When We Meet Again by Caroline Beecham

 

Publisher: Putnam

On Sale Date: July 20, 2021

Pages: 384

I reviewed a digital review copy from the publisher

1943, London: Alice Cotton is a young woman who works as an editor at publishing house Partridge Press She is a beloved editor, who is also highly appreciated by her coworkers, as she has a good eye for books that distract the readers from the harsh war going on. But when Alice get unexpectedly pregnant, her live changes forever. To prevent getting a bad name as an unwed mother, she tells the made up story at her work that she has to take care  of her cousin, who just had baby up in the country. In real life, her mother kicks her out of the house to a small town, to deliver her baby there, and where her mother takes the baby away  without Alice's consent to be given to baby farmers, people who take the baby in and sell them to couples for adoption. Alice is devastated when she finds the crib of the baby empty with a note from her mother that it is ''better this way''.

Meanwhile at Patridge Press, her coworker friends are more and more missing Alice, who seem to have vanished without a trace, while Alice goes on a search to find her stolen daughter.

Theo Bloom works at the American department of Partridge Press as an editor in New York City, where he lives with his fiancee Virginia. He is asked though to go to London to help Partridge Press there, as there are difficulties in the company because of the war. He hears from her coworkers that Alice is missing, but soon Alice returns to the publishing house and meets Theo, and a friendship starts that turns into romance. Alice continues on her search for her daughter Eadie, and steps into the world of the baby farmers, which leads to a tragic find of her daughter in the end of the book.

When We Meet Again is a beatiful and very moving novel, set in London during World War Two. The story of Alice and her stolen daughter was very sad, but still Alice remained a very strong and interesting character that stays interesting till the end of the book, where she has to make truly difficult choices. The story reminded me a bit of the novel Looking For Jane by Heather Marshall, which is a book also about stolen babies that where sold for adoption against the will of their mothers. The friendship and romance between her and Theo was very sweet, and they truly where meant to be together. I found this book just very beautiful, very entertaining with fantastic plot twists, and I truly recommend reading it!