Book Review
The Lines Between Us by Amy Lynn Green
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to participate in my very first cover reveal! Amy Lynn Green’s novel was one I was eagerly anticipating, and helping her with the reveal was just icing on the cake! (Check out my reveal post here!) When The Lines Between Us was released in August, I was beyond excited to finally get my hands on this most-anticipated read! And the best news? This new novel is just as amazing as it looks and sounds.
About The Lines Between Us:
(From the publisher): A WWII novel of courage and conviction, based on the true experience of the men who fought fires as conscientious objectors and the women who fought prejudice to serve in the Women’s Army Corps.
Since the attack on Pearl Harbor, Gordon Hooper and his buddy Jack Armitage have stuck to their values as conscientious objectors. Much to their families’ and country’s chagrin, they volunteer as smokejumpers rather than enlisting, parachuting into and extinguishing raging wildfires in Oregon. But the number of winter blazes they’re called to seems suspiciously high, and when an accident leaves Jack badly injured, Gordon realizes the facts don’t add up.
A member of the Women’s Army Corps, Dorie Armitage has long been ashamed of her brother’s pacifism, but she’s shocked by news of his accident. Determined to find out why he was harmed, she arrives at the national forest under the guise of conducting an army report . . . and finds herself forced to work with Gordon. He believes it’s wrong to lie; she’s willing to do whatever it takes for justice to be done. As they search for clues, Gordon and Dorie must wrestle with their convictions about war and peace and decide what to do with the troubling secrets they discover.
Reader’s Thoughts
Amy Lynn Green’s books add a very fresh feel to WWII historical fiction. The genre is one of my go-to favorites, but even I can admit that sometimes it feels overly familiar. However, that’s definitely not the case here.
The Lines Between Us follows a group of American conscientious objectors during the second world war. Gordon and Jack have been assigned to the National Forest Service as smokejumpers. This was a fascinating historical fact, and one that I haven’t encountered in fiction before. The Civilian Public Service program provided men an alternative to serving in the military overseas but that didn’t mean it was going to be easy. Facts like these were naturally layered throughout the story, creating a well-researched and easy-to-read story.
The other main character in this novel, Dorie, is a firecracker. Curious and determined, she was an easy character to like. And if anything, her flaws brought a lot of lightness, humor, and discussion to the story. I also appreciated that the romance sub-plot took a completely different turn than I was expecting — there was none! It was refreshing to have a Christian fiction novel without a romance.
I loved Amy’s first novel, but in my opinion, this book is even stronger!
The mystery element to this story kept me guessing until the very end. (The solution related to a historical fact that I had never heard of before! Google, here I come!) Since the mystery isn’t the main focus of the novel, there were moments that felt a little slower than necessary. Still, the plot was engaging and very much focused on themes like friendship, courage, and convictions. Green integrates these discussions into a historical setting in a way that feels authentic to the timeline, and applicable to today.
I also appreciate how the faith element to this book comes across clearly without being pushy. The dialogue feels natural, as do the character motivations. All in all, this read is historically fascinating and full of lovely writing.
The Lines Between Us gets 4.5 stars from me! I can’t wait to see what Amy Lynn Green has in store for us next!
**Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. All opinions expressed are my own. This post contains affiliate links; as an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases