When something fun turns out to be the revelation of an unknown past

Synopsis

What if the key to your present lies in the past?

London, 1939
On the eve of the Second World War, Canadian Maggie Wyndham defies her family and stays in England to do her bit for the war effort. Torn between two countries, two men and living a life of lies working for the Special Operations Executive (SOE), Maggie’s RAF sweetheart locket is part of who she is…and who she isn’t.

San Francisco, 2019
Over twenty years after Maggie’s death, her daughter Millie and granddaughter Willow take a DNA test that’s supposed to be a bit of fun but instead yields unexpected results. Willow has always treasured her grandmother’s sweetheart locket, both family heirloom and a symbol of her grandparents’ love story. But now she doesn’t know what to believe. She embarks on a search for the truth, one she doesn’t know will reveal far more about herself…

A gripping and heart-breaking dual timeline novel about love, loss and buried secrets, The Sweetheart Locket is perfect for fans of Lorna Cook, Rachel Hore and Suzanne Kelman.

My review

The last thing that Willow expected when she took a DNA test for fun with her whole family, was discovering that her ancestry was not what everyone thought.
Willow always believed that that their grandparents had the greatest love story, and that’s why she treasured her grandmother’s sweetheart locket.
Wanting to know the truth, Willow decided to make the trip van San Francisco to London, to see if she can find more about her grandmother Maggie, who in 1939 decided to stay in London and not return to Canada.
And with her wish to do her bit for the war, Maggie finds herself falling in love, working for the  Special Operations Executive and learn how much a heart can be broken. But one thing she will always keep with her, is her sweetheart locket…

When I start reading a book with dual timelines, I am always a bit scared that one character won’t have enough spotlight and making me not completely bond with that character.
So I was relieved to see not only the length of the book, but also seeing how both Willow and Maggie got their spotlight.

Maggie and Willow are two characters different from each other, yet so much alike too.
As Willow grew up in not the easiest circumstances, and her own adulthood hasn’t been a walk in the park either, receiving the notice that she is not what she thought she was, I could see how it devastated her. And I could surely understand why she wanted to discover the truth and the past of her beloved grandmother.

And Maggie finding herself in London all alone, I could see her struggles too. But I also saw her determination, as she becomes of an added value with her work. But also seeing her to go from a bit of an ‘innocent’ girl into adulthood, with everything that comes along with it.
Maggie is the kind of woman I would have liked to have known myself, as she doesn’t make a distinction based on your background. She likes you for who you are.
Falling in love during wartime isn’t easy, but it warmed my heart seeing how Maggie fell in love for the first time. And he couldn’t be any more perfect!

Unfortunately, the War makes no distinction either, and seeing Maggie getting heartbroken, broke my heart too.
But even after her most difficult moment, I admired Maggie’s resilience.

I can go on and on describing what happens to each woman, and while it may seem that the focus is more on Maggie, we get to know Willow also much better.
The more Willow is doing her research in London, together with her new friend, Dermot, the more I saw the similarities between both women. Not only their strength and determination, but also their vulnerabilities.

This was a lovely book to read, with secrets and (un)expected twists. It took my on a journey where characters are discovering themselves, learning every bit of life, and finding strength to move forward.
I liked both characters equally, as their stories were entwined, but even if their paths took them to different directions, but found each other closer, even if separated through time and place.