I’m a big fan of the Plucky-British-Women-In-Wartime fiction genre. World War II was horrific, and I don’t shy away from reading about its horrors in both fiction and non-fiction, but every now and then it’s nice to read a book that focuses on women supporting each other through hardship and finding friendship and hope through the dark times.

I recently read Annie Lyons’s enjoyable The Air Raid Book Club, and I wondered if there would be much overlap between that book and this one. The answer is yes. Both are female-centric stories involving readers meeting in air raid shelters, both include Jewish refugee characters, and some of the same books are the subjects of book club meetings. But the overlap doesn’t matter, because the stories and the characters are still quite different and each story is engrossing in its own right.

Each chapter in the book is narrated by a different character, including Juliet, who has come from the country to London to become the deputy head librarian in Bethnal Green just before what would turn out to be the London Blitz; Sofie, a young Jewish refugee from a good Berlin family whose visa status forces her to be a servant for a cruel man; Katie, a young woman who lives with her status-conscious family near the library and works there at the circulation desk. There are many other characters, including two old ladies who use the library every day, the fussy old head librarian Mr. Pruitt, a flashy chanteuse with criminal connections and a heart of gold, Juliet’s jolly landlady and her charming nephew, Katie’s parents, and more.

The story really takes off when the Bethnal Green Library is bombed and Juliet connives, over Mr. Pruitt’s objections, to have a collection moved to the Bethnal Green underground station, where hundreds of neighborhood residents spend their nights as the air raid sirens go off nearly every night. The library becomes a social and educational hub, as well as a morale booster for all its staff, volunteers, patrons, and station shelterers. Do things all work out well for our plucky characters, despite some stumbles along the way? Of course they do; this is that type of book. And it’s more than fine with me to read the occasional book with a lot of sympathetic characters who triumph over adversity. It is fiction, after all.

Thank you Random House Ballantine for inviting me to review The Underground Library from Jennifer Ryan. I tend to avoid a lot of war themed historical fiction but I always have space for this author as I really enjoy how she brings together seemingly different women from different backgrounds, gives them a sense of commonality and connection, and brings in really important themes on intelligence, strength, and being grounded in hope and community. Ryan has a gentle way of unearthing new perspectives in historical fiction and rich settings that amplify her characters' strength, wit, and leadership and her writing always beings the reader into a personal or intimate space with the characters.

****Publishing March 12, 2024****

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book alternates chapters between the following women:

Sofie was the first in her family to obtain a British Visa to go to work in London in order to escape life as a Jew in Berlin. Sofie is employed as a maid for a man who overworks her and threatens to send her back if she doesn’t meet his standards. She was hoping her older sister Rachel and her father would not be far behind. Will she ever see her family again? Can she keep her employer happy or will she be sent away?

Juliet is in charge of the Bethnal Green Library, but was told it might shut down at any time due to the war. She secretly holds a book club every Saturday as her boss doesn’t approve. When everyone starts using the underground for shelter, she accidentally starts an underground library. Will she be able to keep this running despite the odds?

Katie works at the library and is about to go off to college. She is left in a predicament when she is notified that her beau has been killed in the war. She then realizes she is pregnant. She knows she could be shunned by her family and community. Will she be able to keep her baby and live the life she wants?

As the story unfolds, you find out these ladies’ friendships, that were made through the library, are what keeps them going. Did they manage to survive WWII and live the lives they envisioned?

This book highlights how horrific WWII was, how women came together to support each other, and proved that women can do men’s jobs just as well. This author did an excellent job conveying the hardships, and emotional toll that existed during WWII. If you love reading Historical Fiction, be sure to check this one out! A great book club pick as there is so much to discuss!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, I was provided an ARC of The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley #TheUndergroundLibrary

I devoured this book in 2 days. The Underground Library brings together a cast of characters so real that you feel you are in the underground station with them while bombs rain down during the Nazi air raids. Juliet leaves a country life for a librarian position in London. She fights to breathe life into the library but is aided by all those who love books. This includes a pair of older sisters, a young woman waiting to go off to college, and a Jewish refugee from Germany. They support each other and their beloved library. I want to say so much more, but It would give away the wonderful plot written by Jennifer Ryan. The master artist, she has woven together characters you will come to love as well as a plot that will keep you guessing. Kudos Ms. Ryan on a spectacular work of historical fiction.

The Underground Library is about the everyday life of people living in London during WWII. It is based on the true events of people sleeping in the underground stations at night because of air raids. The characters in the book were so engaging and there was such a spirit of community. All of this was centered around books and libraries and what they do to make a community. This book was a delight and made me feel like I was there!

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced digital copy of this book. It will be published on March 12, 2024.

Juliet Landsdown takes a job at the Bethnal Green Library in London just before the Blitz. Katie Upwood loves her job at the library but moreso her upcoming courses at the university. Sofie Baymann is a youg Jewish refugee who feels most at home in the library. Together, these women and their friends will create a library in the underground tunnels while Nazi bombs rain down, all while dealing with their own life-changing events.

This was a bit slower paced than a normal historical fiction which made it a bit stodgy. Typically, historical fiction has a past and present timeline which makes for a quicker read. This story takes placed in one-time period and covers three character storylines which became very involved. The story was interesting and covered an aspect of World War II that I had never heard of. In hopes that her other stories are better paced, I would read another of her novels.

Jennifer Ryan has a way of being ing her historical characters to life and The Underground Library was no exception. Although WWII was a miserable time, her story made me wish I was hunkering down with Juliet, Sofie, Katie, and the old sisters. This story is raw and uplifting, and perfect for book lovers. This my fourth book from this author and I have lived them all! Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley for an advance copy of The Underground Library. While I do feel there is too much WWII fiction out there, I very much enjoyed this book. It's very well written; the characters are likeable, and I cared about their stories. I wasn't aware that underground libraries and schools took place during the war. Listening to the podcast Pod Save the World today (2/21/24), their guest, a security analyst in Kiev, spoke about schools currently taking place in "metro schools" underground. It's heartbreaking that this has once again become necessary. As I read about Nazi book burnings, I took it as a warning about how fascist regimes can slowly overtake a culture until suddenly they're forcing certain people into ghettos. The fact that governors of several US states are currently banning books should wake up those who believe it can't happen again.

A couple of notes for the author/publisher: On page 22, the paragraph beginning with "And now this" is a repeat from the previous page. On 200, the word "wretch" should be "retch." Lastly, on page 295, it states "A lot of Jews are getting out of Europe southeastward through the Black Sea to Palestine." The Black Sea borders Turkey. Someone could go through Turkey, Syria, etc., to get to Palestine, but you can't get there directly from the Black Sea. Maybe I'm taking it too literally and the author just means Jews used the Black Sea to get to Turkey and then made their way to Palestine.

Wonderful historical fiction read. Based on a true story you are sent back in time to the air raids of WWII. Three stories are weaved together to bring to light the underground library and all the fallout from the community that was formed. Highly recommend. I was given an advanced reader copy of this very well written book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Ballantine Books, for this terrific historical fiction novel.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite gonre and particularly anything related to WW II.

I really enjoyed this novel as it tells the story of 3 women in the early part of WW II (Juliet Lansdown, assistant librarian; Jewish sevant Sophie Baumann; and Katie Upwood, a library assistant). During The London Blitz, the German bombs destroyed the large and beautiful Bethnal Green Library necessitating its relocation underground.

This is where the story unfolds. It is an incredible story full of emotion and heroism. I loved every turn of the page.

Highly recommend.

I received an advance reading copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley.com and the publisher in return for a fair review. This story takes place in England during the Second World War and revolves around three main characters--all women: Katie Upwood, who finds herself pregnant with her fiance's child after he goes missing in the war; Juliet Lansdown, whose fiance is a British soldier missing from Dunkirk; Sofie Bauman, who is a Jewish refugee from Germany and desperate to find her older sister. Each chapter is told from one of the women's point of view. They all work together to form a library in the underground station where residents come at night in an effort to avoid the Nazi bombings. The women actually develop a community there and the station becomes more than a refuge. Based on a true story, the premise was promising, but I found the characters very proper and not really likeable. The story itself was predictable and the ending not very realistic. It all seemed very contrived and I just did not enjoy the book as much as I had hoped. The writing style was too formal for my taste, but others might think differently.

I'm a sucker for a good 'home front'story, and Jennifer Ryan writes some of my favorites. This book has romance, excitement, danger, the Blitz, and a pop up library in the London underground. I love how these characters all came together for each other. The friendships that were formed were the best part of the book. Highly recommended if you enjoy historical fiction.
Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the review copy.

I enjoyed this book very much. Of course I wanted to read it because it was about a library. I loved all the all the characters and their journey. There was heartbreak moments, but also a lot of heartwarming ones. Juliet was my favorite, and I very much enjoyed her arc in the story. The fact that the story is based, to an extent, on true happenings, made it even more interesting. Loved how the community worked together to save the library. I definitely recommend this book!

Nice afternoon read. Ryan's usual sympathetic WWII review. Oddly, everyone lives happily ever after.

Three diverse women’s voices tell their stories as the Blitz explodes around them. Juliet is the new deputy librarian who has to learn to work with a head librarian who wants to close the library. Sofia is a German Jewish refugee working as a domestic under a special visa. Katie is a young woman with a serious boyfriend at war and her own drama of university. The Bethnal Green Library brings the, together and keeps them together as the library is bombed and moves to the Underground. Each character is finely developed and stirs sympathy with compassion. As they face the unique challenges of society’s norms, as well as the changing landscape, the library unites them and serves as the glue that keeps the whole community together. I will be recommending this book to all my historical fiction fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

I love historical fiction. But I think I love historical fiction like this best. The Underground Library is the story of three women with different journeys that meet in a library in London during WW2. They have their own personal struggles but the blitz and the library bring them together in a community and a friendship that none expected. I started this book planning to read in sections across a few days, but picked up the audio after getting into it and binged in a day. Both print and audio versions read fast and listened easily and kept me doing chores all afternoon.

It feels strange to describe a book about World War II as a joy to read, but that is what this book was for me. The chapters focus on 3 different women: Juliet, from outside London who arrives in London with fresh ideas to work in a library that is bombed not long after her arrival; Katie, who has lost the love of her life during the war, but he has left something behind for her that is both troubling and joyful; and Sophie, a refugee from Berlin who desperately wants to find the family members she has left behind. All of these women band together with others from the community in a love letter to the sustaining power of books. "Libraries aren't only about books; they're about people." This story shows how books and libraries connect people. In addition to the warmhearted story, I also learned WW II facts I didn't already know which seems surprising based on how many books I've read on the subject. I had no idea about the Isle of Man and how it served as a British internment camp during the War, including for Jewish refugees. I knew about the Underground being used as a shelter during bombing, but I had no idea just how much life there was in these shelters, including first aid clinics and schools. Jennifer Ryan brings these new facts and ideas to us in a beautifully written heartwarming story with characters you will quickly care about and root for. I was already a fan of Jennifer Ryan and this book makes me appreciate her writing talent even more.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advance ecopy. My opinion is my own.

I enjoyed this WWII fiction that wasn't focused on the front lines but instead on the British home front and the fact that we get a library to boot. Because books were indeed an escape from the war. I love the librarian Juliet Lansdown and I just love the friendship forms with the Sofie Baumann a young Jewish refugee. This was one of the more sweeter WWII books that I've read.

librarian, Juliet Lansdown Sofie Baumann, a young Jewish refugee,

World War II is a well-traveled road in historical fiction. While The Underground Library covered a lot of familiar territory, This story is really about the characters. Sofie Baumann, a Jewish resident in Berlin is lucky enough to escape to London, England on a work visa. She must leave behind her home and her beloved family. Juliet Lansdown has come to London from the small village of Upper Beeding to take on the role of deputy librarian at the prestigious Bethnal Green Library. Her fiance has disappeared at the front and is believed to have deserted. Katie Upwood will soon be leaving for college and has a job at Bethnal Green Library until then. Her boyfriend is fighting at the front. As the three women's lives come together and intertwine, a heartwarming story unfolds. Filled with community and found family, these women find themselves in desperate situations supporting each other through unimaginable challenges. The day to day ups and downs, the lovely library community, and the pervasive threat of bombings and invasion add depth to each woman's personal struggles. This was a fast read, each chapter was devoted to one of the three women's points of view. The author portrayed the destruction and devastation of the time well, while still giving the story an overall hopeful feel.

I really enjoyed the characters in this one, It made reading The Underground Library interesting and satisfying.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the gifted copy.

Truly Inspirational This story is based on actual events that happened in London during WWII. Told through the eyes of various women who came together in unusual circumstances and how they survived. Get ready for a wild ride of emotions. I was not able to put this book down and spent a few nights up very late because I had to find out what happened next.