When Edie's beloved brother is killed in the war, her overbearing father becomes even more cruel, forcing Edie to take on a teaching position when her real love is photography. As part of the war effort, Edie's friend signs her up to take photos for soldiers to keep their spirits up. Whilst doing this, Edie discovers she no longer wants to live under her father's iron rule and becomes more independent. In the process, she not only discovers herself, but finds love and a family she never knew existed.

“She wasn’t wanton, profligate, pert, sluttish! She was an upstanding person – a kind person. A respectable woman who worked hard and tried to do good in the world. She didn’t need London or teaching, or to flirt or to catch a man, or any of the things Aubrey or Florence or her father thought she needed or wanted – all she asked was to choose her path. All she wanted was the barest sliver of power over her own destiny.”

Snapshots from Home is the third stand-alone novel by Australian author, Sasha Wasley. Early in 1917, twenty-three-year-old Edie Stark makes the trek from her suburban Perth home to the little rural town of York, where she’ll be teaching mathematics, geometry and science at Miss Raison’s York Girls’ School.

She feels genuinely welcome at Mrs Mason’s boarding house, more at home with her fellow teachers, Amelia and Faye, than she ever was back in Guildford. Earning more than she did at the State School will allow her to secret away some savings. Now that her brother, Aubrey is no longer there as a buffer, being out from under the iron rule of Frederick Stark, her strict, parsimonious, joyless father with his mercurial moods, insults and hissed criticisms, is a bonus.

Two years earlier, they lost Aubrey to Gallipoli, and Edie is still felled by grief. Even though Aubrey always encouraged her, she hasn’t picked up a camera since he died because it makes her too sad. But Aubrey’s fiancée, Florence Trumbull takes it upon herself to send Edie a Kodak Vest Pocket camera and signs her up to a YMCA scheme to take snaps of family and loved ones requested by boys at the front.

One of Edie’s pupils, ten-year-old Kitty Macmillan insists on becoming Edie’s assistant, reasoning that she has experience (her family owns the town’s portrait gallery) and she will know the families Edie needs to find. This worthy activity brings her into the humble homes of many ordinary folk, of whom she is certain her father would disapprove, but also opens her eyes to the realities of life for the working class.

Getting her snaps developed, and obtaining more film supplies and dyes to hand-colour the prints at Macmillan’s Portrait Gallery, Edie encounters a handsome young man, who turns out to have a reputation for shocking politics, making controversial statements and being generally argumentative. When he drives her and Kitty out for snapshot requests, he constantly challenges her beliefs and causes her read up on these topics to be better informed.

Meanwhile, when she returns to Guildford for her vacations, she discovers her father, ever conscious of class and reputation, has been cosying up to men he thinks will make suitably high-class husbands. The one he most favours for Edie is the son of a wealthy factory owner, and she soon discovers that he is everything she doesn’t want.

What a wonderful piece of historical fiction! Wasley bases her tale on true stories from the Australian Home Front and effectively demonstrates just how powerless women, the working classes, and blacks were in that early twentieth Century world dominated by the wealthy. Her extensive research is apparent on every page. Except for those she intends to be jaw-droppingly awful, Wasley’s characters have depth and appeal, and Kitty, her unconventional mother and her firebrand brother are likely to be favourites. Rich in historical detail, Wasley’s latest is interesting, entertaining and enjoyable.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Pantera Press.

Snapshots From Home is a departure for Sasha Wasley, whose previous genres were Rural Fiction & Women's Fiction plus fantasy. How good is it that an author can pivot successfully from one genre to another!
This book tells the true story of a program that was set up during the first world war for photographs to be sent to the diggers fighting in the war to give them some pleasure and remind them of their loved ones at home in Australia.
Edie is a school teacher who is teaching away from her home where her father treats her terribly. At the school she meets Kitty one of her students who helps her when she joins in the Snapshots from Home league. Photography has always been her passion but her father thought it a frivolous occupation and forced her to take a suitable occupation that would stand her in good stead to attract a husband. There she meets Kitty's brother who runs the local photography studio and is classed as a troublemaker and is anti-conscription. Edie's father is cruel and wants to marry her off to a local businessman he thinks is suitable, but her father has secrets that will eventually come out.
I really enjoyed reading this novel, and I always enjoy learning something about history whilst reading a good story.
Thank you to Net Galley and Pantera Press for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a big fan of Sasha Wasley's books and this one certainly didn't disappoint. Not to mention the stunning cover!
The book is set during WW1 – it’s 1917 and Edith Stark (Edie) is mourning the loss of her brother Aubrey from the frontline. Edie lives with her father who is keen to see her marry the ‘right’ man. Edie is fortunate to receive a teaching position in the small Australian town of York at the Miss Raison’s School for Girls. While she is there, she’s given the opportunity to take part in a photography scheme, taking and sending photos of families to troops. Her new past time opens doors and her mind to new people, scandals and the complexities of war.
This book explores a range of themes from complex families to status differences, grief and loss all the way through to romance and friendship. I also learnt so many things about WW1 which I didn’t know – the Snapshots from Home program being one of them! What a great initiative of the YMCA at the time.
It was a page turning enjoyable ready. Thanks to Pantera Press and NetGalley who provided an electronic copy of Snapshots from Home by Sasha Wasley in exchange for an honest review.
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SNAPSHOTS FROM HOME has left me marveling at the talent of Sasha Wasley!
The same author who writes contemporary fiction, rural romance, middle grade fiction and paranormal young adult novels (under pen names S.D Wasley and Ash Harrier), has directed her own towards historical fiction with this novel - and this is an absolute success of a first foray!

Set in Western Australia in 1917, SNAPSHOTS FROM HOME covers a really fascinating time in history. I loved learning about the Snapshots From Home program (which sent photos of home and loved ones on request to soldiers on the front) which was new to me & about Australia during wartime. The gender politics and social norms had me admiring the strength and endurance of women during this time.

It’s clear how lovingly researched this story was. There are so many interesting social issues, wartime and home front details included in the plot. I find some wartime reads get very heavy with heartache (which is expected, of course), but within this novel, Sasha Wasley found a great balance between the realities of the time and the humour and heart of a small town, making it an overall feel-good read.

With a few surprising twists, a cast of brilliant characters and a delightful romance that faced down many challenges, SNAPSHOTS FROM HOME gets all the stars from me!

Historical fiction fans, you must get your hands on a copy of this book!

What genre can’t Sasha Wasley write?! Romance, children’s fiction, contemporary womens fiction and now historical fiction.

All of which she has succeeded at.

Snapshots from Home is a story set in WWI Western Australia and centres around Edith Stark. I love her strength and courage of her convictions.

This is the second book this year that has mentioned the Snapshots from the Home League, such a fantastic initiative. I can just imagine how the soldiers felt receiving photos of loved ones during some of the hardest times of their lives.

I loved this book for so many reasons, it’s hard to put into words, but I do know it gave me all the feels and left me completely satisfied by the time I turned the last page.

1917 Australia, and the first world war was taking young Australian men from their families. Edie had very recently lost her brother, Aubrey, to the war, and her grief was never ending. Taking the job as school teacher in the small Western Australian town of York meant leaving her abusive father behind in Guildford, a Perth suburb. Aubrey had been doing his best to get Edie away from their father prior to the war - now it looked like she'd have to do it herself.

When Edie was approached to be the York photographer for Snapshots from Home, an initiative to send photos of their families to the young men at war, Edie wasn't sure. She loved photography - Aubrey had taught her all she knew. But she went ahead, finding solace in helping others, with one of her students, ten year old Kitty, by her side, her constant and chatterbox helper. But when she lost her place at Miss Raison’s School for Girls, she had to return home to her father. What could she do? The man her father had lined up for Edie to marry was odious - she needed another suitor...

Snapshots from Home is another direction for Aussie author Sasha Wasley and it's a masterpiece! I haven't read a lot of books set in WWI and with this one set in Australia, it shows how the families at home coped. Based on true stories of WWI diggers, the idea of sending photos to the men at war was a great one to boost morale. I got angry with Edie's old fashioned, brutal, abusive father many times; wished bad things on him!! Thoroughly enjoyed the (other) characters, especially Kitty. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was well written and the story moved along nicely. Thank goodness times have changed.

York, WA 1917: Edie Stark leaves her home town of Guildford, and her dominant and overbearing father, to take up a teaching position in the small country town of York. Her father would prefer that Edie find a husband rather than follow a career of her own interest.
She is excited to hear, as she is a keen amateur photographer, that the YMCA has requested photographers from all parts of Australia to volunteer to take part in the Snapshots from Home scheme. Here is her chance to do something for the war effort.
As she becomes more involved in Snapshots from Home, Edie also involves one of her very keen students, Kitty Macmillan as her assistant, thereby involving Kitty's mother and her brother Teddy. In the small township of York, Kitty knows everyone and quickly volunteers Teddy as driver of the horse and cart on their trips to the countryside for photos of families for the boys fighting overseas,.
Greiving the loss of her own brother in France in 1915, Edie is stunned to find that Teddy Macmillan is a conscientious objector.
I must congratulate Author Sasha Wasley. This story is not only about Snapshots from Home, but, as the story evolves, becomes so very much more. I loved this story and highly recommend it to other readers.
Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Edith Stark is excited to start teaching science at York’s Girl Private School, it’s in a small town in Western Australia and she's desperate to leave home. Her father has never been an easy person to live with, since her brother Aubrey died at Gallipoli and he’s worse. Mr. Stark is controlling, he wants Edie to get married, and he's considering suitable candidates. Edie becomes friends with her fellow teachers, she enjoys living in the boarding house and dreads visiting her father.

Aubrey loved taking photographs, he taught Edie how to use a camera, she’s contacted by YMCA to take part in the Snapshots From Home League, soldiers fill out requests forms for photographs, they need volunteers from all over Australia to take the portraits and Edie agrees to help in her area. Kitty Macmillan is one of Edie’s students, she knows where everyone lives in York and offers to be her assistant. In her spare time with a chatty Kitty showing her the way, Edie takes photos of soldiers new babies, families, homes and even a potty calf!

Edie has to deal with the most annoying man at the town’s photography gallery, he’s a conscientious objector and gets into trouble for his political views. Australian soldiers have been fighting in The Great War for over three years, Edie's proud of her brother and is patriotic. However, Edie notices lower class people don’t have the opportunities wealthier people do, she starts taking in what's happening around her and she realises how unfair it is.

I received a copy of Snapshots from Home by Sasha Wasley from Pantera Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It’s a page turning and uplifting story about life in Australia during The Great War, the characters in the narrative are all pleasant and unforgettable including; Edie, Florence, Kitty, Eleanor, Mrs. Mason, Mary, Nora, Lily, Theodore and a big secret I didn't see coming is reveled.

I had never heard of the Snapshots From Home League, it was a wonderful idea and can you imagine how important the photos were to our diggers fighting overseas. Ms. Wasley makes you consider what the majority of Australians thought about conscientious objectors at the time, the introduction of the card system in work places, lock out rules, women being paid less, the great strike and the second vote for conscription referendum in December 1917. A well written Australian historical fiction novel, and very different to the authors previous books. Reading it made me feel emotional, very proud to be an Aussie and five stars from me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Panterra Press for the opportunity to read this book. The release date is coming up on July 4th.

This story is set during WW1. Edie is roped into taking photos to be sent to the men serving away from home to boost their morale. She is hesitant at first because of the loss of her dear brother earlier in the war. She builds a relationship with the Macmillan family that helps open her eyes to some different ways of thinking. She has come from a sheltered life with a controlling, angry, and miserable father who tried to strip any joy from her life.

I felt so many emotions reading this book - anger at the injustice and lack of equality, amusement at the antics of Kitty Macmillan, and joy watching Edie find her freedom.
I highly recommend this story!

I really enjoyed Sasha’s last two books and was quite interested to see that his pjs historical fiction novel. Wasley transports you back in time to Western Australia in 1917. I really felt you got a good feel for what it was like to live in Australia during the war at this time, especially for women. I really enjoyed learning about the Snapshots From Home League and their amazing work.
I loved learning about how old fashioned cameras worked, and the photos were coloured in afterward being developed. It was fun to see who and what different soldiers wanted photos of and to meet them all.

Like Sasha’s other books the characters were so engaging and well developed. She also explores complex family dynamics. Edie was such an amazing character with her work as a teacher and a photographer. I loved her interactions and relationships with Kitty, Teddy, her brother and the people she photographed. The strained relations between her and her father was very well done and reflective of the time. There was a bit of a twist with her family didn’t see coming and was so glad to see. I was sad when I got to the novel and had to leave her world, but very happy with how it all finished up. Sasha has found a home on my autobuy author list!

A beautifully written book based on WWI. It's set in Western Australia - Guildford, York, Perth and Albury. It's the story of Edith (Edie) Stark, her mean, nasty and dominant father Federick who wants her Daughter to marry into wealth and her brother Aubrey who fought and died in the War.

Edie longs to be a Teacher and dreams of running a photography gallery in London, ultimately defying her Father and leaves for York to be a Teacher at a local prestigious fine girls school.

Here she meets many interesting well to do families, makes friends and foes, along with Mrs Macmillan her son Teddy and daughter Kitty who is one of her students.

Whilst in York, Edie joins an organization called 'Snapshots from home league' upon Florence (Aubrey's Fiance) recommendation and here begins Edie's true adventures in photography. Taking portraits of the Soldiers who request their family snapshots to help with the melancholy days in the trenches and on the battlefields and hopes they have a safe return to their families and loved ones. When the school term finished and holidays begin Edie returns home to her father.

In the meantime, Frederick arranges super with The Hammonds who own a factory that produce all the Soldiers army kits and have a good fortune in this work. Federick's idea with these invitations to super is so Edie will marry Digby Hammond and return to Guildford, give up her teaching career.

Does Edie listen to her father and settle for Digby?
Does she choose Teddy?
Will she return to Guildford or make York her home?

The story reveals other facets of life in Australia during WWI like voting at referendums to force young men to fight via conscription then to family secrets in Albury! A family that Edie was never told about or knew existed.

The little twists and turns in the story entices you to keep on reading to the end. It leaves you with an ending you didn't expect.

I rate this book 5 stars. I enjoyed the read and can see it being made into a movie.

Thanks for the book NetGalley and this is my review.

First I must say I loved this book and the story of Edie and also that the stories draws inspiration from true events during WWII. I love books that are based and inspired by true events as it brings the history and era to life.

This story follows Edie from home to her new job and then to her becoming in a scheme 'Snapshots From Home. Stories unfold, secrets are revealed, politics become a part of the story and the characters come to life. It is a book that I couldn't put down and didn't want to put down as it was so interesting.

There were twists and surprises, the characters themselves grew and learned throughout this story (as did the readers) and it just flowed and I just kept turning each page, enjoying and immersing myself into it. I loved it.

Thank you so much NetGallley and Pantera Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book and story.

What a wonderful read! The book is set during the period of WWI. Edie and her brother Aubrey Stark live with their father Frederick in Guildford, WA. Fredrick is a cruel miserly, angry man and Edie is eager to escape the household. Aubrey has enlisted but sadly is killed in action leaving poor Edie alone and at home with her father until he finally allows her to become a teacher. At last Edie can escape and is soon hired at the York’s Girls School.
Edie and Aubrey loved photography and Edie is soon convinced to become part of the ‘Snapshots from Home Program’ while she is out of her fathers strict supervision. Edie loves teaching and loves being able to help the war effort by taking requests from serviceman, through the program, for a snapshot of their family or home. Edie meets Teddy Macmillan a conscientious objector to the war and the owner of Macmillans Portrait Gallery while in York and his sister Kitty becomes Edie’s assistant. There are debates and arguments about Teddy’s choice but it opens Edie’s eyes to a world, she as a women has not been privy to. Edie begins to see and think of life like she has never done before. Then there are family secrets that change everything.
There is so much to love about this book, the characters, life during WWI, the politics of the time, the treatment of women and the unfair work practices that existed. I can only imagine the amount of research the author undertook to bring all the facets together to make a truly engaging historical fiction read. A definite 5/5