Daisy isn’t your average island girl. Sure, she might live right next to a beautiful beach in Oahu, but she’s a working girl. She’s had to work since her father died and her mother checked out. Thankfully, she was able to get a job doing what she loved: working at Mr. Montgomery’s stables with some of the most beautiful horses on the island. Horses are her thing, which is why she takes it so hard when she makes a mistake that gets her fired. Unsure what to do next, she stumbles onto an opportunity to serve her country and pay the bills as a Radar Girl. Pearl Harbor has suddenly thrust the US into the fight, and the ladies of Hawaii, Daisy included, are up to the task of supporting their men in arms. What she doesn’t realize is how perfect she is for this new role or how much it will change her life. ⁠
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I LOVED this book. It didn’t grab me right away, but somewhere along the way I got SUPER invested in the characters and the story. I blame the History Channel. I’ve always been that weird girl would would rather watch a war documentary than pretty much anything else. I can’t tell you how many I’ve seen, some I even bought tickets to see in the theater. I love all things WWII, so it’s no surprise that I enjoyed this one. Daisy’s story is compelling, but the collective story of all the Radar Girls is what captured my imagination. They were instrumental in the war efforts in the Pacific, and I’d never even heard of them! The emotional rollercoaster created by the author in the final half of the book kept me itching to keep going. I wanted, scratch that, needed to know what happened!

Five stars PLUS!

I really enjoyed this historical novel set in Hawai'i. It begins the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, when Daisy, our heroine who works with horses on a local rich guy's ranch, sneaks one of the horses out for a ride. The horse is spooked when there is a dogfight over the water not far from the strand, and Daisy watches in helpless horror as a Japanese plane is destroyed, and the American fighter limps back to base.

Daisy volunteers to become a "radar girl" --a crucially important job that ordinarily strictly went to men. Of course the women have to overcome prejudice from guys on their own side, but they work hard, and prove themselves.

Meanwhile, there is love in the air for Daisy--and how her romance works out, the ins and outs of the radar job, and the personalities Ackerman developed were such a pleasure to read. I think the icing on the cake was the care she took to depict the overlapping cultures of Hawai'i, and how the whites, though in charge, do not in fact form the center of everyone's life. Ackerman is also sensitive to the terrible dilemma of Japanese-descendant Americans, who knew nothing of the impending attack, but were swept up and away anyway, in the vindictive (and frightened) American aftermath.

One of those reads I meant to pick up and enjoy for the space of a lunch and ended up reading from beginning to end, my own daily tasks shoved aside.

This book felt like I was reading a Martha Hall Kelly book and for that, I am forever grateful. This book was so interesting and written about women in a time period that focuses mainly on men and what men did for the country. This book was wonderfully researched and written in such a way that it was easy to understand. I will definitely read more from Sara Ackerman.

This is the interesting story of a group of women who were hired to replace men who enlisted as radar workers after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. They were taught to translate incoming messages about locations of planes and boats in the Pacific as well as track them all on a map.

Thanks to NetGalley for my gifted copy of this book.

Radar Girls is my 2nd Sara Ackerman book and it did not disappoint.
This book tells the story of the Women’s Air Raid Defense. Daisy Wilder is a horse trainer working on a big ranch, but after the attack on Pearl Harbor, she is recruited to work for the military in the war effort.
Daisys story is a sweet one with low level romance but very rich relationships with her fellow WARDs. Rich Hawaiian landscape details and great storytelling with info about a little know part of how women helped in the war effort.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of Radar Girls!

Radar Girls is a poignant and heartwarming historical fiction novel, based on the true experiences of women in the Women's Air Raid Defense during WWII. The main character, Daisy, is somewhat of a tomboy, preferring horses and fishing to more "feminine" pursuits. She is struggling to support her mother after her father's tragic death, and she accepts a position in the super-secret new program to support the troops in Hawaii and prevent further Japanese attacks. For the first time in her life, she finds a group of female friends, and she also finds romance with her former employer's son. I really loved the way Daisy's character developed, and I especially loved her relationships with the other women in the program. The romance is sweet and doesn't overtake the other aspects of the book, which I appreciated a lot. I also loved learning about this particular piece of history, which I didn't know much about prior to reading this book.

Highly recommend to fans of historical fiction and strong female protagonists!

4.5
A well researched and fluidly written novel about war-time Hawaii. The characters and time period are accurately captured and the plot is varied and interesting. This was a throughly entertaining read - great for any historical fiction lovers!

Radar Girls is another novel I would recommend to anyone wanting to learn more about the history of women’s contributions during World War II, along with such titles as Fly Girls and The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion, which focus on the WASPS. Like those titles, it opened up my eyes to a part of history that I was not aware of. Discovering the existence of these women who tracked ships and planes near Pearl Harbor to aid soldiers and protect citizens was fascinating to me. Along the way, you learn the process that they used, and you discover how intelligent and determined these women were. You also see just how much discrimination they faced, even though they were every bit as dedicated and capable as their male counterparts. While this was very enlightening, I was a bit disappointed that the book itself wasn’t more well-crafted. I felt like the focus was too often on the romantic relationships, which were important to the time period, but seemed to often take over the story. It made it difficult for me to know what the author’s purpose was. Was it a mystery? A romance? A historical fiction novel? All 3 plus several side stories? I just felt like it could have gone into so much more depth. Overall, an engaging story, but I wish it hadn’t tried to fit in so many subplots.

As a lot of you know I read tons of WWII historical fiction. Most all of which have been centered upon the European campaign. This is my first book that is set in the South Pacific, and dealing with Pearl Harbor.
I loved learning about the women who made up the WARDS (Women's Air Raid Defense). I had never heard about them until now. Learning the history of these women made the book worthwhile to me.
I also liked Daisy's character, she was strong and spunky, I didn't quite get her relationship though, especially after the truth was discovered. It seemed a bit off to me. But that is all I will say, I don't want to leave any spoilers.
The descriptions of the islands and the culture were wonderful, very bright and colorful, making it seem like I was a part of it.
Overall a good, quick, highly informative novel. A little more depth added to the supporting characters would have made this a 5 star read, it is definitely a solid 4 star!
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the free ARC of this novel, I am leaving my honest review in return.

What a great story, really pulls you in, learned a lot of history of the women who kept our military safe during WWII over Hawaii. Amazing, interesting historical fiction book with just enough romance to balance the history. Really enjoyed getting to know the characters and learning facts I did'nt learn before.

Radar Girls is an excellent fictional account of a little known force the WARD during World War II. It is very intense and has plenty of romance included that portrays the lives of service people during the war after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I couldn't't put it down until I discovered what happened with the Radar Girls especially Daisy and Walker.

This unique historical fiction takes place in Hawaii after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It is a story about women and their roles in WWII. This is a story about a group of women doing a job to help fight the enemy. But it is also a story about young women discovering themselves and the world around them amid the global tumult, given the job of guiding planes using a plotting system and radar, the women were under pressure. In addition to the critical and stressful jobs, these were also young women still getting to know themselves and the world around them. This storybstory takes the reader on the journey of these young women performing difficult joba stessful time in history.


The story is told from different point of views; moving between the characters weaving a rich tale.The young women are not only dealing with harrowing war related responsibilities, they are still getting to know themselves.

The plot was interesting filled with friendships, danger, betrayal, and romance. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy this book. I was engrossed in the lives of the characters. The story kept me engaged and turning pages.

Daisy’s life takes a turn for the worse when her father dies. She becomes the caretaker to her mother who is unable to cope. She finds work at the nearby horse ranch and discovers her perfect job training horses. But she loses her job when her favorite horse is lost. Secrets have a way of finding their way out of the past as Daisy discovers while working on a highly classified government project during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Will the secret break her or make her stronger.

I love when historical fiction transports me to a time and place, and also teaches me about something I never knew, and entertains me with a heartwarming story and compelling characters. Radar Girls takes readers directly to Hawaii on December 7, 1941. At the time of the attack, Daisy Wilder is a bright young woman who takes care of horses on a ranch, living a hardscrabble life with her mother. After the attack, everything changes for Daisy as she joins the ranks of the Women’s Air Raid Defense. Daisy, who had always been a bit of a loner, now enters a sisterhood of women doing their part to keep their home safe. There are some heart-stopping moments as the country is swept up into war; there is a bit of mystery, a sweet romance, and growing friendships. I loved the camaraderie between the women, and I enjoyed watching Daisy grow in confidence, and finding her place in the world.

So much fiction is written about World War II and focuses on the Holocaust so it was nice to read a novel that was focused on the aftermath of Pearl Harbor and the war in the Pacific. I also like reading about events in history that I’m not that familiar with. This book focuses on a top secret government program that recruited young women to man the radar stations and guide pilots to safe landings while monitoring the skies over Hawaii for enemy aircraft.
The author introduces the reader to four women who were chosen for this program. These four women develop an instant bond with each other and come to rely on each other personally as well as professionally. There is also a romantic story line as well for those readers who like a little romance. The characters are well developed and the story itself is well written. The setting, of course, is in Hawaii and the author’s vivid descriptions of the beaches and lush backgrounds make you feel as though you’re there without ever leaving your sofa. I think this would make a great selection for a book club. I highly enjoyed it!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free electronic advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Set in 1941 WWII Hawaii, this brilliant historical fiction book is inspired by true stories the author found during her research including Shuffleboard Pilots which I am going to read. The historical details are incredibly interesting and drew me in right away. So did the story itself which is about love, loss, friendships, togetherness and trust.

Daisy Wilder knows her planes! She also loves horses. In 1941 she joins in the war effort at a top secret job in the Women's Air Defense, Signal Aircraft Warning Regiment to help the pilots. Her brain is a sponge and she quickly masters her duties such as vectoring, learning detailed maps and plotting radar reports. Her friends Fluff, Betty, Lei, Peg and Walker (and others) are crucial to her wellbeing, job and to each other. The man she falls for has secrets in his past, secrets that affect her. Working with colleagues as a team without hesitation is very important, especially where life and death decisions have to be made in an instant.

In addition to the story and the characters, I learned what an azimuth angle is, more about the RADAR acronym, various aircraft mentions, fuel rationing and the Dumbo Mission. Not only that but the beauty and fruits of Hawaii sound truly wonderful. Of course things were not wonderful during the war but the characters made the best of it. Romantic sparks fly and there is a story within a story which is written seamlessly. The bonds between friends is lovely.

Historical Fiction, General Fiction and Women's Fiction fans ought to read this.

My sincere thank you to Harlequin - MIRA and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this marvelous book!

Beautiful Story Of Life On Hawaii Between Pearl Harbor and Midway. This is one of those books where you almost audibly hear Faith Hill singing through parts, particularly the obligatory romance subplot - and particularly its later stages. Fortunately the romance subplot is well done yet mostly muted in favor of showing the women's bonds and work, which was an area of WWII I'd never heard of. Specifically, while college football player men were being rounded up to bolster island security forces, these ladies - both natives and those there because their husbands were already military - were being recruited (almost drafted, really) to man the very radar stations that had failed to realize what the Japanese were on that fateful morning in December 1941. It is actually on that morning that our story opens, with main character Daisy "borrowing" a horse and going skin diving for subsistence... when she witnesses an air battle directly above her. The story then spends most of its time in the next few months, culminating in the Battle of Midway from the perspective of these "Radar Girls". (And following with the obligatory post-war epilogue.) Beautifully written and full of heart, this is one that fans of historical fiction / WWII fiction will definitely love, and readers of all types should read even if it isn't normally your thing. Very much recommended.

Based on the stories of the women who served in the Women's Air Radar Defense (WARD) during WWII, this novel is filled with facts about this time period. I loved the strength and character of Daisy. Her common sense and leadership was encouraging. The rigorous training the women went through was amazing. This story brings to focus true patriotism. Recommended!

I had a hard time getting into this novel, mainly because I just did not feel any emotional connection at all to the main characters. I did find the historical aspect of this book interesting, however. I did not know anything about the radar girls and their important contribution to the war effort.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! I loved the friendships that developed between the women who worked together as WARDs. It was fun to see Daisy blossom with the help of good friends and superiors who believed in her. So many emotions are presented in this book: fear, anger, jealousy, hope, joy, but above all, love. This is a must-read!

I received an advanced readers copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.