This is a fabulous historical novel It’s a heartwarming story of love, loss and friendship
There are some lovely bonded characters. I really enjoyed the ending too

I am a fan of historical fiction based on WWII. This is an interesting view into that time in history. The author has done a tremendous amount of research and has presented it in an emotional tale The characters are well developed and you will find yourself drawn into the story as they show such strength and persistence. What an amazing group of women who discover they have the determination to fight for themselves. The bonds they create is touching and reveals a heartwarming story of imperfect people striving to be the best they can in a very difficult situation. An excellent journey that I strongly encourage you to put on your to-be-read list.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

From a childhood school love to being a single parent having to live with an aunt on her smallholding to leaving home to move to Bristol as WW2 was staring. Finding true friendship that lasted for years and living a decent life to a lovely surprise. Read and enjoy this book, it is well worth 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC.

This was my first read of 2021 and my first #booktour of the year! I found this a very easy read which I got through pretty quickly. It was a lovely story of friendship, determination, resilience and love. Abigail and Emily’s bond is so strong and it really is wonderful to read about a female friendship group that are purely there to love and support each other. Through the trying times of war, with the city being bombed, their lives and futures begin to take shape. I really enjoyed the progression of Abigail’s character throughout the story, with each chapter seeming to move her and her life onwards. This title will be released in March 2021, so keep an eye out!

This is my first book by Rosie James, it certainly won’t be the last I thoroughly enjoyed it, I really liked the easy to read and simplistic writing style which brought the overall story and characters to life.

The story follows Abigail, who at the age of nineteen has brought shame to the family name by becoming a single mother to her adorable daughter; Emily Grace. But being the 1930’s this isn’t the thing, this means shame and scandal and embarrassment for everyone. How times have changed!

She is living with her aunt Edna at Cooper Cottage, but life is repressive she is feeling claustrophobic and like she is constantly walking on eggshells, she needs to be free from their strangulating hold over her and her daughter. So she makes the drastic decision to leave, the war has just erupted and she leaves the little village to Bristol she finds herself for the first time in her life free. She finds work in a little cafe and a bookshop and she makes lifelong friends in the form of Eileen and Carrie. But with war ebbing closer to our shores her life could once again be uprooted and change.

I liked the sense of community and that Abigail finally found people who didn’t stigmatise her for being an unmarried young mother, she found genuine friends who she could rely on. The writing is charming, I loved the sense of drama in the background with the murmuring of what is going on in London with the Blitz, but this is all about finding your feet and the power of good strong friendships, it’s heart-warming.

The only negative thing I will say about it was it felt a little slow in parts like certain chapters were being drawn out longer than they by rights should have been. I think perhaps it’s a little longer than it needed to be seeing as it is a pretty short and simple story packed into far more pages than necessary, but other than that it’s an enjoyable novel that will resonate with many.

Overall a charming little story that is all about the strength of friendship and is well worth a read.

I usually like this type of book set around the Second World War, however on this occasion I found the story far too slow and did not enjoy it at all.

I didn’t like the start. I’m finding there’s a lot of books lately with an unmarried mother treated appallingly by her family and I really hate seeing it. I therefore didn’t finish it

Thank you NetGalley and HQ Digital for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
War Girls follows the story of a young unwed mother who makes her way from the England countryside to the city of Bristol with her young daughter in tow at the start of WW2. Her journey seems to be blessed by luck and good fortune. She quickly finds a place to board as well as employment, and fortuitously meets two other young women, who remain close companions throughout the story. Their friendship was probably my favorite part of the book.
The book was a relatively quick and engaging read, but I would ultimately characterize it as WW2-era historical fiction light. I read many many books in this genre, andI found that this one sort of glossed over the many many hardships that people faced during wartime. I think it would be a very appropriate YA introduction to this period in history as it doesn't dive too deeply into the darker sides of what people experienced at that time, but for me it lacked some of the depth I was hoping for.


#TheWarGirls #NetGalley

This was a wonderful historical fiction book! I was hooked from the very beginning. This is writing is like no other! Absolutely beautiful!

An easy quick read. I love stories set in the war era and this was a lovely one about true friendship.

Enjoyed this family saga and i look forward to when this is realised as my mum enjoys these type of stories and i will purchase her a copy. Thanks

A wonderfully written book that I loved from beginning to end, a beautifully written story about the hardship Abigail had to suffer from a young age and how she escapes that hardship with her lovely daughter Emily, a story full of new found friendships and love and family affairs that are happily resolved in the end
A fantastic read that was thoroughly enjoyed throughout

I really enjoy books set in this era, but sadly found this book a bit slow. In fact, I wish I could've just read the beginning and the end - which I did enjoy! I also found details of Emily's life rather frustrating. I realise that her and Abigail had an exceptionally close relationship, but I have a two and a half year old granddaughter and there is no way that she could lay out cups and saucers, and clear tables then clean them in the cafe, like Emily did. I also wouldn't let a 3/4 year old peel potatoes. I feel really bad for writing this review as I've never written one like this before. Sorry!

Gently written with characters that are just too wonderful and nice against the backdrop of ww2 in Bristol. Women coming together to make tuner way through the dangers and trials of the war forge a strong bond. Past social indiscretions are no longer quite the issue they used to be, and past trials are worked through with love and friendship. I wish I knew people like these,...

The book starts with Abigail and daughter Emily who are living at Cooper’s with her aunt. Abigail decides to move on and decides on Bristol.
Once there they find lodgings with Mrs Grant, using the local cafe to eat. It is here that they find all the friends they need to help them through the rough times once war is declared. Carrie and Eileen help Abigail find somewhere to live when she has to move on. You can feel the friendship amongst them.

The War Girls by Rosie James is an excellent WWII era historical fiction novel that I truly enjoyed.

This is the first book I have read by this author, and I am now most definitely a fan.

I really enjoyed this heartwarming story of resilience, friendship, love, loss, overcoming adversity, and the strength of character. I really enjoyed the full cast of characters within this story. These women were able to find one another, forge strong friendships and relationships, and were able to fight their way through their own adversities together. They found they were stronger, smarter, and could accomplish more then they realized. Seeing such strong bonds between these women was truly heartwarming, touching, and wonderful. I really loved Abigail, Emily, Eileen, Carrie, and the rest of the cast. I enjoyed seeing Abigail blossom into a passionate young woman whom was likable, realistic, and imperfect. I also really, really liked the ending (of which I will not divulge here for fellow readers to discover for themselves). It was truly perfect and fitting.

An excellent book that I highly recommend.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and HQ for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR, Bookbub, Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts immediately
. This book was published 1/13/21.

A lovely uplifting story of a young woman leaving behind her troubled past, starting anew and finding out that the world can be a kind and friendly place. Set against the war years and lots of historical information as part of the story. The reader can not fail to warm to Abigail and Emily Grace and become involved with them and the friend they make along the way.

A perfect read for those cold winter evenings indoors.

Really enjoyable book telling the story of Abigail her hard life she has on her Aunt’s farm only going to school having no friends and working all the time.

Abigail makes friends with Luke and whenever her Aunt is away she meets up with him. One day she goes to see him but his family have moved.

Abigail decides to move to Bristol as life on the farm is hard and she wants better things for herself. She is fortunate to meet two other girls Eileen & Carrie and they become friends. Abigail gets work for herself but with the war going on she decides along with Eileen & Carrie to help the war effort so for a while work in a factory.

It was good to see what happens to Abigail and you wonder if she will have a happy life in the end. Would recommend the book it was written very well.

It’s 1939, an unmarried young mother embarks on a new adventure from the countryside to city life. Along the way, she meets Janet, Carrie and Eileen who become her family throughout the war.

This is a beautiful written book which really explores the special meaning of friendship. I loved the book and felt like I really connected with the characters.

Keeping my eyes peeled for the next book by this fantastice author - Rosie James

Fabulous historical fiction novel. A great story of friendship and love. Fantastic read that will stay with you long after you finish the book.