Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig is based on a real group of women, The Smith College Relief Unit. The Smithies went to France to give aid to the villages that took the brunt of the destruction during the Great War. Willig found letters and other documentation to base this book on although she did take some literary license. The book was a fascinating insight into what the Smithies endured during their time in France. There were some times that I became frustrated with the women for being catty when they all needed to pull together, but I suspect this too was based on what really happened. I found it to be very realistic and recommend the book! I appreciate #NetGalley for allowing me to give my honest opinion on #BandOfSisters.

I really enjoy reading Lauren Willig’s books! This is the first time I have listened to one of them and it was a great experience! The narrator was very good, and I could hear Ms. Willig’s sense of humor coming through. This is a fascinating story based on an actual group of women from Smith College that went to France during WWI to help the locals. Of course they encounter all sorts of awfulness and are in danger as they are so close to the front lines. These women were very brave and it is a story of heroes. The main characters of Kate, Emmy and Julia learn they have amazing strength and they form deep bonds. A riveting story!

This is strictly a review of the audiobook Band of Sisters, by Lauren Willing and narrated by Julia Whelan.

Julia Whelan, does an incredible job narrating Band of Sisters, by Lauren Willig. The story is about a group of Smithies, alumnae of Smith College (for women), who, volunteer to head to France, to help the recovery effort in the small villages, at the height of WW1 (1917). The entire story is based on actual alumnae and the letters that they wrote home,describing their experiences, (which were much more demanding (and frightening) then they could have possibly ever imagined). Lauren Willig stumbled upon the letters, and used them to create this story.

Narrator, Julia Whelan, is top notch, and this is extremely helpful, because Band of Sisters is a long book, 15+ hours, (with many characters), so the book needs a narrator who is "nice" to listen to

Thank you #netgalley and @harperaudio for an early copy of the audiobook #bandofsisters in return for my honest review. I really enjoyed it, however, I think, actually "seeing" a hard copy of this book would have been helpful.

Lauren Willig has done it again! I have read a few books by Lauren Willig and have enjoyed them all. Band of Sisters was no exception. She started researching something entirely different when she accidentally stumbled upon letters and journal articles written by women who were members of the Smith College Relief Unit stationed in France during World War I. Her interest was piqued and the seeds for Band of Sisters were planted and started to cultivate. Band of Sisters was based on the true story and events of eighteen incredible, determined, and courageous Smith College alumni women. I listened to Band of Sisters as an audiobook read by Julia Whelan. Most of the characters in Band of Sisters were based on the actual women of the unit. There were a few characters that were purely part of the author’s creativity and imagination. The combination of the two made the book believable and added a little favor.

Kate Moran attended Smith College on a full scholarship. She had grown up in Brooklyn, New York. Her family was far from what might be considered well off or well connected as most of the Smith College students were. Kate had never felt comfortable at Smith College or that she fit in. She had one true friend, Emmeline Van Alden. After graduation from Smith College, Kate secured a teaching position. Kate and Emmeline, or Emmie as everyone called her, kept in touch through mail. As the years progressed, their letters became less frequent and shorter and shorter in length.

In April 1917, Miss Betsy Rutherford, an archeologist and humanitarian, gave a very enthusiastic speech at the Smith College Club. In record time, Miss Rutherford accumulated enough volunteers, funding, backing and supplies to launch the formation of the Smith College Relief Unit. Emmie was determined to convince Kate to join the unit. One of the members had backed out and Emmie begged Kate to take her place. Reluctantly, Kate finally agreed. Little did she realize how much her life was about to change from this experience.

The unit arrived in Paris in July 1917 to find out that half of the inn they were to stay in had burned and was a big pile of ruins. There also were not enough rooms for all the girls in their unit. One of the members of the unit convinced the proprietor to house them dormitory style in the attic. At least they were all kept together. When they arrived at their final destination, their challenges would only begin to occur. The women who were to become the drivers for the unit, had to actually build their own vehicles from scratch. This was more than any of the women had bargained for. Nothing could have prepared the for the challenges the were about to face. Their agriculturist was delayed so the woman filling in for her, having little prior experience with farm animals before arriving in France, bought roosters instead of hens. No wonder why there were no eggs! They set out to build libraries with lots of books for the children, schools, and houses. The women provided food, milk and medical supplies to the people in the villages. There were two female doctors that were also part of the eighteen women in their unit. They all wore uniforms that were gray with a touch of French blue. One time a group of the women went to one of the nearby towns. They were greeted by a group of children. Someone threw a ball to one of the children and a child began to cry uncontrollably. The ball had been mistaken for a bomb. The children had gone through so much and had seen things that no child should have had to witness. When France became very dangerous with the imminent invasion of Germany, the women of the Smith College Relief Unit were told to evacuate. They ignored the warnings and instead drove into danger to the surrounding towns and villages to help evacuate those in the most danger from the Germans. All of these things really happened. What incredible and strong women they were. What a difference they made in the lives of those they were able to help. The women were always up for the challenge and always went the extra yard to make it happen. All the women from the Smith College Relief Unit survived the war.

This was an incredible story about bravery, determination, kindness, friendship, love, thinking outside the box, courage and strong women. I was so glad to have learned about these women and their involvement in the war effort. They should be commended.

Thank you to Harper Audio for allowing me to listen to Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig through Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

During WW1 a group of women from Smith College formed the Smith College Relief Unit that traveled to France to help civilians rebuild after the Germans destroyed their towns, land and people. The Smithies provided basic needs to the civilians such as food, blankets, medical attention and love. These women were so strong and faced so much during their adventures in a time that was so unsure. When gunshots were heard from only a few miles away and when bombs were dropped overhead, they chose to face danger and didn’t back away. Instead, they went in with their heads held high and their hearts open and while doing so, formed the bonds of sisterhood which would last for many years. The book closely follows two women of the Relief Unit – Emmi Van Alden and Kate Moran. Emmi and Kate are college friends although Emmi comes from a wealthy family while Kate is on scholarship to attend college. Their friendship is torn open and tested throughout the story. Based on true events, Lauren Willig, did an amazing job portraying the thoughts and actions of these women. This was a beautifully written piece of historical fiction, more historical than fiction, about friendship, perseverance and empathy. I highly suggest you put this on your TBR as soon as it is published!

Thank you @NetGalley and @laurenwillig for my audiobook copy! The narrator did an amazing job sharing the story. Pub date: March 2, 2021

Wow I don't even know where to start. First off thank you NetGalley and author Lauren Willig for gifting me the audio book version of the story. The narrator did an amazing job! I loved this book so much! The way the author described the scenery and characters were just breath taking. I had no idea that a band of women from America got together like this and went over to France to help out. All the events in this book are real. The authors historical notes at the end of the book explain everything. I can't believe how brave these women were and I can't imagine all the horrors that they saw while the war was going on. I love reading gems like this and now I blame the author because I have a feeling I will be going down a historical rabbit hole now after reading this book, because I want to now read up all about these fantastic ladies! Thank you so much Lauren Willig for writing this masterpiece and I look forward to reading more of your books. I think you have become my favorite historical writer. I felt like I was taken back in time during 1917-1918 helping along side the women and going on all their adventures with them. Thank you for sharing this with the world!

Facing the French bureaucracy, the Germans invading and the British who believed them a nuisance, the Smith College Relief Unit persisted, bringing much needed aide to the French countryside ravaged by war.

Told from the perspective of Kate Moran, we learn the she is actually not quite as “Smithie” as her counterparts, coming from a blue-collar background and enrolled on scholarship. In college she was taken under her roommate Emmeline (Emmie) Van Alden’s wing, and as she was as blue-blooded royalty as America gets, the rest of her classmates were forced to accept her presence. Fast forward six years after graduation, Kate is having to earn a living by teaching French at an all-girls school in Boston and is decidedly unhappy. Emmie convinces her to take the place of a last-minute drop out in the Smith College Relief Unit.

These city women quickly learn a bit of humility when they arrive in a warn-torn region decimated by German shelling and billeted officers who burned their way out of town. The peasants in these small French villages have been left homeless and hungry with the enemy ruining their homes and livelihood. The Smithies quickly get to work, bringing along two female doctors, setting up a school and library, helping to gather seeds for planting, finding livestock to sustain the population, as well as many other things. These roles are new to these college women and we begin to see fractures within the unit as they face many challenges and setbacks along the way.

Based on the real women of Smith College Relief Unit, Willig includes letters written by these women at the beginning of each chapter. Between the actually letters and Willig’s writing you begin to get a feel for each of these women and find yourself rooting for one or another as the story progresses. I myself was a big fan of Emmie for her servant heart and great empathy for everyone around her.

Band of Sisters was a quick and enjoyable read about the power of sisterhood. Thank you to Lauren Willig, Netgalley and Harper Audio for the advanced audio book.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Audio for the advance digital copy. Both the author and the narrator did an amazing job with this story. A well researched historical fiction story. A very emotional story, a love story, a story of resilience and a story of friendships during WW1. The characters and the settings felt so real. The narrator is one of my favorites and gave each character their own voice.

Note:. This partial review is for audio, only 34 percent read.

This is the story of Kate Moran and her class mates from Smith College whom headed over to Europe to assist in the war effort. Im usually a fan of WW2 fiction and enjoyed the values of the friendships and caring for the needy but it was not wowing me or drawing me in. There where too many characters to focus on that were one dimensional. Then the audio digressed for letters that classmates wrote to each other and home that broke the continuity of the listening for me when it digressed. Bit of a struggle and a 15 hour listen.

Absolutely loved this book! Didn’t want it to end.

The character development between the three main protagonists (Kate, Emma and Julia) is nothing short of perfect. I’ve read/listened to approximately 130 books this year and I was really impressed.

This book is based on true events. I’ve ordered Ladies of Grecourt to read about the history (vs historical fiction) of these amazing women; women who helped families in WWI so close(miles) to the front line! They even helped direct traffic of the evacuation when the Germans over ran the lines.

This book will be a best seller! Love, love, loved it!

Every time the women referred to Emma's British sweetheart, I smiled at the nickname!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author/Lauren Willig for an advance read copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read so many great WWII books this past year so it was wonderful to “read” one set during WWI.

Lauren Willig is a must read for me and I thought the narrator did a splendid job on all the voices. I will be looking for more audio books narrated by Julia Whelan.

Band of Sisters is the engrossing story of Kate, Emmie and the other girls from Smith College Relief Unit who travel to France during World War 1 to bring aid to the villagers. Their lives will change as soon as they start the voyage over the Atlantic to war-time France.

If you’ve enjoyed any of Lauren Willig’s books in the past, I think you’ll enjoy Band of Sisters too.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audio book.