Every time I open up a Kristin Hannah novel I get so excited. I have loved all of her books. This story is all about the women, the nurses in the Vietnam War. I think this is the first book that actually is about the women in the Vietnam War. It's about the women who puts themselves in harms way to help others. Women whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has all too often been forgotten. It's an emotional story.

Frankie is so brave and strong and has dealt with so much death. Many of the women ended up with PTSD, flashbacks, and nightmares but they couldn't get the help that was needed like the men could.
I loved all of the characters. They were all done so well. I loved the women's friendship. They all had each other's backs. They all were a good support group with each other. This was such a great book.

Kristin Hannah’s latest is a significant accomplishment - a well crafted literary monument to the nurses and other women who served in the Vietnam War and a reminder that “women can be heroes.” Hannah has created such a strong sense of place, time and culture (delightfully incorporating even the music of the day), the novel is utterly transportive. She has additionally managed to convey the mental and emotional challenges faced by those who served. And typical of Hannah, the tale is obviously well researched. The end result is an important and heart wrenching page turner, which is also a paean to women’s empowerment, family and friendship.

This novel is not perfect. A few too many hard knocks are experienced by the Army nurse protagonist, which in my view diminished the impact of the core message regarding her struggles. And greater character development of her best friends and some of the other secondary characters was warranted, in my opinion.

That said, The Women is a tour de force and is highly recommended!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the privilege of a complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.

I loved this beautiful and brutal novel about a young American woman coming of age in Vietnam as a combat nurse. Back at home, deep trauma and rejection by her family, country, and medical establishment sets Frankie on a course toward complete breakdown. By the powerful strength of friendship, and her calling to serve and help others, Frankie survives. It’s Kristin Hannah’s best novel yet.

Frankie McGrath is a pampered daughter of Coronado Island, California, socialites. She lives in a walled and gated estate on the Pacific, and expectations of her in 1966 are traditional. She should marry a nice boy from her family’s circle and live a nice life.
But her beloved brother, Finley, has to live up to the family’s “hero’s wall” where each generation went to war and brought honor to the McGraths. Finley will go to Vietnam.
As the story unfolds, Frankie chooses for herself. She goes to nursing school and before she’s ever had real hospital experience, she enlists to be with her brother.
This book shows people who didn’t live through the time just how different Vietnam was for the United States. With the war unwinnable, and turmoil at home, innocent Frankie is swept into a nightmare. But she’s strong, and the other men and women she works alongside make the time there not only bearable but give her the confidence she will need after her term is up. When her “welcome home” was not what anyone would expect, and as someone who lived through the time, I can only say, sadly, it is an accurate depiction.
We’ve had great books written about this war, but I’ve not read one that focused on the plight of the brave women who served and were instrumental in bringing some of our soldiers home, but also comfort for those who didn’t. Kristin Hannah writes with clarity, compassion and honesty, and The Women is a book long overdue. Brava to Kristin for tackling this challenge and doing it justice.
Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the chance to read this advanced review copy. I can’t recommend it enough, especially to anyone who wants to understand how we got to where we are today.

It's only January, but this will probably be one of the easiest books to give five stars to this year. As a longtime lover of Kristin Hannah, I know what to expect from her books: great writing, strong characters, emotional moments, and a stunning story. All these things were true, and this book completely blew me away. This story was heartbreaking and I know a lot of it was based on real events that happened during the 60s when the book took place. I didn't know a ton about the Vietnam War going into this and I feel like I learned so much while reading. My heart was beating out of my chest at moments and I was completely engaged in the narrative. The friendships were powerful, the pain was intense, and the healing was beautiful. This book was also heavy. It was emotional with a lot to take in and there were moments I had to pause and reflect on what was occurring. Have the tissues ready for sure. The amount of research and. care that was put into this story was so well done. Frankie was an incredible narrator and I truly felt like she was real and/or I was by her side at points. Hannah has been a favorite of mine for a while and this one solidified that even more. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for sending me an e-ARC of this book to read and review!

Kristin Hannah has a way of writing that imbeds itself in your soul and never lets up. I love this book so much & I definitely see it being a hit this year.
The characters, the plot, the prose - everything was absolutely perfection.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

Frances “Frankie” McGrath has heard all her life about the heroes of wars. Her own father couldn't go fight for his adopted homeland during World War II or the Korean War so he proudly supports anyone in the family who joins up. The most recent war is the Vietnam War and when Frankie's brother, Finley, ships out a big party is thrown and Frankie's father is fairly bursting with pride. Meanwhile, Frankie is going to school to become a nurse, just until she gets married and has children because, after all, that's what girls like her do. They work as a nurse or a teacher until they can land their real life's purpose of wife and mother. But two things change the course of Frankie's life. One is a comment made at her brother's sending-off party, "Women can be heroes," and the other is the news that Finley has died in enemy fire. Before Finley dies, Frankie decides to join the war effort as a nurse in the Army. She figures she will cross paths with her brother at some point during their respective tour of duties. But just as the ink is drying on her recruitment papers and she's committed to the Army, the family receives word of Finley's death. So Frankie goes to Vietnam, not to serve "alongside" her brother, but to serve in his place and in his honor. After two consecutive tours of duty, Frankie returns home, but it doesn't feel like home any longer. She comes back home to the country she just spent years serving in a controversial war to be spit on, literally, and dismissed because "there are no women in the Vietnam War." Her father refuses to look at her or acknowledge her on his hero's wall, dismissing her service because she's a female and females don't serve their countries in war. Or shouldn't. The years following Frankie's tumultuous return to America lead her into a trauma cycle stemming from her experiences tending to the injured and dead in the war. Frankie might have survived the Vietnam War (8 nurses didn't) but can she survive life after?

OH MY GOODNESS. Hannah does it again. One of the reasons I think this title is so spectacular is the time in which Hannah settles her story and characters. There is an abundance of fiction centered around World War II and the Civil War but really very little from the Vietnam War era (or World War I and the Korean War). Among the many stains on American history, the Vietnam War is a big one. Perhaps that is why it's difficult to create fiction around that particular part of American history. Regardless, I was really glad to read a work of fiction, based on some very real events, centered on this war. I also loved the choice of main character - a woman and a nurse on the front lines. Hannah took the opportunity with this book to address some of the misconceptions about the Vietnam War, one of which I didn't even know about - that if an American woman was in Vietnam serving it didn't count as service to the country or was even acknowledged because it wasn't combat. What a bunch of bullshit. I didn't realize that in addition to the many controversies surrounding this war, women were dismissed so completely and thoroughly - however, I'm not surprised. Hannah has a terrific talent for writing a story and creating characters that immerse the reader and make one forget that it is fiction.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars

I can only hope that this is an indication of how my reading will go for the rest of the year.

At the end of the book, the author tells us that this is a story that has been in the works for roughly 27 years. She felt the call to write this story in 1997 but wanted to grow and master her craft of writing before tackling such an important topic. All I can say, without having firsthand knowledge or experience of military service, especially that of the Vietnam era; Kristin Hannah hit this one out of the park.

As a nurse I was able to relate to Frankie, in some ways, as she was caring for wounded soldiers. However, I couldn't have even begun to imagine what she was truly going through without the thorough research and masterful words of Kristin Hannah.

Even though the war is very much at the forefront, I found the "after" to be where the true meat of this story lies. In fact, it wasn't until the latter part of the book that I had tears streaming down my face. The battles didn't stop just because a soldier was back on US soil; in many ways they waged even harder.

This is my favorite Kristin Hannah work to date and was well worth the 27 year wait.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for this digital Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

As always absolutely fantastic! She is the Queen of historical fiction. I knew very little about the Vietnam war and this story ignited the desire to learn more while at the same time feeling like I was immersed in that era. This is another must read from Kristin Hannah.

It's a Kristin Hannah book, so I know I'm going to be crying before it is over. This time Kristin Hannah turns her attention (and ours) to the role of women as nurses deployed during the Vietnam War. This is an important and moving story not known by most people beyond watching MASH. War is hell and one section of the book focuses on how hard and intense life was in Vietnam even when not in a combat role. The second part of the book focuses on our heroine's return home and how Vietnam Veterans were vilified and everyone denied women even served in Vietnam. Francis (Frankie) struggles mentally and physically from her experiences and the only help she receives is from fellow nurses who served. She has to hit rock bottom before she starts to get any kind of help.

This book will make you sad, it will make you mad, and it will make you appreciate those who serve overseas in the most difficult of circumstances to guarantee our freedom. And yes, you will cry before it is over. "Women can be heroes."

My thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy. My opinion is my own.

Readers will not want to miss this powerful story! This Vietnam War era novel is one of the courage and sacrifices nurses made while saving service members fresh from battle. The treatment of the nurses and service members when returning home from this war was heartbreaking. This realistic novel based on nurse's stories is hard to put down. Frankie's experiences will not be easily forgotten. Highly recommended!

The Great Alone was my first and only book I read by Kristin Hannah untill this one. That was one of my favorite books, and now this is also one of my favorites. If you enjoy historical fiction and also love to learn about things that aren't often talked about, then you'll want to grab this book. I loved learning about these strong women who put their lives on the line to fight in the Vietnam war, and the troubles they went through AFTER the war. This book was so well written and Hannah has such a way with her stories that you just get swept up in the story. I read this one so fast!!

The story is about 20 yr old Frances McGrath who joins the Army Nurse Corps during the beginning of the Vietnam war, after her brother leaves to fight in the war! While there, she witnesses chaos, destruction, and death. She forms strong bonds of friendship with other women/nurses she meets. These friends will help her throughout her journey even after she returns home.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. My review will be posted on Instagram, Bookbub, Goodreads, and Amazon once it publishes.

This review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. Huge thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for my review copy!

I've only read Night Road by Kristin Hannah and haven't dipped a toe in her historical fiction - so take my review with a grain of salt, not reading her backlist of gems. (i.e. The Great Alone or The Nightingale. However, I was naturally curious on The Women due to the Vietnam War setting. (I am a first generation Vietnamese American.)

First off, kudos to Kristin Hannah (do read her author's note), on the in-depth research and effort that went into the novel. I always appreciate a book where I can LEARN. She did a great job in emphasizing not only the brutality of the war itself (Part 1 is very graphic and heavy) and then the repercussions of returning from war (PTSD, addiction, etc.) but the emphasis on the WOMEN who were not acknowledged and invalidated for their efforts in the war were eye opening. The female friendships in this novel deserved a star in itself.

There were many moments of repetition where I felt the pacing was slow/dragged - a lot of tell rather than show (i.e. long distance calls are so expensive - that I swear was mentioned every time she had a phone call.) I really enjoyed Part 1 of the story. I was engrossed in Frankie's overall arc from where she originally came from and how the war progressed. It was graphic, brutal and heartbreaking. However, it was Part 2 that really lost me. There was A LOT of topics trying to be handled in a short period of time - PTSD, miscarriage, infidelity, addiction, etc. Her romances grew old and stale that I simply wished there wasn't any at all in Part 2 especially how it panned out. I feel as though Frankie revolved her choices and life around the men in her life which frustrated me quite a bit as the novel is called The Women. I felt as though the book would have exceled if we weren't solely in Frankie's POV, but I appreciate the overall narrative of Frankie's story from start to finish.

Overall, this will not be my last Kristin Hannah and will be diving into her backlist.

4.5 Stars! This book immediately drew me in. Frankie is a 21 year old that signs up to go to Vietnam as a nurse and she sees her fair share of things during the war. She makes friendships and I could not stop reading the first half with what happens.
The 2nd half of the book was a bit slower for me at a few points as she adjusts to life at home after the war, and the view of other Americans about what she went through. I liked this journey and was rooting for her all along. Having finished the book I understand what the author included all of the details that she did. The title of this book has so much meaning as well and I will be recommending this book to others! Look for this book in February 2024 and thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book! I couldn't put this book

This book could not be better. I laughed, cried, and suffered along with the Frankie, the main character. It ripped my heart to the depths to discover just how horrible women were treated and how nonsensical and barbaric the Vietnam War was. It also baffles me that it is one of the happiest times of the book. I learned and experienced so much in reading this book, I feel like it deserves a Noble Prize in Literature for opening the eyes of the modern generation to such a harrowing time in our recent history. I could not have loved this book more and I don’t think I will ever forget it. My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the privilege of this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love to read Kristin Hannah's books, and this is no exception.

One of my favorite all time books is The Great Alone, also by Kristin Hannah, and it is pretty difficult book to top. While this is not one of my favorite books she has written, I did still enjoy it.

The Women follows Frankie as she enlists with the Army to become a nurse in Vietnam. She serves two tours in Vietnam, and saves countless lives with the help of the other nurses, whom she forms close relationships with.

Where the story really picked up for me was when Frankie arrived home to an angry US where her service was not honored, and was more often denied completely. Many people did not believe her that she was in Vietnam at all.

As a young millenial I did not learn history in school past WW2 and have recently read a couple of historical fiction books about the Vietnam War. It is fascinating to me, all of the things I am learning, and what women in particular went through, trying to serve our country.

Booksellers, this is a great hand sell with books like Absolution and Good Night Irene.

This review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. Huge thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for my review copy.

I was excited to receive an ARC of this novel as I have loved Kristin Hannah since The Nightingale and The Great Alone. I feel like I will be in the minority, but I have very mixed feelings about this one.

Hannah picked an important topic, the forgotten women of the Vietnam war, and clearly did her research well. I learned about the war, and the social implications of it both during and after. I enjoyed reading about Frankie’s experience serving as a nurse, and the morbid ‘glamour’ of the adventure. The first hundred pages or so were enjoyable to read.

However, this story was very melodramatic. It heavily focused on the romance aspect of it, and lacked the depth and grit I would have liked for this topic. There was really only one ‘curiosity seed’ planted early on that kept me reading (which happened as predicted). I sometimes question more experienced authors as it seems they simply learn the formula for what sells, and lose the heart of storytelling. This book was just so formulaic, cliché heavy, and surface level.

I do think that those who love historical fiction and romance will like this one, but if you need more grit like I do I wouldn’t recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Ohhhhhh I cannot even describe my love for this novel. It lives up to KH’s best (in my opinion- The Nightengale)! I loved the uniqueness of the content, and having never heard about the Vietnam war from a woman’s perspective, it was fascinating!
Truly couldn’t put it down!!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5!

Kristin Hannah has an exceptional talent of presenting a well researched and very complex topic in such a captivating story. Normally it may take me awhile to get into her books, but this one takes off quickly and is action packed in the first half. My only complaint was that the pacing really slowed down around 50-75% of the book.

Overall, I loved this book. It is heavy, and it is an emotional rollercoaster. It was so eye opening to read about the women in the Vietnam War who I didn’t know much about previously. Their stories are devastatingly heroic. I cried too many times to count.

There were two particular themes in the book that really stood out to me: (1) finding joy in times of despair/war and (2) women supporting women (!!!!). Frankie is a compassionate strong main character, and her character growth is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Some of my favorite parts of the book were moments with Barb and Ethel and seeing them show up for each other again and again.

All I can say is Kristin Hannah has done it yet again! 👏👏👏

Thank you to Kristin Hannah, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

I have enjoyed any book that I have read by Kristin Hannah, but her books starting with The Nightingale have shown that she has real writing chops. This one may be the best of all her books. She says in the notes that she has been thinking of this story since the 1990s, but didn’t feel she had the skill to do it justice until now. She certainly has the skill now. This book is extraordinary. My first book of 2024 may just end up being the best I read all year. It is certainly one that has given me a great start to a new reading year!