This book felt like two books. The first was dull and boring, the second was what I wished the whole book was. The dull first half is explicitly why I won't purchase this book for our library: my students will NOT slog through it for the second half.

I immediately liked Mina. There's a fire, a spunk, a personality to her that instantly attracted me. Whether it be the fact that she is wildly creative, empathetic, or incredibly clever, I wish I was friends with Mina. But in this time period. She is cunning and her wit allows her to be an excellent code cracker as well as quick on her feet. So from the summary alone, it was a pretty good bet I would really love Mina. But what I didn't expect was how swept away I would get in the story.

All Is Fair by Dee Garretson was interesting! I loved the story and characters in the novel. I would read more from this author

This is an excellent young adult reader novel. It gives a very balanced look at life in England during World War 1 through the eyes of a young teenage girl. Lady Mina Thretheway is at boarding school which should keep her safe from war.

But her father and brother are heavily involved. The brother is declared missing and presumed dead. Mina has grieved over him for months.

One day she receives a telegram from her father. It is written in code, but only she knows that. Her father wants her to come home and help a "family member" with an issue.

Through a completely believable set of circumstances she finds herself aboard a war ship headed to the Continent and into the war. No teenager should be doing such. She goes in naive, but comes out with her eyes opened and understanding the truth about war, it is hell.

I love the character development. I love the story line. I really love the way you come from a state of disbelief and naïveté to a state of complete understanding how hard war can be.

Lady Mina is young, but smart. She is innocent. She is brave. She is completely loyal to her father and her country.

Your young adult reader will love the story and learn some truths about the first World War.

Enjoy!

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable WWI historical tale. I haven’t read many books about code breaking and spying, especially with a female heroine. It started out quite slowly for me, but it did pick up a bit. There were a few loose ends, but perhaps there will be a sequel. The characters weren’t as developed as I’d expected. They were just all right. The plot will likely grab readers more than the characters.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.

Loved loved loved this!

Perfect for fans of Cindy Anstey and Susan Elia MacNeal's "Maggie Hope" series, All Is Fair is an amazing story of full of mystery, intrigue, secrets, and romance set in World War I, otherwise known as The Great War.

Mina is a wonderful protagonist, who is smart, witty, and brave--even though she has moments of doubting her own bravery and desire for adventures. She has her faults, but is determined to anything and everything for her family and her country.

All Is Fair will make a wonderful addition to a YA Historical Fiction collection, and older historical fiction readers will also find many things to love about Mina, Lucas, and their mission. I, for one, am hopeful that a sequel will follow--even more hopeful given the last page of the book.

This was a lot of fun to read, but it feels like two different books. Right around the half way point, there's a sudden turn to the plot that was unexpected and intense. And because the second half of the book was so different from the first half, there were also several loose ends I wish could've been wrapped up, but they just disappeared. I wish that either there was a more gradual movement toward the second half or that the first half was condensed and the second half was fleshed out more since it's where most of the action is.

The ending overall was also a little open, but I didn't mind it so much.

Mina is summoned home from school to help her father, a spy for the British Home Office during WWI. Mina finds that lots of strange things are happening as she does her best to help her brother's friends. Things move slowly at first, until Mina must head into Germany on a secret mission.

In the beginning, this story seems like a less complex version of Downton Abbey. But Mina is not just another Lady Mary. She heads straight into the middle of danger with Lucas, an American, and tries to save everyone.

All is Fair is a well written, intriguing WWI rescue story with a hint of romance. I read the ARC tonight and in just one sitting. I love a good female empowerment book and our heroine in this novel has moxie, brains, and a good sense of humor. While it is possible that some people will sigh about ‘another rescue’ novel (we have had some incredible ones recently), I especially like this novel for upper middle school and lower high school. It has some complexity that will appeal to a slightly older reading set but (spoilers) a resolution that is somewhat fanciful and a tiny bit incredible. Yet in the details, it is often more realistic than any other rescue novel I can think of. The author’s descriptions of the smell of a wrist watch or the hair oil and petrol oil on a scarf really struck me as adding a truly authentic layer. So, if you have someone new to the genre and/or a reader who adores the genre, All is Fair would be an excellent book to put into their hands.

#netgalley @deegarretson

I will start with the bad before getting to the good. The first half made me wonder if I had stupidly decided to read this because of a misleading summary before looking at reviews and doing further research. It starts with Mina leaving boarding school upon receiving an urgent and ciphered letter from her father demanding her to return home. She meets a cute American named Lucas on the train that claims they will meet again soon. Mina arrives home to the news that Lucas and her brother's best friend Andrew will temporarily be guests. What happens over the next 40% is Lucas thinking Mina is a rich, privileged brat, Mina secretly helping Andrew and Lucas draw a map out of a German town she visited when she was younger, talks of one of the housemaids being a German spy (it's easy to tell who), and the town gossiper demanding to host a play at Mina's manor for the nearby soldiers' entertainment.

The play part was utterly ridiculous and I assumed the summary was fabricated to ensnare readers into thinking this was more than a silly English drama set during World War I. But once I made it through the bizarre first half, the second portion picked up speed and seeped with action, suspense, and danger.

Andrew can't make it on a mission with Lucas and gives Mina a cipher that only he knows. Mina trails after Lucas, meaning to pass the information on to Lucas and get back home, but by the time she reaches Lucas she has no choice but to board the military vessel set for Belgium. She knows she may never return from the mission, but not once do you see an ounce of fear in her actions. Lucas and her (plus a cat called Unsinkable Sam who was awesome) survive the bombing of the ship and sneak their way into Belgium and further into Germany, dodging danger and doing what they can to carry out the mission and survive. Mina can speak several languages so she acts as the translator between herself and Lucas and the people they meet that help them along the way.

I wish the first portion was reduced to make room for more of the second half since that was the heart of the novel, but the ending leads to me hope that the author's intent was to expand on Mina's story, and if that is the case I will definitely read the followup.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you net galley for an advance reader copy of this novel. This was a historical fiction set during WWI about code bteaking, spying and rescuing a German scientist. I liked the plot of this book and the main female character was clever and willing to step outside of society norms. The book did leave several lingering questions and fe!t rushed from the second half on. For example, Mina rushed off in a car to meet up with mammals character, Lucas, and ends up going in the mission for days-- the author never goes back to tell us what the reaction at home is and the aftermath of a German spy plot. I am hoping it is because there will be a sequel. Overall a delightful read that I will recommend.

I can't say enough about this book! I loved it!!! I was totally into to it and couldn't put it down!!! I loved the plot and the twists! I loved it! I would give it more stars if it were possible!!!