3.5 stars for the Subway Girls. I would probably have rated this higher if my most recently read books hadn't been more polished and had more depth. Based around the true story of the Miss Subways competitions in NYC, this novel follows 1949 Charlotte and 2018 Olivia as they both strive to succeed in a traditional men's field. The historical aspects of this novel are very interesting, as are the stories of these two women as they try to make their dreams come true. The dialogue is a little clunky at times, and the coincidences a tad predictable, but the story itself is very engaging and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. I expect Susie Orman Schnall to just get better and better. Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc!

Love this era...insightful, real, dramatic, enjoyable. Five stars.

The Subway Girls is a historic novel that focuses on Charlotte, a young go-getter in the 1940s who wants nothing more than to be a modern woman in the advertising industry, and Olivia, also a go-getter who in 2018 has a lot more in the advertising industry than Charlotte could ever imagine, but is still running into brick walls around every corner.

This book is a good balance of presenting a historic item (the Miss Subways competition) with giving the characters a story of their own to focus on. Although the catalyst is the contest in both women's lives, it is much more of the Mad Men-advertising factor that draws readers into the story. You want to root for the women, even if their decisions are going against the norm.

The one part about this book that some readers may find as a let down is that the ending for everyone is tied up into a neat bow. Life isn't like that, and it seems that after all these women went through, having their happy endings seems a little too easy.

Subway Girls is both a look back at the iconic New York City Transit advertising campaign and a tale of women in the workforce, both today and yesteryear. Charlotte and Olivia, generations apart, share surprisingly similar experiences as they attempt to follow their dreams of working in advertising. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I received this book "The Subway Girls" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I enjoyed reading this book. I had no idea that The Subway Girls was a real thing. I found it really interesting. I grew up in New Jersey and joke to my husband that I have never been on a subway even though I've been to NYC many times. We get to know the characters as the story moves between past and present. This was just an incredible story! Charlotte dreams about a career in advertising and nothing is going to stop her. Back in the day women really didn't have careers but Charlotte had her dreams in 1949. Olivia is present day with a career in advertising in 2018. The two happen to meet in 2018 and it gets really interesting. Maybe dreams do come true for everyone.

I really want to give this book 4.5 stars. I love a good historical fiction that ties the past to the present and this book does it quite well.
1949 Charlotte wants to graduate from college and enter the advertising world. Sadly 1949 advertising world is MALE dominated and getting in is harder than she thought. The world (and her family) want her in the family business for a bit and after that a cute little wife at home with the children.
2018 Olivia is a career woman working in advertising wondering if her career is ruining her personal life. She doesn't have the husband or the children. She also has a HUGE pitch to make.
How the characters end up crossing paths is a well timed well paced book. The book also makes you think about how much things have changed and yet how little has changed.
Thank you NetGalley for this fun and informative read!

I was a huge fan of the author's, The Balance Project and when I heard the premise of The Subway Girls, I knew I wanted to read it. The captivating story involves two time lines, 1949 with spunky Charlotte who wants to work in a NYC advertising firm as a copy writer. She's even willing to take a job in the typing pool (basically the only option for women at that time), but even that seems impossible. It looks like Charlotte is going to end up working at her families Brooklyn hardware store, until Charlotte receives a chance to try out for Miss Subways, an ad campaign highlighting girls from the five boroughs of New York. The feminist in Charlotte struggles with Miss Subways being a beauty contest of sorts, but what if it's her ticket to independence? The second story line involves present day Olivia, who works as an ad executive at a boutique advertising firm. She ends up pitching the MTA account, though we realize not much has changed for women in her field as it appears that misogyny abounds. Through Olivia's ideas for the MTA pitch, we find how the two stories are entwined. No spoilers, but the scene where all the Miss Subways turn up was just the best! As I read this story I realized how far we've come as women, yet how far we still have to go! I saw this recently in my job in the corporate world, where a company I deal with finally hired a female managing director after 25 years! We need strong women to break into the old boys club. This book was delight to read and makes me want to visit the New York Transit museum to see the place the author did research and find out more about the real Miss Subways. Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARE in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a great novel - well written and compelling to say the least. I loved the changing perspectives, but the best part was learning about this subway campaign! The entire time I was reading I kept wondering if this might be a real campaign so I was so excited to get to the end of the book and have all of the notes from the author outlining this campaign. Such a cool concept and the way the story modernized it for present-day was awesome. It would be so cool for the MTA to read this and get up-to-date!

This was such an interesting story about the roles of women in advertising in 1949 and now. Based on the real Subways Girls contest, the author explores the dilemma women have always faced: the balancing of life, love, careers and happiness.

I really enjoyed this novel! The author has such a breezy writing style that it's a pleasure to read. (I knew this already from The Balance Project.) It didn't hurt that the story was fascinating and the characters likable. Typically, when I read historical fiction from two timelines, I favor one over the other, but I was fully vested in both in this book and loved how the two overlapped. As a New Yorker, it was so interesting learning about the Miss Subways campaign!

If you're looking for a fun read that touches on historical fiction, I would recommend this book. The book switches back and forth between two main female characters, one living in 1949 and one living in 2018. It is a book of female empowerment through the ages. "Subway Girls" was a real thing in New York in the 40's (who knew?), and it's a fun way to read about this short time in history. Charlotte, a 21-year-old, applied to become a "Subway Girl" model and the books tells her story in 1949. Olivia, a modern woman who works in the advertising business in New York, learns about how Subway Girls becomes a part of American history while creating her own advertising campaign. The book deals with friendship, romance, and the need for women to become independent.

I was given this book for my honest review.

Great story! I thoroughly enjoyed both Olivia and Charlotte. I leaned towards Charlotte a bit more due to her decision making, loved the way she finally considered herself and wants rather than others. Loved the storyline and the twists catching me off guard.

The past and present weaved very cleverly, despite the era changes towards women in the workforce it proved we still have leaps and bounds to go.

Super fast read, extremely entertaining, delightful characters. Looking forward to more from Schnall.

Part history, part romance. I loved this book. Schnall has a keen sense of storytelling which kept me enthralled. What a marvelous tale that spans 70 years., weaving past and present.

This was a fun, light, and easy book to read. About a girl who enters a Miss Subways contest in New York City. There’s also another story taking place in present day NYC, about a girl working for an advertising agency trying to revive the Miss Subways contest. Reading about the contest was interesting, which I had never heard of. The author tries to show you how hard it was for women in the 1940s to have a career, and be able to work their way up in a company. I loved the dual story lines, and the parallels between the two. Both the woman want to work in advertising, and both had to face different struggles achieving their dreams, and lots of heartache along the way. Thanks Netgalley for a copy of the book to review!

I enjoyed everything about this book. The past/present storyline was easy to follow and the history interwoven throughout the book piqued my interest and had me doing some follow up reading on the real Subway Girls. This was my first book by Susie Orman Schnall and I'm looking forward to my next.

This book does not come out for another couple of weeks but you have to get a copy. This book is about two women Charlotte (1949) and Olivia(2018). Reading this book I have learned a lot. Both of hear women have taught me a lesson about taking what you want out of life and succeed with it. Also, the plot twisted twice and I didn’t see either one coming. One of the best books I have read this year. Charlotte stood for what she wanted and went after her dreams of becoming a Subway Girl and so much more. Olivia was strong as well when she finally realized men are not always what you think they are. It’s a page turner from beginning to end.

Alternate time lines. History as well as a family story with a touch of romance. Whats not to like.



1949 may have been modern but for Charlotte it was still ruled by what her parents wanted for her. Twenty one and wanting a career of her own in advertising was frowned on by her father who wanted her to join their failing store. There was no choice. The Subway Girls advertisement was her way out and she took it. Her family was furious especially her father who saw it as disobedience to his wishes but she wanted to use the opportunity to get attention focussed on their failing hardware business with an idea of boosting their sales.

When the winner unexpectedly failed to turn up, the Subway Girl title fell to Charlotte who thought it was a god given opportunity to use it for her family's benefit.



Fast forward to 1970 and though Olivia is tough and independent, in the business world there is still a sense of male chauvinism and Olivia finds it in unexpected places. Her lover who is also her boss - she expected a degree of fairness and from her colleagues she expected fair play. When they undercut her directly, pinching her ideas as their own she knows she has to find a winning strategy not just for the firm going under but also for her own pride. Stumbling upon the Subway Girls idea of 1949 she knows she has found the winner she was looking for. Tracking down the girls who are now old women and getting their stories and linking the two eras is this story.

Bringing to light a little known piece of history along with a touch of romance and a family saga as well is very well put together.

Goodreads review posted 26/3/2018. Amazon not permitting reviews. Review on my blog May 2018

What a gem!! I read this book in just a couple of days. I was captivated by this corner of New York history that was completely new to me. Schnall writes with charm, historical feeling, and enough mystery to keep the reader guessing. I have read her previous work and am excited that she is delving into historical fiction. I hope she'll write more!

I remember Miss Subway. I remember getting paid less than men. I remember choosing a man's field, not traditional woman's work. The inequality of women in the workplace is a difficult topic to incorporate into a good novel.

The Subway Girls by Susie Orman Schnall was such a terrific read. I really enjoy a look back into history, especially the history of New York City. In this book, past and present are woven together as we explore the stories of Charlotte in 1949 and of Olivia in the present day.

Charlotte dreamed of little else besides being in advertising and creating a career for herself. The only way into that world was to start in the typing pool which she was more than prepared to do, but she just couldn’t seem to get hired. What she did get was chosen as Miss Subway, an opportunity she felt, would lead to bigger and better things.

Olivia works in advertising and her job is hanging by a thread. She must come up with a campaign that will save the agency and her job. Delving into some history, she comes across Miss Subway and decides to build a campaign around it. Which leads her down a path where she meets up with a real Miss Subway…

Its a cute and light-hearted story and fans of Fiona Davis will enjoy it. A great book to read on a weekend! Incidentally, this is based on real history:


An advertisement for Miss Subways at the New York Transit Museum. “Miss Subways” was a title accorded to individual New York City women between 1941 and 1976.