Bloomsbury Girls is a women's fiction story set in post-war London during the 1950s. Evie, Vivien and Grace all work at Bloomsbury Books. The shop is suffering from low sales and the women have plenty of ideas on how to make improvements if only the men in charge would listen.

I liked the book store setting and the female empowerment angle of the story. The women knew their worth and strived to make advancements for themselves. Ultimately this was a slow burn character driven story and sadly I didn't really connect with the women themselves.

I thought Juliet Stevenson did a wonderful job narrating the book and would recommend the audiobook version if you are looking to pick this one up soon.

I received a complimentary advanced listeners copy of Bloomsbury Girls from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

When I read The Jane Austen Society last year, I felt like I met these wonderful people, and I wasn’t really ready to let go of them. When I found out that Natalie Jenner had another book coming out, I was so excited to get my hands on it!

I loved being back in this world and getting to see more of Evie’s story! Bloomsbury Girls follows the narrative of three women, Evie Stone, Vivien Lowry, and Grace Perkins. These three women’s lives intertwine through their shared work at Bloomsbury Books.

One thing I really loved about this story was the use of historical literary figures that entered the story. It was so cool to have them be a part of it! Between these fabulous characters and the bookstore location, booklovers are going to devour this one!

Overall, I really enjoyed the story, and the character plot lines. I would recommend this for readers that are excited about a historical story with vibrant characters and a vivid literary atmosphere!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Bloomsbury Girls is a charming story set in the 1950s about female strength, independence, and community.

What appealed to you the most in this story?

I enjoyed all the characters in the store. Each one was fully developed and had their own quirks, dreams, and real-life problems. The women were smart, strong, and fed up with the men of the world not recognizing them. Even though their ideas were ignored, each woman in this story kept pushing to change the way society treats them in a male dominated world.

Well, not all the men were chauvinists. Ash was a male character that I really loved, and I loved how Jenner brought to light the racism that a man from India dealt with in Britian.

How was the audio?

Juliet Stevenson is one of my favorite narrators! Her various accents, inflections, and cadence are always on point, and she brings the dialogue in the story to life as you listen. I recommend the audio version, since this is a slow burn and the and Stevenson’s narration makes the story so much more engaging as she pulls you into the story and character’s lives.

How was the pace?

This is a slow burn and the pace kept me from fully “getting into” the story. It really is a well written story, but the pace was just too slow.

Do you recommend this book?

If you are looking for a charming story about authors and bookstores, then you may enjoy this one!

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

I honestly found this one a little tough to review. I enjoyed the book in general and there were parts that I really liked but also others I found a bit slow.

I always find any type of book about books or bookstores quite fun and intriguing and I enjoyed learning about how bookstores used to operate back in the day and this one specifically and it’s outlandish rules. It seemed very well researched and had some strong messaging about women’s rights & equality. I liked how smart and ambitious the women were and appreciated the fun witty banter weaved throughout.

While this wasn’t my favourite read, I’m intrigued to read more from her stating with the raved about the Jane Austen Society!

If you liked The Jane Austen Society, then you are in for a super treat. Don't worry if you haven't read that one yet, though, because Bloomsbury Girls does just fine as a standalone. The story takes place in 1950's postwar London, and tells of three intelligent, strong women making their way in a man's world. I am a booklover, so this immediately appealed to me. It has the coziness of a bookshop and characters who are interesting and likable.

What seems to be an unpopular opinion, but this book fell very short of my expectations. The story had too much going on, too many characters with their own stories and not enough oomph from any of them. I found it to be a slow read (and listen… switched between audio and ebook) and struggled to continue reading. I finished the book, but at times it was a challenge to find the interest.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader (and audio) copies!

I love a book about bookshops. The bookshop was the classic kind where you can purchase first edition rare books - which in fact inspired the author to write this. The three ladies who work in the shop don't get paid as much as the men nor do they get opportunities for advancement like the men. This is a slow burn character driven story. The audio version did help me get through the story faster. I had a hard time getting into the story but really appreciated the strong willed women.

Bloomsbury Girls takes readers to the first months of 1950 in London. Vivien and Grace have both worked at the local book store, Bloomsbury Books, for four years, but they’ve had little opportunity for advancement. Recent Cambridge grad Evie Stone has just been hired, and a medical emergency forces the general manager to take a leave of absence. This gives some of the employees a chance to move into roles with greater responsibility, and it’s not long before the three women are looking for ways to achieve permanent advancement – within the shop and the larger literary world. Their personal and professional lives intertwine in this feminist snapshot of an era of immense change.

This is a slow-burn historical fiction that takes its time in unfolding. It focuses on the three women characters, introducing Evie, Grace, and Vivien in turn as very different people, in very different stages of their lives, yet sharing some key commonalities. All work at the old-fashioned bookstore Bloomsbury Books (Evie is the newest hire), putting in the work but not always being recognized or rewarded for it. They’re women, after all, and the men running the shop can’t see women having leadership positions. The bookstore caters to male customers first and foremost, and women authors, too, tend to be less welcomed on their shelves or at events.

Despite the restrictions, Vivien, Grace, and Evie are ambitious and willing to seize their own success. Vivien may be the most fiery and direct in her approach: 30 years old, she writes in her free time and longs to be a published author. She would also be a wonderful manager in the new fiction department, if only given the chance. She’s not afraid to speak her mind and go after what she wants. Similar in ambition is Evie, a new graduate from Cambridge, but she’s much quieter in her approach. Evie has a secret plan, and she’ll go about it without attracting any attention until it’s time for her big reveal. Finally there’s Grace: Approaching 40 and feeling the pressure of providing for her family, Grace simply wants to keep her sons safe, escape the gloom that has fallen over her marriage, and attain a sense of security in her life.

While it took me some time to really get into the book, it did slowly but surely capture my full interest. I loved seeing how these three very distinct women were carving out a space for themselves in spite of the men who would hold them back, in spite of how the times (1950 England) still limited women in major ways. It was a period of change, and this story is of strength, resilience, and feminism as women fought to make the new era better.

I also enjoyed getting an inside look at the world of publishing and book sales. In general, I love a good book about books, and this one fully fits the bill. Bloomsbury Girls takes place primarily at the bookstore where they work. It details what goes into running a bookstore, from working with publishers to hosting author events. Speaking of author events: A few famous figures make appearances here, some even helping out our characters in important ways. Daphne Du Maurier, Samuel Beckett, Ellen Doubleday, and more play vital supporting roles.

Against the backdrop of their workplace, we move beyond their professional lives and get to know the three women on a personal level, too. Perhaps most significant is Grace’s troubled marriage and her uncertainty about what action she should take. All three women also have romantic subplots with different co-workers (or, in one case, the store’s owner). Each is intriguing in its own way, but not all are smooth sailing! While two of the men seem like worthy partners from the beginning, one of them has a lot of personal growing to do. All three romances are wrapped up nicely and realistically while leaving some room for your imagination.

Themes surrounding race and acceptance (one character is Indian) and sexual orientation (whom that regards would be a spoiler) also arise, giving extra depth and nuance to an already powerful novel. Ultimately, it all unites to paint a fuller picture of the pivotal time this was and just how forward-thinking our main characters are.

Audiobook:
Juliet Stevenson narrates Bloomsbury Girls. She does a lovely job, matching the serene yet knowing tone of the book. She gives the characters subtly different voices, just enough to distinguish between; her narration is never overly acted or too intense. Instead, she presents the story like it is a beloved and well-known tale: comforting and familiar.

Final Thoughts:
Although Bloomsbury Girls took me some time to get into, it fully captured my heart by the end. I have not read The Jane Austen Society, but I found that this works perfectly as a standalone. However, I expect that if you have read the previous novel, you will find extra delight in seeing some of those characters reappear here – Evie in particular. This is a novel that would appeal to women of all ages, anyone who likes seeing feminism in decades past, and anyone who loves stories about books, writers, and avid readers.

If you enjoyed The Jane Austen Society, you'll appreciate this book just as much. It's got the same cozily steady plot development, wonderful characters, celebration of women as multi-faceted, interesting, and fully human, and thoroughly satisfying conclusion. I loved Bloomsbury Girls and I think that Jenner has now earned a spot on my list of authors whose work I consider a must-read. Juliet Stevenson's brilliant narration adds an additional immersive layer of crisp buy cozy Englishness to Jenner's writing.

The audio reading had the perfect accent, though I felt the cadence was a little slow for the emotions of the book.
Review of the book itself is below and has also been submitted under the ebook.

This is a fantastically emotional book that makes you feel empowered, regardless of gender. It's a book on societal structures and preconceived judgements. A critique on human nature and a champion for women without being degrading on the male sex. It was more a commentary on time period and history than anything else. And a discourse on writing itself.
You would think with all of that in one book, the read may feel sluggish and heavy.
I read it in two days, regretfully putting it down each time life called me away. I turned each page anxiously, thoroughly enthralled with the fabulously written characters on the page and the determination they showed.
The literary references are intellectually brilliant. They're like little nuggets of happiness for every reading addict.
I would recommend this to readers of any gender, any genre and any time period.

I loved this book set in a bookstore! The story takes place just after WWII. Three women are working in Bloomsbury Books. Each has their reason for working there and trying to find their place in a man's world.
We get to see alternating narrators, one of whom was in Jenner's first book, The Jane Austen Society. But, you didn't have to read that book to delight in this one.
Everything about this story made me smile from the literary figures who appear in the story and become important to the story to each of the characters development. There were strong females in this book who left me smiling from the first minute to the last.
I read and listened to this book and the narrator was delightful, the writing was wonderful and this is my favorite book of the year thus far!

Thanks to MacMillan and Macmillan Audio for my review copy of this book. All opinions are my own

I tried to read this three different times and just could not get into it. I listen to a lot of audiobooks- over 100 so far this year- and this narrator was just not working for me. It was very monotonous. Perhaps I would have been more successful with a print version.

Anyway, I did not post a public review since I only got to about 30%. It was not fair to review based on that- especially because I feel my issue was more related to the narrator than the book.

Thank you for the opportunity :)

What It's About: Set during post-war London, Vivian, Grace and Evie Stone work at Bloomsbury Books - an old-fashioned new and rare bookstore, run by men and guided by the fifty-one rules of the general manager. However, this did not deter these three ladies who have a plan for themselves and the bookstore. 


My thoughts: What a heartwarming story! I loved The Jane Austen Society and was so thrilled to receive an early copy of this book! 


This is a character driven historical fiction with characters that will grow on you. I am not sure if this is the sequel to The Jane Austen Society since there are a few characters from that book in this story, and Evie Stone, one of our protagonists was one of them. Regardless, this was still an enjoyable story! 


This story centers around the work and personal lives of our protagonists. It was interesting and frustrating at the same time since career opportunities for women during this era was limited. Their contributions were often overlooked. Daphne Du Marrier also made an appearance in the story and I loved that! 


Overall, this was a charming tale about books and bookstores, and I think every reader would enjoy it especially historical fiction readers! 


Pub. Date: May 17th, 2022


***Thank you MacMillan Audio for this gifted listening copy. All opinions expressed are my own.***

Reading this was like listening to a story from a beloved older relative. The details and characters are written with care and respect for the time and what women were going through. I saw in some reviews that a few people took issue with it being called Bloomsbury Girl vs women. I disagree and think the author nailed that these were women who were being treated like and viewed as girls by the men and superiors in their lives. Each perspective was different and interesting and I loved the bookstore piece of it and little tidbits like running into the author of Rebecca (one of my favorite reads last year!). If you are looking for a historical fiction that will give you some female role models and talk about books.. you found it!

The female employees of the long standing and prominent Bloomsbury Books of London have long been underestimated. Kept in check by the proprietor's long list of rules and kept busy by the different male department heads, Grace, Vivien and new employee, Evie have worked not so silently in the background. Grace took the job at Bloomsbury books to escape her husband's failing mental health after the war. Vivien's fiancé was killed during the war, and she is looking to move on and also publish her own works. Evie is on her own rare book finding mission after graduating from Cambridge. When the women team up to bring in a female author for an event, they realize their strength together and when Evie finally tracks down the rare book she's been chasing, they discover they have leverage to create their own path.

Bloomsbury Girls is set in 1950 London, a time where women who realized their independence and worth during World War II are now being regulated to back to their original roles by the returning men. The writing brought me into the world of Bloomsbury Books, and I could imagine the shop and each department fully. The women of Bloomsbury Books caught my attention from the beginning with their spunk and tenacity. Evie's single-minded quest for finding a rare book by a young female author is extraordinary. I enjoyed watching Evie grow, branch out in the world, find connections with others and become a mastermind planner for using the book as a steppingstone to improve her life. I loved Vivian's small acts of defiance and her friendships that she found with Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair, and Peggy Guggenheim. It was wonderful to see these strong women prospering. Grace is fighting more of a personal battle at home, Bloomsbury Books gave her the strength to get out of an abusive situation. I loved that a book was able to bring Grace, Vivien and Evie together and aid them in finding a path to independence and creating equal footing in a man's world. Bloomsbury Girls is a heartfelt, exciting and character driven historical fiction read.

Title: Bloomsbury Girls
Author: Natalie Jenner
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
Publisher: A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.
Length: Approximately 12 hours and 29 minutes
Source: Review Copy from Netgalley for being a part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you!

Do things always needs to stay the same because that is the way they’ve always been? Three female employees of Bloomsbury Books in post-WWII London are starting to think that they could be the change for good to help sales at their store. The store has been strictly run by men, tradition, and a dusty set of rules. Will Vivien, Grace, and Evie be able to change things up?

I had previously read and enjoyed The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner. Bloomsbury Girls has Evie Stone as a main character who was previously in The Jane Austen Society. It also had what I loved about that novel, great characters, story, and setting. The setting was in a book shop and there was a lot of talk about books. I loved it. Even better is when really life author, Daphne Du Maurier gives an author talk at the store and becomes a character in the novel. I LOVE Daphne Du Maurier and the talk of her works and of her as a living, breathing, authoress was thrilling.

I loved all of the characters, but especially the main female characters of Vivien, Grace, and Evie. Vivien is a beautiful woman with ambitions to move up at the bookstore and also to become an author. She also lost her great love during WWII and has a love / hate relationship with another employee, Alec. Her best friend at the shop is Grace. Grace is a married mother of two and finds that her marriage has become untenable. She has found a comradeship with Lord Baskin, the owner of Bloomsbury books. As his married, employee from a different social class, what future can that hold? Evie Stone has gone to Cambridge and has become employed at Bloomsbury Books as she is on the hunt for a rare historically significant book written by a female author. As she gets settled in, she becomes friends with her co-worker Ash. Will they become more than friends? Will Evie find the rare book and if so, what will she do with it?

I enjoyed the story as the women have to decide what they want in life and how to move forward. I also loved the discussion of women authors and rare books. I loved that characters from The Jane Austen Society were woven throughout the text as well. You can definitely read this as a stand alone novel, but it’s a fun treat for those that have read both books.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Juliet Stevenson. Juliet Stevenson was Mrs. Elton in the 1996 version of Emma. I enjoyed her portrayal as Mrs. Elton, and I have enjoyed her narration of audiobooks in the past. She does another great job with Bloomsbury Girls giving a unique voice to the characters.

Overall, Bloomsbury Girls is a gentle story with fascinating characters and setting in 1950s England. I loved it.

This book does connect to the Jane Austen society via Evie Stone who was in that one. Now she has finished uni, specializing in women's lit and will get a book at a bookstore cataloging rare books.


Vivien works at Bloomsbury books. She wants more, but it is always the men who gets a promotion in this world. So she spends most of the time being enemies with Alec who also works there. She also dreams of being a writer


Grace got a job at the bookstore since her husband came back from the war changed. Grace was so normal, she struggled, and her story, aye at the end I was happy.


And then there was Evie, who is also figuring out a literary mystery.


There is some romance for all of them, but just because there is romance does not mean they all will get their happily ever afters. Romance is not everything a woman might want after all. There are also other things just as important. What they chose in the end is for you to see.


Famous authors, and other personalities of the era shows up and brings some drama. An interesting story centered around a bookstore, change is coming.


I liked the different povs because they all brought something different.


Good narration. She has distinct voices for everyone and you always knew where you had them all. It was a good book to listen to.

4.5 stars Ok, so apparently I should have read The Jane Austen Society first. I shall definitely go back and do that as I thoroughly enjoyed Bloomsbury Girls!
3 lovely women, Evie Stone, Vivien Lowry and Grace Perkins, all work at Bloomsbury Books in 1950 post-war London. The men run the shop (mostly) but when the manager, Mr. Dutton, falls ill, the women step in to bring the store to roaring success. Many famous cameos are sprinkled throughout the novel (Daphne du Maurier, Samuel Beckett, Ellen Doubleday & Sonia Blair), and it's ending is as delightful as the entirety of the book. I love how each chapter was punctuated by a rule (there are 51 at the bookstore), and then the characters set about breaking that particular rule. The story was wonderful and fulfilling. Just what I needed. :)

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc.*

I know there are some other books about books getting a lot of love right now (and I will be reading those too), but I highly recommend you pick up 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 as well!

Bloomsbury Books is a bookshop in London and is run by misogynistic men, as was the way of the world in 1950. The store manager has written a set of rules, and they have become like a tradition among the employees.

But when the quiet academic Evie Stone is hired, she begins to cause quite a stir. There are secret romances and budding novelists among the dusty bookshelves and creaky wood staircases, but Evie is searching for a valuable piece of literature.

While this is certainly a book lover's book, set almost entirely among the book stacks and in the company of a few famous writers, there is a bigger narrative here. The ladies of the shop have a plan - to buy the bookshop and break free from the foolish constraints of their male counterparts, as well as society's


I listened to the audiobook thanks to @macmillan.audio and it was so well done. And thank you to @Stmartinspress for this beautiful copy.

"Bloomsbury Girls" is a well-researched, fun #girlboss story of historical fiction about three women whose lives converge at the Bloomsbury Books bookstore. They become friends and allies as they try to make a place for themselves in the male dominated field of bookselling. The last third of the book really shined, with a moving ending that made this read worth it. I'm not sure it needed to be as long as it was, but I'm glad I picked up this book as it ultimately left me inspired and thankful for stories of female friendship. The audiobook narrator was excellent and brought the various characters to life.