Out 20 February 2024       

London, 1939. When Finley offers her spare room to refugee Sebastien, she sees relief in his haunted eyes. Forced to flee the hatred in Germany, Sebastien has been desperately lonely in his adopted country. Finley lost her father in the last war and feels a stab of empathy for the pain of this thin stranger, separated from his loved ones, far away from home.

At first, Finley and Sebastien are like ships in the night, exchanging bashful goodnights in the corridor. But Finley quickly realises that Sebastien is too terrified to sleep, plagued by thoughts of his smiling little sister being snatched by soldiers. As the London sky darkens with enemy planes, he slowly opens up to her over cups of cocoa in the kitchen.

Every time Sebastien speaks to Finley, she finds herself inching closer to him, and soon love begins to grow. But when he tells her he wants to join the English army, to fight the people who have forced his family to face such horror, she must work hard to crush the devastation in her heart. She knows if she were in his shoes, she would do the same thing, and she must be brave too. She will stay in London, waiting for Sebastien, and helping other refugees like him.

As the bombs rain down, and the London streets empty, she knows she faces grave dangers. But she can’t hide away while the man she loves risks his life. She needs to do anything she can to defeat the enemy they all share. But the last war cost Finley so much. What will this one take?

A completely life-affirming and tear-jerking read about facing the darkness and despair of war together and allowing the light to creep in. Fans of The Nightingale and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society will fall in love with The Only Light in London.

What everyone is saying about The Only Light in London:

‘Phenomenal… From that first sentence, I never put the book down again… I was so invested in their lives that the heartbreaks and losses that came with the war in the second half felt profoundly personal. I’ve never read a book set during the war that made me laugh out loud, only to make me weep a few pages later. This strange occurrence happened frequently throughout the book, confusing my grandchildren and our dogs… Many serious issues are woven brilliantly into the story but with unexpected comic relief too. The icing on the cake is a beautiful love story. Five stars aren’t enough for this book… I loved it!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Such a truly beautiful emotional read. Before you read this you must make sure you have tissues as you will definitely shed lots of tears. Honestly I just loved this book. It opens your eyes to the sad and difficult times people went through during the war but also the happy times and how everyone pulled together.’ Jessica’s Book Biz, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow, what another intensely moving novel by Lily Graham! I love her books and The Only Light In London is a stunning and passionate WW2 story from a unique perspective. My heart really ached… There’s a lot of sadness as you’d expect in this novel but there are also beautiful bursts of colour and joy. People did what they could to keep light filtering through their lives in the dark times and to chase away the fears that overshadowed their every step… There’s so much I loved about this story… A heart-wrenching story filled with beauty and terror.’ Cindy L. Spear, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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About Lily

Lily Graham, is the bestselling author of historical fiction, a former journalist and grew up in South Africa.  She lives in the UK now, along the Suffolk coast with her husband and her golden retriever, Frankie. She is the author of over ten novels, including THE LAST RESTAURANT IN PARIS, THE GERMAN GIRL, THE PARIS SECRET and THE CHILD OF AUSCHWITZ. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages including French, Italian, Swedish, German, Danish, Estonian, Swedish, Hungarian, Turkish, Polish, Greek, Spanish and Portuguese.