Glynis Peters is such a wonderful author. This WWII story will touch you deeply. Alice is a 17 year old orphan who has met up with an American pilot. She watches as they come and go. Her connection with them is very touching.

A rather novel take on WWII - my biggest complaint is the way Alice thinks, behaves, and speaks is far advanced in relation to 17 year olds I have encountered. Perhaps her extenuating circumstances of having no close relations and navigating a war-torn landscape largely on foot enhanced and accelerated her maturation process (?) The premise was borderline unbelievable but it managed to remain just this side of disbelief - I found myself not quite believing a teenager would make such wise decisions under pressure or be given such enormous responsibility by handlers in London. Her observations were uncanny for a novice "spy". All of that notwithstanding, I liked the book and relationships between Alice and her "aunts", and Alice and the US serviceman she falls in love with.

The Orphan’s Secret Library by Glynis Peters is a heartfelt historical fiction novel that explores the solace books can bring, especially in the midst of war.

The story follows Alice Carmichael, a young orphan navigating life in 1942 England. After a series of personal tragedies, Alice finds herself taken in by two kindhearted sisters, Hettie and Hilda, and begins a journey of self-discovery, community building, and, ultimately, love.

The depiction of wartime struggles—the loss of loved ones, the uncertainty, and the quiet heroism of daily life—feels authentic and engaging. Alice’s development from a lonely girl into a resourceful young woman is inspiring, and her love for books shines as a central theme. The creation of her mobile library adds a charming and hopeful thread to the narrative.

However, the story felt uneven at times. The beginning seemed to drop the reader into Alice’s life without enough background, making it harder to connect with her initially. A more chronological approach might have helped create a stronger emotional bond. While Alice's diary entries and reflections added depth to her character, they sometimes felt overly focused on her romantic feelings, which detracted from the otherwise poignant wartime setting.

The standout characters for me were the sisters, Hettie and Hilda, who brought warmth and humor to the story. Their relationship with Alice was heartwarming and provided a sense of family that balanced the novel’s more somber moments.

Overall, this is a solid read for fans of historical fiction looking for a story of resilience, community, and the power of books to inspire hope. While it didn’t fully capture me, it’s a commendable effort with some memorable moments.

The Orphan's Secret Library is a tale about the comfort that can be found in books. Tucked into that is a girl orphaned at a young age, who just finds her grandmother at age 15 and falls in love with the library. Then the house is bombed by the Germans when she's 17 and she's homeless and family-less again. She grabs her belongings plus as many books as she can carry and heads to small town where a supposed great-aunt lives. When she arrives to learn that great-aunt isn't there any longer, she ends up starting a life beyond her wildest dreams in the homes of two sisters Hettie and Hilda.

the story incorporates life during the last year or so of the war. Some challenges they dealt with. The town is near an airbase, so they experience the sorrow when planes don't come home.

The heroine also falls in love for the first time. she journals it in her diary which is quite hilarious as it reminds me of my own diaries from when I was 13-18 years old.

As the title suggests, she does create a library there for the town--and it becomes even something more!

Side note for those who would like to know: There is discussion by a character with the lead character Alice about "the birds and the bees". And Alice does journal her sexual desires after that point--not explicitly or anything though. Also sex outside of marriage being okay (if that's a topic you don't agree with).

I didn't like how it started. It's almost like it drops us in to a story and just gives tidbits about her last two years of her life. i feel like it would have been better starting it two years prior then have it move forward to when she was 17.

I loved the characters of Hettie and Hilda most.

3 STars as I found it just okay, not great, not terrible either.

*thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book to review. All opinions are 100% my own.

For as long as Alice Carmichael can remember, the only thing she’s been able to count on is the written word. The war may have taken everything from her, but the stories she cherishes provide solace and escape into a world that is more hopeful than 1942 England. So when Alice finds herself at the mercy and kindness of strangers, miles from everything she’s ever known, it’s little surprise that books become her purpose. Alice becomes a postie to earn money to help her friends who keep her and then starts her own mobile library that leads her to a couple with a hidden job that begins to involve her knowledge of books.

A very interesting story and wonderful characters, from Hettie and Hilda to Richard and Clara. There was action throughout and you got the feel for the countryside of WWII England. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for introducing me to a new author who I found out has written a series of book about orphans in WWII.

A story about a library during WWII that involves an orphan ... and that was just the catch phrase that caught me. As the story opens, Alice is walking and walking to find her only living relative as everyone else is gone. She finds two sisters who take her in and help her find a life. Near this small village is an airbase supporting the war effort. The Americans soon arrive. In the meantime, she helps with the mail (the post) and begins a mobile library. The library leads to other adventures as well as meeting an American. You'll have to read the book to find out more as if I say anything else, I'll give the multiple plot twists away!

Excellent book. You won't be able to put it down!

This was an enjoyable book set during the war.
I liked Alice and her strength during such a tough time.
It’s a really nice love story not just for Alice but her two adopted Aunts. It’s a fast moving easy to read book. Perfect for all historical fiction fans!

I enjoyed 2 previous novels by the authors and was excited to dive into this one. I enjoy the world War 2 theme kept in the novels. The Alice also runs a library was a neat twist especially once she meets Clara and Richard. My biggest grievance is I just did not connect well with Alice so the story did not entice me as much as I would have liked but it was an enjoyable read.

Glynis Peters Magic! A sweet book laden romance that will surprise you. I don’t understand the title though. The main character is 17 and her library isn’t secret since she’s traveling all over the countryside lending books.

Sympathetic characters and a good story, however, I found it somewhat unbelievable that Alice was only 18 and achieving all she did with that level of maturity. I feel that the character needed to be older, perhaps mid- twenties. That aside, it was an interesting story.

After the death of her grandmother during an air raid in WW2, Alice sets out to find her aunt her only living relative. After travelling many miles, she discovers her aunt has died. She is taken in by two sisters who eventually come to regard Alice as the daughter they never had. Alice rebuilds her life and is recruited by the SOE. Her love of books enables her to open a library, where secret messages are sent and received by agents in the fight against the enemy. She finds love with an American mechanic on the nearby air base. A moving story about love and heartbreak that touches the everyday lives of people during this terrible time.

This was a wonderful story of hope, love and a dedication to the power of words. Alice was an orphan who found out she had a grandmother, and went to live with her. It was during WWII and she lost her grandmother when bombs hit all around them. I thought it was interesting that instead of clothes when she went to find her grandmother's sister, she packed her bag with books from her grandmother's library. It must have been so heavy. Her search for the great aunt didn't work out as she was dead, but wasn't a nice person anyway. A stranger took her in and gave her a new start in life. She takes over being a postwoman when Hilda is hurt and starts delivering mail. She also starts a library of sorts and starts delivering more than mail.

The story was very interesting and engaging from beginning to end.

I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Alice an orphan loses her only family member her grandmother to a bombing. She finds out her grandmother had a sister. Alice walks carrying what little she owns and a few books salvaged from her grandmother's library to her aunts house. She finds out from a neighbor that her aunt is dead and wasn't a very nice woman. The neighbor takes pity on Alice and sends her to live with her sister. There Alice gets a few jobs but settles in as a librarian. She also gets involved with top secret war work.
I loved this book from the beginning to the end. Alice is charming and a lover of books. I really liked the found family dynamics. I also liked the very real relationship Alice has with a soldier. The diary's entries and letters Alice writes are interesting as well. I want to read all the books Alice read.

For as long as Alice Carmichael can remember, the only thing she’s been able to count on is the written word. The war may have taken everything from her, but the stories she cherishes provide solace and escape into a world that is more hopeful than 1942 England. So when Alice finds herself at the mercy and kindness of strangers, miles from everything she’s ever known, it’s little surprise that books become her purpose.

Heartwarming, devastating, and uplifting, this is another beautifully written tome by Glynis Peters that deftly weaves the ugliness of war and loss with compassion, bravery, and hope. Inspiring and encouraging in dark times! 4.5⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. This is my honest opinion of the book.

A heartwarming story about a young woman who loses so much due to WWII and who carries on- determined to make a difference. Alice was orphaned, then lost her grandmother in the Blitz, and when she is sent to Norfolk to live with her aunt learned that she's gone as well. It's the community that takes her in and gives her hope as does her work. And the young man, an American. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good one for fans of tales about life on the homefromt.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

At 17 years old, Alice who is an orphan travels to where her great-aunt lives, on reaching the place, she finds out that she’s no longer alive.

She then starts to live with two sisters of another aunt. Slowly she begins to see how the war is affecting everyone as she’s living by an airfield, where Americans from the USAAF live.

Alice becomes a librarian, by using the little library to do her bit in the war effort.

The story depicted what it was like during WWII, what the country went through with pilots doing their duty, but not coming home and lost loved ones.

I highly recommend this book.

Historical drama set during World War Two. An orphan finds a new home and a new purpose. Heartwarming and enjoyable.

It’s not until a third of the way through this novel, that we learn of the Secret Library. The foregoing simply sets the scene but is slow moving and at times a bit tedious. I felt the ‘Dear Diary’ sections were unnecessary and detracted from this rather sweet romance between an America mechanic based in Norfolk, and the orphaned Alice who had rebuilt her life with the help of strangers. Alice’s recruitment and work for the SOE proved invaluable towards bringing the war to an end and added a nice bit of excitement. Highly readable and entertaining.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers HarperCollins One More Chapter, for this ARC

May, 1943: Alice Carmichael is homeless at the age of seventeen when the home belonging to her grandmother was hit by a bomb. She finds a new purpose in her life when she finds new guardians, two sisters take her in and treat her like family. She turns her grief into helping the war effort. When one of the sisters has an accident while doing her job as a postie. Alice takes over. As she did the job so well, she decides to join the SOE, passing messages through books at the local library.

This is an emotional read. The characters are well portrayed. It's so well-written and covers the realities of living during WWII. Of course, with most good stories, Alice finds love with an American called Blake. The pace is slow to start with, but it soon picks up. The story honours the people who lost their lives fighting for their country.

Published 24th November 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUK #OneMoreChapter and the author #GlynisPeters for my ARC of #TheSecretOrphansLibrary in exchange for an honest review.

The Orphans secret Library is another great book from Glynis Peters.
Alice Carmicheal is an orphan. At 5 she was left at an orphanage and then went to live with her grandmother but sadly she died in the Blitz. Her only living relative lives in a small village in Norfolk. But when she gets there, she finds out that she also has died. With nowhere else to go she is taken in by two sisters who becomes her family. She gets a job as a post woman, who cycles every day. As one of the sisters who is a postie has an accident and can’t do the job, so Alice takes over. She does so well the decides to do her bit for the war by joining the SOE and passing messages though the books at the local library.
When the Americans arrive at the village Alice falls in love with one of them Blake. With that and doing her bit for the war keeps her busy.
This is an emotional tale of everyday life during the war and of the lads going of to war and some that never come home. This is a great love story too with someone who wasn’t born with a with a hold lot of love but eventually found it. This is a great read. 4 stars from me.