Red Sky Over Hawaii - Book Review

 

Red Sky Over Hawaii by Sara Ackerman
Publication date: June 9, 2020
Pages: 352 pages
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: 4/5 stars ☆☆☆☆
Strengths: Story, characters
Weaknesses: What happens next??

While I expected this book to be a bit more fluff, it drew me in and had me fully invested in the characters right away. My family thought these were people I actually knew from my repeated mumblings. I missed living in Hawaii...but I've never actually lived in Hawaii. You get the picture. It was a well-written and engrossing book.

It all starts when Lana gets a call from her father. He's ill, and he's not the kind of guy to admit that easily. She walks out of her husband's home, knowing it's likely she won't come back (they are so done). Anyway, it takes some finagling, but she gets a flight to Hilo to see her father. 

Once she finds out her father has already passed, she returns to his house and meets his neighbors. While having breakfast with the neighbors the next day, they're taken in by the FBI because Pearl Harbor was bombed and the neighbors are German. Lana promises to care for the charming daughters of the neighbors.

Soon enough, Lana realizes Hilo probably isn't the safest place for them all, so she decides to take the girls to her father's other property in Volcano. Her father's best friend and his teenager tag along. Oh, and they're Japanese (also wanted for questioning). Her father's friend is in poor health and old, but his philosophy is very calming. She values his input and is grateful to not be the only adult.

The story of Lana's instant responsibility for three kids isn't enough drama for that girl - the author even throws in a romantic interest. Add in a bit of magical realism and I can't do anything else til I've read this story through to its conclusion.

I'd give this book 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for fans of historical fiction. It's also a great message of a woman's resilience and strength to do what's needed. 

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy of this book. Receiving the book for free did not influence my review.