Book Review of
The London House

Author: Katherine Reay

Genre(s): WWII

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Book Summary:

The London House by Katherine Reay was published in 2021.

Caroline Payne thinks it’s just another day of work until she receives a call from an old college friend and historian, Mat Hammond, an old college friend. He has uncovered a secret buried for decades about Caroline’s family.

In World War II, Caroline’s British great-aunt betrayed family and country in order to marry her German lover.

Determined to find answers and save her family’s reputation, Caroline flies to her family’s ancestral home in London, where she and Mat discover diaries and letters that reveal that her grandmother and great-aunt were known as the “Waite sisters.”

Each letter and what they discover brings more questions. Was Caroline’s great-aunt a traitor and Nazi collaborator, or is there more to the truth?

As they search for answers Caroline and Mat uncover stories of spies and secrets, love and heartbreak, and the events of one evening in 1941.

Lynn's Review

The London House by Katherine Reay is Katherine Reay’s first historical fiction book.

I have read Dear Mr. Knightly, The Printed Letter Bookshop, Literature and Lattes, and several other books by Katherine Reay and enjoyed them all. I really like her writing and her books, so I was excited to read The London House.

The London House is a dual-timeline book set in the present and WWII. I wanted to love this book, but I didn’t. After looking at other reviews on this I realized that I am in the minority. Most people loved this book.

I thought it was okay, but it is my least favorite of all the Katherine Reay books that I have read.

I felt like the first part of the book was drawn out and kind of dragged on, but the end felt rushed. I also felt like some of it was unrealistic and didn’t stick to historical facts.

However, I am glad that I read it, and I will continue to read other books by Katherine Reay. I can see why so many love this one, it just wasn’t for me.