1940- War is raging throughout Europe and Daisy marries her sweetheart before he heads into the fight. She is distressed at the thought of losing him, but her mother, Ivy, who worked at Kew Gardens during the last war, encourages her to find a job there to occupy her mind.

Joined there by Beth, a nurse who aspires to be a doctor, and Louisa, her godmother who was a Kew Gardens Girl with her mother, these women dig their own roots into the soil of Kew and hope that they are deep and strong enough to hold them steady through all that life throws their way.
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I wasn't sure how this book would feel after reading the first since there is such a large time gap, but really the time gap worked so nicely in making this feel like a standalone and giving these characters room to make their own arcs.

Each of these characters is flawed and makes poor decisions, but also you are invested in their humanity and cheering them on to better and brighter futures.

Because this book deals closely with post partum depression, it was very difficult to read at times, but I think the topic was handled with care and gentleness.

If you enjoy historical fiction set on the Homefront, this is worth a read.
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Content Note: This is a historical fiction book set during the air raids of London during WWII. Therefore, violence and death are common but not graphic. There is also an involved storyline with post partum depression and a suicide attempt. Prejudice is also prevalent.

Thanks to Netgalley and Putnam Books for the book. All opinions are my own.

Let me say that I loved the first Kew Garden Girls. And I liked this one ok. I just didn't like it as much a the first one. Where the first one was memorable, and I recommend to people looking for a light hearted WWI book, this one was more forgettable. It was less engaging.

I will admit that I'm likely tired of the WWII novels that seem to hold the monopoly on historical fiction bookshelves these days, and this one came out in a flood of them. I would say 3 stars simply because it is a lighter hearted WWII novel. However the characters weren't as compelling and the story was sort of forgettable compared to the first one.

I do hope this author comes out with more. I like the ideas of the stories her brain seems drawn too.

The Kew Gardens Girls at War was the perfect WWII historical fiction read! I absolutely enjoyed my time within its pages and reading about the brave, strong women who worked in the Kew Gardens of London.

I found that this story perfectly accented the first book, The Kew Garden’s Girls, and found it just an fantastic. I enjoyed the familiarity with its character overlap from the first book in Daisy being the main character (daughter of Ivy and Jim from TKGG). I loved Daisy’s character and coming alongside her was a definite highlight of the book for me. However each of the characters we meet were equally lovable and left a lasting impression on my heart!

There is a strong emphasis here on female friendships in this story that I so appreciated and found beautifully inspiring. What with the men off to war and work still needing to be done on the home front, these women banded together amidst the trials they faced and each brought a unique strength to the table to contribute. This story provided an honest look at the experience of those left on home turf and the things they had to cope with and face.

In addition to the compelling storyline, this book was filled with rich historical detail through which I learned a lot… from the wartime experience as a whole to the Anderson Bomb Shelters. Learning something new is something highly important to me in the historical fiction I read, so that alone made this a standout read to me.

Personally I believe this is a must read if you love HF! And as I’ve already mentioned it, I would say the previous book is one not to miss as well. An uplifting story of courage, strength, and friendship amidst the darkness of war, I couldn’t have possibly loved The Kew Gardens Girls at War more!

Many thanks to Putnam and NetGalley for the gifted e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

A story of love, courage and a love of plants and gardening. Strong women standing up for what they believe in and supporting each other when tragedy hits. Healing their hearts in working at Kew Gardens and helping others with the healing plants they gather and grow. Finding new beginnings and surviving loss during a horrible war that changes everyone and everything it touches.

Super well written, enjoyed reading this one. Brilliant! Can't wait to read more from this author

The Kew Gardens Girls at War focuses on the "Dig
for Victory" campaign in England during World War
Two and details the campaign from it's inception.
Though a fictionalized accounting, one can see the
significance gardening played in the war effort.
The Kew Gardens Girls at War also explores the
social mores of the time, illustrating the prevailing
attitudes about women, their roles, and their
capabilities, as well as racial restraints and
discrimination. The book expands one small piece
of twentieth century agricultural and social history
thereby illuminating it's significance, while also
forcing the reader to confront the belittling and
discriminatory ideas and beliefs that linger today.

Posy Lovell has written another great story of London during trying times. This book takes place during WWII and returns to Kew Gardens as a site where women can contribute to the war effort by tending the gardens growing food. Daisy follows in her mother, Ivy's footsteps, and works to help time pass as she worries daily about her husband fighting. Louisa and Beth join her and the three become friends. Kew Gardens in a popular location for books set in the WWII time frame. It is still around today and would be on my list to visit. It shows how times have changed and how women are much more able to help in today's world. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This novel touches on so many social issues from WWII.

Taking place at the beginning of WWII as Daisy sees her new husband off to join the RAF, The Kew Gardens Girls at War explores everything from women working to racial prejudice to postpartum depression. Daisy's on edge not knowing where he is, combine that with the bombings and she gets really nervous. Encouraged by her mom, a former Kew gardener, Daisy signs up for Dig For Victory and focuses her time and energy on an allotment. As a nurse, Beth is fighting what seems like a never-ending battle in the workplace for gender equality and she signs up for this project in hopes that it will get her a foot in the door of the committee that looks at medicinal plants. Hopefully, it'll add experience to her application for medical school. They learn about the land together, but also the power of friendship.

When I read this book, I didn't realize it was a sequel. Since I like learning what women did during the war, this book caught my eye, and I have The Kew Gardens Girls in my hands. I can tell you that reading the first novel isn't necessary as this one paints a picture for you.

The book covers everything from women proving they can just as well as men in the medical field to interracial relationships to postpartum depression to friendship, it's just a wholesome read that I really enjoyed.

“Gardening’s all about the future, isn’t it?” Ivy asked Daisy
For readers and gardeners who are always looking to the future for hope, this is an inspiring tribute to the courageous women who filled in the gaps during World War ll. Posy Lovell continues her series set at the historic Kew Gardens by featuring the "Dig for Victory" model created to provide an example of how a back garden of fruits and vegetables could feed a family year-round. Daisy and Beth, two young girls from opposite parts of London are chosen to plot, plant, and promote the Dig for Victory garden. The hope is that the model allotment-vegetable garden will attract many visitors seeking advice and asking questions. Equally important, the Vegetable Drugs Committee is created to harvest British grown plants for medicinal purposes. This concept and the model allotment project blossoms and grows beyond anyone’s imagination.
Following the lives of Daisy and Beth through the growing seasons of 1940 and beyond, readers will reap many benefits from the life lessons learned as they each face inner turmoil and make personal choices that impact not only their families, but their future. Posy Lovell's superbly developed characters take readers on an emotional garden path; sowed with agony and grief, choked with confusion, chaos, even shock, but at the end discover a bountiful harvest of relief and joy. The theme of racial and gender injustice influences the cultural landscape of The Kew Gardens Girls at War, but the women learn that adapting, making the best of situations, and helping others is key to helping yourself.

Title: The Kew Gardens Girls at War
Author: Posy Lovell
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: 4.2 out of 5

When Daisy Turner's new husband joins the RAF to fight the Battle of Britain, she's terrified she's going to lose him. So when her mother Ivy suggests she joins the gardeners at Kew to keep busy, Daisy's intrigued. After all, Ivy worked at Kew during the last war and made lifelong friends along the way.

Ivy's friend, Louisa Armitage, is feeling old and useless at her Kent home, wishing she could return to Kew and do her bit for the war effort. Tensions are rising between Louisa and her pacifist husband, as they argue over their nephew Christopher, who's enlisted. But Louisa's not ready to hang up her gardening gloves yet, and she's soon on her way to Kew with an idea that could really make a difference.

Meanwhile Beth Sanderson is furious after her father stops her applying to medical school. Angry and frustrated, she applies to a new wartime role at Kew Gardens, alongside her doctor friend Gus Campbell. But the committee is run by men and Beth is asked to take a job a gardener instead, running a demonstration allotment with new friend Daisy. As the bombs fall on a Blitz-stricken London she finds herself torn between Gus, and her boyfriend Paul. Can Gus and Beth overcome the racism of wartime Britain to be together?

When tragedy hits, the women are forced to come together to support each other through their darkest hours. But can the Kew Gardens Girls survive the horrors of war-torn London this time?

This is a wonderful novel! The first I’d read from this author, but hopefully not the last. I think Beth was my favorite character, but I truly liked all of them. Poor Daisy thought Beth was so much better than her because of her looks, but Daisy lent her own strength to the story. This was a lovely read.

Posy Lovell lives in London. The Kew Gardens Girls at War is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Penguin Group Putnam in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog post live 5/3.)

The Kew Gardens Girls at War by Posy Lovett celebrates family and friendships and shows fortitude of the main characters. The Kew Gardens legacy continues. This is a continuation of the first book but you don't necessarily need to read the first book to enjoy this one.
As we go back to the Kew Gardens, we get to meet up again with some of the original girls but we also get to meet their other family members and children. Set in England during WWII, we get to revisit Kew Gardens and the women who work there. I loved learning the different ways that women contributed to the war effort, including the ways they taught people to garden year round. I'd heard of the victory gardens and this book goes into a different sort of war gardening. These women form deep friendships that help them get through new loves and new losses and dealing with prejudice and heartbreak but always supporting one another.
This is a beautifully written historical fiction story that will make you fall in love with the characters and the gardens, even in the midst of the terrible war and all of the tragedy that comes with it. There is also a peacefulness and healing to the garden. I found Historical parts about Kew Gardens, Anderson Shelters, Dig for Victory, and the growing of medicinal plants fascinating. And enjoyed that it showed how gardening can be therapeutic.
This book walked us through what it was like to live during the Blitz in London, the issues pertaining to women of that time, and the topics that have been with all women through the years.
I really enjoyed this book.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The Kew Garden Girls and was excited when I found out that the author continued their story. As we go back to the Kew Gardens, we get to meet up again with some of the original girls but we also get to meet their other family members and children. The Kew Gardens legacy continues in the next generation. This is a continuation of the first book but you wouldn't need to read the first book to enjoy this one.

This is a beautifully written historical fiction story that will make you fall in love with the characters and the gardens, even in the midst of the terrible war and all of the tragedy that comes with it. There is a peacefulness and healing to the gardens that made me want to visit and spend time in them.

The Kew Gardens Girls at War is a definite must-read for all lovers of historical fiction. Amazing writing, beautiful setting, and memorable characters.

The Kew Gardens Girls at War is a somewhat continuation of the Kew Garden Girls which took place during WWI where this story is during WWII and some of the characters from the first book make an appearance in this one.

Posy Lovell is a talented writer and her research for this story shows through. As with the majority of WWII stories there are a lot of emotions that are evoked through the story, Heartbreak, fear, friendship and love shows through in this story.

I definitely would recommend this book and there’s no need to read the Kew Girls first as this story was easy to follow and a fairly fast read.

Thank you to #netgalley and #penguingroupputnam for allowing me to read the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Set in England during WWII, we get to revisit Kew Gardens and the women who work there. New and returning characters make an appearance and it was so nice seeing how the women from the first book had gone on to live. The watchwords for this book could have been 'don't underestimate the women.' I loved learned different ways that women contributed to the war effort, including the ways they helped teach people to garden year round. I'd heard of the victory gardens but this book goes into a different sort of war gardening. These women form deep friendships that help them get through new loves and new losses. Highly recommended, especially if you enjoyed the first book or want a different type of WWII historical fiction story. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!

During World War II when the heavy bombardment of London is happening. To the older generation the pain of the losses and suffering during World War I is still engraved in their minds. Even with the shortness of doctors we see the discriminating attitude towards people with different skin color even when they are highly qualified. The length a father will go, a doctor himself, to stop his own daughter from becoming a doctor. The desperation a freshly married woman encounters at the loss of her husband, unable to accept her pregnancy. The Kew Gardens are used to pull together the various characters. I found this to be a very emotional book and shed some tears a couple of times thru the story.

Like many young brides during WWII, Daisy is struggling to find time to fill her day after her new groom ships off to fly it the RAF. Her mother, Ivy, faced a similar fate during WWI but found solace and purpose in her role as a Kew Garden Girl. So, when Ivy hears of an opportunity for Daisy to follow in her footsteps she does her best to convince Daisy to interview. Little does Daisy know, she will find more than just a purpose on the grounds of Kew, she'll find a refuge from the storm that is her life. Along the way, she makes an unlikely friend in Beth, an aspirational young nurse determined to follow her dreams no matter the cost. ⁠
⁠
I'll freely admit I went into this blind, so I had no idea it's the second book in a series. Luckily, I didn't need to read the first novel to enjoy the second in the series. And lucky for me, I now have another Kew Garden Girls novel to read! I LOVED this book, y'all. I loved learning about the role of the Kew Gardens in the national Dig for Victory campaign which encouraged UK residents to grow their own fruit/veg during the war. I also enjoyed hearing the character's accounts of the Blitz on London and seeing how the author captured the resilience and strength of Londoners. The story includes something for everyone: grief/loss, postpartum depression, suicide, interracial relationships, racism, sexism, and so much more! I was easily drawn into the lives of the main characters and vacillated between sadness, anger, and happiness throughout the book. I'm a sucker for a strong female lead, and I'm particularly drawn to stories of women's active roles in WWII. If you enjoy the same then be sure to check out this new historical fiction!

The Kew Gardens Girls at War by Posy Lovell was such a fascinating read. Our story follows four women during WWII with a connection to the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. Louisa wants to help with the war effort, and worked in the gardens during the last great war. Daisy is working at Kew while her new husband in the RAF is fighting. Her mom, Ivy, who worked there during the last war, thought it would be a great distraction for her. Beth is a nurse who desperately wants to become a doctor, and lives under the constraints of women at that time.

I am not a huge fan of WWII stories, but really enjoyed The Kew Garden Girls. The story was realistic of the time without being too heavy. The characters were very relatable and I cheered for each of them to find their way. The author walked us through what it was like to live during the air raids in London, the issues pertaining to women of that time, and the universal topics that have been with all women through time.

I loved journeying through life with the women in the story and they felt like friends at the end of the novel. The themes of perseverance, friendship, and hope that were woven through this novel spoke to my heart. I highly recommend it.

I was given a complimentary copy and not required to write a review.

The U.S. government promoted Victory Gardens during World War II to encourage families and communities to grow their own gardens to ensure there would be enough food for the military and civilians. A sample garden still exists today at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

The Royal Botanic Gardens in London, or Kew Gardens, had a similar effort called the Dig for Victory campaign. Posey Lovell's The Kew Gardens Gils at War highlights the fictional story of Beth and Daisy, two volunteers from very different backgrounds who work at the gardens and give visitors tips on how to grow their own vegetable plots in their back yard to feed a family. Daisy, is actually the daughter of Ivy, who volunteered at the Kew Gardens during World War I. Ivy, an outspoken suffragette, was the main character of Lovell's first book about the gardens, The Kew Gardens Girls.

Beth and Daisy's story goes much deeper than their work at the gardens, which they both love. The garden is really a refuge from the routine bombing of London, separation from loved ones serving in the military, death, and all other forms of despair that come with war. Lovell also explores broader societal issues like racism and sexism and weaves in how the feminist movement that Ivy was a part of during World War I plays out in the subsequent generation as both Beth and Daisy try to assert their independence in the world. The result is an entertaining read about the impact of war on civilian life, which is very relevant today.

This novel, set in World War I era London, features the story of 35 year old Louisa Taylor and 16 year old Ivy Adams, who are hired to work at Kew Gardens to replace men who have gone to war.
As it happens, both are quietly members of the women’s suffrage movement, but a break occurs between them when Louisa shames Bernie, a pacifist co-worker as part of the “white feather” campaign. He loses his job, and Ivy helps him go into hiding.
Eventually the young women join forces again to campaign for equal wages for the women gardeners.
This historical novel is hard to put down.

It is the beginning of the war and Daisy has a hurried marriage to Rex before he goes off with the RAF. Beth is a nurse who really wants to be a doctor but she needs her father's permission. He feels that women won't be good doctors and refuses to let her go. The story centers on Daisy and Beth. Tragedy strikes Daisy so at the urging of her mother she takes a job at Kew Gardens setting up a garden of vegetables that people can grow all year long. Beth wants to work at Kew in the department that is looking for medicinal plants to supplement medications that are hard to find but because she is pretty she is put with Daisy. They develop a wonderful friendship even though they come from different backgrounds and the scenes where Daisy is struggling were heartrending.

Beth also finds she is attracted to a man who works in the hospital pharmacy. Gus is a cardiologist from Jamaica but is not allowed to work with patients because of the color of his skin. I really liked Gus but I felt there was more to his story that we didn't hear.

So much of the story centered in Kew Gardens and I can't grow anything but the setting and description had me thinking I should start a garden. I can only begin to imagine how a walk through Kew would be in the spring with everything in bloom.

I felt like I was missing something with Ivy, Daisy's mom, and her friend, Louisa. It was mentioned that they had worked at Kew during the first war and I thought there was a story there. Little did I know that there was a previous book which I plan to read in the hopes that it will fill in some gaps.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

A new generation of women is once again keeping Kew Gardens going while the nation marches to war. Food shortages were worse this time around and the fighting much closer to home with the London Blitz. The Department of Agriculture has two programs that the gardens are instrumental in - one is looking for medicinal plants that can be grown locally as importing medicines from the continent is near impossible, and two, help educate families on how to grow enough fruit and vegetables in a small backyard garden to keep their families fed all year long.

It is not necessary to have read the previous book (though it is so good, you definitely should), but a few of the characters play roles in this book and we get updated on everyone else from the first book.

Ivy and Jim are still living in the East End but they don't work at Kew Gardens. Instead they own a market garden. When Kew Gardens decides to open an allotment plot to educate the plot they contact Ivy. But she is too busy with her war efforts and the market garden. Her daughter Daisy has just married a RAF pilot and works a brain-numbing job of stuffing pamphlets into envelops at the War Office. Ivy remembers how much working the earth helped her while Jim was fighting in WWI and suggest Daisy go for the job.

The other main character is Beth. She is a nurse but wants to be a doctor, her parents want her married. Whle screaming her frustrations from the rooftop of the hospital she meets Gus Campell. He is also frustrated. He came to England to share his knowledge but when war broke out it was too dangerous to sail home to Jamaica. Because of the color of his skin though he is regulated to the pharmacy instead of using his skills as a cardiologists.

Daisy, Beth, and Gus wind up at Kew Gardens working on various war-related projects. Their struggles are in some way the same, but also different, than the generation that worked the gardens during WWI.

I love WWII fiction and I really love when a unique story is told. While I have read a little about land girls and the government's programs to help women feed their families with tips and recipes, I haven't heard about the medicinal plant projects. So that was definitely an interesting aspect of this novel.

Again, the characters are wonderful. I might have cried a time or two while reading this book. And I couldn't put it down and wound up staying up half the night to finish it after only having started it that morning.

I'm not sure if there will be more books about Kew Gardens, the story (as was the case with the previous book) is complete in itself but leaves open the possibility of seeing a new generation at the garden (and I hope there will be).

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Tuesday, April 12 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2022/04/the-beautiful-backdrop-of-kew-gardens.html