A great read! I truly enjoyed it! It’s a world war 2 historical fiction that tells a story that takes place mostly in England. The 3 protagonists are all amazing women! I found myself reading it like a movie and really feeling anxiety about the characters situations. It really sucked me in. Thank you for letting me read this wonderful story!!

This was such a great read. I felt myself in every scene along with each person. I loved each character. Juliet and her strength and love for the library as well as the books housed there. Setting up and taking care of the underground library was great! Reading hour being shared by her and others kept things going!

I loved Sophie’s story. Her strength in doing all she could do in order to find her sister. In meeting Mac as the first person to look for her sister Rachel. Then going through some troubles along with Sophie.

Katie was another character that I really enjoyed. She was such a strong female character.

I really loved the Miss Ridley’s’ they were really neat characters in this book! I loved there showing up in so many places in this book. They made me smile.

The scenes and characters were so well developed I felt like I was in every par of this book!!

A heartfelt historical nonfiction story detailing events in 3 different young ladies life during the blitz in London. Katie, Sophie and Juliet life stories along with their resilience will have you feeling all of feels. I loved this book.

Thank you #NetGalley, #BallantineBooks, #RandomHouse, #JenniferRyan and #TheUndergroundLibrary for the advance readers copy for my honest review.

I loved the characters in The Underground Library. They were fully developed, making me feel like I was there experiencing the war along with them.

Women working together can be very powerful even when their world can feel hopeless. During the WWII blitz of London, Juliet takes a position of deputy librarian which is usually occupied by a man. Katie is a young woman due to start university and working at the library in the meantime, also awaiting the return of her fiancée from the front. Sophie is a Jewish refugee who finds escape from her verbally abusive employer in the library. Several other women who are library patrons join with Juliet, Katie and Sophie to start a book club and when the library is bombed, they convince the head librarian to let them salvage some books and set up a library and nightly readalongs in the underground tunnels where people take refuge. Each woman also faces her own personal struggles with family and relationships but find that they can resolve any issue with the help of each other. The books become a huge comfort to the residents of London in a time of fear and uncertainty.
I really enjoy the research that Jennifer Ryan includes in her stories about WWII. I always learn about something inspiring from this time period in the little known facts that she discovers and shares with her readers. This book was entertaining, informative and enjoyable although predictable as usual. I’m not a fan of romance novels and I found the “happy endings” to be on the corny side but most readers will enjoy this feel good book.

This story was quite interesting and I knew it would based on the premise. I enjoyed the protagonist and her zeal and push to show her worth and value. I really enjoyed it and I would read this author again.

World War II historical fiction has had quite a run these last few years. Jennifer Ryan capitalizes on that trend and the love of books by setting her novel in a war torn London library that is forced into the underground commuter station. Three young women are featured. Juliet escapes her parents, village, and a controversial ex to work in the Bethnal Green Library. Katie spends her summer working in the library and missing her presumed dead fiancé. Sofie finds solace in the library after fleeing Germany as Jews lives were becoming threatened. Ryan creates tension and beautiful romance If you enjoyed her earlier books, you will enjoy this as well.

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan is a WWII historical fiction with the survival of the Bethnal Green library at its heart.

This book is told from three points of view. First, we have Juliet who is the new deputy of the library after her fiancé has gone missing in action. Next we have Katie, a resident of Bethnal Green who has her sights set on college when her life takes a different turn. Last is Sofie, a Jewish refugee who has become a domestic servant who desperately wishes to reunite with the family she left behind.

There is a lot to enjoy about this book. I especially liked our three main characters and how they each found their voices and confidence in their own way. I also loved several of the supporting characters who formed a community that extended beyond the walls of the library. Jennifer Ryan does a wonderful job painting a portrait of this town and its resilience during war time.

At times the characters fell flat for me. The romantic connections had a lot of heart but lacked suspense or tension. It seems like any time the book started to get heavier Jennifer Ryan wraps the scene up and resolves it quickly.

Another wish I had was that our three female characters became a little more intertwined. They were strong individual characters that I felt could have been even stronger together. For the most part their storylines were separate unless it was convenient to have one help the other.

A place where this book really stood out was in the historical content. I had no idea these underground stations took on such a life and culture of their own. I found myself wishing for a station map and trying to imagine just how large it was!

One small note before wrapping things up is that if you have read Nineteen Steps there is an incident that occurs at the Bethnal Green tube station that happened in real life. I kept preparing myself for this to take place but Ryan chose not to include it in this story.

Ultimately I rated this book a 3.75 out of 5. I enjoyed the story and the characters.

World War II historical fiction is a soft spot for me. I will almost always pick it up and read it, and not all of it is good. But this book was phenomenal. It kept me engaged, and the perspective switching was well done. The three points of view formed a cohesive unit.

Some points surrounding the men in the story were very predictable. Victor coming back and turning out to be both abusive and actually a deserter was super obvious, and so was Christopher being alive. I loved the themes of found family and female strength and resilience weaved throughout. I will definitely read more Jennifer Ryan again.

5 stars! Jennifer Ryan is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. She weaves incredible stories along the backdrop of WWII, and I often continue to think about her novels long after I’ve read them. The Underground Library is equally heartwarming and heart wrenching, and I was astonished to learn that parts of it are based on a true story. I highly recommend this novel!

I think I have read all of this author’s books as ARC’s. I know when I request them I do so without even seeing what it is about. They are an automatic go-to thing. So when I got this one I was so excited to read it. However, life got in the way and I started reading this book later than I wanted to. I tried to read it multiple times but between tiredness and the lack of interest in the book. I really wanted to like it but I was confused by all the character lines and it just wasn’t pulling me in like they normally do. I decided to use my monthly audible credit and get this book and listen to it thinking maybe it would change the way I absorb the book. I was glad I did. I listened to this book at every chance that I got.

Sophie is a German Jew who is fleeing Berlin on a work visa as a housemaid. Katie is a young woman who finds herself in the family way after her long-term boyfriend is declared MIA, she works at the library as a clerk. Juliet is a young woman escaping her hometown after her fiance of 3 years deserts the English Army. She takes a job at the Bethnal Green Library as Deputy Librarian. These women’s lives intertwine in ways that you grow to love. Juliet has to get through the “red tape” so to speak of being a woman in a man’s world. She is the one who starts the underground library in the tube station after the library is bombed in one of the Blitz bombings. Katie tries to hide her pregnancy till her mother finds out and she loses it and states she will hide her pregnancy and the mother will fake hers. Sophie is a housemaid for a not-so-nice man. Julie and Katie know each other through working at the library and Sophie comes in to get books. The story is sweeping, wonderful, and heartbreaking at the same time. I adored every minute of this book. Its about books and that is a winner in my book.

I also like the ambulance worker portion of the books as I myself am an EMT. It hit me on another level seeing people at their worst but doing your part for the community at large. I thought that the characters’ stories melded well together. I was annoyed at first with the switching of the storylines but eventually about a quarter of the way through the book the stories come to the point where they are intertwined with each other and it wasn’t an issue. I loved all of the secondary characters that were in the book. They were the comic relief in some parts and deep and meaningful in others. I wanted each and every one of them to succeed. The author’s note at the end states that while the events in the book really happened she just changed some of the locations so that it flowed well with her book. I had no clue that the underground subway actually housed clinics and libraries. I knew that people used them as air raid shelters in the war but didn’t know the extent of everything else. I think the author knocked another one out of the park and have recommended it to some people all ready. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

This was a wonderful story. It's based on the true story of the Underground Library at Bethnal Green Tube station during WWII. It's told from 3 perspectives Juliet who came to London to run the Bethnal Green Library, Sophie, a Jewish immigrant from Germany who escaped at the start of WWII and Katie whose boyfriend is missing in action and is dealing with family drama. I love stories told about London during WWII during the Blitz.

My thoughts: I had family friends who lived there during the Blitz and I also lived in London in the 80s and heard lots of stories about the underground and the time during WWII and the bombings that occurred frequently. It was a wonderful story about how reading and the library helped heal and bring others together during the frequent bombings and the time they had to spend down in the underground. I loved the characters, the family dramas, and the weaving together of people's stories with the library at the center of it. It also spotlighted how some people treated immigrants who were escaping Germany and other countries and Jews during this time as well as the internment camps that Britain had. I definitely would love to read more by this author.

Thanks to @randomhousepublishing-ballantine @netgalley and the author for this ARC.

Interesting and informative historical fiction based on the Bethnal Green Library during World War II. The book follows 3 women and their personal lives during the war, connected by the library. When the library building is damaged by bombs it moves to the nearby Underground station, where it becomes the heart of the community.

Well-developed characters, each with their own story line, and how they experience the war. Interesting learning about the internment camp on the Isle of Man.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

I wanted to love this book and loved the idea of it but really struggled in connecting with the characters. I felt like they all stayed very surface level and the story lines and multiple POV just did not grab me the way I wanted. 3 stars

I loved the concept of the women of London (and those who found their way there as refugees) during World War II trying to keep the library alive. The Author's Note provides more details on how it is based on a true story and that thought just solidifies the community spirit that was present in this book. I did have a tough time connecting with some of the main characters, but I found that those who started as ancillary characters and became more important really helped make this story come to life. There are parts of this book that still stick with me, especially how strong the women were to keep something going that felt nearly impossible. The comraderie and friendships that were formed were truly special.

I read this one back in March of this year. It was an ARC from NetGalley and I thank them for the opportunity to read and review this lovely book.

The story was set during the Blitz in London and follows the lives of three young ladies. One, Julie, is a new under-librarian at Bethnel Green Library. She has moved to London from her small village and has big dreams about her work at the library. She is met with resistance from the head of the library, a man. She is also boarding with a woman whose husband is serving in the war. The other tenant of the house is the man her mother wanted her to marry, but she thought he was too much of a ladies man and flirt to be taken seriously as a husband.

The second girl, Katie, is working at the library until she leaves for university. Her family is very conscious of reputation even though her father is a bit of a cad. Her fiance is at the front and she gets devastating news about him. And she is hiding a big secret from everyone.

The third girl, Sofie, a Jewish refugee, came to London to escape the Nazis. She is on a domestic service visa with a horrible man as her sponsor/employer. She misses her family and is worried about their safety. She visits the library down the street in order to find some relief from the hard work and the worry about her kin.

A Nazi bomb hits the library, damaging some books, but many survive. Katie moves some of the salvaged books to the underground station and starts reading to people who are sheltered there. Eventually, she convinces the board of the library to allow the lending to continue from that location.

Many events occur with the lives of these three women, including issues with family, a theft, a trip to the Isle of Man, and some heartbreaking scenes with Katie.

A great book, written in a simple style that would be easy for teens to read. Some of the subject matter is sensitive, but there is nothing here that would take this book to the level that it isn't appropriate for anyone over the age of fifteen. As well, it is also suitable for older readers. I enjoyed it immensely. Lots of conflict for all three protagonists and the journey of each is well done and believable.

I loved following the stories of Juliet, Katie, and Sofie on their separate but together adventures. WW2 Women's Fiction is one of my favorite go-to adventure books and this did not disappoint!

Books have an ability to allow an escape at a time of stress or bring people together to debate their meaning or appreciate the beauty of the written word. Jennifer Ryan’s The Underground Library centers on the stories of three women whose lives were all changed by books and the bombing of the Bethnal Green Library during WWII. Sophie. Bauman was a German Jew who escaped from Berlin with a work visa that allowed her to work as a servant in London. Her employer is mean spirited and her only respite is the time she finds to run to the library between chores. Katie works the reception desk at the library. Shortly after receiving news of her boyfriend’s death, she discovers that she is pregnant. She has few options and even her parents turn against her. It is her family of friends that she found at the library who offer their support. Juliet has been hired as the deputy librarian because there was no man available for the position. Her ideas are all rejected until Katie suggests that they work behind the librarian’s back. During the bombings they bring books to the underground to hold readings and sign books out to anyone who would like to borrow one. Their audience grows each night. When the library is bombed, they find the support of the people to transport the books and re-open the library in the underground.

This is a time of war and each of the women is touched by tragedy. There is also hope. As the community comes together, there is a new life and the women find love. Sophie faces scorn and distrust as a German immigrant, but ultimately finds a way to aid the war effort. Juliet volunteers as an ambulance driver and finds support from Sebastian, her landlady’s nephew, as she sees the death and destruction around her. These are beautifully written characters who will stay with you long after the last page. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for providing this book.

Books and the love of books change the lives of three young women caught in the London Blitz. Juliet Lansdown is enthusiastic about her new position at Bethnal Green Library only to find her ambitions curved by her new supervisor. In spite of this, she successfully manages to establish an underground library to meet the needs of those seeking shelter in the railway station. Katie Upwood is working at the library while planning to attend university when she finds out her boyfriend is missing in action. Sofie Baumann is a young Jewish refuge who accepts a housekeeping position to escape persecution in her homeland. The lives of these three women intertwine as they mature and discover their own self-identity and self-worth during this harrowing time.
Recommended for fans of historical fiction, especially World War II and with strong women characters.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. What a heartfelt and wonderful story! The fact that this is based on a true story makes this story even more intriguing. The characters are so well done. Highly recommend