Stephanie Sullivan: Review - The Lies We Leave Behind

TITLE: The Lies We Leave Behind (audiobook)

NARRATORS: Xe Sands and Patrick Zeller

RATING: ★★★★

Summary (from Goodreads): Somewhere in the Pacific, 1943. Kate Campbell is a nurse who bravely flies back and forth from the front to rescue wounded soldiers, amid long days, harsh conditions and often dangerous weather. Driven by a deep personal need to help in the war effort, she is conflicted when an injury results in her reassignment to the relative comfort of the English countryside.

Love has never been part of her plan, but despite herself, she falls for an officer with three bullet wounds, startling blue eyes and a wicked sense of humor. For the first time, Kate sees a future far from the horrors of war and hate. But before she can pursue it, a secret from her past calls her to duty, and she'll have to travel back into danger one more time to rescue a part of herself she'd left behind. But will she make it back? And will that future still be waiting for her if she does?

REVIEW: As always, Noelle Salazar broke my heart - but in a good way. When my heart aches and/or I cry while listening to or reading a book then you can be rest assured the writing and narrating is amazing. That was the case with The Lies We Leave Behind. Noelle has such a beautiful way with words. Her descriptions are so vivid I can picture everything in my mind as the story unfolds, and I feel as if I’m there witnessing it all. My emotions were all over the place while listening to this book. Historical fiction has always been my favorite genre, especially those that take place during World War II, but it’s taken on a whole new meaning for me since my youngest son recently enlisted in the military. Reading about the horrors of war hits differently when you know your child could be in the midst of it someday. I adored Kate and William’s love story. I’m glad William was able to move on and get married after he thought he’d lost Kate, but it really saddened me that she didn’t find love again, especially after the horrible things she went through. Xe Sands is an incredible narrator, but I have to admit it took me awhile to warm up to Patrick Zeller’s narrating. He has a very deep and rich voice that kind of startled me at first, but by the end of the book I was sobbing over the tremor and emotion that resonated in his voice when he found out the truth. It was very moving. I would highly recommend The Lies We Leave Behind to everyone.