For shy Catholic schoolgirl Poppy Flannery, the teenage years are best forgotten. While her peers blossomed into young women and fell in love with handsome boys, Poppy lingered on the fringes with her twin sister, Rosemary.

After spending her school years being bullied by the popular girls, she is eager to leave that all behind and embrace the possibilities of the Swinging Sixties. She grabs the opportunity to travel to Surfers Paradise – and the chance to spend more time with her crush, Ben Williamson.

With political tensions running high, the promise of a bright future is soon extinguished when Ben is called up to fight in Vietnam. Though the opportunity to immerse herself in a vibrant new life is tempting – with dreams of a career in pharmacy and hopes for a family with the man she loves – Poppy again feels a longing to fit in now that Ben has gone, and she struggles to adapt to her new world.

But Thuy, a young Vietnamese girl, brings the war to her doorstep, accompanied by a band of broken Australian soldiers haunted by their harrowing experiences. Poppy must cling to the belief that Ben will find his way back to her and the life he left behind.

The writing in this novel is vivid and enthralling, and the characters are lifelike. Fans of historical romance will fall in love with this third novel from Mary-Anne O’Connor. War Flower is a roller-coaster of emotions. One minute it’ll have you laughing; the next you’ll be heartbroken. It’s that good.

Reviewed by Jackie Smith

War Flower by Mary-Anne O’Connor