This book deeply moved me. The characters, the setting, and the storyline were just fantastic. And above all the faith and trust in God was essential to the book.
Owen sails on the Titanic hoping for a better life in America. He meets a troubled young boy, Michael and their lives are entwined. Michael survives the sinking of the Titanic and vows to bring Owen's sister to America. Hardship, war and broken relationships keep Michael and Annie apart for many years. Through it all Michael holds on to the hope of being with Annie whom he has grown to love. ( )

3.5 stars. This review is also available on my blog, Read Till Dawn.

I am a total sucker for anything connected to the Titanic. I went through a massive Titanic obsession phase in middle school, reading everything from eyewitness accounts to fictionalized retellings, and to this day I will still snap up any book that promises to tell a story about the doomed ship. That's why I leaped at the chance to receive a copy of Promise Me This, which is marketed with a literal Titanic on its cover.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, for those of you who don't like maritime disasters), the time on the ship actually only takes up about two chapters and it's not really dwelt on too much by Michael afterward. The rest of the book is either establishing backstory in Ireland/England or detailing the progression of events in the lives of Michael and Annie through the start and end of WWI. I actually really liked that Gohlke recognized and drew a connection between the ship and the massive war that came after it, because I always felt like books were either about the Titanic or WWI or the Russian Revolution, but never all of them. This one at least was about two of them. And it approached the war from a fairly novel angle, to boot.

To be perfectly honest, though, I didn't actually like the relationship between Michael and Annie that much. I felt like they just sort of started having feelings for each other over time, without much interaction or even letters exchanged, and that even when they did start writing letters to each other regularly we never saw much of a spark between them. I think the main problem was that we didn't really get to read many of those letters: we are told about them, but we don't get to watch Michael and Annie grow to know each other organically. Their relationship moves forward rather erratically because we don't really see it advancing until all of the sudden it has.

Also, the plotline about why Annie is suddenly cut off from contact with anyone else felt really contrived and unrealistic. I can't talk much about it, but there's no way I can see it working like that in real life. Besides that, though, I actually did enjoy the book. It's full of many different storylines that weave themselves around each other very well, and the historical research that went into it was clearly extensive–even this Titanic trivia nut had zero complaints about her description of the ship (except for the fact that I still think the band ended with "Autumn," not "Nearer My God to Thee," but this is quite definitely up for debate!). Anyway, Promise Me This is a good book for when you're looking to read a rather fluffy book that still has some real drama in it. If you do read it, be sure to let me know what you think in the comments section down below! And do tell me your favorite Titanic reads so I can check them out!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through the Tyndale Rewards program.

As I have always been fascinated with the story ot the first fateful voyage of Titanic and we are in the midst of events marking 100 years since the first World War this book seemed the perfect story for me and it didn't disappoint.

Michael runs away from his abusive uncle and stows away on Titanic where his friendship with gardener Owen develops. Owen is going to America to join his uncle and aunt and make enough to bring over his sisiter Annie who is controlled by her aunt Eleanor. When the ship goes down their lives are changed forever in ways unimaginable.

The story then develops into WWI where each character is forced to confront what really matters to them in an ever changing world.

I really enjoyed this amazing and moving book which features God in a positive and realistic way not often seen in literature. The horrors of the scenes experienced in military hospitals in France are portrayed realistically but not voyeuristically.

The two main protagonists face many obstacles in the way and my emotions were taken from one extreme to the other right until the end.

The other people such as the Sprague family add to the story as they attempt to be a family for the young Annie.

This is the first book I have read by the author who I can heartily recommend. ( )

Sometimes I find a book that captures my attention so completely, that sets my heart racing, and beckons me to return to its pages every spare minute just to find out what will happen to my favorite characters. That riveting book is Promise Me This, and I can promise you that once you meet Owen, Michael and Annie you’ll find that this novel about their lives is divinely written. My first thought when I ordered this book was that it would be interesting to read some historical fiction based on the Titanic’s tragic voyage; but I soon found out that the Titanic is just the starting point of this incredible heart wrenching story of self-sacrifice, death and survival. Because even though someone survived the ice berg, it wasn’t the end, there was a war encroaching right around the corner. Even without the Titanic and the war, just the challenges and hardships these young people went through kept my mind invested in their lives. For me it was a mixture of Dickens and Call the Midwifes; with orphans, and a bitter old rich aunt, selfless nurses, and some kind hearted families to show them love and faith. I loved this quote “He showed us how to live a bigger story than our own, to keep going, keep living and encouraging others to live until our last breath.” Definitely a 5 star rating. ( )

This was a moving and touching inspirational story of a love that grows over time, although the couple (Michael and Annie) can never really be together until the very last paragraph. It also shows the self-sacrifice of one human for another as Owen traded his life for Michael and many others as the Titanic sunk. I like that the author used short chapters. I'm always saying "just one more" and keep going. ( )