This book ripped my heart out…several times.

Frankie is at a going away party for her brother, who is going off to Vietnam. That night her brother’s best friend, Rye, tells Frankie that women can be heroes, too. This single statement changes the trajectory of Frankie’s entire life. She decides to become a nurse and then join the military so she can join the war.

The book is about love and loss, and more loss. It is about hope, healing, PTSD, addiction and a myriad of things that Vietnam veterans experienced after the war. It is also about the women who were often ignored and told that women were not there in Vietnam. It is about their struggles to be seen and heard, all while trying to recover from their own traumatic experiences.

Julia Whalen did such a beautiful job narrating. She captured the feelings from fear to sadness to anger and frustration so perfectly. She brought the book to life.

This was such a beautifully written book. As a nurse, a piece of my heart will stay with this book forever.

This was the easiest five stars I have ever given to a historical fiction book.

Thank you to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Kristen Hannah’s historical fiction is unparalleled! In The Women, we follow the life of Frankie. Frankie, an educated nurse, enlists in the military to join her father’s wall of honor. After the death of her brother in Vietnam, Frankie is more determined to prove her worth. The reader follows Frankie though her first and second assignment where she meets and loses a full list of friends and lovers. After returning from war, Frankie must come to terms with a world that does not accept her or her experiences. Hannah’s research and ability to create characters that convey the stories of thousands of real people is unmatched. This book is beautiful in every way.

“The women had a story to tell, even if the world wasn’t quite yet ready to hear it, and their story began with three simple words: we were there.”

Frances ‘Frankie’ McGrath joins the Vietnam war as an Army Nurse, stepping away from the path her conservative, affluent parents had planned for her and towards a brand new future she’s only beginning to imagine. We follow Frankie through unimaginable horrors, moments of intense bravery, bitter betrayal, and terrible grief both during and after her service. Through everything, this is a story about friendship, healing, and love - most importantly learning to love yourself.

Beautifully written, incredibly immersive, and honestly so enlightening. Kristin Hannah is shining light on the stories and experiences of Vietnam veterans, specifically the women who served as nurses during the war. Wow - how much our country has forgotten or silenced about the way this war and its aftermath was handled.

I can imagine how much work went into researching, story-seeking, and world building every tiny detail of this novel. Julia Whalen did a fantastic job narrating this audiobook.

This is the 5⭐️ read you’ve been waiting for. I can’t wait for this book to publish - look out for it on February 6th!

Thank you Macmillan audio and St Martin’s Press for access to this audiobook ARC!

Kristin Hannah has done it again. She has created a historical fiction novel that takes a subject that has been forgotten and brings it to the forefront so we will remember the history that women have been such a big part of. This is a subject that not many authors have tackled. This powerful drama is a tribute to the heroic women in the Vietnam War.

This story begins with a California nurse who decides to join her brother in the Vietnam War efforts. This very important novel tells of the tragedies and heartbreak that our heroic women and men went through and the prices they paid to fight communism.

Kristin Hannah tells a story with such beautifully written and poignant words that you feel you are there in Vietnam with the characters. She also develops characters who feel real and full of flaws. What I love about Hannah’s writing is that you may think the story is going one way and she shocks you by taking the story to an entirely different way.

This book is being published on February 6, 2024 and I will definitely recommend to friends and family who love historical fiction. Thank you, Net Galley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the Advanced Reader Copy. #NetGalley #TheWomen @MacmillanAudio

Wow! Just... WOW!

First off, the audio version of this novel is phenomenal. Julia Whelan is an automatic listen anyways.

The book is focused on Frances "Frankie"McGrath, a recent nursing graduate from Coronado Island, California. Her brother, Finley, has joined the Navy and been shipped off to Vietnam. Frankie's dad has a "Hero's Wall" in his office with pictures of all the men in the family who have served in the military along with their wives. Frankie longs to have her own spot on the wall. She decides to enlist in the Army as they are the only branch that will take nurses without prior experience. She is quickly shipped off to Vietnam and is quickly overwhelmed. Her bunkmates, Barb and Ethel, help her navigate the new land and her job as a nurse. Frankie goes through many experiences while in Vietnam, all of them life-changing. When she returns home after two years, she is met with hatred from fellow Americans. Her own parents lied to their friends about the fact that she was deployed, saying that she was studying in Florence instead. The public had no idea that women were in Vietnam. Once home, Frankie quickly spirals out of control, losing herself to alcohol and eventually to prescription drugs. She tries many times to get help and was turned away time and time again. The ending gave me hope for Frankie. I cried so many times, especially when her loves were lost.

I've never read a book like this. This was the most heart wrenching historical fiction I've ever read. I felt like I was standing alongside Frankie in Vietnam, holding the soldiers hands as they passed, hearing the choppers overhead. I felt her grief as she came home and faced the struggles of living with undiagnosed PTSD. The fact that people stateside were adamant that there were no women in Vietnam was astonishing! Even at the VA! I felt her heartbreak over lost loves. I have never felt as connected to a character as I did to Frankie. Kristin Hannah is an absolute genius. The amount of research that went into this novel is obvious. It is historically accurate all while telling an entertaining, heart wrenching story. I highly recommend this to anyone! In my opinion, I believe it's Hannah's best yet!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I read a lot. It takes a whopper to grab my attention and keep it there….but of how I LOVE the books I can’t put down! I have told so many people to preorder this and buckle up. I have enjoyed several of Kristin Hannah’s other books but this one is my new fave. I went in pretty blind and I would recommend others do also. 5 stars my friends! Enjoy!

This was my first Kristin Hannah book and I fear I may be in the minority of not loving it. This one started in a very promising way and the parts in Vietnam were engaging and clearly well-researched.

The attitude towards the war was nuanced and progressed in a way that felt realistic through that timeline. Later on I felt like it glorified military service a bit much for my taste despite showing the negative sides as well. I agree with other reviewers that it could have been shortened and edited significantly. I was quite surprised that that I was only about 40% in when she returned home from two tours, and I found myself hoping she would return to war just because it was the better part of the book.

The strongest parts for me were in the depiction of female friendships, the dedication to the historical details, and seeing Frankie grow and come into her own as a confident nurse and woman during her time in Vietnam.

My gripes:

Her friendships were often one-sided- Barb and Ethel were gold star friends to Frankie but she rarely reciprocated in helping them.

The romantic drama- while the start of the romantic plot lines were compelling, the endings of all of them were predictable yet unrealistic; and the drama and trauma along the way felt trite and unnecessary. There were several ‘twists’ that I predicted and when they arrived I rolled my eyes and audibly said ‘of course’.


This book was a good listen (especially thanks to narrator Julia Whelan 👑) but could have been stronger if it had removed some romantic tragedy and focused more on Frankie’s growth and friendships throughout her wartime experience.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audio copy

THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah is a poignant exploration of the overlooked heroism of women in the Vietnam War, focusing on Frankie McGrath's journey as an Army nurse. Hannah's narrative beautifully captures the complexities of war, highlighting the sacrifices and commitment of forgotten heroines. Frankie's bravery amid the chaos and her struggles upon returning to a divided America evoke deep emotions. This novel, unique in spotlighting women in Vietnam, resonates with authenticity and emotional depth. Kristin Hannah's storytelling prowess shines, creating a memorable tale of friendship, sacrifice, and the resilience of women in the face of trauma. The characters are skillfully portrayed, and the bonds formed among them add a layer of richness to this emotionally charged narrative. "The Women" is another compelling addition to Hannah's impressive body of work.

I can honestly say this is the first book or audiobook I have read concerning the Vietnam War and that era.
This audiobook was one of the best I have listened to! The narrator is phenomenal! And Kristin Hannah’s story is almost too amazing to put into words. I have read every book she has done and feel the same way each time. No emotion is left untouched. No character is underrated. No scene is under done. Frankie is my favorite character, but her friends, Ethel and Barb are right there. Listening to this novel it feels like you are there with them, the jungle, the beach, the river, the operating room.
I will be shouting my recommendation for this book to anyone!! It is absolutely spectacular!!

I voluntarily listened to the audiobook provided by NetGalley.

Kristin Hannah best book by far, and I have read them all. It was an engaging book that I couldn’t turn off. It brought in all the issues of the Vietnam war and made you feel like you were there. I have told everyone I know to read/listen to this book. It should be required reading.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This book is absolutely amazing! I did not want to stop reading. I was completely invested in the characters and the storyline. It gave an amazing insight to what women went through during this time. The love, the loss and treatment after coming home was so eye opening, This book was absolutely gripping from the start, a must read!

I absolutely LOVED this book - WOW!!!! Kristin Hannah dug deep for this one retelling the story of a Vietnam War Nurse - the struggles she went through in war - the battles she was dealt when returning home - and the lack of support for women who were at war.

The narrator was so great, and I was hit in the heart hard!

Kristin Hannah does it again! Another amazing historical fiction that enlightens readers of times forgotten or not spoken of. Frances "Frankie" McGrath grew up in a household that prides itself on the family's military service. Upon completing nursing school, Frankie enlists in the Army Nurse Corps and to follow her brother, who enlisted in the Navy, to Vietnam. Kristin Hannah enraptures readers from page one in this novel and provides the reader with what feels like a first-hand view of the chaos, sadness, torment, and love that Frankie and others experienced during Vietnam. Frankie experienced so much during her two years in Vietnam and these experiences caused lasting effects that many veterans experience upon returning home from their time at war. However, the understanding of PTSD and other mental health related issues due to experiences at war are better recognized and treated now. Frankie's return home was tormented, and she continued to experience loss in multiple ways. There was nowhere for her to turn to in order to receive help due to the lack of recognition of being a veteran because she was a woman and did not see combat. Frankie must learn to how to heal and how to become her new self upon her return home.
The audiobook version of this novel was narrated by Kristin Hannah and Julia Whelan. The narrator's voices fit the characters well and the listener is able to differentiate between characters allowing the story to come alive. The pacing was fantastic, and the narrators put appropriate emphasis and emotion into conversations and the storyline to make the listener feel like they were in the moment with them. The flow of the story between chapters was executed perfectly and the pairing of Kristin Hannah and Julia Whelan was a perfect match.
Thank you Macmillan Audio and Kristin Hannah for giving me the opportunity to review this advanced reader audiobook.

Kristin Hannah has done it again. The Nightingale and The Great Alone are two of my all-time favorite novels. With high expectations, I was not disappointed as Hannah weaves a poignant narrative around Frankie, an American woman in the Army Nurse Corps during the Vietnam War. The first half vividly captures Frankie's challenging wartime experiences in Vietnam, while the second half delves into her struggles to reintegrate into civilian life in the United States. Hannah effectively explores the public's response to Vietnam veterans, offering a nuanced understanding of post-war challenges.
The audiobook, narrated impeccably, enhances the emotional resonance of the story, making The Women a must-read for those seeking a compelling exploration of history and human resilience.

If you are a Kristin Hannah fan you won’t be disappointed in her newest novel, The Women. This was a book that once I started listening to, I thought about it often and found myself looking forward to my next listening session so much that I finished the audiobook in just three days. The narrator was on point, the story was raw and engaging, and I learned a great deal about how women were treated before, during, and after enlistment during Vietnam. While it admittedly isn’t my new favorite by Kristin Hannah, I would still recommend it to fans of her work and historical fiction fans alike.

I love how Kristin Hannah doesn’t shy away from BIG, sometimes sprawling and unwieldy, subjects. In THE WOMEN she digs into the Vietnam War and the Vietnam War era, and given her devoted fans, she’ll reach readers who’ve had extraordinarily little, if any, true exposure it. Her exploration of the women who served in Vietnam – the 10,000 or so whose stories had for a long time been not only overlooked but dismissed – is a revelation.

I love how Hannah gets the music, the fashion, and even the hair right, as she tells Frankie McGrath’s story, capturing the ghastly world of mud, heat, blood and body counts she experienced as a nurse at an evac hospital in Vietnam, and then in its aftermath as she manages the emotional trauma of being home.

For my taste, the story is too long and many of its characters too predictable, but I’m glad I’ve had a chance to listen to THE WOMEN. I’ve learned a lot. Thank you Macmillan Audio.

Thank you, Net Galley and Kristin Hananh for the early audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my most anticipated read for 2024, and I it lived up to every single expectation I had for it- and more. Kristin Hannah is a Queen. I adore her writing, her characters, her stories- this may have just surpassed the Nightingale for my favorite book ever. This will be hard for any other book to come close to this year.

Blown away! I just started this year off reading The Four Winds by this author. The Four Winds is up there as my favorite book of all time. I’ve quickly read through four of her books so far. How lucky was I to be able to read this early! This book is nothing short of absolutely amazing! I loved every part of it! It was intense, heartbreaking and wonderful.

I was very excited to receive an ARC from Macmillan Audio. Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors and The Women did not disappoint. It was very interesting to show a war veteran from a woman’s perspective. I will be adding this to my purchase list for the library I work for.

Kristin Hannah did it again with a heart wrecking, devastating historical fiction novel. If you want your heart ripped out a million times, this is the book for you. The Women is a coming of age story about love, loss, & finding yourself when all odds are stacked up against you. I love how much I learn about a specific time period/wars while reading her books. Lots of heavy topics so be prepared (look below in comments if you have any triggers).

Loved the audio! Julia Whelan always does an amazing job!