Overall: 3.5/5 Stars
Characters: 3/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 3/5
Plot and Themes: 4/5
Awesomeness Factor: 3/5
Review In A Nutshell: In Another Time is a cute, light read, but isn’t perfect.
// In Another Time Content Warning: Injury, War, PTSD //
– Premise –
In Another Time follows Masie during World War II as she serves as a lumberjill in the Scottish highlands. When she meets lumberjack John Lindsay, they forge a great friendship, but his secrets keep it from becoming more. When he learns to open up, Masie must decide if they can work through his past and be together.
– Setting –
I loved the setting of this book. Caroline Leech writes WWII Scotland beautifully. You feel as if you’re there in the trees with the lumberjills.
– Writing –
The writing in this book is okay, really just average. It’s very accessible and easy to jump into, something that isn’t seen in a lot of historical novels. However, nothing about it really stands out and feel a little awkward at times.
– Plot-
The pacing in this book was fast, the pages flying by due to the easy to read writing style. The plot itself was interesting, I loved the insight into the life of lumberjills and how they lived during WWII. It was something I knew nothing about before jumping into this book. I also loved how this book included PTSD and disabilities, but there were a couple of times where I wasn’t a fan of how it was handled.
– Characters –
The characters in this book were all very well developed and rounded. There was even a hint of an LGBT relationship between two side characters that made me so excited (I just wish it was mentioned or explained a little more because, or I would take an entire book just on the two of them). Masie was an interesting protagonist, and I liked her perspective. John, however, wasn’t my favorite character. He just fell flat for me, and I didn’t like some of the aspects of his and Masie’s relationship, mostly how he treated her sometimes and how she would respond to it. While she was an independent and great character most of the time, the way she would let John treat her bothered me. My biggest issue was that she would either just give in to his behavior and let it go, or stand her ground only to give in later. Despite his reasons, I would have felt better if some of Masie’s independence carried through into that relationship.
– Conclusion –
Pros- Quick, good protagonist, great historical setting
Cons- The main relationship was meh
Overall- 3.5/5 stars.
If you’re looking for a lighthearted historical novel, In Another Time is a good choice to pass the time, although I personally would recommend Caroline Leech’s Wait For Me instead.
Cait Jacobs 