is about to be revealed? The book brings to life the pain and uncertainty many lived through in England during WWII. As readers progress through the story, the light of hope begins to shine brighter and brighter and the ending explodes with joy!
Whether you read If I Were You first or if you’re like me and read The Wish Book Christmas first; either way the books will tug at your heart. The story shows how faith can be strengthened or renewed during challenging times. I thought the author did a fantastic job of showing that something lost or thought to be lost can be found!
Read the novels and share them with family and friends who love history, friendship, faith, and hope!
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.
Loving these WWII books by Lynn Austin. So we’ll written, she blends history with romance, action, mystery, and the Gospel.
If I Were You focuses on the lives of two British friends beginning with how they met as young girls and ended up I fighting in the war together. Then ends with them living in America. They both become stronger women as they help each other through life. When one loses her faith, the other points her back to Christ.
Lynn Austin has done it again. From WWII England to America in the ’50s, this book will keep surprising you.
I loved the World War II scenes and how the characters reacted to the German attacks.
4 1/2 stars. It was hard to put it down because I wanted to know what happened next throughout the story. The ending seemed a bit contrived, but the characters were likeable. The author did an excellent job of describing life and hardships in WWII England.
Austin outdid herself writing this book. Capturing the chaos of WWII in London and the trauma in the lives of these two women must have taken painstaking skill to write. I ended the book wishing for more story. I want to know what happens next. Must read.
Told in segments during and after WWI, the stories of Eve Dawson and Audrey Clarkson tangle and weave through opposite social circles, friendship, bombings, and wartime work until they collide when one friend assumes the other’s identity.
While her mother is a maid to Audrey’s family, Eve befriends Audrey when they are children, but as the age their social standing separates them until the war brings them back together again.
Both women serve as drivers and mechanics during the war and even go so far as to ferry stranded troops home in Audrey’s family yacht. They both give their hearts away to American soldiers: Eve’s to a man who’s already married and Audrey’s to a good-looking, rich serviceman who’s engaged to someone else.
Rich, pampered, quiet, and sheltered, Audrey ends up envying poor, beautiful, and out-going, Eve. But little does Audrey know that Eve wishes she was Audrey and that she had the family who’s waiting for her in American.
Who will the war take and who will it leave? Will Audrey be able to forgive Eve for stealing what isn’t hers to take? Will Eve regain the faith she had as a child or let her losses turn her bitter?
Fans of wartime fiction, Christian fiction, historical fiction, and Christian historical fiction will sink into this well-written drama with a unique slant.
Austin has over thirty novels to her credit and I’ve read a number of those, but this has been a favorite. Austin tangibly intertwines the friends’ stories in a believable and fresh way, opening up the readers’ hearts to feel a myriad of emotions—from grief to joy, from jealousy to happiness.
Not surprisingly, I give If I Were You five-stars. I’ve not met a book of Austin’s I didn’t like. Thanks, Lynn for writing quality Christian fiction.
“I’m to give all that I am to help others so that God is glorified.” is hands down, my favorite quote from this beautiful and well-written historical fiction novel!
What a fatastic tale Lynn Austin has expertly written! Seriously, this story is so fabulous.
A story of undeserved forgiveness, reminders that there are consequences for poor decisions, friendships that withstand the tests of life, and so much more is explored in this treasure of a read.
It had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end, so much so in fact, that I finished it in two days!
100% recommend this book and all I can say is – This book most definitely and assuredly needs a sequel!
***Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC of this book. All views and opinions expressed in this review are my own.***
BRILLIANT! Eve Dawson and Audrey Clarkson lead two very different lives. Eve a life of poverty and Audrey a life of aristocracy. Growing up together during WWII in England, they forge a deep friendship. Their friendship is tested through the fires of judgement, envy and the horror of war. I enjoyed watching as they discovered their purpose in life. The threads of betrayal, loss of faith and forgiveness are woven throughout this extraordinary story of friendship.
Recommend to readers who enjoy inspirational, WWII novels.
I borrowed a copy from my library. All views expressed are my honest opinion.