"When We Had Wings" deals with an interesting part of WWII history and I liked learning more about what these women went through, but the novel still left me rather disappointed: the characters were underdeveloped, the romantic subplots felt shoehorned in, and the ending was rather saccharine.

Title: When We Had Wings
By: Ariel Lawhon; Kristina McMorris; Susan Meissner
Harper Muse
audiobook narrator: Saskia Maarleveld
Release Date: 10/18/2022
Genre: Historical Fiction, History, Women's Fiction

Three talented authors joined together to write an extraordinary work of historical fiction in When We Had Wings. Set in the Philippines during World War II, this is the story of the experiences of nurses Eleanor, Lita, and Penny. The three women displayed undeniable bravery and courage during times of adversity and danger. Lawhon, McMorris, and Meissner tell of not only the occurrences and perils of this period in history, but also of the friendship of the women.

The book is well researched and provides education into the events during an important period and location in history. The authors are to be commended for this superior collaboration. Narrator Maarleveld gives an absolutely stellar performance as she reads this impactful book. Her voice, timing, and emotion completely capture the story as it was written and immerse listeners in it.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Muse. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

It’s 1941, during WW2, when U.S. Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom, U.S. Army nurse Penny Franklin, and Filipina nurse Lita Capel meet in Manila and forge a friendship during their assignments. But when the Japanese army take control of the Philippine Islands, the nurses are each forced to serve in combat conditions and eventually become the first female prisoners of WW2.

This novel is written by three authors: Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, and Susan Meissner. This fascinates me, how multiple authors can creatively come together and write a story that reads easy, as if from one author’s voice. As the nurses are scattered throughout Manila in different camps or prisons, the three character point of view allows for a seamless and in depth look at The Angels of Bataan. This is a lesser known story in WW2 that will feel refreshing to read for historical fiction fans. While it was well researched, I did feel at times it read a little dry, and a little non-fiction rather than historical fiction. Details of the story could have been shown by the authors rather than merely listed, which would allow for more feeling and depth. I also would have loved more detail about the medical components of this story, and more development of the romance. That being said, the ending to this story of perseverance and friendship is satisfying and uplifting.

The audiobook version of When We Had Wings was narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. Her voice is very fitting for the genre and time period. Saskia’s narration was distinguishable between the three main characters which helped bring the story to life. A narrator can greatly impact the the listening experience, sometimes improving the story itself. As I was able to both read and listen to this novel, I found myself enjoying the audiobook more. I look forward to hearing more of Maarleveld’s performances.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the chance to listen to this and give my honest opinion.

When We Had Wings
Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, Susan Meissner

Authors Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, Susan Meissner transport readers back in time to 1941. The setting is the Philippines during WWII. This is the story of U.S. Army nurse Penny Franklin, U.S. Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom, and Filipina nurse Lita Capel. The three women became close friends from the moment they met. To the young women the Philippines were a dream; then came the war.
The Japanese and U.S troops were fighting to occupy and control the Philippines. The Japanese military never agreed to and completely ignored the Geneva Convention rules of conduct. The women were the first female POWs in WWII. They were forced to live in unclean conditions, they had little to eat; they offered assistance to fellow prisoners despite the consequences. The women faced dysentery, malaria, insects, lack of food, and filth. The women showed bravery. They put their lives on the line to keep others alive.
It is impossible to read this and not hurt for the three women this book is based on. This story is told from the separate points of view of the women. After being taken prisoner, they were separated. I was quickly caught up in this tale. This is not an easy story to read for the atrocities perpetuated by the Japanese were unimaginable. Kudos to the authors!

This is an entertaining, well-written, fast paced, WWII historical fiction novel which is based on true events. It has likable, strong and courageous female protagonists, and the quotations interspersed within the novel are inspiring. The vivid descriptions of the tragedy, brutality, deprivation, heart-break, and horrors of war are tempered by the friendship, love, resilience and hope of the characters and the joyfulness of the children.
I listened to the audio version of this book, and the narrator, Ms. Saskia Maarleveld, has a captivating voice and does an outstanding job depicting the characters and their personalities.
Harper Muse, the authors, and NetGalley kindly provided me with an ARC of this novel, and this is my honest opinion.

This story takes place in the Phillippines in 1941, before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and follows the lives of three nurses stationed there. These three women become fast friends and the reader follows each of them where they are stationed and the atrocities they suffer as they do their best to help the injured and suffering local families. It definitely took some time to get involved in the story, if you are familiar with the Phillippines, that would certainly help. It is also a different perspective after the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor for these nurses who are imprisoned by the Japanese. The stories of these three heroic women is based on the true stories of the 'angles of bataan'. Fans of historical fiction will not want to miss this one. The audio was well done. Pub Date Oct 2022

🎧 𝔸𝕌𝔻𝕀𝕆𝔹𝕆𝕆𝕂 ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎 🎧

... 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 ...

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗱 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
𝗕𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗟𝗮𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗻, 𝗞𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗠𝗰𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗻𝗲𝗿
𝟭𝟯 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝟰 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘀
𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗦𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗱
𝗣𝘂𝗯: 𝗢𝗰𝘁. 𝟭𝟴, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ • 5/5 stars

When We Had Wings is a based-on-real-events story of three courageous nurses stationed in the South Pacific at the beginning of WWII.

Eleanor (Navy nurse), Penny (Army nurse), and Lita (Filipina nurse) become fast friends while serving in Manila. All three are escaping their pasts and have found solace in the peaceful paradise of Manila. Yet the serenity of the island is shortlived, as the Japanese Imperial Army bombs, and subsequently occupies, Manila. Eleanor, Penny, and Lita become three of the many prisoners of war, held with scarce resources, facing unthinkable conditions of sickness, starvation, and brutality.

These characters are based on The Angels of Bataan, dubbed "angels" for their selfless and heroic actions, as they continued caring for their fellow sick and injured prisoners... for over 3 YEARS!

When We Had Wings is everything I want in a historical fiction novel. It's incredibly well written and just captures your heart and attention. I became so invested in these characters. This particular novel stands out because the women are actually experiencing war, which isn't common in the books I've read. It was also a different angle of WWII, being set in the Philippines.

The audiobook is phenomenal! I have listened to many books narrated by Saskia Maarlaveld (especially lately), and I never tire of her voice. She has this uncanny ability to give each character a unique voice, so you always know who's speaking. Such a remarkable talent! 👏

I very highly recommend this book for all historical fiction lovers. ❤️

Thank you @harpermusebooks and @Netgalley for my gifted ALC.

3.5
Co-authoring novels seems to be a “thing” right now–this year’s The Lost Summers of Newport is a good, recent example of one. I’ve read books by two of the three–the best being Ariel Lawhon’s Flight of Dreams. [For others, see the end of this post.] So, right away this book peaked my interest. But wait? Didn’t I just read a novel on this very same story? Yep–another “book twin” as I call two books on the same story appearing at around the same time. Earlier this year I read and reviewed

Angels of the Pacific by Elise Hooper. Both books are about military nurses (Army and Navy) surviving the Japanese invasion and take over of the Philippines in World War II. I’m curious why this phenomenon of what I term “Book Twins” keeps happening. I want to be published so I am reluctant to say anything that would damn me, but I do wonder if rival books are now encourage to boost sales? (Marketing Departments already think we are too stupid to tell one book from another with a very similar cover–why not similar stories, right?).
The Story

Three nurses, Minnesotan Eleanor Lindstrom (U.S. Navy), Texan Penny Franklin (U.S. Army) and Filpino nurse Lita Capel meet and forge a friendship as the two military nurses arrive in Manila. They endure all that the Japanese throw at the Island. They watch MacArthur run to the safety of Australia with his much-younger wife and late-in-life born son, and endure the rule of the Japanese in prison camp or in Manila. Along the way they develop life sustaining friendships, care for the sick and injured with whatever is available and see themselves tested by the hottest of refining fires of the soul.
My Thoughts

This was a believable story of courage and even heroism. I liked each of the women and the other characters. I thought their responses and reactions were true-to-life. Their emotions were genuine. If I’d had to go through what they went through, I’d have survived a bit easier (a teeensy tiny bit) with them at my side. They were real women.

Sadly, there are two whopping historical errors that I hope, since this book is from Net Galley, the publisher has identified and fixed. 1) A soldier speaks of the G.I. Bill before it was even announced. And, most ridiculous, 2) One of the three spends her first post-war days in a hotel in San Francisco in March 1945 watching TELEVISION for two days. Yes, television. Not only was it barely a thing, all manufacture of sets was canceled during the war. She also marvels at commercials. Really? Radio had them? So weird. (This occurs in chapter 41). [Even sadder, one of these three authors has a history of whopping errors or problems within her stories].

Another oddity was one of the ladies mentions “Daddy-daughter dances at school.” I’m not saying that never happened but it just really doesn’t fit the times. There were a few other little things like that.

Then there was the blatant overuse of the word “tasked”–several times in the first few chapters and again later in the book. I dislike the word, but hearing it that many times made me want to scream. Try a thesaurus, please!
My Verdict
3.5

I took off for the ridiculous t.v. thing. The story was very good and well told, but that and the G.I. Bill reference was just sloppy fact-checking. A Google search would have taken care of it.

✨ When We Had Wings ✨⁣
⁣⁣
⁣The Philippines: 1941- three nurses meet and become instant friends. Penny, Elenor and Lita’s worlds are turned upside down when war breaks out and their island paradise suddenly becomes a war zone. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣This book offers a fresh take on the Japanese occupation of the Philippines and the heartbreaking conditions so many people faced under their occupation. I loved its focus on the nurses and their contributions to the war effort. Their commitment to helping others was truly inspirational. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Fantastic! Four stars from me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Thank you Netgalley, Harper Muse & Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris & Susan Meissner for the audio ARC of this book. It publishes on October 18, 2022.

When We Had Wings tells the story of nurses stationed in the South Pacific who were captured to become first female prisoners of WWII. The journey of each fictional character is shaped around the 1940s historical events in the Philippines which I knew very little about. I really enjoyed the different perspectives and experiences of the 3 main characters which gave insight into different aspects of the Japanese control in the Philippines, living conditions, and harsh realities of war. This is a wonderful book and I mostly enjoyed the level of detail but I did find myself getting distracted towards the end. I learned a great deal from this book. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an opportunity to listen to the audiobook and to share genuine feedback from my experience.

The story of three women from different circumstances and backgrounds becoming fast friends had a sweet tone to it. Although initially a little difficult to keep the characters and their backstories straight, once I got about half-way through I was engaged. The various trials that they each faced provided yet another new perspective to a war that occurred 80 years ago. I hadn't heard of the Japanese internment camps at the Philippines on which this story was based. Overall a nice interweaving of three point of views.

This was an awesome novel! I couldn’t pull myself away. The story of three nurses during WWII and the first female POWs. Such an interesting and untold perspective. This book as suspense, romance, action - I highly recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley, Harper Muse & Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris & Susan Meissner for the audio ARC of this book.

This was an emotional listen. Such great friendship and comradeship. It was extremely moving and the narrators did an amazing Job at telling the story.

Historical fiction is always one of my favs however something I can't read continuously because of the confronting nature, however this story was told so well and yes it was sad but it had so many good moments.

Despite being on the longer side to books I usually listen to, I didn't feel it dragged on.

It feels wrong to say I enjoyed books of this nature but I did. So well told and full of hope, friendship and happiness alongside those more overwhelming sad parts of any war fiction.

This was a book that follows two nurses that meet in the South Pacific during WWII. This book was a great read and I loved the collaboration with the authors. The audio to this was well presented and I really enjoyed the narrator.

This is the story I was desperate to read but was afraid to ask for. I’ve always been a big fan of WWII historical fiction and have wanted one set in the Philippines but because I have so much knowledge about what happened, I was afraid to get attached to characters and read about their suffering. This was such a well-written, all engrossing story that drew me in and made me feel everything I didn’t want to but I am grateful for the experience. It paints a horrifying picture of what happened in the Philippines during the war, what my grandparents lived through, and it broke my heart. The story itself moves slowly, which gives ample introduction to the area and the characters, and lays the groundwork for the atrocities (although worse happened, it is not detailed) inflicted on the enemies of the Japanese. I loved this book for the stories that it told and the history it portrays. Highly recommended!

Thank you to all of the above for this #giftedcopy and #netgalley for this #giftedaudiocopy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Of all of the WWII Fiction I have read, and I have read tons, I have never read any set in the Pacific. My grandfather was a Gunner on a Navy ship in the Pacific, so this was extremely personal to me. This story chronicles the lives of 3 female nurse P.O.W.s, the first in WWII, enprisoned in the Philippines by the Imperial Japanese Army. The conditions are horrendous, the captors are evil, yet this story shows the very best in people as well, as it follows the friendship these nurses build. Uplifting, yet horrifying, this book will emotionally wreck you, but also give you hope and inspiration.

More Like 3 and ½ Stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for my advanced audio copy of When We Had Wings.

I liked this but I didn't love this.

✨ The Audio- Well Done. When We Had Wings is narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. She has lent her voice to many historical fiction novels including ones by Kate Quinn. Those are the ones I am most familiar with. She does a marvelous job.

✨ The Collab - I love Ariel Lawhon and Susan Meissner. I am unfamiliar with Kristina McMorris and now I want to read more novels by her. I am thankful to this book for introducing me to an author that is new to me.

✨ The Setting- The Philippines. I have read so many WWII novels and none set in the South Pacific. For me - When We Had Wings was unique. I appreciated it.

✨ The Multiple POVs- I enjoyed all three of the ladies written in this novel. I had no prior knowledge of the Angels of Bataan. Because of this book I have done my own research on this group of ladies. Fascinating.

Why This Book Wasn't a 5 Star Read.

I wasn't enthralled the entire time. I'm often multitasking while listening and there were times I was all in and other times where I didn't care as much. To better explain- I was invested in the ladies and most of the events but glazed over a lot of the war talk what was going on.

Overall- Very Glad to have listened to this. If historical fiction is your jam definitely give this a read

This story was so unreal that it was hard to believe that it was based on a true story. The characters were incredible, their bonds were perfect and the book was flawlessly written. It was easy to imagine every location, every struggle and every emotion that the characters were experiencing. An incredible story about bravery, resilience that the bonds made during the most difficult of times.

Eleanor a U.S. Navy Nurse, Penny a U.S. Army Nurse and Lita a Filipina nurse and meet when they were on assignment in The Philippines in 1941. They are all there to escape their past, but soon discover that they are surrounded by a battle between the U.S. and Japan. These 3 women find themselves serving under combat and as the first female prisoners in WWII. These three heroes find themselves fighting for their own lives and the lies of their fellow inmates.

When we Had Wings is a compelling story of three nurses from diverse backgrounds in Manila, before, during, and after the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. The stories of the challenges of love, war, and friendship, and the resilience of the human spirit will encourage readers. I love hearing stories of World War II from the Pacific theatre. I look forward to more books from these authors.

Historical fiction is my absolute favorite genre so I am always excited to find a novel that is written about lesser known times in history. Written almost exclusively about World War II in Manila, When We Had Wings follows three nurses, U.S. Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom, U.S. Army nurse Penny Franklin, and Filipina nurse Lita Capel who become close while stationed together in Manila. When the Imperial Japanese soldiers take over the island they are forced to work under dire conditions and fight to survive.

While friendship is the initial theme of When We Had Wings, there is aspects of romance, human connection and the fight for survival. During the Japanese occupation of Manila prison camps were established and many people died from starvation and other preventable illnesses. It is clear that all three authors did extensive research into the history of Manila during this time which is evident throughout the novel.

I also enjoyed how all three authors were able to weave the stories about Eleanor, Penny and Lita together without it feeling too long or bulky. Though they began the story together, they are eventually separated and come face to face with their own personal challenges.

Overall it's a 4.5/5 from me. Great addition to the shelf for any lover of historical fiction.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Muse and the authors for access to an audiobook ARC in exchange for feedback.