It’s 1917 in rural Cavan in the city of Dublin Ireland. Veronica McDermott lives on a farm with her family. But she wants more to life than living on a farm in the country, so you go and stays with her Uncle Tom and Aunty Betty and attends Secretarial college. Part way through her course she is gets a job to typing letters to the local priest who happens to be a member of Sinn Fein. She is doing such good work that she is asked to work at their headquarters. As a secretary to Politian Michael Collins who asks her to spy on a British soldier and gather intelligence about the British troops. But little does she realise when she meets the dashing Major Harry Fairfax and pretends to date him to get information, that she slowly falls in love with him the English Major. Even though it goes against her own beliefs and Sinn Fein.
I thank Aria for a copy of Dublin’s girl. This is this a great debut novel and although it is fiction it is based on true events. I really enjoyed this, and it was really interested in the independence of Ireland and how he came to be. As I wasn’t aware of these trying times and the sacrifices people made at that time and also how Sinn Fein came about. I also liked the love story between them. We can’t help who we fall in love with. The only annoying thing I found about this book. I thought the ending was a bit rushed. 4.5 stars from me.

Set in Ireland during World War I, we meet Veronica who wants to escape life on the farm.

She has a dream to move to Dublin and learn at the Secretarial School. Nothing is straightforward as her

twin brother joins the volunteers against British rule , ending up in prison and then she meets Harry..........

Veronica has a lot to contend with but has high hopes and the spirit to make herself a better future.

First a huge thank you to #netgalley and Aria & Aries publishing for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

In this book we are introduced to Veronica McDermot, a young Irish country girl, who moves to the city to stay with her Aunt and Uncle so she can go to secretarial college. Set in 1917 during a time when Ireland fought for their independence from Britain, Veronica finds herself working for an Irish political party and after a happenstance meeting with a handsome British soldier, is encouraged to date him in the hopes that she can gather intel.

Alright, onto the honesty...this book had so much potential to be a gripping story of political intrigue, forbidden love, and edge of your seat action. Unfortunately, it was none of these things for me. There was something lacking in the authors voice, it might have been believability. I wasn't engrossed in these characters or the storyline at all. There really was no suspense building and the romance was dull. There were some nit-picky things for me as well, when the characters spoke they did not speak in an accent. The author didn't write with an Irish lilt or an English accent, so left the characters feeling flat.

I really really wanted to love this book, the description gave me hope for it being everything I could ever want in a Historical Fiction, but sadly it didn't hit the mark for me. 😞

Dublin's Girl by Eimear Lawlor

Veronica leaves her home in rural Ireland (Virginia, County Cavan) to attend secretarial college in Dublin and stay with her Aunt and Uncle. Set against the backdrop of the aftermath of the Easter Rising and WW1, we experience Ireland's fight for independence through Veronica. This book is extremely engaging - history, romance, intrigue, adventure and so much more. On a personal note I used to live in Virginia, where Veronica is from, so I loved revisiting albeit 100 years ago! And in a bizarre coincidence I currently live in Shropshire, where Harry is from! I loved this book and can't wait to read what the author writes next. Very highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Set in 1917 Ireland, Dublin's Girl follows the life of Veronica McDermott from family farm in rural Cavan to the big city of Dublin, where post Easter Uprising has the Irish fighting their British occupiers. Veronica is a teenage girl who doesn't want to spend her life on the family farm, marry and have children. She wants a career of her own and has her sights set on learning to type and working in a real office. She manages, through the use of a bit of blackmail on her twin brother, to persuade her parents to send her to Dublin where she will live with her aunt and uncle and attend typing school .
Once at school, she is asked to work for one of the local priest who needs letters typed. The letters are in support of Sinn Féin, the political group fighting for Irish independence. Before long, Veronica is working with Michael Collins ,typing letters to their network of supporters as well as detailing locations of rallies and anti-conscription (military draft of Irish into the British Military) notices. Veronica becomes more deeply invested in the cause. She is eventually asked to try to get information from a British soldier. She is wiling to do this for her country, but she is now in even greater danger. Danger not just from the escalating tensions and raids on the streets of Dublin, but because she finds herself falling for her British counterpart.
Although Dublin's Girl is historical fiction, it is inspired by the author's aunt who worked in the party in 1917 with Michael Collins. I read the book in two sittings - it is a fast paced story. Don;' take this book to be a romance novel, although there are themes of romantic entanglements with the British soldier, this is a well written slice of what life may have been like for those, such as the author's aunt, who lived through these tumultuous times. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I thank NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

It's now a century since Ireland's war of independence from England and this book was published so that we don't forget.

This historical fiction book tells the story from Veronica's point of view. As troubles are coming Veronica leaves her parents rural home and heads to Dublin to be a secretary where she's asked to spy on an English soldier. Except she falls in love with him and had to choose her heart or her country.

I found this book really interesting. I vaguely recalled some of the names mentioned when she gets to Dublin. It's quite remarkable that this is based on the author's aunt and her involvement with the political party. The story was well thought out and we'll written. It's a complicated event but I thoroughly enjoyed reading about it.

Wow, for a debut it was exciting and captivating. I read faster as it went on. I have to be honest and found it slow to begin and was starting to think it wasn’t for me when it took off. Loved it, felt we could have had a bit more of the difficulties endured by Veronica and Harry.
It was enlightening seeing life from the other side. Will there be another?

I was excited to read this book- it’s historical fiction- so it was bound to be a good fit for me. I enjoyed reading about the time after the Easter Rising and about the beginnings of the Irish Republic. There’s still so much that I want to know and I’ll definitely continue reading about it and doing my own research.
I enjoyed the book but sometimes the narration seemed a little too factual and sometimes repetitive. Sometimes the continuity was missing. But that might be a thing that’s corrected before publishing.

Apart from that the book has been a pleasant read and for a debut novel I think Lawlor did a good job of putting such a complex time of Ireland’s history in a book and forming a picture so the reader could enter the world of the book.

Dublin's Girl by Eimear Lawlor is based on her aunt's work for Sinn Fein and Michael Collins. The time period is the last couple of years of WWI until the truce is called and Ireland became a republic. The book is an enjoyable read and I looked forward to picking it up again after real life had called me away from it. I did find some continuity issues that as a reader caused me to pause and re-read in some areas. However, thanks to #NetGalley I did receive an ARC, or unedited draft, of #Dublin'sGirl in exchange for my honest review, so these issues may be fixed by the time the book is in your hands. Nothing that detracted from the overall story, more along the lines of one sentence will tell you he is standing with his hands behind his back looking at her, the next sentence says as he draws his cigarettes out of his front pocket. I was also a bit thrown by the main character in a book about the IRA being named Veronica, but maybe that was the real woman's name or something. These complaints about the book are truly minor and it was a very enjoyable story, and my rating of 4 stars is based on that fact.

Set in Ireland, during the years after the 1916 Easter Uprising when British occupiers were fighting the Irish, Dublin's Girl by Eimear Lawlor shows us what life was like for the main character, Veronica, her family, friends, and coworkers. Veronica is a country girl from Cavan who moves in with her aunt and uncle in Dublin to attend secretarial school and then gets a job working for Irish political party Sinn Fein. She is encouraged by politician/revolutionary Michael Collins to date a British soldier, Harry, in the hopes that he will pass on information to her to help the cause. The plan unravels when the couple fall in love. I really liked the story and the author's writing style but I felt the ending was a little rushed - I would have liked to know what happened after the couple decided to marry and before the "20 Years Later" epilogue. All in all, though, it was an easy read and good story and I liked learning that it was based on the life of the author's aunt. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Set in Ireland in 1917, though the topic of war is a heavy one, this book doesn't get mired down in it. Rather the author focuses on the lives of the characters and while there is heartache and sorrow there is also gladness and hope. The story itself is fascinating and moves at a lively but not fast pace.

Veronica, a young woman living in comparative comfort in rural Ireland, is not content with her life and often finds herself wistfully yearning for more. Her parents are convinced through conniving to allow her travel to Dublin where she is enrolled in secretarial college to fulfill her dream. She stays with her aunt and uncle who are grieving. Unbeknownst to her she is quickly enmeshed in the war effort. Her naivette soon transfers into deliberate action as she types in an incredibly interesting office which would become infamous in real life. She is also encouraged to spy on English Major Harry Fairfax, which she does, but with reluctance later as she falls in love with him. Naturally she is torn...country or love?

We are shown glimpses of Dublin poverty during this time, so much worse than Veronica anticipates. But I like that this was included. It was reality. The story is well written, inspired by real-life events.

The author's inspiration for writing is very, very moving and poignant. Additionally, her great-aunt typed for Eamon de Valera...how interesting that would have been!

My sincere thank you to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this brilliant debut in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to more by this author!

Dublin’s Girl by Eimear Lawlor is a great historical fiction novel that has romance, political intrigue, suspense, and most definitely action.

I really enjoyed this book. At first it seems as if it is a historical romance, however do not let it fool you, it has so much more.

We see a sheltered Veronica McDermott travel from her rural family farm to stay with relatives in Dublin during the pivotal year of 1917. She ends up becoming a secretary to one of the leading members of what would be the IRA, Eamon De Valera. Before she realizes it, she becomes ensnared into political espionage and high stakes events when she is asked to gather intel and potential information on a British soldier that she has befriended, Harry Fairfax, and formed a relationship with. Within this conundrum, she must decide if she will follow her heart, or if she will stay loyal to her family and country. She finds she must choose between her countrymen and their desire of an Irish Free State and the occupiers, Britain.

I really enjoyed the plot line that escalated as it went forward. Veronica was placed in such a difficult and unfair position without an appropriate answer. I liked the relationship between Veronica and Harry. They had chemistry and despite their mistakes, seemed wise beyond their years. I also enjoyed the ending and thought it was fitting and satisfying for the story.
I really enjoyed the inclusion of real events and people within the novel. I felt the inclusion of De Vera and (my personal favorite) Michael Collins was appropriately and tastefully done. I always think it is such a great concept to be able to add history to a fictional narrative so that one can actually be inspired to learn more about past events. That is the definition of a great HF novel.

I was also surprised to see that the character of Veronica (in regards to the secretarial position and political involvement specifically)was actually based on the author’s aunt. I would love to read more about her aunt’s experiences. That would make an excellent biography.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Aria & Aries for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 1/28/21.