This was a really interesting book and a fun topic. At one point my husband asked what I was reading and I was absolutely floored to find that he very fondly remembered the Miss Subways girls from his daily commute to college in Manhattan from Queens. He said how exciting it was in the lead up to the announcement of the next month’s always beautiful winner!

The book is very well written, the characters beautifully drawn and the story deals with a time in our history that was very difficult for working women to be anything but a secretary, teacher, nurse or homemaker. Career women or women with aspirations different from the standard options faced huge obstacles and very little support from family, friends or even academic advisors. Everyone simply presumed marriage, children and a life not much different from previous generations where women went from living at home straight to a marriage and the control and decision making of a father transitioning to that of a husband. I loved the compare and contrast between the options of the late 1940’s to the world of today for a young ambitious woman.

The book goes back and forth between 1947 and today as Olivia, a young advertising exec of today prepares a pitch to the NYC MTA and developers the idea of rekindling the Miss Subways program by finding where are they now and did the recognition change their lives in a meaningful way. Some of these young women became models and actresses but what about the rest? It follows the story of Rose and Charlotte, two young finalists from the competition of July, 1947, as they search for ways to escape the predictable transition from dependent daughter to dependent wife and homemaker when both wanted more from their lives.

I feel very fortunate to have received an advance copy of this wonderful book. It was very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I'm from NY and remember Ms. Subways very well. I wanted to be one too when I was old enough, but they stopped doing it before got the chance. It was a good story. Two thumbs up.

A wonderful fiction read about the real Miss Subways as campaign in New York in the 1940s. This story told by Susie Orman Schnall is important as it shows us how far women have come in terms of being accepted in roles that had typically been for men. There is still a long way to go but we have come quite far. Charlotte realizes that her dreams and her options for her future don't quite line up exactly. Things don't quite fall into place in the way and time frame that she wants them to, but she still makes her own way and determines what is right for her. During Charlotte's account her of this time in her life, we are Olivia going through some similar situations in the present. Their paths cross and become so intertwined and she learns from Charlotte's story.

I expected historical fiction. The premise is fascinating -- two women in advertising at the dawn of the golden age of advertising, just post World War II. The setting is New York City. The young women are up against daunting odds to break into the world of work in a time when women were supposed to be married, raising families, and not working, especially in rough and tumble advertising.
Excited at the prospect of a gripping story, I started reading. Within a few pages, I stopped. I looked at all the glowing reviews, had anticipated adding my own to the lot, but I cannot. The stilted language and constant harping on inequity, woe, education did me in.... I am sorry that I could not continue with the book, having received an advance copy from Netgalley for my honest opinion. My honest opinion is that this book is not for me. While I do read a fair amount of historical fiction and enjoy it greatly, this book did not work for me -- is possibly a joy for another reader.

I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

..."charming story of two strong women, a generation apart, who find themselves up against the same eternal struggle to find an impossible balance between love, happiness, and ambition."...

It was misleading that this book was placed in the historical fiction category, it was more of a romance novel than historical. It was a terribly disappointing book, lots of 'F' bombs and adult sexual situations.

2☆

The Subway Girls had me completely engaged from page 1! It's 1949 and Charlotte can't wait to start living her best life in advertising, even if it's just the typing pool but before that sparkling new life can start, she's got to find that elusive job. After so many rejection letters, Charlotte finally gets a positive response but it is as a finalist in the Miss Subways contest. At first, Charlotte is reluctant to pursue the opportunity, but her friend JoJo convinces her that the experience would be worth it.

Skip forward about 70 years later, advertising executive Olivia is struggling to secure an ad account for her advertising agency. She comes across the Miss Subways campaign in her pitch and becomes enthralled with the inspiring women that participated.

The Subway Girls is a wonderfully inspiring interesting read. I loved both stories equally and appreciated how they overlapped as well. Days after finishing the novel, I'm still thinking about the characters and have even ordered the Meet Miss Subways book the author mentioned she used for some of her research.

I received this book courtesy of St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this story! As an avid reader of historical fiction, I devoured this fast-paced story set in two time periods. I think Susie Orman Schnall knocked it out of the park by delivering to the reader an opportunity to see into problems women had and have while trying to juggle the world of work and personal life decisions about family. If you like strong characters and their struggles while learning about history, this book is for you. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press.

Thank you NetGalley, Susie Orman Schnall and St. Martin's Press for the ARC review. When I review a book, I do not analyze the entire book. I give a review of the book in its entirety. Is it a good read? Does it keep my attention? I love historical fiction and was very please with this book. I lived in the NYC metro area and never heard about the Subway Girls. I loved how the book went back and forth form the 1940's to present day. I loved Charlotte's character. She is a strong, rebellious, and knows what she wants. She is determined to get it and does. By being a Subway Girl she was able to help her family and go out on her own with a career. When placed in a very personal and awkward situation with her boyfriend and a friend, she makes a difficult decision. However, in the long run it all works out for her, until tragedy strikes. Charlotte and her husband will have to raise their grandson. The other character in this book is Olivia. She is strong, but doesn't , exert herself. Olivia become friendly with her neighbor and the way the two women's lives become entwined is amazing. Olivia is given the self confidence she needs with her work and by knowing Charolette, she finds she can do anything and find a new love as well. It was a good read. Couldn't put it down. A must read for people who like historical fiction.

I loved this book! I had never heard of the subway girls before and found it fascinating to read about. I loved the time period switches and I loved that in took place in NYC. For sure my favorite book so
Far by this author.

The Subway Girls is going to be a novel I will remember for a long time. I finished it in one day because I could not put it down. Not only did Susie Orman Schnall eloquently write about a topic I had never known about, it drove me to do more research on the Subway Girls contest. What a fascinating time in history were women were trying to go against the norm to make their mark.

The story highlights two ambitious women from two different eras who strive to be successful and independent. Their lives collide as Charlotte and Olivia learn that they can assist each other in recreating history. The character development is exceptional, and I fell in love with all of them.

The Subway Girls is a must read. I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All Opinions are my Own.

Amazing!!!! I thoroughly loved the writing of this book. It was so easy to just jump right in. I felt like I was part of the book. There was just an ease about it.

I first want to say that I am a huge fan of historical fiction, so this book fell right into that mold. I also enjoy books that provide the perspective of various characters, and The Subway Girls did an excellent job of that. The fact that it went back and forth between the past and present was an added bonus.

Learning about something like historical subway advertising was surprisingly fun. Telling it from the perspective of women who were part of that history really brought it to life. Again, the writing allowed me to feel like I was part of that time. I really felt vested in the lives of these women.

The author did a great job of connecting the past with the present. The addition of a little romance was fun to read.

I really want to read more from this author. This is one of my favorites so far in 2018.

I loved this book! If you like the t.v.show, Mad Men, you will lve this book. It is abut two women one from 1949 and one from 2018. It is about the struggles they have in there careers and there personal life although they are similar they are different with how time changed for women. We are fortunate that women faught for equal rights or we would not be where we are today. We think that the past was easier but in a lot of ways is was more difficult and women were limited.

The history of Ms.Subway is so interesting and I am glad that Susie Schnall wrote about it. Thank you for letting me review this book!

Thank you @stmartinspress for this free book via @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
•
It’s 1949, and Charlotte is getting ready to graduate college. She has big dreams of a successful career in the advertising world, however, the men of her time have different expectations for her. In order to try and fulfill her dreams, she finds herself as a participant in the Miss. Subways competition. Present day, Olivia is an ambitious career woman in advertising. She discovers the old Miss. Subways advertising campaign while doing some research and becomes fascinated by these women and their stories.
•
I loved how all the women were so supportive of each other, even though they were in competition with one another. It was so nice to read a book where women were lifting each other up, instead of tearing each other down. Girl power! I also really liked the dual timeline. I enjoyed that Charlotte and Olivia’s stories were separate, but @susieormanschnall did a good job of weaving it all together. Even though there were so many decades between them, they both had to deal with similar struggles. I loved that they were both strong willed women fighting for their dreams in a male dominated society.
•
If you’re a fan of historical fiction, women’s history, or strong female characters, then you need to pick up this book! It was so interesting, empowering, and emotional.

St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Subway Girls. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

A coveted position for a young woman in New York City is to be chosen as one of the subway girls, a beauty contest for which the winner gets her likeness on posters throughout the subway system. Charlotte has the opportunity to enter the contest in 1949, but she first needs to figure out a way around her father and his strict rules. Being forced to help in the family paint store, Charlotte nevertheless has dreams of finishing college and working in advertising. Will her new friend Rose, a girl she meets at the contest, change the course of Charlotte's life?

Decades later, advertising executive Olivia is pitching a campaign for the NYC subways, crucial because her job is in jeopardy. When she discovers the historical Miss Subway's contest, will Olivia's prayers be answered?

The Subway Girls is based on a real advertising campaign that ran in the NYC subways for more than three decades. The author did a good job of marrying the past perspective and the present one. The nod to history was interesting and gave a different view of life for women in the 1940's. I was less of a fan of the present story line than the one in the past. Charlotte was a much stronger character than Olivia and was more interesting overall. The romance portions in both the present and the past were mainly predictable and took too much of the focus away from the interesting historical aspects. Readers who like historical fiction may find The Subway Girls to be a good view of life for women in both the past and the present.

The Subway Girls alternates it’s time between Charlotte’s life in 1949 and Olivia’s life in 2018. Essentially they have similar goals, but their time periods are quite different. Although in many ways quite the same. Each woman is fighting for her rights in the best way she can for the era she lives in.

The one common goal that can help each of them is a contest that took place in the 1940’s to 1970’s called Miss Subways. This is an actual competition that occurred in New York City during that time frame and it’s incorporated into this fictionalized story. The author does a wonderful job of mixing actual history with fiction.

As a native New Yorker, I was immediately interested in this book. Who doesn’t enjoy books set in their hometown? To make it even more enticing to me is that both girls are from Brooklyn, which I’m from as well. I could easily transport myself right into the middle of it all.

I never read anything by Susie Orman Schnall before, but this book won me over. The characters are vividly portrayed and leap right out of the pages. The author paints a realistic portrayal of New York.

This book has everything from drama, romance, and even a couple of eye-opening twists. I knew some surprises were coming, but I wasn’t quite sure how it all would work out. It tugs at your heartstrings. My eyes were blurred with tears by the end. I can't say enough good things about this book.

I devoured it in a couple of days and could not put it down. I will go as far as saying this is my favorite book of 2018, so far. If I could give it more than five stars, I would. I’m so glad I found this little gem.

This book is a complete delight! If I could rank it higher, I would - it's that good. Based upon a real life publicity campaign that was kicked off in the 40's, the story unfolds in dual timelines. One young woman sees winning The Miss Subways competition as a means to a better life and to help her family. The other sees it as a career assist.
You can't help but love the characters so well crafted by Susie Orman Schnall. There is a general sense of hope that simply oozes out this book, in fact, I hated to see this one end.
It's a joy to read a book to be both entertained as well as educated. This campaign was new to me and it was fascinating.
Dear Ms. Orman Schnall, I will be one of the first in line for your next book! Bravo!
I received an Advance Review Copy. All opinions are my own.

I SO enjoyed The Subway Girls! Susie Orman Schnall did a wonderful job of intermixing Olivia and Charlotte's lives. There were no disappointments found in the flow and felt as though I was caught in a flash flood of their lives and found myself at the conclusion in no time. Loved, loved this book, thank you net galley for this advance copy!

I really enjoyed this modern day/historical fiction book. I thought the author deftly portrayed the challenges both women faced. I liked the fact that the points of views were changed to let us know what was going at during both story lines. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

Without any exaggeration, THE SUBWAY GIRLS is one of the best books I’ve read this year; it left me with a huge book hangover!

I fell in love with the work of author Susie Orman Schnall several years ago, as she was preparing to launch her debut novel; THE SUBWAY GIRLS is, in my opinion, her best work yet. This story, the writing style and the history she includes make it a must read; please give this a try!

4.5 highly worthwhile stars


For me there is nothing better that reading an historical fiction when you were a part of the actual facts. I was a little girl riding the New York City subway system with my parents and I can remember looking at the ladies pictured in the subway on the trains. They were very pretty and one could not help but stare at them and of course as a little girl want to grow up to just just like them. So, reading this book was like taking a step back into my childhood days. Also relevant to me is that my youngest daughter is in advertising and has worked in this industry for some years now, so I could easily relate some of her experiences to the current day Olivia portrayed in this book.

The Subway Girls is a book that tells its stories through two girls separated by seventy years. First, there is Charlotte, pretty a senior at Hunter College, so desirous of a career in advertising when women in advertising was unheard of except perhaps as a secretary, receptionist, or typist. . She can see all her dreams shattered because her father, quite an authoritarian character, needs her to work in his down on its luck hardware store. Charlotte is approached to try out to be a subway girl and through an ironic twist of fate achieves that goal hoping through her notoriety to bolster her father' business and escape the tedium she sees as her future.

Seventy years later, we meet Olivia an advertising executive trying to pitch to the MTA a campaign that will give the MTA much needed visibility and while researching the possibilities comes across the past usage of the subway girls and the idea takes root. We get a wonderful portrait of the advertising industry and the cut throat business it often is while meeting various people who are interwoven in Olivia's life.

Eventually, Olivia and Charlotte meet and their stories come out and blend to make this book a wonderful look into the history and the ways in which women were treated in both the past and now in the business world.

This was a wonderfully written book that those who love historical fiction novels would surely enjoy. Ms Schnell was able to blend a truly believable story with the true events of the past and the current times. She was able to allow the reader to embark on an excellent journey into the past and make one truly aware of the progress women of today have made in the business world. I recommend this book highly for its content, its writing, and the way in which the characters were presented.

Thank you to Susie Orman Schnall, St Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for a copy of this informative and highly readable book.