Elaine Roberts’ Big Dreams for the West-End Girls is a touching, evocative and immensely enjoyable saga about friendship, ambition and romance you will not want to miss.

Joyce Taylor works in a busy café on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue and has big dreams for the future. Joyce would love to open her own restaurant and she plans to make her dream a reality. However, when war is declared, Joyce finds herself having to contend with the heartache that comes with having the man she is in love with enlisting and a shocking request from her dying grandmother that puts paid to all of her plans. Will Joyce ever achieve her goal of opening up her own restaurant? Or will this war succeed in continuing to take everything that she cherishes most in this world?

Keeping the café afloat in such desperate and trying times is a challenge Joyce cannot help but wonder whether she is up to. Each day, new problems and difficulties arise and the pressure begins to feel unbearable. Luckily for Joyce, her good friends Annie and Rose are always willing to offer a helping hand and a shoulder to cry on. But with the world being so uncertain and the future looking so bleak and hopeless, will Joyce find a way to make her dreams come true? Or will everything she has always wanted end up destroyed by war?

Elaine Roberts’ Big Dreams for the West End Girls is a heart-rending saga about forging your own path, the power of friendship and trusting in yourself that brings the early decades of the twentieth century to colourful life. Big Dreams for the West End Girls sparkles with evocative period detail, emotional drama and poignant romance that will have you cheering on the three courageous, kind-hearted and beautifully drawn heroines Joyce, Annie and Rose.

A lovely read full of heart and warmth, Elaine Roberts’ Big Dreams for the West End Girls is perfect for saga fans.

I so love these heartwarming historical series novels set during WWI. They are light and simple yet always involve important issues. They are a joy to read.

This is the second book that tells the stories of three friends; Joyce, Annie and Rose who move to London in 1914. The focus is primarily on Joyce in this book as she struggles to run a busy cafe in the heart of London while her beau goes off to war.

I really enjoyed this one so I wish I had read the first book. I would have liked to get an even better understanding of the characters and their struggles when they first arrived in London. That said I still think you can read this one without reading the first book as the author does a good job at re-introducing the characters.

A lovely series that I will continue to read.

I'd like to kindly thank NetGalley and Aria & Aries for granting me access to this Advance Reader Copy.

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

This was a lovely read set in the war years in a bustling cafe. Daily life, friendships, romance and the war rearing it's ugly head all combine to make a page turning story. The characters are wonderfully drawn and so warm, you feel for them as they make their way through daily life wondering whether their head in the sky dreams will ever materialise. I made myself right at home, imagining myself a part of their circle.

The premise is interesting but I really couldn't get into it because there are so many characters to keep up with. It became really confusing and some of the characters blended together and felt irrelevant to the main story. I usually like books that switch between character's perspectives but when there are too many characters, it becomes hard to understand what is going on.

I finally got to read the second book in the series. It was good carching UP with the "family" again. I follow them through their hardships. I cheer for them when they stand UP for them self. I cry when they cry. I highly recommend this book, but please |read the first book first. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Elaine Roberts for the chance to read this book in return for a review of my honest opinion

I had started to read this authors first book and couldnt get into it but decided that I would give this one a chance. I had not realised that it was the second book in the series so read it as a standalone novel.

Set in WW1 it was predictable in some of the narrative - girl loves boy who eventually goes off to War and returns a different man to the one that left.
Along the way she has hardships, laughs and has to search deep within herself to be able to survive.

It took a while to get into the story, and I think because I had not read the previous book I couldn't see where the theatre girls fitted in other than they shared a house with the main character.
I cant say that the book thrilled me - I did want to know what happened but had realised much of what happened and how it would pan out.

This book wouldn't make me rush to read others by this author sadly, but if this type of book is your genre and you are looking for an easy non-taxing read then give this a go.

Thanks again for all those that gave me the chance to read this book

I wish I had read the first book in this series as it would have made more sense when the characters entered this book. After a short while I was into this and I enjoyed reading this. Wartime sagas are a great way to understand what life was like then but not just from the historical way. Elaines books are always good and this didn't disappoint 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

This historical fiction novel explores the role of women in the West End of London, England. I received this novel as an advanced reader’s copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It's the second part in the series. I've read the first part before and liked it. Even though it was a bit tough time to get back into the story, as it really continues more or less immediately after the first book and the situation of the characters is not specifically explained at the beginning. I was afraid I had to re-read book one to be able to read this one, but the feeeling dissolved after the moment. But notice: It is not a series you can read without knowing the previous book.
I liked the charecters and was very much impressed by their development, it was nice to follow their paths through new challenges in life. Even though the story concentrates on a positive ending, it is not positive only and flaws of characters and their actions are shown too.
I was a bit irritated that one part of the story was not resolved (the sketchbook), but there will be probably part three to help me with.
All in all a recommendation from me!

A solid 3 stars, maybe even pushing 3.5. An enjoyable, easy read once I got into it. I admit I struggled in the beginning with so many characters being thrown at me. In the balance I'm glad I read it.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. My opinions are my own and not influenced by anyone. Ever.

This book leaves me with mixed feelings
I will start by saying that I read it as a standalone book & I now undersatand it to be #2 in a series – that will undoubtably have influenced my views of this book.
I found that there were too many characters in the early parts of the book (maybe not an issue if you already know them from a previous book) and struggled to get into it. Once I got the main storyline it was ok. I found Joyce, Simon, Uncle Arthur, Mavis etc decent characters, they were well developed and likeable. Joyce is a hard-working & determined young woman and I grew to like her a lot. I did like the way that Barbara came round in the end, but it felt very abrupt & I would have preferred to see more time given to her & how she changed her mind about Joyce.
Unfortunately the plot line was quite thin & predictable - overall I think this book is probably a good #2 in a series but I didn’t feel that it stood alone. If I was given book #1 I would definitely read it but I am not desperate to go out & buy it.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of Big Dreams for the West End Girls in exchange for an honest review. This book was not quite what I expected, but nonetheless and enjoyable read. Rather than being the premise of the novel, WWI was more of a backdrop. I appreciate that the plot focused on three strong young women, Joyce, Rose, and Annie, and how they came together to overcome obstacles and find success. It was interesting to see another perspective of how women supported themselves during this period. I look forward to future books, hopefully with strong female leads, from this author.

I have been a fan of Elaine’s work for a little while now. In fact I have been a fan ever since I had the good fortune to pick her first book, ‘The Foyles’ Bookshop Girls’. I was blown away by the story. Since then I have eagerly read everything that she has written up to now. Elaine’s new book is called ‘Big Dreams For The West End Girls’ and it was released on 3rd June 2021. It is another corker of a read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Big Dreams For The West End Girls’ but more about that in a bit.
It didn’t take me long to get into this book. In fact by the time I got to the end of the first few pages, I felt as though I had been reunited with old friends in Annie, Rose and Joyce. To say that reading ‘Big Dreams For The West End Girls’ became addictive is a huge understatement. I picked up the book only intending to read a couple of chapters to make a start on the book but I became so wrapped up in the story that I was still sat there reading over two hours and several chapters later. The book was well travelled as it accompanied me everywhere. I just had to keep reading to see how the story panned out for the three young ladies. I soon got to the end of the book and I had to say goodbye to Annie, Rose and Joyce. I found ‘Big Dreams For The West End Girls’ to be a delight to read from start to finish.
‘Big Dreams For The West End Girls’ is superbly written but then that’s true of all of Elaine’s books. She certainly knows how to grab your attention and draw you into what proves to be a compelling and entertaining read. I love the way in which Elaine describes her characters. She describes them so vividly and realistically that they literally do come alive. They seem just as real as you and I. Elaine has clearly done a lot of research into the history of the First World War and this shines through in the quality of her writing. I felt as though I was part of the story and that’s thanks to Elaine’s very vivid and realistic storytelling.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Big Dreams For The West End Girls’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Elaine’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Big Dreams for the West End Girls by Elaine Roberts
Publication Date: June 3, 2021
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Description from NetGalley...
“Nothing will stop her – not even the war!

1914. Working in a bustling café on London's Shaftesbury Avenue, Joyce Taylor dreams of opening her own restaurant. But when the man she loves enlists in the war, and a surprise request comes through from her dying grandmother, Joyce's life gets turned upside down.

Struggling to keep the café afloat with her new-found responsibilities, it's not long before Joyce starts to feel the pressure might be all too much. Luckily, her supportive friends Annie and Rose are on hand to help. Despite all the madness, can Joyce find a way to make her dreams come true? And will her love story have a happy ending?”
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Thank you to @netgalley @ariafiction for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.
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Thank you to @headofzeus for inviting me to their book tour.
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My thoughts...
Book two in the First World War series of The West End Girls. It followed the lives of three girls living and working in London. This is a clean romance fiction and the characters were likable. It was quite a slow start for me but, there were enough surprises to keep me interested. A quick read, charming and uplifting story.

This is the second book in the west end girls series. We are back with Joyce, Rose and Annie the friends that live together in London as they try to live their dreams. Rose and Annie are still working in the theatre as they try for their dreams of actress and seamstress, while Joyce is working for Simon in his cafe with dreams of being a cook with her own cafe or restaurant one day. I found the story a little slow to get going at first, but it soon got into the lives of the three friends that I’d grown to like in book one. There are lots of ups and downs for the girls as they cope with life in London during World War One. I enjoyed reading this book and I hope that this isn’t the last we hear from the west end girls.

"Big Dreams for the West End Girls" recounts the life events of a group of friends during World War II. Joyce carries on managing a local restaurant after her partner Simon joins the war effort. She is challenged by his younger sister who works alongside her, and suffers remorse at having rejected Simon's proposal of marriage. Joyce also finds herself in the unexpected circumstance of taking care of a small boy! Her friends Rose and Allie work in a local theater, and must deal with surly colleagues and missed chances. The story flows along, featuring each character's viewpoints. This is a clean novel without strong language or explicit sexual situations, featuring sweet romance and likeable but flawed characters. Readers will appreciate the twists and surprises that occur in the story line. My only complaint is the cliff-hanger ending!

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Although an easy read, I did struggle to get into this book. I found that the story about Joyce, Simon and the cafe was better than the theatre stories of Rose & Alice. Joyce finds herself having to look after a small boy named Phillip, but does not know who he really is. Simon does his duty and signs up for the army. I can recommend this.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC

Loved the first book in this series and loved this one.
It made me smile, root for the characters and I found it entertaining and engrossing.
Great characters, well plotted, a vivid historical background.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Being a fan of Elaine's work, I was thrilled to bits when NetGalley offered me the chance to review this book and I was not disappointed. The story carried on from the previous book The West End Girls and tells the story of Joyce, Rose and Annie, 3 girls from the countryside, who now live in London in the 1910s.
Elaine writes in such a way, you can't help but love her characters - and, as was the case in the first book, she shows that even people who have taken a wrong path can redeem themselves.