I love historical fiction and I love books and movies inspired by real life events. Add to that trailblazing women, a phenomenal female protagonist, and voila! You have this novel set in the countryside of England during WWII. Rosalie Wright (whose character was based on the legendary Mary Wilkins Ellis) lives on a farm as a young girl and she has two brothers whom she loves very much. Her dream is to become a pilot; however, as one can imagine during wartime (especially back then) teaching a girl to fly wasn't a priority. But she never let go of her dream.

As she grows, having gone through some pilot lessons but as war became more imminent she was dropped from her lessons so planes could be used for the war. As she grew into womanhood, she eventually was recruited to join the Air Transport Auxiliary aka Glamour Girls. Rosalie was one of many women who became heroes of WWII. These women worked amazingly hard, long, arduous hours but they held their own.

There was so much in this book to love: the historical information of such amazing women, WWII insights, female camaraderie and almost being able to see the beautiful countryside, and a love triangle with Snug and Alan who were also both pilots. And, as often happens, they are pretty much different as night and day.

Rosalie Wright grew up at Lime Farm in Cambridgeshire a county in the East of England with her older brothers Will and Leslie. Rosalie’s ten when the flying circus visits town, her dad let her go for a joy ride, she loved it and she was determined to learn to fly. Her mum thought her daughters dream was a lot of nonsense and Rosalie didn't change her mind and earned her own money to pay for her flying lessons.

Just as Rosalie’s about to turn eighteen when the Second World War begins and her dad suddenly passes away. Will and Leslie are exempt from fighting in the war, the country needs farmers to grow food and why can’t Rosalie be content helping on the farm like her brothers? Her mother isn’t happy about her plans to join the new Women’s Air Transport Auxiliary, Gladys is old fashioned and rather stubborn.

They need women pilots to ferry planes around England’s and Scotland’s many RAF bases. Rosalie applies, she passes her training and is assigned to Hamble. Billeted with Mrs. May, Rosalie becomes best friends with her fellow housemates and ATA pilots and I enjoyed reading about the time she spent with Caroline, Zofia and Mrs. May spend together in her little house.

Rosalie and her fellow members of Women’s Air Transport Auxiliary face terrible discrimination from male pilots and ground crew. Rosalie meets two male pilots grumpy Snug Durrant and Alan Chersey he’s handsome and charming. Snug and Alan are very different and it becomes very obvious while reading the story who’s the nicer person. The war years continue the danger and stress increase. The women in the ATA fly all types of damaged and broken planes around the country; they never know what will happen during a flight and where they will end up staying the night. For the men and women the pressure and danger becomes extreme, all the pilots are so tired, nerves are frazzled and it takes its toll.

The Glamour Girls is a story about war, planes, flying, friendship, camaraderie, loss and unexpected love. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, it’s brilliant and five stars from me.

Fascinating historical novel. Well researched about a subject that is now being recognised as critical.

What a wonderful WWII-era novel that put a spotlight on the amazing women of the ATA!! The book was well-researched and the characters involved were all likable. I love reading books about the strength of women during WWII because they have, oftentimes, been overlooked.

I know bookish folks usually follow authors, but looking through this publisher's back-list, it seems like I have loved everything I have read from them, and they have several front-list titles that sound excellent too. Anyways, this tile was no exception and I do see this specific author has another book out soon!

An enjoyable book to read telling us of the brave women who fought in the war. There was a lot to learn about their lives and l recommend that this book be read if you. enjoy historical novels.

An average entry into the over-crowded World War II fiction category and one that sadly fell flat for me, lacking a bit in the “emotional punch” arena. Yet, the friendship between fellow pilots Rosie, Caro, and Zofia were solid and heart-warming – you find yourself wishing you could be in their group of friends too!

Based on the true story of Britain’s ATA (Air Transport Authority) and the amazing female pilots who risked their lives ferrying warplanes across Britain to various RAF (Royal Air Force) bases, this is a fascinating point in history that I encourage all history lovers to look into, if you haven’t already.

Recommended for fans of historical fiction and book club aficionados. In fact, an excellent book club kit, including a Q&A with the author, and Discussion Questions, can be found at file:///C:/Users/Bob/Desktop/Books%20Read%20&%20Review%20Notes/1.1%20Glamour%20Girls/Glamour-Girls-Discussion.pdf

Can’t get enough of WWII fiction? Check out more of Desiree’s recommendations, including hits and misses, at https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/116446800-desiree?authenticity_token=UpXQzDf9OZHrg%2BUcj4PVOP5Cs0qjHHLmbjTXJzYwmvAXsJv85dljDqV1guMIYKj4RG%2BX50u8RA%2FZo79a3B0ynQ%3D%3D&ref=nav_mybooks&shelf=world-war-ii&user_id=116446800.

A big thank you to Marty Wingate, Alcove Press, and NetGalley for providing an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for this honest review.

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This was the perfect book to get me back on a reading streak...an important piece of historical fiction, a clean read, love stories intertwined throughout, and the value of friends and family of utmost importance to help aid the protagonist through the incredibly difficult realities of wartime. Thank you for allowing me to read and review this book.

A wonderful WWII novel that showcases the strength of women from the past. Absolutely adored this novel!

Glamour Girls by Marty Wingate is set during WWII and focuses on the war effort in England. Rosalie is an Air Transport Authority pilot for the RAF. Her dream since childhood has been to be a pilot and despite her mother’s objections, Rosalie joins the ATA.

This book started off really well and moved at a fast enough pace to keep my attention. However by the middle I found myself skimming pages. It felt like it was dragging on. I also wasn’t interested in the romance because the book made it very clear early on that it was not something that was going to last.

I felt like climatic scenes weren’t long enough and that there was too much ‘down time’ between events in the story.

I ended up giving this one 3 ⭐️.

DNF 55%
The start of the book seemed interesting at first and Rosalie was an alright character, but i still ended up losing interest quickly. I ended up being bored and found myself not caring about the characters or the romantic interests.

This book follows a young woman named Rosalie from off the farm to flying airplanes, something she got a taste for at age 11 and took flying lessons by 16. Being a farmer's daughter myself, I laughed at some of the antics, such as when she landed a plane in a field full of cows and was terrified to get out. This book follows her throughout World War II and the heartache and choices she has to make as she learns and grows up. I found myself frustrated with Rosalie as she puts up with the antics and drama of her so called boyfriend Alan. I found her love life to be quite predictable, but it gave the story the ending it deserves. The girls in this book were also quite "wild" too, topics that would be considered taboo and unacceptable for that time. Overall, it made it quite the entertaining read though and I am glad to leave an honest, good review for this book. Thank you NetGalley.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
An interesting story told and I liked that it was based on a true story. It has some good writing but switches from person to person quickly with little explanation. Also the books formatting made it difficult to read.
A good read.

Glamour Girls by Marty Wingate is the story of women pilots in England during the Second World War. They couldn't fly bombing missions but they could ferry planes in England from where they were to where they were needed. Rosalie had wanted to fly since she was 11 years old. Her father supported her; her mother didn't. She wanted her to be a farm wife, where she was safe. Her father didn't live to see it happen, but she nagged her way into the ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary) and flew until the war was over. She made many friends, some of them died; one of them she married.

This was a wonderful look into the lives of people who the exciting war stories have forgotten. There is all the pain of daily life as well as stories of people put in extraordinary situations. Interesting people to meet, live with, and get to know. People that change and look different to you than when you first knew them. An amazing book about amazing people, doing amazing things for their country and for each other. Hard to put into words how interesting and moving this book was and how exciting the war was for Rosalie. Read it yourself. I liked it and highly recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of Glamour Girls by Netgalley. All opinions contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #glamourgirls

It was a very refreshing book to learn about the woman who were in the Air Transport Authority Auxiliary how brave and strong they were.

Rosalie Wright has always wanted to fly ever since she was 11. She was too young to learn but once she was 16 she finally got her wish to learn to fly.

When war breaks out she applies for the ATAA but is turned down, eventually she is accepted and what happens to her she forms friendships with the other girls there.

You can see how brave the women were, even a few of them over the years losing their lives.

The book was very informative and it is so sad that a lot of them ended up going back to their daily life’s and not pursuing what they had been doing.

“Glamour Girls” is a well researched story about a young girl who develops a love of flying airplanes beginning at age 10. With the onset of WWII, Rosalie becomes focused on leaving her farmland home to join the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA).

This is a good story about one young woman and her experiences flying during WWII. It is not an in-depth tale of the war, but more a story of Rosalie’s wartime relationships and personal growth.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review. There are some slow bits where the plot is very predictable, but the characters are interesting and well-written. The author includes some topics that were controversial for the era and very skillfully works them into the story. I enjoyed this book overall.

Back during wartime, while the boys were off fighting, the girls were left doing all the things back home. This included being pilots flying as an air taxi in England. Somehow, there were all these women who were flying from here to there to deliver planes or even people to other parts of the area.

Glamour Girls by Marty Wingate is about these ATA pilots and the challenges and relationships built during the time. These ladies were fantastically called the Attagirls! I just love that term! Is that where it originated? Well, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, it originated in 1917 as a term “used to express encouragement, approval, or admiration to a woman or girl.”

Anywho, Rosalie Wright is one of these ATA pilots. She had a fascination for flying at a young age and her father took her to flying lessons at 16. While her mother wasn’t so fond of her little girl desiring to do something meant for the men, Rosalie’s desire to fly never wavered. She willingly kept pressing to fly, even as the war started.

Rosalie is the main character, but her friend Caro is my favorite. Caro seems to be able to read people and was a mentor for Rosalie, not only for flying, but in life and relationships as well. She has a stable good head on her shoulders and is confident and observant. She’s the perfect friend!

My favorite part of the book is when Rosalie’s comrade, Snug, lands in her family farm to see how she’s doing after she suffered a serious concussion. She was sent home for a few weeks to recover. It means a lot when a good friend actually flies to your farm to check in on you! Snug is very patient with Rosalie and patiently waits for her to understand that he’ll always be there for her.

Okay. So I’m totally blown away with these female pilots! I don’t know any female pilots now, I can’t imagine the struggle it might have been for these ladies to take on such a job in the middle of a war! Even though they weren’t in the battle zone, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be shot at!

A digital ARC of Glamour Girls was provided complimentary by Alcove Press via NetGalley. While a review is not required, I enjoy writing one because I know it helps readers and authors alike. I give this book 4 out of 5 tiaras because Rosalie became a good friend and I enjoyed the adventures with her.

Wow, what an awesome book! I love stories about how women contributed to the war effort. The women that ferried planes for the Air Transport Auxiliary freed up the men who could then fly planes into battle. These courageous women a lot of times put their lives on the line to make sure that the planes reached their destination, sometimes losing their lives. Way to go Attagirls!! This story has excitement, sadness, romance and history. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Alcove Press for an advanced copy of Glamour Girls.

I'm a huge WWII women aviation fan so I loved this book! I've read and loved a few historical fiction about ATA girls or WASPs so this is one of my favorite topics. Really enjoyed Glamour Girls!

Since she was 10 years old Rosalie Wright wanted to be a pilot and was saving up until she was 16 to get lessons. Just as she's starting to fly, Britain enters WWII and she can no longer fly until she hears about the Air Transport Authority (ATA) who are recruiting women pilots to help ferry planes from base to base. Her dreams are granted when she is selected. This book is about her experience as a female pilot and the friendships, family drama and love she encounters.

It was a fun, quick read and I was drawn into the characters and story. I liked the author's note at the end which shared more about the women who served and inspired her characters!

Farmer's daughter Rosalie has dreamt of flying ever since she was a young girl. As a young adult, though, when Britain entered World War 2 and civilian aviation opportunities dried up, she thought her dream was dead. Then she learns that the ATA (Air Transport Authority) is recruiting female pilots to ferry planes from Britain to RAF bases. She is determined to prove to her family – and skeptical male pilots and crews – that women can do the job just as well as men, despite her unexpectedly complicated personal life.

I have enjoyed several of Ms. Wingate's mystery series, so I was excited to see how she would handle not only a stand alone, but a historical fiction book as well. Fortunately, this book lived up to my expectations, and once I started reading, it was hard to put down. Earlier this year, I read a nonfiction book (The Women with Silver Wings) that dealt with a similar topic here in the US, so I was already familiar with the attitudes and obstacles these women had to overcome. I think this made it easier for me to concentrate on the story in this book, since I didn't have to stop reading as often due to indignation and disbelief :)

As the mother of a child who announced his intent to become a pilot when he was 9 years old, and who achieved that goal despite numerous obstacles in his way, it was easy to imagine how driven Rosalie was to pursue her dream, and how excited she must have been when she learned she had a chance to continue to fly. I liked the other characters in the story, and had no trouble picturing the settings as well. I look forward to reading more of this author's writing, both series books and stand alones.