Book review: The Night We Became Strangers by Lorena Hughes

Genre: Historical fiction

Release date: September 30, 2025

Goodreads rating: 4.27

My rating: 4.5

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Wow, I was astonished when I realized The Night we Became Strangers by Lorena Hughes is based on real events… Once I started reading, I was completely absorbed.

How would you react if you thought your city was being invaded by Martians? That’s what citizens of Quito had to face in 1959 when a local radio station aired their adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds, terrifying the local population into believing that Martians were invading their city. The evening ended in tragedy.

I deliberately decided not to look up the historical facts before delving into my reading, making it especially interesting to discover as the story unfolded.

The story is told from the perspective of two children impacted by that night’s events who, years later as young adults, try to piece together their families’ roles in the tragedy. A second (dual timeline) perspective is offered from two best friends who participated in the tragic events.

I enjoyed Hughes’s writing style, the dual timeline approach, the short chapters, and the character development that took place alongside this main story. I also found it fascinating to delve into the topic of mob mentality, and it’s more lasting impact.

This was my first time reading Lorena Hughes but I now plan to catch up on her previously published titles.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

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