The second in this First World War series following the lives of three girls living and working in London. This one concentrates on Joyce and her dream of making a living from her baking while suddenly finding herself having to care for a little boy she has never met before and worrying over the man she loves as he goes off to fight. A bit of mystery thrown in as we meet gambler Ted and journalist Frank, neither of whom are quite who they seem. A bit drawn out in places, and I preferred the theatre scenes to the cafe ones, so hopefully Rose and Annie will feature more in the next book.

it's 1914 London and Joyce is happily working in the cafe, making good food and friends. She even has a love interest- Simon- but the war is heating up and he enlists. She declines his proposal and then devotes herself to keeping the cafe going. Its overwhelming so she gets help from Rose and Annie as well as from Simon's family once they get over themselves. Its a sweet story of women pulling together. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I missed the first book but that didn't stop me from enjoying this one.

Joyce works in the cafe with Simon. They had started a relationship and just before he signed up for the war he proposed but she turns him down. He goes off to war and Simons mother and sister cones to help. They don't get on at first. But Elaine has some good friends, Rosie and Annie and they all pull together to get through all the secrets and lies that are thrown at them.

This is book two in the series. The book is set in 1914 in London. I love historical fiction and I love Elaine's writing style so I knew I was in for a treat. The story is full of drama and it's quite an emotional read. I loved the three friends they are truly uplifting during the war. Although this is part of a series it can be read as a standalone. I absolutey loved this book and can't wait for the next book in the series.

Big Dreams For the West end girls is the series by Elaine Roberts and it is such a delightful historical novel to read.
It’s 1914 Joyce Taylor has dreams of opening her own restaurant but for now she is working in a very busy café in Shaftesbury Avenue with her boss Simon. Everyone loves the home-made food that she cooks, and her boss agrees. Simon took over the café when his father died and him and Joyce not only built a working relationship, but romance has blossomed. But when Simon decides to enlist and goes and fights the war, leaving Joyce in charge, her proposes to her but, she turns him down.
As Simon goes of too war, she first struggles with the café and she asks her friends Rose who is a seamstress at the Lyceum Theatre to help and her friend Annie who is a dresser at the theatre but has dreams becoming a star to help. But surprisingly instead Simon’s sister comes to lend a hand with her mother Mavis. After all it is their business.
At first. The ladies don’t get on. But come to realise that Joyce is the one really holding the business together.
This is a story of three girls with hopes and dreams and taking any opportunity that comes their way. This is another heart-warming book from Elaine Roberts, about friendship and being there for each other. I really enjoyed this and hope there is more of this story to come. 5 stars from me

Set in 1914 London, this second book in the series is delightful and charming, an ideal escapist book. The historical details add to the atmospheric mood, which is not all light and roses. We read about love, trust, hope and the importance of family and friends.

WWI is starting and though integral to the idea and plot, the story itself is more about Joyce Taylor, a young compassionate woman without close family who works at a cafe. She does not own it but operates it and cooks and bakes beautifully. But her dream one day is to own her own place where she can showcase her talents and feel fulfilled. When her beloved enlists she is crushed. Her dearest friends, Annie and Rose try their best to cheer her. While living her life, Rose encounters secret after secret which leave her scrambling and overwhelmed. Her work becomes busier as well. A fellow staff member seems to dislike her which certainly doesn't help.

The author writes simply and profoundly which is such a treat. Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction and General Fiction readers ought to seek this out and cozy up with it.

My sincere thank you to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this sweet and gentle book. I look forward to the next in the series to see what happens as there are some wonderful rabbit hole possibilities!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

The story is set in 1914.

Joyce, has big dreams and she works in a café on Shaftsbury Avenue. Her dreams are of opening her own restaurant. At the present everything’s going well, but things are about to change for her.

But will she be able to deal with them? Her friends are there for her and her doing the best she can working in the cafe, knowing what she wants to do is different.

I love this book so much and the way the characters and dialogues keep you hooked. It was nice to see the friendship Joyce had with Annie and Rose.

Recommend It.

Wow, so loved this book, quickly getting back into the story following the lives of Rose, Annie and Joyce. Mainly concentrating on Joyce who is still at the cafe working with Simon who decides to enlist leaving Joyce in charge of the cafe. Joyce is called upon by her grandmother to take up more responsibilities, will it all prove too much for her?
The lovely thing about this book is the feeling of friendship between the three girls and the family ties on Joyce and Simon’s side.
There are some of the old theatre characters from the previous book. I feel there is another book in this series to allow us to find out what happens to Rose .

This is the second book in a WW1-era series set in London. I haven't read the first book, but this was easy to follow and the characters are great.

Three friends seem to be the focus of this series. Joyce is the main character in this book. She is working in a breakfast cafe with Simon - her love interest. He joins the service and leaves her to manage the cafe with his arrogant sister and sweet mother. About that time, she has so many life changes - finds out her dad isn't dead, her uncle isn't a relative, she has a grandmother in a coma and a new little brother. Then Simon returns injured and the cafe burns down. There is also so much backstory going on with her friends, Rose and Annie. It's a fast read with strong characters.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

Loved this book the characters were fantastic and storyline was good.
Joyce and her friend Simon run his cafe with hard work and determination and it takes them a while to admit they love each other, as usual things get thrown in front of them to stop them getting together, a war a fire and Joyce being left to look after a child who was In the care of her grandmother before she ended up in a coma.
Can Joyce with the help of her friends and family overcome what has been thrown in her path
A brilliantly written book with a few twists along the way, I was gripped from the first page and could not put this book down, can't wait to read more about Joyce and her friends, I'm hoping there is a follow on book.
Highly recommend this book and would rate higher if it was possible

Big Dreams for West End Girls takes place in London in 1914. Joyce Taylor dreams of having her own restaurant but she is currently working in her boyfriends restaurant. When he decides to join up to serve in WW 1, he leaves her in charge of the restaurant. She is unsure if she can handle it but he leaves her no choice. Her life gets turned upside down when her dying Grandmother has a special request of her. She requests that Joyce raise this young child but won’t tell her who the child is and why the Grandmother has the child. She is overwhelmed by running the restaurant while raising a young child. Her friends Annie and Rose help her with the child. The story continues with other mysteries popping up but gradually the secrets are revealed. I recommend this book.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. How this book took me back to when things were easier. Great storyline and great characters. Really enjoyed it.

The Second instalment in the series,
London West End 1914, WW1
And the girl's all have their dreams,
Joyce Taylor has a dream of opening her own restaurant.
Annie Cradwell dreams of been a star on the stage instead of a dresser.
Rose Spencer works in the sewing room in the theatre with dreams of her own.
but with the war on and men were enlisting this will rob many people of hopes and dreams they have, in times of trouble the girl's are always there for each other in times of needs.
This books main focus is on Joyce Taylor hard working an exceptional cook in the tearoom that is put through so much hardship in her family life and her relationship with her boss, family secret's will surface along the way for her, that really made me cry for her.
Joyce, Annie and Rose will always be known as the The West End Girl's and I really Hope we get to read more about them in up coming books.
Exceptional reading you will need tissues

A truly inspiring historical fiction. A lovely written piece of work! Readers will not be disappointed with this one! Bakery inspired reads are always a fun time. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher and the author for this advanced readers copy. I loved every minute. My heart is with all of the characters.

An enjoyable, light read set in London at the time of the First World War. Nothing really surprising about the plot or the characters but nonetheless a good read if you are looking for something as a distraction.

Big Dreams for the West End Girls
Elaine Roberts

Four Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book is the second in a new series, the first being The West End Girls (2020). It was a heartwarming, historical novel with strong characters and lots of plot turns and twists.

From the Publisher: 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?

My Take: I did enjoy this book, I love the historical setting and all the little facts and details about the era that were added. The characters were strong. Joyce, the main character, was strong and hardworking. I liked her and was rooting for her during the entire book. She sure had a lot of surprises thrown her way and I liked the way she handled them. I also enjoyed her two friends, Rose and Annie, whose stories are part of the series. At first I wasn’t very sure about Simon, Joyce’s love interest, but he did redeem himself later on in the story.

The book was hard to get into at first, there are a lot of characters and I was a bit confused as to who was who, and why they were part of the story. However, it all fell together about halfway through the book, and from then I was following the story much better.

I highly recommend this book for it’s fascinating historical details and strong main character.
About the Author: Elaine Roberts had a dream to write for a living. She completed her first novel in her twenties and received her first very nice rejection. Life then got in the way until circumstances made her re-evaluate her life, and she picked up her dream again in 2010. She joined a creative writing class, The Write Place, in 2012 and shortly afterwards had her first short story published. She was thrilled when many more followed and started to believe in herself.

Thanks to NetGalley and Aria &Aries for this Advance Reader Copy and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

Big Dreams for the West End Girls by Elaine Roberts is an excellent WWI-era historical fiction saga that I really, truly enjoyed.

This book is the second in a new series, the first being The West End Girls (2020). The main character in this novel, Joyce, was presented in the previous novel in regards to a friendship between a trio of girls trying to find their way: Annie, Rose, and Joyce. The last book focused mainly on Annie, and this time Joyce gets the spotlight. One does not have to read the previous book to easily follow along and pick up the gem that is this novel.

I really enjoyed Joyce. She is genuine, hard-working, a passionate young woman, a good friend, and is trying to find her place in a time of societal and wartime upheaval. There are plenty of obstacles, twists/turns, and suspense thrown in, however Joyce is stronger and smarter then she realizes, and with the help of her own fortitude, initiative, and drive, and with her friends, is she able to fulfill her dream of opening up a café in London? The reader will need to read the wonderful book to find out. No spoilers here.

I really am enjoying this series and I am looking forward to the next book in which maybe Rose will be featured?

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Aria &Aries 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 and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 6/3/21.

Well Elaine you have done it again the 1st book was brilliant and thus has just got better. I still feel like I am one of the girls. Thank you Netgalley for ARC and can't wait to read more in this series