This was an enjoyable read about British girls during WWII. I was glad to learn about the gunner girls or the Ack-Ack girls and the part they played in defending England against the German air corps.

The layout of the plotting using a modern day antiquities dealer juxtaposed with our main character from 1941 was better than most written in this manner in that I could see a real relationship between the 1941 protagonist and our current protagonist. However, the romances, certainly the modern day one, were a bit over the top. The wartime romance made more sense – at least to me.

The story held my attention from the beginning. I would have enjoyed the book more if it had not been compared to The Nightingale and the Lilac Girls. Those were much deeper and more complex than this novel. Having the comparison in the advertisement kept me on edge waiting for something more or something deeper whereas without that anticipation I would have enjoyed the simple story just for itself.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story has one of my favorite styles: dualing timelines, covering 2017 and 1941. The story opens with Cara Hargraves and her boss, a gruff antiques dealer, appraising an estate in Gloucestershire for a woman who just wants to get rid of everything. Inside a drawer, she finds a book-shaped tin. After prying it open, she discovers a World War II photograph of a woman with the initials L.K. and a diary.

The diary covers little more than a year, from February 21, 1941, until January 5, 1942. What she reads, shocks her, making her eager to return the red-bound diary to its owner.

Then the story shifts to 1941 to Cornwall. Louise Keene is nineteen years old, but wants more out of life. Her parents think she should sit around the house and wait for a boy she knows, but barely knows or likes, to return from the war. She meets a handsomely dashing Flight Lieutenant based nearby.

Louise can barely tolerate the dullness of the countryside while a war rages in nearby London. Against her parents’ wishes, she joins up, as a Gunner Girl, a member of the famed Ack-Ack Command, and is stationed as a gunner.

I loved learning about the Gunner Girls and the Ack-Ack Command. I had never heard of these terms before, but basically what they did was watch the English skies for enemy planes. Women weren’t allowed to fire the guns, only help scan the skies and help set up the machinery. Stationed in London, Louise learns, quickly, that the war is far more dangerous than she had ever perceived. She lives for the day when Paul returns and they can be married.

Fast forward to 2017, Cara, reeling from a divorce, has moved into a new cottage. She hopes to be able to find the person, or her family, to return the diary. Enlisting the aid of her new neighbor, the handsome professor Liam, they begin to search for the rightful proprietor.

The plot was good, a heck of a twist awaits readers, one that I saw only as it happened. Bravo, Miss Kelly. The two timelines did intersect, but it was rather disappointing. One thing that drove me nuts was all the acronyms that were never explained. For these last two reasons, “The Light Over London,” receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Gallery Books; through Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

The Light Over London written by Julia Kelly was exceptionally written. It is heartbreaking at its core and breathtakingly beautiful. I usually only enjoy a book where there is a happily every after. Not to say this one did not end that way but it ends I suppose the way life usually goes.

The Light over London tells the story of two women, a generation apart yet with similar expectations and experiences. It begins when Cara Hargraves finds a diary from World War II in an estate she is working on as an assistant to an antiques dealer. Within the pages she discovers a picture of a young woman in uniform and a diary that tragically ends abruptly. With the help of her handsome new neighbor, Cara and Liam delve into the past of Louise Keene. A Gunner girl during the war. Her unfinished diary gives a glimpse into a love affair that illuminates a side of wartime love that rarely gets told. Cara's need to discover it's ending and return it to the owner leads her down her own path of discovery into her own families secrets.

The Light Over London is filled with Illuminating history telling the story of just a few of the brave women that helped to win the war, of past secrets that need to be brought into the light if one is to move on and of love stories both tragic and promising. Julia Kelly's book is beautifully written and emotionally stirring that will have you reading late into the night.

I will post my review on both Goodreads and Amazon.

Loved the two storylines -- both past and present -- that weaved throughout the book. Still thinking about the characters a week later. Always a sign of a good book.

I had never read anything by this author before, but I am glad I read this book. Her descriptions of places and persons were very vivid and I could picture it in my mind. It was a good story and it held my interest to the end. I highly recommend this book.

The Light Over London was such a great to read. Being a fan of Lilac Girls and The Nightengale I knew I was going to enjoy this book. Following the lives of Cara and Louise and their lives as Gunner Girls during World War II and had a little bit of a history lesson on World War II and Rosie the riveter. Our patrons are always in demand of new historical fiction and for being fans of Lilac Girls, they are sure to love this book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. We will definitely consider this title for our historical fiction section in our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

After beginning a job with an antiquities dealer, Cara Hargraves chances upon a diary written by Louise Keene. The diary begins during WWII. After meeting a soldier Paul, Louise joins the British Army and is drafted into an anti-aircraft gunner unit.

Like many books that alternate between timelines, I found the present timeline unnecessary and a bit boring. Cara's romance was extremely predictable and lackluster. Louise story and romance was far more interesting. Overall, not a bad book, but not something I would re-read.

Easy to devour historical fiction about the Gunne girls of WW II, intertwined with romance. Toggling back and forth between two narratives, one is Louisa, a simple girl from the countryside of England and Cara, a modern antique appraiser, the author sets both their narratives on a collision course when Cara fins Louisa's diary and is determined to find the family to whom it belongs to. Two romantic subplots add to the dimension of the book. Well done and an easy read

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have read and enjoyed an ever-increasing number of dual timeline WWII novels. This present day protagonist caught my eye, being affiliated with a London antique dealer, and I am thrilled to have found a gem of a story.
The main character of the 1940's storyline is a shy girl living a quiet and predictable life in Cornwall. Her journey into the war as an "Ack Ack Girl" drives the plot along smoothly, with fun and interesting characters and many secrets along the way. I was riveted to learn about these brave British women who ran anti-aircraft crews. This Churchill-approved addition to the auxiliary services was successful and under reported, and just the sounds of their firing at enemy aircraft lifted the moral of UK citizens during a dire moment in their history. Well done Ms. Kelly!

I loved this book and read it practically in one sitting. Although there are a lot of WWII books out there, this one is different in many aspects. There are two strong women protagonists, living in different times. One is looking for answers in the past, the other is escaping an over-protective family to find her own place in the war effort. Both are portrayed poignantly, and the ending is very interesting.

Wonderful book! I love how the book contrasts then and now and weaves them together. Beautifully written.

I love, love, loved The Light Over London. What a sweet book paralleling the lives of two strong women making their way through love, heartbreak, and healing, I enjoyed the stories of both women in their respective time periods.

This was a beautiful, well-written piece of historical fiction! Perfect for fans of The Alice Network. I enjoyed learning more about the WWII anti-aircraft gunnery units, especially as women were introduced to the unit. This story tells a tale of bravery, boldness, finding oneself and realizing what is important in your life and relationships.

Thank you, Gallery Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

There are so many WWII historical fiction novels out there, so I was a little worried it was going to be fairly predictable - I shouldn't have been! What a wonderful book with two strong female main characters - one from WWII era and one present day. I was drawn to both of them and their individual unique story lines which the author was able to intertwine so well. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

A pleasant entry into the slightly over-stuffed sub-genre of romantic historical fiction set during either of the World Wars, Julia Kelly's The Light Over London does little to distinguish itself other available titles addressing the same era..

The Light Over London was Julia Kelly's first novel and it was wonderful. From the onset I could not put this book down. I wanted to keep reading. It jarred my curiosity and heightened my emotions. I was sorry when the novel concluded. I became so involved and caught up in the lives of the characters Julia Kelley created in The Light Over London.

Julia Kelly alternated the chapters in The Light Over London between Louise Keene's story, about a young, shy and quiet girl growing up in a small English village at the beginning of World War II and Cara Hargraves' story, about a divorced woman working for an antique's dealer who appraised the contents of homes for clients, living in present day England. During one of these appraisals, Cara found an old box hidden in the back of an old piece of furniture. When she opened the box, among other things, Cara found a diary, written by someone with the initials LK, dating back to World War II. Cara was given permission to keep the diary. She was determined to find out who wrote the diary and perhaps be lucky enough to return it to that person or the family of that person. Cara also discovered that the girl that had written the diary was in the same branch of service as her Gran had been. Her Gran had always been reluctant to speak about her days in the ATS. Cara thought that the discovery of this diary would help her Gran open up to her about her service during the war. There was also romance for both Louise and Cara.

I really enjoyed reading The Light Over London and am a big fan of Julia Kelly now. As I mentioned, this was her first novel. I hope she decides to write more. Thank you Netgalley, Julia Kelly and Gallery Books for allowing me to read this remarkable novel. I highly recommend it.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, WWII in particular. This book has dual storylines, Louise Keene in 1941 and Cara Hargraves in the present.

Cara is recently divorced and looking for a simpler life working for an antiques dealer. She comes across an old diary from WWII which she is determined to return to the family. Her neighbor Liam is a history professor who ends up helping her.

Louise is 19 and lives in a small Cornish town with a mother who has a predetermined course for her daughter's life. Louise resists the path set for her after meeting an airman at a dance. She ends up joining the Ack Ack Girls in the RAF along with her more outgoing cousin Kate.

This was an entertaining read, however, I wish there was less romance and more history.

This book shifted effortlessly from past to present. I found myself liking both stories very much. It was a quick hard to put down book. I loved it! Definitely recommend!!

As a big fan of WWII historical fiction, this novel grabbed my interest while I was perusing the featured releases on NetGalley. I put in my request to Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books, and they accepted! So, huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Cara Hargraves is restarting her life. A recent divorceé and newly appointed antiquarian for an antique dealer, she immerses herself in work to forget about her rocky marriage to a secret alcoholic with a gambling addiction. While clearing a large estate, she finds a diary in a small 1950's tin, and reading a couple quick passages, finds that the diary is an account from World War II. Though it isn't worth much to the dealer, who preaches "Furniture, Silver, Paintings. Find, Sell, Profit. F-S-P.", Cara knows it has to mean a lot to someone, and she wants to find out who. Off the clock, she spends what little free time she allots herself on reading the diary, looking for clues to find the owner. Eventually, she enlists the help of her neighbor, a history professor named Liam with the same sentiments and excitement of finding the owner.

Louise Keene is nineteen in 1941, and she's lived in the same small Cornish town all her life. Her cousin Kate, a more extroverted girl, has cajoled Louise into attending an airman dance, where the young local military men have gathered to dance and have fun in their off-time. Louise is quiet and cautious, used to beautiful Kate being the center of attention. While making introductions with a group of airmen, a man catches Louise's eye, and before she knows it, she's being swept away by Flight Lieutenant Paul Bolton. As their relationship blossoms, Louise finds herself trapped by the love for the pilot and the expectations of her mother, who has declared her almost engaged to local wealthy boy who has already shipped off into combat. There is no romantic interest between Louise and the boy, and the last thing Louise wants is to live a complacent life. When Paul has to ship out, Louise decides she is going to do something for the war effort... by enlisting.

As Louise share's her story with the reader, and Cara connects the diary to Louise's family, the plot twists ensue. Kelly had me hooked from page one, and the more I read, the further I fell into the mystery, action, and love surrounding Cara and Louise, years apart. Their stories are multidimensional, revealing their layers of struggle with personal identities, relationships, and the past. Just when I thought I'd figured out where the plot was going, I was thrown for another loop. As a historical fiction fan, I also loved reading about Louise and her time with the Ack Ack Gunner Girls- which is a new aspect of WWII that I didn't know about. I thoroughly enjoyed The Light Over London, and am already recommending it to everyone.

(This review will be posted at a future date on my blog: www.thelexingtonbookie.wordpress.com)

This book is fiction but Julia Kelly did a great job in describing the emotions of a person having gone through a bad marriage and how hard it's to recover and trust a new relation ship after the divorce is final. At the same time we get a glimpse of what live was like in a small English town back in 1941. The courage of the woman that joined the armed forces during World War II in various capacities not always appreciated by the menfolk's that they had to work with. The romances that were on fast forward as a result of the war situation. The realization of the girls that knowing about the bombings and having trained for the job is very different from experiences it.
This book is a fast read with a very satisfying ending.