Sisters of the Midnight Sun: The brand new breathtaking novel from the bestselling author of The Beekeeper's Promise

by Fiona Valpy

THE BRAND NEW NOVEL FROM THE MULT-MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE DRESSMAKER'S SECRET, THE BEEKEEPERS PROMISE AND THE DARK OF THE MOON!


Two women, decades apart, are torn apart by grief but brought together through hope.

Shetland, 2001: Ruby Reid is running from a decision she doesn’t want to make. Finding herself on a remote croft caring for a mysterious old woman she discovers that Hanna has her own reasons for hiding from the world. And slowly, she reveals her story to Ruby...
Norway, 1940: Hanna Kristiansen’s world is overturned when Norway falls into the hands of Germany.
She’s determined to keep her twin sister, Liv, safe but as Hanna fights for her country, she must make unthinkable personal sacrifices. The war may take everything from her, but ensuring the freedom of her people demands it.
Decades later, Hanna is still haunted by the scars of war that mark her arm. The numbers that will forever signify where one life ended and another began.

But as the two women bond through their shared loss, they learn to find strength in fragility and discover a new hope in the most unlikely of places.

An emotional story of love, loss, hope and family, Fiona Valpy once again delivers a work of brilliance.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Historical, Family, War

445 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 24, 2026

About the author

Fiona Valpy spent seven years living in France, having moved there from the UK in 2007. She and her family renovated an old, rambling farmhouse in the Bordeaux winelands, during which time she developed new-found skills in cement-mixing, interior decorating and wine-tasting.

All of these inspirations, along with a love for the place, the people and their history, have found their way into the books she’s written, which have been translated into more than 30 languages and sold more than 2 million copies worldwide.

Fiona now lives in Scotland, but enjoys regular visits to France in search of the sun.

Sign up to be the first to hear about her NEW releases here: http://bit.ly/184zc8B

Reviews

[MarilynW]

Sisters of the Midnight Sun by Fiona Valpy

2001 We meet Ruby Reid, who has lost her twin sister, and her grief is overwhelming. Also, she has some huge decision to make and it seems time sensitive but it will be later on in the story before we learn the details of that decision. By then we will have gotten to know Ruby and that made the reveal all that more emotional to me. Ruby has hired on as a companion to an elderly woman, Hanna, living on a homestead on a remote Shetland Island. This job is just as important to the mental and emotional health of Ruby as it is for the caretaking of the elderly, Hannah. In fact, Hanna's children hired Ruby and Hannah is very grumpy that they did such a thing.

We go back and forth in time with this story, starting in 1940, when Hanna and her twin sister lose their home, lose their hometown, lose people dear to them, as the Nazi's overrun Norway. Those losses, including losses of people who gave up everything to fight evil, helps each woman to know they want to fight back, too, despite the very real and extreme risk to themselves. Hanna's early days aren't told in great detail although what happens will be shocking to anyone not familiar with the camps where people were interned and killed. I didn't need to know the details, I've learned so much about this time that I know what happened to the victims in these camps. We do meet some real life heroes in these camps and I plan to read the books associated with these people.

I didn't mind the two timelines at all because it wasn't us trying to figure out some great mystery and not knowing if we would ever find out what happened in the past. We have Hanna with us in the future timeline and this is one sharp and spry woman. She relates her story to us and it's such a hard one to hear. Horrible things happen, loved ones die, Hanna and her sister are part of one of the very special horrors inflicted on certain victims. But we also learn about very brave people who sacrifice everything for the welfare of others and their cherished way of life.

And there is hope in that we know that despite extreme hardship in Hanna's life, there is a time afterward when she wants to live and thrive and move forward. The heartache is always there but not everything, eventually. And through Hanna's telling of her life story, and with the help of others on this remote island, Ruby is able to see better what choices she must make. The hard things for each woman aren't gone but there is a future for both women, old and young, through making the best choices for the future. I finished this book feeling so happy for where the two are by the end of the book and for what they have ahead of them, good things, despite the hard things.

Publication September 15, 2026

Thank you to Ballantine | Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC

[Angela M]

Beautifully written, well researched, informative and moving. This is a multi-faceted story of two women, both grieving losses. It’s a WWII historical fiction story alternating with a more present time in 2001. Ruby, heartbroken by the loss of her twin sister and struggling with a life changing decision, seeks solace in a remote place in the Shetland Islands as a companion to an elderly woman. Hanna, also a twin who lost her sister, bears secrets of the numbers on her arm , slowly learns to trust Ruby and shares the devastating memories of the past, her life in Norway, her losses of family, her home in Norway and surviving Auschwitz.

I don’t read much non fiction but well written and well researched historical fiction has taught me much. This is a facet of WWII I was not aware of - the Nazi invasion and occupation of Norway in order to control shipping routes . There was a resistance movement and Hanna becomes part of it after losing family as well as her home . While Ruby and Hanna are fictional characters, their stories represent real life events. In the author’s note, Valpy indicates which characters are based on real people and details her research. I was drawn into the lovely writing from the first page and glad to know that she has written a number of other novels to explore.

The women in Auschwitz sewed their names onto a scarf. “Keep a record, girls. We must tell the world who was here.” This story is important reminder that we must not forget what happened and we must remember the people.

I received a copy of this book from Ballantine Books through NetGalley.

[Darla]

This twin story set off book connections all over the place for me.

👯 Y'all know I love a good twins story. Ruby Reid and Hanna Williamson are both twins. They have also lost their twin to tragedy and will bond over their stories.

🇳🇴 This dual timeline read contains a current narrative set in the Shetland Islands and a past WW II Norway setting. While reading this book today, I was flying from Helsinki to Dallas (You guessed it! Right over Norway.)

🌳Hanna Williamson has named her croft IGDRASIL after the mythical Nordic tree. I was just reading about that tree in The World at Midnight.

⛷Hanna's past timeline features her work as a part of the Norway Resistance during WW II. While the author did not mention it, I was also thinking of another WW II read set in Norway: Treasures of the Snow

🫶Both Hanna and Ruby have hard things in their lives. They discover that bearing each other's burdens is a great way to find family. Definitely recommend this one for HF lovers.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review. Available as of September 15, 2026.

[Linden]

Hanna is an elderly woman living on a Shetland Island croft. Her son arranges for a young woman, Ruby, to help her, even though she resists. Ruby has just lost her twin sister to cancer, and is looking for a change from her life in the city. As she gets more comfortable with Ruby, Hanna tells her of her early life in Norway with her twin sister Liv, and how everything changed when the German invaded their country. Liv's husband is arrested when he refuses to join Quisling's teacher's union and teach Nazi propaganda in the school. Then Liv and Hanna are arrested, and we learn of their experience in Auschwitz, where things never ended well for twins. I've read extensively on the Holocaust, but was unfamiliar with the Norwegian resistance; this novel provided insight into not only the horrors endured, but also into the strength of the Norwegian people. Recommended for readers of historical fiction, this is a story I won't soon forget. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this advance copy.

[Maureen]

Available Now 9/15/2026
Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy.
I have read several books by Fiona Valpy. She never disappoints. This is another interesting story set in Norway during World War II. I knew very little about Norway and World War II..
Her beautiful writing just draws you into her stories.
This one is a dual timeline story. We meet Ruby Reid, her twin sister has just died from cancer and is grieving the loss. She needs to escape to make a decision about her life. She finds an opportunity to do to do just that, when she applies for a position as a companion for an elderly lady in the remote Shetland Islands. She accepts the position, but Hanna doesn’t welcome Ruby into her life. She is very independent as has a mind of her own. She feels she doesn’t need a “babysitter “.
But her children feel differently.
As time goes on and Hanna softens to the idea that Ruby is staying, she tells her story. Hanna shares her ordeal with dealing with Germans in Norway and what happened to her and her twin sister.
She opens up to Ruby a little bit at a time.
The storyline alternates between Ruby, 2001 and Hannah 1940s.
It is a well researched and heartbreaking story.
Highly recommended.

[Abbeigh]

Fiona Valpy’s most vivid, bold and heartbreaking novel yet. ‘Sisters Of The Midnight Sun’ follows Ruby, who has just moved to Shetland to look after the elderly Hanna, who was born in Norway and experienced the Second World War there.

This was such a tearjerker! It really showcased the bond of sisterhood/twins, and I was utterly engrossed in the story and the characters.

Valpy is a powerhouse at writing historical fiction, and I always know that I’m going to get a five star read from her. I’m always amazed by the details and feelings she manages to get into the amount of pages; I didn’t want this story to end.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐉 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐞-𝐚𝐫𝐜 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰.

[SueK]

I received a digital ARC for review purposes. Opinions are my own. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.
This was a beautiful, dual-timeline book. As Ruby takes a position as a companion to a feisty older woman, we learn much more than I ever knew about the Norwegian resistance during WWII, as well as learning more about the lives of both Ruby and Hannah. While I would normally have given this book a four, because I felt Ruby's character wasn't as fleshed out as I would like, I'm rounding up to five because I learned something I'd not been aware of about WWII.

Valpy's descriptions of the settings in the book were very well wrought. I could truly see Shetland and the fishing dock in my mind.

Recommended.

[Lydia Bailey]

Norwegian born twins Hanna & Liv turn eighteen just as the Germans invade and take control of Norway during WW2. Together with their mother and childhood friends they bravely join the fight against such tyranny.

In the present day, Ruby, grieving for her recently lost twin sister, has moved to Shetland to help ageing Hanna run her Croft. Will she find the peace of mind there to make a tough personal decision?

Fiona Valpy is such a great story teller and I have enjoyed all her books. The Midnight Sisters is very moving - at times tear-jerking- and I learned a lot about Norway’s involvement in WW2. I did find the two sections slightly disjointed with the war timeline the stronger. I also took a few chapters to get into the story. Still a very good read and a solid 4*.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC.

[Maureen Timerman]

A beautifully written dual time read, from the horrors of living in Norway in WWII, to 2002 Shetland Islands, Scotland.
We are given a women whom has recently lost her twin and need to get away, she has agreed to be a care taker, what she doesn't expect is the vibrant elderly women she finds. I can't and don't want to put myself in Hanna's shoes, but in the end as they struggle for a relationship, she does share with Ruby.
A read that lingers with you long after the last page is turned.
We are offered some current danger, past horrors, life changing decisions, and the prospect of some romance.
In the end, I didn't want this read to conclude.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Ballantine, and was not required to give a positive review.

[Reeca Elliott]

This author has quite a few books. And I have never read any of them. I am going to go back and pick up her others.

This is told in two points of view, Hanna and Ruby.

Overwhelmed by grief in the wake of losing her twin sister, Ruby Reid has come to the north of Scotland to escape. Her new job is a companion to Hanna Kristiansen, an elderly woman living on a rugged homestead in the wild and remote Shetland Islands. But Hanna is hiding her own past! And as Hanna slowly begins to trust Ruby, she opens up about her pain and her grief.

First off, let me say I loved the setting. I have not read very many books set on the Shetland Islands. This author did a fabulous job with this location. I could just picture it. Add in Hanna’s past and her fight for the freedom for Norway in the 1940s, and you have a unique read.

The only reason I gave this four stars instead of five is that when Hanna started talking about her past, the story slowed down a bit. But it picked up and it got better and better as it went along.

Need a unique dual timelines tale…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today. 

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

[Wallis]

Disappointing. The story itself was interesting, and I learned a good deal about the role of Norway and the Shetland Bus during World War II. But the writing was not good, and I never connected emotionally with the characters, which made it hard to feel invested.

[Kristina Anderson]

Some stories arrive quietly and end up glowing in your heart, and Sisters of the Midnight Sun is one of them. Fiona Valpy pairs a sweeping historical backdrop with an intimate portrait of women shaped by love, loss, courage, and hope. The dual timelines give the novel a beautiful rhythm, moving between the intensity of wartime struggle and the restorative pull of nature and human connection. Valpy is especially moving in her portrayal of grief and healing, showing how friendship, mentorship, and shared experience can help light the way forward. With the rugged Shetland Islands and the fjords of Norway echoing the characters’ inner strength, this is a richly layered, life-affirming novel for anyone who loves historical fiction with emotional depth and resilience at its core. By the final page, the story has left its light behind, warm, steady, and impossible to forget.

[Amy]

“An axe age, a sword age, when shields are broken.”

“The flowers are linked to courage and protection, and to the gift of attuning to the fairy realm.”

Disrespect the land, and you’ll live to regret it.

to forget the darkness for a short while and just concentrate on the blood flowing through my veins, breathing in and out, the fact of being alive

“Live your life well, for both of us.”

Sisters of the Midnight Sun by Fiona Valpy beautifully weaves together the story of two women, both a set of twins. Each has lost their twin sister. Ruby has recently lost her twin to Breast Cancer.
Ruby has applied for a caretaker position to help Hanna an elderly woman whose twin has died due to very tragic circumstances.
As Hanna starts to tell Ruby about how she came to live on Shetland Island a bond starts to form slowly between the two.
I didn’t know a lot about the history of in Norway during World War II and was definitely given a better understanding.
I was drawn in from the start to this emotional, heartbreaking story. Very hard to put down and I did have tears in my eyes many times while reading.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this compelling story.

[Gail]

A beautiful, touching story that ensures we continue to bear witness to what happened in the Holocaust. To start with, I had no idea this would become part of the story. I wasn't sure what role Norway had played in WW2, and why we receive a gift of a Christmas tree every year.
Ruby uproots herself to flee to the unknown: life in the Shetland Islands as companion to crofter Hanna, a feisty elderly woman who absolutely doesn't want a companion. Ruby is grieving the death of her twin sister, and it transpires that Hanna also lost a twin. We start to hear Hanna's story. Norway was invaded by the Nazis but kept up sufficient resistance, in collaboration with British special forces, that the Germans had to keep a large military presence there, helping to disrupt their warfare. Hanna became a radio operator, passing secret messages to ensure that the British and Norwegians were co-ordinated.
When she is eventually captured with her sister, Hanna is tattooed and treated as an NN prisoner, classed as one of the most subversive. They fall into the hands of the notorious Dr Josef Mengele and his hideous experiments. These are not described.
As summer turns to the harsh Shetland winter, Hanna and Ruby have fallen into a respectful friendship, and Ruby joins her swimming in the sea most days. Ruby finds she has made a momentous decision.
I can't describe how moving and inspiring the story is. As always with Fiona Valpy, it is based on real facts and people.

[Laura]

Sisters of the Midnight Sun is a wonderful dual timeline story following Hanna and Ruby. As always, Fiona Valpy engages you instantly with her beautifully atmospheric writing, richly drawn characters, and the emotional pull that keeps you turning pages.

Spread across both Norway and Scotland (even between) the story follows two power women who have faced love, loss and life after.

A must read for not only Fiona Valpy loves but all those who enjoy a great historical fiction.

[Carole Barker]

The lives of two women who have survived loss intertwine

Ruby is eager to get away from her life in Edinburgh, still grieving the loss of her twin sister and looking for a place to heal away from the apartment they shared and all the places that bring back memories of their life together. She accepts a job as a companion to an elderly widow in the Shetland Islands....far away, isolated, and with a place of her own in which to live. She arrives to find that Hanna, the woman whom she will be helping, is not at all happy about the situation, having agreed to Ruby's presence only to avoid her adult children forcing her to move to a facility close to them. Hanna is prickly, set in her ways, and fiercely independent, but slowly the two discover that they have some shared life experiences; both were twins, both lost their sisters too young, and both have grief and sadness inside them. From Hanna and the story of her life in Norway during WWII Ruby will learn that it is possible to find one's way through grief and pain, to endure and to heal.
Sisters of the Midnight Sun is a work of historical fiction that weaves themes of grief, resilience healing and the bonds of sisters through the lens of two women over dual timelines. Hanna's story is set in Norway, from her idyllic childhood with her beloved parents and sister through the years leading up to and during the occupation by German forces during WWII. The resistance shown by the Norwegians in ways large and small against the attempts to force obedience to Hitler and the Nazi way of life, including by Hanna, her sister and others close to them, would have moments of success but lead to tragedy after painful tragedy. As Ruby's story unfolds the reader comes to discover what happened to her sister and why it still haunts her, and through the stories Hanna shares with her how Hanna ended up on the Shetland Islands and why she is the kind of woman she is. Ruby sees parallels to her own life in Hanna's, first when she discovers that Hanna had a twin sister who died just as Ruby did. As she learns more about Hanna's past, she discovers the depth of Hanna's involvement with the Norwegian resistance, her willingness to risk the loss of her freedom and possibly her life to help Norway to once again be free, as well as the close bond she had with her sister Author Fiona Valpy here renders a vivid portrayal of war encroaching on a small Norwegian village and its effect upon those who lived there, as well as the voyage from Norway to the Shetland Islands (the so-called Shetland Bus) through which Norwegian citizens and soldiers could be taught the skills they needed to set up and maintain a resistance network. I found the book to be emotionally resonant, the characters well-developed and believable, and the story rich in historical detail...once I started it, I found it hard to put down. Fans of the author, readers of Kristin Hannah, Anita Shreve and Natasha Lester, and those who enjoy historical fiction set during WWII and featuring the often unsung women heroes of the time should add this to their must-read list. My thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me access to this captivating novel in exchange for my honest review.

[Hijabi_booklover]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sisters of the Midnight Sun by Fiona Valpy
Some books entertain you. Some books stay with you. And then there are books like Sisters of the Midnight Sun that quietly find their way into your heart and refuse to leave.
This was such a deeply moving story of sisterhood, love, loss, resilience, and the invisible threads that connect us to the people we love—even when life takes us in different directions. Fiona Valpy has such a beautiful way of writing emotion that I felt every ache, every moment of longing, every heartbreak, and every flicker of hope alongside these characters.
What touched me most was the portrayal of sisters—the complicated, unbreakable bond of loving someone so deeply, even when there are things left unsaid and circumstances beyond your control.
Ruby completely broke my heart. After losing her twin sister, Lucy, she is overwhelmed by grief and escapes to the remote Shetland Islands, where she becomes a companion to the elderly Hanna. Ruby is lost, hurting, and struggling with a life-changing decision, and I could feel how desperately she wanted to escape the life and memories she had left behind.
Then there is Hanna, an elderly Norwegian woman who initially seems guarded and determined to keep the world at a distance. But beneath that toughness is a lifetime of memories, trauma, love, and loss. As she slowly opens up to Ruby, we discover the young woman she once was—the woman who fought against the Nazi occupation of Norway and made unimaginable sacrifices for her country and the people she loved.
And Liv, Hanna’s twin sister, is at the very center of Hanna’s story. Their bond is so beautifully portrayed, and knowing how fiercely Hanna wanted to protect her makes everything that follows even more heartbreaking. Their sisterhood is tender, complicated, and ultimately devastating.
What makes Ruby and Hanna’s connection so powerful is that, despite the decades between them, they understand something about each other that few others could. They are both women who have lost half of themselves. Through sharing their stories, they begin to realize that grief can connect us just as deeply as love can—and that sometimes healing begins simply by allowing someone else to see your pain.
This book made me think about the people I love and all the things we leave unsaid because we assume we have more time.
I laughed. I ached. I cried.
And when I finished, I had that awful, beautiful feeling of not being ready to let these women go.
Some books you finish and move on from. This is not one of them.
This one found its way into my heart and left a little piece of itself there.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ❤️
A heartbreaking and beautiful story of sisters, sacrifice, survival, grief, and hope. One I won't forget.

[Kathy]

Sisters of the Midnight Sun by Fiona Valpy is a well written historical fiction novel which alternates between the storylines of two women and two time periods, 2001 and 1940.

The book begins in 2001 when Ruby Reid goes to Scotland following the death of her twin sister. She is grieving deeply and also has a very difficult decision to make. She hopes that going somewhere new and totally different might help her come to terms with her grief and gain some perspective about her future. She finds employment as a companion to elderly Hanna Kristiansen who lives in a remote homestead on Shetland Island. Hanna, feisty and independent, is not convinced she needs a companion, but her son insists and Hanna grudgingly accepts Ruby's presence.

In 1940, Hanna and her twin sister Liv are 18 years old and live in Northern Norway. They watch as their hometown and then all of Norway falls into the hands of Nazi occupiers. Hanna joins the resistance movement and is sent to Scotland for training and then returns to Norway. Liv later joins the resistance movement as well.

As Hanna comes to like and trust Ruby, she shares her life story with her. It is a fascinating one! Though I love historical fiction and have read many books about WWII, this is the first one I've read that shows the war from Norway's perspective.

I like so many things about this novel: the complex characters, the relationship that blooms between Hanna and Ruby, the sharing that helps heal them both. Valpy's writing flows easily and made me feel "there" which I love. The author's research is quite evident and I appreciate the time and effort to make this novel as true to history as possible. Trigger warnings for those who aren't aware of what took place in the Nazi concentration camps.

This is the first book I've read by this author, but I look forward to reading both her past and future books. Sisters of the Midnight Sun gets a 4 star review from me.

My thanks to Ballantine books for granting me access to a DRC copy via NetGalley. Publication is 9/15/26. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

[Rae Franco-Rowe]

It is the 1940's and Hanna lives in Norway, her Father and Mother had passed away. So she only has her twin sister. The Nazi come and take over her city, destroy everything, including the home she grew up in. Some of the residents there get together to do a resitance movement., which is a very dangerous thing to do. But Hanna gets more involved, she goes to Scotland to learn how to use a wireless radio. Being she has not a home to go to, she lives in what was her Father's fishing hut off the fjords. After a time she decides she can no longer stay there. Returning to the city to be with her sister. Then there is a day when the Nazi's come and take them away, who they think are doing wrong. Taking them to consentrations camps, how heart wrenching. Her and her sister are able to stay together. The living conditions, of course, are horrible, as we know from history. For me, I did not realize people from Norway were in consentrations camps.

Now we are in the time of 2001, Ruby Reid, has decided to move to the Shetland Islands. The passing of her sister is too much for her. An older woman by the name of Hanna is in need of a companion. Her son, is seeking out help for someone to stay with his mother. She lives on a piece of land close to the ocean and raises sheep. The son wants to be insured that Ruby can handle the work to help his mother. As the older woman and the young woman become more friends. Ruby learns of the life Hanna had lived, and realized she too has grief of losing a sister. Hanna slowly shares her story, and comes to trust Ruby.

This is a part of history I never have known about. I love historical fiction and this WWII novel, with the help of Fiona Valpy I now know. This novel is based on true history and teaches us so much more than we all know. I want to thank Penguin Random House for the opportunity for reading prior to publication. Thank you also to Fooina Valpy for opening my eyes up to more history. She is now being added to my favorites authors list. Read and enjoy history.

[Monica Hills]

4.5 Stars- A powerful dual timeline historical fiction novel. What set this book apart was the fact that the historical setting was in Norway.

In 2001, Ruby is dealing with the loss of her twin sister to cancer. She takes a job as a caretaker of an older woman named Hanna who lives in Shetland. The living there is rough and isolated but Ruby begins to enjoy her new life and her small cottage while dealing with her grief. She also begins to learn more about Hanna, who is fiercely independent. Ruby sees that there are numbers on Hanna's arm and realizes that Hanna had at one time been in a concentration camp during WWII. Hanna's story slowly comes out and it is quite the story.

Before reading this book I had known that Norway was taken over by the Nazis during WWII even though they had tried to fight the Germans thinking that their mountains would help them win. In this book I learned so much more about their resistance efforts. Hanna's story was incredible and in the Author's Note at the end I learned that it was inspired by real people. I have read so many WWII books over the years so when I find one that can really inspire me it is something special. This one did just that when I read about Hanna's story and what Norway did to fight against the Nazis. I have read a previous book by this author set during the same time period and I like that she draws attention to other countries during this time period. It is hard to find books about Norway. Their culture is fascinating to me and it is inspiring to read what they did to help fight the war, especially what the women did.

I also really enjoyed reading about both characters. Hanna is such a strong and formidable woman. I love a strong heroine! Ruby's story was secondary but I thought the connections to Hanna's story was interesting. Plus I enjoyed the touches of romance. I think many people who have been through loss could also relate to her. This was fascinating historical fiction and a great read!

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

[Julie]

After the tragic loss of her twin sister, Ruby seeks a distraction from her grief by moving to the Shetland Islands to be a companion for elderly Hannah. Hannah doesn’t think she needs a babysitter, but gives in & begins teaching Ruby her way of life on the remote Scottish croft.

As Hannah softens towards Ruby & their friendship grows, she begins to open up & shares with Ruby her captivating life story … how she was involved in the Norwegian resistance against Nazi occupation & how she too, once had a twin sister. (insert gut-wrenching sobs here 😭)

I know from experience that when I pick up a @fionavalpy book, what is waiting for me in the pages is going to touch my heart in the deepest of ways. I haven’t been wrong yet.

Expertly written in dual timelines & told from multiple pov’s, this is classic Fiona Valpy at its best! The way this author weaves together the past & present is transporting! The Shetland setting was fascinating & I was especially captured by the “simmer dim” … I would love to experience that!

There were so many moments that created lumps in my throat during this story … this review just can’t hold ‘em all. (“daisies sewn on the scarves” I’m looking at you 🥺)

Hannah’s story held all the emotions for me … it ripped my heart apart but then stitched it back together with her threads of resilience & the desire to live life for her sister. And Ruby’s journey was just as powerful as I watched her move from grief & uncertainty to healing & hope for the future. Both stories were steeped in the struggle to overcome loss, the power of shared experiences & the bonds of sisterhood ... a tear jerker for sure!

I first stumbled upon Fiona a few years ago, when on a whim, I picked up The Beekeeper’s Promise (cuz I thought the cover was pretty lol). My heart was not prepared for the journey her books would take me on & it has never been the same since. If you are a historical fiction lover and you haven’t discovered this author yet … I 1000% recommend!!

Thank you to Ballantine Books for the gifted arc!

[Anne]

Sisters of the Midnight Sun byFiona Valpy is a pleasant novel featuring two main characters: Ruby and Hanna, probably fifty years apart in age. Ruby has recently lost her twin sister to breast cancer and in her grief has opted to accept a position as a companion to an old lady on the remote Shetland Island. There she meets a most peculiar older woman who has no desire for her companionship or assistance. It turns out she has an amazing story to tell, which she does as she eventually begins to trust Ruby. Hanna had worked as a resistance worker in Norway during World War II. She eventually was arrested by the Gestapo, actually not through her own actions, but those of her twin. The following several years were spent in various concentration camps. There she lost her sister. And eventually returned to Shetland to live her life.

Hanna is in her eighties and her children, both doctors, are concerned about her living on Shetland at all, let alone, by herself. They don’t have a lot of faith that hiring this companion is going to work out, knowing their mother, but they go ahead with the plan. Ruby is not only mired in grief but facing an uncertain future as she carries the same gene. She can be proactive and lose her ability to bear children as well as tamper down the possibility of the disease or go forward and hope for the best. She has come to Shetland for the privacy to make that decision for herself. It is a moving book. It moves slowly as Hannah tells her story and Ruby becomes a part of the small local society. Excellent characters. A different perspective on the war. Good read.

I was invited to read Sisters of the Midnight Sun by Ballantine. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Ballantine #FionaValpy #SistersOfTheMidnightSun

[Jeremy Reppy]

The death of Ruby’s twin sister (Lucy) has left her adrift. So, she takes advantage of the opportunity to escape Edinburgh and its reminders of her sister for a companion position at a remote croft in Shetland. Her client, Hanna, is a feisty old Norwegian woman who has lived in Shetland for years and does not want a companion/caretaker. However, Hanna also had a twin sister, Liv, who was a casualty of WWII. The trauma of losing a twin will create a bond between Ruby and Hanna, two women who otherwise are very different in terms of age and life experience. Watching that relationship develop was enjoyable.

I was familiar with the term “quisling” but did not realize it came from a Norwegian politician who collaborated with the Nazis.

I am glad that the Norwegian resistance to the Nazis played a significant role in the story because that is an aspect of WWII history with which I was not familiar. It was interesting to learn more about it. Although this is a work of historical fiction, the author based some of the characters and events on real people and events. The afterword provides more information about the real people and events, including resources for learning more.

I liked that the story also emphasizes Shetland culture, traditions and dialect. The author makes great use of imagery to convey a sense of life in Shetland and in the area of Norway from which Hanna hailed, as well as to convey the grit and determination of Hanna (especially through the comparison to and link with the storm petrel).

The scenes in the concentration camps are powerful, especially the inclusion of Dr. Mengele and the twin studies.

[Anne Wolfe]

This must-read novel is written in two alternating viewpoints. The first is Ruby's, a young woman who has just lost her beloved twin sister to cancer. The other is Hanna, now in her 80's, born in Norway and now living on Shetland Island, north of Scotland. Hanna, too, was a twin who lost her beloved sister in World War II.

Ruby comes to Shetland, hired by Hanna's two grown doctor children to help their mother who lives on a croft where she raises sheep in a croft near the sea. I usually prefer a one-narrator one timeline, but Valpy's beautifully written book works well in this format. There is much in Hanna's story that is difficult to read, chilling and frightening as it explores her work for the Norwegian underground as a radio operator who passer-on of vital information to help defeat the German invaders. There are some parallels in Ruby and Hanna's stories, but they are not contrived.

Fiona Valpys descriptions of storm petrels, Northern Lights, and life in far north winters and endlessly lit summer days transported me to a place I have never experienced. (Unfortunately, the descriptions of living and escaping from the Nazis is something I lived through.)

The author's researched and terrifying passages about Adolf Mengeles inhuman experiments on twins and survival in Auschwitz will chill you. But there is much that will uplift you in stories of selfless behavior exhibited by some heroic people in terrible circumstances.

This fine novel is worth your time. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC copy. This is my honest opinion.

[Joyce Cacioppo stein]

Sisters of the Midnight Sun by Fiona Valley finds us following the lives of two women from different generations. Ruby takes a job as a companion to Hanna Kristiansen, an older women who is extremely strong both in mind and body but lives alone on a croft in Shetland. Her children feel that she should no longer be living alone and do all the work required to care for this piece of land on this remote island. They hire Ruby to be her companion and help around the croft. Hanna has lived through WWII and has many secrets attached to that period of her life.

Ruby has secrets of her own, hence her decision to move away to this remote island. At first Hanna is not receptive to having a companion, but as she grows to accept Ruby, she opens up to her about her life and survival during the war. Ruby fits in nicely on the croft, becoming accustomed to the work and living, as the island lives half the year in total darkness the the other in light.

The story goes back and forth between their present day life and Hanna’s time during the war. They discover that their lives share a special bond. Not only does Hanna open up to Ruby but Ruby is able to face the decision she has to make and move forward.

The story is written beautifully and flows well. It hooks you in right from the beginning and makes you want to keep reading until finished. I would highly recommend this story.

Thank you Net Galley and Ballantine Bantam Dell/Penguin Random House for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Danna]

Sisters of the Midnight Sun is a historical fiction World War II novel that tells some of Norway’s history in the Nazi resistance. It’s technically a dual timeline and dual narrator story, but it weighs heavily toward the war era and much less in the early aughts.

First, we’re introduced to Ruby. She has accepted the role of caretaker for an elderly woman, Hanna, in the Scottish Shetland. Ruby will leave the city life behind to help Hanna manage her Croft (rented farmland). At first, Hanna seems unapproachable and closed off, but when it’s revealed that both Ruby and Hanna have lost a twin sister, Hanna begins to open up and our peek into her role in the Nazi resistance becomes the center of the story.

I really liked the story, Hanna and how the landscapes are part of the story. I enjoyed reading both about Narvik, the Nordic town north of the Arctic Circle and its long, long days and nights as much as I enjoyed learning about the Shetland.

One of my favorite things I learned was about springfulness:
The blood seemed to thaw in my veins a little with the knowledge that I’d made it through the darkness. We have a word in Norwegian for the feeling spring brings. We call it vårfølelse, “springfulness,”

Overall, good read and I recommend it. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Nancy]

I am forever amazed that authors such as Fiona Valpy can come up with stories of WWII that I had no knowledge of and are incredibly compelling.

Ruby is grieving her twin sister's death when she decides to take a job as a carer for an elderly woman, Hannah, on the Shetland Islands. Hannah is not happy with the arrangement in the beginning but the two lonely women come to an understanding and then eventually friendship.

Hannah also lost a twin sister at a young age but hers died at the hands of the Nazis at the end of the war. Hannah slowly tells Ruby the story of her life in alternating chapters. Hannah grew up in Norway and we learn much about the resistance movement there during the war. I found the info fascinating and obviously Valpy did a tremendous amount of research.

A lot happens over the course of the novel, we begin when Hannah is young and follow her till after the end of the war and then again we follow both women for almost a year living on the island. We also learn a lot about the bond between twins and how both women have to carry on after losing what feels like a part of them.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Heather]

Sisters of the Midnight Sun is a novel by Fiona Valpy that showcases two women who have endured unimaginable loss and how their lives ultimately intersect.

Ruby Reid is looking for a new start. She recently lost her twin sister and she needs a change of scenery. She has come to the Shetland Islands to be the caretaker for an older woman named Hanna Kristiansen. Life on the Shetland Islands is much different from what she is used to, but maybe that is what she needs.

Hanna was born in Norway and endured the WWII. Hanna too had a twin sister and through her storytelling, both Ruby and those of us reading learn all that she and Liv went through and ultimately how Hanna ended up where she is now.

With a big decision weighing on her Ruby and Hanna form an unlikely bond that proves to be healing for both of them in ways they could have never expected. This was a book that showcased so many different emotions and there is no doubt in my mind it will stay with me for some time. It was both heartbreaking and heartening and very much worth the read.

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

[Helbs]

The Shetland traditions and landscapes, alongside the Norwegian traditions woven through the story, were gorgeous and the two main characters at the heart of the book are very easy to become invested in. Their similarities are, admittedly, quite a coincidence — and the success of the story depends on that coincidence — but I was happy to go along with it.
I learnt a lot about the Norwegian experience during WWII, as well as the important part played by communities on the Shetland Isles. There are some incredibly brave men and women in this story, and their courage and sacrifices really brought the historical elements to life.
But this isn't just a historical story. It's also a very emotional tale about relationships, grief, loneliness and the battles that different generations have to face. The older generation has the war and its consequences; the younger generation has its own struggles, including illness, loss and finding a way forward.
Atmospheric, emotional and full of fascinating history, Sisters of the Midnight Sun pulled me right in.
And I may never look at daisies in quite the same way again. 🌼

[Janine]

Delightful historical fiction having a dual line narrative.

Ruby Reid is mourning the death of her twin and needs to escape for a bit. She takes a job on the remote Shetland Island to be a caregiver to eighty year old Hanna Williamson. These are two women from separate generations who grow close and learn each other’s secrets.

I enjoyed the novel, especially Hanna’s WWII exploits. As a young woman Hanna goes to Norway to be trained as a wireless operator in support of the Nazi resistance. Hanna is a marvelous character and represents all the women of that period without whom the Allies might not have won the war. The author gives vivid descriptions of how the Norwegians fought for their freedom. Hanna also had a tender side and through her stories she helps Ruby heal and find hope.

This is a wonderful book for lovers of WWII historical fiction and friendship. It’s well written and well paced and you might have a hard time putting it down.

My thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for granting me access to this book.