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Those Missing Years
Those Missing Years
A Story of Courage, Survival, and Hope During the Darkest Days of War
How do you survive when the world you knew is torn apart?
In the bitter cold of wartime London, young Rose faces a life filled with heartbreak, loss, and terrifying uncertainty. Forced to leave behind the only home she knows, she is thrust into a new world of fear, resilience, and hidden strength.
From the deadly streets of the Blitz to the harsh realities of evacuation, Those Missing Years is a powerful coming-of-age tale set against the backdrop of World War II. Battling loneliness, betrayal, and unimaginable cruelty, Rose must summon a courage far beyond her years as she clings to the hope of a brighter tomorrow.
But in a world shattered by bombs and broken promises, will Rose find her way back home—or will the war steal everything she loves?
An unforgettable journey through love, loss, and survival, this gripping historical novel is perfect for fans The Nightingale by Kristin HannahThe Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather MorrisWhen We Were Brave by Suzanne KelmanIf you believe in the resilience of the human spirit and the power of hope even in the darkest times, Those Missing Years will stay with you long after you turn the final page.
Grab your copy today and step into a world where courage is the only way home.
A Story of Courage, Survival, and Hope During the Darkest Days of War
How do you survive when the world you knew is torn apart?
In the bitter cold of wartime London, young Rose faces a life filled with heartbreak, loss, and terrifying uncertainty. Forced to leave behind the only home she knows, she is thrust into a new world of fear, resilience, and hidden strength.
From the deadly streets of the Blitz to the harsh realities of evacuation, Those Missing Years is a powerful coming-of-age tale set against the backdrop of World War II. Battling loneliness, betrayal, and unimaginable cruelty, Rose must summon a courage far beyond her years as she clings to the hope of a brighter tomorrow.
But in a world shattered by bombs and broken promises, will Rose find her way back home—or will the war steal everything she loves?
An unforgettable journey through love, loss, and survival, this gripping historical novel is perfect for fans The Nightingale by Kristin HannahThe Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather MorrisWhen We Were Brave by Suzanne KelmanIf you believe in the resilience of the human spirit and the power of hope even in the darkest times, Those Missing Years will stay with you long after you turn the final page.
Grab your copy today and step into a world where courage is the only way home.
361 pages, Paperback
Published April 29, 2025
1 person is currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Rea
1 book3 followersJenny was born in Chelsea, London, and now lives and writes from her home. She is the author of her debut novel, Those Missing Years. A retired lecturer in English, Maths, and ICT, Jenny has spent many years reading historical fiction and romance novels, as well as writing short genre fiction stories.
She holds qualifications in Creative Writing from the Open University and in British Sign Language.
Her inspiration for Those Missing Years came from a lifelong fascination with World War II history and the resilience of those who lived through it.
My debut novel, Those Missing Years, explores the quiet courage of a young girl evacuated during wartime—a story rooted in healing, displacement, and hope
She holds qualifications in Creative Writing from the Open University and in British Sign Language.
Her inspiration for Those Missing Years came from a lifelong fascination with World War II history and the resilience of those who lived through it.
My debut novel, Those Missing Years, explores the quiet courage of a young girl evacuated during wartime—a story rooted in healing, displacement, and hope
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 18, 2025
I picked up Those Missing Years after it was recommended to me by another author, and that’s exactly the kind of recommendation that always gets me to pick up a book. I’m thrilled I did.
This story is a quiet but powerful blend of memory, loss, and emotional reconstruction. The writing is evocative in a way that pulls you in slowly, not with big twists, but with atmosphere and honesty.
The pacing is reflective and occasionally slow, but never aimless; it allows the characters’ inner worlds to unfold. If you enjoy novels driven by emotion, character, and introspection, you’ll likely connect with this one deeply. If you’re looking for a fast-paced plot, this might feel more meditative than expected.
For me, it was definitely worth reading, beautifully written, quietly powerful, and full of genuine emotional truth.
This story is a quiet but powerful blend of memory, loss, and emotional reconstruction. The writing is evocative in a way that pulls you in slowly, not with big twists, but with atmosphere and honesty.
The pacing is reflective and occasionally slow, but never aimless; it allows the characters’ inner worlds to unfold. If you enjoy novels driven by emotion, character, and introspection, you’ll likely connect with this one deeply. If you’re looking for a fast-paced plot, this might feel more meditative than expected.
For me, it was definitely worth reading, beautifully written, quietly powerful, and full of genuine emotional truth.
October 20, 2025
From the very start, Those Missing Years grips the heart and doesn’t let go. Set in wartime London, it follows Rose, a young girl whose world is shattered by the Blitz and the harsh realities of evacuation, loss, and longing.
What makes this story stand out is how Jenny Rea intertwines the chaos of war with the intimate, fragile world of a child forced to grow up too soon. From the bombed-out streets of London to the cold refuge of the countryside, Rose’s journey is one of fear, betrayal, and cruelty, but also of courage, hope, and quiet resilience.
Rea writes with real heart and emotional clarity. The devastation of war is both external and internal: the air raids, the darkness, and the loneliness mirror the struggle of a girl learning to survive and rebuild herself. I was rooting like a madwoman for Rose from the very first page, for her longing to belong, the glimmers of hope, and her sheer will to keep on swimming.
The book’s atmosphere is vivid and immersive; you can almost feel the chill of the countryside nights and the dread of the air-raid sirens. Yet beyond survival, Those Missing Years asks deeper questions: How do you go on move forward? How do you rebuild when you’ve been forced to grow up waaaaay too soon?
Powerful, emotional, and beautifully written, this novel is a testament to human resilience and the quiet strength of hope. I highly recommended with two major thumbs up!
What makes this story stand out is how Jenny Rea intertwines the chaos of war with the intimate, fragile world of a child forced to grow up too soon. From the bombed-out streets of London to the cold refuge of the countryside, Rose’s journey is one of fear, betrayal, and cruelty, but also of courage, hope, and quiet resilience.
Rea writes with real heart and emotional clarity. The devastation of war is both external and internal: the air raids, the darkness, and the loneliness mirror the struggle of a girl learning to survive and rebuild herself. I was rooting like a madwoman for Rose from the very first page, for her longing to belong, the glimmers of hope, and her sheer will to keep on swimming.
The book’s atmosphere is vivid and immersive; you can almost feel the chill of the countryside nights and the dread of the air-raid sirens. Yet beyond survival, Those Missing Years asks deeper questions: How do you go on move forward? How do you rebuild when you’ve been forced to grow up waaaaay too soon?
Powerful, emotional, and beautifully written, this novel is a testament to human resilience and the quiet strength of hope. I highly recommended with two major thumbs up!
August 16, 2025
This book had me gripped from the first page as I knew it was going to be a heartbreaking read. The story revolves around a woman and the hardships that she goes through as a child through to be a teenager an adult and herself as a mother.
The echoes of the hardship are also resonated with the daughter as she goes through her own trials. I’m being estranged through no fault of their own. They finally come back to be a family again through all the tears the sadness and the joys of the lives that they lead .
It truly makes you realise what others go through and to appreciate what you have more. It is a truly unique story and so beautifully written.
The echoes of the hardship are also resonated with the daughter as she goes through her own trials. I’m being estranged through no fault of their own. They finally come back to be a family again through all the tears the sadness and the joys of the lives that they lead .
It truly makes you realise what others go through and to appreciate what you have more. It is a truly unique story and so beautifully written.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2025
Those Missing Years is a poignant and beautifully told story of resilience, heartbreak, and hope that captures the indomitable spirit of a young girl navigating the horrors of war.
September 25, 2025
A beautifully written story. Those Missing Years captures the heartbreak and resilience of wartime London through the eyes of Rose, whose journey is both harrowing and inspiring. I won’t forget this one.”
August 9, 2025
This is a pathetic attempt at writing a book, that failed. Badly. It has the feel of having been rattled off on the keyboard while the author was too busy chatting about other things, drinking coffee with friends, booking holidays?
It is utterly incoherent from the start. On page 3, Rose’s father is ordered to France to do, something? on the front lines, although what these front lines were in 1930 we can only guess. I must have missed that war. Also on page 3 we are told that Rose’s mother dies in the summer of 1939 as the country is on the brink of war. In the next paragraph we are told that there is help for children of parents called up to fight in the war. What? Hang on, has the war started yet or not? Apparently not, as several carers come and go before on page 5, Rose’s father is called up to fight in the war in September, but he comes back several months later in December. Then on page 8, following his return, her father receives a telegram to say war had broken out, and this is, erm, the 1st of September.
It gets worse. On page 3 her father is a flight sergeant, so he is in the RAF then? Erm, no. When he returns in September on page 6, which is somehow after December, he is in the army. As previously mentioned, on page 8 he is called up again, on the 1st September, no doubt with a strong sense of déjà vu, and off he goes. That evening, the carer tells Rose about World War 2, which hasn’t happened yet, indeed Germany had merely invaded Poland that morning, yet with clearly clairvoyant abilities, she was able to explain to a 7 year old what other people would only learn months or years later.
A few weeks later we have more time travel as they receive their ration books months before rationing actually began in January 1940, and they endured nightly air raids a whole year before the bombing of London began in late 1940. On page 16 we go back in time again to June 1940 for the Germans reaching Calais and Normandy, meanwhile in September 1940 the bombings started, even though they had already started many months ago on page 10 a whole year earlier. By this point you will be screaming. The research for this rubbish was along the lines of – World War Two, that was Hitler wasn’t it? Or was that the other one?
I had to give up at the end of Chapter 2, at which point Rose was living on a farm, apparently carrying the chickens to the cornfields every day (you have to be kidding me), and cleaning the pigs. We can safely assume the author has never been anywhere near a farm then.
The kindest way to describe the writing is childish, and the dialogue only really works if you imagine the narrator from a Disney film for small children that features a large cuddly bear doing all the speaking. It really is that bad. To illustrate (literally) how little the writer cares about getting anything right, just look at the cover. At some point in the 1950s continuing the theme of time travel, our main character departs for France to look for her father, carrying a 21st century suitcase with wheels & retractable handle. The Ai that created this dreadful image couldn’t even get the handle in the right place.
Every single thing about this book is dreadful.
Edited. Since writing this the cover has been updated.
It is utterly incoherent from the start. On page 3, Rose’s father is ordered to France to do, something? on the front lines, although what these front lines were in 1930 we can only guess. I must have missed that war. Also on page 3 we are told that Rose’s mother dies in the summer of 1939 as the country is on the brink of war. In the next paragraph we are told that there is help for children of parents called up to fight in the war. What? Hang on, has the war started yet or not? Apparently not, as several carers come and go before on page 5, Rose’s father is called up to fight in the war in September, but he comes back several months later in December. Then on page 8, following his return, her father receives a telegram to say war had broken out, and this is, erm, the 1st of September.
It gets worse. On page 3 her father is a flight sergeant, so he is in the RAF then? Erm, no. When he returns in September on page 6, which is somehow after December, he is in the army. As previously mentioned, on page 8 he is called up again, on the 1st September, no doubt with a strong sense of déjà vu, and off he goes. That evening, the carer tells Rose about World War 2, which hasn’t happened yet, indeed Germany had merely invaded Poland that morning, yet with clearly clairvoyant abilities, she was able to explain to a 7 year old what other people would only learn months or years later.
A few weeks later we have more time travel as they receive their ration books months before rationing actually began in January 1940, and they endured nightly air raids a whole year before the bombing of London began in late 1940. On page 16 we go back in time again to June 1940 for the Germans reaching Calais and Normandy, meanwhile in September 1940 the bombings started, even though they had already started many months ago on page 10 a whole year earlier. By this point you will be screaming. The research for this rubbish was along the lines of – World War Two, that was Hitler wasn’t it? Or was that the other one?
I had to give up at the end of Chapter 2, at which point Rose was living on a farm, apparently carrying the chickens to the cornfields every day (you have to be kidding me), and cleaning the pigs. We can safely assume the author has never been anywhere near a farm then.
The kindest way to describe the writing is childish, and the dialogue only really works if you imagine the narrator from a Disney film for small children that features a large cuddly bear doing all the speaking. It really is that bad. To illustrate (literally) how little the writer cares about getting anything right, just look at the cover. At some point in the 1950s continuing the theme of time travel, our main character departs for France to look for her father, carrying a 21st century suitcase with wheels & retractable handle. The Ai that created this dreadful image couldn’t even get the handle in the right place.
Every single thing about this book is dreadful.
Edited. Since writing this the cover has been updated.
September 28, 2025
Those Missing Years is a deeply moving and unforgettable story that captures both the heartbreak and resilience of life during wartime. From the very first page, I felt immersed in Rose’s world the fear, the uncertainty, and the sheer will to survive amidst the chaos of the Blitz and the painful separation of evacuation.
What struck me most was the way the author balances the devastation of war with glimmers of hope and strength. Rose’s journey is not just about survival, but about finding courage and holding on to humanity when everything seems lost. The writing is beautifully evocative, painting vivid pictures of bombed out London streets, the loneliness of displacement, and the fragile bonds of love and trust in a world where nothing feels secure.
This novel reminded me of The Nightingale and The Tattooist of Auschwitz in its emotional depth and authenticity, yet it stands on its own with a voice that is raw, honest, and utterly compelling. By the end, I was both heartbroken and inspired heartbroken for what Rose endured, but inspired by her strength and determination to believe in a brighter tomorrow.
If you enjoy historical fiction that lingers in your heart and makes you reflect on the resilience of the human spirit, Those Missing Years is a must read. A truly powerful book that I will not forget.
What struck me most was the way the author balances the devastation of war with glimmers of hope and strength. Rose’s journey is not just about survival, but about finding courage and holding on to humanity when everything seems lost. The writing is beautifully evocative, painting vivid pictures of bombed out London streets, the loneliness of displacement, and the fragile bonds of love and trust in a world where nothing feels secure.
This novel reminded me of The Nightingale and The Tattooist of Auschwitz in its emotional depth and authenticity, yet it stands on its own with a voice that is raw, honest, and utterly compelling. By the end, I was both heartbroken and inspired heartbroken for what Rose endured, but inspired by her strength and determination to believe in a brighter tomorrow.
If you enjoy historical fiction that lingers in your heart and makes you reflect on the resilience of the human spirit, Those Missing Years is a must read. A truly powerful book that I will not forget.
October 26, 2025
Those Missing Years feels like discovering a family’s private diary, written with depth, reflection, and quiet emotion. It’s the kind of story that breaks your heart and heals it at the same time.
The writing style really stood out to me — a blend of novel and journal, intimate and contemplative, with just a few well-placed dialogues that make every word matter.
The depictions of war, loss, and pain are incredibly vivid... you feel them deeply, yet the author manages to carry you through those moments gently, without leaving a bitter aftertaste.
I especially loved the multigenerational storytelling; it reminded me of authors from Spanish literature, such as Isabel Allende or Carlos Ruiz Zafón, who weave history and emotion into something timeless.
Beautiful, heartfelt, and cinematic. I can’t wait to read more from this author.
The writing style really stood out to me — a blend of novel and journal, intimate and contemplative, with just a few well-placed dialogues that make every word matter.
The depictions of war, loss, and pain are incredibly vivid... you feel them deeply, yet the author manages to carry you through those moments gently, without leaving a bitter aftertaste.
I especially loved the multigenerational storytelling; it reminded me of authors from Spanish literature, such as Isabel Allende or Carlos Ruiz Zafón, who weave history and emotion into something timeless.
Beautiful, heartfelt, and cinematic. I can’t wait to read more from this author.
February 5, 2026
Those Missing Years is a moving World War II novel that captures the pain, fear, and resilience of a young girl growing up in the shadow of war.
Rose’s journey through loss, evacuation, and survival feels raw and deeply emotional. Her courage in the face of heartbreak, cruelty, and uncertainty makes her an unforgettable character, and her story reflects the true strength of the human spirit during history’s darkest moments.
The wartime setting is vivid and immersive, bringing the Blitz and its aftermath to life with haunting realism. Themes of love, betrayal, hope, and endurance are woven beautifully throughout the story, making it both heartbreaking and uplifting.
If you enjoy emotional historical fiction filled with courage, survival, and hope, Those Missing Years is a powerful and unforgettable read that lingers long after the final page.
Rose’s journey through loss, evacuation, and survival feels raw and deeply emotional. Her courage in the face of heartbreak, cruelty, and uncertainty makes her an unforgettable character, and her story reflects the true strength of the human spirit during history’s darkest moments.
The wartime setting is vivid and immersive, bringing the Blitz and its aftermath to life with haunting realism. Themes of love, betrayal, hope, and endurance are woven beautifully throughout the story, making it both heartbreaking and uplifting.
If you enjoy emotional historical fiction filled with courage, survival, and hope, Those Missing Years is a powerful and unforgettable read that lingers long after the final page.
September 23, 2025
Those Missing Years is a beautifully written and deeply moving story that swept me away from the very first page. Jenny Rea captures the struggles of wartime London with such vivid detail that I felt every emotion alongside Rose her heartbreak, her loneliness, and her courage. Despite the darkness of war, this book is filled with hope and resilience, showing how the human spirit can endure even the toughest times. Rose’s journey is unforgettable and inspiring, and I was completely invested in her fate. A must-read for fans of emotional, powerful historical fiction.
September 11, 2025
Authentic, heartfelt, and beautifully written.
Set between 1939 and 1970, a powerful story of love, survival, and emotional truth. It’s written with clarity and compassion, bringing Zach, Rose, and Cosuda vividly to life. Their choices, whether in silence, dance, or devotion carry the full weight of history. This isn’t a passive tale of endurance; it’s a story of fierce loyalty, healing, and the courage to reclaim what was lost.
Set between 1939 and 1970, a powerful story of love, survival, and emotional truth. It’s written with clarity and compassion, bringing Zach, Rose, and Cosuda vividly to life. Their choices, whether in silence, dance, or devotion carry the full weight of history. This isn’t a passive tale of endurance; it’s a story of fierce loyalty, healing, and the courage to reclaim what was lost.
September 28, 2025
A powerful and unforgettable story of survival and courage. Rose’s journey through war torn London is heartbreaking yet filled with hope, and the author’s writing makes every scene come alive. This book captures both the devastation of war and the resilience of the human spirit a must read for fans of emotional, character-driven historical fiction.
November 30, 2025
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review from the author
I wrote Those Missing Years to honour the quiet resilience of those who lived through wartime London. Seeing readers connect with Rose’s journey, and with Zach and Cosuda’s love and loyalty, has meant more than I can say.
Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and shared this story. Your kindness, insight, and support have helped me protect a legacy that matters deeply to my family. I’m grateful beyond words.
With love and thanks.
Jenny Rea
I wrote Those Missing Years to honour the quiet resilience of those who lived through wartime London. Seeing readers connect with Rose’s journey, and with Zach and Cosuda’s love and loyalty, has meant more than I can say.
Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and shared this story. Your kindness, insight, and support have helped me protect a legacy that matters deeply to my family. I’m grateful beyond words.
With love and thanks.
Jenny Rea
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews