Post WWII Canada, June Grant is her family's breadwinner after her father suffered a massive stroke. She secures a job in the steno pool of a Montreal ad agency and has dreams of being a female copywriter. When June's flair for writing catches the eye of a high-up executive in the company, she begins to work special projects for him. During a time when women are expected to know their place, June wonders if her place and her dreams might eventually align.

A parallel storyline includes the mysterious activities of June's married sister, Daisy. While June's parents believe Daisy has followed the dream path into marriage and motherhood, June catches wind that something more sinister is at play. And, she is determined to understand.

A Real Somebody is a fictionalized story based on the author's aunt. With a Mad Men vibe and Montreal setting the story's setting was a real highlight for me. The mystery of Daisy, while not the most compelling part of the story for me, revealed a darker underbelly to that time period.

Thank you to Deryn Collier, #NetGalley, and Union Lake Publishing for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

I was looking forward to this read but it wasn't what I expected, I found it hard to get into and it didn't flow. Will try again.

This was a delightful and poignant read. The writing was well done, the look back into history was fascinating, and the characters were well developed! This book felt like just the right amount of feminism without totally disparaging society or men. I truly loved it!

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC to review!

Deryn Collier’s “A Real Somebody," with its story of a young female stenographer in post-World War II America who aspires to be an advertising copywriter, defies easy categorization. One reviewer, for instance, called it charming, and while I can appreciate the appellation – the tribulations of the protagonist under the eye of a harridan of a female boss are the stuff of a soap opera – “charming” seems hardly the most appropriate tag for a novel in which the protagonist’s sister, under the weight of the oppressive pressures on women of the Mad Men era, comes finally to a very dark place indeed. And there are just the slightest indications – when the protagonist, for instance, comments on the plight of displaced persons or when there’s a passing reference to the Boer War, or still more overtly to my mind, a pretty clear indication of prostitution – to suggest that a larger canvas might have been at the back of Collier’s mind. But that's perhaps for a later day for a novelist who just with her depiction of a certain time and place in America acquits herself admirably and does it with deceptively simple prose that's not just harder than it looks but well-nigh impossible. Count me a fan.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This book based on the author’s real life aunt is an interesting story about life in Canada after World War II. The main character, June is a stenographer in an advertising agency, she has drive, ambition, and a desire to write, but is suppressed due to What society’s expectations for woman are especially after the war. I enjoyed this story about June’s struggle to get ahead with many obstacles against her, namely her boss, family, and the fact that she was not like the other young women that she worked with, manly bidding their time until marriage and children. I believe that this is a good story for someone wanting to read about a ambitious young woman in the post World War II era.

The concept really appealed to me and I was looking forward to this fictionalised tale inspired by real events. Maybe the timing was wrong but I just couldn’t get into it. I might give it another go later on. I sometimes enjoy it best the second time around or with the audiobook.

A REAL SOMEBODY is a fabulous historical novel that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. The author does a wonderful job of immersing the reader into the story world right away. This was a story world I did not want to leave. I adored June as a main character and I felt very anxious to see what would happen next in terms of her job and also her family and the slight mystery with her sister.

At times June frustrated me, I wanted her to see what was right in front of her, but I guess she was too "innocent.," especially during this time period. The ending was not 100% satisfying because June remained passive. The events which happen at the book's conclusion for the most part happen to June; she rarely takes affirmative action to bring about a plot development.

I love the advertising (sort of "Mad Men") angle and following as June wants to become a copy writer. The interactions in the workplace ring true.

June's family struggles are also fascinating as she deals with her sister, nephews, and parents. I was pulling for June every step of the way.

The sense of place was strong and made me want to visit Montreal.

Ultimately, despite the quibbles identified above, this book was hard to put down!

Review of eBook

The war is over; women waiting to get married continue to work. June Grant works in the steno pool at McAulay Advertising. The once-prosperous Grant family has fallen on hard times since the Depression and her father’s stroke. June has two older sisters, both married and with families of their own; her parents depend on the salary June earns.

June writes poetry, has a talent for writing advertising copy, and isn’t at all certain her future will be one her mother tries to arrange for her, the one that includes a date with an acceptable young man and marriage.

The expectations for women in post-World War Two society are firmly rooted in marriage and children. Women only work until they achieve their true calling: marriage. What lies ahead for June? Will she be bound by expectations or will she find a way to be true to herself, to the person no one, not even her family, seems to see? And what will the family’s secrets mean for June’s future?

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Set in Montreal in 1947, this story has its basis in the true life story of the author’s aunt. Told from June’s point of view, the narrative pulls readers into the telling of the tale from the outset. The expectations for women in postwar society left little room for June to follow her dreams.

With its strong sense of place and nuanced, believable characters, the unfolding narrative, with its focus on June’s struggles and responsibilities, keeps the pages turning. Pulled in many directions . . . supporting her parents, finding a husband and marrying, seeking more in her career . . . allow readers to focus on how societal expectations often put women in untenable situations, forcing them to abandon their own hopes and aspirations. Knowing this June did not give up her dreams feels like a victory for June and readers alike.

Readers who enjoy historical tales, who enjoy stories based on true events and people, and who enjoy family stories will find much to appreciate here.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley
#ARealSomebody #NetGalley

The fact that this story is based on the life of a real woman lends added weight to this tale of a woman determined to come into her own in a time period where a woman doing so was a very steep uphill climb. The author did a great job of putting us squarely in June’s shoes: seeing what she saw, experiencing what she experienced, feeling what she felt. All the hope and frustration and expectations.

I enjoyed this book and could definitely identify with June’s desire to go against the grain.

Thank you Deryn Collier, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

I liked this historical fiction that features a great MC and a vivid description of an ad agency after WWII and how a woman wanted more
Well plotted and well written
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to the author, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story, based on the life of the author's aunt, takes us back to post-WWII Canada. The author does a wonderful job of setting the scene and immersing the reader in the atmosphere of the time - not only that of a family in terribly straitened circumstances, desperately trying to keep up appearances, but also that of a talented and creative woman who is bound by a straitjacket of familial and societal expectations. Despite everything holding her back, this woman takes the small opportunities given her and we see her blossom and step into a role that - at the time - was unheard of for a woman. There were a lot of threads, and I wish we had heard more about the main protagonist, and less about her sisters.

This story was well written and kept me engaged and wanting to continue reading.

June Grant works in the steno pool of an ad agency in post-WWII Montreal. She seems to want more than just working until you find a husband and then be set for life as a housewife. She has a talent for writing poetry and aspires to become a copywriter for the agency, a job never held by a woman in that time period. She is the primary wage-earner for her household which consists of a father who’s suffered a stroke and is no longer able to work, her mother and herself. They are living in reduced circumstances and are totally dependent on June’s wage. Her two sisters are both married and living elsewhere.

The author’s note reveals to us that June Grant was a real person and was in fact the author’s aunt. Interesting look at a time when women’s roles were very different from the are today.

I received this book from the publisher via net galley in exchange for an honest review. Four stars!

A Real Somebody highlights the real-life story of June Grant, a woman ahead of her time. Author Deryn Collier writes about her aunt, who started as a stenographer in the 40s in Montreal and became an advertising writer. She writes about June’s tenacity as she strives to have a career and not just be a housewife.

June is the sole supporter of her family. The family downgraded their lifestyle after her father suffered a stroke. June’s two older sisters have married and moved out, and her mother must care for her incapacitated father. But June is a poet with a flair for writing but is stuck in the steno pool until she is asked to work as a secretary in the executive offices. Her job expands, and she provides copy for campaigns and assists in choosing models for the ads. But she is pulled in many directions—trying to find a suitable husband, providing monetary support, and caring for her troubled sister.

I enjoyed the descriptions of Montreal, women’s treatment in the workplace in the ’40s, and June’s struggles between family and career. However, I would have liked the author to write more about how June obtained her success. I thank NetGalley for allowing me to read and review A Real Somebody. #NetGalley #A Real Somebody #historical fiction.

Enjoyable historical fiction based on the life of the author's aunt. June Grant, in 1947 Montreal, is struggling like everyone in the post WWII period - struggling with rationing, with jobs, with life in general, But she starts in the steno pool and is determined to make changes in her life and in the lives of her family. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I enjoyed this book, and as a Canadian, I enjoyed the familiar places and businesses. It was a good read, however I did find some of the points of view to be a little confusing at times, but otherwise it was a great book.

An historical novel based on a true story is something I just can't pass up. And in this case I am glad I didn't pass it up and this is a wonderful story.

An aspiring writing, big dreams, sisters and life in post-war Canada. I love a good story about a strong woman, women who break from the constraints of their community, from society and go on to prove they are great, strong and courageous women.

And that is exactly what June does. This is a story not just about June but also about the other two strong women in her life. Her sister and her mother. It really is a story of family, change and of course secrets. It is such a great read and I just couldn't put it down.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

A fan of Collier's writing, I'm doubly impressed by this post-war era book and the story of June and her family.

The narrative of a family fallen on hard times is richly portrayed in the actions and thoughts of the characters. That the book is based on the story of her Aunt June is equally compelling.

There are secrets in this family though, and as June moves tentatively into the world of copywriting, unravelling them may be more than bargained on.

A novelised account of a few pivotal weeks in the early life of real life advertising executive, writer and radio personality, June Grant. The author (and niece) swept me back in time and I felt like I was really there, walking the streets of elite Westmount, dodging traffic in bustling downtown and revelling in the hushed luxury of Eaton’s department store.
We vicariously experience the changed circumstances many faced after the war. Cherished heirlooms are now squashed into tiny rooms where tinned soup and cheese sandwiches are served on fine bone china. Fur coats are worn as dressing gowns as the oil needs rationing.
By necessity, youngest daughter June has become the breadwinner of the family. Working in the stultifying atmosphere of the steno pool at an ad agency, June discovers her talent with poetry lends itself perfectly to copywriting. Will June risk the security of her current job to reach out for a career that no woman has ever held before? What’s up with older sister Daisy? Can June keep the secrets and lies that seem to hold her family together?
While the book focuses on daughters June and Daisy, I really came to admire their mom for adapting as best she could to a life she never imagined living.
Evocative and emotional. Highly recommend.

An interesting and well written fictionalisation of June Grants life, which was enjoyable to read, some of the issues (namely the roles and expectations that women have) felt pertinent today, I enjoyed this very much.

The war is over and the Grant family has ended up on harder times. The father can no longer work and June (the unmarried daughter) starts working as one of the girls in the steno pool at a well known advertising firm; head down and take notes...
Not the easiest, when she really wants to be is a writer in her own right; but that is not what is expected by her family, or society for that matter - and they need the income!

Her older sister, Daisy, is married with two children and seems to have it all - at least according to the expectations at the time.

I liked how this story is based on the true story of Collier's aunt, and how she managed to create a, for her, more fulfilling life than what marriage and children would have offered. We all want/ need different things and there is no life that would fit everyone.