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8 min read
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4.5
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The Secret Sewing Society by Siobhan Curham Review: Gripping Dual-Timeline Historical Fiction Spanning Generations
Siobhan Curham's The Secret Sewing Society is a dual-timeline historical novel set in Ukraine — moving between the present day and World War Two — that follows a devastating family mystery and generations of women bound together across conflict and secrecy. Published by Bookouture on January 26, 2026, it has drawn an enthusiastic wave of early reader and blogger response, with reviewers describing it as heartbreaking, gripping, and emotionally resonant.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Readers of emotionally driven multi-generational women's historical fiction — particularly fans of Evie Woods or Fiona Valpy — who want a propulsive family-mystery structure set against the deeply resonant backdrop of Ukraine across two wars.
Worth it if
Worth committing to if you want a 464-page novel that pairs topical urgency (the ongoing war in Ukraine) with deep historical roots in WW2, held together by the covert solidarities of women across generations.
Skip if
Skip it — or at least brace yourself — if you prefer historical fiction with a cooler emotional register, find sustained heartbreak demanding, or are looking for formally unconventional narrative structures rather than a well-crafted entry in the established dual-timeline tradition.
What readers & critics say
Early reader reception, reflected across blog tour stops and retailer pages, has been consistently enthusiastic: carlalovestoread.wordpress.com reports readers calling it "unforgettable," "totally gripping," and "utterly swept away," while amazon.co.uk surfaces Goodreads reviewers describing it as "a moving read that lingers" and "both heartbreaking and hopeful." Blogger drbethnolan.com notes the novel as "intriguing," capturing readers through its dual WW2-and-present-day Ukraine structure.
Sources: carlalovestoread.wordpress.com, amazon.co.uk, drbethnolan.com4.5from 2,594 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
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The Secret Sewing Society is a dual-timeline historical novel by Siobhan Curham, moving between World War Two Ukraine and the present-day conflict, following Ana as she unravels a buried family mystery threaded through generations of women bound by secrecy and solidarity. Designed for readers of emotionally driven women's historical fiction, it delivers the sustained heartbreak and propulsive family-mystery tension the genre demands — anchored by a Ukrainian setting that carries urgent, topical weight. Readers who prefer cooler emotional temperatures or formally experimental narratives will want to adjust expectations accordingly.
- Is it worth reading?
- For readers already drawn to emotionally immersive, multi-generational women's historical fiction, The Secret Sewing Society delivers squarely on the genre's promise — early reader response across NetGalley, Goodreads, and blog tours is consistently enthusiastic, with reviewers describing it as "both heartbreaking and hopeful," "gripping," and a novel that "lingers." The Ukrainian setting — spanning WW2 and the present conflict — gives the story topical urgency that distinguishes it from more distantly historical genre entries. The key caveat is emotional intensity: multiple reviewers cite tears and tissue warnings, so readers seeking lighter fare or cooler emotional register should go in with clear expectations.
- Similar books
- Readers drawn to The Secret Sewing Society will find compatible territory in several titles. We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter follows a Jewish family separated by World War Two in a similarly sweeping, emotionally driven multi-generational structure. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah delivers the same brand of women-centred historical fiction shaped by large-scale conflict and family survival. The Girls Left Behind by Emily Gunnis shares the family-secrets-across-generations framework, while Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate mines comparable emotional depth from buried family history. The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick rounds out the group with its focus on women's solidarity and community across difficult times.
- Who should read this?
- The Secret Sewing Society is aimed squarely at readers of emotionally driven women's historical fiction — specifically those who respond to narratives in which the domestic lives and covert solidarities of women become the true story beneath the headline of war. Fans of Evie Woods and Fiona Valpy, or readers who loved The Keeper of Happy Endings, are the publisher's stated comparable audience. It also speaks directly to readers with a connection to Ukrainian history or the ongoing conflict, given the novel's dual-timeline span across WW2 and the present day. Readers who prefer lighter emotional register, formally experimental structures, or action-forward war narratives are less likely to find it their ideal fit.
- What are the main themes?
- The novel's central themes revolve around secrecy, survival, and the covert solidarities women forge in wartime — the title's sewing motif acting as the literal and figurative thread connecting generations across two conflicts. The question of whether some wartime secrets are too dangerous to uncover drives dramatic tension across both timelines. Intergenerational trauma and resilience, the domestic as a site of resistance, and the particular experience of women living through Ukraine's two defining modern conflicts — World War Two and the present-day war — all run through the narrative. The publisher frames it as a story about "generations of women coming together against the odds."
- Is this a good book club pick?
- The Secret Sewing Society has strong book-club credentials: the central moral question — whether some wartime secrets are too dangerous to uncover — generates the kind of ethical debate that sustains discussion well beyond plot summary. The dual-timeline structure across WW2 and present-day Ukraine also invites readers to reflect on historical and contemporary parallels, a topic with obvious real-world resonance. Early readers across platforms report a uniform emotional impact, which tends to create the shared experience that makes group discussion productive. At 464 pages, it offers enough substance for extended engagement without being unwieldy.
- What's Siobhan Curham's background?
- Siobhan Curham is an award-winning author, ghostwriter, editor, and writing coach whose journalism has appeared in outlets including The Guardian, Cosmopolitan, and Breathe magazine. That professional range — spanning literary craft, journalism, and editorial work — informs a novel that takes an emotionally immediate subject and anchors it in deep historical context. The publisher positions The Secret Sewing Society within a tradition of women's multi-generational historical fiction, drawing comparisons to the work of Evie Woods and Fiona Valpy.
Summarize this book
Is it worth reading?
Who should read this?
What are the main themes?
Is this a good book club pick?
What's Siobhan Curham's background?
Summarize this book
The Secret Sewing Society is a dual-timeline novel set in Ukraine — one strand following women living through World War Two, the other set in the present day as war has returned to the same city. At the centre is Ana, a contemporary protagonist drawn into uncovering a family mystery rooted in wartime secrecy, with the novel's central question being whether some wartime secrets are too dangerous to uncover at all. Sewing functions throughout as both a domestic skill and a covert act, connecting women across generations and across conflict. The publisher describes it as "a sweeping, heartbreaking tale about a devastating family mystery, and generations of women coming together against the odds."
Follow up
What is the family mystery at the heart of the story?
How does the sewing motif work in the novel?
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Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Adult
Reading level
Adult
Content to know about
wartime atrocity and civilian suffering
present-day war in Ukraine
emotionally intense depictions of grief and loss
Skip if you're looking for historically grounded fiction with a lighter emotional register or a cool, unsentimental tone.
Our Review
A sweeping, emotionally charged novel that ties the present-day war in Ukraine to the devastation of World War Two through the lives of women and the secrets they keep — and the dangers of uncovering them.
What the Novel Is and What It Covers
The Secret Sewing Society: An utterly gripping and heartbreaking historical novel full of family secrets by Siobhan Curham front cover
The Secret Sewing Society is a dual-timeline historical novel structured around two distinct eras: Ukraine during World War Two, and Ukraine in the present, where war has come again to the same city. At the centre is Ana, a woman navigating a contemporary conflict who is drawn into uncovering a family mystery rooted in wartime secrecy. The novel's central question — whether some wartime secrets are too dangerous to uncover — drives the dramatic tension across both timelines. The publisher describes it as "a sweeping, heartbreaking tale about a devastating family mystery, and generations of women coming together against the odds." Sewing, as both a domestic skill and a covert act, functions in the novel as the thread — literal and figurative — connecting women across generations and across war.
Significance and Place in the Genre
Curham is an award-winning author, ghostwriter, editor, and writing coach whose journalism has appeared in outlets including The Guardian, Cosmopolitan, and Breathe magazine. That professional range — spanning literary craft, journalism, and editorial work — informs a novel that takes an emotionally immediate subject (the ongoing war in Ukraine) and anchors it in deep historical context. The book positions itself within a well-established tradition of women's multi-generational historical fiction, and the publisher draws comparisons to the work of Evie Woods, Fiona Valpy, and the novel The Keeper of Happy Endings — signalling an audience already loyal to emotionally immersive, family-secrets-driven narratives set against the backdrop of major twentieth-century conflicts. The choice of Ukraine — a country whose World War Two trauma and present-day war are both profoundly relevant — gives the novel an urgency that distinguishes it from more distantly historical treatments of the genre.
Strengths: Emotional Pull and Reader Response
Early reader response, reflected across blog tour stops and reader reviews, has been notably strong. On NetGalley, one reader described it as "one I will remember… gripping… I choked up." Goodreads reviewers called it "both heartbreaking and hopeful" and "a moving read that lingers." Reader Cindy L. Spear awarded it five stars, writing that it "dug deep into my heart… left me breathless." Blogger emthebookworm called it "awe inspiring, heartbreaking and compelling," while Inspiredbypmdd described it as "an emotional ride… Incredible." What emerges across this early reception is consistent: the novel is designed to deliver sustained emotional impact, and readers report that it does. The dual-timeline structure — a familiar device in this genre — is noted by blog tour reviewers as working effectively here, described as a "wonderful multi-generational story" that spans both eras without losing momentum.
Genuine Limitations and Who May Be Challenged
Readers less drawn to emotionally intense or openly tearful fiction should approach with clear expectations. Multiple reviewers across platforms reference needing tissues and being moved to tears, and reviewer Inspiredbypmdd specifically flagged the emotional weight as "an emotional ride." The subject matter — women living through active war in Ukraine, layered against WW2 atrocities and a buried family secret — is inherently heavy, and the novel does not appear, based on the publisher's framing, to soften that weight. Readers who prefer historical fiction that keeps emotional temperature cooler, or who find dual-timeline structures demanding, may find the novel's sustained intensity requires a particular reading mood. Additionally, because the novel is positioned squarely within a defined commercial subgenre (multi-generational women's historical fiction), readers seeking formally experimental or unconventional narrative structures will likely find this a more traditional entry in that tradition.
Who This Novel Is For
The Secret Sewing Society is aimed squarely at readers of emotionally driven women's historical fiction — specifically those who respond to narratives in which the domestic lives and covert solidarities of women become the true story beneath the headline of war. The comparisons the publisher draws to Evie Woods and Fiona Valpy are useful guides: if those authors' work resonates, Curham's novel is built on compatible foundations. The Ukrainian setting — spanning WW2 and the present conflict — makes it a timely read, and the family-mystery structure gives it propulsive readability alongside its emotional weight. At 464 pages, it offers substantial immersion for readers who want a novel they can truly live inside for an extended stretch.
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
- 1
- 2
- Further reading
- 3
- 4
fantasticfiction.com
- 5
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