This book takes up the story of Sandra Hudson from the Orphan sisters that i so enjoyed. along with german girl Frieda Sternberg as they both come together working during WW2 1943 on Nicols Farm in Leadburn near Hexham. Frieda in 1938 flee's Berlin, Sandra from an orphanage Blakeley South Shields, they both have family member's lost to them will they ever hear from them again? This was such an inspirational book to read for me, it will warm your heart, and both girl's share their past lives to each other, both feeling they don't belong but a comfort to be working together, The Outcast Girls are both hiding secret's unknown to anyone but both help each other overcome them. .a story of a bonded friendship that will bring tears to your eyes in places, i truly enjoyed every page. so well worth the stars, and loved it all to the end.

4.5 out of 5...simply because I felt it ended a little abruptly.

For my first read of 2020, I enjoyed this very much! As with many WWII historical fiction novels, I learned a great deal! They definitely give me the history lesson I did not get in school. I was not aware of The Land Girls and their contributions in WWII...taking the place of men as farmhands. They worked hard and proved to everyone, not just themselves that women are completely capable of working hard and excelling at a job they weren’t expected to.

This book follows the stories of Sandra, an English orphan and Frieda, a German Jewish girl who was a passenger on the Kindertransport to safety in England. Their lives often mirrored each other, falling in love, being heartbroken and most of all...worries of love ones left behind or serving in the war. Together they form a unique bond allowing them to grow and learn and giving them someone to confide in during histories darkest hour.

I love how these girls grow and progress throughout the story. Sandra is definitely the more confident of the two but she uses that to help Frieda find her own confidence. It was fate that brought them together and an ever growing bond of friendship that helped them through the war.

As I said. I felt this story ended rather abruptly. I was extremely invested, hanging on to the last word on the page and then it was done. It left me longing for more which means the author did her job by writing a captivating story that you can get emotionally invested in! A wonderful way to kick off my 2020 reading challenge! Highly recommend!

3,5/5

This was a nice story of friendship between two girls in UK during WWII.

I really like reading stories set in this period of history and this was a different perspective of what I have read before. It didn't know about the "Land Girls". They were young women who volunteered to go do farm work while most men where in the army. They were paid for it and lived all together in a hostel.

Frieda is a jew german girl who was sent as a refugee to UK leaving her family behind and Sandra is an orphan who has had a hard life and find this "job" as a way to support herself. Both girls need to learn to go on with their life in the relatively safe countryside while dealing with their worry for the family they have in the battle. We see how they become a support for each other and create a beautiful friendship during this hard times.

This was a really enjoyable read that has given me a new perspective on how the war affected these people that were far away from the battles or the prison camps, women that had to take on the jobs the men were doing until then to keep the country running while worrying for them on the battlefield.

Since I had never heard of the Land Girls during WWII, I learned a lot from this novel which is always a plus. Sandra, an orphan and Frieda, a young Jewish girl lives intertwine throughout this very enjoyable historical story. They did in ways have parallel lives. The characters are realistic and relatable. The older women who loved and supported the girls were just what the girls needed. Loved Mr. Carlton! Highly recommended!

The Land Girls have always been fascinating to me. They are such a mix of classes, personality and circumstances. This particular story is about two girls, one who is a refugee and one who is basically a homeless orphan. Sandra grew up in an orphanage and went right into a life of service. She cannot read or write and is basically at the mercy of her cruel and demanding employer. When she is attacked by their son during an air raid, she is fired from her job. With the help of the kindly cook of the house, she discovers the Women’s Land Army and finds a new life as she joins them in a small English village. Freida is a young Jewish refugee who was sent to England by her family to escape Nazi Germany. She is taken in by the widowed postmistress of the same small English village. The girls meet while working on a local dairy farm, and forge a friendship that takes them through the rest of the war while waiting for news of Freida’s family still in Germany and Sandra’s brother who is in the RAF and interned in Switzerland, and heartbreak. The story not only tells the story of the girls, but also the villagers. This is a story of finding a home when you don’t have a family. Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

This is basically the story of 2 girls: Sandra and her brother Alf are sent to an English orphanage by their father after their mother dies. Then the father dies. The other girl is Frieda and her brother Kurt live in Germany but are sent by their parents to an organization in England for their safety because Hitler is rounding up Jews. The 2 girls end up working together on a farm in the country while their brothers fight in the war. What they all go thru is amazing...

A brilliant historical read set in the second world war when young girls of very different backgrounds are thrown together to work on the land in a northern village. It is a story of love, loss and incredible bravery. I loved this all absorbing book and I can highly recommend to fans of WW2 fiction.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading The Outcast Girls and was pleasantly surprised with this gem! The story is well told and the characters are vivid and unique. I was captivated by the lives of Frieda and Sandra, though they are two very different characters, they are thrown into the same world by fate, but each one faces their own unique set of trials that test their true character and push them to expand their comfort zones. They are forced to confront issues from their pasts in order to move on. I love how their characters are woven together into a beautiful tapestry where they are able to use the strengths from each other to see through the trials of their everyday existences. While there are many similarities between the two, they are very different from each other. Sandra is older, but emotionally she is still like an innocent child in many ways, where Frieda is younger, but forced to grow up far to quickly. The relationship Frieda has with her "aunt" is beautiful and moving. I loved this book and thoroughly enjoyed the journey I was allowed to take with these two wonderful characters!

Shirley’s books always draw me in from the first page and this one was no exception. I didn’t want to put it down!

Set during WWII Freida a young German Jew was sent to England by her family to flee persecution. She was sent to live in the countryside with a widowed woman, Aunty Doris who ran the local post office. Freida was teased incessantly at the local school because of how she talked, how she looked and where she came from.

Sandra was sent to an orphanage with her brother at a young age when her mum passed away and her father could no longer look after the two. At 15 she is released and finds work as a housemaid but things are less than wonderful and when situations arise and Sandra is without a job she applies to be a Land Girl.

These two young girls come from vastly different backgrounds but when they meet they realize just how similar their situations are.
A beautifully written story that pulls at your heart strings. Another 5 star read from Shirley Dickson!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy.

Best friends in hard times

Frieda and Sandra meet in England working on a farm milking cows. Frieda is a Jewish girl sent to England to escape the Nazi's and Sandra is an orphan working as a Land Girl. They become good friends and help each other through some hard times.

Both girls have brothers that are missing, Frieda's brother Kurt in Germany and Sandra's brother Alf in the RAF. They both have families that are gone, Frieda's an unknown fate in Germany and Sandra's no longer alive. They are both afloat in unfamiliar circumstances and help each other to adapt. Through the trauma of the war and through first love and heartbreak they are there for each other.

It is a heartwarming story of love and sorrow and an endearing friendship. A story of a town with caring people and hard work to be done. The story was interesting, the characters were wonderful and I loved every page. I would like to read a 2nd book with the continuing story showing the girls reunited with their brothers and happy with their own lives and families. I hope the author writes one and continues the story.

I would recommend this book, it is good clean reading , you will not be disappointed.

Thanks to Shirley Dickson, Bookouture Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of the book.

This was another book that I could not put down. It was the story of two girls, very different but brought together by the war. This book is about the Land Army girls and has every emotion running through it . I thoroughly recommend you to read it .

This book is very similar to The books about land girls. Two friends who go through so much heartache rips at your heart strings at times

During World War II girls Frieda and Sandra meet under difficult circumstances. Not only are they among the many evacuees of the war, having had to flee their homes, they both lost their brothers. In Frieda's case, it was her brother Kurt, and Sandra, her brother Alf.

A bit older than Frieda, Sandra takes her under her wing. Sandra refuses to give up hope of seeing Alf again, and looks forward to any correspondence she can get. Meanwhile, Frieda is heartbroken as it seems she will never see Kurt again.

Although safe from the Germans on the farm where both girls now reside, things certainly are not easy. Fortunately, their friendship gives both girls strength and they grow into young women over the next several years.

The Outcast Girls is a well-written historical fiction novel. For me as a reader, I will say it was rather fortunate that I was not reading of the horrid tragedies of the war with this particular book. I turned the pages quickly while reading, especially as my mind was reaching for hope for both Frieda and Sandra. This story definitely tug on my heartstrings.

Reviewer's note: I applaud Ms. Dickson for dealing with a sensitive issue revolving around one of the girls in this particular genre and time period in history. As it was during World War II, diagnosis and treatment of the particular ailment mentioned was not clear at all.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

This passionate book is almost impossible to put down. Sandra and Frieda meet while working on farms in England during World War II. They become best friends and support each other through the trying times of war and worry about family members. There are heart-breaking situations as well as happy times. I unquestionably loved this book,and I recommend it to everyone as further insight into life during World War II. I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley and Bookouture. All opinions expressed are my own,

Wow. I was totally gone from Chapter 1, the story of Sandra and Freida is one I will not forgot for a long time. Written with so much love!
While this is my first book by this author it won’t be my last !

I was really looking forward to reading Shirley Dickson's new book and i can honestly say i loved it.Being raised in an Orphanage with her brother Alf has been hard for Sandra but she had no idea it was going to get worse.Frieda a young German Jew is on her way to England to safety but she is still shocked that her brother Kurt jumped ship before it left port,alone and scared Freida is taken in by a lovely caring lady she calls Aunty Doris.Sandra has a hard life as housemaid but has a friend in the cook but things come to a head one night during an air raid.With no-where to go Sandra faces a bleak future untill Mrs Goodwin the cook takes her in.Both girls meet on the Nichols farm and form a close friendship that will help both of them through the aweful times ahead.I have loved reading The Outcast Girls and can highly recommend it 5*

This book will pull out your heart as you read this story. I love stories about empowerment and I just couldn't put this one down. I loved every page and I went through an entire box of tissues before I was done. You will keep turning the pages until the very end because you just won't be able to put it down at all.