3.5 stars.

I love this genre but admit that I was expecting something a little different based on the name and synopsis of this book - this is less about rebellion/preserving art and culture through books and more about the endearing qualities of libraries and books that bring people together in times of turmoil. It's still a lovely message, just different from what I was expecting.

Plot was a little simple and wrapped up a little too perfectly. Overall, though, was a nice read with some endearing characters.

See my full review on Goodreads (link below). Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this e-ARC!

During the Blitz in London in the underground tube station at Bethnal Green, the community comes together to help each other out during air raids. After the library is damaged, the deputy librarian, Juliet sets up an underground library and it’s an instant hit. With her friends Katie and Sophie, they help make lives better even during the war.

Jennifer Ryan’s new novel returns to the familiar ground of World War II London during the Blitz. Juliet Lansdown, a young woman eager to leave her small village and establish her independence, accepts a position as deputy-head librarian at the central library in Bethnal Green. Katie Upwood is working at the front desk part-time before continuing on to university. Sofie Baumann is a German-Jewish refugee working a menial job in service, and hoping her sister can escape Berlin and join her. Lonely and without family support, she heads to the library to seek help finding information about her family as the war closes in.

Sharing a love of literature and education, Juliet makes the acquaintance of some eclectic library regulars, who give her much-needed assistance when the building is bombed, and Juliet pushes forward with the idea of setting up a temporary library underground, where hundreds of London’s citizens take shelter to escape the bombing. The young women’s lives are not without heartache: Sofie is sent to an internment camp on the Isle of Man, Katie mourns her boyfriend who is missing overseas, and a young man Juliet had thought to be AWOL turns up on the scene, asking her to return home to village life and marry him.

Ryan’s heartwarming novel has some lovely romantic elements but primarily showcases the community spirit and camaraderie of the London population during the worst of the bombing. Juliet plays a significant leadership role in keeping the underground library running, planning reading sessions to entertain people and keeping hope alive. Always central is the love of books and their importance as an escape from the horrors of war. This uplifting and inspirational story is perfect for readers looking for heroic home front World War II novels with connections to actual events.

I hesitated before reading this book because I've read many WWII books lately. But as a librarian, I'm a sucker for anything involving books or libraries, so I jumped in. So glad I did! The book splits the narrative between three women. Juliet was brought up in the countryside in a cold and formal household. This is her first time living on her own in London, and she is set to make the most of it as the new deputy librarian. Sofie is a Jewish German refugee who is in London on a work visa, cleaning the house for a horrible man while worrying about her older sister's whereabouts. Katie is a young woman, brought up in London and all set to go to University until an unexpected situation brings the wrath of her family down upon her and leaves her with an uncertain future.

All of them are brought together when the local Underground station is cleared to become an air raid shelter. Through the bond of the library, these women forge friendships in the community and learn how to fight for what matters most in their lives. It was a delightful read and, during breaks from reading, had me thinking about the characters and longing to return to them.

I really enjoyed this book where women made lasting friendships and helped one another through the worst of times. The Underground Library was a central attraction where they all came together to keep it going while bombings were going on above them. i loved the characters and the various romances that came together. A very different sort of book set during the war where people still find themselves in life circumstances as war rages around them. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC

Although The Underground Library, by Jennifer Ryan, is another World War 2 story, this one was a delightful historical fiction. Set in England in 1940, this story is told in alternating voices of three young women during the war. Sofie, a jew who fled Germany, Juliet, a deputy at a London library, and Katie, a library worker, become friends and have lives that intersect. Support for each other during difficult times is the theme throughout this book. When events force the library to close, these women, with the help of the community, open a library in the Underground offering books to those in bomb shelters. This was a nice story line with great characters who all learn about “The true and immense power of books.”

Generally, I'm done with reading books about World War II, as there isn't a whole lot left to tell differently. But if the story is strong and the writing has merit, I will give it a chance. Jennifer Ryan is a new author to me, and her 2024 release, The Underground Library, was listed on NetGalley as a top read. It was about books, so I decided to give it a chance. Three women who work in a British library during the war struggle to accomplish goals in their lives. One woman escaped the Nazis. Another was being forced into a marriage. And the third lost her fiancé in military service. they develop friendships and enemies, but through it all they keep the library running. It's a good example of historical fiction that transports you to the time period with ease, and seeing the different levels of wealth and religious persecution was essential to the story. Enjoyed it a lot; will give the author another read.

Three women come together at the Bethnal Green Library just as the Blitz takes hold of London. With bombs destroying the library roof, the women move books to the Underground. These three different women support each other through the hardship of the war and the hardship of their lives and they support the community. The books provide the glue for their friendship.

Juliet moves to London to start her work as the deputy at Bethnal Green Library during the war. When the air raids start people start to seek shelter in the underground stations. During the time of shelter Juliet begins a reading hour.
Katie works at Bethnal Green Library and helps Juliet work around the rules to start a book club at the library. Katie is supposed to leave for college but ends up finding herself in a difficult situation that cannot be hidden.
Sofie is a Jewish refugee working as a housekeeper with a work visa stumbles upon Bethnal Green Library. Sofie gets help finding her family through the book club members. She also gets in a bit of trouble and sent to a prison but her library friends save her.
When the library is bombed and expected to shut down these women open the underground library.

The Underground Library is an interesting story of living in London during the Blitz. As air raid sirens sounded people were forced to take shelter, many in the underground tube tunnels. When the local library is bombed books are salvaged and moved underground. The story follows the lives of three fictional women, Juliet, Sofie and Katie who meet at the original library, become friends and, along with their neighbors, change the lives of many in and beyond their community.
There are many sad moments in this story since it is meant to be historically accurate and unfortunately real life is not always wonderfully happy. Those incidences don’t take away from the positive outlook of the characters and I found this book difficult to put down. It shows how the lives and roles of women in society were changed by the war. Many still held tight to old norms but they were slowly being eroded away. Today we see women in occupations that were for men only before the lack of men available due to the war. I was drawn to many of the characters and wanted all of them to find a happily ever after.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

If you enjoyed The Little Wartime Library, I can almost guarantee that you’ll love The Underground Library, too. The books have very similar storylines; although, Underground covers a broader and more involved spectrum of subjects. While both books showcase the sacrifice and struggle for survival, the grief of loss, and the hardships of war, this book goes beyond the library and the Underground. It also tweaks history a bit by changing timelines. This book also has more romance in it that The Little Wartime Library. While it’s understandable that both books have similarities given that they cover the same situation, the same Tube station, the same library, and the same war, the characters in the two books and their situations, are all quite different.

This book does take place during the early years of WWII, it also deals with unwed pregnancy, abortion, desertion, abuse of employees, Jewish refugees, friendship, and romance. I found the characters likable, but a bit stereotyped, especially Mr. Pruitt and Max. Still, I absolutely loved Juliet, Sebastian, Sofie, the Ridley sisters, and Mrs. Ottley.

This book drew me in and held me tight from beginning to end. I wanted to be a part of the right group of people. They were all so kind, caring, and involved. They’re people I’d love to have as friends.

I highly recommend this book. It was a very enjoyable read.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan
26 year old Juliet Lansdown is starting a new life in London as deputy librarian at the Bethnal Green Library and is determined to make the library welcoming to all in the midst of war.
She forms a family with other Londoners, people that are scared and need a place to escape the Blitz’s nightly bombings. Juliet reaches out to share books and hope by opening a library in the Bethnal Green underground station after her library is destroyed. She begins a book club and nightly readings and allows everyone to come read.
She is welcomed by her landlady Mrs. Ottley and Sebastian, an acquaintance from home. She welcomes Sophie, the Jewish girl that has fled Germany to escape Hitler, and her assistant Katie, who must make difficult choices in difficult times.
These characters form a tight knit, community during a time that is almost unbearable. Juliet remarks, “A book isn’t just a physical object; once you read it, it becomes a thought, a story, a memory that is alive inside you forever whatever the Nazis take from us, they can’t take that.”
These characters believe in each other and in the power of books and help each other to survive in the underground library.

#TheUndergroundLibrary #NetGalley

This book was just like coming home since I loved Jennifer Ryan's "The Chilbury Ladies' Choir" so much. This is the perfect book for fans of historical fiction and of course for everyone who loves books or libraries.

Learned a lot of history in this book about people’s lives in the bomb shelters of WWII. Some parts were predictable and maybe a bit too tied up in a bow but the history alone helped me keep going.

Jennifer Ryan has such a beautiful way with words. Based on history, 3 young women fight to save the community library during The Blitz. The library must be moved underground, and the 3 women responsible for doing this must real with their own personal lives and problems. A story of love.

Lots of good information on London residents and on immigrants fleeing Germany during the horrific nighttime bombings of London that continued for years. The author also brings in societal issues of the time like women filling traditional male roles (I.e. head librarian) and treatment of unmarried mothers. I was unaware of how the Isle of Man was utilized as both safe haven for immigrants and prison for war prisoners. I gave it only 3 stars as it was a mixture of good historical fiction and romance fiction that seemed to dilute the power of the story. Everything was tied up so conveniently at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC to read and review.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir is a favorite and other books by Jennifer Ryan also are high on my list. This one, not so much.

The setting: The Blitz and a London neighborhood, Bethnal Green. Women are at the heart of this story. Juliet Lansdown, the new deputy librarian for the imperiled Bethnal Green Library. Katie Upwood, who is heading off to university in the fall. Sofie Baumann, a young Jewish refugee who fled Berlin for the "safety" of domestic service in London. And a cast of others including Mrs. Ottley, whose children are sent to the countryside for safety; she rents out rooms in her house [Juliet]. The elderly and lovely Ridley sisters. Meg, somewhat of a street urchin. Marigold, a former singer. and quite the character. Parents not necessarily portrayed in a positive light

When bombs destroy the Bethnal Green Library, Juliet is determined to set up a library in the underground--to the dismay of her boss, Mr. Pruitt, a slog who believes women inferior.

The women are all lovely, The men--not so much--particularly Sofie's employer, Mr. Wainwright, and Mr. Pruitt.
But--enter Sebastian, who Juliet knows though his reputation as somewhat of a rake; she finds him offputting--at first. Mac, another Jewish refugee [though from Poland], befriends Sofie and seeks to help her locate her sister, Rachel, who also fled--whereabouts unknown.

And so it begins. The book was a fast-paced, easy read, Much sadness [due to the circumstances], but also light and love due to the camraderie of the women,

Some of the descriptions I quite liked:
"... slim, unsmiling, and gray, from his three-piece suit to his receding hairline and small, penetrating eyes. Even his silver-rimmed spectacles failed to add any color to the man,,, a dismal orderliness about him"

others not:
"the scent of him, warm and masculine"
"how her heart melted"
"her blood flowing thicker and faster through her veins" {I tend to get derailed by the "mush."]

Sometimes fluff, with lot of interesting tidbits/history, indications of the social divide, and of course the threat of Nazism.

The biggest detraction for me was I saw several of the trajectories miles away and there was way too much of the neat and tidy [although you won't get the spoilers from me]. So I went from 4 to 3.5 and ultimately, 3

Still, a fast, good read/diversion,

The underground library is a unique book based on a true story. It has 3 POVs and all stories are fascinating. I'm not sure I liked one more than the others. All 3 girls had important stories to tell.
Jennifer Ryan did an amazing job telling this story. It was easy to read but yet I didn't want to put it down. Great ending too.

For a romantic novel this book has been well researched. It is based during the blitz of WW2 in the East End of London. The story is told from the perspective of three main characters, a young ambitious woman who has just left home, a Jewish refugee who has escaped from Germany and an expectant teenage mother whose fiancée has gone to war. It is a well written story and you feel connected to these characters. Although many books have been set during this time period I would recommend this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this advanced reader's copy.

In a time where their world was in upheaval three women have to not only break thru societal norms but survive during WWII. The story focuses on three women, Katie, Sophia, and Juliet, each facing different hardships and challenges but brought together but their love of books. Juliet leaves her parents home to take a job in a library. Upon arrival she realizes that she has the opportunity to bring books to the community, despite the head librarians disapproval. When the library is bombed Juliet and her friends bring it underground, uniting the community and giving them a way to escape their realities. Katie is a young girl who finds herself pregnant by her finance who is thought to be killed in action. And Sophie is a Jewish immigrant who is trying desperately to find her family as well as survive as a maid for an abusive man. All three women have to rise above what society tells them they should do and find inner strength to succeed.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this amazing account of a piece of history I wasn’t aware of. Being an avid reader myself I love the idea of an underground library that helped to hold the community together and bring hope.