I love reading books that introduce me to historical moments I'm not familiar with. Once again Jennifer Ryan does not disappoint! Set in Bethnal Green, London through the last five months of 1940, this fictional novel introduces us to the societal and cultural changes brought about by World War II and the London Blitz.

When Juliet Lansdown arrives in London for her new position as Deputy Librarian, she's determined to prove herself and engage the community. As bombs fall and lives are changed, Juliet, with others, begins to carry library books into the unfinished Bethnal Green Underground shelter. As author Jennifer Ryan explores love, loss, and the harsh realities of wartime Britain, her cast of strong female characters, show us that libraries can influence perceptions, broaden minds, and bond together people of all backgrounds.

A very pleasant, interesting read, without being too predictable. The author crams a great deal of life's experiences into five short months, before wrapping it up with a satisfyingly feel-good ending.

What an amazing, heartwarming book. The book is a historical fiction based on a true story of the binging of the bethnal green library during WWII.
The book follows three protagonists, Katie a local to the area, whose boyfriend goes to war, and she finds out she is pregnant with his child. Rendering her an unmarried mother.
Sophie is a Jewish refugee who gets a visa to London as a housemaid, and her search for her sister who she left behind.
And finally, Juliet the new deputy librarian whose fiancée abandoned his post in the war, and her fight to keep the library open through the war.
During the book, the library is bombed, and Juliet decides it would be most beneficial to move whatever books can be saved underground. This opens up the library to a wider audience who is sheltering in place during the bookings.
The book is quite phenomenal, and really makes you wish you had a community like they do!. Highly recommend the read!

I was utterly thrilled when I received an email notification that I was approved for an ARC copy of this book, for free, in exchange for my honest review, and it absolutely did not disappoint. This was the easiest 5 star rating I have ever given. The timing, with everything going on surrounding Gaza and Israel could not have been better to lend some perspective to how people in these areas could be living. It is set in WWII London and centers around a young Jewish girl, named Sofie, and connects a host of colorful characters together one story at a time. The Underground Library is a tale of survival, friendship, love, and community with a beautiful cast of characters you will fall in love with. You will laugh, you will cry, you will celebrate alongside each of them. Do not sleep on this one! From page one, I was drawn in completely and devoured every word in a day! Now, I am off to pre-order a physical copy to re-read over and over again.

A huge thank you to Random House Ballantine Books, Jennifer Ryan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read such a profound work of art!

I loved this book. I loved the easy friendships between all of the females.
Sofie's story was one of heartbreak with a great twist at the end.
Katie was head over heels in love and tried to buck the trend of culture and norms.
Juliet, what a firecracker! I loved her spunk and ingenuity.

The book is broken up into stories from the three ladies mentioned above.
Its a tale of love, loss, and trying to grow while a war is on.

I was hooked from page one. This is a fast paced book and one that I will treasure.

Based on true events.

I loved Ryan's previous WWII fiction so I was super excited to read her newest, which seemed extra tailor made for me--not just WWII historical fiction, but also libraries/librarians! As with her other stories we have a cast of women who are keeping calm and carrying on while England is at war. This takes place in London during the Blitz, when people sought shelter each night in the Underground. (I appreciated the author's note at the end which told more about the community that came about in the Underground during that time.) I found it really interesting to read about that daily life and how people came together and kept life going underground.
While I did find some of the dialogue and speeches about the power of books and libraries a bit over the top (and I'm a librarian so totally believe in those things) and not the way people would speak in real life, I didn't really mind because it all served the purpose of creating this warm story. The romances are sweet and wholesome and most of the characters seem to have an awful lot of good luck. I don't think anything is going to top Chilbury Ladies' Choir or Spies of Schilling Lane, but this was still enjoyable.

The Underground Library follows a group of neighbors in London during the Blitz. The book follows the point of view of 3 main protagonists. Juliet has come to London to work as an assistant in a library. Her fiancé, Victor, has gone missing in the war, presumed to have deserted. She finds herself re-acquainted with a man from back home who is working in the War Department. Katie, and assistant at the library, finds herself “in the family way” and the father of her baby has been killed in action. She must face the ramifications from her family as they want her to hide her pregnancy. Sofie, a German Jew, has made it to London on a work visa. Through a series of events, she is able to rid herself of her mean boss and move onto better job and living situation. In the midst of the Blitz, the Bethnal Green Library is bombed. The library goes “underground” along with the residents of London, to the subway tunnels. As the bombing progresses, the women of the underground library form a family unit, helping each other, and their patrons through the trying situation.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of The Underground Library via NetGalley.

Posted to Goodreads.

The Underground Library is another solid entry from Jennifer Ryan depicting life in London during WWII. Overall, the book is engaging and what seems like a fairly realistic view of life during such troublesome times. But I did not enjoy this book or the characters as much as The Kitchen Front. Also, although the horrors of wartime and the rationing, and the parents missing their children all rang true...the happy endings for each of the main characters did not. I did enjoy the information at the end of the book explaining which facts were indeed true and which were taken with some creative license. Thanks NetGalley for the review copy.

This is a very interesting story. The fact that it is based on a true story makes it more interesting to me. So many of the books about the Nazis and WWII are very sad and “heavy”. Often I don’t feel like immediately starting a new book for a few days because the stories of the atrocities are horrible. This book is different. Yes, it takes place in the 1940s and yes, it’s about the war. But Juliet and her new friends are able to keep going living. It is a very interesting book and I will recommend it and I will read another book from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this novel that tells the fictionalized story of the underground library in London during WW2. Ryan weaves together the stories of 3 women during the Blitz and how they form a support system for the people of the underground library, I loved the historical details of the novel and learned some new things! I would highly recommend this book to historical fiction reader!

It was a good book and really enjoyed it all and rooted for this couple to make it. Love it all. read it today you will not be disappointed. they had me at the title of Underground library.

Genre: Historical/Women's Fiction
Publisher: Random House
Pub. Date: March 12, 2024

Mini-Review
"The Underground Library" is a historical fiction novel based on real events. The novel centers on three young women who play a key role in saving the Bethnal Green Library from bomb damage in London during WWII. They achieve this by relocating the library's remaining volumes to the neighboring underground station, where locals sleep every night for protection as the Blitz encircles them. Although I enjoyed this book, I probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't just read three other WWII historical fiction novels.
The below link is from https://bibliobloggityboo.com/author/bibliobloggityboo/. It describes her mother as one of the actual women involved.
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Bethnal-Green-Tube-Disaster/.

The story of "The Underground Library" is engaging: During the Blitz, a London library takes its operations to a Tube station where hundreds, if not thousands, of people shelter each night from the German bombs. But it's let down by the writing. This is a book where, after telling us about a stampede that resulted in people being trampled to death, the author feels the need to tell us that it was "tragic." Gee, you don't think we could have reached that conclusion on our own? It's also a book rife with fortuitous coincidences and happy endings, pretty much all of which I'd predicted within the first several chapters. And while the book tells us, repeatedly, that times were tough and people were worn down by fear and uncertainty, the Blitz and a brief stay in an Isle of Man internment camp for German refugees come across at times as jolly fun, not to mention a splendid opportunity for making friends and meeting ideal romantic partners. That said, I did appreciate details of daily life during that time (whale-meat pie!), and a few scenes were surprisingly moving. I just wish more of the book revealed such depth.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Random House, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This was a wonderful story set in the East End of London leading up to and during the Blitz of World War II. It is framed in actual events and focuses on the lives of three rather different women all brought together by one cause - the love of reading and the desire to share it and imbue that love in others. There's Sophie, a young Jewish refugee working on a domestic service visa. Kate is a young college-bound girl whose sudden change in situation derails her plans and subjects her to society's scrutiny. Then there is Juliet, the deputy librarian, fortuitously serving in a traditional man's profession. She has strong ideas and a desire to serve the community and help others develop a love for reading. It's at Bethnal Green Library where these women meet. Through their shared love of reading, amidst the horrors of a war torn neighborhood under attack, they build strong friendships and bond over their shared love for books and sharing that love with their community.

Having read other books by Jennifer Ryan, I knew that I was in for a treat with this one. As anticipated, it did not disappoint. On the contrary, it carried me away to a different time and place and held me there in thrall through the entire book. It filled me with a full range of emotions and empathy for the characters as they quietly struggled. The initial tears of sorrow and angst give way to tears of shear joy and hope. Who could imagine that a library would become the lifeline that everyone needed?

Ms. Ryan has deftly written a beautiful and engrossing story. She has done her research which is no less than herculean. Using actual events for the framework, she weaves the stories of these three women in and around it. The reader gains glimpses of the amazing spirit of the British people and their willingness to carry on through the darkest of hours. Arching above it all is the amazing power of story to transcend the challenges of life and carry us to a safe and wonderful place, if only for a brief period of time.

I am grateful to Ballantine Books for having provided an advance reader's copy of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.


Anticipated Publication Date: 03/12/2024
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books
ISBN: 978-0593500385
No. of pages: 368

I would like to thank Net Galley and Random House, and Megan Whalen of Random House for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC. This is an historical fiction novel , set in England, in the early days of WWII. Interestingly enough, it is the second book that I have recently read to be set in the area of London called Bethnal Green. It follows 3 women, Juliet, whose fiancee has disappeared after Dunkirk, Katie, who boyfriend has been called missing, believed dead and Sophie, a Jewish woman who has made her way from Berlin, to work as a maid. Sophie has family in Berlin and is desperate to try to find them. Juliet is the deputy librarian and wants to start a new life , and bring new life to the library. Katie works at the library and wants to go go College, until she finds out she is pregnant. The 3 women bond , along with other women in the area, to help each other through the war , and through life. Woman are still very much second class citizens, and Juliet's efforts in the library are not appreciated by her male boss. Then the library is hit by bombs and Juliet moves the books into the underground subway shelter in Bethnal Green, first as a way to save the books and then as a way to keep everyones spirits up . It is a good book, not a great one. The timeline of some events has been altered and it is all a bit too pat in the ending. However, the characters are well written and engaging. The story is good and uplifting. I look forward to another one of Jennifer Ryans books.

Ebook received for free through NetGalley

A good read that made my heart happy in the end regardless the circumstances. Overall feel good in the midst of war.

I have read every book from this author and enjoyed all of them and this one is no exception.
The novel takes place in England during the war II while London was enduring nightly air raids. It was very interesting how the citizens pulled together as volunteers men and women - ambulance drivers - air raid wardens - first aid. I never knew that the underground was not used as air raid shelters from the beginning of the blitz. Once they were allowed they were like underground cities - first aid, little cafes and, of course, an Underground Library. There is romance, a German Jewish refuge, an unwed mother, soldiers with PTSD and an army deserter while also touching upon women in the workplace. As always the author makes you care about the characters.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced reader copy for an honest review.

I had an opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Jennifer Ryan's The Underground Library thanks to Penguin Random house and Netgalley. This was a compelling historical novel focused on three women in 1940 London during the Nazi Blitz. The main character, Juliet, is the newly hired deputy librarian for a large library in London's East End. She wants to find a way to revitalize the library in the midst of war. Katie is a university-bound woman whose fiance was lost in war, and finds herself pregnant with his child. Sophie is a Jewish girl who escapes Berlin in 1939 to become a housekeeper for a grouchy man. All three come together, along with a supporting cast of characters first in the creation of a book club, and then once the air raids force people to the "underground" (the subway tunnels of the tube, to take shelter, they move the now bombed library, creating an "underground library."

The novel is a quick read, rotating chapter by chapter to each of the three main characters, whose stories interweave. It is based on a true story- the bombing of the Bethnal Green Library, only a few weeks into the Battle of Britain. It also brings to life the desperate efforts of Jews to escape Nazi Germany and make it out of Europe. Ryan provides a rich tapestry to explore many elements of world war two, in the context of her characters. An excellent book.

when the towns library is destroyed in the Blitz, several ladies come together to open an underground library. good historical read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fictionalized history of the underground library at Bethnal Green tube station in London during WWII. The story follows three women during the early stages of WWII (~1940). Near the beginning of the London Blitz, the German bombs destroyed the large and beautiful Bethnal Green Library, necessitating its relocation underground.

Juliet Lansdown has just taken the role of Assistant Librarian, a role usually reserved for men (who were of course in short supply). Jewish Sofie Baumann has managed to obtain a visa to leave Berlin for London as a household servant — also in short supply and one of the few ways Jews could still get out of Germany and go to the relatively safe shores of England. Katie Upwood, a library assistant, finds out she is pregnant shortly after hearing that her beau is missing in action, presumed dead. Together these women, and the growing community taking to the tube station for nightly shelter, form a support system for the predominantly female cast of The Underground Library.

Jennifer Ryan always gives her characters a happily-ever-after which made it easier for me to read of a harrowing time without too much additional stress which I greatly appreciate. I loved the attention to historically accurate details of the age — the big hotels fixing up their cellars for dancing, the women in internment camps on the Isle of Man teaching each other skills, the treatment of unwed mothers, deserters, efforts at Jewish reunification, and the fact that universities, rather than close, started opening up to women while the men were away -- Margaret Thatcher got her 1943 Chemistry degree from Oxford! I also always love Ryan’s characters and the way they work to make the best of whatever situation they find themselves in — usually through some wonderful friendships. All learning to take whatever joy is available to them and cherish it.

If the story sounds familiar, that may be because this is the second book to fictionalize this WWII underground library this year. The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson covers the later years of the war and was also very enjoyable. For those interested in the real story, here is a somewhat personal accounting complete with photos: https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Bethnal-Green-Tube-Disaster/

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan is a great WWII-era historical fiction that kept my interest throughout.

I have liked several of Ms. Ryan’s books in the past, and this did not disappoint.

It was great to read about the real-life Bethnel Green Library, especially through the eyes of three different women, different, but brought together, united under external battles and war.

Sofie, Katie, and Juliet are great main characters, and the author does a great job weaving their unique perspectives and life circumstances together into one story of hope, faith, courage, perseverance, love, and loss to give this book a great complexity and interest.

Definitely recommend.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 3/12/24.