Six Poppies by Lisa Carter is a unique book. This book came about because the author saw a newspaper article about an extraordinary man, Rob French, in 2017. Rob was a former Royal Marine who had a large tattoo of seven large poppies on his back. The poppies represented seven of Rob’s colleagues who died within weeks of each other in Afghanistan in December 2008. This book is not about Rob. He did not want the attention, or the book to be about him. This fictional tale perfectly tells a story, however, and what a beautiful story it is. I could not put this book down.

Lisa Carter has taken Rob’s extraordinary experience and weaved it into a fantastic tale which is a beautiful love story, but also a modern book about an underwritten about war. It perfectly captures war and what it is like being a soldier. No punches are pulled on the mental toll of those who join the military.

Carl is a fantastic character and is written so well. I was fully invested in his story. He falls immediately in love with Sarah on the first day of camp, but she is his fellow soldier, Danny’s childhood sweetheart. This is a fantastic and deeply moving book. I loved it and cannot recommend it enough.