This is a story of four women who all become godmothers to each other's children. This is a nice blending of genres with historical fiction at its core, along with multi-cultural drama and a bit of suspense. I liked reading it and would recommend it to other readers. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Filomena, Petrina, Amie and Lucy are the godmothers in a mob-connected Italian family living in New York. Having amassed respectful wealth and enduring the hardships and the tenuous relationships with other mob families, the ladies slowly take control of the family and lead them to leaving the "business."

This is a really unique read for mafia time-period historical fiction. I loved the inside look at the hierarchical system of the Families and that this was not a graphic version of the seamier side of mafia life. If you are looking for a unique historical fiction, this is the one. It was a page-turner for me.

A well crafted character inter crossing family story that is entertaining. The period is well researched and the people and places are vividly described.

This is the story of four women whose husbands fight during World War II. The story was very slow moving and the characters were unlikable. I think it would have been more enjoyable if it was shorter. Still, I recommend this for those that are interested in Italian families during World War II. This novel is perfect for fans of Port of No Return!

The Godmothers is a solid novel involving four women married into an Italian family who have to take over the family business when their husbands are forced to go to war in WW2. The story is fascinating blending historical fiction with suspense, multi-generational family drama, romance, and, of course, a mafia novel. The plot is a slow-building one with strong character development. This isn't my typical genre, but I found myself so engaged. Highly recommended!!

Camille Aubray was one of the featured authors during the Fresh Fiction Summer BBQ Recipe Roundup. You can see her post here: https://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=11393

Additionally, Camille was featured on the FreshFiction.com blog with a 20 Questions author feature. You can see that interview here: https://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=11351

This book should have been called "God Awful" not the Godmothers. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

From Historical Novels Review, August 2021 -- Editors Choice

The Godmothers are four women in an Italian immigrant family living in Greenwich Village – Lucy, Amie, and Filomena have each married a son, and Petrina is the daughter. The story, which takes place between 1930 and 1957, is framed by one of the godmothers narrating their story from later in life. Each woman is the godmother to another’s child, and they end up running the family’s businesses in a gangster-run New York City, thus earning the title of Godmothers. Aubray begins with a page-turning, captivating back story of each woman, and reveals a secret from each of their pasts that the reader knows will inevitably come to light, as secrets do, and upend their lives.

The patriarch, Gianni, and the matriarch, Tessa, run the family businesses. They invest in properties and collect the rents; loans are made to people banks won’t touch; they cover bookies who can’t meet their payouts; and gambling thrives in their bar’s back room. The family must pay tributes to boss Frank Costello and the police to protect their operations. When Gianni and Tessa die, the businesses go to the sons. Before long, Frankie is on the run, Mario goes to war, and Johnny is ill in a tuberculosis sanatorium.

The Godmothers are now in charge of the family and its businesses. They must be clever and savvy in navigating the world of organized crime while keeping their families safe and the businesses successful. The women have their disagreements and resentments between them, but the good of the family always rules.

Aubray shines in her ability to bring each woman alive with distinct personalities, and to weave individual stories and different plots into one cohesive story. This novel is rich in plot with all the elements of family drama, murder, romance, and secrets within the world of organized crime. Enjoy immersing yourself into this family’s story.

DNF. 50% I am sorry to say that I just lost interest in the family and their ties to the mafia. There are many readers who have enjoyed this novel and gave it rave reviews. I found it a little slow at times and felt I needed to move on. I am sure many will love the storyline but sadly not me.. #TheGodmothers #NetGalley

This was an excellent novel that kept me distracted through a leaking roof and provided enjoyment in calmer times. The author deftly handles multiple points of view and the timeline is clearly labeled and narrative thread easy to follow. The ending does seem to be a little rushed, or it could have just been the end of a long weekend. Rounded up from 4.5 stars. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC!

When daughter Nicole’s husband needs a background check for a job with the Carter administration, she goes to her godmother to find out if the family is hiding anything. The story that unfolds is one of drama, passion, and long buried family secrets. Four women who are born into or marry into a well-connected New York Italian family- Petrina, Lucy, Amie, and Filomena- must take over the family business during WWII when death, sickness and the war take their husbands and brothers away. The women rise to the challenge, taking on the local mafia bosses and protecting their family interests. A flip on the often male-dominated mafia novels, this is a face-paced, dramatic multi-generational novel portraying strong female characters in a traditionally male dominated world. An enthralling, wonderful work of historical fiction.

You need to read The Godmothers by Camille Aubray if you are in the mood for a saga that combines World War II, Italian families, plus engrossing historical details.

Synopsis:

Meet the Godmothers: Filomena is a clever and resourceful war refugee with a childhood secret, who comes to America to wed Mario, the family’s favored son. Amie, a beautiful and dreamy French girl from upstate New York, escapes an abusive husband after falling in love with Johnny, the oldest of the brothers. Lucy, a tough-as-nails Irish nurse, ran away from a strict girls’ home and marries Frankie, the sensuous middle son. And the glamorous Petrina, the family’s only daughter, graduates with honors from Barnard College despite a past trauma that nearly caused a family scandal.

All four women become godmothers to one another’s children, finding hope and shelter in this prosperous family and their sumptuous Greenwich Village home, and enjoying New York life with its fine dining, opulent department stores and sophisticated nightclubs.

But the women’s secret pasts lead to unforeseen consequences and betrayals that threaten to unravel all their carefully laid plans. And when their husbands are forced to leave them during the second World War, the Godmothers must unexpectedly contend with notorious gangsters like Frank Costello and Lucky Luciano who run the streets of New York City.

Refusing to merely imitate the world of men, the four Godmothers learn to put aside their differences and grudges so that they can work together to protect their loved ones, and to find their own unique paths to success, love, forgiveness, and the futures they’ve always dreamed of.

OUT NOW!

The Godmothers
by Camille Aubray
Pub. Date June 15,2021
I knew when I read the synopsis this would be a great book to read. This is a sweeping historical fiction and it is a little different than my normal read. Loved the story told from the women's perspective. This Italian family even had ties to the mob. It was not glamorized and I found this book very enthralling. I recommend getting this book quickly since it is being released today.

Camille Aubray has written a fast-moving, suspenseful book that covers a lot of ground and keeps you rooting for this unique band of sisters-in-law.

Many thanks to William Morrow / HarperCollins and Goodreads for the opportunity to read The Godmothers in advance of its June 15, 2021 publication. 5 star

This has a lot of heart qualities. I love that the story centered on the women and their relationship within the family, I thought the beginning was strong- I literally gasped when I heard what the one sister did to her husband!! That was unexpected. However, when we got into the meat of the story it felt like their individual personalities were flattened. There was a lot going on in this- almost too much at times- but it was a clever story I haven’t read before, especially in the historical fiction space.

I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

The Godmothers caught my eye due to the way it centers the women involved in the mafia life and the bonds they form with one another while finding themselves in charge in their husbands’ absences. My main complaint about some of the major mafia-centric stories (ie The Godfather) is the overall masculinity and sexism they project, and this story presented an intimate look at mob life from the women’s perspectives.

While tackling five perspectives (that of the four women and that of one of their daughters) seems like a daunting task, it flows together fairly seamlessly, demonstrating how Filomena, Lucy, Amie, and Petrina started off in very different situations and ended up thrown together due to their marriages into the Family, resulting in their close bond, highlighted by the much more intricate and interwoven style of the chapters in which they are all living and working together, as well as reflecting on how their origins impacted their later life choices.

This book is a bit of a slow build, covering a large amount of time as the Family goes through the Second World War and its aftermath, along with the many challenges it brings them. But in spite of the pacing, I was never bored and it’s a book I felt constantly engaged in.

This is a beautiful family saga and delightfully original perspective on life in the mob. If mob/mafia fiction interests you, but you want something more centered on the women, you won’t want to miss this one!

Give. Me. More. Camille Aubray just shook me to my core. I loved the historical fiction mixed with modern kind of drama. The writing was impeccable and I felt so connected to each of the story lines.

A sweeping saga featuring 4 strong women related by marriage into a proud Italian family with ties to the mob. Different from other "mob stories" in that it is told through the women's eyes, and the mob is not glamorized or celebrated.

I knew this book would be super interesting as soon as I read the synopsis. I love reading about this time period in New York (1930's - 50's). I find myself intrigued when reading about the ways that families involved in the mob justify the way they make money and treat individuals with the ways they treat their own family. I loved how this book was so different from other portrayals of the magic of wealth and power from being inside the mob. This is a story of the devastation that life can have on families and the struggle to keep the younger generation from becoming enamored with that lifestyle.

The 4 women that play center stage in this book, Petrina, Lucy, Amie and Filomena band together when they find themselves in a situation that they had no part in creating. Petrina is the daughter of Gianni and Tessa, a couple that dallied on the outskirts of the mob, lending money. Lucy, Amie and Filomena married into the family. Each hides her own secret. The husbands are all forced at one point to remove themself from the family for a time. One hiding from the police and searching for someone, one off to fight in the war, one removed through an affair and divorce and one to a devastating illness. When tragedy strikes, the women become, "the Godmothers" and make a pact to support each other and keep no secrets from one another. They are tasked with saving the family name and saving each member of the family from harm.

Each of the women are so different, and melded together perfectly to form a smart, stylish, family-focused and fierce group who took over in a business where women were not necessarily welcome or respected as business partners. The first part of the book did a great job of taking the reader through each woman's upbringing and offered such insight into their motivations in later life choices. As each of the woman started their own family, the importance of their relationship with each other grew increasingly important. The introduction of recognizable mobster names was a fun touch. I loved watching their evolving relationships and the steps they planned in order to achieve a seemingly unattainable goal. The story highlighted themes of responsibility, honor, respect, love and forgiveness.

I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend. Although the book felt a tad slow at some parts, the overall character development, storyline and ending made the read very worthwhile. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow / Custom House for allowing me to read and review an advance copy. Pub date: June 15, 2021.

Interesting story of four women of different backgrounds becoming a family. Historical fiction in NYC in the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s. Shows the strength of family and ties that bind.

If Big Little Lies hit its head and woke up in the Village in the 40s.

With a dreamy cast of women who are juggling finding their footing, finding love, and finding their families - this tale of four women who become godmothers to one another's children is hopeful, harrowing, and heartwrenching. Secret pasts bubble up and threaten the connections the women have found - and when the war comes calling for their husbands, the women must decide whether to be drift apart and attempt to make it in the city on their own, or band together and give the men left running the city a run for their money.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for advance access to this title!

This is the story of 4 women from 4 very different backgroundd that end up part of one Italian family with connections to the mob, in 1930s Greenwich Village, New York.
The novel starts by telling us of the women, introducing each character, their personalities and the stories of how they became sisters-in-law, and eventually godmother to each other's children.
When tragedies befall the family, forcing the men to be away, the Godmothers take over the "business."
This novel is the story of family and loyalty. It shows the value of freindship and trust and the value of children and how they are our future, they need to be loved, encouraged and protected. This novel tells the story of one generation doing everything in their power to ensure a better future for the next generation, its about how we live our lives and what legacy we leave behind.
Wonderfully scripted, the characters come alive from the very first page, weaving a story of complicated lives and relationships that you can't put down. I finished this book in a day and a half. Very readable and not your usually WWII fictional novel, the war is in the background, not part of the central focus of the book, which was refreshing for me as I read tons and tons of WWII centered books.
5 stars recommend highly. This book is scheduled for 6/15/2021, so be sure to grab a copy.
Thanks to William Morrow publihing and Net Galley for ARC of this book, I am leaving my honest review in return.