IF I WERE YOU is a historical fiction novel that takes place during the Second World War, where readers are introduced to the characters of Audrey Clarkson and Eve Dawson. Audrey is a young woman who hails from a wealthy family, while Eve is a young woman who lives in poverty but doesn't let this prevent her from dreaming big. The two quickly strike up a friendship despite the disapproval of their families, but the war eventually separates the two from one another.
After going separate ways, each woman makes decisions that will forever alter the course of their lives whether for better or worse. It isn't until years later when they are reunited that secrets become exposed and their friendship will find itself tested like never before. Will the duo be able to repair the damage or forever lose their once valued friendship?
IF I WERE YOU is told in alternating points of view between these two female characters as well as alternating timelines. Austin does a wonderful job at accurately representing this time period and the lives of these two ladies on opposite ends of the social hierarchy. Even if you are not a fan of historical fiction titles, I think you will find yourself happy to have given this one a read!
From bestselling and eight-time Christy Award–winning author Lynn Austin comes a remarkable novel of sisterhood and self-discovery set against the backdrop of WWII.
1950. In the wake of the war, Audrey Clarkson leaves her manor house in England for a fresh start in America with her young son. As a widowed war bride, Audrey needs the support of her American in-laws, whom she has never met. But she arrives to find that her longtime friend Eve Dawson has been impersonating her for the past four years. Unraveling this deception will force Audrey and Eve’s secrets—and the complicated history of their friendship—to the surface.
1940. Eve and Audrey have been as different as two friends can be since the day they met at Wellingford Hall, where Eve’s mother served as a lady’s maid for Audrey’s mother. As young women, those differences become a polarizing force . . . until a greater threat—Nazi invasion—reunites them. With London facing relentless bombardment, Audrey and Eve join the fight as ambulance drivers, battling constant danger together. An American stationed in England brings dreams of a brighter future for Audrey, and the collapse of the class system gives Eve hope for a future with Audrey’s brother. But in the wake of devastating loss, both women must make life-altering decisions that will set in motion a web of lies and push them both to the breaking point long after the last bomb has fallen.
This sweeping story transports readers to one of the most challenging eras of history to explore the deep, abiding power of faith and friendship to overcome more than we ever thought possible.