A riveting journey of love, loss, and growth amid WWII

"One Year, One Night" is a beautifully written and captivating Young Adult novel by S.L. Roman. The story recounts the trials and triumphs of a young girl growing up in England, Britain, during World War II. The narration shifts between the diary entries of 16-year-old Annie Corbett and the reflection of her 36-year-old self.

In the present, Annie is 36 years old and back in her home village, Millside, a place filled with bitter-sweet memories of events that happened just after she turned 16. She will be attending a ceremonial commemoration of a bombing that happened in her village 20 years earlier. As she revisits her old bedroom, she retrieves an old diary and is taken down memory lane to her teenage years.

It’s Dec. 16, 1939, when Annie receives a notebook as a birthday present from her dad. He tells her to record her life so he does not miss out on it while away at war. After her dad leaves, Annie struggles with his absence, especially since she has been closer to him than she has been to her mother, who is close to her younger brother, Robert. As if her dad’s absence wasn’t enough of a challenge, Annie must also manage her family’s hardware shop (with very little help from her mom and brother) and must also put up with meddlesome Aunty Betty.

Fortunately, the arrival of evacuee children from high-risk bombing areas and dashing soldiers brings new faces and energy to the village. These include Remy Russell, a charming English-French soldier with a smile Annie “could really fall for”, and Ben, a fragile-looking kid with a rough upbringing. Remy and Ben capture Annie’s heart right away. Amidst her blossoming romance with the handsome soldier and her budding sibling bond with Ben, Annie also struggles to maintain her relationship with her best friend, Peg, which is...