Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada, April 5, 2022

Format: ebook

Pages: 352

Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

A dazzling novel set during the Great War and postwar Prohibition about a young nurse, a soldier, and a family secret that binds them together for generations to come—from USA TODAY and repeat #1 bestselling author Genevieve Graham.

Present day

Cassie Simmons, a museum curator, is enthusiastic about solving mysteries from the past, and she has a personal interest in the history of the rumrunners who ferried illegal booze across the Detroit River during Prohibition. So when a cache of whisky labeled Bailey Brothers’ Best is unearthed during a local home renovation, Cassie hopes to find the answers she’s been searching for about the legendary family of bootleggers…

1918

Corporal Jeremiah Bailey of the 1st Canadian Tunnelling Company is tasked with planting mines in the tunnels beneath enemy trenches. After Jerry is badly wounded in an explosion, he finds himself in a Belgium field hospital under the care of Adele Savard, one of Canada’s nursing sisters, nicknamed “Bluebirds” for their blue gowns and white caps. As Jerry recovers, he forms a strong connection with Adele, who is from a place near his hometown of Windsor, along the Detroit River. In the midst of war, she’s a welcome reminder of home, and when Jerry is sent back to the front, he can only hope that he’ll see his bluebird again.

By war’s end, both Jerry and Adele return home to Windsor, scarred by the horrors of what they endured overseas. When they cross paths one day, they have a chance to start over. But the city is in the grip of Prohibition, which brings exciting opportunities as well as new dangerous conflicts that threaten to destroy everything they have fought for.

Pulled from the pages of history, Bluebird is a compelling, luminous novel about the strength of the human spirit and the power of love to call us home.

My Review:

Thank you, Simon and Schuster Canada for the copy of this book.
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Read if you like: WW1/Prohibition history.
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Adele and Jerry meet in a field hospital in Belgium during the Frist World War after Jerry is injured. The two have an instant connection and learn that they are from a similar area in Canada, but Jerry recovers and goes back to the fighting. After the war, the two return to Canada and Adele becomes a nurse, and Jerry gets involved in the whisky business with his brother, John. This is interesting because prohibition just came to a thing in Canada and the US.
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There was so much I enjoyed about this book. Obviously, the romance was amazing and I loved Adele and Jerry, but I also loved all the action and adventure with their experiences during the war and the gangs during prohibition. Fun and engaging.
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CW: war, violence, death, drowning, gore, sexism, sexual harassment.