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All Our Beautiful Goodbyes
From USA Today bestselling author Julianne MacLean comes an epic tale of unrequited love that is by turns breathtaking, heartbreaking—and utterly unforgettable.
1946: World War II is over, and Emma Clarkson is poised to take flight. With dreams of attending university, she’s ready to leave behind the wild beauty of Sable Island, the only home she’s ever known. But when a handsome British sea captain is rescued from a nearby shipwreck, her destiny is forever changed.
Emma falls deeply in love with Oliver Harris, but their romance is not meant to be. Oliver returns to the sea, while Emma vows to forget him and pursue her own ambitions. When a handsome veterinarian arrives on the island to study the wild horses, Emma finds love again, but soon discovers that all is not as it seems…
1995: Mourning the death of her beloved grandmother, Joanna Griffin is shocked to learn that her grandfather once loved a young woman named Emma, but lies, betrayals, and catastrophic events separated them forever. As Joanna crosses an ocean to solve the secrets of her grandfather’s past, she learns that love is a powerful force, even mightier than the passage of time…
A shining thread of hope illuminates this epic tale of lost love and fallen dreams, set in the remote splendor of Nova Scotia and spanning decades.
1946: World War II is over, and Emma Clarkson is poised to take flight. With dreams of attending university, she’s ready to leave behind the wild beauty of Sable Island, the only home she’s ever known. But when a handsome British sea captain is rescued from a nearby shipwreck, her destiny is forever changed.
Emma falls deeply in love with Oliver Harris, but their romance is not meant to be. Oliver returns to the sea, while Emma vows to forget him and pursue her own ambitions. When a handsome veterinarian arrives on the island to study the wild horses, Emma finds love again, but soon discovers that all is not as it seems…
1995: Mourning the death of her beloved grandmother, Joanna Griffin is shocked to learn that her grandfather once loved a young woman named Emma, but lies, betrayals, and catastrophic events separated them forever. As Joanna crosses an ocean to solve the secrets of her grandfather’s past, she learns that love is a powerful force, even mightier than the passage of time…
A shining thread of hope illuminates this epic tale of lost love and fallen dreams, set in the remote splendor of Nova Scotia and spanning decades.
351 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2025
2808 people are currently reading
10657 people want to read
About the author
Julianne MacLean
78 books4,337 followersJulianne MacLean is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the contemporary women’s fiction Color of Heaven Series. Readers have described her books as “breathtaking,” “soulful” and “uplifting.” MacLean is a four-time RITA finalist and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times. Her novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been published in over a dozen languages.
MacLean has a degree in English literature from the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a degree in business administration from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. She loves to travel and has lived in New Zealand, Canada, and England. MacLean currently resides on the east coast of Canada in a lakeside home with her husband and daughter.
For more information about Julianne and her writing life, please visit her website at www.juliannemaclean.com. Be sure to follow her on Bookbub to be notified whenever her ebooks are offered for FREE or 99 cents. (www.bookbub.com/authors/julianne-maclean) and chat with her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JulianneMacLeanRoman...), Twitter (@JulianneMacLean), and Instagram (@JulianneMaclean).
MacLean has a degree in English literature from the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a degree in business administration from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. She loves to travel and has lived in New Zealand, Canada, and England. MacLean currently resides on the east coast of Canada in a lakeside home with her husband and daughter.
For more information about Julianne and her writing life, please visit her website at www.juliannemaclean.com. Be sure to follow her on Bookbub to be notified whenever her ebooks are offered for FREE or 99 cents. (www.bookbub.com/authors/julianne-maclean) and chat with her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JulianneMacLeanRoman...), Twitter (@JulianneMacLean), and Instagram (@JulianneMaclean).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 517 reviews
March 23, 2025
Emma Clarkson lives on Sable Island with her father John and it’s located off the coast of Nova Scotia and is only accessible by a monthly supply boat. Emma dreams of attending university, she’s wants to become a psychologist and leaving the only home she’s know will be hard. Oliver Harris is a British sea captain and he and his crew are rescued by the team stationed on Sable Island, he and Emma form a connection, but Oliver has to return to England and he thinks he’s doing the honourable thing by cutting ties with her and because she’s too young.
Emma is vulnerable and when a handsome veterinarian Logan Baxter from Saskatchewan arrives on Sable Island to study the wild horses, the ones she been advocating for since she was a little girl and they fall in love, and later Logan becomes moody and secretive.
After Joanna Griffin’s grandmother Mary dies, she visits her grandfather and is stunned when he tells her years ago he loved a young woman named Emma. Joanna wants to find out what happened to her, and she travels to Nova Scotia and Sable Island.
I received a copy of All Our Beautiful Goodbyes from Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Julianne MacLean is known for writing page turning dual timeline stories, this one is set from 1946 to 1995 and is a great combination of fact and fiction. Sable Island is a real place, historically had a sea rescue and observation station and the surface being made up only of sand, it’s ship wrecks and the wild horse population.
A narrative with a focus on, what it’s like living on an isolated island, both the positive and negative aspects, first and lost love, what do you do if life doesn’t go as planned and should you give someone a second chance, and how Emma’s went from being a naïve young girl to an independent woman, her personal growth, being able to adapt and resilience was a highlight for me.
I loved All Our Beautiful Goodbyes, I found Sable Island a fascinating place and it all ties together well and makes for a five star read.
Emma is vulnerable and when a handsome veterinarian Logan Baxter from Saskatchewan arrives on Sable Island to study the wild horses, the ones she been advocating for since she was a little girl and they fall in love, and later Logan becomes moody and secretive.
After Joanna Griffin’s grandmother Mary dies, she visits her grandfather and is stunned when he tells her years ago he loved a young woman named Emma. Joanna wants to find out what happened to her, and she travels to Nova Scotia and Sable Island.
I received a copy of All Our Beautiful Goodbyes from Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Julianne MacLean is known for writing page turning dual timeline stories, this one is set from 1946 to 1995 and is a great combination of fact and fiction. Sable Island is a real place, historically had a sea rescue and observation station and the surface being made up only of sand, it’s ship wrecks and the wild horse population.
A narrative with a focus on, what it’s like living on an isolated island, both the positive and negative aspects, first and lost love, what do you do if life doesn’t go as planned and should you give someone a second chance, and how Emma’s went from being a naïve young girl to an independent woman, her personal growth, being able to adapt and resilience was a highlight for me.
I loved All Our Beautiful Goodbyes, I found Sable Island a fascinating place and it all ties together well and makes for a five star read.
November 16, 2024
✰ 2.75 stars ✰
“Sometimes we have to choose one path over another, and live with that choice, and be happy with it.”
When Captain Oliver Harris', British naval ship Belvedere capsized on the shores of Sable Island, twenty-one year-old aspiring psychologist Emma felt that she'd met the love of her life. Despite the many obvious reasons for them not to be together, she felt a certainty in her heart that he was the one. But, life and love often do not go hand in hand; and when they don't they stir up colder feelings and crueler heartbreaks and hopeful attempts to sooth the loneliness of a broken heart. ❤️🩹❤️🩹 For when she meets twenty-eight-year-old Logan who arrives on their secluded island to write a paper on the wild horses, it's all she hopes to heal the sadness of a lost dream. But, even then, sometimes love and life have not yet entirely shown the hands that they have left to deal. 🪷
“What did she really know about life and relationships and the real trauma that people endured in other places in the world?”
The journey that Emma's life takes is one of second chances, lost opportunities, and misguided dreams. It is about how we yearn for something - dream we can make a dream of our own, only to have another life play itself out. Emma desired to study psychology at college, but she also 'wanted so badly to be loved'. It is hard when the absence of certain chances of love makes it all the more desperate, if not hopeful that the first chance at love might be the only one, even if it is not a grand love. 🥺 And the mistakes she learns through the chances she takes with her heart shape her character into one who learns not to give her heart away so easily. She is a dreamer - an idealist at times, but she also perseveres - toughens herself not to fall for the promise of happiness, regardless of how she craves it. It is a heavy-hearted path - one paved with challenges that appear not in her control, but somehow, she unwittingly pays the price. Her strength of resolve is how she has to try and move on from it and make something of herself, even at the cost and loss of her own happiness. 🫶🏻🫶🏻
“Was this what it felt like to fall in love? A complete loss of emotional control?”
But, I'm gonna level with you. I was not a fan of the deliberate contrivances the author dealt Emma to make it impossible for her to have her happy ending. Perhaps it is an example that illustrates how life rarely works the way we wish - how fate is uncontrollable and we simply have to work to find a way to move on or how important it was to grab hold of happiness while you could, and hang on to it.' I was a bit uncomfortable with how it was always Emma's ill-timed, if not ill-planned romantic rendezvous with her lovers that had her life change course; it did not seem like a suitable, well, maybe for the time, it was - but it also portrayed her sense of character as a very romantic one, who did not really have a level-head, despite how eager she was to prove otherwise. 🤷🏻♀️ It just felt slightly manipulative to me; for her to make the same course of judgment, not once, but twice - ah, maybe I can forgive it to the time period, but it just made for a plot device that ran stale. 😮💨
“... as if he were continuing to live and breathe in that memory, in the exquisiteness of it all, the good and the bad—because it was life, part of the living, breathing world.”
The writing was pleasantly agreeable to some extent. I did like how certain scenes were portrayed, well-rounded characters that captured their personalities and resonated with the conflicts. The time jump, too - very abruptly handled. I would have liked to have eased into it, rather than suddenly be thrown into it. 😕 I did not feel like even the past was resolved before we jumped to the present in a way that carried such a bittersweet sadness of longing that even the ending did not bring closure. It was disheartening for me, but for others - maybe hopeful. For I believe that is the message that All Our Beautiful Goodbyes reminds us; that for all the lost years - 'that despite the pain, it was all beautiful' - there is still the other side lived that gives us something in return. Be it a balance of happiness or family or a cherishing a life lived well that shows us that not everything is entirely lost forever. 🥺
“It’s a record of lost souls, and a reminder of why we’re here. To provide safe sanctuary.”
The highlight of it all - Sable Island, a small Canadian island off the coast of Nova Scotia. I do love how the cover captures not only the beauty of it, but Emma's wistful longing of something more than just the life she had - to see the world and experience new things and achieve all that she knows she is capable of. 'Only then did she realize what an incredible sight it must be for someone who came from away.' 🌊 I also learned about the maritime responsibilities, I felt so much for the allure and the charm that this isolated island of keepers possessed; such richness, teeming with the magestic presence of nature and animal life of this magnetic pull that added to its - I would not say, enigma, but the beauty of it and why even being remote - the aura of mystery it exuded was one of seafarers who may be lost to it, but some are found from it, too. Having it set in the days of World War II also painted a vivid image of the tides of change to Emma and her father; how it is impossible to stop the passing of time, no matter how much we cling to what we hold dear. 🙏🏻
*Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
“Sometimes we have to choose one path over another, and live with that choice, and be happy with it.”
When Captain Oliver Harris', British naval ship Belvedere capsized on the shores of Sable Island, twenty-one year-old aspiring psychologist Emma felt that she'd met the love of her life. Despite the many obvious reasons for them not to be together, she felt a certainty in her heart that he was the one. But, life and love often do not go hand in hand; and when they don't they stir up colder feelings and crueler heartbreaks and hopeful attempts to sooth the loneliness of a broken heart. ❤️🩹❤️🩹 For when she meets twenty-eight-year-old Logan who arrives on their secluded island to write a paper on the wild horses, it's all she hopes to heal the sadness of a lost dream. But, even then, sometimes love and life have not yet entirely shown the hands that they have left to deal. 🪷
“What did she really know about life and relationships and the real trauma that people endured in other places in the world?”
The journey that Emma's life takes is one of second chances, lost opportunities, and misguided dreams. It is about how we yearn for something - dream we can make a dream of our own, only to have another life play itself out. Emma desired to study psychology at college, but she also 'wanted so badly to be loved'. It is hard when the absence of certain chances of love makes it all the more desperate, if not hopeful that the first chance at love might be the only one, even if it is not a grand love. 🥺 And the mistakes she learns through the chances she takes with her heart shape her character into one who learns not to give her heart away so easily. She is a dreamer - an idealist at times, but she also perseveres - toughens herself not to fall for the promise of happiness, regardless of how she craves it. It is a heavy-hearted path - one paved with challenges that appear not in her control, but somehow, she unwittingly pays the price. Her strength of resolve is how she has to try and move on from it and make something of herself, even at the cost and loss of her own happiness. 🫶🏻🫶🏻
“Was this what it felt like to fall in love? A complete loss of emotional control?”
But, I'm gonna level with you. I was not a fan of the deliberate contrivances the author dealt Emma to make it impossible for her to have her happy ending. Perhaps it is an example that illustrates how life rarely works the way we wish - how fate is uncontrollable and we simply have to work to find a way to move on or how important it was to grab hold of happiness while you could, and hang on to it.' I was a bit uncomfortable with how it was always Emma's ill-timed, if not ill-planned romantic rendezvous with her lovers that had her life change course; it did not seem like a suitable, well, maybe for the time, it was - but it also portrayed her sense of character as a very romantic one, who did not really have a level-head, despite how eager she was to prove otherwise. 🤷🏻♀️ It just felt slightly manipulative to me; for her to make the same course of judgment, not once, but twice - ah, maybe I can forgive it to the time period, but it just made for a plot device that ran stale. 😮💨
“... as if he were continuing to live and breathe in that memory, in the exquisiteness of it all, the good and the bad—because it was life, part of the living, breathing world.”
The writing was pleasantly agreeable to some extent. I did like how certain scenes were portrayed, well-rounded characters that captured their personalities and resonated with the conflicts. The time jump, too - very abruptly handled. I would have liked to have eased into it, rather than suddenly be thrown into it. 😕 I did not feel like even the past was resolved before we jumped to the present in a way that carried such a bittersweet sadness of longing that even the ending did not bring closure. It was disheartening for me, but for others - maybe hopeful. For I believe that is the message that All Our Beautiful Goodbyes reminds us; that for all the lost years - 'that despite the pain, it was all beautiful' - there is still the other side lived that gives us something in return. Be it a balance of happiness or family or a cherishing a life lived well that shows us that not everything is entirely lost forever. 🥺
“It’s a record of lost souls, and a reminder of why we’re here. To provide safe sanctuary.”
The highlight of it all - Sable Island, a small Canadian island off the coast of Nova Scotia. I do love how the cover captures not only the beauty of it, but Emma's wistful longing of something more than just the life she had - to see the world and experience new things and achieve all that she knows she is capable of. 'Only then did she realize what an incredible sight it must be for someone who came from away.' 🌊 I also learned about the maritime responsibilities, I felt so much for the allure and the charm that this isolated island of keepers possessed; such richness, teeming with the magestic presence of nature and animal life of this magnetic pull that added to its - I would not say, enigma, but the beauty of it and why even being remote - the aura of mystery it exuded was one of seafarers who may be lost to it, but some are found from it, too. Having it set in the days of World War II also painted a vivid image of the tides of change to Emma and her father; how it is impossible to stop the passing of time, no matter how much we cling to what we hold dear. 🙏🏻
*Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 31, 2025
When I catch you Mary 😭😭😭😭RTC
Buddy Read with Misty 💖
My Ratings For JM Books-
A Fire Sparkling- 5 Stars
All Our Beautiful Goodbyes- 5 Stars
Buddy Read with Misty 💖
My Ratings For JM Books-
A Fire Sparkling- 5 Stars
All Our Beautiful Goodbyes- 5 Stars
April 11, 2025
Romance is not my usual genre" I loved this book"The descriptions of the remote island, the unforgiviṉg ocean,seals and wild horses border on the poetic. The tale is immersive through maximum use of the senses"The characters’iṉcluding the brusque Abigail are relatable
August 28, 2025
This book is of a father raising his young daughter on a dune island off Halifax Nova Scotia. They and a few other islanders are a rescue station. Anyone who gets shipwrecked on these shores will be saved if possible. Even a young girl grown by the side of her widower father wants to fall in love. It seems impossible but she has two love opportunities which the novel follows. The story is a bit predictable and a little sappy but I readily kept on turning the pages.
October 31, 2025
Another read with my girl, Meagan ✨ 🐎
April 11, 2025
What a wonderful book!
This epic tale spans decades (1946-1995) amidst the remote splendor of Nova Scotia.
After WWII Emma Clarkson dreams of attending university and leaving behind Sable Island, the only home she has ever known.
Emma's destiny is forever changed when British Sea Captain Oliver Harris is rescued from his shipwreck nearby. Emma falls deeply in love with him but he returns to sea once recovered. Heartbroken she must forget him and carry on trying to believe it wasn't meant to be. Emma does find love again but all is not as it seems.
Many years later Oliver's granddaughter discovers her grandfather's secrets and is determined to cross the ocean to find her grandfather's lost love.
From beginning to end the author captivates us with a story of love, loss and forgiveness.
I was totally immersed in all of the characters as well as the wonderfully descriptive scenery of Sable Island.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
This epic tale spans decades (1946-1995) amidst the remote splendor of Nova Scotia.
After WWII Emma Clarkson dreams of attending university and leaving behind Sable Island, the only home she has ever known.
Emma's destiny is forever changed when British Sea Captain Oliver Harris is rescued from his shipwreck nearby. Emma falls deeply in love with him but he returns to sea once recovered. Heartbroken she must forget him and carry on trying to believe it wasn't meant to be. Emma does find love again but all is not as it seems.
Many years later Oliver's granddaughter discovers her grandfather's secrets and is determined to cross the ocean to find her grandfather's lost love.
From beginning to end the author captivates us with a story of love, loss and forgiveness.
I was totally immersed in all of the characters as well as the wonderfully descriptive scenery of Sable Island.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
March 1, 2025
This is a beautiful historical romance love story. In 1946, Emma Clarkson lives on Sable Island off the coast of Nova Scotia. She falls in love with a Sea captain,Oliver, after he's rescued from a shipwreck. In the end, it wasn't meant to be and he returns to sea. She does find love again with Logan, and they have a son together. But it doesn't work with him either. She is left to care for her family on her own.
In 1995, Joanna Griffin is mourning her grandmother's death when she learns about Emma. Her grandfather's long lost love. She sets out to find Emma, and help her grandfather reconnect with her.
The two timelines really worked with this one. I enjoyed reading about the hardships Emma had to overcome throughout her life. I loved the setting on Sable Island, which I never knew about. The descriptions sound beautiful. Overall, this was a story about true love, and how some people are just meant to be together.
Thank you to the publisher, Suzy approved book tours,and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
In 1995, Joanna Griffin is mourning her grandmother's death when she learns about Emma. Her grandfather's long lost love. She sets out to find Emma, and help her grandfather reconnect with her.
The two timelines really worked with this one. I enjoyed reading about the hardships Emma had to overcome throughout her life. I loved the setting on Sable Island, which I never knew about. The descriptions sound beautiful. Overall, this was a story about true love, and how some people are just meant to be together.
Thank you to the publisher, Suzy approved book tours,and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
October 18, 2024
All Our Beautiful Goodbyes
By: Julianne MacLean
Pub Date: March 25, 2025
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Tour: Suzy Approved Book Tours
Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours, Lake Union Publishing and author MacLean for this gifted e-ARC
This novel was EPIC and covered so much. Love, Loss, Dreams, and Life.
1946:
Emma Clarkson is looking forward to going to university and leaving Sable Island. She has led a sheltered life with her father as her mother passed away.
A twist of fate happens when Olive Harris a British sea captain is rescued off their island after a shipwreck. Her father also suffers a major injury.
1995:
Joanne Griffin learns her grandfather lost the love of his life a lifetime ago. She wants her grandfather to be happy again. She vows to take him back to a place which meant the world to him.
I rooted for Emma as tragedy struck her many times and cruel twists of fate shattered lives.
By: Julianne MacLean
Pub Date: March 25, 2025
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Tour: Suzy Approved Book Tours
Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours, Lake Union Publishing and author MacLean for this gifted e-ARC
This novel was EPIC and covered so much. Love, Loss, Dreams, and Life.
1946:
Emma Clarkson is looking forward to going to university and leaving Sable Island. She has led a sheltered life with her father as her mother passed away.
A twist of fate happens when Olive Harris a British sea captain is rescued off their island after a shipwreck. Her father also suffers a major injury.
1995:
Joanne Griffin learns her grandfather lost the love of his life a lifetime ago. She wants her grandfather to be happy again. She vows to take him back to a place which meant the world to him.
I rooted for Emma as tragedy struck her many times and cruel twists of fate shattered lives.
April 8, 2025
TITLE: All Our Beautiful Goodbyes
AUTHOR:Julianne Maclean
PUB DATE: 03.25.2025
From USA Today bestselling author Julianne MacLean comes an epic tale of unrequited love that is by turns breathtaking, heartbreaking―and utterly unforgettable.
THOUGHTS:
It is 1946 at the end of WWII where Emma Clarkson from Sable Island meets a British captain Oliver Harris during a shipwreck rescue. Things didn't work out despite an undeniable connection. In another timeline Joanna discovers her grandfathers' long lost love named Emma from Sable Island and she travels to Nova Scotia to learn the truth about this mystery.
Oh my gosh this was such a wonderful story of families, loves lost and loves found, disappointments and hopes. I was completely enthralled by the story of the island and the wild horses in Nova Scotia. I just want to make my plans to fly there and learn more about it's amazing history that is the backdrop of this fantastic book.
I highly recommend this beautiful dual timeline historical fiction.
AUTHOR:Julianne Maclean
PUB DATE: 03.25.2025
From USA Today bestselling author Julianne MacLean comes an epic tale of unrequited love that is by turns breathtaking, heartbreaking―and utterly unforgettable.
THOUGHTS:
It is 1946 at the end of WWII where Emma Clarkson from Sable Island meets a British captain Oliver Harris during a shipwreck rescue. Things didn't work out despite an undeniable connection. In another timeline Joanna discovers her grandfathers' long lost love named Emma from Sable Island and she travels to Nova Scotia to learn the truth about this mystery.
Oh my gosh this was such a wonderful story of families, loves lost and loves found, disappointments and hopes. I was completely enthralled by the story of the island and the wild horses in Nova Scotia. I just want to make my plans to fly there and learn more about it's amazing history that is the backdrop of this fantastic book.
I highly recommend this beautiful dual timeline historical fiction.
September 19, 2025
Set in post-war Canada on the remote Sable Island, the story follows Emma Clarkson who falls for Captain Oliver Harris after he’s shipwrecked there during a violent storm. Their brief, intense romance ends when Oliver leaves, and later Emma marries Logan, a kind veterinarian with secrets that slowly come to light. Years later, Oliver returns, forcing Emma to confront her past and the choices she’s made.
The story had some interesting moments, but at times the plot felt overly dramatic and some character decisions were hard to buy. A sudden time jump lacked closure, making parts confusing. The writing often told rather than showed and the dialogue could feel simple and repetitive so I didn’t always connect with the characters. The ending did wrap things up, but it wasn’t the one I was hoping for.
The story had some interesting moments, but at times the plot felt overly dramatic and some character decisions were hard to buy. A sudden time jump lacked closure, making parts confusing. The writing often told rather than showed and the dialogue could feel simple and repetitive so I didn’t always connect with the characters. The ending did wrap things up, but it wasn’t the one I was hoping for.
May 13, 2025
This book was breathtakingly beautiful!! If I could give it more stars, I would. I love how certain books touch my heart in such a way that they become near and dear to me, as this book surely has! I love historical fiction, and with romance entwined, it was just brilliant! I'm so glad i stumbled upon this author, Julianne Maclean. I look forward to reading more of her stories. This was so heartbreaking all that Emma Clarkson and Oliver Harris went through both together and apart. Their love for each other surely stood the test of time. I'm so happy the ending was what it was! I don't think I could've bore it to be any other way. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this novel and particularly if you enjoy historical fiction romance! This impacted me so much and will forever stay with me in my heart!
March 23, 2025
A remote island. A father of a 21-year-old daughter. A middle-aged woman with a bitter personality. And wild horses. This book has it all, what could go wrong?
The 21-year-old Emma never had a boyfriend, so it's no wonder she suddenly falls for a handsome stranger. Of course, she's left behind with a broken heart, and all she's got left are her dreams of higher education. If only her father... and then...
Drama after drama, one obstacle after another.
Everything is way too melodramatic, predictable, and pretentious. This story is like every other, there is nothing new here.
The writing is simple. Lots of banal sentences such as:
"But oh, how those desires grated on her. They were constantly eclipsed by the hurtful things he'd said to her (...)".
"Early one foggy morning when the mist was so thick it left a cold wet film on her cheeks (...)"
"The love won't let go of me".
Oh, and the author made one of the characters have a concussion with an epileptic seizure and soon after he was jogging. What?
The 21-year-old Emma never had a boyfriend, so it's no wonder she suddenly falls for a handsome stranger. Of course, she's left behind with a broken heart, and all she's got left are her dreams of higher education. If only her father... and then...
Drama after drama, one obstacle after another.
Everything is way too melodramatic, predictable, and pretentious. This story is like every other, there is nothing new here.
The writing is simple. Lots of banal sentences such as:
"But oh, how those desires grated on her. They were constantly eclipsed by the hurtful things he'd said to her (...)".
"Early one foggy morning when the mist was so thick it left a cold wet film on her cheeks (...)"
"The love won't let go of me".
Oh, and the author made one of the characters have a concussion with an epileptic seizure and soon after he was jogging. What?
April 19, 2025
ugh....Julianne used to kill it. This protagonist was so whiny, indecisive, and overall unlikable. The plot had potential, but Emma and her love life were entirely too messy.
December 15, 2025
I found this a bit slow in the beginning but holy cow did the last parts pick up and keep me hooked. I may have even shed a few tears. This is a beautiful story about life, loss, and love.
January 14, 2026
I love everything JM writes and this was no exception. The story was so beautifully yet tragically wonderful. I love how much research the author puts into the settings of her books!!
February 18, 2025
What a beautiful story.
Begins spring of 1946. Ending in summer of 1995.
Emma's story is one I simply didn't want to end. She lived a life. So many others know nothing about. But what a life she lived.
On sable island.
Only once in a lifetime have a true love.
Sometimes, it's not meant to be.
There are too many obstacles in the way.
Well, all I can say is what a phenomenal story.I just loved it. And I did not want this book to end. Beautifully written.
Truly a phenomenal story.
I Loved everything about this story.
Begins spring of 1946. Ending in summer of 1995.
Emma's story is one I simply didn't want to end. She lived a life. So many others know nothing about. But what a life she lived.
On sable island.
Only once in a lifetime have a true love.
Sometimes, it's not meant to be.
There are too many obstacles in the way.
Well, all I can say is what a phenomenal story.I just loved it. And I did not want this book to end. Beautifully written.
Truly a phenomenal story.
I Loved everything about this story.
March 13, 2025
I invite you to experience the magic of life on Sable Island. Amongst the raw beauty and shifting sands, you will find the strong bonds of family and community. You will experience the origins of love stories, the birth of dreams and the granting of miracles. You will fall in love with the characters as they navigate through all of their beautiful hellos and goodbyes.
Beloved characters treasured their second chances. Gratitude was woven throughout their lives and experiences. When gratitude and second chances are combined well, my heart is warmed. Truly a heartwarming story.
Sable Island played such an important role in this story, almost becoming a character itself. This once untouched island, touched so many lives.
I loved the scenes involving the wild horses of the island. An encounter between the horses and a special visitor was exceptional. I won’t soon forget it!
I really loved the ending! I read it with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes. So very well done and so very much enjoyed!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishers through NetGalley. All thoughts expressed in this review are mine.
This beautiful book will be released on March 25, 2025.
Beloved characters treasured their second chances. Gratitude was woven throughout their lives and experiences. When gratitude and second chances are combined well, my heart is warmed. Truly a heartwarming story.
Sable Island played such an important role in this story, almost becoming a character itself. This once untouched island, touched so many lives.
I loved the scenes involving the wild horses of the island. An encounter between the horses and a special visitor was exceptional. I won’t soon forget it!
I really loved the ending! I read it with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes. So very well done and so very much enjoyed!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishers through NetGalley. All thoughts expressed in this review are mine.
This beautiful book will be released on March 25, 2025.
July 31, 2025
4.5* rounded to 5. The beautifully crafted atmosphere sends you onto an island as a spectator in this story while you watch Emma grow into adulthood. The relationships and dreams along the way will soothe your soul but the loss of love and time will leave your heart aching for the main character.
June 15, 2025
An amazing Historical fiction... wonderful story of love lost and found.
April 20, 2025
i FINALLY FINISHED LISTENING TO THIS ligit RIPPED my soul out oh my god will never view life the same like wtf
January 28, 2026
3.5 Romance novel. Some things did happen that I didn’t predict which helped me read to the end.
July 9, 2025
3.75* loved this, such a warm cosy little book but the twists were a bit predictable!
August 2, 2025
Emma’s life, and the way the author describes it, kept me reading day and night. It’s definitely an easy and captivating read. That being said, the last thing I’d call it is a “feel-good” story. The only thing this agony of love gave me is the realization of how unremarkable and unnoticeable my own regrets, unfulfilled loves, and longings are ~ past, present, or future. Nothing I could imagine, not even in my worst nightmare, could ever compare to Emma and Oliver’s eternal lack of luck.
Have fun and enjoy the read !
Have fun and enjoy the read !
March 20, 2025
I truly enjoyed this dual timeline historical romance. Emma was such an endearing, strong, intelligent character and my heart just kept breaking for her. She went through so much and had the rug jerked out from under her so many times but she never gave up, never stopped looking for happiness and her purpose in life. There were many twists and turns in Emma’s path and she maneuvered each one with grace. Yes, there were times she was angry or bitter, but most of us would be. Her father was simply amazing. He was supportive in ways, many fathers probably weren’t in that time period with the situations they faced. Oliver was the perfect love interest, except they couldn’t be together for a myriad of reasons. He embodies the idea of that one person that you can’t forget and can never fully get over. Sable Island was the perfect setting. I had never heard of it before, but this has been added to my bucket list of must see places. It’s described so beautifully and I love the idea of the wild horses just being allowed to roam. The dual timeline really worked well with Emma’s story. I love that we get to see her successful and happy, despite the trials she had endured. All in all, this is a story about true love and how some people are just meant to be together.
I’d like to thank Julianne Maclean, Lake Union Publishing, and Netgalley for providing me with this arc. My review was not impacted in any way by this.
I’d like to thank Julianne Maclean, Lake Union Publishing, and Netgalley for providing me with this arc. My review was not impacted in any way by this.
March 13, 2025
This was a beautifully written dual timeline story. I was swept away!
It’s 1946 and we meet Emma whose looking forward to escaping Sable Island , her plan is to attend the university and experience the world outside her sheltered childhood. She was raised by her father after her mother passed away. Soon her life changes when she meets Captain Olive Harris when he’s rescued from a shipwreck.
1995- Mourning the death of her grandmother, Joanne learns about her grandfathers lost love. Joanne makes it her mission to help her grandfather find happiness again. As Joanna crosses an ocean to solve the secrets of her grandfather’s past, she learns that love is a powerful force, even mightier than the passage of time…
This book was perfect and I couldn’t get enough of it!!
It’s 1946 and we meet Emma whose looking forward to escaping Sable Island , her plan is to attend the university and experience the world outside her sheltered childhood. She was raised by her father after her mother passed away. Soon her life changes when she meets Captain Olive Harris when he’s rescued from a shipwreck.
1995- Mourning the death of her grandmother, Joanne learns about her grandfathers lost love. Joanne makes it her mission to help her grandfather find happiness again. As Joanna crosses an ocean to solve the secrets of her grandfather’s past, she learns that love is a powerful force, even mightier than the passage of time…
This book was perfect and I couldn’t get enough of it!!
March 17, 2025
I was immediately intrigued and drawn into the story of Emma and her father on Sable Island, Nova Scotia in 1946, with a shipwreck and the aftermath of saving the survivors. The promise of a relationship between Emma and Captain Oliver Harris held on as a hopeful happily ever after. The following years and stumbling blocks between them was a cruel twist of fate. This is an often heartbreaking book, with much disappointment and many struggles. I felt that many things could have happened differently, and I would have enjoyed the book more if the characters had been more likable and compassionate. Emma’s life was so sad to me, filled with heartbreak. I kept waiting for the dual timeline of 1995, and it comes very near the end of the book!
Full post to come @on_a_sandbar Instagram
Full post to come @on_a_sandbar Instagram
November 19, 2025
It's hard to believe that this is the same author that wrote "A Fire Sparkling,"which I loved. I was hoping this book would have some of the same depth and multi-faceted storyline that my previous read of MacLean.
This one fell flat for me. Not a lot of nuance, or suspense in the plot, and the characters and story seemed like a tired cliche.
I was intrigued by the setting of Sable Island though.
I may give this author another try considering how much I loved "A Fire Sparkling."
This one fell flat for me. Not a lot of nuance, or suspense in the plot, and the characters and story seemed like a tired cliche.
I was intrigued by the setting of Sable Island though.
I may give this author another try considering how much I loved "A Fire Sparkling."
January 2, 2026
I did really enjoy this book. I listened to this one and enjoyed the narrator. I struggled on whether to make this a 4 star or 5 star. I loved that this book wasn’t cookie cutter. It wasn’t what you expected to happen. Everyone didn’t get their way and it all sunshine and roses. There was heartbreak. A lot of it. But it was still beautiful. At one point I was angry and didn’t see how I was going to be able to accept the ending, but I can appreciate the beauty in it at the end.
May 28, 2025
What a beautiful story of long, lost love and second chances! I loved the characters and how the story was set in Nova Scotia. The Author did a wonderful job describing the environment and making it feel like you were there. Looking forward to reading more from this Author!
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