If historical fiction is your genre, then this is the book for you. If you love books about strong women and the stories about their lives both the good and the hard, then this is your book. I love historical fiction, but over the past few years, I've walked away from it because so many books were cookie cutters of others and I struggled to find a unique story with interesting characters and to find something that I didn't feel like I'd already read. This book gave me my love of historical fiction back. I loved the story and the characters. It's the perfect combination of plot, character development, and descriptive details that make you feel like you're in the book and when you turn the final page, you're left feeling like you got a complete story but also wishing there was more because you love the characters so much you don't want it to end.

An entertaining and fascinating family saga that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I loved the characters, the vivid historical background and descriptions of Cornwall.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

London 1941.
The Germans are bombing London ruthlessly, Violet Hopkins sister has already been killed during the Blitz, her brother in-law Ernst is missing in action and she’s really worried about keeping her two teenage nieces Lily and Alice safe. Her mum Sheila is determined to stay and run her East End Café and Violet makes the decision to move to Cornwall, take the girls with her and they should be fine living at her great-aunt Margaret’s farm?

Eva Ryder was staying with her uncle Teddy; she ran off and wanted to be a dancer. Her dancing career lasted six weeks; she’s caught up in a bombing raid and injured. Once she’s discharged from hospital Eva goes to stay with her dad, he’s in charge of a top secret military base in Cornwall called the Eastern House and it’s near Porthcurno.

Hazel Baxter lives in Cornwall near Porthcurno, she’s married to Bertie and they have a teenage son Charlie. Bertie is a drunk, a shocking husband and abusive. Hazel is relieved when he returns to his regiment after his last leave; she’s having trouble making ends meet and really needs a job. George Cotterill is a childhood friend; he mentions they need more domestic staff at Eastern House and Hazel applies for a job.

Violet, Hazel and Eva all meet at Eastern House; they become friends and decide to organize a dance at the local church hall. But, the trio unfortunately discover nowhere in England is safe during WW II, not even Cornwall during a country dance and the Germans start dropping bombs.

Wartime With The Cornish Girls is a story about life in Cornwall during WW II, the friendship formed between three young women and how they helped each other when times got tough. The book also highlights the work women did during WW II and they played an important role in helping England win the war and the discrimination they faced. I received a copy of Wartime With The Cornish Girls in exchange for an honest review, five stars from me and I look forward to reading the next book in The Cornish Girls series.

This was such a cute story of three girls who end up in the Cornish countryside during WWII. The relationships between the characters are so well developed, you can't help but rooting for them. I love books with strong women, and this had plenty. You fall in love with the girls, and the English countryside by the sea. I can't wait to read the next installment. A big thank you to net galley and Avon Books for the ARC.

A gentle set of romances set amidst war-torn Britain but especially in what should have been peaceful Cornwall. One of the heroines is a local girl with a teenage son and abusive husband, fortunately off at war. The other two arrive from London - one brought back to Papa because she is running 'a little wild' in London and the other escaping the blitz and persecution by local yobs for her part German relatives. Cornwall isn't as quiet and safe as they thought. Top security decoding, a spy inside, abusive uncle, aunt from hell, gentle old boyfriend, and dashing men in uniforms all give a feel for what the girls found. There is a strong sense of fellowship and developing friendship as they help each other out and good descriptions of war torn Britain. At the end one of the girls is probably at the point of 'living happily ever after', the romances of the other two will, no doubt, form future stories. Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a way to start a series. I loved taking part of the Main characters lives. I loved getting to know the.. You Will fall in love with the book and the Main characters. When we follow them through hardships love and strength. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

Wartime with the Cornish Girls is a delightful charmer told with threads of both sweetness and heartache as three women (and other characters) navigate the horrors of WWII. Their backgrounds are all different but we are reminded that we are all human with the same basic needs. Each contributes to the war effort in her own way and they all learn to hope. Sometimes that is all they have.

We meet upfront and direct Violet who takes her teenaged nieces to live in Cornwall out of necessity after her sister dies. They are faced with brutal circumstances throughout the story. Downtrodden Hazel is living her own nightmare. Her husband is abusive and their teenaged son, Charlie, is the "man" of the house while his dad is away. Eva, an outgoing chorus girl who would rather be dancing, is Colonel Ryder's daughter, sent to live with him in hopes of taming her a bit.

The women discover their strengths, strengths they did not even realize they had. As the book goes on we also learn more about different aspects of the war, both physical and mental. I enjoyed the twists and stories within a story with hints of mysteries, too.

Those interested in learning more about the difficulties and intricacies of WWII, especially for women, do pick up this book. It does not go into as much gritty detail as some do so if you prefer a slightly lighter read, this is for you.

My sincere thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this enthralling book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated. Looking forward to subsequent books in the series!

This is a charming story with great characters showing the difference between people from London and Cornwall.
It also brilliantly shows the attitude of men to women at the start of the war.
A great read.

**Wartime with the Cornish Girls ARC publication Date: 29th April 2021**

This was such a lovely easy read! I’m a sucker for wartime books and this one definitely didn’t disappoint.

“When Violet loses her sister in the Blitz, she must take her nieces to safety in Cornwall. On the coast, she meets carefree chorus girl Eva, who is also running from the dangers of London.

But Porthcurno hides a secret military base, and soon Violet and Eva realise there’s a battle to fight in Cornwall, too.”

The main characters were so fascinating, I loved reading about the listening post and how it would have helped the war effort. I really enjoyed how this book was centred around 3 strong woman characters.

This story brings together three women from different backgrounds: Violet Hopkins, an East End girl, now responsible for her deceased sister's teen-aged girls, Lily and Alice; Hazel Baxter, a Cornishwoman, mother to fifteen year old Charlie and abused wife of Bertie Baxter; and Eva Ryder, the rebellious daughter of the Commanding Officer at Eastern House, Colonel Ryder.

Their daily lives play out in the shadow of World War II. Violet has escaped the bombing in London with her nieces to the relative safety of Porthcorno. Hazel is only too happy that her husband is on active duty, and she does not have to live in fear of him every moment of the day. Eva, having narrowly escaped death in London, has been summoned to Porthcorno to stay with her father. They find themselves working at Eastern House, and form a friendship that, of its day, might only have been made possible by war.

Headstrong Eva wants some fun and enlists Hazel and Violet to help organise a dance. They each have a romantic interest, and their stories are not without intrigue, hope and love.

I really enjoyed this well-written and plausible story. I particularly liked learning about the listening station operations where Eva was working. The main characters are easily likeable and I look forward to reading the next book in this series to see how these girls are coping as the war continues.

Wartime with the Cornish Girls by Betty Walker is the first in a series of books which I must say I am excited about as I absolutely enjoyed this one and would be keen to read more.

The characters are so likeable, the story engaging and easily read in one sitting.

Synopsis

1941. The Blitz rages over London.
And even in Cornwall, the war is being fought…

When Violet loses her sister in the Blitz, she must take her nieces to safety in Cornwall. On the coast, she meets carefree chorus girl Eva, who is also running from the dangers of London.

But Porthcurno hides a secret military base, and soon Violet and Eva realise there’s a battle to fight in Cornwall, too.

Together with local Hazel, who works on the base, they must come together to help the war effort. But will their friendship be enough to keep them safe?

I don't usually read books about WWII. If it is a historical romance, I prefer regency period.
But this was a sweet read. This one is a more romance than a mystery, which is a win in my book.
It was a slow start for me, but The ending bought me.
This is a good one. 3.5 stars.

this will have to be a dnf. nothing is really explained well, almost causing me to think it’s a sequel before i made sure it wasn’t.

There are very few women-centric based works in the period of WWII that I have come across, and much lesser of these that bequeath a satisfying mood for you once you conclude it; Wartime with Cornish Girls is assuredly one of those. Ladies, though deemed as the more vulnerable sex, are quite ardent and can perform jobs more reliably; the writer describes that via tales of three women, based on real-life experiences.

The author has addressed every female cast with their detailed standalone representations, getting the readers intertwined in the novel. The writing is captivating and has you inspired. Though I have never seen Cornwall or London, the writer produced a precise picture of its situation, assisting me in visualizing it as well. I can't wait to read the following part of this series.

I want to thank NetGalley, the Author Betty Walker, and the Publisher Avon Books for providing me an e-ARC of the book.

An interesting tale which slowly spins you into its web. One thing to note is the story set during backdrop of world war. The background setup makes you sit on your edge, as we never know when a air raid takes places and twists the entire tale.
This book makes you emote with characters and feel the pain, despair of the characters feel. Also, we get to know how the girls emerged through the constraints of the society and stood strong.

I am waiting for next instalment in the series.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I was able to read an arc of this book thanks to NetGalley! This book is right up my ally, as I love reading books about lesser-known aspects of World War II and other historical events. However, this book was between 3 and 4 stars for me, and I finally settled on 3 stars. While this book had a great premise and interesting characters, I felt the plot was underdeveloped and predictable. I am okay with some predictability, but certain events were very obvious or rushed when they did occur (especially the various romantic entanglements). Also, each of our 3 character voices were difficult to distinguish, except for Violet’s—which usually had what felt like out-of-place East End accent catchphrases sporadically. This book was well written and easy to read, I just wish it had better pacing and plot development.

Wartime with the Cornish Girls is about three different women from different walks of life finding themselves together in Cornwall during the War, becoming friends, and going through life experiences. It was an easy read, but very engaging, i loved all the characters and wished the best for them all.

Enjoyed this book, based in Cornwall in wartime, interesting characters and storyline. So interesting to read how people came together in war torn Britain

Five different women, from different walks of life, all arrive in Porthcurno (lovely place!) Cornwall to work at a top secret WWII listening post.

The book gave some insight in to the hardships of life - comparing living in London to that of Cornwall.

The characters were quite believable although not sure all Eastenders sounded like Violet?!

Easy, well written, somewhat short read with factual history interest.

I would be happy to read the next in the series.

Thanks to Net Galley and Avon Books UK for the chance to read and review.

An interesting and enjoyable story that keeps you involved from the beginning right through until the final page. Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading this type of book.