I loved this book! I'm a huge historical fiction fan and this one most definitely did not disappoint. I highly recommend!

When bestselling authors Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, and Susan Meissner combined their outstanding talents to write a novel, I knew the result would be powerful and feature an important subject. This is definitely true of When We Had Wings.

This World War II novel based in the South Pacific was inspired by the true experiences of a group of nurses known as "the Angels of Bataan." The story is told through three character with very different pasts: Eleanor, a US Navy nurse; Penny, a US Army nurse; and Lita, a Flilpina nurse. They become friends while serving at a military base in Manila, but are sent to different internment camps when the war intensifies with Japan's attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines.

These military and civilian nurses became the first female prisoners of war of WWII, and were forced to endure horrible living conditions, including malnourishment, yet continued to provide medical care to their fellow internees with very limited resources. Several scenes depicting the horrors of war were difficult to read, but the personal relationships between the main characters and the people in their lives kept me connected to the plot. The novel is ultimately hopeful and is a tribute to the enduring power of the human spirit.

I appreciated reading this audiobook skillfully narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. Thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley for the review copies of this memorable novel.

I listened to this story and enjoyed it very much. The narration was excellent, the plot always enthralling and interesting and the characters very credible. I learned so much about the historical gruesome events which made me shudder many a time. Highly recommended!
I received a complimentary ARC of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.

I’m tired of WWII historical fiction honestly. It all reads mostly the same but something told me to request this from NetGalley anyway and I am so glad I did.

While this follows much the WWII historical fiction path, the characters are where the differences lie - and what made this different and enjoyable. We follow nurses that find themselves as POWs after the Philippines falls to Japan shortly after Pearl Harbor. It’s told from multiple POV as we see the lives of each individual nurse separately as well as when they intersect. It’s heart wrenching and feels incredibly real.

This is absolutely perfect for fans of historical fiction but want something different from the usual WWII story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks NetGalley for the audio!

3.5 🌟
When We Had Wings is going to be a hit with fans of historical fiction!

What I loved:

-- The book is by three best-selling historical fiction authors (Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner), and the execution felt seamless.

-- The writing style is well done. Modern and clean. Not overly verbose sentences and dialogue. Easy-to-read (or listen to).

-- I very much enjoyed the narration by the award-winning voice actor, Saskia Maarleveld. Saskia has recorded over 160 audiobooks.

-- The focus on the strong female bond and friendship formed between nurses Lita, Eleanor and Penny. Yes, there were romances, but the story was more about strong women overcoming physical, emotional and mental obstacles.

-- Learned something new! Bataan is a province in the Philippines islands, and was were American military personnel (and other expatriates) were held as prisoners of war by the Japanese during World War II. The soldiers and our three female protagonists faced horrifying conditions and treatment as POWs. They were deprived of food, water, and medical attention, and were put into confinement camps.


What I didn't love:

-- 13 hours


I'd like to thank Harper Muse for the advanced listener copy of this novel via the NetGalley app. Published on Oct. 18th.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I can't say I've ever read a novel of WWII from this perspective before so I'm I got my hands on this! Very interesting and moving. I will say I found it hard to differentiate at times which character's perspective was which, but other than that I enjoyed it.

I love these authors and I enjoyed this book. I always find it very interesting to learn things about WWII that I didn’t know, like the story of American nurses in POW camps in the Philippines. At first it was hard to keep the characters straight but I really liked the plot and character development. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes historical fiction and strong female characters. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

🎧⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I found my audiobook stack empty, so on a spur of the moment I requested this audiobook from @netgalley. What a great decision. This was a historical fiction of a group that is rately heard from. They are the nurse POWs in WWII. With the fall of the Philippines to the Japanese right after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese quickly invaded and occupied the Philippines, and those living, stationed, or had the unfortunate luck of traveling through there found themselves Japanese POWs.

The women who became known as the “Angels of Bataan” were the army, navy, and Filipino nurses who continued their work from the prison camps in horrible conditions as well as through the resistance.

This is a powerful story of three nurses, and friends, and it follows their parallel, and sometimes intersecting, stories of the 3 years of internment. For fans of WWII historical fiction and of strong women this is a great novel. Bravo!

Themes: 👩🏼‍⚕️👩🏻‍⚕️👩🏾‍⚕️nurses, 🇺🇸🇵🇭🇯🇵, 🔀 intersecting stories, 👯‍♀️friendship

My feelings: 🥹😭🤬🙌👏🙏❤️‍🩹❤️

#netgalley
#harpermuse
#historicalfiction
#readmorebooks
#readmorebooksbywomen
#strongwomenpowerfulstories
#goodreads
#readersofinstagram
#audiobook
#mybookishlife

When We Had Wings was one of the saddest most violent stories of historical fiction. The person narrating the story was good at telling it.

I really wanted to like this book more. The concept of the friendships during the war intrigued me but it lacked substance and a lot of the story seemed rushed. Just seemed filled with event after event with little character development.

A tragic yet beautiful tale of friendship between Military nurses while they struggle to survive during WWII.

This book was such a heartfelt read. Yes, it was also heartbreaking, but even with the raging war, torture, death, and struggle for survival, it was full of hope, love and most of all, friendship of the truest kind. Two American military nurses and one Filipina nurse start an unconditional friendship in the first few days of their assignment in the Philippines in 1941. What they expected to be a relaxing assignment turns into a nightmare when they are taken captive by the Japanese Imperial Army and become the first female POW. As they struggle for survival against the Japanese Army’s torture, their newfound friendship and love would be their pillars of support and keep them hopeful for life beyond war.

This story is based on the actual account of the ‘Angels of Bataan’, a group of 66 United States Army Nurse Corps and 11 United States Navy Nurse Corps stationed in the Philippines at the outset of the Pacific War and served during the Battle of the Philippines (1941–1942). When Bataan and Corregidor fell, they were captured and imprisoned in and around Manila. They continued to serve as a nursing unit while being prisoners of war. After years of hardship, they were finally liberated in February 1945. (Source: Wiki).

The extent to which the Japanese Army ignored the Geneva Convention and brutally treated the POW is sure to make the reader uncomfortable, and if you’re weak like me, you might also shed a tear or two. The nurses not just fought against imprisonment, they were both physically and mentally abused and deliberately starved. We are also given a sneak peek into the nurses’ past lives, making them more relatable with their share of insecurities and vulnerabilities. There’s also a good share of low-key romance which is pretty realistic considering the length of their confinement and other conditions. Forming relationships is natural when you’re cut off from the world and unsure of the future.

What I didn’t like: The book has a monotonous tone. Even though chilling events happen now and then, the content is delivered in a sluggish way that makes the reading experience underwhelming at times. I initially thought this was due to the audiobook’s slow narration, but with time, I realised the plot itself was moving slowly, making me zone out.

Lastly, I recommend the audio over the physical copy owing to the slow pace of the story.

Overall, a heartbreaking, yet satisfying tale of hope, love and friendship in times of war.

Thanks to Harper Muse and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
When We Had Wings is now available for purchase.

4.5/5🌟(umm, sorry, but I am rounding this down).

TW: War, Imprisonment, POW, Physical Abuse, Mental Abuse, Torture, Starvation, and Death.

I’m not sure how I feel about this. I appreciate the story taking place in the Philippines in a time in history when, if you say “World War two” people think Europe and the Nazi’s. I appreciate how the authors shone a light on how the Japanese treated people, but this is also why I’m wavering on how I feel about it.

I’m glad the Japanese atrocities weren’t gratuitously detailed* , but at the same time, this is an adult book and at times felt like I was reading YA. Like the writers were pulling back to protect my “delicate sensibilities”.

I also have an issue with the pacing. It felt rather slow going with lots of set up and almost textbook-like backstory of setting.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperMuse Audiobooks for giving me a chance to listen to this book.
This is a tough one for me to review. I have read and really liked books by 2 of the authors.
However, I don’t seem to be one that enjoys the multi author storytelling. This is the second of the type and I felt the same about the other multi author book.
I also think I went into this with very high expectations. As a retired Navy nurse, I was super excited to read some history of those that bravely walked before me. But it did not feel authentic. I never felt the military culture. I also did not feel horrified when there was plenty of horrific things. Honestly, it felt like a romance book. After ready true accounts of real prisoners of war, this fell flat.
I know I am in the minority with an average rating.
I am also a huge audiobook reader. I have listened to this narrator before, but she did not seem to be a good fit for this story.
However, kudos to the authors for spotlighting the nurses of WWII.
I will be deep diving into other books and articles for sure.
But why does the cover have them all in same uniform?

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Muse for my copy of When We Had Wings by Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld in exchange for an honest review. It published October 18, 2022.
Holy smokes, just when you think you've read every possible setting for WWII a book like this comes out! I had no clue that the Philippines were affected during WWII, and I'm so glad that this book was written and that the history is being put out there. I think it is so important to bring history to light, to prevent it from happening again. Also, I think it honors those who were affected.
Overall, this is your typical WWII novel, well-read, and interesting. A little hard to follow with multiple characters, so don't listen to it at too high of a speed!

Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, and Susan Meissner have written a book that you would not imagine was written by three different individuals. When I saw that they had teamed up to write this book, I was expecting each chapter to be about the three individual nurses with little interaction. This book flows seamlessly.

Set in the Philippines in 1941, Filipina nurse Lita Capel, US Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom, and US Army nurse Penny Franklin met and a true friendship was formed. These three believed they were living out a cush assignment in paradise. But with the bombing of Pearl Harbor all things changed in an instant.

These women endured more than most of us can even begin to imagine and survived. I did appreciate that the authors did not end their characters' stories all nice and neat with a bow on top. Despite the fact that I my heart wanted these three women to all come out unscathed, we unfortunately know that is not realistic in life.

I hope we see these three historical fiction superstars unite for more projects in the future.


I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Thanks to Harper Muse for the ALC.
What a book this was. I appreciated how these authors chose this part of WWII to write about. I've only read one other book about the Angels of Batan, so it was a welcome story when the WWII genre can feel oversaturated. It's told from the perspective of three nurses that were stationed in the Philippines and what life was like after the Japanese took over the island. I found these stories to be gruesome, which I feel like it should be because its war. It also was tender and heartbreaking. Penny, Lita, and Eleanor go through harrowing situations while nursing in various prison camps, internment camps, and struggle to survive under the harsh conditions they are forced to live in. I liked how the authors wrote each character so distinctly. They captured the little joys and major heartbreaks of these truly horrendous years these characters went through with stark honesty. I felt like I was there with the characters and I'm glad they took a wider scope to this story so it felt complete.
I also love Saskia Maareveld and thought her narration was so well done. She captures each character and brought them to life with her narration.

Title: When We Had Wings (audio book)
Author: Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5

The Philippines, 1941.

When U.S. Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom, U.S. Army nurse Penny Franklin, and Filipina nurse Lita Capel forge a friendship at the Army Navy Club in Manila, they believe they’re living a paradise assignment. All three are seeking a way to escape their pasts, but soon the beauty and promise of their surroundings give way to the heavy mantle of war.

Caught in the crosshairs of a fight between the U.S. military and the Imperial Japanese Army for control of the Philippine Islands, the nurses are forced to serve under combat conditions and, ultimately, endure captivity as the first female prisoners of the Second World War. As their resiliency is tested in the face of squalid living arrangements, food shortages, and the enemy’s blatant disregard for the articles of the Geneva Convention, the women strive to keep their hope— and their fellow inmates—alive, though not without great cost.

In this sweeping story based on the true experiences of nurses dubbed “the Angels of Bataan,” three women shift in and out of each other’s lives through the darkest days of the war, buoyed by their unwavering friendship and distant dreams of liberation.

I really enjoyed this! The narrator was personable and clear, and I was drawn into the story from the very beginning. I loved all three main characters, and even the secondary characters were well-done and became people I cared about. I couldn’t wait to find out how everything worked out for these three women! This is well-worth reading.

Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner are bestselling authors. When We Had Wings is their newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harper Muse in exchange for an honest review.)

A sweeping story across a decade of three women’s lives. Well told and brought forth interest in the Philippine involvement in WWII. This hasn’t been something I’ve read very much about.

The narrator of the book was very good. I’m unclear if it is because of the platform I listened on or whether it is because it is an ARC but when sped up the sound had an echoey-tinny quality that was slightly irritating.

3.5 stars

𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨!

This story took my breath away, a powerful story of three brave women during war time. Beautifully written, mesmerizing, thrilling, suspenseful, moving and unforgettable. Loved everything. If you like Historical Fiction this is a must read.

Thank you TLC Book Tours and Harper Muse Books for this tour invite.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗱 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 by Ariel Lawhon Kristina McMorris, Author and Susan Meissner released October 18, 2022.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

I was very excited when I was approved to listen to this book, as I have read and enjoyed several books by Susan Meissner and Kristina McMorris. I am unfamiliar with Ariel Lawhon. The story was also compelling to me, as my father fought in World War II in the Pacific theater, and I can remember him taking me to a "Bataan Day" parade every year in my hometown. He said it was in memory of the "Bataan Death March" in the Philippines, but I don't remember learning or hearing much about this event in the History books. And, I am a nurse. I have worked with many Filipina nurses over the years, and although they loved to talk about their country, they never mentioned this horrible time.
At first, I had some difficulty connecting with the three nurses that were the main characters in the book. The story seemed hard to follow, as the three nurses were assigned to their various jobs and described the people that they met and worked alongside. I was struggling to keep going. After the Japanese took control of Manilla , the story became somewhat more interesting, but it wasn't until the second half of the book that I was able to focus on the events at hand. It did seem, however, that the actual events that transpired in the Philippines seemed to be skimmed over, maybe because there were three women with stories to tell. Although I realize that this book is historical fiction, I did feel that the historical events were somewhat lacking.
I wonder if it might have been better to focus on only two nurses, and give a more clear historical account of the events. I am still left wanting more information. That being said, I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperMuse for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.