I didn't realize that this was an excerpt rather than the full novel - my fault for not paying attention to the details. I might have continued reading the full novel but am not likely to purchase.

I expected this book to be more a romance than anything else (there was, but I expected more), but it was more action packed than I anticipated. I usually get annoyed when the narrative goes back and forth between point of views but Julie Berry structured it perfectly. I loved the racial diversity which I didn't expect either.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Would recommend for younger readers wanting historical fiction with a little clean romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for give me this sneak peak to review - I did buy the book and based this review off the entire book.

Love and War.. why are the two seemingly intertwined? Lovely War by Julie Berry, tries her hand at the answer.. and she hits it out of the ballpark. It’s WWI.. two couples meet at the start of the war. Hazel and James meet at a party, days before he is to be sent to the front. It is love at first site and they can never see themselves, not together. Aubrey Edwards, is also heading to the front & meets Colette. He is a musician, from NY, who is an African American regiment. He has played at the Apollo and now has to head to war. The book delves into their love, friendships, hardships, prejudices & the pain of war. The author has Aphrodite telling their stories to husband, Hephaestus.. 30 years later. This is such a unique way to tell the story. This is a beautiful story, touching on hard topics and the author does a great job addressing them. Love and War, why do they seem to go together? How does love last war? How do people find love during war? I couldn’t put this book down. I had to find out how it would end. The writing is excellent, the characters are so well developed and there was even a twist or two. I had no expectations starting this book, the description didn’t do it justice. This was a five star read for me. I have told everyone, who would listen, to read it. I have shared it on my Instagram page and reviewed on multiple platforms. Thank you to Netgalley for my copy, for an honest review. It was a pleasure reading this book and I am glad O had the opportunity to.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Really enjoyed reading this sneak peek! The intersection of a historical setting and Greek mythology was incredibly interesting. I look forward to reading the rest of this book!

I know that this book is already published, but I appreciate the sample preview copy of this book!

I was able to start reading this book on a flight home, and was so sad when my sample preview ended!

Luckily, I had the actual book at home, and continued to read the novel, and finished it within two days!

I loved Berry's use of short chapters, and writing this with a mythological viewpoint. I read a lot of historical fiction novels (my favorite genre), and haven't seen this type of writing before.

Berry's focus on mental illness and the role of African American soldiers in WWII was also a new take that I hadn't come across in many of WW books that I have read.

I am very fortunate to be reading this as a buddy read, and so far, everyone has fallen in love with this novel just as much as I have! I cannot wait to read some more of Julie Berry's novels.

This review is for an except of The Lovely War. I enjoyed reading this so much that I have already gone and purchased the book so I can read the entire thing. It’s quite a different take on historical fiction and I can’t wait to finish it. Plus the cover is so beautiful!

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

I loved this book. This book touched my heart! It was deep. The atmosphere was everything I wanted it to be. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. The author did a fabulous job placing her feeling in this book. Excellent job. I loved the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

This was just a sneak peek into the book, but I enjoyed what I read so much that I’m going to purchase the book to finish it! The story sucked me in and I have to know how it continues.

Is anyone else getting tired of romances set during WWII? I thought I was, but Lovely War changed my mind. In a nutshell, it’s a sweet classic romance about two couples united by war told through the eyes of the gods. This plot device could have ended badly, but Julia Berry is so skilled. This is one of my favorite books of the year. It’s also the type of book where giving away too much detail might take away from the joy of discovery, so I recommend readers dive right in.

I thought this book was going to be something along the lines of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, except during World War I. The whole Greek Gods inclusion really made it hard for me to take get on board with it. I think if Greek Mythology is something you enjoy, this could definitely be a good read. I just couldn't get past Aphrodite telling the story.

This story definitely had a promising start. I feel like my review would be incomplete at best since the galley I received was only a sneak peek for some reason. I did enjoy the start of the story, a budding romance set in the backdrop of the First World War. It was interesting point of view to have the story unfold in the eyes of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. If I can get around to reading this novel in its entirety I can expand this review. Thank you to Netgalley for the sneak peek.

“You’re a brand-new piece of sheet music, for a song which, once played, I’d swear I’d always known.”

can’t remember last time I felt so touched like when I was reading this book 🥺, I’m speechless.

It's an interesting take to include the perspective of the goddess of love as the narrator of a historical fiction tale. For some, it might be muddled a bit, but it'll take reading the full book to know for sure.

I received the sneak peek of Lovely War for review. I loved it! I read it so quickly and I cannot wait to read the entire thing. It's not often that I come across historical YA fiction and I think it is wonderful. Rating is based on sneak peek alone.

I was given the opportunity to read a sample from NetGalley. Upon reading the synopsis of this book I was intrigued, but worried because I typically try to stay away from any books that have to do with history or war. Boy was I surprised when I dove into the sample. The fact that this book is told by Greek goddess Aphrodite blew my mind. I've never read something so unique and intruiging. I've already purchased the full book, I'm just waiting for it to come in the mail! I'll edit my review once I complete it to see if I change my mind about this book.

A love story set during WWI told from the different perspectives of the Greek Gods (Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares and Hades). Aphrodite tells tales of her best work (love stories of course!) The casualties of Aeres' exploits (war) are welcomed into the afterlife by Hades. This is an enthralling, sweeping love story that's a must read for historical fiction aficionados.

I've seen this book all over blogs and bookstagram and was excited to get my hands on it but I was left a little disappointed. It was an interesting take (with the storytelling POV of Greek Gods and Goddesses) but it felt too long.

This is a super interesting premise, and I’m liking forward to reading the rest of the book. This is unlike any other historical fiction bills

I'm blown away by how amazing this book truly is. It's more than a romance, more than a war book, more than racial division. This book is everything and the writing was done with such grace, compassion, anger, and love