The Heroes' Welcome by Louisa Young

From Goodreads

April 1919. Six months have passed since the armistice that ended the Great War. But new battles face those who have survived.

Only 23, former soldier Riley Purefoy and his bride, Nadine Waveney, have their whole lives ahead of them. But Riley’s injuries from the war have created awkward tensions between the couple, scars that threaten to shatter their marriage before it ha April 1919. Six months have passed since the armistice that ended the Great War. But new battles face those who have survived.

Only 23, former soldier Riley Purefoy and his bride, Nadine Waveney, have their whole lives ahead of them. But Riley’s injuries from the war have created awkward tensions between the couple, scars that threaten to shatter their marriage before it has truly begun.

Peter and Julia Locke are facing their own trauma. Peter has become a recluse, losing himself in drink to forget the horrors of the war. Desperate to reach her husband, Julia tries to soothe his bitterness, but their future together is uncertain.

Drawn together in the aftermath of the war, the couples become tightly intertwined. Haunted by loss, guilt, and dark memories, contending with uncertainty, anger, and pain, they are left with the question: is love strong enough to help them move forward?

The incandescent follow up to the international bestseller My Dear I Want to Tell You, The Heroes’ Welcome is a powerful and intimate novel chronicling the turbulence of 1919—a year of perilous beginnings, disturbing realities, and glimmerings of hope.  

My thoughts

I have to admit that I struggled with this book. Please can I make it known that it wasn't the story that I struggled with, it was more to do with the formatting of it. The version of the book I read was a large print copy. The printing changed between two different styles of print, which made it quite hard to read and follow at times. Due to this it detracted away from the story a little in my opinion and had had an impact on my review, which I know it shouldn't.

Now, that I've got that of my chest I'll get to the story. I gave it a 6/10 or 3 stars.

This is a sequel to My Dear I Wanted to Tell You. The book carries on where we left off and relates to us how all the characters learn to come to terms with the aftermath of WW1.

For some the trauma of the war is contained within them and is more of a mental problem that they have to deal with and for others it's a physical disability that they have to deal with. It must have been so hard for everyone no matter how the war affected them in the years after. It touched everyone in one way or another and we all deal differently with what cards we are dealt in our lives.

Louisa Young writes well and relates her story about the intermingling relationships of all the characters very eloquently. This is well worth reading to follow the characters lives onwards, before continuing on with the third in the series Devotion.