I absolutely loved this book. It gave such great insight to how the women of Smith College contributed greatly to assist Americans, Brits and the French during WWI.
I enjoy historical fiction and thoroughly enjoyed hearing about all of these young women and their trials and tribulations. I never knew about this group of women traveling in war time to the front lines; I had assumed the Red Cross was the only unit doing this from America. They showed such courage and diligence. I loved the characters and didn't want this book to end. What a read !

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for giving me the opportunity to review this book. Lauren Willig is an author that I automatically preorder! I love historical fiction and she writes some of the best. This book was no exception.

The Smith unit is a group of women from Smith College which are sent to help in WWII. Their goal is to help the people rebuild, grow food and become self sustaining again. However, these young ladies are not well equipped for this project. And there are quite a few mistakes and missteps. (Like buying all roosters!)

These ladies are definitely out of their element. But, I loved each and every one. This story is so well researched and so well written. I loved the strong female characters with their flaws and their big hearts. This is the best book by this author…hands down!

AND! Give me Julia Whelan as a narrator any day! She is truly one of my favorites.

Need a fabulous WWII novel…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and learned about a new part of WWI history. The writing style of the book was hard to get into at times. I did enjoy the plot as well as the characters. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

I thoroughly enjoyed this saga of these women over-coming so many obstacles! It was a wonderful story of challenges, courage, love, successes and failures.
After they get off the ship, you won't be able to put this one down! Highly recommend for anyone who likes historical fiction and stories of strong women.

I wanted to love this book so much but it just did not come through for me. It was way too long and I understand there were alot of adventures to cover based on reading the historical notes at the end, but it just wasn’t interesting enough to sustain the length of the novel. It picked up at the end when the Germans were rapidly advancing during their last big push on the western front. Overall it was an interesting look at a group of strong women that did great things for the people of France during World War I. I just didn’t enjoy the story like I thought I would.

I love Kate. She gets was not supposed to be one of the smithie girls to go. At the last minute she is sucked into by her old classmate. The other girls let her know it too. Most of them I wouldn't have thought would make it very far. Just like most women put in tough spots they adapt and preserve. Laughter, love, and hard work are the recipe that makes this book good. The locals come to depend and need them. Much to their shock the girls will fight with anyone to stay because of this need. I would recommend this book for anyone who likes historical fiction, ww2 stories, history, women's history, books about friendship, and anyone who likes a good laugh and cry.

Band of Sisters is the story of nineteen Smith College graduates who go to the front lines in World War I France to help French civilians survive after being ravaged by the Germans. Emmie Van Alden convinces her best friend Kate Moran to go with her to France after a rousing speech from Smith alumna Betsy Rutherford. Emmie comes from a life of privilege with a domineering mother, while Kate lived a hardscrabble life and was a scholarship student at Smith. As the ladies arrive in France, they face many obstacles and the true brutality of war. Will they be able to make a difference and will they make it home alive?

I was fascinated by this story. I had never known about American women social workers in France during World War I and the important work that they completed to help French women and children survive. I loved their stories and how they worked to ensure that there would be food and education for the people. I also loved how they were resourceful and made do with what they had, including putting together their vehicles. They also faced hard and scary situations. Together the women are able to make their way through it, although like in many situations, there were people who didn’t get along with everyone else. I loved their bonds that they forged. I also loved a wonderfully sweet romance that occurs as well.

I listened to the audiobook version and it was hard to stop listening to it. It was excellent. I especially like the author’s note at the end where she discussed her research and the real story. She used snippets from the real letters written by the women and real events to create this fictional story.

Overall, Band of Sisters is a riveting historical fiction novel about a group of brave women who made a difference in World War I and deserve to be remembered.

I am absolutely in love with this book! The female friendships, their determination in a world where woman were not wanted for a man's job. They were from Smith College and went to a war zone to help out.
I did most of this book on audio and the narrator is one of my favorites.. She did an amazing job, as always.
I highly recommend this book, it was very well researched and well written.

Historical fiction. Squeaky clean.

I'm a fan of historical fiction, so maybe I'm just burnt out on these wartime stories. This is based on the (mostly privileged) young women from Smith College who go to France during WWI. There were parts of the story that were engaging, but they were so few and far between...this is a long book that reads more like Desperate Housewives of Smith College than Band of Brothers. The two main characters spend an enormous amount of time upset about misunderstandings and insecurities. Since I wasn't all that invested in the characters, I didn't really feel the romance either, but there always has to be one, right?

The narrator is a popular audiobook narrator, and she has a good voice for it. I didn't find enough difference in the characters' voices to distinguish them at times. But I think many historical fiction fans, especially those who also enjoy romance, will find this book appealing.

While I have been intrigued by other books by Willig, I have never actually read one. The lure of a WWI book was just much not to read.

In 1917, the Smith College Club band together to go to France to offer aid to French civilians in the midst of the onslaught of WWI. Kate Moran, one of the odd ones out, has joined the group and feels automatic hesitance amongst their ranks. She was of the scholarship students and the dynamic hasn't changed, even in war. But as the war takes over their everyday lives, the women soon find the social and economic statuses that divided them back home cease to matter in their united cause on the front.

Overall, I felt the characters did drive much of this piece. I do wish we had gotten perspective from a couple of or at least one other person. Maybe someone who was antithesis to Kate. It might have given readers an idea of what Paris was like if you were sent away from the front. As we know from the encounters Kate had, not everyone was glad to leave the front. There were a couple who were though, and I think it would have been intriguing to hear their perspective.

I did truly enjoy this story in general. I've read other books about WWI before, but never from a perspective like this. I think this would be really good to hear women tell the story of WWI, which is rarely told and only usually by men. To have a whole group of women from a single institution. It really makes me wish I could read their letters. It would be fascinating to read the original work.

I really did enjoy this book. I look forward to reading more by Willig in the future.

Gilmore girls meet the war. Just not my type of book. Seemed unrealistic, could not connect with the characters

Loved this book a lot! Based on a true story of 18 actual Smith College women ("Smithies") who went to aid French women and children displaced and injured because of the battles waged during WWI. The author did extensive research into the activities of the women on the front thanks in part to a wealth of surviving correspondence written during their time abroad. I really enjoyed how the book focuses on the everyday acts of ordinary women (some were society women, others were from more humble backgrounds) - each one survived harrowing war conditions to help the women and children ravaged by war and dealing with injuries, lost loved ones, and little food or shelter. Refreshing to see a celebration of women and women's work during the war instead of only men's efforts. At the core this is a story of bonds of friendship and how that friendship is tested and strengthened by feuds, jealousies and survival during life-threatening circumstances. Kate and Emmy were my favorite characters and their friendship undergoes quite a transformation. Favorite quote: "It isn't what you have it's what you make of it. Whether its turning a can of sardines and some condensed milk into a supper or turning a group of strangers into a band of sisters." Highly recommend for fans of Kate Quinn's The Alice Network, Jennifer Robson's Somewhere in France or Kristin Hannah's The nightingale. Excellent on audio with Julia Whelan as narrator!

This was a very informative and witty book about a group of brave college women helping in wartime. I listened to this book and felt as if I was there. The strength of these women and some of the challenges they faced were truly eye opening. I recommend this book to any historical fiction book lover.

I loved this book and narration. A powerful story about the resilience of women. I enjoyed this book and have recommended to many people already.

You can tell the author researched this book really carefully. The story and the plot lacked a little bit until the end and it was a little too long. I did enjoy reading about the Smith women as I had not heard of them before. But I think I would have enjoyed a non-fiction book about this more than a fiction one.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me listen to this book. I loved how these girls all set out being so naive and totally unprepared for what awaited them in France. By the end they were family after everything they had experienced.

The audiobook of Band of Sisters was excellent. The narrator was great. I hated it when life interfered and I had to stop listening to it.

This audiobook captures the novel's characters really well. The narrator creates a distinct voice for each of the women in the Smith unit, as well as ancillary characters in the story. I really enjoyed listening to this novel on audio, and I was drawn in right from the start.

Trigger warnings: war, poverty, attempted rape

Kate Moran didn't fit in with the other women from Smith College. They're from old aristocratic families and she was a scholarship recipient and the daughter of an immigrant. When her former roommate Emmeline "Emmie" Van Alden calls her and asks her to join an expedition to France at the last minute, French teacher Kate jumps at the opportunity. Her language skills and her ability to drive make her a desirable candidate for the mission.

The party of women includes a variety of professions -- social workers, nurses, doctors, a librarian, and French teacher Kate. The women's first task is to acquire supplies to bring to the villages including trucks, livestock, and other goods. The women find that they have more skills than they realize when they are required to assemble the trucks themselves.

The novel is interspersed with letters from the Smith ladies to their relatives in America. The women have to grapple with seeing injuries and poverty and become impoverished themselves as they use all their available money to help the villagers instead of buying luxuries like shampoo. Being close to the front lines is dangerous for the Smith women, especially when the front lines move inward towards their home base.

Lauren Willig conveys the difficulties of living in wartime as well as the emotional toll it takes on the women. She also deftly describes challenges the women's interpersonal relationships must overcome to continue working at the front.

Julia Whelan is a great narrator. I've listened to audiobooks read by her before and would do so again. Her reading of the dialogue conveys emotions felt by the characters and her narration is captivating.

Recommended for fans of historical fiction, women's fiction, and war fiction.