A beloved London bookshop, a widowed bookseller, and a dog named Hemingway are all about to clash with WWII. Gertie loves her bookshop, but it tired of navigating the ins and outs without any of her family remaining. Noticing her loneliness, her friend Charles suggests she take in a child fleeing from Nazi Germany. Hedy.
As Hedy begins to open up, Gertie finds her headstrong passion returning, and Bingham Books, and the library book club, along with war volunteer efforts begin to bring their part of London together. Poignant and beautiful, book lovers will find deep connections to the power that books play in our lives.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this title. Fans of historical fiction will find it intriguing, engaging, and easy to read.

Books, libraries, and bookstores have been a popular theme of late for WWII historical fiction. The Air Raid Book Club is the 4th one I've read just this year.

The bookstore and book club are not really the focus of this book. It is more about the life of women in the town during WWII. The bookstore serves as a central setting for the story.

There isn't really anything unique about this WWII story, but the characters are wonderful and I really felt like they were friends by the time I finished the book. I was so invested in their lives that I read this in big chunks and finished it in just 3 days.

If you are looking for a good character-driven historical novel with some talk of popular books of the 1940s, then this is the book to pick up.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Friday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/05/go-back-in-time-with-these-2-books-of.html

"You are part of my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line I have ever read." —Charles Dickens,
Great Expectations

I loved the feel of this story. Gertie was a interesting woman, and I appreciated her love of reading. She felt like a Belle from the 40's, and I liked her character immediately with her zeal for life.

Gertie and Harry's love story was so sweet, and reminded of Carl and Ellie in Disney's "Up". So heartwarming and full of innocence.

The cover and title was what drew me to this story though, and quickly caught my eye in the huge stash of lovely books available to review.

While this was a slower paced book than most that I typically read, it was a nice change and a book I quite enjoyed.

Thank you to William Morrow Publishing for the complimentary e-book I received to review through Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and the thoughts written here are solely my own.


For those who want a content review, read below. :)

Negative Content

Gertie and a friend have a glass of wine together.

Gertie mentions Charles Darwin's misleading book on evolution, "The Origin of Species" and a customer comments that he was a great man. While he may have been smart in some aspects, I don't agree that he was great in regards to his book and his spiritually detrimental theories on creation and evolution.

Having read, The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett, I was excited at the opportunity to read another book by Annie Lyons. Her gift with words is amazing and I look forward to further adventures in the pages of books she will create.

I am a huge fan of historical fiction books that take place during WWII. This one was a little different focus than the books I have typically read ... and that was a nice change. The relationship that developed between Gertie and Hedy was inspiring. Though the war was the background, the story really revolved around community and friendship and the ability of books to bring people together. The ability of the individuals to face uncertainty and handle grief with such a strong sense of courage was touching.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow 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!

As a lover of historical fiction, especially set during WW11, this book absolutely captured my heart.

It’s filled with love stories, heartache & loss, history, a bookshop, friendships, family, triumph, perseverance, and hope.

The story centres around Gertie- a bookshop owner in her sixties, who somewhat reluctantly agrees to take in a young German refugee (Hedy). What follows is the most beautiful story of personal growth, of friendship, of two people brought together in the hardest of circumstances but who become the closest of ‘family’ 💙

I loved every single character- Gertie, Hedy… the dog Hemingway… Sam, Bettie, Charles. Each character played a part- they each had their strengths, they each brought something to another character, and they all made up this little London village of people banded together during war.

Get your tissues ready- and fall in love with this beautiful story.

I really enjoyed this historical fiction novel set in London during WW2. Gertie Bingham, owner of Bingham books is dealing with her own personal tragedy when she welcomes a German refugee named Hedy. Hedy breathes new life into Gertie, and together the two women begin the Air Raid Book Club. I loved the friendship amongst the members of the book club. I would love to try to read all the books that the book club did! I highly recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction or just good books in general.

During WWII Bingham Books in London becomes a refuge for so many book lovers. Gertie feels lost since losing her husband, but her patrons keep her going. As the war escalates a teenage refugee comes to stay with her. Hedy is fantastic with the children and her reading to the children while they’re stuck in the air raid shelters inspires the creation of a book club for all the people who seek shelter there.

This is a very character driven novel and I thoroughly enjoy the relationships Annie creates among the characters. The friendships and relationships described really makes you feel a part of their unique community.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for my ARC of this book.

The Air Raid Book Club is a historical fiction novel for book lovers. In the midst of the Blitz, London bookshop owner, and grieving widow Gertie forms an air raid book club. As they meet in air raid shelters, the members of the group discuss a plethora of classic novels. As the club grows, Gertie begins to find new hope and purpose amid her grief. This is a great book for fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society!

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy. All thoughts are my own.

This book was amazing i enjoyed the Gertie character and how welcoming she was with everybody and her heart was a blessing for many.

Gertie decides to take in one of these headstrong refuges that will change her life and the life of Hedy forever, they couldn't imagine the connection and the growth they both will have even if that means at first feeling so alone without her mother and family who were stuck in a war that didn't understand of age or sex it was all about destroying.

Hedy misses her family so much now she is in a new house with a new small family that doesn't have the same traditions she had, but soon she will finally find love and see that no matter how dark everything looks like love will be there to fix the wounds.

two wonderful characters that will make your heart smile.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow, for the advanced copy of The Air Raid Book Club in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely wonderful read! A very good look into WWII life in one town just outside London proper with Gertie Bingham and her friends. The characters who whirl in and out of Bingham Books are a delightful cast who will make you cry and give you hope. This book is an ode to the chosen families we create and the hardships that make us stronger.

Other than the ending feeling a bit rushed it was a steady read that kept you yearning to know what happens to our characters next.

I received a copy from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

The power of books and how they can unite people even during hard times! Such a different prospective on WWII, whose main character is a widowed book store owner. Loved the friendships their group grew and was saddened by all the loss they experienced. Such a good read!

It a wonderful story of friendship during a very difficult time in history. When her husband, Harry, dies, Gertie Bingham is at evens and odds, running a book store that both had bought and managed. Trying to decide what to do with the rest of her life, whether to retire and move away from her little village and the memories that are always present. But as fate steps in and presents itself, Gertie decides to take a German child into her home during the war. It is difficult to believe there is some happiness in life even during a war that is trying to destroy the world, however, through books anything is possible.

The author’s prose and deep empathy for her characters. will keep the reader captivated.
Many thanks to William Morrow and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved this book! Such a beautiful, heartfelt story about the power of books bringing people together.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Amazing well-written story about family, loss, and love during war. Great book for a book club.

The Air Raid Book Club was a testament to the power of books. Through Gertie's bookstore and the book club, the community came together during the worst times of the war. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a good addition to the historical fiction genre around WWII I.n England when children were sent out of London to the country. I loved that books featured heavily and I felt the book evoked the time period well
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

Historical fiction, especially set around WWII, is on of my favorite genres. This is the story of Jewish children being taken in by English families to try to keep them safe during the war. It is book of kindness and heartbreak. It is also set around a bookclub and bookstore, which I loved. Any story including books is a winner for me. I enjoyed reading this story and watching it come to life.

There are so many WWII books but this addressed some issues that I've never before read in fiction. Hedy is a German Jew who was rescued in a wave of Jewish children being brought to England. She was brought to Gertie Bingham, a widow who owned a bookstore just outside of London. There are elements of the Blitz, rationing, growing up through a war. There are also discussions of those who don't like Hedy because she's "the enemy" and "a dirty Jew", as well as some of Churchill's mandates that those who were German naturalists, even as child refugees, needed to be arrested, detained and set aside from society. Each were elements found in German view or American internment camps but not England based stories.
Throughout there's also the way community comes together, the healing powers of books, and learning to carry on despite awful circumstances.

#arc
#netgalley
#theairraidbookclub