Thank you Netgalley for the Advanced Readers Edition this was a special read!

Author Kate Thompson has taken great care in sharing the wonders of The Little Wartime Library. While based on a true Library the characters are fictional. Each of them brings beauty and reality to the WWII-era genre.

Ruby is a woman who you would want to sit and have a good nip with and hear about her day. Clara is another woman you want to sit and talk with for hours. While their friendship may seem as if opposites are attracted, it works! Ruby pushes Clara to do and make choices she may otherwise not consider. Their strengths are completely complimentary.

From beginning to end the story drew me in, and had me hooked! I laughed, cried, became angry, and cheered for a happy ending. While everyone didn't land happily, their story was engaging and realistic.

At the end of the book Ms. Thompson shares the history surrounding the Library. Having grown up with access to a public library I found the history valuable. Highly recommend reading this book! It offered a different view of WWII, and how humanity can overcome adversity.

This was interesting, a different look at how the lives of ordinary English men and women kept going during the Blitz and tried to live and thrive through books.

I love this book as much as I to read, and let's say that is a whole lot!

Clara and Ruby maintain an (literal) underground library during the London Blitz years of World War II. Their experiences give a glimpse into the horrors they faced while providing reformed library services to their community. The story digs into the heart and soul of public libraries and the impact libraries have on making lives better not only with books but also with services, programs, community outreach, and providing a free safe space for anyone who needs it.

Sparrow said it best: “Why should the library just be about books?”

This novel was SO not what I expected! I wanted to be offended by the librarians’ defense of books I would’ve labeled smut…but I couldn’t. I wanted to turn away from the horrid violence of Nazis and drunken husbands and smug chauvinistic bureaucrats…but again, I couldn’t. Nor could I deny the power of women whose hearts and dreams were smashed, but who found a way to their happily-ever-afters. All all because of a tube-shelter library! This amazing backdrop was well researched and thoroughly documented in the BEST set of author’s notes ever. I am so glad I read this story of courage and hope. Believe me, it’s worth every tear and cry of surprise. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley, and was not required to post a review.

An immersive, terrific and endearing novel. Historical family fiction at its best! A truly appealing novel.

I loved this book so much! I can't wait to buy it when it becomes available. From the first page, Kate Thompson brings you into a compelling story based on real events. You fall in love with the characters, and are rooting for them to win and find their happy endings. I was so thrilled to learn this story is based on true events during World War II, and am so happy to have learned this unique history.

This is a well-written, emotional account of two women’s experiences in London during WWII. Clara, a librarian, ends up running an underground library among the privations of war and the Blitz with best friend Ruby’s assistance. The book takes you through their losses and loves, giving a good sense of the hardships of the war even for those who didn’t fight. Recommended.

What a wonderful experience reading this book! Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy to partake in Kate Thompson's war story of the Bethnal Green Library in London's East End. Ironically I began reading this with the threat of Hurricane Nicole coming to Florida and I finished it on the day that the torrential rains and high winds moved northward.

The Little Wartime Library is based on a true story of the Bethnal Green Library that was bombed during the Blitzes faced by Londoners during WWII. It was a fascinating story of how construction stopped on a branch of the Underground and a community of folks ended up living there first in a makeshift bomb shelter and then into a community of over 5,000 people who had lost homes and family members. This section of the Underground gave way during wartime to a cafe, theatre, library and thousands of bunks.

This is not the typical story of love and intrigue during World War II but rather a tangled web of lives, compassion, sacrifice, and heroic deeds amongst the non-military segment of England's population. I heartily recommend this to book groups, history buffs, and anyone who wants to read a great story of the human experience!

I wanted to enjoy this but was overly unimpressed with the relationships, the dynamic, and the plot felt convoluted.

I really enjoyed this book. I think it was the perfect blend of history and fiction. It was well researched and I learned a lot. The story was really good. I liked the main characters and cared about what happened to them. I think the book was probably longer than it needed to be. But overall, a really good book and one I would recommend.

Thank you to Net Galley and Hachette Book Group for allowing an advanced copy of the book to read. What a heart warming story based on the Bethnal Green Library and what it meant to people during WW2. The power of books is strong and can help people in some many ways- a way to escape from what is happening around them, learning. There are many books themed to libraries during the war. I found this unique being the library was underground and about the strength and resilience of the characters. The story grew on me and I was more engrossed the further I read the book. I highly recommend reading.

Oh my, what a beautiful love letter to libraries! As a library worker I reveled in this books message and thoroughly enjoyed the engaging characters. There's an unfailingly sweet story line here that made me smile throughout the book and also made the horrors of war portrayed here all the more stark and terrifying. Life in the tubes of London during the war might have felt a bit romanticized but the terror of the bombings and the gruesome after effects came across full bore. I loved all the Briticisms and the literature references. I also appreciated the author's inclusion of all the relevant historical information that served as the basis for her novel. A very enjoyable read.

“The Little Wartime Library” by Kate Thompson is richly woven with great detail. The author moves her reader from the current time period immediately into the historical time. I especially enjoyed the references to librarians and the details related to this career. The story was easy to follow and the characters were memorable. A bit long, overall the book was entertaining. Many times I would pause my reading to look up some of the historical events. The back of the book has a fabulous chapter on the author’s research.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Netgalley.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and #NetGalley. Thank you to the publishers, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A look back at a time what was anything but charming and safe.

London 1944, Clara Button is no ordinary librarian. The world is at war and Clara has lost her husband but devoted her life to her underground library built over the tracks in the unused Bethnal Green tube station. In the tube a whole community exists and includes thousands of bunk beds, a nursery, a café and even a theater! Clara ensures the library stays safe with the assistance of her friend Ruby. As the war rages on the women’s determination stays strong and preservers despite facing adversity.

I really enjoyed this book especially the romance that was woven in. It was a beautiful yet inspiring story of perseverance and grit. My only complaint and the reason I gave this 4 instead of 5 stars was because the book was unnecessarily long. I felt it wrapped up nicely around the 375 page mark and then it kept going which was a let-down. I really lost interest after that point and found it a slog to get through. Overall, it was a beautiful story, and I would recommend it.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and the publisher @readforeverpub for my e-arc in exchange for this review which I have left willingly.

A complex cast of characters with a fabulous history lesson! Perfect for fans of WW2 fiction, historic mysteries, or who are interested in some living history of wartime England.