Thank you once again to Netgalley for allowing me to read this work of historical fiction. Set during WWII, it tells the story of female Red Cross volunteers who went to both bases and battlefields in Europe during WWII to bring hot coffee, donuts, smiles and music to tired worn GI's.

I must admit it had a rather slow start and I almost gave up. I'm grateful for persevering for this was the story of a lifetime about friendship, life, death, and above all love. Once again I had no idea that this Clubmobile existed at all.

The ending was a surprise and was so heartwarming - a book you, too, will fall in love with.

Good Night Irene by Luis Urrea is based on the author's mother's history in the Red Cross during World War II. I was very excited to be chosen by Little Brown and Co. and Netgalley to preview this book. I have read and listened to Urrea's books and heard him speak, and was curious to hear him tell a story about the American side of his family, even if it's not biographical. I was not aware of the "Donut Dollies", although my own father fought in the Pacific theater in World War II. This story takes place in Europe. The Red Cross hired women to actually go to the front where the battles were being fought and bring coffee and donuts to the men fighting there. It would certainly take a certain type of woman to want to do this, and the women in the story were typical of those. These were women that wanted to be close to the action, and much like their male counterparts, they had no idea what they were getting in to. Urrea uses his superb storytelling skills to weave the story of two women, Irene and Dorothy, who entered the Red Cross for very different reasons, but bonded, none the less as Donut Dollies. I loved this story. It was a realistic portrayal of what these women experienced, and their very different reactions to it all. Irene, as the sexy, artistic, feminine one, and Dorothy, the tom boy who loves driving the donutmobile, and would have preferred driving a jeep and fighting with the men. They exhibit their strength, dedication to duty, and a love for life that is amazing. Urrea does not disappoint, and I feel very lucky to have been given an opportunity to preview this book in exchange for an honest review.

A story of two women whose friendship is forged on the battlefields of Europe in World War II.
A lost story of the heroism of female Red Cross workers who were on the frontline of war. This is a eye opening, warm-hearted book that everyone should read.

What a revelation for me to find out that women actually enlisted for World War II service with the American Red Cross! Until reading this beautifully written novel,, chronicling the lives of Donut Dollies working the front lines, I foolishly assumed that coffee serving volunteers had light social responsibilities. Instead, these brave and generous souls, put their lives on the line at the same battlefields on which the GIs fought.
Luis Alberto Urrea, taking a little known chapter from his mother’s Red Cross service, weaves a tale of friendship, love, courage, and honor. Irene Woodward enlists as a Red Cross worker in 1943. She abruptly leaves her home and family in New York to escape from an abusive husband. Dorothy Danforth, becomes her work partner, friend and confidante as the two serve coffee and donuts, bringing a bit of home comfort, to soldiers fighting on the front line. Irene and Dot forge a bond solid enough to last a lifetime, while sharing intimate thoughts and moments together as best friends. Romance beckons when Irene becomes involved with an heroic American fighter pilot, Hans (Hands). The two plan to find each other when the war is over.
Urrea describes in depth what life at the front was like. He sweeps us from small towns in France and Belgium, right into battle, up into the blazing skies, then to the unimaginable horrors of Buchenwald, and the despair of makeshift battle front “ hospitals.” The details were so descriptive that I found myself feeling the emotional roller coaster that the characters were living.
Right up until the very end, I was captivated by the exquisite writing, which had me wondering how life would treat these characters in whom I had invested so much feeling. For lovers of historical fiction, this novel will be a treat. I thank #NetGalley and publisher, #Little,Brown and Company for providing me with an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review b

In the middle of World War II, Irene Woodward decides she’d rather join up with the Red Cross and nurse wounded soldier in France than put up with her violent fiancee. She becomes part of an elite nursing service known as the Donut Dollies and forms close friendships with many of the women in her unit, Dorothy Dunford in particular. Through D Day, the front lines of battle and the liberation of the Buchenwald Death Camp, Goodnight, Irene follows the unsung heroes of World War II. the many women who served alongside the men during some of the darkest days of human history