If You Liked That, Read This!

If you liked...

and...

...read this!

If you liked Kate Morton's The House at Riverton (review here) or The Forgotten Room by Karen White, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig (review here), you'll likely enjoy The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes.

Let's be real, this novel belongs in a whole category of women's fiction with these same elements, so if you're a fan of this general formula, then I'd recommend this novel for you. We're talking dual perspectives from past and present, family secrets, and female protagonists. Other novels that come to mind include The Seven Sisters (review here) and A Bridge Across the Ocean (review here). I just recently picked up The Girl You Left Behind for the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club and found that contains the same elements as some of my favorite historical fiction picks. The Girl You Left Behind mainly follows two women: Liv, a grieving widow in present day London, and Sophie, a woman living in northern France during the first World War. What links them is a painting of Sophie, which after 85 years has made its way into Liv's home. Years later, Liv finds herself involved in a high-tension art restitution case, which compels her to dig deep into the history of both the painting and the life of its subject. I didn't find Liv's character as likable as I had hoped, but overall the book was interesting and had a twist that surprised me and left me feeling satisfied with the story. I gave it four out of five stars and would even recommend it as a spring/summer read when you're looking for something interesting and easy to follow.