"The Wartime Book Club" is a historical fiction novel set during WW2 in German occupied island St. Helier, Jersey, of the Channel Islands. This book is very well researched, and the last 2 hrs of the audiobook are author's notes.

Grace is the librarian, and her best friend, Bea Rose, works for the post office as the only post woman. The German occupation is very difficult for the residents. Food and medicine get more scarce over time. Grace hides some of the banned books. Bea ends up steaming open letters to hold back the poisoned pen letters and have time to warn the residents if they are going to be searched.

Eventually, a book club started at the library to share a love of books. Grace reads aloud to the pleasure of many local residents who come to listen. She reads from Rebecca, Pride and Prejudice, and Shakespeare. More people want books than prior to the occupation, as it helps them escape in their minds.

The situation gets more and more dire for Bea and Grace. The end is scary, but the war finally ends with Liberation Day, 5 years after the German occupation began. An epilogue from 45 years later tells us what the rest of the lives of these two friends were like.

Characters - 5/5 but there are many
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 5/5
Pacing - 5/5
Unputdownability - 4/5
Enjoyment 4/5
Narration 5/5 Imogen Church does many voices extremely well, but sometimes her voice is rather harsh (the one for Bea)
Cover - 4/5
Overall - 4.5/5 rounded up to 5.

Thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Audio/Forever, and author Kate Thompson for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This was so good! Historical fictions are becoming a favorite for me, and this book is helping the cause. It has everything you would expect from a wartime story - death, grief, fear, and oppression - but this also gave us a beautiful friendship and strong bonds made through the wartime book club. In the darkest of times, stories helped get the people of Jersey through and that is relatable for so many. Highly recommend!

This is the story of two best friends, Grace and Bea, who live in St. Helier on the channel island of Jersey. It’s the story of resistance and survival of German occupation of the island during WWII, of both the women and the other citizens of the town and island. Based on a collected narrative history it is a sad, yet heartwarming story of friendship, community, and family.

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A beautifully written wartime book set in Jersey that absolutely stole my heart.

Childhood friends, Grace and Bea, are the main characters in the story, which is inspired by real events, and they, along with their families, friends and enemies on the German occupied island are all well developed characters and so realistic.

The story is filled with heartbreak, tragedy, love and hope. At times shocking, and sad, but equally demonstrates the power of good and the resilience of humanity.

I listened to the audiobook and the narration by Imogen Church was brilliant, as always. It’s actually hard to believe that this book was narrated by just one voice actor. Imogen captured each character brilliantly, voice tone, accents, pitch, personality… absolutely spot on!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Kate Thompson and Hachette for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I love books that speak to the importance of books, that enforce that words on a page are some of the most profound pieces of art we will come across in our life. This book does just that and more.

We follow Bea and Grace, two best friends growing up in Jersey amid the German occupation during WWII. They are each called to take part in the resistance by different means and different motivations, but each makes huge sacrifices to try and maintain some semblance of normalcy while life around them deteriorates. Both Bea and Grace experienced great loss and I was devastated over and over while reading.

While it is a long one, this book is beautifully written and tells a story of two vibrant young women who did everything they could in a time when choices and freedoms were stripped from them. I was moved to tears on more than one occasion but it made even the small victories feel enormous. Historical Fiction lovers, this one is a must read and you can grab it April 9th!

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advanced listeners' copy of this remarkable and moving book.

I listened to the audiobook and also read the ebook. Overall, I have mixed feelings on this book. There were many things to like about this novel. It is clear that the author has done extensive research in order to write this story. She really brings to life the grim realities of war for the residents of Jersey. The book started off very strong but as it went on, I began to lose interest. I think it was just too long with too many characters and side stories.
With respect to the audiobook, I initially had trouble with the narration but eventually got used to it. It seemed like it was over-dramatized and not my favorite narration.

I loved learning about the lives of the residents of Jersey during the war and it’s clear that a ton of research went into this book. The story started out slowly and I am sad to say that, while the narration was well done, it took awhile for me to get into the narrator’s cadence and dramatization. Once I got used to it and the story picked up, I enjoyed it but it was much longer than I felt it needed to be.

Grace and Bea are best friends living on the island of Jersey during Nazi occupation. Grace is the local librarian who holds book clubs to keep up moral. Bea works at the post office and tries to defy the Nazi's any chance she gets.

This is a must-read for historical fiction lovers. It is a beautiful story of friendship, love, loss, and sacrifice. It gives you a realistic take on what it was like to survive during these times and what people had to do to keep going. It was equal parts heartbreaking and beautiful. Never underestimate the power of friendship. I also LOVED that each chapter started with a banned book and gave some information on it.

I was a little confused after the epilouge because there was still a lot of time left, but I was pleasantly surprised with the author's notes! The author talked about real-life stories she heard while doing research and other gems. It was really fun and informative so don't stop it before it's completely finished.

The audio book is done extremely well. The audio is clear, and the narrator does a wonderful job doing multiple voices and accents. She was a great pick for this book! I typically listen to books at a faster speed (2.0) and had no trouble understanding or following along. I would check out other books she's narrated in a heartbeat. This book and audio were both extremely well done!

I received an advance audio copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Wartime Bookclub is a moving, harrowing and very realistic story of life in Jersey during World War 2. Jersey being close to France, was occupied by the Germans for most of the war. While being near France Jersey has closer ties to England.

The story follows the friends Grace and Bea, two young women who were very brave in the way they went about thwarting the German soldiers. It is the young women's story along with their family and friends and coworkers. And it is a story of the power of books.

Bea works in the post office and delivers letters all over the island, Grace works in the local library. Grace establishes a book club to help morale and many of the local islanders turn to books to keep them going.

It was a terrible time for the islanders, this book helps to show just how much. I loved the characters, I was in awe of their bravery and heartened by their care for each other. I was saddened by those who turned on their own neighbors, and horrified by the brutality of war.

Imogen Church really brings the characters alive. I was almost sure for a time that there were a whole cast of narrators, but no, just the one. This is a very. emotional story and her narration beautifully enhances it.

I highly recommend the audio version of The Wartime Book Club.

This was a really beautiful story. The audiobook narrator did a really nice job! I read lots of WWII fiction, and I was so thankful to get to listen to this one!

I do think it could have benefitted from being just a bit shorter.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kate Thompson for the advanced copy to read!

2.5 stars rounded up. First, thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC of this book!

I enjoyed this book, but I think there might have just been a little too much going on. I had to go back several times in the audiobook to try to figure out what I must have missed because I'd end up somewhere that things didn't make sense. This was LONG for me for an audiobook. I usually prefer to physically read the books, but the premise of this one was promising enough that I requested it! There was a war-time book club in this novel, but it was not exactly a driving factor and that's what I went into it hoping for. I'm a little disappointed--when I finished this one it was just "meh."

This tells the tale of Grace, a librarian, and her best friend Bea, a postal worker. They're two young women facing WWII from home on the occupied island of Jersey. They are both going through some very tough situations while the Germans are parading around, and maybe this novel would have been more effective if it was split so each one had their own narrative that could be given the adequate time needed to flesh out their characters. I'm not sure. The book was propelled forward by both of their romantic entanglements and that's another strike on my end. Please give me something more to hold on to that's not just love interests!! I think learning more about Peter's story in this one would have prompted me forward. I really liked the kid and I think getting a greater background of him and his story as the plot progressed instead of just glimpses would have been very enticing. He was the most interesting one to me, including his life between the end of the book and the epilogue!

All in all, if you're a fan of romance and historical fiction, this will certainly be more up your alley. I just prefer the romance of a book to take more of a backseat to the action and LIFE that's happening around/outside of it.

I really liked this book. I liked the story and the characters. I felt like it was missing something though. Maybe the ends were tied up too nicely. There were some losses but the ending was predictable. That's great for some readers but not super realistic.

The Wartime Book Club Kate Thompson is like a love letter to the impact of books in our lives, especially during war time. Beautifully told by narrator Imogen Church the book encompasses bravery, friendship, love, violence, loneliness, and hope. The author thoughtfully enclosed a note at the end as well as a thorough book club kit. An excellent read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchett Audiofor the Audio ARC; all opinions are my own.

I read a lot of historical fiction and I thought this was a great book. I listened to the audio and I feel like if I had rad it myself I’d have enjoyed it a little more. The narrator got to be a bit much after awhile so I couldn’t listen to it in long stretches but the story was good enough to keep me listening. This is a story of Bea and Grace who are best friends and how the Nazi occupation affected their lives. Grace and Ash work in a library and hide banned books before the Nazis come to take them all away hoping to save some for after the war. Grace forms a book club to be held at the library, under supervision of a Nazi officer. Bea works at the post office and helps deliver messages about invasions & searches. They each try to do what they can to help others during this difficult time.

I immediately requested this audiobook because of how much I loved The Little Wartime Library. This author does such a fantastic job telling the story of book lovers and women in general during the WWII time period. The narration was easy to listen to and engaging. I will continue to read and listen to these books. For me, WWII stories are harder to read because I do not connect very much to that time period in history. However, these books by Kate Thompson give such a unique and powerful perspective that you do not learn in school. The women are so powerful, brave, and innovative. I especially enjoyed the part of the plot where the women hide letters and warn other women/families about the Nazi investigations. I never really thought about how connected libraries and postal services could be. And of course, I am a big advocate of not banning books. This was a very enjoyable book to listen to.

🎧The Wartime Book Club🎧
By: Kate Thompson
Narrated by: Imogen Church
Review Score: 3 1/2 Stars

Why Was This Book “Just Ok”?
While interesting, this book was very long. There were so many characters and storylines, it was hard to keep track of everything going on. I think, if the book was shorter, it would have been more engaging.

Do I still recommend it?
Yes. Overall, I think the story was well done, and fans of historical fiction might like it.


——

🎧 Audiobook Review! 🎧

The Wartime Book Club was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and Hachette Audio. Thank you for allowing me to read this book!

Release Date: 4/9/24

Today’s “Just OK Wednesday” is about The Wartime Book Club.

I went into this book with very high hopes. I have only read a few books about the Nazi Occupation of the Channel Islands during World War 2, so I was very excited to give this one a whirl.

Overall, I have conflicting feelings about this book. There are ALOT of characters, and they all seem to be doing things on the side of the main plot, which made it hard to keep up with at times.

I also feel that, if this book was shorter, it would have been more engaging to stay with. You could almost have 2 stories here, but because they are interwoven, it actually makes it hard to follow.

With that being said, I do think people who like Historical Fiction would like this book. I did like it, I just didn’t love it.

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This is the second book in a series that I have thoroughly enjoyed! The Wartime Book Club continues the story of Grace and Bea through WW2. This historical fiction highlights the difficulties during the time but emphasizes the censorship by the German’s. Each chapter highlights a banned book 📚. The character development is well done and the narration is excellent. I look forward to reading/listening to more novels by Kate Thompson.
Thank you Net galley, Kate Thompson, Hachette Audio for the opportunity to preview this audiobook and my opinions are my own.
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This review would not automatically publish to Good Reads so here is a link to my posted review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6332138473

I am hooked on historical fiction, especially WW2 times, both the memoirs and the ones like this, based on actual events. I love that people were brave enough to save books, hide them, and yet keep people reading in the darkest times.
I enjoyed this book, both regular and audiobook. I am a fan of this author and will definitely keep reading her in the future.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

(3.75) This was another lovely WWII book.

It follows two women - Bea and Grace - as they work to survive the occupation of their home in Jersey. They each work to resist and support their neighbors. Grace does so through running the library, creating a book club, and sharing books with the community. Bea works with the postal service, and also works to save people who have been informed on by their neighbors.

I really enjoyed this story. There were times when I felt like Bea was a bit too reckless. But I also understood why she was doing everything. I liked seeing how these two women worked within their capacity to resist the occupation. It was not big things, but it was enough to maintain moral and save some neighbors from arrest.

Of course there is a bit of romance in this story. It felt a little unnecessary, but also shows how life goes on even in the hardest of times.

I would definitely recommend to fans of wwII fiction.

Such a lovely historical novel. Absolutely heartwarming but informative, completely enthralling but true to historical fact. I fell in love with the interesting cast of characters, while occasionally remembering The Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. My favourite quote was 'Books will get you through a life without money, but money won't get you through a life without books'. The audiobook in particular was perfect. Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for this ARC