I could not get into the audio of this book. I don’t know if it just wasn’t the right time for me to read this kind of book or if it just wasn’t for me but I DNF’d it. Rating is based solely on the requirement from NetGalley to give a star rating and does not specifically represent the book.

Couldn’t finish unfortunately - loved the premise of this novel, but couldn’t engage with the narrator or the storyline enough to overlook the narrator.

Enjoyable but a little slow at times. I may have enjoyed reading the book rather than listening to it, as it took up a lot of hours. Always fun reading about book clubs.

5 Stars for The Blackout Book Club! This book has it all - love, laughter, triumph, tears, heartache, and healing. Amy Lynn Green did an absolutely stellar job with this tale of true friendship in the midst of hard times! Leah Horowitz did a fabulous job with the narration, as well!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green was absolutely heartwarming and moving. Audiobook performance was perfect. Loved it. Highly recommended.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book. I really enjoyed this book. I have read a lot of WW2 stories and this one was unique. I did not know about the restrictions and blackout rules that the the east coast US had during WW2. I loved the character development and the little town. I also liked the little mysteries that were throughout the story. I loved the discussion of books. It was an interesting story, story about friendships, and bonding over books.
I won't be purchasing it for our high school, but I do highly recommend reading this book, especially if you want a different type of WW2 story.

This book provided a little different view of WWII than we typically see. It is based in the United States. An interesting read with a lot of well developed characters. Each character has a unique situation … from a scared mother to a woman whose marriage is experiencing difficulties to a woman whose curt demeanor serves to hide past hurts and regrets. But the resulting effort to combine their efforts for a positive result was touching.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

I have read a lot of historical fiction set during WWII, and I like when there is a different storyline from those I have read before. The Blackout Book Club is set in small town Derby, Maine. Avis has become the head librarian at the privately owned establishment. Her brother has gone off to war and she took over his post. The owner of the building, has never really liked the library that her father started years ago. She always felt he loved his books more than her. When the working mothers have no daycare for their children, she decides to close the building and turn it into a nursery. Avis is devastated and tells her that she has just announced a bookclub, as recommended by the war off to get more people to follow the blackout rules. It is a pastime they recommend, so she agrees to hold off. Her first three attendees consist of the wealthy spinster determined to aid the war effort and close the library, an exhausted mother looking for a fresh start, and a determined young war worker. The attendance picks up as we learn more about their lives and past situations. While all this is going on, there are U-boats trolling the waters off the US coast and spies among the inhabitants.

I really enjoyed this story about the strong women holding down the fort at home while their husbands, brothers and fiancés are off fighting. There is also racism against one of the characters, an Italian mother and worker in the factory. The stories of these women could be anyone's story during that time and it was interesting to see how they lived and supported one another. The choice of the books they chose were interesting, most were classics, some non-fiction and even one children's book: The Velveteen Rabbit. I had never heard of the Hooligan Navy before and found it interesting. Of course that sent me off to the internet and down another rabbit hole. Amy Lynn Green provides a list of all the books the club reads in her Author Notes at the end. She even thoughtfully includes any titles mentioned or recommended by characters in this story. A wonderful book about life on the coast of the US during the war and connecting with books as well as people. This is one I recommend to those who enjoy historical fiction and life during WWII about those left behind. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Leah Horowitz and was very pleased with her performance. She gave these very different women individual voices and added emotion to the story. I recommend the audiobook if you enjoy listening to books.

Very interesting book with a book club that followed the everyday lives and issues of the participants. I felt like I got to know each one personally and enjoyed going through their war issues with them. It's a historical fiction book, but one that joined the characters through bonding over books.

Really enjoyed this different view of WWII life. The time spent with the bookclub was charming and the characters we meet and explore in the group were very entertaining. It took me a bit to get into the story and get comfortable navigating between the main characters overlapping lives. The narration was solid throughout the audiobook and is not for the faint of heart - clocking in over 12 hours.

If you like historical fiction focused on the people at home rather than the war front this is a good option to check out! 4.5⭐️

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

For starters, I was really excited about the premise of this book. Like, REALLY really. A library is on the verge of being shut-down during the war, and Avis, the sister of the head librarian, makes a rash promise to her brother that she'll keep its doors open. So? She starts a book club! The few women in this book club couldn't be any more different from each other if they tried and it seems as though this idea was better in Avis' head than in actuality. But through reading the books, the women finally find escape in the pages and comfort with one another as they all battle their own personal tough times during the war waging around them.

What I loved: The idea! It's one that I was really excited to read!

What I didn't love. The narration. It was slow, and maybe I should have read a hardcopy instead of going with the audio. The writing was a little off for me too. Kind of cheesy at points and lots of cliche's.

I really wished I enjoyed this more than I did.

What can be better than a book about a bookclub that was started just to keep a library open? Make it happen during WWII in a small town with a charming group of townsfolk!

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green is a delightful read of love found and rekindled, of trials and searching, and redemption and enduring friendship.

I enjoyed this book. Avis drove me a little crazy with her attitude towards her husband serving and how “hard” she had it along with Jenny grieving a beau she didn’t actually like in the first place. Overall though, a different take on a WWII book that was refreshing.

Amy Lynn Green did such a great job developing this group of book-loving characters (although they didn’t all start out book-loving) in The Blackout Book Club.

She wove a heartfelt and very original tale while using the backdrop of World War II. All facing the hardships of war, and a blackout law, food rations, waiting for loved ones to return from war as they themselves stayed on the home front, plus daily life conflicts … this group became friends, maybe even family, bonding over books as danger lurked above them. Quite a fascinating story.

I listened to the audiobook of this novel, and I really enjoyed the narrator. So if you’re picky about those, I recommend this one. The narrator’s name is Leah Horowitz, so audible listeners, keep an eye open for her.

I received this audiobook courtesy of netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green is a great book. I haven't read anything by Green before this one, but I quite enjoyed it. It is the story of four women who meet at a book club in a local library and discover friendship and so much more. Set during the war, it reminds us of how we are all imperfect but lovable. Louise is an older woman with a painful past who must learn to live with her choices, even when they come back to find her. Avis is a young wife whose husband wants to do his part for the war effort, but she doesn't know how to let him go. Martina is a young mother with a husband who runs when things get hard and comes back only when it is good for him, causing trouble for his wife and children. Jenny is a scrappy young woman who fights for what she wants and works hard to make a change. The four may seem like they don't actually have anything in common, but they find that life has a way of bringing people together. I am grateful that I got to listen to it on audio. The narrator did a fabulous job. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher.

I want o thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version. I really loved this book! It was not so much about being in the war but about a small town a residents that are living through the war in America. The characters were amazing and I loved how they all bonded over a book club. I highly recommend and the author did a great job. I love the narrator also. She did a great job.

Avis Montgomery finds herself as the head librarian in her small town when her brother goes off to war. A big difference between Avis and her brother is that he is an avid reader, while Avis isn’t. Wartime has threatened to close the library, but Avis decides to create a book club to keep the doors open. The women she convinces to attend are from all walks of life.

Initially when the women come together for the book club, war is the only thing they have in common. As time passes, the women develop friendships with one another and end up having more in common than they once thought.

It’s a tale of hardships and struggles during wartime and people making the best of the situation they find themselves in, while making long lasting friendships at the same time.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for allowing me to listen to an ARC of this novel. #TheBlackoutBookClub #NetGalley

What I Liked:

- I liked how The Blackout Book Club gave a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people during WWII.

-The characters were all well developed--Jenny especially had a fun character voice.

-It's always fun to read a book about the love of books. :)


What Wasn't My Favorite:

-While there were definitely some subplots that kept me wondering what was going to happen, the main plot about Avis and the library was a little predictable. But that didn't ruin the story.


Audiobook Notes:

The narrator did a great job with the audiobook, giving all of the characters their own voices.

Avis isn’t much of a reader. But when her librarian brother goes off to war, she finds herself working at the library in his place. She is determined to do her best for him. So, when the library is threatened with closure, Avis creates a book club to try to save it, the blackout book club. Interesting story of the home front during wartime. Friendship, heroism, and reading, a wonderful combination.