Absolutely loved this book on a different side of WW2 that I haven't really read about or experienced before. I can't wait for the rest of this series to expand. Lots of great themes in this book including friendships, relationships, coming of age, finding yourself, being true to your heart, resilience and strength in times of adversity, etc. I loved the differing perspectives and how seamlessly the stories were woven together.

Sally and Betty find work in a salvage. yard as part of their war work. Thinking it as not important enough they find out just how important all the salvage is to the war. Finding Sally falls in love with Andrew but will her Mum stop the wedding.? Maybe when they find out that he is doing a really important job for the soldiers at. war. You will like this story.

"The war is raging in Europe. These girls will do everything they can on the home front – but is a happy ever after possible in such dark and uncertain times?"

...

It is the summer of 1940 and little do the residents of Manchester know, but this is to be only the very early days of a war which will rage in Europe for many months and years to come. This is the story of Sally White, her friends and family, as they struggle to come to terms with the whole new way of life which has been forced upon them, when all men of fighting age and fitness have been enlisted into the military campaign. As part of her war effort Sally now works in the Food Office, alongside her best friend since childhood, Deborah Grant. So close have the two neighbouring families become over the years, it is almost a foregone conclusion that one day Sally will wed Deborah's brother Rod.

When Sally makes a decision which will change her life forever, albeit in a positive way for her, it seems that the dynamics of the relationships between the Grants and Whites will be irretrievably damaged and broken. Her much older parents eventually come around to trying to see their daughter's decision through her eyes, however by then Sally finds herself transferred from her job alongside Deborah, from whom she is now completely estranged, to a role working in salvage collection, which is based many miles away across the other side of the city. Sally must leave home in order to negotiate the very precarious public transport system and fulfil her obligations to her new role, which for Sally is an almost joyous solution, although only serves to add grist to the mill of her parents shame, dissatisfaction and despair.

Meanwhile, Betty Hughes, a shop assistant who lives with her police sergeant father, Trevor and new stepmother Grace, finds herself in hot water after Sally had carried out a shop inspection as one of her last duties with the Food Office and had tricked Betty into parting with an allowance of butter, without the requisite ration book. Her employer, Mr Tucker is summoned, along with Betty, to attend court and both are charged heavy fines for this breach of wartime law. Mr Tucker and his wife have lost all faith in Betty, who is summarily dismissed with none of her owed wages and without hope of a reference. Grace, who has desperately been trying to find a way of getting Betty to leave home so that she can have Trevor to herself, spots the opportunity and gets a job for Betty in a salvage yard many miles away and has even secured her accommodation with a local landlady.

It is no surprise that both girls, who are already not on the best of terms, wind up working for the same salvage yard and their barely concealed antagonism towards one another threatens to spill over into the close working relationship they have been forced into, made even worse when both girls are both placed on night time fire watch duties on the roof of the yard, as part of their ongoing war effort. A terrible bombing raid brings them both into potential danger and it is only working by instinct and together, that they are able to put their own lives at risk to save the yard and parts of the adjoining neighbourhood.

With a new understanding between them, the friendship between Betty and Sally becomes solid and true and when a happy event means that Deborah can re-establish her relationship with Sally and now Betty too, it seems as though the White and Grant families can live in harmony once more, whilst the dream salvage team of Betty Hughes and Sally White (now Henshaw) will forge a new and lasting bond on the other side of the city.

...

This is the first book I have read by author Susanna Bavin, although as she also writes under two pseudonyms, one of whom, Maisie Thomas, I have been following for several years now. I therefore had no doubt that this, the first book in a brand new series, would be sure to live up to my expectations.

Susanna writes books set in her beloved Manchester and its surrounding areas, which she called home for many years, although these days she lives on the beautiful North Wales coast. Short and well-signposted chapters kept this story moving along a good pace, despite the time span actually covered being quite short. Both emotional and highly uplifting at one and the same time, family, friendships, love and new beginnings, and making the most of each moment of every day, are themes wonderfully captured and shared in this well structured and immersive, narrative and dialogue.

'The Home Front Girls' is set during WWII, although it is strictly a work of domestic social history, focusing as it does on life here at home during this tumultuous time and the important role played by women, who worked alongside and supported those men who were classified as belonging to reserved occupations, deemed important and vital to the overall war effort. Susanna strikes the perfect well-researched balance, between highlighting the management of new found responsibilities and challenges which women faced in their own right, alongside the generational and inherent gender prejudices they also had to deal with from those whom they needed to work with on the important home front jobs which kept the country running . The roles of women in society, were by necessity, completely redrawn and by default, life would never return to the old norm once the war was over, no matter what the eventual outcome

I already knew about many of those extra jobs which were newly forged and so necessary during wartime, however, I got to know about some of those unspoken and lesser known roles which were also so vital; such as salvage yards for reclaiming metal, paper and many other commodities which could be repurposed for the manufacture of weaponry and other defence commodities; even down to the hushed and secret, but very real need, for a continuous supply of coffins, not only for the bodies of the repatriated servicemen who died in action or of their injuries, but also for the many here at home who didn't survive the nightly bombing sorties. (Alongside reusable glass milk bottles, delivered in electric milk floats, money refunded for returning empty glass bottles of alcohol and soft drinks, groceries which were wrapped in brown paper bags and taken home in wicker baskets with not a carrier bag in sight and you can see how 'green' and eco-friendly we already were way back then!)

Love was something which needed to be grabbed and held on to for dear life in those uncertain times. So many marriages were hastily arranged either before loved ones enlisted and were often posted away immediately, or during those rare and treasured brief periods of leave before deployment. However, for Sally, her instilled sense of duty about conforming to the social mores of the time, by accepting life as the wife of someone she didn't quite trust to treat her kindly, didn't sit well. She therefore stuck to her own values, taking the full wrath of friends, neighbours and family, until their eyes were opened to the appalling reality of the situation as it might have unfolded for her.

Likewise, friendship was an important thing which had to be nurtured, as everyone needed to have people around them on whom they could rely to watch their backs during the almost nightly air attacks, or to lend a helping hand with those day to day household chores which were so difficult to slot into those long shifts at work, which often meant twenty hour days and nights.

Whilst this storyline actually encompassed a relatively small footprint, Susanna was so adept at making me feel as though I was actually there alongside Sally, Betty and Deborah, sharing their experiences as they forged new experiences for themselves, in a city which would never be quite the same again, that the 'armchair traveller' side of my reading journey, was more than satisfied. A genuine sense of time and place I could engage with and some fantastic characters I could truly become invested in.

I see that book #2 in 'The HomeFront Girls' series is already ready to roll, so I am looking forward to reading 'Courage For The Homefront Girls' in due course.

Another beautifully written WWII book. I love reading about the girls working hard at home and this book did not disappoint.

In the first book of a new historical fiction series, Susanna Bavin brings readers to World War II England and wartorn Manchester. Following Sally and her best friend Deborah, readers explore the life of the salvage girls and the women of the Home Guard, taking care of the home front while the war rages on the continent. As their personal relationships change and evolve, Sally comes to realize what her wartime duties really mean to her and to her community as she makes new friends and falls in love with Andrew. Setting the stage for future books in the series, Bavin’s characters are lifelike, different, and charming, and the relationships between all of the characters are realistic and add to the charm of the novel and this Manchester neighborhood. Sally and Deborah’s complex relationship is particularly interesting to follow as it evolves over the course of the novel, and Sally is an interesting protagonist. Highlighting a new aspect of women’s wartime work during World War II, Bavin brings the salvage efforts, the fire brigade, and rationing work to the forefront of the novel, all of which adds to the local nature of the novel. Readers are sure to enjoy the latest historical fiction novel set in World War II England.

When Sally and Deborah volunteered for the home guard while WWII was raging, they both thought that the jobs they would be doing would be more than what they actually got assigned. Primarily, they will be doing salvage work, and it doesn’t take them long to realize that this job is indeed as important as other jobs for those who serve.

As their characters were drawn out in this first book in the historical saga series by Susanna Bavin, this book also highlighted jobs often not mentioned during the war effort. Their work was indeed vital, and both Sally and Deborah saw firsthand the devastation that the war was bringing. For example, food rations. So difficult to read and to imagine, but it was just one of the tragedies that the victims of the war experienced.

While this book shows how Sally and Deborah’s friendship blossomed, there was also a romance blooming, and this added another layer to this well-written book. As this is the first book in a new series, I am eager to see how both the setting and the characters continue to be affected by the war.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I read 10% of the book and the plot and characters were not catching my interest. Unfortunately the story was not compelling enough to want to continue reading.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

What a wonderful book telling the story of the woman who were Home Front Girls and a brilliant start it a trilogy.

Sally and her best friend Deborah work together they have been best friends since they were small. Due to circumstances Sally ends up going to work in a salvage yard where she becomes friends with Betty.

I enjoyed reading about what the home front girls did it was very interesting to find out of what happened to them.

The characters worked well together and the story flowed.

Would recommend this book.

I enjoyed this story set in WWII in Manchester. This focused on those on the homefront and their efforts to support the war. Sally and Betty are the main characters who come from different walks of life. They work at the salvage depot during the day and as auxiliary fire service girls at night. It mostly focuses on Sally, even though we can hear both of their points of view. We learn more about Sally’s best friend Deborah, friendships, as well as her whirlwind romance with Andrew. It is a story of female friendships, romance, and service to their country during the war. This was the first in the series and I can’t wait for the next one.


Thanks to @bookouture, @netgalley, and the author for this ARC.

I enjoyed reading The Home Front Girls a lot. I loved Betty and Sally as characters. I really connected to the, and felt their friendship came across as really genuine. The author does a great job of bringing the setting and characters to life. I’ve read a lot of WWII books recently and this is among my favourites. This is the first in a series and I might read other books because I enjoyed this to much. The book starts off slow but this works really well and I liked the pacing overall. I’d recommend this.

A very enjoyable story with a different angle on life in WW2. We first meet Sally doing her bit for the war effort by working very happily in the local food office by day and fire watching by night. She is in an awkward relationship with Rod, the brother of her best friend, but she gradually realises that he is not the one for her, This leads to a major falling out with her friend and work-mate, Deborah, which causes repercussions in the workplace. Sally finds herself redeployed to the salvage depot, which initially she finds less satisfying, but a new friendship, a new love interest and a new home give her a different perspective. This book is a lovely read and introduces characters I hope to meet again. I missed Sally, Betty and Deborah, not to mention Andrew, once the book came to an end, and I felt I had enjoyably learned more about wartime Britain.

The Home Front Girls is the first book in Susanna Bavin's planned trilogy. If you enjoy WWII historical fiction, you're going to want to add The Home Front Girls to your 'to read' list!

I was hooked in the first chapter. Sally and her bestie, Deborah, work for the Food Office making sure that shop keepers are following the rules for ration books. But the latest 'sting' has repercussions for both Sally and the store clerk, Betty.

I thought Bavin's settings were wonderfully described. The book is set in 1940 Manchester, England. Bavin and her family lived in Manchester for many years and that personal view really works in creating a setting.

Her characters are also wonderfully created. It's very easy to have a favorite, one you'd like to know in real life. And those you wouldn't! Keep your eyes open for Mrs. Lockwood! And who else you ask? Well, I think a budding romance adds a lot this book as well!

I really enjoy this time frame. The 'Keep Calm and Carry On' attitude, the looking out for your neighbours, the social mores, and family. There are lots of hard choices to be made - and duty to follow.

And Bavin has included all of that and more. I'll be watching for the second book.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres that I don't read nearly enough, and WWII is my favorite time period to read. There are so many books about WWII, so I love it when a book takes a different angle, like this one. It was so interesting to read about the role that women played in fighting the war back home.

This is the first book in the series, and I'm excited that there's more to come since I loved this book so much! It's out today, and on Kindle Unlimited!!

4.5/5 stars rounded down to 4 stars.

The Homefront Girls is the first in a trilogy by Susanna Bavin which follows two young women living in Manchester and their experiences during World War Two. It’s a nice easy read. A good family saga typical of the genre showing the fear that everyone livid with during the long years of war and they dealt with it on a daily basis. Every aspect of life was altered and that nothing could be taken for granted in war time. Every minute counted and should be appreciated. The book does get off to a slow start and given the blurb I thought the story would specifically follow Sally and Deborah but that was not the case as a different girl did come into the story several chapters in. To be honest, I was glad Deborah didn’t feature that heavily apart from the initial chapters as I really didn’t like her character at all especially the way she reacted to Sally sticking up for herself. The story was all the better for changing tack and concentrating on Sally and Betty. There’s was a tentative relationship initially but I enjoyed seeing how things changed and why.

July 1940 and Sally White lives with her parents in Manchester and works in the Food Office alongside her best friend Deborah whom she has known all her life. People are slowly becoming accustomed to life during wartime and the constant fear of invasion by the Germans is ever present. Everything has completely changed for the people of Britain. Air raid shelters have been established. Anderson Shelters have sprung up in gardens. Any available plot of land has been turned over to growing vegetables. Carrying gas masks everywhere and the blackout have become routine. Rules and regulations have to be strictly adhered to. Gone is the freedom they had known and enjoyed. Now that the phoney war is over the threat of bombs being dropped is becoming a dangerous reality.

Sally is a confident and capable young girl who wants to do all she can to help with the war effort. Working in the food office means she is responsible for giving out ration cards and helping housewives with planning and recipes. She also goes undercover and tests that shopkeepers are not giving out more than the allotted rations or doing so without ration cards. Here is where she encounters Betty when she is out on one of her tests. Betty spectacularly fails the test leading to a huge fine and being fired from her job. Needless to say when the two women meet again through different circumstances Betty has a huge chip on her shoulder and the pair don’t get off to the most auspicious of starts.

I loved Sally from the start as she always knew her own mind and she wasn’t afraid to follow her heart even when it meant going against what society expected or the wishes her parents had for her. She had had a few brief dates with Deborah’s brother Rod before he was sent away to work in the shipyards and both families expected them to get married. But any scene where Sally and Rod were together there was a sense of unease emanating from Sally. That she wasn’t fully comfortable in his presence or he never made her feel good about herself. He was sneaky and pushy and little things he did made for uncomfortable reading. There was definitely a mean steak to him. At a birthday /farewell party for Rod a surprise proposal should mean happiness all round but Sally follows her gut and declines. I thought fair play to her she knew she wasn’t happy and could never have a long lasting and contented life with Rod. But saying no to him led to divisions between both families and the loss of the friendship with Deborah.

Here is where Deborah showed her true colours. The way she reacted was awful. I know Rod was her brother but could she not have seen that Sally must have had very valid reasons for not agreeing to marry Rod? Deborah makes Sally’s life miserable in the Food Office. So much so that the conflict leads to their boss arranging for a new job for Sally in a different area in Manchester working in a salvage depot. Here is where Sally’s strength of character really came to the fore and she pushed her own feelings aside and took on this new role with grace and dignity and again she was determined to make a difference in this new role.

Romance does feature for Sally and I loved how this connected to the new job in her life. Meeting Andrew at the Food Office made her realise that her suspicions were correct and that Rod wasn’t and never would be the one for her. I did think they really rushed things in that a proposal came very very quickly even by wartime standards and her mother clearly thought so to. But the solution that was reached meant it opened a different aspect of the plot and it drove the second half of the book on. Making it much stronger and interesting.

As for Betty, it’s not that I disliked her but that I found her quite immature and the way she reacted to things was unnecessary. Losing her job in the shop and her stepmother finding her the job in the salvage yard meant that she had to move out of home. Which really was the making of her as she had to grow up and take responsibility for things. That it wasn’t just her individually soldiering on through the war. That with team work and initiative both she and Sally could do great things. When Sally arrives to begin work at the salvage yard I thought Betty gave her a very frosty reception and she was definitely still smarting with her over losing her previous job. But she was young and easily slighted and brooded far too long on things. A good dose of reality was needed and was received as the two women volunteer for fire watching duty each night. These scenes were quick and dramatic and brought home the danger people faced on a nightly basis and it brought the two women closer together after what one would call a very rocky start.

It was fascinating to read about work at the Food Office and the salvage depot. I had never given any consideration to this aspect of war work before. Yes, I’ve read a few fleeting lines in books saying all metal was given over to the country to be used in the war but the way Sally and Betty operated the depot and what was brought there was really interesting. I really loved the angst and annoyance brought about by the character of Mrs Lockwood and I was desperate for her to get her comeuppance in order to let the good qualities of Sally and Betty shine through. There were a few twists and turns towards the end of the story which added a little bit of meat to the plot and made things a bit grittier.

I had been waiting for that fine line between things being all nice and pleasant and then that added depth that the book needed and it did come. I enjoyed the ending but it made me realise that things are only really getting started and that there is potentially a lot more ahead for the Home Front Girls - Sally and Betty. Friendship, family bonds, working together as a unit and a community, sacrifices and hardship are all themes explored in this enjoyable read and I am glad that I have book two Courage for the Home Front Girls waiting to be read on my Kindle as I wasn’t ready to leave the characters behind as they had only hinted at their potential and the stories they still had to share.

The Homefront Girls marks the first installment in Susanna Bavin's fresh trilogy, also named The Homefront Girls.

The story introduces Sally and Deborah, who willingly volunteer to support the soldiers in WWII. Sally aids the auxiliary fire service at night and works at the salvage depot by day, sorting scrap metal and paper, among other items – a role she never anticipated. Her encounter with Andrew sheds light on the significance of her contribution and offers her a listening ear. Could love be blossoming between them?

Susanna's captivating writing style immediately draws readers in, immersing them in the characters' life and workplace.

Get your hands on a copy today.

Got this book at the last minute and read in 12hrs, Just love Susanna Bavin as an author and have read all her other titles.
The Home Front Girls is the first of a series and is about friendship, hope and endurance during the Second World War. Lovely characters who grow in friendship during their uncertain time. Looking forward to the 2nd book in the series.
My thanks as always to Netgalley and to Bookouture for the early read

The time is 1940 in Manchester.Sally and Deborah volunteer for the home guards to help the war effort.Sally goes on to work at the salvage yard to work sorting the scrap metal and waste paper.Sally meets Andrew a carpenter and sadly has to tell Deborah's brother that she can't get engaged to him as there is somebody else. While Andrewi is out helping families from the rubble after a shower of bombs got Manchester Sally is going to where the plumes of smoke are coming from and finds out it is the salvage yard.Will Sally and Andrew come out safe from all this and find love.Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture.

THE HOME FRONT GIRLS (The Home Front Girls Book #1) by Susanna Bavin is an easy to read story set during WWII that follows two young girls in England as they work and find love on the home front. I had a difficult time wanting to continue reading this story because the introduction to the characters is very drawn out with not much of interest happening. While the research for the story is interesting and apparent, I felt the characters were somewhat two dimensional.

I was personally disappointed, but the story may be written and targeted to a YA historical fiction audience reader and they may enjoy it more.

The Home Front Girls is a story about hope, courage and friendship during the early days of the Second World War. I loved reading about Sally and Betty, how they grew as people throughout the book, the bravery of these young women and how close they became as friends in spite of their rocky start. I cannot wait to read the second book in the series. Can thoroughly recommend to anybody who enjoys sagas.

This is the first book in a new historical saga series by Susanna Bavin. I found this to be an easy but at the same time a really interesting read. I’m a huge fan of historical saga series so it’s always great to have a new one to look forward to. It was really interesting to learn about the food rationing ‘tests’ and subsequently after that about the salvage depot where both Sally and Betty worked. As with the majority of these saga series there was a romantic element to it and I enjoyed this part also. I look forward to watching these characters develop over the course of this series. A great start to a brand new saga series.