5 stars! Kristin Hannah has written another incredibly moving thought-provoking novel and I highly recommend it!

Francis “Frankie” McGrath is tired of towing the line and doing only what is expected of women in similar circumstances. She must smile, always look pretty and wear stylish yet modest clothing. She is a reflection of her family after all. It’s expected that she will go to college only until she gets her MRS degree. Her nursing diploma merely checks a box.

Her family’s world is turned upside down when her older brother, Finley is killed in Vietnam. It was a family tradition for the men to serve in the military. Her dad has a hero’s wall dedicated to those family members in his office; the women only adorn the wall in their wedding attire.

Frankie decides to use her nursing skills to help those serving and joins the army so she too can go to Vietnam. Frankie quickly realizes her naivety and the extreme horrors of war. She draws strength from the other nurses and doctors around her.

This is a story that needs to be told and it’s about much more than Vietnam. It’s about navigating and surviving the aftermath with PTSD and the lack of appreciation that the veterans received, particularly the women. There are moments that I cringed and moments that I cried. It’s a story that I have continued to think about, and I’m reminded of some childhood memories pertaining to the Vietnam war. Kristen Hannah is an incredible storyteller and I always learn something whenever I read one of her novels. This story is one that will stay with me for a long time.

I received an advance digital review copy of this book; all opinions are my own.

Wow! To get the latest ARC of The Women... I was over-the-moon, "drop your current book" excited! I had high expectations for this Hannah novel!
Frankie's story begins on Coronado Island, San Diego California in 1966 with the talk of war. Her brother Finley is heading off to Vietnam to honor the family name and to find his place on the family's wall of war heroes.
Frankie's family has her life all planned; go to nursing school to find a suitable husband, settle down and start a family.
She can't make sense of her place as a women, not in her family or anywhere in the 60's.
Missing her brother she impulsively enlists with hopes of seeing her brother. Her family is furious and embarrassed and tries to change her mind, but the plans are already in motion...
Frankie's time as a mass casualty nurse, and after coming back to the states was horrifying and so powerfully written.
Hannah had me cheering for Frankie from the first chapter, through all of her struggles, her growth as a woman and finally finding herself. Don't worry though, the ending was every bit as satisfying as I would have hoped!
I won't give anymore away... such a 5 star novel!
Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for this advanced copy. My opinions in this review are my own.

Kristen Hannah does it again. She has created such a memorable book that I couldn't put down. The Women follows Frankie McGrath, a young woman in the 1960's, a time when the only paths available to women are to be teachers, secretaries or nurses, that is until they become married. Frankie's family is proud of their military history, with Frankie's dad having a wall of heroes in his office that celebrates his family's military members.
Frankie's brother is being sent to Vietnam, Frankie, a nurse, decides to make her family proud and enlists as an army nurse.

The first part of the book follows Frankie and her harrowing experiences as a surgical nurse doing two tours in Vietnam. The second part of the novel follows Frankie and her experiences in the years after she comes home from war. She comes home to a nation that is disgusted by the war and she is actually spat upon for her service in the war. She struggles with PTSD and does not have much support while reaching out for help and being told that "women did not serve in Vietnam".

I found it refreshing to read a historical fiction novel that centers on the Vietnam War, as WW2 seems to be mainly written about in the historical fiction genre. On a personal note, I was interested to read about the Vietnam War as my father was a veteran of this war and I was interested to read about someone's else's experiences as my father has never been able to speak much on the subject. I have a better understanding about his hesitance in speaking after reading about how military members were vilified for taking part in this unjust war.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this amazing novel!!

As a history major I did not love learning about the Vietnam War. This book however changed my opinion. Frances "Frankie" wants to be a hero just like her brother who is headed off to Vietnam. She wants more than what her parents expect of her; marriage and kids. Frankie signs up with the army to become a nurse in the war. She is thrown into a trial by fire situation. The novel follows her life as she saves lives, finds romance, and then needs to find out how to save herself.

I loved that this book focused on the role women had in the Vietnam War. So often women are overlooked or forgotten about in history. This was an excellent story as well as giving some great historic background. I learned so much and really cared about what happened to Frankie. I highly recommend this fantastic historical fiction novel! Another great book by Kristin Hannah!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I was so excited to receive a copy of this and devoured it right away. I finished it yesterday and I am still not ok! This booked wrecked me. It was long but over too quick. This is one of Hannah's best books. I have read other memoirs about nurses serving in Vietnam and while this is a piece of fiction this book offered the same realness and sense of authenticity. You can tell it was a true labor of love. I got lost in the story immediately and it has everything you look for in an amazing book. Excellent writing, real characters and a plot you can sink your teeth into. I can't wait to buy a copy when it is published and go on this journey again. Will be recommending it to everyone I know!

The Women

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Kristin Hannah for this ARC.

This book made me feel so much. I cried continuously while reading it and I couldn’t put it down. Kristin Hannah made Frankie’s story come alive in a way that felt so real.

Frankie is an Army nurse in the Vietnam War who experiences so much life and loss before she’s even thirty years old. This story contains war, death, love, familial issues, drug abuse, miscarriage, and PTSD so it is not light but it is important.

I will be purchasing this book once it’s officially published in February and I know it’ll be reread. I am blown away!

#kristinhannah #booklove #booklover #bookreview #netgalley @kristinhannahauthor

This story follows Frankie McGrath, a brave combat nurse during her two tours in Vietnam and the years after her return. It perfectly portrayed the brutal reality of the war but also the incredibly difficult journey of veterans trying to find their balance after their return.

This book made me learn so much about the war in Vietnam. It made my heart swell, race and break so many times. It made me feel a rollercoaster of emotions and it made me so damn proud to be a woman. I felt like I was right by Frankie’s side through the highest highs and the lowest lows over the span of so many years. Frankie formed so many relationships during her time in Vietnam but my favourite have to be those with Ethel and Barb. These three women are the definition of badass, resilient and loyal women.

Kristin Hannah is a master of sharing the stories of heroic women who have been forgotten or overlooked in history and this book is no exception. She did not shy away from the difficult details to ensure a true picture of the war was represented. This book is so perfectly done that feels more of a memoir than a historical fiction piece.

I highly recommend that everyone reads this book, not only to experience its greatness but to educate yourselves about the sacrifices of women during this time.

Kristin Hannah has the gift of transporting readers to a new place and time. In her latest book, THE WOMEN, we meet Frankie McGrath, who enlists in the Army as a combat nurse in Vietnam. She’s following in the footsteps of her brother, as well as generations of her family before her.

THE WOMEN shines a light on the brutal Vietnam war - specifically the women who served - and a period in history that isn’t often discussed. Frankie isn’t a perfect person and I enjoyed seeing her character evolve from an idealistic 21-year-old who just wants to serve her country, to a gifted combat nurse, to a fragile veteran who returns to a country where she’s reviled and everyone (even the VA) insists that women didn’t serve in Vietnam. Frankie has the same issues with PTSD as many men, but she never seems to fit in anywhere. She makes mistakes but remains true to herself through the hardships life throws at her.

Hannah places special emphasis on friendship, family and healing. The romances are touching and there are some unexpected twists that I appreciated.

Hannah really captures life in the sixties, seventies and eighties, from the music, clothes and cars mentioned to the political atmosphere. I couldn’t stop reading THE WOMEN and I bet you won’t, either.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of THE WOMEN and the opportunity to give my honest opinion.

Wow! What a fantastic story! The Women is my favorite book this year and my favorite Kristin Hannah book. What a great way to highlight and tell the story of the women of the Vietnam War. It was so well researched and constructed, I felt totally immersed. I have been a nurse for 30 years, but I cannot imagine the challenges faced by the nurses in Vietnam. I can't wait until everyone else can read it, so I will have others to talk to. Thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for the eARC.

Looking back on all the books I've read from Kristin Hannah, there haven't been any ratings less than 4 stars. It seems like she gets even better with every book. She can still make me cry for characters that I only get to spend a short time with. She is an automatic add to TBR list without disappointment.

This story is about the women in Vietnam. You can read the summary to get an idea of it, but until you've actually read the book you can't know how powerful this story is. Frankie is a character I didn't always love when she was being stupid, but I always respected her, if that makes any sense.
The other women in her life are equally important in this story too. Without them Frankie wouldn't have the story she was meant to. This brought light to what really happened in the Vietnam War, not just on a personal level for the soldiers but on the political level as well. It might not be for every reader depending on your personal beliefs, but this author does a wonderful job not getting too preachy or bias and lets the reader choose for themselves.

Full disclosure: I worked for FL Dept. of Veterans' Affairs for 11 years and never knew what the women in Vietnam truly went through. It was thought to be a 'man's' war because of the violent combat, but the Nurses also witness combat and were under attack yet no one talked about it. Most were thought of as the person that changed bedpans and handed out aspirin, not the people performing a tracheotomy or impromptu surgeries on instinct. You can't always wait for a doctor to be available to save a life. These women did these daily tasks selflessly for years only to return home to be spit on, literally.

I feel like I am definitely more empathetic to all Veteran's after reading this book, but especially to the 10,000.00 women who served.



*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so fortunate to get an ARC of this via NetGalley.

Just as you’d expect, this is beautifully written; telling the story of a young lady coming of age during the turmoil of the Vietnam War.

Hannah depicts the depravity & chaos of the war well. She makes you feel like you’re there with Frankie in the center of a war zone. You go with her as she goes home & attempts to assimilate to civilian life, but not in a way that she expected. You feel the rawness of Frankie’s grief and the internal war that’s waging within.

I would recommend this to ANYONE. It’s filled with lessons, learning, love, grief, and growth. I loved it.

I received an advanced copy through NetGalley and WOW— My heart was crushed and put back together over and over again. I couldn’t put it down and constantly found myself trying to predict what was going to happen but there were so many “what-if…” moments that turned out completely unexpectedly. I don’t feel like I could pin point a single major turning point but just a collection of life-altering moments for the main character, Frankie, that wrapped up beautifully at the end. I don’t think I could have predicted a better ending. To put it simply, I am left in awe over how such a heavy story came together. Kristin Hannah is an INCREDIBLE writer.

Wow! My heart is shredded after reading this book!

This book takes off immediately and you feel like you landed in ‘Nam right along with Frankie. Kristin Hannah has a way of painting a vivid picture to where you feel like you are watching the events unfold right alongside the characters.

The pain, fear, turmoil, are all felt while reading this book. The characters are likable and you root for them along the journey. This is Kristin Hannah’s masterpiece!

#KristinHannah #Netgalley

My first Kristin Hannah and I suspect it will be my last. I understand the story she was trying to tell, I lived through the era that she tried to describe. And from the description I thought I’d read an entirely different book. To say I disliked the book isn’t sufficient. As I described it to a friend she said, the word you’re looking for is “trite”- that says it all.

“There were no women in Vietnam.”

This is what was said, but there were women. They were just were just forgotten.

Frankie McGrath was one of them. The daughter of wealthy parents and an elite upbringing, she signs up to serve as an army nurse. She holds the hands of the dying, trying to save the ones she could, while under the constant threat of attack. When she comes, the aftermath of what she endured is unimaginable, and there’s no resources in place to support her.

Watching her through the years is a heartbreaking story of heroism, determination, loss, immeasurable grief, and glimmers of hope. She is a flawed woman that you will break your heart as she struggles towards the path of redemption, and her story is a beautifully crafted one of what is clearly a culmination the author’s creativity and research based on many women’s experiences after the war.

Hannah’s latest novel is un-put-downable. Another sweeping, emotional tale that she is well known for and that she delivers so well. Fans of Kristin Hannah, readers of historical fiction, or anyone who appreciates women’s untold stories will not be disappointed with this one. An easy 5 star rating.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an e-ARC of this book.

'The Women' is my favorite historical fiction this year and readers will fall in love with Frankie. Through research and recording women's stories, Kristin Hannah unlocks a chapter of history that is rarely discussed.

To set the record straight, there were women who served as medical personnel in Vietnam. Bravely they risked their lives and returned home to be told they didn't see combat

Frankie was proud of her service but her family was ashamed. The country sent soldiers off to fight ridiculed them when they returned. If the men were treated this way, the women didn't receive the help they needed to rejoin society.

Frankie's story is symbolic of the treatment veterans receive. Back then, PTSD wasn't recognized and men were told to solider up after returning home. This powerful story provides Frankie's battle with addiction, her family's betrayal and the ridicule she routinely experienced as she wasn't a 'real veteran.'

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early edition of 'The Women' in exchange for an honest. #KristinHannah novel always are powerful reads but this novel shows the maturity of the writer. Hannah said she waited to write this story as she wasn't prepared in the past. The wait was worthwhile as it's heartfelt and portrays the women's bravery.

The Women is a classic Kristin Hannah story! I’ve loved every book of hers that I’ve read so far and this one was no disappointment. The crux of the story is Frankie goes to Vietnam as an Army Nurse Corps nurse (which initially grabbed me because my grandmother was an ANC nurse during WW2). Also I’ve never read a story about the Vietnam War—and I knew KH would do it well.

So, Frankie— a 21 yr old Coronado girl — signs up for the Army to follow her big brother to Vietnam, in an effort to make her dad proud and join the “wall of heroes” in his office. We stay with Frankie through 1982 and experience her life in full. KH pulls no punches— she definitely did her homework and even though I wasn’t alive during the Vietnam War, I feel like I’ve got a firm grasp on all the emotions that accompanied those who lived through it. As always, KH dives deep with her characters— I felt every emotion that they felt, not just Frankie, but the others as well. I was sad with them, scared with them, cried with them, my heart broke with them, and I found myself talking to them (my husband loves when I do that! Haha!) — encouraging them or trying to guard them from bad decisions.

This story teaches the value of friendship and forgiveness, how some of the strongest friendships are formed in a matter of days or minutes and how some forgiveness takes decades to come about. This story will hang with me for a along time.

Lots of triggers here, but none that aren’t expected due to the topic.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The Women by Kristin Hannah
Publishing Date - 02/06/24
Rating (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre - Historical Fiction

I have been a fan of Kristin Hannah’s books ever since reading Firefly Lane and the Nightingale! Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC. This book is a MUST read! Kristin’s upcoming release is dedicated to the women who served overseas during the Vietnam War. It’s a beautiful, heart wrenching, and compelling story of Frankie McGrath , an army nurse serving in Vietnam.

Frankie McGrath’s story will forever stay with me! Highly recommend this one when it releases next year on February 6th , 2024!

Naive, disillusioned Frankie joins the army as a new nurse in the late 60s and immediately deploys to Vietnam. What follows is a coming of age war tale with a side of sisterhood from her fellow nurse-soldiers. We follow Frankie through the end of her tour of duty for several years as she navigates return to civilian life and reconciling who she is vs who she wants to be.

Sensitive readers should know combat injuries and trauma surgeries are described in detail, which may be troubling for some readers. Trigger warnings also apply for mental health issues and women’s health-related issues.

Overall this was a well written, compelling work of historical fiction. There were 2 plot devices I don’t care for, which kept me from rating it higher.

Thank you for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

This is the 2nd book I've read by Hannah and I must say I am very impressed. She is a very talented writer and combines complex history with great characters and immersive description of environments.

This book centered on Frankie, a young woman who decides to become a nurse but after her brother is killed in Vietnam, she joins the Army and gets shipped to Vietnam herself. We travel along with Frankie into the horrors of war, and watch how her time in country drastically changes the course of her life.

I really enjoyed everything about this story and found myself making excuses from my duties and obligations to pick it back up again and again until I had finished it. (Laundry can wait right?) Seeing the Vietnam war through the eyes of a woman was absolutely fascinating. It was overwhelming to me as a reader when she returned and couldn't get any help or support because no one believed that any women were even in Vietnam...I can only begin to imagine how overwhelming that would have been to the women who experienced that abandonment.

Historical fiction is a genre that I haven't read much of in the past but the more I am trying it out, the more I am really enjoying it. I look forward to making my way through the rest of Hannah's books as after the two I have read so far, I know I can count on her for solid writing, great character and interesting history.

Holding back from a full 5 stars because even though I very much enjoyed, I wasn't totally blown away, but I would very much recommend especially to anyone who enjoys historical or women's fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!