This was a beautifully heartbreaking story. Kristin Hanna can truly do no wrong and her writing is phenomenal and never fails to bring me to tears. what a lovely and eye opening story she has shared with the world. I truly had no idea this was an issue for women who served in Vietnam. I never even thought of it. But, of course, this is because no one ever talks about it enough. I'm glad she is bringing awareness to this because it is truly something the world needs to know about. And who better than Kristin Hanna to bring it to life. I'm not the biggest fan of books about war so this wasnt a top contender for me, how ever it was still a delightful and surprisingly shocking read. It certainly kept me on my toes.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publication: February 6, 2024

Rating: 4.5 stars!

There is a reason that Kristin Hannah is an auto-buy author for me and this book solidified this once again. She has a way of sucking you right into the story and the whole time teaching me something about history that I knew very little of. I did find that in Part 2 the momentum slows down but it doesn't detract from the story at all!

I am also going to call it- this will be a the top historical fiction book of 2024!

Perfect for fans:
- Historical Fiction
- 60's/70's timeline
- Third Person POV
- Spanning over a few years

TW: War scenes, riot/protest scenes, PTSD aftermath

Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors so I was beyond thrilled to receive an advance reader copy of The Women. I was young during the time of the Vietnam War, so I do have some memories of that time, but I learned so much from reading this book. The Women tells the story of Frankie, Barb, and Ethel, who all volunteered to serve as nurses in Vietnam. This book will definitely be one of my top reads of 2023! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the copy of this five star book!

Another incredible novel by Kristin Hannah! Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced copy! We all knew Kristin Hannah does historical fiction beautifully, she proved herself in The Four Winds and The Great Alone. The Women gives us a look at the 1960s-1980s, the Vietnam war, and the reality of the country for those coming back to America upon returning home. And based on the title, you guessed it, it focuses on women, specifically those who served as medical workers in Vietnam. You can tell the author did extensive research with this one. She even mentioned she began working on The Women in 1997, but wanted to make sure she could tell this story to the best of her ability.
Overall, an amazing, heartbreaking story of the women who were often forgotten for playing such a crucial role in history. 5/5 stars. Definitely a top upcoming read for 2024!

I see so much growth with each book Kristin Hannah writes: Each book has more depth and leaves me feeling more emotion. As the Nightingale took us into WWII, The Women takes a detailed look at the effect the Vietnam War had on the nurses that served there. While I liked the first half of the book best, it was able to wrap up with a very satisfying ending. Highly recommend for all fans of Hannah’s Nightingale!

As a huge Kristin Hannah fan, I hate to say this...but I did not enjoy this book. I can see where Hannah was going with the overall plot, and there were some aspects I enjoyed mostly for the fact that these events are important to read about, but on the whole this was difficult to get through. The pacing was lightening fast which lessened the impact of seemingly important events, the dialogue was quite strange and unrealistic at times, and the "twists" were nice but very predictable. The romance was alright, but I personally can't stand when every man that a character meets falls in love with them. While I appreciated the topic and the difficult subjects that Hannah addresses (i.e., suicide, "no women in Vietnam", death), the story itself did not leave a lasting impression other than disappointment.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC!

I have such conflicting feelings about this book. I loved it. But there was just something missing. Or maybe too much something? Ugh.
I'd give this 3.5 stars if I could. Not quite a 4, though that's what I'm giving it.
It is a good book. I love the Vietnam War setting. Kristin has done her homework again and made me feel like I was there. I now have an even better understanding of what the women of the Vietnam War went through during and after their in-country experiences.
I loved the friendships she formed during her time in the service.
I was expecting a book that grabbed me like The Nightengale or the Great Alone. This one read more like a Danielle Steel novel, sadly. It wasn't enough to make me dislike the book, though. The plot twist after she returns from 'Nam is great, with a twist. However, the fact that both men ended up being alive was just a little convenient. Although I actually expected Coyote to show up, not Jamie. As another reviewer stated, the plot twist at the end of the book almost ruined the whole story for me.
I will definitely recommend this book at work and to my friends and family. Not that Kristin Hannah books need very much *recommending*. It is a great addition to Ms. Hannah's work. I could see it being a movie.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC and chance to review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read The Women by Kristin Hannah.
The history of the book is great such amazing facts. The story is heartbreaking. Some places were kind of boring and too wordy but all in all it was a great book.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an eARC of ‘The Women’ for review consideration.

I did not want this book to end - I savoured and devoured this book at the same time. I loved Frankie McGrath and her family. I went through every emotion - and cried at least a handful of times.

The Vietnam War is a complex and dark part of history for both Vietnamese and Americans. Hannah does an excellent job at giving voice to the varied perspectives on the American presence in Vietnam and the reality of the American military (especially women) after they returned home.

This book may be triggering for people that have been in military service or have family members that are in the line of duty. However, it does justice to PTSD, survivors guilt, addictions, the rocky path to recovery and the impact on family life that can be a result of active military service.

‘The Women’ is now one of my favourite historical fiction novels. I think that this novel will be a must read for 2024.

You know you’re reading a Kristin Hannah book when you’re 25% through and feeling very suspicious about why everything is going right. Don’t get me wrong—the first 25% is still filled with tragedy and horror, but overall, your characters are still doing okay. I totally got killed into a false sense of security for a while. And then…Hannah drops a bomb in the plot that left me shook.

This book was an absolute rollercoaster of emotions. I felt my heart breaking for Frankie on at least 3 different scenes. Just when I thought things were going to get better for her, the impossible would happen. Even amidst all the difficulties, Hannah highlighted Frankie’s support system from her time in Vietnam as a nurse. I felt so much love for the female friendships surrounding Frankie, that lifted her up over and over. Frankie faced so many hardships and while she didn’t always handle them in the right way, the author made a point to highlight how the country refused to assist with Frankie’s issues, with many repeatedly saying there were no women in Vietnam, and others just being cruel to her for having served. It was definitely eye opening and I can’t even begin to fathom how the soldiers felt having faced the evil of war overseas to return as outcasts. The author painted an incredibly detailed picture of what Frankie experienced as a nurse on the frontlines, giving readers a glimpse or the horrors. I finished the book feeling so much respect for the nurses and with a need to better educate myself on what happened during the Vietnam War.

Overall, yet another stunning masterpiece from Hannah. I’m completely obsessed but will need time to recover before I pick up another one of hers.

I throughly loved reading the heart-wrenching and heartbreaking story. Even though Francis (Frankie's) brother dies in the Vietnam War, Frankie still goes to Vietnam to work as a nurse, sees a lot of death and suffering, and meets two special women. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written with captivating characters, and a riveting and engaging must read story.

So good!!! Kristin Hannah writes beautiful stories and this is no different!! Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Oookkk…… I. LOVED. IT. Not surprising as Kristin Hannah wrote one of my all time favorite books (The Great Alone)

The Women tells the story of Frankie, an impressionable young girl who volunteers to serve as an Army combat nurse during the Vietnam War. It’s a gruesome, heart wrenching tale of the horrors of war and the hardship and despair once Frankie returns home.

With impeccable writing & rich detail, Hannah brings Frankie to life on the page. Her story is one of heart break, strength and clawing your way back from darkness.

WOW…..JUST WOW!!! I found my number 1 book of year, this absolutely crushed my heart oh my gosh it was so beautifully written!! I was captivated and couldn’t put this down I needed to know more, I loved Frankie and was rooting for her the entire time. GOSH I will be recommending this to everyone this is an absolute beautiful, just really spoke to my heart!! So happy to find my book of the year!!!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book to read, this is an easy 5/5 stars.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
This was one of the best books I have ever read! As a reader, I haven't come across too many stories about Vietnam. This book is gritty, rare, and heartbreaking. This book really touched me. I was a little girl during this time, and my uncle was one of the young soldiers who lost his life. It brought back a lot of memories, and the pain my family felt. This is a one-of-a-kind book! I knew Kristen Hannah was an outstanding author, but she has surpassed her skill with this story. I recommend this book to everyone! It is truly an education on the Vietnam War!

What a coming of age story this is! It is the story of a young woman who volunteers/enlists in the armed services to do her part as a nurse. She is shocked by the reality of nursing in the midst of war, and has to grow up rapidly to effectively be the help that she longs to be.

I have appreciated all of the Kristin Hannah books that I have read. Some are more emotionally difficult to read than others. For me, this was the most challenging. Living through the horrors of the Vietnam War and losing close friends in the war made this book very personal to me. I never appreciated the service the women of my time gave until reading this book. Looking back, there was no honor or appreciation given to the male soldiers, and the women were not even acknowledged or discussed. It was such a terrible time in our history and Hannah has captured it with a depth of feeling and full and descriptive passages. It is an emotionally hard book to read but one that everyone should read. I give The Women a five-star rating.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the chance to get an early read of Kristin Hannah’s The Women.

“Women can be hero's too”

WOW!

I want to start off by saying, this book is soul crushingly addictive in the BEST way possible. This book was the perfect blend of historical accuracy paired with Kristin’s brilliant attention to detail. Kristin has a way to captivate her readers and take them along for a journey they soon won’t forget whether you’d like to or not. I LOVE how real she made Frankie as a character. She didn’t shy away from the authentic, genuine pain that I'm sure many women silently endured who served over in Vietnam. I found myself just as downtrodden as Frankie appeared in the story when another life hurdle came her way. I felt my spirits break along hers as I experienced her less-than-warm welcome to the United States, including her downward spiral and loss of control with her addictions. I was incredibly reflective during this read, especially knowing that Frankie’s story was likely not unique to the story, and many women really experienced these, or similar situations at that time.

I commend Kristin’s careful work on making sure she got the historical accuracy just right. I didn’t feel like she was trying to re-create a history book for school while also not feeling like the story was SO outlandish that it couldn’t possibly have had true parts. It shone brightly through her careful craftsmanship and weaving of her story. I also agree with what a previous reader suggested that this book should be taught in the classrooms so more people can be exposed to the hardships that these women endured.

Even before I was selected to receive an early copy of this book, I had preordered this book and I look forward to receiving my physical copy on the release date!

The Women by Kristin Hannah is definitely one of my favorites books I’ve read this year.
I honestly don’t think she can write a bad story!
The story of women and their efforts to help with the war was inspiring. Learning about they way our military was treated after coming home from serving their country was heartbreaking. Especially for the women that sacrificed so much.
Just buy it and read it! You won’t regret it.

Wow, Kristin Hannah just does not disappoint!

This is the story of Frances “Frankie” McGrath, a 20 year-old nurse who serves in Vietnam. Frankie quickly realizes when she arrives in country that the war is nothing like what she expected. She is forced to learn to cope in difficult conditions as she tries to find just where she belongs in the world. This book spans the time Frankie spends deployed, as well as her return to the States.

This book was so moving. It really helped me to feel what Veterans must have faced returning from this war. The added perspective of being a woman whose contributions were continually downplayed or outright denied was eye-opening. As a military wife, I thought the descriptions of PTSD were very well done too. I think this book is so important in showing the significance of this group of men and women who served in Vietnam and weren’t given the respect and support they deserved by our country.

This book will suck you in and won’t let you go. I believe it will leave a lasting impression on me and my thoughts about the Vietnam war. Do not miss out on this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this story and provide my honest review.